Seeking Relief

Fustrations

The two nurses were furious with Jade’s retort. They were red in the face and looked like they were about to spout off something rude, but Eliza started slow clapping with a massive grin on her face. The two nurses glared at Eliza and walked out of the room in a huff. Eliza stepped forward to see where the nurses were headed.

“Dr. Spencer should be here soon. It looks like the hags are just hanging outside your room, so heads up. I’ll go keep an eye out for him.” Eliza went to leave then she stopped and turned to Jade.

“By the way, awesome job on standing up for yourself. Hang on to that backbone of yours that you found.” Eliza smiled, then walked out of the room.

Jade grinned at the guys while they all agreed with Eliza.

They talked about other things while bitching about the other two nurses. Adam didn’t actively partake in their roast session, but he would nod emphatically now and then.

It wasn’t exactly that much later when Dr. Spencer did indeed walk in.

Nick’s appearance in the room was a welcome sight. Adam did notice that he was wearing street clothes.

“Oh my gosh, Dr. Spencer, are you off your shift and supposed to be going home?”

“Don’t worry about it Jade, I’m just wrapping this shift up.” He smiled at Jade. Adam knew that to be otherwise. Nick Spencer would have been in scrubs still if he was on his shift. He never changes into his street clothes early. He’d bet money that Nick was home and came in immediately after he got that call. Most other times a call would suffice, but they knew Dr. Cayette is petty and vengeful. If Nick wasn’t here in person, Jarred Cayette would have pushed for Jade to be taken to the psyched ward. But sure as s**t Dr. Cayette wasn’t here.

Dr. Spencer strode over to the computer in Jade’s room, he badged in and started pulling up windows on the computer.

“Hey Adam, come over and look over this with me.”

At Nick’s beckoning, Adam got out of his chair and stood at Nick’s shoulders at the computer.

“So. Jade, looks like when you were admitted for general hospitalization, Dr. Cayette marked the reason for suicide attempt instead of acetaminophen and alcohol overdose.” Adam was secretly seething. Leave it to Jarred to try to be a hot shot and have diagnosis ready to go. Not caring if he was wrong. The man was delirious with his own self-perception of grandeur.  

Adam was trying to maintain his professional decorum and with Jade’s clear intense stare, he was pretty sure he wasn’t fooling her one bit. When he made eye contact with her, all she did was raise an eyebrow.

“So, when you were admitted for hospitalization, Dr. Cayette had noted the reason for admittance as suicide attempt instead of acetaminophen and alcohol overdose like I discussed with him that night.”

She stared at him for a long beat then said, “You’re piiiiiiiissed.”

Adam gave her a small smile. They spent a lot of time with her these last few days, the connection they all made seems to be showing.

“This shouldn’t hold, because when she was moved from ICU and admitted under me, what I logged should be what stands. Give me a sec, I’m going to call the chief. See if we can’t get this cluster figured out.” Nick said, then he turned to Jade, “Do NOT agree to go anywhere with them until I get this straightened out.”

Jade answered him with a nod.

As Nick walked out of Jade’s room, pulling out of his cell phone, Adam thought how glad he is that Nick became Jade’s doctor.

On the day Jade told all of them she was accepting their help and she was thankful for them, Adam had texted his friend immediately after leaving Jade’s room. He was asking for feelers be put out and give him suggestions if he had any for a new primary for Jade. After Adam gave Nick some more disclosure and insight on Jade, Nick came and saw Jade himself the next time he was in. He talked with her for a good 45 minutes and decided he wanted to be her doctor. He asked her if it was alright if he was the one she chose to be her primary. It was a bit out of the ordinary, since its usually patients requesting the doctors, but Nick wanted to make sure she had the best helping her. With all going on with her, between all her physical injuries and emotional trauma, he just didn’t truly trust anyone besides Adam and himself being her primary. And it was becoming common knowledge that Adam couldn’t since he was developing a personal attachment to her. Nick still talked on the backside with Adam about Jade, usually in front of and with her. Adam was pretty sure Nick had caught on how strongly Adam feels about this young woman with haunted eyes. And Adam was also pretty sure that Nick saw how the other three of his best friends feel the same about her, too. But what Adam appreciated about his colleague and friend, is that Nick didn’t care about other people’s business, nor judge them for it. He just cared that whoever he does care about are healthy and safe.

It seems that Jade was included in that grouping for him.

Adam was in the middle of his musings when he felt a small cool hand slide over his. He turned to Jade with a smile.

She used to shy away from their small affections. But after she cried in their arms, she stopped pulling away physically. She didn’t start reaching out to them with her own affections until only in the last day or so.

He liked it.

It made his heart skitter along a bit as her fingertips played across his palm.

“Everything okay?” She asked.

“Yea, honey. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”

“Oh. No, Adam,” His pulse skittered again. Early on when they all started spending more time with her, he had insisted she call him Adam. And every time his name passed her lips it had an effect on him.

She continued, “I’m worried about you. Something that ICU doctor did that didn’t go along apparently with what you said and did. Is this going to have an effect with you career wise or anything?”

Adam blinked at Jade. She always seemed to throw a curve ball at him just when he thought he had a grasp on her. Here sat a woman with several broken bones, in that kind of pain at all times, they all knew of her night terrors and how little she was sleeping. Yet, when another obstacle was rising in front of her, adding more to her burden, she was instead worried about him and an effect on his career.

“Don’t worry about it, honey.” He smiled, holding her hand.

“Adam.” She said sternly.

Damn. This woman sees right through any sort of dishonesty.

Adam chuckled, “Damn, you’re good.” He blew out a breath. “There’ll probably be an informal inquiry of sorts we’ll end up having to sort out with the board because there’s an inconsistency of reports. I’m honestly not worried about that. Yes, it’s annoying, but bureaucracy is part of it. What I am pissed about is the impact this is having on you all because he was being a selfish prick getting all wrapped up in trying to make a name for himself.”

“How is saying my reason for admittance is suicide attempt gaining him any ground in recognition?”

“He regularly tries to make diagnosis, especially early on in the game. More often than not, he’s wrong, but that doesn’t matter to him. He thinks he’s making a name for himself. So it’s not just you, it’s you amongst a large amount of patients that he’s screwed over in trying to raise himself on the ladder. Its just not the right reasons for being a doctor and in the healthcare industry.” Adam huffed out a sigh of frustration.