- - -
we're trained to be vigilant, to chase down the problem, to ask all the right questions, to find the root cause until we know exactly what it is and we confront it. it takes an extreme amount of caution or we can't overstep ourselves. we can create problems that don't exist.
- - -
"this, um, patient..." jackson tries to admit to alex who's stood examining charts. "i can't find the heartbeat."
"so call the morgue, forty watt," alex shrugs.
"he's not dead," jackson informs him. "he's sitting up. he's talking."
"dude, you're lucky you have a famous last name," alex chuckles before letting jackson lead him to the patient's room where he then attempts to find his heartbeat. "take a deep breath, sir."
"i'm having... trouble doing that," the patient, todd, tells the pair of doctors.
"oh, grow up, todd," todd's girlfriend, molly, rolls her eyes. "when he was nine, they removed his right lung."
"and now the other one's crapping out on me," todd adds.
"or maybe you're having an anxiety attack," molly sarcastically suggests. "because i just asked you to move in with me."
"i can't find his heart," alex sighs, still attempting to find a heartbeat using his stethoscope.
"oh yeah?" molly raises her brow. "me, neither."
"no, i really can't," alex shakes his head, stepping away from todd.
"so who's the forty watt now?" jackson cockily challenges with a smirk, before taking a moment to think. "get a stat chest x-ray and page cardio."
■ ■ ■
"derek, you're back!" lia beams, wrapping her arms around the neurosurgeon when she spots him by the nurses station.
"i'm back!" he returns her smile and hug.
"and you're being nice to me?" she chuckles, slightly confused.
"and i'm being nice to you," he nods, then pauses. "look, i was out of line the other day. it's not you that i'm mad at."
"don't be mad at him," lia pleads referring to mark. "he's no more at fault than me."
"oh, he's very much at fault," derek mutters before walking away, earning an eye roll from lia.
■ ■ ■
"there she is..." lia says analysing todd's x-ray. "by your kidney."
"my heart is by my kidney?" todd asks in shock.
"that's why it was so hard to hear your heartbeat," jackson explains to him. "and without a second lung in your chest cavity, your heart sort of drifted."
"it's called post-pneumonectomy syndrome," lia informs todd and molly. "and the shifting caused some bronchial compression. that's why you weren't able to breathe."
"i'm the biggest bitch in the world," molly sighs. "can you put it back where it goes?"
"yes, we're gonna use saline implants in your chest," lia explains. "to keep it in place."
"implants?" todd raises his brow. "like what they use for... fake boobs. you want to put- i can't have- no. we're- i- i'm a guy. okay? i'm a guy's guy."
"well, you won't actually see them," alex argues.
"yeah, but still," todd protests, throwing his hands in the air. "i mean, come on, man. you know what i'm saying. i mean, how am i supposed to, you know..."
"pick up women?" molly interrupts. "you mean, how do you explain your boobs to the next chick who's dumb enough to date you."
"molly! molly!" todd calls in an attempt to stop her from walking away, but she exits the room and slams the door behind her. he then turns back to lia. "do i have a choice?"
"do you like to breathe?" lia raises her brow.
■ ■ ■
"hey, um, do you have a minute?" lia asks mark as she approaches him stood in the main lobby. "i've got a question."
"sure," he smiles at her.
"i wanted to talk to you about breast implants," she states.
"really?" mark raises a brow. "good for you. you know, it crossed my mind the first time we hooked up, but i didn't think you were the type to go for it."
"no. n-not- not for me," she frowns at her boyfriend. "for my patient."
"i'm kidding," he chuckles, attempting to recover. "your breasts are fantastic. i wouldn't change a thing."
"the patient," lia reminds him, attempting to get him back on topic. "um, he, uh... he's got post pneumonectomy syndrome, and i wanted to use the implants to stabilise his heart."
"of course. let me take a look," he nods, taking the x-rays off her to examine.
■ ■ ■
"i, uh, set aside some saline implants," mark tells lia as they are sat talking in one of the on call rooms. "for your post pneumonectomy patient. i have a couple on hand. size-wise, you won't really know what you need until you're in there."
"can you scrub in and place them for me?" she asks, and he sighs, indicating he doesn't particularly want to do this surgery. "please?"
lia pouts and moves closer to him so that their lips are almost touching. "fine. i'll place them for you," he gives in and plants a kiss on her lips.
"thank you," she giggles into the kiss as the door swings open, leaving them both to snap their heads to find derek stood in the doorway.
"unbelievable," he shakes his head before shutting the door and leaving again, and mark groans in response, as lia pulls a peanut butter cup from the pocket of her scrubs and unwraps it.
"what are you doing?" mark cocks his brow.
"eating," she rolls her eyes as if it's obvious, before grabbing another peanut butter cup from her pocket. "i'm a stress eater. and you and derek hating each other is making me stressed."
"you're an idiot," he chuckles, kissing her again.
- - -
our intentions are always pure. we always want to do what is right, but we also have the drive to push boundaries. so we're in danger of taking things to far. we're told to do no harm while we're trained to cut you open with a knife.
- - -
"you're not with sloan are you?" richard calls from the kitchen as lia enters the front door.
"no," she rolls her eyes, as she walks into the kitchen where her her parents are sat at the island. "but if i was- you're being rude, dad."
"rude?" he challenges, raising his eyebrow.
"yes," she confirms. "mark is my boyfriend. he makes me happy. and you love mark."
"i like mark. he's a talented surgeon," richard corrects. "i do not like the thought of him dating my daughter, however."
"mark is a good man," adele defends her daughter. "face it, richard, you don't like the thought of anyone dating our daughter. and it makes it worse that you know mark. know his past."
"yes, his past where he slept with every nurse in my hospital," richard reminds them.
"but that's his past," adele reiterates. "there's a few things i could pull up about your past, but i don't because i know you're a good man."
lia frowns, curious as to what her mother could be referring to about her father's past as she'd always known them to have a seemingly 'perfect' marriage.
"okay," richard sighs. "i'll lay off sloan. but if he hurts you..."
"i can handle myself," lia chuckles. "i'm a big girl, dad."
- - -
so when we do things when we should have left well enough alone. because its hard to admit when there's no problem to treat, to let it alone before we make it so much worse. because we cause terrible damage.
- - -