Choices

Chapter 2: Jamie Black

"I am sorry, do I know you?" The man questions with a confused glare and I am finding it hard to breathe suddenly. I know that it is impossible for the man who fought with me at the hospital to be the one standing in front of me, but for some reason I can't help but believe it. I am a medical resident and I know the recovery period for a bullet wound and surgery. It would have to be a miracle for the man to even be walking right now and here is someone who could possibly be him, standing in front of me and looking at me like I am an insane person.

"You were at the hospital when I left." I stutter out as I grab onto the edge of the counter and try to stop myself from fainting. His eyes drift from me to the four men behind him and I can tell that he thinks I'm crazy.

“Hospital? I haven't been to the hospital." He announces as his eyes shift from me to the men behind him and it's almost like he is trying to sound innocent when he isn't.

"You were. I was right there when you came in with a bullet wound." I cannot be wrong about this. I know what I saw then and I sure as hell know what I am looking at right now.

"Bullet wound? Do I look like I have been shot?" He makes a fair point, his face does not resemble any physical pain and neither does his body. If he were just shot and out of surgery he wouldn't be able to walk. How could I be so wrong?

"You're right, I'm sorry. I probably got you mixed up with someone else." I accept my defeat and offer him a small smile as I try to regain my ability to think rationally.

"No wait." Daniel announces from the far corner of the kitchen and all eyes move to him, including mine. "She might not be wrong." He pauses for a second and we all give him a confused look. "Where is Luke?" The look of confusion vanishes from all four faces and is replaced with an alarming look. Mine on the other hand remains confused, who the hell is Luke?

This time all five pairs of eyes are on me and suddenly it feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room. The looks on their faces right now is the same ones I see on a daily basis when friends and family of patients come in after they have been informed that someone the love has been injured or worse, dead. I know the look all too well. It's the look of helplessness and despair. "Who's Luke?" I ask at the same time Christopher slips out of the kitchen with his phone to his ear.

"Luke is my brother." The stranger answers before reaching for his phone in his pocket and walking off behind Christopher.

"His identical twin brother." Nicolas elaborates and that is when the realisation begins to seep in. This explains a lot, the confusion and the reaction I got from everybody.

"Kristen says she hasn't seen him since this morning." Christopher announces as he slips back into the kitchen with the other guy, who I assuming is Zak, right behind him.

"His phone is going straight to voicemail." He states, without looking away from his phone and I see the worry in all five of the men's eyes. If the odds are in their favour then maybe the guy who came in today is actually the person they are looking for, if not then I hope they find the person they are looking for.

"Hold on, I can actually find out if it's him." I announce as I reach into the pockets of my jeans and fish out my phone. I scroll through my contact list and look for James Lawson's number before pressing call and bringing the phone to my ears. I feel slightly uncomfortable with five pairs of eyes on me as I wait for him to answer the call.

"Hello." Lawson answers after a few rings and I can tell from the sound of his voice that he is ready to crash. The night shift is the worse because everything is boring for the first half of the night and when the sleep creeps in and you fall off to sleep, that's when things take a turn. One second you're in a blissful slumber and the next you are stitching someone up.

"Bullet wound guy. Is he still there?" I know that was a stupid question to ask but for the sake of my sanity, I need answers.

"Where else would he be Evans?" He teases and I feel a small blush creep in on my cheeks. "He just got out of surgery a few minutes ago. Nothing major, the bullet didn't hit any organs. He is up in General and the nurses are going through his stuff to find someone to call." He says and I hear someone call out his name on his side.

"Would you be able to call me back when they get a name?" I know I am pushing it but Lawson doesn't have five intimidating men watching him and waiting on vital information.

"I've got an aneurysm to clip with Peterson in five minutes. I'll send you the number for the General ward and you can talk to Catherine. Tell her Doctor Lawson wants to know." The voice in the background is back and I know that it's my cue to cut the call.

"Thanks Lawson." With that said, I cut the call before he can say anything else or ask any questions. It's not even few seconds later when my phone buzzes and it's a message from him with the number to General. I press call and bring the phone to my ear before I do something I am not good at doing. Lying.

"What did he say?" Zak questions and I hold up my finger to silence him as the phone rings on the other end.

"St Patricks Hospital, how may I help you?" A female answers and I let out a breath of relief.

"Hello, it's Doctor Evans. I am looking for nurse Katherine?" I begin to play with the tips of my finger, a bad habit that has stuck with me and only shows when I am lying.

"This is she." Moment of truth, now we find out if you are actually able to lie or not Madison Evans.

"Doctor Lawson asked me to call and find out if you have a name for John Doe?" I avoid all gazes in front of me. If I am going to lie then I need to do it without focusing on the fact that there are five pairs of impatient eyes on me.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Oh thank God. I look back up to meet Zak's eyes and mouth the words "full name" to him.

"Lucas Parker." He whispers back and I give him a nod. "Is he by any chance a Lucas Parker?" I question before holding my breath and praying that it is the right guy. The silence is nearly deafening as she takes a few second to respond.

"It is." I let out a breath of relief at her words and I am sure the men in front of me see the look of relief flood through my physical appearance.

"Thank you, I'll be sure to inform Doctor Lawson." I cut the call before she can pick up on the lies that I have just told. "It's him. General Ward, ask for Nurse Katherine and tell her that James Lawson sent you. Only immediate family will be allowed in because of the time." I inform all five men and they all nod in sync.

"Thank you." Zak places a hand on my shoulder and offers me a smile as the other four race out of the kitchen.

"You're welcome." I return his smile. Even thought the circumstance that they are in is not good, I am slightly glad that there will be some sort of peace and quite in the apartment for a while.

The next morning when my alarm wakes me up after nine and I walk into the living room, everything is silent. Drake slipped in and out of the apartment without me hearing him. I decide on using my three hours to head down to the supermarket and buy some groceries before Drake dies of starvation. When I eventually do arrive to the hospital at twelve everything is quite and the truth is, I really want to watch a surgery. I have had enough sleep and I've done what was needed to be done, I just want to get into an O.R. and watch a doctor cut someone open. However, I should know better than that. The real action only begins after eight on a Saturday night. Saturday's are what the nurses and doctors like to call the day of the dead.

Usually patients flood in after being involved in drunk and driving accidents or were involved in a fight. We call it the day of the dead because ninety percent of the patients don't survive.

It's ten minutes later when I get a call from Peterson and I begin to worry. "Evans, are you at the hospital?" He questions with a tone of concern.

"Yes, I just got here." I pass Ashley from radiology on my way to the General Ward and she offers me a small smile and a wave.

"Lucas Parker in General, could you check his vitals and fill in his chart? Cops are coming in for questioning and I am going to need for you to be there when they do." I suppress a groan as I process his words. I was looking forward to finding a surgery I could watch, not escorting the cops around while they take statements.

"Sure thing boss." I put on my best fake voice and he lets out a laugh before thanking me and cutting the call.

The General Ward is one that I tend to avoid on purpose due to the wicked witch of the East wing, also known as Doctor Edwards. The head of General is a real machine who hates repeating herself and when residents walk when there is an emergency. There are two things you learn from her quite quickly once you start working here. Rule number one; when there is an emergency you run and you run like your job depends on it because most of the time it does. Rule number two; elevators are for the weak. Two stairs at a time when thrown into a situation that needs immediate attention. Those two rules are the reason why she is such a brilliant surgeon.

Thankfully, I manage to locate Lucas Parker's room without running into Doctor Edwards. Room 309, when I push open the door Lucas Parker is laying on his back and in a deep slumber. I don't try to be subtle when I close the door behind me and he stirs a little in his sleep before his eyes flutter open. "Good day Sir." I walk over to him as he sits up and I reach for the glass of water on his bedside table. "I'm here to do a quick check up before the police arrive for your statement." He takes a sip of his water as I reach for the files and the mention of police, he chokes on the glass of water.

"Did you just say police?" I take a second to take him in. He has an Australian accent, did his brother have one also? I didn't even notice it when we met yesterday. He also happens to be a very looking guy, he looks like he is in his late twenties. He has hazel brown eyes, a square jaw and a pointed nose, along with pale skin and freckles that are dusted on the bridge of his nose and his cheekbones. His chestnut brown hair is pulled back into a low ponytail just above his neck and I begin to wonder if he did it all by himself or charmed his way into getting a nurse to do it for him. I've never met a man who has ever looked so attractive with long hair before. "I need to get out of here." He throws the covers off him and tries to stand to his feet but fails miserably.

"Sir, you need to take a seat. Your stitches will reopen if you don't." I latch onto his shoulders and suddenly it feels like déjà vu as I try to push him back onto his bed. This time around he has regained his strength and it's not easy for me to push him back.

"Okay fine." He gives in and stops fighting back before laying back down on his bed. "Jamie Black. You need to get me Jamie Black." He commands and he looks like the type of guy who doesn't take no for an answer. I take my pager out my pocket and page Jamie Black, I pray that she is here. If she is then maybe she can calm Lucas Parker down and it will be easier to do a check up.

Five minutes pass by and just when I begin to think that Jamie has ignored my page, she pushes open the door and walks into the room. Jamie Black and Jake Black are twins who are in the residency program together and they are also two people I admire because they are dedicated to their jobs. However, Jake is someone I feel more comfortable around because unlike Jamie, he isn't walking around in a mood and always giving people death stares. He is funny and friendly and Jamie is mean and cold. Her cold grey eyes meet mine and she gives me her best death stare, it makes me wish I didn't have to page her.

"Jamie, you need to help me get out of here." Lucas commands and her eyes shift from me to him before they widen in shock.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" A look of concern flashes across her face faster than lightning. She rushes over to him and begins to scan him for any injuries. "What happened?"

“He was shot and now he won't allow me to complete my check-up." I interject and for the first time in three months she doesn't give me a disapproving look or a death glare.

“The police are coming Jamie." Lucas calls out for her and I roll my eyes. "You need to help me get out of here." I notice how he doesn't use the word please or even asks her. He states and what is she supposed to do? Give in to his commands?

"f**k Parker." She groans out as she begins to pace in the small space between Lucas Parker and I. "You can't just show up after a few years and demand for things like this." She snaps and his facial expression drop to the floor. Now that is the Jamie Black that I know. "The cameras are down in General so you can take the stairs and leave through the clinic." Wait, what? Is she seriously going to help him escape from the police? Am I the only normal person with common sense at this hospital?

"I owe you." He struggles to stand up but he manages to find his footing before he begins to gather his belongings from the bedside table.

"Are you guys crazy? The police are going to be here any second now." I state the obvious because clearly nobody is taking notes. Finally, both pairs of eyes are on me and it feels good to have the attention on the real problem at hand. The police. Lucas throws Jamie a look and she nods, I know that look. He is indirectly asking her to get rid of me.

"Go to the supply closet and I'll page you when he's out." I hate how she makes me apart of this against my will.

"Jamie, this is wrong." I stand my ground. If we get caught we will both be in massive trouble and not to mention the fact that this whole residency program will be taken away from us. "Our medical license will be revoked and we will never be able to practice medicine again." I can tell that my words are doing something because I can see the wheels turning.

"This is important Evans. I am giving you an opportunity to walk away and not be part of this." She places her arm around his waist and helps him walk towards the direction of the toilet. "You either leave now and act like nothing has happened or you can wait for the cops." She gives me an ultimatum and I wish I had chosen to take this up to H.R. and get her into trouble.

I walk over to the door and pull it open before peaking my head down the hall. I don't see anybody in sight but I do hear voices coming from down the hall. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the voices belong to the police. "The police are down the hall." I shut the door behind me and they both freeze on the spot. "Get into the bathroom, I will distract them and page you when it's clear." I cannot believe I am doing this right now.

"Wait." Lucas calls out as I place my hand on the doorknob. He wobbles over to me before stopping a few feet away from me. "Thank you. I owe you one." I give him a small smile before pulling open the door and stepping out into the warzone as bait.

"Good afternoon officers. Are you looking for Lucas Parker?" What the actual f**k is wrong with me? Why can I not lie to save my life, instead I come off as a creepy doctor who asks stupid questions.

"Yes." The female officer smiles and answers for both her partner and her.

"I've sent him up to C.T. for a scan. You guys can come up with me to fetch him or you can wait here." The both of them are young and eager rookies, so of course they choose the option that allows them to get the information quicker. I lead the way to CT with the two of them following closely behind me and I pray to God that Jamie manages to pull this off without getting the two of us fired. The fate of my future is in Jamie's hands and I hope she doesn't manage to mess it up and get my medical license taken away.