One Night in New York

by Amy Ruttan

  Let Dr. Chang, the chief and Dr. Hanley deal with fighting over Sam.

  She couldn’t worry about it.

  Sam had to deal with his own problems.

  Sam was furious. What the heck was his mother doing here? He was also so angry that she’d called him out like that, requesting him and taking him off Dr. Chang’s service. He was sure the surgery his mother wanted him to work on, placing a shunt on Baby C, would be exciting, but he’d rather learn the procedure from anyone but his mother.

  Not that he’d have an actual chance to participate in the surgery. His mother didn’t really involve her residents. She didn’t let them get their hands dirty. Sam knew his mother well. She liked to hog all the glory.

  His mother was speaking to Langley at the end of the hallway. She was touching his arm and laughing in an intimate way. It made Sam’s teeth grind, seeing them together, because it instantly brought back the memory of his father holding his hand almost twenty years ago and the look of heartache on his father’s face as he’d realized his wife was cheating on him.

  They finished talking and Langley walked away. His mother turned around and smiled, briefly. Not in a warm compassionate way, or in a way that showed she was glad to see him. It was polite.

  “Well, I can tell by your expression you’re not exactly happy to see me, Dr. Napier.”

  Sam was pleased that at least he was keeping his anonymity.

  “Perhaps we should take this somewhere more private.”

  His mother smirked. “Of course. My temporary office is down the hall.”

  Sam nodded and followed behind his mother as she led him to the office she was using. His stomach knotted when he saw all the boxes. How long was temporary?

  She shut the door and Sam crossed his arms.

  “I know that look,” his mother said. “You’re not happy that I’m here.”

  “Aye.”

  She chuckled. “So like your father.”

  “What are you doing here?” Sam asked, not wanting her to talk about his father with him. She had no right.

  “That’s the way you talk to your mother after not seeing her for five years?”

  “I didn’t think you cared particularly.”

  She shrugged and then tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. “I kept busy.”

  So like his mother. She didn’t admit to caring. It infuriated him.

  “What’re you doing here, Mother?”

  “Saving a life?”

  Sam glanced around at the boxes. “Dr. Walker requested your presence? I thought she only just discovered the issue with Baby C in the last week.”

  “No Dr. Walker did not request my presence. Gareth did.”

  Sam cringed inwardly at his mother’s familiarity with Langley. It was another kick in the pants to him. A reminder about how she and Langley had broken his family apart.

  “Again. Why?”

  “There’s a patient here in your pediatric ward. One with an inoperable brain tumor.”

  “Janie?” Sam asked.

  His mother nodded. “Her parents have agreed to allow me to try and resect it using a new technique. That’s why I’m here for some time. If the surgery is successful then I’ll publish a paper and credit Gareth and West Manhattan Saints.”

  “How generous of you.” Sam was very familiar with Janie and her family. Janie was one of his special patients and it broke his heart that she had a tumor that was ending her life. He didn’t particularly like the fact that his mother was here and was planning on using poor Janie as a guinea pig to further her research.

  “You’re mad that I requested you,” his mother said.

  “I don’t want anyone to know that you’re my mother. You know that and you agreed to those conditions if you were to ever come here.”

  His mother snorted. “I really don’t know why.”

  “I want to earn this fellowship on my own.”

  His mother snorted again and moved to sit behind her desk. “Really a waste.”

  “Pediatrics is a waste?”

  “No.”

  “Then a waste of my talent?”

  His mother shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen you operate, but given that you’re my child I would assume that you have decent surgical abilities.”

  Sam rolled his eyes. “How generous of you to compliment me.”

  “You’re being immature.”

  “Why did you request me?”

  “To test your surgical abilities. Chief Langley speaks very highly of you and I want to see if you live up to his praise.”

  “I don’t need to live up to anyone’s expectations. I came here to learn under Dr. Chang.”

  His mother snorted. “You could be extraordinary. Brain surgery is cutting edge. If your abilities are as good as Gareth says they are then you’re just wasting your talent in pediatrics. Do you want to settle for the ordinary?”

  “Aye. I do.”

  His mother shook her head and then picked up a file, effectively dismissing him as she opened it up and began to read. “You’re on my service. There’s no point in arguing about it.”

  “I would rather not be.”

  “If you raise a stink don’t you think people will question why you don’t want to work with me?”

  She had a point.

  “Fine,” he agreed grudgingly, but he was not happy. Not that she cared. His mother only cared about herself.

  “Good. Well, if we’re done talking I’d rather like to get to work.”

  “Of course, Mother.” Sam opened the door and barged out, slamming it behind him. As he turned around he crashed right into Mindy.

  “Dr. Napier!” She gasped in surprise.

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Walker. What’re you doing here?”

  “Bringing Dr. Hanley the information she requested on Baby C. Is she busy?”

  “Yes, but I’m sure she’ll want to see the file.”

  Mindy glanced up at him and frowned. “Are you okay, Sam?”

  He frowned. “Perfectly.”

  He wanted to tell her he wasn’t fine. That he was annoyed, but if he did then he would have to tell her that Dr. Hanley was his mother and then the whole story about his mother and Langley would come out.

  The only people at West Manhattan Saints that knew about his situation were Langley and Dr. Chang. Sam knew that Dr. Chang wouldn’t say anything and he thought Langley had enough couth not to say anything either.

  After all, his mother had eventually made him a cuckold as well. Still, there was no reason to take it out on Mindy, but he really didn’t want to get into it right now. He just had to go somewhere and calm down. Maybe do some charting in a broom closet.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine. Good day, Dr. Walker.” He walked away from her, brushing her off. It hurt him to do it, but it was for the best.

  This kind of situation was why he didn’t want to get involved with anyone he worked with. Messes like this. Rumors and secrets. He was here to practice medicine, not fall in love.

  Who said anything about love?

  Sam cursed under his breath.

  He knew he had to get out of there and put some distance between him and his mother.

  CHAPTER TEN

  MINDY COULD FEEL all eyes on her as she carefully made an incision in her patient’s uterus. Baby B’s amniotic sac had broken and it was time to deliver the quintuplets. They had managed to last until thirty-two weeks.

  Two weeks longer than when they’d had the meeting in the boardroom. Which was great, and the fluid around Baby C’s brain remained stable, though he would still need a shunt. There were teams of neonatologists and pediatric doctors waiting to take the babies as she delivered them. She could see Sam standing there, waiting for Baby C. Once Baby C was delivered Sam was going to take him into the next OR where a shunt would be placed by Dr. Hanley.

  Even though Dr. Hanley was a brilliant neurosurgeon, she was a bit of a narcissist.

  Mindy took a dee
p calming breath as she continued to work. There were a lot of lives at stake and she didn’t have time to worry about anyone else in this room.

  “Delivering Baby A,” she announced out loud, as she made the cut and gently removed Baby A from the uterus. She cut the cord and handed the baby to the waiting team. As Mindy focused on the next baby, she could hear the healthy scream of Baby A, who was being assessed under an islet table by Team A.

  Mindy smiled, though no one could tell she was smiling under her surgical mask. She did love the sound of healthy lungs.

  “Delivering Baby B.”

  The resident on Dr. Chang’s team stepped forward with a blanket and Mindy cut the cord and placed the baby in team B’s care. Then headed to her problem baby.

  “Delivering Baby C.”

  Sam stepped forward, waiting to take his charge. He winked at her from behind the mask in an encouraging way as she quickly delivered Baby C.

  Sam took the little guy and whisked him off to a warming table to check his vitals before they took him into surgery.

  Mindy stopped for a moment. Just a moment, but didn’t hear a cry from Baby C.

  Come on, little guy. Come on.

  Then there was a weak wail from across the OR.

  “How is he, Dr. Napier?” Mindy called out, as she cauterized a bleeder quickly so she could move on to the other babies.

  “Weak. His vitals aren’t good and he has some apparent hydrocephalus. Taking Baby C to OR two.”

  Mindy glanced up briefly to see Baby C being hooked up to monitors and ventilators, prepping him for his immediate surgery. Such a hard start to life.

  “Delivering Baby D,” she called out, as she removed the tiny baby. Baby D had some breathing issues, but Mindy couldn’t worry about that as she finished up and moved on to Baby E. The final baby.

  As much as she was thinking about the babies and all those fragile little lives in different teams’ hands, she couldn’t think about them. She had to focus on the mom’s health, so that she could recover and take care of all those babies.

  She’d controlled the whole procedure as far as she could by setting the teams. As much as she wanted to hover over all those precious lives, she had to step back and let go. She had to let the teams she’d picked take over.

  It was a perk of having her practice in a hospital setting that she knew the surgeons and could handpick them. When her practice was private and out of the office, she left that decision up to the neonatologist team, which stressed her out.

  This way was better.

  “Delivering Baby E.” She handed the little girl to team E and now she had to make sure Mom was okay and stitched up. “Add Syntocinon to her IV.”

  “Yes, Dr. Walker.” The anesthesiologist added the meds.

  Mindy went to work on repairing bleeders and then finally was able to remove the placentas. Once they were gone she could work on closing up the uterus. “Good work, Dr. Walker.”

  Mindy glanced up to see Dr. Chang standing beside her.

  “Is everything okay with your team?”

  “Perfect. My team can handle Baby B. She’s on her way to the NICU. I wanted to observe, if that’s okay?”

  “Of course.”

  Mindy worked diligently to check the uterus, to make sure nothing of the five separate placentas had been left behind. If anything remained it could pose a serious infection risk to the mother.

  Once she’d checked and made sure everything was intact and healthy, she began to close up the uterus.

  “Dr. Chang, they need you in OR two. It’s Baby C.”

  Dr. Chang glanced back at the nurse who had come in. “Can’t Dr. Hanley handle a shunt?”

  “There are some more complications to Baby C and Dr. Hall is dealing with Baby E.”

  Mindy glanced up and Dr. Chang nodded to the nurse.

  “I’ll be there in a moment.” Dr. Chang turned to Mindy. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of him. Dr. Napier is in there.”

  “I know the baby is in good hands.”

  Dr. Chang nodded and left.

  Focus.

  Sam and Amelia were more than capable of helping Baby C. Both of them were brilliant surgeons. Baby C was in good hands.

  Still, a sense of dread settled over her and she glanced at the mother, who was still under general anesthesia, and she felt a pang of heartache for her. When Mrs. Jameson woke up she wasn’t going to be able to hold her babies and then she would have to tell her that one of those babies needed a bit more medical care.

  It was the least favorite part of her job.

  Mindy sighed and continued closing up Mrs. Jameson so they could get her into Recovery.

  After her job was done she could check on the babies.

  She could see a long night in her future but she didn’t mind in the least.

  Sam stood in the critical level of the NICU. Baby C, who had been named Michael, was critically ill.

  The shunt placement had gone fine, but then he developed pulmonary hypertension and was currently on a ventilator, helping him to breathe.

  Last night his bowel had perforated, which was common with premature babies.

  Sam hadn’t left Michael’s side. He felt responsible for him. Sam was the resident on his case and Dr. Chang, Dr. Hall and his mother had many other patients they had to deal with so they couldn’t hang about.

  Really, he shouldn’t be either, but he couldn’t help himself. When it came to babies who were so ill… At least Maya hadn’t been this ill when he’d dealt with her.

  Michael, on the other hand…

  Sam glanced furtively at the monitor, watching Michael’s vitals, which told him that the poor little guy was struggling.

  “Come on, buddy,” he mumbled under his breath.

  “Why are you still here?”

  Sam spun around to see his mother enter Michael’s private room. “I’m monitoring my patient.”

  “There are capable NICU nurses who can do that.” His mother moved around to the incubator.

  “I’m very well aware of that.” Sam stepped back to allow his mother to open the incubator and examine the baby.

  “Incisions look good.”

  “Aye,” Sam remarked. “There’s nothing wrong with the shunt placement.”

  His mother smiled. “Of course there isn’t.”

  Sam rolled his eyes.

  “You did good in my OR,” his mother said. “I’d like you to aid in my surgery with Janie.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m offering you a chance at something brilliant, rather than standing here staring at a monitor.”

  “I’m monitoring my patient,” he said through gritted teeth.

  His mother shook her head. “Call it what you will, but I don’t think you’ll be standing here much longer.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Samuel, I raised you better than that. Look at the vitals. Baby C won’t make it through the night.”

  It was like a slap across the cheek.

  “You’re wasting your time in pediatrics. Switch to neurosurgery. I didn’t pay for your education to waste it on children.”

  “You’re not a pediatric surgeon,” Sam snapped.

  “See the facts, Sam.”

  “Michael, not Baby C, will do just fine.”

  His mother shook his head. “You’re throwing away your talent, wasting your time here.”

  “Neurosurgery has a high mortality rate as well,” Sam snapped.

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “You seem to be implying that I’m wasting my time with children who are just going to die anyway.”

  “That’s not what I was implying. Honestly, Samuel, what I meant was what can you do to prevent his death by standing here, staring at a monitor? You should be working on your surgical skills. Not standing here.”

  “So you’ve mentioned.”

  “So?” his mother asked.

  “What?”

  “Are you going t
o continue to stand here?”

  “Aye,” Sam snapped.

  His mother shook her head again and left the NICU room. Sam cursed under his breath. His mother was absolutely impossible. She wasn’t much of an optimist, but when he stared at the monitors again he knew that his mother was probably right.

  He clenched his fists and wanted to hit something, wanted to scream.

  “Dr. Napier, what’re you still doing here?” Dr. Chang asked as she walked into the room.

  “I… I don’t know.” Sam ran his fingers through his hair. “What’s his prognosis?”

  Dr. Chang sighed. “It’s not good. He’s got a lot of cards stacked against him.”

  Sam stared down at the little baby, struggling to live. “He can turn a corner. I’ve seen worse.”

  “I know. He can, but… I don’t think so,” Dr. Chang sighed. “There’s nothing more you can do here. The parents will be coming up soon. I’m going to talk about options.”

  “Can I stay?”

  “No. Go home, Sam. You’ve done all you can do.”

  Sam nodded, even though he didn’t want to leave. For some reason he felt responsible for this child. Like if he was more extraordinary he could’ve saved the child’s life, but his mother had made it clear that he wasn’t. He was only ordinary.

  His mother had made that clear.

  As he stood in the hall Michael’s mother, Mrs. Jameson, was wheeled past him. She didn’t notice him there, but the look on her face spoke volumes. Mrs. Jameson already knew what was going on. She knew why Dr. Chang was calling her into Michael’s room.

  Sam hovered, watching through the window as Dr. Chang knelt down, placing a hand on Mrs. Jameson’s knee as she broke the news.

  Mrs. Jameson hunched over, her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. Sam’s heart clenched and he could feel tears sting his own eyes. How did parents deal with it? It was something he had never understood, but he admired them for it.

  Admired the hours spent by bedsides. The hope, then watching hope dashed and seeing sorrow replace it was too much for him. Especially today.