The chatting stopped when rounds began to look organized.
“Look, everybody, Faith is here,” Haley said. “It is nice to have you back. We were afraid we might have lost you.”
“Just for the record, I’m glad they’re here too,” Josh said.
“They?” Haley asked.
“Cori’s jumping!” Faith said.
“Well, yes. Cori. What’s this?” Haley asked, pointing to a lump under Faith’s glove. “What happened? Tell us all about it!”
Faith grinned, held her hand up for Haley to inspect. “Josh and I are engaged,” she said.
There were congratulations and accolades. Faith pulled her glove off to dazzle everyone with the ring Josh had given her.
“What did your parents think?” Peggy asked.
“They are excited. Especially Natalie.”
“When is the wedding?” Haley asked.
“We don’t know.”
“When did Josh pop the question?”
“To my family, the day I coded. To me, the day I was discharged from the hospital.”
“How far along are you now?” Haley asked.
“Twenty-two weeks.”
“What’s her name?”
Faith paused to optimize the suspense. “It’s Cori.”
“Cori is nice,” Haley said. “I’m glad you didn’t name her Corona.”
“What was the worst part?” Ricky asked.
Faith rolled her eyes. “The chest pain. I still have to be careful how I move. Let me tell you, chest compressions are not good for ribs.”
“We’re glad to have you back,” said Emily. “I know this has been a distressful ordeal for everyone. The long hours, extra shifts, the deaths, the ICU, Faith and Josh, and medication and supply shortages. I am proud of you all.”
“Oh Faith, I wasn’t sure you would pull through,” Ann said. “I am glad it turned out good. I was afraid of kidney failure and brain damage.”
“Haley got the brain damage.”
“Shut up Ricky.”
Rounds were succinct. After disbanding to their individual duties, Emily pulled Peggy aside. “I am thankful you were here. You saved us, and I think you saved Faith, too. I wish you would stay.”
Peggy shook her head. “I am thankful you had me come. It was good for me. I am so happy Faith pulled through. That was the afternoon to remember.”
“Please stay another year?”
“Gosh, Emily, I need to be a great aunt, aunt, spouse, and citizen of my little Crystal Springs. I appreciate the offer and am flattered. But I am ready for the next phase of my life. Besides, you have a real maternal-fetal medicine specialist coming to work and she’s not even a fresh graduate.”
“But I need two to—”
“You have given me a gift beyond what you can imagine. I took this offer on a whim, but in the end, you have transformed a grumpy, unhappy old woman who had been forced by brain and body to retire from something she loved, and turned her into a satisfied, peaceful, content retiree with self-worth. I thank you for that.”
“Well, thank you,” Emily said. “If you change your mind…”
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Jean Scanlan, who got me started writing these books. Thanks to Ed McClelland and Martha Hinson who read and helped revise and perfect the narrative. Thanks to Derek McIlfresh and Andy Ross for content editing.
Thanks to the coronavirus epidemic of 2020 which provided the time and material to write this book.
Special thanks to all the health care providers who, unlike me, took care of patients who were not only critically ill, but also a lethal threat to themselves. While not in this fictional account, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, radiology technicians, environmental services, administrators, accountants, security personnel, and others contributed in crucial ways. Their contribution is not intended to be diminished by this account of physicians battling COVID. I hope others will write accounts, both fictional and non-fictional, emphasizing some of those crucial caregivers, about whom I am not qualified to write.
About the Author
Dr Scott is a retired obstetrician and anesthesiologist who grew up in Colorado, went to college at the University of Colorado, and went to medical school at Washington University in St Louis. He completed a residency in anesthesiology at Bowman Gray School of Medicine (Wake Forest University) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and an obstetric and gynecology residency at Columbia University in New York City. He practiced for forty years. He currently resides near St Louis.
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. It is inspired by actual events and written to be as realistic as possible. The plot, the characters, the clinical appearances, the story, and the outcome are fiction. No real event or person is described.
Copyright 2020 by Tony Scott, MD
ISBN: 979-8-6378-3309-2