Chapter Text
“I just feel stupid. 14 years in professional kitchens and you’d think I’d have learned to pay attention when my newest line cook is moving boiling pots of stock around me.”
Eliza Murphy winced as a young female doctor assessed her arm with gentle hands. The doctor was young, can’t have been much older than 25, her badge read Student Doctor Santos.
“Yeah it’s not looking the best’ she paused as she continued to assess. ‘It’s second degree and there’s some blistering, but it will be easily treatable. You were good to come in today. Did well with the dressings too! You’d be surprised at how little people know what to do. All kinds of crap people put on there, butter, toothpaste.”
Doctor Santos rolled her eyes, clearly remembering other incidences, Eliza laughed in response.
“Well, like I said I’ve worked in kitchens a lot had my fair share of burns. This one just, well…. it’s the worst yet.” Eliza sucked in a sharp breath as Doctor Santos pulled out a fresh dressing from a sterile packet.
“Did you take anything for the pain?”
“Just a couple of Tylenol? But it’s wearing off.”
Santos nodded, working for a while as she rewrapped the woman’s arm. The two just remained in silence, Doctor Santos’ head tilting as she tried to think of the next steps.
“Ok, well I’ll be back. We’ll have the nurse get you some more pain relief, and we’ll uh re-access. Burns of this kind on your fingers require a bit more attention, we don’t want you to lose function. We’ll also take care of the blistering. Excuse me.” The doctor nodded as she walked away from the bed leaving Eliza alone.
Eliza made sure to gently flex her fingers, she needed the mobility, you couldn’t be a chef if you couldn’t hold a knife.
Her eyes scanned the ED floor, it was busy, expected for 8pm on a Friday night. The strong smell of antiseptic hung in the air, the endless beeping coming from machines and chatter amongst staff and other patients reverberated through her bones. Then the shouting, the faint screams coming from other corners of the ED chilled her to the bone. She’d worked a number of years in hospitals, she knew how the place was a never ending source of energy, both good and bad. She remembered the long hours, and she remembered how it would test you in myriad ways.
The sounds were slowly pushing more and more memories up to the surface, ones she almost swore she would never think of again. She felt her breathing quicken, the sound becoming too much, her uninjured hand reached up to both ears as she flicked down the batteries on her hearing aids. The sounds of the ED dulled, leaving her with the tinnitus that remained, but it felt more comforting than the chaotic sounds of the hospital. She was used to it.
Eliza shuffled back on the hard hospital bed, as her eyes scanned around. Assessing. The new found quiet helped as she felt her body relax. She looked down at her wrapped hand, and wondered how the restaurant was going without her. She’d left Marco in charge, her sous chef, he was insistent that everything would be fine. Not that she didn’t trust him, but she knew how chaotic Fridays were.
She took a moment to just close her eyes. She tried to use it to keep her mind off her arm which still felt like it was on fire.
“Ma’am.” A muffled voice came from somewhere surrounding her. Again. Eliza felt someone tap her shoulder, she opened her eyes. A hijabi nurse was smiling at her, she held out a small plastic cup in one hand, and an open water bottle. She said something that Eliza couldn’t quite work out, but she got the idea. Eliza blinked, a smile ghosting her lips as she, with thanks, took the pain relief.
“Thank you.”
It took her a second to flick her hearing aids back on, the sound slowly flooding back, tinnitus dulled. Whoever was screaming before had stopped so that was one saving grace.
She noticed out of the corner of her eye as the nurse threw her cup away, that Doctor Santos was back. She was back with a much older doctor. Eliza didn’t get the chance to properly see the older doctor’s face as he immediately went to face the screen of the work terminal, scanning his id card. He tapped a few buttons, and proceeded to grab his examination gloves. She couldn’t help but notice though, the way his scrub top was tight around his biceps, his curled salt and pepper hair, his ass. Is this really who was hanging around in hospitals now? And age appropriate as well?
The only senior doctors she was used to were men who looked like they had way too little sleep, they’re only hobby was being in the hospital. Maybe she ought to have more kitchen accidents.
“Present Doctor Santos.” He murmured.
“47 year old woman, presenting with partial thickness burns and blistering on her left hand and forearm, due to dropping a boiling pot of stock. I’ve redressed the wound, and given 500 mg of acetaminophen for the pain.”
“Treatment?” The doctor asked, still attending to something on the screen.
“Ummm, debridement for blisters, then splint each finger, to prevent restrictive movement…..” Doctor Santos listed off everything methodically, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
“Good job…I’ve uh, I’ve got this Santos. It’s way past the end of your shift, and I believe you have charting to do?” The male doctor instructed Santos, who reluctantly nodded, her jaw clenched slightly clearly biting back a response.
“It was nice to meet you.” She nodded at Eliza before walking off. Leaving the nurse and Dr biceps with her.
“So Ms Murphy, we’ll get started and we’ll have you out of here as soon as possible.” The doctor turned around and grabbed a stool, as the nurse prepared the gauze and forceps.
“I’m doctor Ab-“
When she came face to face with the older doctor, Eliza felt like the world had come to a stop.
The ED suddenly didn’t feel chaotic, it was almost as if she’d turned off her hearing aids again. His introduction was lost on her because she knew. She knew who he was. Eliza didn’t say anything as she took in his face, he had deep set wrinkles by his eyes now, he had stubble which was now salt and pepper coloured like his hair. 15 years had changed him, but there he was, Jack Abbot. In the flesh.
“Holy shit.” She didn’t even know if it was shock that was reading on her face. But her mouth hung open.
“Eli-holy shit….uh hi.” Jack stared at her in shock, sure she was older now. But he’d never forget her. As he looked in her eyes, ones he’d looked into many times before, he couldn’t believe he’d ever left.
After the 1 year in the marines and 3 years as a combat medic, Eliza spent the time after trying to keep herself grounded. Becoming a chef, working in kitchens and starting a new life was the only way she could try to push those days behind her and forget. One thing she never thought was was seeing him again. And not in Pittsburgh of all places.
Eliza noticed that the nurse was now staring at them both, eyebrows creased in confusion.
“Do you two…know each other?” She didn’t get a response, but she could tell by the way they were looking at each other that this was personal.
“I’ve gotta get…something.” She muttered quickly running off, her hand waving to get the attention of another nurse.
Jack and Eliza seemed to both break out of their trance, slicing through the awkward silence.
“Jack Abbot…I did NOT expect to see you here.’ She looked at him with glassy eyes, she wasn’t going to cry, she just felt like she hadn’t blinked in a while. She couldn’t help but notice how he stood, his gait uneven. She’d remembered the last time they had interacted, a military funeral. Another one of their fallen comrades.
He was sat in a wheelchair, and she was adjusting to life with hearing loss.
They had served together for 2 and a half deployments. The difference was Eliza made no conscious effort to return to medicine, she’d seen too much suffering. She still remembered that day…the way he. No, push it down.
“You’ve grown since I last saw you.” She teased, a warm smile on her face. Her eyes darted down to his leg, where a prosthesis now without a doubt hid under his scrub pants.
His gaze softened.
“Yeah well, you’d be surprised at how much a bit of titanium can do for you.”
“So….you’re’ She looked at the ID badge clipped onto his scrub pocket. ‘an attending. Well good for you Jack.” She smiled, fingers flexing remembering how she was still in discomfort.
“I am. All the better for you, let’s sort this burn out.”