Read Online NYC Angels: Tempting Nurse Scarlet by Wendy S. Marcus - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Wendy S. Marcus
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of the finest orthopedic surgeons Lewis had ever worked with.
“And two ambulances are on the way,” she continued. “Three-year-old male fell from a subway platform. Numerous scrapes and bruises. A notable laceration above his left eyebrow. Alert and responsive.”
“What do we have open?” he asked, shifting back into work mode.
“Exam room two, bed three?”
“That works.” At the sound of sirens he hastened his pace. “And the second one?”
“Thirteen-month-old female. Possible drowning in the bathtub. Mom is inconsolable, says she got distracted by an important phone call.”
More important than her toddler? But Lewis had worked as a pediatrician long enough to know betterthan to make snap judgments about parents based on limited information. “Do we have a trauma bed available?”
She looked at the white board—which looked more like a red, green, and black board with all the writing it had on it—and said, “Trauma three, bed one.”
The electric doors opened. An EMT walked beside a fast-moving stretcher squeezing an ambu bag, manually ventilating his small patient. “Unable to intubate en route,” he reported.
“Trauma three, bed one,” Lewis told the female EMT pushing the stretcher, and he set his full cup of now cold coffee on the counter at the nurses’ station and got back to work.
Two hours later, finished for the day, he took the elevator to the NICU to pick up Jessie.
“Hi, Dad,” she greeted him and actually sounded glad to see him. Lewis wanted to run up and hug her and cement the moment in his memory. Luckily rational thought prevailed. “Is it okay if I stick around for a little while? Scarlet asked if I could watch Nikki for a few minutes.”
“Sure,” Lewis said, setting down his backpack and dropping onto the soft couch. “Who’s Nikki?”
The door opened and a little girl with red pigtails, a face full of freckles, wearing a pair of eyeglasses ran to hug Jessie. She really had a way with young children. Watching her, Lewis entertained the first inkling of a hope that maybe she’d follow in his footsteps and become a pediatrician.
“This is Nikki,” Jessie said.
“I’m four.” Nikki held up four fingers on her right hand.
She looked to be closer to three. “Nice to meet you, Nikki,” Lewis said. “I’m Dr. Jackson, Jessie’s dad.”
“She’s a NICU graduate,” Jessie explained. “That means she got big enough and healthy enough to go home with her parents.”
“And two,” Nikki held up two fingers, “big brothers.”
A woman with red hair similar to Nikki’s joined them. “Would you mind telling Scarlet that Erica Cole is waiting for her in the lounge? I don’t mind talking with new parents out here, but I can’t handle seeing all the sick babies.” She shuddered. “Brings back so many memories.”
“Of course.” Lewis stood. “Keep an eye on my bag, Jessie.” She nodded from where she knelt on the floor, setting out a bunch of dolls.
Lewis entered the darkened, quiet NICU, so unlike his bustling ER, and walked to the first of two nurses’ stations. “I’m looking for Scarlet Miller,” he said to a young secretary, keeping his voice low. An older nurse he recognized from the cafeteria when he and Scarlet had met to discuss Jessie walked up beside him. “May I ask what for?” the nurse, he looked at her name badge, Linda, asked.
“Erica Cole asked me to relay the message she’s waiting for Scarlet in the family lounge,” he said.
“She’s in with Joey Doe,” Linda said with a shake of her head. “If you ask me she is getting way too attached to that baby.”
“No one asked you,” a younger, nurse said to Linda. “Room forty-two,” she said to Lewis. “Come. I’ll show you the way.”
Lewis followed her. “It’s so quiet in here.”
“Not always.” The nurse smiled. “But we try to maintain a calm, soothing environment as premature infants are hypersensitive to their surroundings.” She stopped and
“And two ambulances are on the way,” she continued. “Three-year-old male fell from a subway platform. Numerous scrapes and bruises. A notable laceration above his left eyebrow. Alert and responsive.”
“What do we have open?” he asked, shifting back into work mode.
“Exam room two, bed three?”
“That works.” At the sound of sirens he hastened his pace. “And the second one?”
“Thirteen-month-old female. Possible drowning in the bathtub. Mom is inconsolable, says she got distracted by an important phone call.”
More important than her toddler? But Lewis had worked as a pediatrician long enough to know betterthan to make snap judgments about parents based on limited information. “Do we have a trauma bed available?”
She looked at the white board—which looked more like a red, green, and black board with all the writing it had on it—and said, “Trauma three, bed one.”
The electric doors opened. An EMT walked beside a fast-moving stretcher squeezing an ambu bag, manually ventilating his small patient. “Unable to intubate en route,” he reported.
“Trauma three, bed one,” Lewis told the female EMT pushing the stretcher, and he set his full cup of now cold coffee on the counter at the nurses’ station and got back to work.
Two hours later, finished for the day, he took the elevator to the NICU to pick up Jessie.
“Hi, Dad,” she greeted him and actually sounded glad to see him. Lewis wanted to run up and hug her and cement the moment in his memory. Luckily rational thought prevailed. “Is it okay if I stick around for a little while? Scarlet asked if I could watch Nikki for a few minutes.”
“Sure,” Lewis said, setting down his backpack and dropping onto the soft couch. “Who’s Nikki?”
The door opened and a little girl with red pigtails, a face full of freckles, wearing a pair of eyeglasses ran to hug Jessie. She really had a way with young children. Watching her, Lewis entertained the first inkling of a hope that maybe she’d follow in his footsteps and become a pediatrician.
“This is Nikki,” Jessie said.
“I’m four.” Nikki held up four fingers on her right hand.
She looked to be closer to three. “Nice to meet you, Nikki,” Lewis said. “I’m Dr. Jackson, Jessie’s dad.”
“She’s a NICU graduate,” Jessie explained. “That means she got big enough and healthy enough to go home with her parents.”
“And two,” Nikki held up two fingers, “big brothers.”
A woman with red hair similar to Nikki’s joined them. “Would you mind telling Scarlet that Erica Cole is waiting for her in the lounge? I don’t mind talking with new parents out here, but I can’t handle seeing all the sick babies.” She shuddered. “Brings back so many memories.”
“Of course.” Lewis stood. “Keep an eye on my bag, Jessie.” She nodded from where she knelt on the floor, setting out a bunch of dolls.
Lewis entered the darkened, quiet NICU, so unlike his bustling ER, and walked to the first of two nurses’ stations. “I’m looking for Scarlet Miller,” he said to a young secretary, keeping his voice low. An older nurse he recognized from the cafeteria when he and Scarlet had met to discuss Jessie walked up beside him. “May I ask what for?” the nurse, he looked at her name badge, Linda, asked.
“Erica Cole asked me to relay the message she’s waiting for Scarlet in the family lounge,” he said.
“She’s in with Joey Doe,” Linda said with a shake of her head. “If you ask me she is getting way too attached to that baby.”
“No one asked you,” a younger, nurse said to Linda. “Room forty-two,” she said to Lewis. “Come. I’ll show you the way.”
Lewis followed her. “It’s so quiet in here.”
“Not always.” The nurse smiled. “But we try to maintain a calm, soothing environment as premature infants are hypersensitive to their surroundings.” She stopped and
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