Primrose Di Georgio's POV:
Standing outside Terminal 5's security at Heathrow Airport, Primrose gave her mum Hazel, a final hug and kiss goodbye. The past six years at Oxford had changed Primrose in so many positive and healthy ways, including turning her into a peripatetic. Whilst at university she took part in two exchange programmes in Tokyo and Sydney and spent her final year at Harvard. She also volunteered for the university's Christian Medic Society, where she sacrificed her holidays to dedicate her time in caring for children in some of the most dangerous and poorest parts of the world. With every adventure Primrose embarked on, she always booked a return ticket to London. However, this time was different. She would not be coming back in several weeks or months. She had only booked a one way ticket to Boston. She was leaving her life in London behind forever.
Primrose's flight took off bang on schedule, at exactly 21:45pm on Thursday. During takeoff Primrose cried heavily whilst she looked outside the window and gazed down at London with Adele's song 'Hometown Glory' playing in the back of her mind (Round my hometown, memories are fresh, round my hometown...). London was just as beautiful as New York City at night with the moon shining bright over the River Thames, the surrounding buildings all lit up and Tower Bridge beamed so bright like a star twinkling in the sky. Whilst Primrose appreciated the view she was staring at, her favourite view was of Grosvenor's Bridge; one of the most underrated views in London.
Even though British Airways had an excellent in-flight entertainment service filled with a wide range selection of television series and brand-new movie releases, Primrose deliberately chose an overnight flight, so she could sleep. It was her lucky night, as the 300-seater Jumbo Jet only had 30 passengers on board. Primrose took advantage of the empty plane and slept on the four seats in the middle aisle. Primrose had slept for most of the 8 hour flight, until she was woken up by an air-stewardess who asked her to return to her original seat and attach her seat-belt in preparation for landing.
Primrose arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Friday at 09:15am and spent a very long time with the Border Control Police Officers who went through all her paperwork and documentation in-depth, especially with her Visa, which they examined with a fine toothcomb. Despite working in the States being one of Primrose's main life goals, she never expected she'd move across the pond so quickly. Her original plan was to complete her foundation year at Kings College Hospital, the hospital she was born at, and then live in Melbourne or somewhere else in Australia for a year or two, before settling down in America. Countless doctors and nurses from the UK were making Australia their new home and it felt like a rite passage and only natural for Primrose to do the same, however it was not God's plan.
Primrose had been researching on a whim where else she could work as a newly qualified doctor apart from the UK, when she stumbled across Edenbrook Hospital's internship application form for international doctors. Edenbrook was a world-renowned hospital known for their excellent teaching, first-class care, their exclusive, unique and innovative surgeries and of course their elite diagnostic team; the best in the States. People flew from all over the globe to be treated by Doctor Ethan Ramsey, one of Primrose's medical heroes. Whilst Doctor Ramsey was not her inspiration in becoming a doctor; all the books and journals he published along with all the lectures and speeches he presented, guided Primrose throughout medical school and she swore she could feel his existence around Oxford, despite him being 3, 000 miles away. I have to apply to Edenbrook...Doctor Ramsey works there and I want to live in America. It's fate. Primrose thought to herself as she went through the application process.
The process was not as tough as others had posted online. Whilst it was lengthy, nothing was as challenging as the Oxbridge process; two entrance exams, a presentation and three panel interviews. Primrose passed the United States Medical licensing Exams with flying colours and became ECFMG certified. The most crucial stage was receiving letters of recommendation from doctors in the States and whilst Primrose was not short of them, she was confident that the lovely letter written by Doctor Lily Chen, the dean of Harvard Medical School secured her, her residency.
-x-
Primrose only allowed herself three days to recover from the jet lag, settle in and get her bearings around Boston before she started work. But, as Primrose slept for a long time on the plane, she had not experienced any jet lag and was feeling very fresh. While Primrose was sitting in the back of her Uber chatting to the driver, she could feel her tummy turning into knots, as she looked out of the window.
"Umm...sorry...but are you going the right way" Primrose asked trying not to sound scared. Why has he locked the door? Omg, how am I going to get out and where am I going to go? I don't even know where I am. What if he does something to me? Something bad?
"Yes, don't worry, we are almost there" Primrose was being driven away from the beautiful and traditional Boston townhouses and luxury apartments in the trendy and upmarket neighbourhoods and being driven into the dark and bleak neighbourhoods. She felt as though she was back in London; being driven away from South Kensington to Thornton Heath; where she lived. After almost an additional 45 minutes, the driver pulled up outside a run-down apartment in serious needs of TLC.
"This isn't the right place" Primrose told the driver alarmed
"It's the address you gave me"
"Oh no, maybe I got it wrong...Hold on..." Before Primrose could check Google Maps, a young man who was around 20-years-old knocked on the window, startling her. The driver rolled down Primrose's window, so she could hear him.
"Hi, you must be Primrose. I'm Austin, welcome to Boston" Shit; I am in the right place. Primrose had been in communication with a man named Austin regarding renting a room she found advertised on Gum Tree. Whilst Austin was a common name in America, Primrose was a very old and outdated name, including in England. What are the chances that he's been talking to someone else named Primrose.? Where Primrose was standing was the polar opposite of the Gum Tree advert, which showed a gorgeous lakefront apartment in a gated, private and residential road.
Primrose thanked the driver before she stepped out of the car and shook Austin's hand. Don't judge a book by a cover Primrose. He looks nice and even if the apartment looks grim, it might be like the Ritz inside. He looks normal, not the serial killer type, but he does look too young to be a university graduate already unless he skipped a couple of grades.
"So...you look a bit too young to have graduated from university already. Are you a prodigy of some sorts?" Please say yes. I hated my life whilst I was at university; I'm definitely going to hate it more as an adult living with university students.
"What's a prodigy?" Seriously!
"It's just that when we were chatting on Whats App, you wrote that you had finished university, but you look too young to me"
"Ah, yeah, about that, my girlfriend and I are actually 20. Same like the other couple who live here. We're still at college"
"So, you haven't finished?"
"That's what I just said...but we almost have...two more years to go" he said, as he crossed his fingers. Lying prick.
"Thanks for lying"
"No problem"
Primrose rolled her eyes, as they fell into an uncomfortable silence, as they entered the apartment. What else have they lied about? What am I going to walk into? A murder scene? Primrose started to panic and got her phone out; dialling 9-1-1, erring on the side of precaution. Primrose felt as though she was on set of the movie 'Vacancy' and like she was going to be a victim in a snuff movie. As Primrose entered the apartment, she could smell the foul stench of weed and stale cigarettes. They made their way around the kitchen, which was full of dirty and used cutlery and the fridge had expired milk and mouldy cheese inside. "We all chip in for the weekly shop. If you don't want to share, then write your name on whatever you've bought. Nobody's going to steal" Yeah right, I need to buy a mini fridge.
As they explored the rest of the apartment, Primrose's heart sunk further as she made attempts to adjust to her new living quarters and she coughed heavily as the smell of weed got stronger and stronger. Austin offered her a spliff and she couldn't work out if he was being serious or sarcastic.
"Very funny" Primrose said in-between her coughing fit. "It's bad for you"
"YOLO"
"Did you guys just move in or something?" Primrose asked after they visited their messy bathroom, and stepped inside the living room, which was a complete pigsty with half-eaten cold pizzas still in their boxes and empty beer cans thrown around all over the floor.
"No, what makes you think that?"
"No reason" Don't try and be cocky Primrose, you have to live here. Try and be cool.
"Voila, here's your bedroom. Fit for a queen" Primrose stood in disbelief with her jaw down to the floor. Her bedroom resembled Harry Potter's sleeping arrangements in his uncle's house in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but sadly for Primrose she couldn't cast a spell and magic up an actual bedroom. It was no bigger than a supply cupboard in a hospital. Whilst Primrose was not expecting much, she certainly wasn't expecting this, considering she was paying $600-a-month. Fit for a queen? What a jerk. It's obvious they advertised this little cupboard as a bedroom to earn a quick buck.
Primrose sighed as she slumped down on her bed. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her current situation. Primrose should have known better than to have fallen for a Gum Tree advert. Oh well, there's nothing I can do now. I have to make the best of what I've got. Her bedroom only had space for a single bed, a bedside table and a wardrobe. She kept her most valuable possessions like her laptop in her suitcase and used her medical books and journals as a place where she could do her hair and makeup. I need to buy a lock for my room.
"Oh no" Primrose exclaimed, as she looked in her calendar and saw her upcoming plans. In a few months' time Hazel and Millie, Primrose's best friend who was currently in Law School were due to visit Boston for the first time and they were all going to celebrate their first Thanksgiving Day together, providing that Primrose could get the day off work. Millie and Primrose had been inspirable since meeting at Dulwich Park when Millie fell off her bike and Hazel and Primrose went to help her. 21 years of beautiful friendship. Primrose lied back on her bed and imagined what she dreamt her life would be like in November. I'll definitely be out of this apartment before mummy and Millie come to visit. I'll take them to get some nice coffee. For Thanksgiving we'll tuck into a big, fat, juicy turkey and a mouth-watering cherry pie. Maybe I'll have an all round American boyfriend by then, he could visit London for Christmas...
"Stop!" Primrose told herself through gritted teeth, as she punched the sides of her bed and brought herself out of her daydream. No matter how hard she tried, Primrose was easily distracted and had a knack for being able to transport herself into dreamland, where she imagined a whole new world full of endless possibilities. But as always, life reminded her that it was a bitch and nothing was promised, especially when it came to love and happiness.
-x-
"Wow..." Primrose's mouth dropped wide open, as she looked up at the shiny Edenbrook Hospital. As Primrose did a little clap and shimmy, she accidently made eye-contact with a stern, pouty, young woman who stared at Primrose, as though she was an alien from outer space. The young woman didn't return Primrose's smile, but instead rolled her eyes and entered Edenbrook. Whatever.
My first day at Edenbrook Hospital...My first day as a doctor...It still hasn't sunk in yet x Primrose uploaded her selfie, which she took outside Edenbrook moments ago, onto her Instagram page. Her last upload was several weeks ago when her friends from Church organised her a secret surprise going away party. Primrose checked through her Instagram feed and saw that all her medical school friends back home had uploaded similar photos on their first day too. She made sure to like the photos and post sweet little comments. It was around 14:00pm in the UK and they were half-way through their shifts.
Dr. Primrose Di Georgio
Internal Medicine
Primrose was bursting with pride as she gazed down at her brand new i-d card. For once her i-d photo looked completely acceptable and she wouldn't feel ashamed to show it to people. Primrose held her i-d card close to her chest, like it was her newborn baby that had just been placed in her arms. She wanted to stay like this for eternity.
"I'm so sorry, but I've got to dash, otherwise I'm going to be late, but nice meeting you Doctor Delarosa" Primrose checked the time on her iPhone and realised that she had spent too long, slightly too long, chatting to Doctor Delarosa, a Senior Resident, whom she had just met a couple of minutes ago and was going to be late for orientation.
"Please, call me Ines and good luck out there Primrose. You'll do great" Ines called out, as Primrose started to walk away. Although Primrose had just met Ines, she could feel the warmth and glow inside of her and she knew she was in safe hands with Ines as one of her mentors.
-x-
Primrose was making her way through the hospital's main reception on her way to the atrium for orientation when she heard a loud crash and people screaming for a doctor behind her. Even though, Primrose was a bit far away, she could make out the silhouette of a woman who was spiralled out on the floor. In that very instance, Primrose's flight-or-fright response mode kicked in and she chose to flight; making her way towards the commotion. Come on Primrose, you took the Hippocratic Oath. This is your duty.
As Primrose approached the patient, the doctor, an attending, got to her first. Primrose and the doctor made eye contact for several seconds, before he barked at her. "Don't take all day. She needs you." Why did I stare at him for? I don't understand...I'm probably just nervous. In the moments they maintained eye contact; it was as though time stood still, but Primrose had no idea why he had been able to stop her dead in her tracks just like that.
As Primrose kneeled besides him and above the woman, a male nurse told them he had no idea who the patient was and what she was doing at Edenbrook. Poor woman, she must have been visiting somebody and now she's ended up as a patient.
"Rookie, check her vitals" he ordered Primrose.
Primrose looked at the different sized cuffs, making sure she picked the right one. The wrong sized cuff would give the wrong reading and would alter the treatment given to the patient, which would have detrimental effects on her. Primrose carefully assessed the cuffs individually before she settled on a dark plum colour cuff. She wrapped the cuff tightly around the patient's right arm and then placed the crocodile-like clip from the pulse oximeter machine on her index finer; not her thumb, making sure the red light was directly touching her nail bed. Primrose then inserted the digital thermometer into her ear. As she waited for the thermometer to cook, she used her mum's fob-watch, which she had given to her as a sort of heirloom, to count the lady's respiratory rate. Primrose remembered her time as a healthcare assistant at the Royal London Hospital; the hospital the President described as a 'war zone', when she was reprimanded by the matron in-front of all the nursing students for counting a patient's respiration rate for 30 seconds and then multiplying by 2. Since that humiliation, Primrose had never done that same mistake twice.
When Primrose scrutinized the patient's vital signs; she started to panic a little bit. Her temperature was 45'c, but she was pale, clammy and experiencing cold sweats. She was tachycardic with a heart rate of 150 beats per minute, hypertensive with a blood pressure of 70/40, hypoxemic with oxygen saturation levels of 70% in room air and bradypnenic with a respiration rate of 7. Her breathing was shallow, laboured and slow; she was taking deep breaths and struggling to breathe. Primrose could make out the slight visibility of stridor.
"Sepsis"
"Is that your diagnosis?"
"Yes"
"You need a blood test to be certain"
"I know" Primrose said angrily, as she placed two fingers on the lady's carotid arteries. Primrose didn't mean to sound angry, but she didn't like being treated as though she had just entered medical school. She was a fully qualified doctor after all. EVERYONE knows you need a blood test to determine sepsis. Does he think I'm an idiot?
"What on earth are you doing?" he got angry this time
"I'm checking her vitals manually. The machine could be wrong"
"We don't have time for that. The machines are mostly always right. You work with the information presented in-front of you, make your diagnosis, plan your treatment and tell the nurses what you want to happen."
Primrose could see the thousands of medical books and journals she had read throughout medical school flashing before her in the back of her mind, along with the essays she had written and her highlighted bullet points, all pointing to different diagnosis's, but none providing her with the answer she desperately needed right now in this moment. Why is he asking me to do everything? He's the attending; surely he knows what to do. Primrose could hear her mind insulting the doctor at a hundred miles an hour, but suddenly she felt someone squeeze her hand ever so slightly, snapping her back into reality.
When Primrose looked down, she saw the lady looking up to her and squeezing her hand ever so lightly, again. "Please...doctor....save...me...my...son...needs...me..." she struggled to talk, but Primrose understood everything she had said correctly.
"I won't, I promise." Primrose tried her best to reassure the woman and to sound as confident as possible, whilst she held her hand. Whilst Primrose might have looked and sounded secure, she was dying on the inside.
"Okay...okay...I know what to do...One second..." Primrose tried to think of real life events in the hopes of figuring out what to do, when suddenly she continued... "She's hypertensive, so she's going to need fluids to boost her blood pressure. Hello, nurse, if you get everything set up for a cannula please, I shall cannulate her..."
"You don't need to cannulate her. The nurses are more than competent in cannulation" the attending had cut off Primrose and she had to remember that she was in America and not England. Everything is so different here. Only a select few nurses in England could cannulate, mainly those working in A&E or daycare units, but in the States it was a nursing requirement. Primrose continued to hold the woman's hand, as she focused all her attention on the male nurse, who cannulated her with such ease and poise, inserting the cannula perfectly into her cephalic vein in her left arm. Wow, he got the cannula in on his first attempt and didn't even leave a bruise or mark. I wish I was that good at cannulation, especially with children and babies.
Primrose could feel the presence of somebody watching her from behind, when she turned around and saw the doctor staring at her with fury in his eyes. "Are you sure you shouldn't be a nurse instead of a doctor?" the attending scoffed at Primrose.
"No...It's just that he did a perfect job"
"Well, you're not doing a perfect job at the moment. Carry on with your examination, doctor!" Primrose did as she was told and saw a glimpse of a bruise developing on her right elbow and her fingertips on her right hand turning blue.
"Look, doctor"...she tapped the attending on his shoulders. "The bruise wasn't there before"
"Are you sure it wasn't there before?"
"I am positive" Primrose said with self-belief. Imagine if I got it wrong, if this is a trick question and her bruise has always been there. I'm toast.
"She must have landed on her right elbow when she fell and as it's forming quickly; she must be haemophilic. Also, look at her fingertips, they're turning blue..."
Primrose interrupted him boldly"because of her low oxygen saturation levels. She hasn't got enough blood circulating around her body."
"Well done" he smiled at her. See Primrose, you know your stuff.
"Take a closer look at her lungs and don't take as long as you did when you were checking her vitals". He was no longer smiling at her and returned to his snappy self. Primrose shirked off his sly dig, as she removed her pink, personalised engraved stethoscope from her neck; a graduation present from Millie. She warmed up the bell on her stethoscope before placing it on her chest.
"I can't hear anything on her right side..." Primrose tried to listen to her left lung; she tilted her head to her left side and strained her eyes. "But her left side is very hard to hear. I can briefly hear some crackling sounds"
Primrose didn't need anybody to tell her what was happening to her patient, she knew what was wrong with her straight away. She could feel and smell herself sweating profusely. Disgusting, I need deodorant.
"Oh My God! She's going to suffocate" Primrose screamed, which startled the attending and caused more onlookers to loom and observe.
Primrose and the attending went through another episode of staring at each other again. Whilst Primrose could feel herself going red from the hot flush she was experiencing, he appeared cold and soulless. Does he not care at all? How can be as cool as a cucumber? Primrose broke the eye contact first, as she resumed looking down at the woman, who was drifting in and out of consciousness. The attending was still looking at Primrose when he announced to the nurses it was a code blue.
"Doctor, what are we going to do now?" Primrose asked, as she started to cry. The attending was gently using a bag mask to pump air into the woman's lungs, no longer looking at Primrose, only glancing at her.
"You tell me rookie, you should know this. This is basic" his tone was flat and unbothered. This time, he didn't even bother glancing at her. What is wrong with him? It might be basic for him but not for me. If she dies it won't be on me, but on him. He's more senior and he knows the answer. I'll tell the judge and he'll get the blame. Yes, good plan.
Primrose thought staring down the doctor would make him tell her the answer, but it had no effect, as he wasn't looking at Primrose. In-fact he was acting as though he was not there. Primrose could feel herself get dizzy and limp; she placed her head in-between her legs and took deep breaths in and out, stopping herself from crying further. She closed her eyes and imagined herself being lost in the middle of the Australian outback with herself as the only person able to save the woman's life. You know the answer Primrose, come on; say it out-loud, even if it's wrong...
"I...think..." Primrose was struggling to reveal her diagnosis that was at the tip of her tongue. The attending was now looking at Primrose again, but he started to tap his feet. His feet tapping grew louder as he appeared to get more and more impatient with Primrose with every second that past.
Again, they locked eyes. What is this? What is going on?
"It's a hemothorax!" as soon as Primrose made her diagnosis; the attending stopped tapping his feet.
"Finally...took you long enough" Primrose felt her jaw clench at his reaction. I can't believe he's using this life and death situation as a time to mock and belittle me in-front of others. Primrose knew she had a lot to learn and prove, but a woman was close to death in-front of them and he appeared more concerned about putting Primrose down more than anything.
"One of her blood vessels is ruptured and is filling her pleural cavity..." I know my stuff too, just listen.
... "Which is blocking her lungs from expanding, stopping her from breathing" Primrose cut him off again and finished his sentence with a slight smug facial expression, which he didn't look too pleased about. She finished his sentence like a teenage couple; expect there was no love between them. Two can play that game.
"So, what are YOU going to do about it?" Primrose noted the tone in his voice when he said to her "you", hinting to her that it was all on her again. Medical school did not prepare me for such intense pressure.
"Well, the only way to fix her lung is to fix the damage blood vessel, but we can't do that here..." Primrose's voice started to trail off, as the male nurse nudged her and handed her a scalpel and chest tube.
"What? You've never seen a chest tube and scalpel before?" He mocked
"I have" Primrose said feeling hurt, "but why do I need them?"
"Why do you think? Because you're going to do an emergency thoractomy"
Primrose almost chocked on her own saliva and she thought her eyes were going to pop out of their socket when he made that demand to her. She must have looked like a mess, as the doctor's demeanour softened.
"I'm right here" he whispered
"Okay, if I'm going to this, I'm going to need a local anaesthetic first..."
"There's no time...Come on, get on with it" he snapped at Primrose again. He's so short-fused, jheeze.
"I don't want to hurt her"
"You've got less than a minute to save her life..." he said firmly. "Look..." he pointed down to the woman who was now fully unconscious. "Time is ticking"
08:41 am the clock on the wall read. At 08:42am the woman would be either alive or dead and it would all be due to Primrose. She gulped.
"Incision at the fifth intercostals space...anterior...to the mid auxiliary line..." Primrose's voice was breaking away. Primrose didn't like to be the center of attention and she hated an audience more than anything. Unfortunately for her there were around 30 people crowding them, with some members of the public filming everything. To make it worse they were not looking at Primrose in a supportive way; they were looking at her as though she was a criminal, a murderer who had just been caught. It was obvious to everyone around Primrose that she was a fish out of water, especially to the attending.
"Look at me" he whispered.
Primrose's green eyes met his deep blue ones. "I've got your back"
Primrose took the scalpel into her hands and placed it on the woman's chest, shaking uncontrollably. Despite having to do this exact procedure multiple times in medical school, it was a completely different ball game now. She was used to practising on dummies and dead bodies, not real life flesh. She could feel the woman's beating heart. She was a real person with a soul; she was someone's mother and daughter with dreams. Nothing could calm down her nerves or soothe her trembling hand, apart from the attending, whom placed a soft, but firm grip.
Together they pushed down on the woman's chest and cut into it. It felt like they were cutting their wedding cake on their wedding day and Primrose was hoping this woman would have a happy ending...not an ending in her life...but an ending in her current health problem. Primrose made the perfect incision, as the attending gave her small, but encouraging pep talks and squeezed her hand every so often. Primrose then inserted the chest tube into the woman's chest and a few seconds later blood started to drain out of her chest, helping her breathe again.
Primrose saw the woman regain consciousness slowly and she felt her squeeze her hand again. "Thank you doctor" she said. Her breathing was already much improved and she was speaking a lot more clearly.
"Take care. I'll come by and check on you later" Primrose said, as the nurses wheeled her away. Primrose let the lady's hand glide off hers. Members of the public clapped and cheered for Primrose, the attending and all the nurses. The cold stares they had previously given her, were replaced with warm and loving stares. In that moment she felt like she was Ariana Grande on stage.
Primrose turned around and locked eyes with the doctor once again, however this time he was hard to read. He wasn't showing any expressions; he was not happy like everyone else, but he wasn't angry either. Why would he be angry? Maybe he's shocked at how good I am. Big headed but it's true.
"Doctor, that was amazing" Primrose beamed, as she clapped and did a little jump up and down.
"You're right. It's amazing that you didn't kill her" Wow he's like a yo-yo. One minute he's nice and then he's nasty.
"I don't understand. I didn't do anything wrong"
"Are you for real right now? You didn't do anything wrong? Are you serious? You did everything wrong. Don't look at me so shocked. You were extremely slow from start to finish. It took you forever to check her vitals and make the correct diagnosis. Your incision was terrible. If I wasn't there you would have treated her for sepsis and killed her. If I wasn't there you wouldn't have made the incision properly. Without me, she'd be dead. You're a complete amateur"
Primrose had a good poker face. She tried her best not to appear sad or shocked, but his insults felt as though she had just been stabbed. He thinks my incision was terrible? Good thing he doesn't know I graduated with a Bachelor's of Surgery too. I can't believe she would have died because of me. Is he telling me the truth? He must be lying to try and shake me off.
"I'm not apologising, but it is only my first day. What do you expect?" Yes! Good comeback. He can't be mad at me anymore, as it's only my first day. That's got to count for something.
"What do I expect? I expect doctors that are up-to-scratch and do their jobs properly. Not wannabes. Also, I'm sure your pitiful excuse would have comforted the woman's family if you had killed her, doctor..."
The attending approached Primrose and ripped off her i-d card from her Hello Kitty lanyard. When he read her name, they locked eyes, yet again and Primrose thought she saw a flicker of disappointment pass into eyes, but she wasn't too sure. Does he know me from somewhere? I've never met him before.
"Di Georgio" Wow he pronounced my name properly. Whilst Primrose's surname was not a mouthful, a lot of people pronounced it incorrectly.
For the fifth time in a short space of time, they locked eyes again, before he threw her i-d on the ground and walked away. Fucking bastard. He's not that old but yet he can't remember what it was like for him as a newly qualified doctor. Scumbag
"What an asshole" Primrose said loudly, loud enough for him to hear, but he didn't even flinch. Oh that jerk definitely heard me.
"Yes, but I am in completely in love with him" one of the nurses' who had helped out, expressed, whilst she looked at with him love hearts. Other nurses were swooning, acting giddy over him and biting their lips. What is there to love?
"Hey, don't take it personally. It's not you. Doctor Ramsey is like that with everyone" the male nurse said.
"What? He's Doctor Ramsey; the Ethan Ramsey?" Please let it be another Doctor Ramsey and mine. He's not mine, but...please not the Ethan Ramsey; my idol.
"Yeah, that's him. There's only one Doctor Ethan Ramsey. I take it you're a fan?"
"I was" Primrose said gently. Primrose wanted to cry all over again. Primrose stood there in total silence; she was numb and shaken. Shocked that the man she had admired throughout medical school was the same man who had made her feel like was 1 foot tall. Of course he was the Ethan Ramsey I admire. How could I have not recognised him? Ethan appeared so caring and passionate in the speeches she watched him give and the lecturers she heard him in. She felt she had been catfished. Distant and lacking in empathy; two traits you wouldn't want your doctor to be. I never learn... Primrose learnt the hard way to not idolise somebody you had never met before. When she was a teenager, by chance she bumped into one of her favourite male singers visiting Tate Britain. When she asked him for a photo, he dismissed her, telling her he didn't want to be disturbed and got his security guard to push her away. Primrose had upheld Ethan in the same light and level of respect and approbation the beyhive has for Beyonce. Whilst he was not a celebrity he definitely was famous in the medical world and deemed as a God. I can't believe I have to work with him for the next 3 years. I hope it doesn't get any worse.
"Don't feel too sad, Ethan is nice when you get to know him. Come, I'll show you to the changing rooms. You can't go to orientation looking like that" the male nurse said. Primrose looked down at her scrubs; they were now red and no longer blue, after being drenched in blood from the procedure she did a couple of minutes ago. Primrose learnt that the male nurse was named Danny from New York City who had been working at Edenbrook for the past four years.
"Any words of advice on how I can get into Doctor Ramsey's good books?"
"Stay out of his way, do as you're told and do your job well. I know it sounds easier than done, but Ethan likes it if you're self-assured"
"How will I know if I'm in his good books?"
"He'll let you call him Ethan" Danny winked. He's definitely in Doctor Ramsey's good books.
As Primrose made her way into the changing room, she stumbled across a beautiful, exotic doctor in her underwear changing. Primrose tried not to stare too much but that doctor had a dream body; the perfect size breasts and ass. Primrose averted her eyes and looked to the floor.
"I'm sorry; I didn't know you were changing in here."
"Well, it's a changing room, so of course somebody would be in here changing" she laughed at Primrose
Before Primrose could answer, a shirtless male doctor standing only in his boxers stood next to the female doctor, directly in-front of Primrose. "Play nice Jackie. It's all our first day" Omg, another doctor with the perfect body. Why are the doctors here so hot? He must be from California
"I do play nicely. My name's Jackie and this is Bryce" Primrose shook both of their hands but didn't know where to look. She attempted to look down at the floor but her eyes went down to Bryce's boxers and rested on his bulge.
"Like what you see?" Bryce winked at Primrose who fluttered her eyelashes and blushed.
"Yes...I mean...no..." Primrose bit her lip. Real smooth, idiot. Primrose got her fresh clothes out of her bag and attempted to signal to Jackie and Bryce that she wanted to change in privacy, however her attempts were futile.
"What are you doing with your eyes?" Jackie asked
"I need to change"
"Yeah, we're waiting you too" Bryce grinned
"In private"
"We're all doctors here; we've all seen people naked"
"Well, you're not going to see me naked". Primrose desperately looked for a toilet or a changing area where she could change in privacy. For fuck sake, everywhere is exposed and I am definitely not changing in-front of these two models. Primrose found a little tight spot in a corner behind a locker to change. I don't care what they think of me, I'm uncomfortable. Primrose changed into a purple blouse, a brown pencil skirt and black kitten heels and she brushed her again and put her hair up in a loose, messy low bun. To complete her outfit, she put on her white doctors coat and looked in the mirror. Looking good doctor Di Georgio. The white coats were banned in England, as a study by NHS England found that the coats increased patients' anxieties, but in the coat, Primrose felt like a proper doctor.
Primrose emerged from her corner and did a little twirl for Bryce and Jackie. "Ta-da" she said, as she brushed down her coat.
"Beautiful" Bryce said, making Primrose blush even more.
"You look like a proper doctor now" Jackie said
"Look? I am"
-x-
Primrose, Bryce and Jackie snuck quietly into the atrium through the back making sure they made little to no noise as they sat down along with the other interns, making sure that nobody clocked onto the fact that were late for orientation. Speaking at the podium was a biracial and very tall woman built like a gazelle. She was delivering her speech with such elegance and grace that Primrose thought she was listening to Meghan Markle. I wonder who she is.
Primrose saw Jackie and Bryce gazing at the woman in awe; she looked around and saw that everyone was transfixed with her. Primrose tapped Jackie on the shoulder and asked "Who is she?"
"Gosh, you are such a weirdo. Did you study medicine on mars or something? She's Doctor Emery Harper, a world-renowned neurosurgeon and Chief of Edenbrook"
Once Doctor Emery had finished her speech all the interns stood, clapped and whistled. Through the sea of interns, Primrose spotted the woman she saw outside Edenbrook only an hour ago. She's an intern here too. The woman spotted Primrose and looked unimpressed.
All the interns made their way back to the reception to see the list attached at the notice board. The list compromised of all the names of every intern at Edenbrook and who they would be paired up with for the day. Primrose looked for her name under D and saw she was paired up with Doctor Emery. What is happening here today?
"Doctor Emery? What on earth?" Primrose blurted
"There's no way you are paired up with Chief Emery" a male intern with a slightly jealous look to him said
"Of course there's no way she's paired up with Chief Emery, because she's paired up with me" Primrose's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief when she realised who she was paired up with. Why am I being disappointed time and time again today? Primrose was paired up with the stony faced intern.
"Wow, you have the same surname as Doctor Emery. What are the chances?"
"The chances are pretty high considering she's my aunt" Double blow! Great, just great. I'm paired up with Doctor Emery's niece; she's already got an unfair advantage. This isn't going to be fun. Unless she likes me. Please like me.
"Right, you all better listen to me carefully..." Doctor Emery's niece looked individually at all the interns who had circled her "I don't know any of you and I don't want to. Don't bother kissing my ass, I already hate you. I won't tell my aunt how great you think she is and I won't put in a good word for you. Clear?"
"Crystal"
"Let's go. We've got a job to do"
-x-
Primrose and the chief's niece walked in silence down the corridor on there way to their first patient. The silence was deafening. This is so awkward; I need to do something about this if I am to have a fair chance.
"I don't even know your name"
"Aurora" she snapped
"How beautiful, like Disney's Sleeping Beauty"
"Grow up"
"I'm Primrose by the way"
"I know"
Room 212, the room where their first patient was currently waiting for them. "Wait Aurora..." Primrose said as she stood in-front of the door, blocking Aurora's entrance...."I know we've first met, but we are working together today, so we should get on well and do our best for our patient. Who knows we might even become friends" Was that too much cringe?
"I don't need any friends Doctor Di Georgio" Aurora said, as she pushed Primrose aside and entered the room first. Aurora introduced herself and Primrose first to their patient, Annie, a 19-year-old college student who was admitted to hospital after a serious bout of vomiting and nausea. She was very pale and frail. Wow, Aurora can be nice when she wants to. Why can't she be nice to me too?
Annie went into detail surrounding her symptoms and her past medical history. Primrose carried out Annie's physical assessment, spotting a bruise on the back of her neck and a scratch on her right foot, whilst Aurora checked her vitals and carried on asking her important questions. "Okay Annie, we have everything we needed to do for the moment. We're just going to discuss what we think and come up with a plan for you. You've done well, just relax and we won't take too long" Primrose said.
"Okay Annie, we've just finished everything we needed to do for the moment. We're just going to discuss this and come back later with a treatment plan. You've done really well. Just relax and we won't be too long" Primrose said. Primrose and Aurora made their way outside of Annie's room to discuss her case. "How were Annie's vitals?" Primrose asked Aurora.
"They were okay, but we should order some more tests, including a blood test"
"Sure and also get Annie to do a urine sample and we can also order a full tox screen for any viruses and bacteria. She might have picked something abroad. Maybe her scratch on her foot got infected."
"Good idea..." Aurora's voice trickled away, as her pager bleeped. "My aunt wants to talk to me, so you have to do it."
Primrose rolled her eyes, as Aurora walked away. As Primrose had still so much work to do before she could even think about going to the hospital's lab, she kindly accepted Danny's offer to take the samples there. Primrose was kept so busy by other patients and nurses paging her every couple of minutes that she still hadn't had time to go to the bathroom. At last, at the start of the afternoon she was able to catch her breath, sit down and drink at the nurses' station when one of the nurses' handed her Annie's test results.
"Oh...Annie seems to have an uncommon strain of bacteria. That might be why she's feeling this way. Please Can we give her 200 milligrams of cefpodoxime antibiotics every 12 hours and see how she does" Primrose prescribed the medication and handed Annie's drug chart to the nurse.
-x-
Primrose was making her way back to Annie's room when she realised she was lost. This hospital is huge. I have no idea where I am going. Primrose accidently bumped into the jealous male intern she met at orientation. Primrose helped him off the floor and picked up some of his books.
"I'm sorry"
"Hey no worries, besides it was my fault. We've met before, you're Primrose Di Georgio right? I'm Landry Olsen."
Primrose looked at the number of books Landry was carrying, with one book catching her eyes in particular. Diagnostic Principles by Ethan Ramsey.
"I love that book"
"Well, I love him..." Landry said embarrassed. "Well, not like that." He smiled at Primrose.
"Hmm...You wouldn't love him if you talked to him in person. Trust me"
"No freaking way. You're the intern who did the thoractomy with him this morning. You are so lucky. I wish I were you..." Laundry's voice got quiet until he completely stopped talking and started to shake nervously as he stared behind her head.
"What's wrong?"
Landry couldn't muster the words but pointed behind Primrose. She turned around and saw Doctor Ramsey making their way towards them, staring right back at Primrose. Omg, I shouldn't have called him an asshole. I'm dead now. Primrose and Doctor Ramsey maintained eye-contact; Primrose looking like a deer in the headlights, whilst he walked with such deportment, until he stopped at the vending machine. He must think I'm a freak. I need to change his perception of me ASAP.
"I'm going to talk to him"
"That's a terrible idea"
"Why?"
"He doesn't look happy. He's going to tear you into pieces"
"No he won't, not with my secret weapon" Primrose pulled 'Diagnostic Principles' free from Landry's hands and walked up to Doctor Ramsey who was focused on the vending machine. As Primrose made her way to stand behind him, she could feel her heart beat faster and her hands sweat. I'm just going to chat to him like a normal person. We're two people having a grown-up conversation.
"Um...hi...hello...Doctor Ramsey" Primrose said with a shaky voice. Not a good start
"Rookie" he says, only glancing at her for a split second. Primrose didn't realise he could see her staring at him in the vending machine's reflection.
"Why are you staring at me?" he caught her off-guard
"I..." Primrose looked down at the floor, embarrassed and unable to answer. Primrose didn't understand why he left her speechless; she was an adult acting like a little schoolgirl with a crush on her teacher. He's not even that attractive and his personality kills it. Primrose was still looking at the floor when he snapped at her.
"Tell me what you want quickly or leave me alone and this better be good"
"Sorry, I didn't realise you were busy..." Still looking inside the vending machine, Primrose could Doctor Ramsey raise his left eyebrow at her comment. Fuck, I didn't mean it to sound the way it came out. He's going to hate me even more now. Primrose continued "Anyways, I was...I am a big admirer of yours...in a good way I mean...you know, not in the stalker or weird way...yeah..." Oh boy, I'm complete cringe and I've made everything worse.
"I thought you were normal until you said all of that" he laughed. Great!
"No, I promise you that I am normal, it's just that I'm trying to say rather inarticulately is that you were...are...one of my medical heroes. I've listened to all your lecturers, watched all your speeches and all the books, journals and papers you've published, including your papers on systemic amyloidosis, Lesch-Nyphan Syndrome, Spinocerebellar ataxia..." At that exact moment, he broke away from staring at the vending machine to stare directly into Primrose's eyes.
"You've read my ataxia paper? That was my undergraduate thesis. They don't publish that journal anymore and it wasn't available overseas. How did you track that down?" he asked, genuinely impressed.
"Stalkers have their way" she winked
"They sure do" they continued to stare at each other
"Do you want my copy? I can make more"
"No need...you keep it"
"I've read more of your papers that are no longer published. Do you want me to continue?"
"I think you've made your point" he broke his gaze off Primrose and stared back inside the vending machine.
"Pick some chocolate. We're doctors, we need something sweet"
"Are you saying I'm not sweet already?" he smirked
"You could be a bit sweeter" Primrose smiled "I love kit-kat"
"That's great, but I'm not shopping for myself, it's for..." Duh, I know it's not for you
"Barbara, I know"
"How do you know?"
"Right, it's my turn to teach you a thing or two. Lesson number 1, I'm a girl"
"Really? I couldn't tell"
"Ha...You do have a sense of humour. Anyways, my point is that I am a girl. Girls find out everything and we are always right. Men can't undo us; watch me prove it to you. I'll pick something for Barbara that shall make her take her pills and eat her lunch"
"Go on then prove me wrong". Primrose moved to stand beside him. She scanned all the contents of the vending machine until her eyes fell onto a packet of Chuckles' Gum. Hmm...This could be interesting. She'll either love it or hate it. Chocolate is a safe, basic bet but the gum could really cheer up. It's definitely unique.
"What on earth is that?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure"
"You chose something for Barbara even though you have no idea what it is?"
"Looks like it" Ethan shook his head at Primrose amused. "Besides, you're American you should tell me what it is"
"I've never heard of Chuckles Gum before"
"Are you sure you're American?"
"Last time I checked I was"
"Well it looks to me like this is bubblegum and there are jokes written on the packaging like the Penguin chocolate bars that have penguin jokes written. Ooh look there's a medical joke. What type of blood did the doctor have?" Primrose waited for him to respond but he didn't.
"Type-O" Primrose laughed out. This is hilarious. Whilst Primrose found it funny, Ethan looked less than impressed. "Type-O, like a typo and type-O blood"
"I got it. It's just not funny"
"I thought you had banter"
"Banter?" I need to stop using English slang
"Look, just give it to her, she'll love it." Ethan held the Chuckles Gum in his hand hesitating. "I've got your back" Primrose winked, as Ethan stared at her again. He likes to stare. Primrose watched him enter Barbara's room and hand her the Chuckles' Gum. She took the gum intrigued and then laughed at a joke she had read out loud. To Primrose's surprise even Ethan laughed at the joke. I wonder if he finds it funny or if he's just lying to get her to comply. A couple of seconds later, Barbara took her medications and started to eat her lunch.
"And that Doctor Ramsey is how it's done" Primrose said as Ethan exited Barbara's room looking surprised
"I can't believe that worked. Tell me you're secret"
"I'm a girl"
"I know"
"That's my secret"
"Seriously"
"I am being serious, me being a girl is how I knew she'd like the jokes"
"Those jokes were awful though" Hmm so he was pretending to laugh
"You're a guy"
"I know"
Primrose and Ethan stood in silence as they stared at each other again. Ha I've got him good. It's the first time I've had that effect on a guy before. I like it. "I think I understood you" he tells her. "Your secret even though it's not a secret is that you're a girl"
"Yes!..." Primrose clapped out loud "You have been listening. Lesson number 2, as I am a girl I am going to keep my secret about how I knew Barbara was going to like the jokes. Girls keep secrets" Primrose noticed that there was still money left in the vending machine. I could either get myself something, I did work hard just now or I could get something for Doctor Ramsey. Something tells me he is not going to be eaten much today. Chocolate might do him some good.
"Enjoy it" Primrose tossed him the Kit-Kat. "You need to treat yourself. This job is hard but we can all make it a little sweeter"
"Thanks, I'll bear it in my mind but I don't like kit-kat"
"You will like it. Guess how I know?"
"Because you're a girl" this time Ethan didn't even ask, he stated. Primrose felt proud. He had listened and heard her. Primrose started to walk away when he called her back.
"Rookie, wait. Why are you holding my book in your hands?" Oh shit, why am I holding it?
"Protection?" Ew! Primrose shook her head. "I just felt like it"
"I thought you wanted my autographs. Isn't that what you ask when you meet someone you admire?" He got me! Damn. "Give me your book. Let me give you something too". Primrose couldn't see what he had scribbled down in the book until he handed it back to her. For my sweet fan- Doctor Ramsey.
"Awe, you think I'm sweet?" Primrose beamed
"Sort of, you appear to be a chocoholic. So what are you going to do with my book now? Place it on your shrine dedicated to me?" He did have banter "Now get back to work, Di Georgio" Primrose stopped dead in her tracks. Omg, he remembered my surname! Either I am making a good impression on him or he's actually so freaked out by me that he's going Google me to make sure I am not a psychopath. Primrose took out her phone and put her Instagram on public. So he can see I'm a decent person if he's bothered.
"Maybe I'm a stalker too" he winked and walked away.
-x-
Elated and feeling confident after her conversation with Ethan, she found her way back to Annie's room. Landry was over the moon too when Primrose gave him his book back and he saw the inscription. Primrose approached Annie who was half-asleep in bed, but fully woke up when she saw Primrose.
"Hi Annie, how are you feeling?"
"No different. The nurse gave me some antibiotics through the drip"
"That's right. They should work soon and we'll have you feeling brand new in no time." Primrose stroked Annie's arm as she went to leave.
"Doctor Di Georgio, please can you stay with me for a while. I understand if you're busy, but I'd like it"
"Sure, no problem and please call me Primrose. So, Annie when did you move here?"
"Um...I...moved...what...did...you...ask...me...I...can't...rem..." Primrose watched in horror as Annie can barely finish her sentence and cannot remember what Primrose had just asked her. Suddenly, Annie slumps down the bed, her arms dropping towards the floor and her lips starts to swell. The machine Annie is connected to starts to beep uncontrollably. Primrose sits there in shock until she shoots up and shaking Annie vigorously in the hopes of waking her up.
"Annie...Annie...please...wake...up" Primrose flashed a pen torch in her eyes, but Annie's eyes are fixed and don't move on. Primrose rushes to pull the crash bell, the alarm is deafening, so much so that Primrose can't hear herself think.
"HELP ME! HEEEEEEEEEEEELP" Primrose screams from the top of her lungs outside of the room and starts to pray.
💕💕💕💕
Hi everyone,
This is my first ever fan-fiction, so I apologise if it's too long or not that well-written. The next part in Chapter 1 shall be from Ethan's POV. Primrose's part took me over 3 weeks, so please bear with me. I am juggling two jobs and a personal life whilst writing this. I appreciate any feedback (: and make sure to follow me on Instagram if you like memes, Choices, Open Heart and travel pictures.
My instagram handle: dr_ethan_ramsey_wife