Cocky Doc - Samantha Lind Page 0,3
him. “Everyone has been dropping like flies. How’s life treating you? The girls doing well?”
“They’re doing great. Eleanor just started crawling the other day and Elizabeth is not far behind her. Has made my life bloody hell, stressing over keeping them safe. I’ve been baby proofing the house like crazy the past few days,” he tells me, a big goofy grin filling his face.
“Fatherhood looks good on you, man.”
“Thanks, mate. I think it fits me well.”
“So, what’s going on with the patient?”
“One year old, male,” he jumps right into work mode, giving me the run down on the young boy and what’s going on. We walk together to the exam room he’s in, along with both of his parents.
“Mr. and Mrs. Brown, this is Dr. Montgomery. He’s the Chief Pediatric Cardiologist here at Memorial. I’ve asked him to consult on Bradley. I’m worried he has what is known as CHD-Congenital Heart Disease, but need Dr. Montgomery, here, to confirm that for us.”
“Heart disease,” Mrs. Brown says on a gasp.
“I know the name can be a shock and scary, but let me be the first person to tell you that people with CHD have a long life expectancy. While there isn’t a cure, we do have treatment options available, depending on the severity. Before we can give you the official diagnosis, we need to run some more tests on Bradley.”
“Okay,” Mr. Brown says as he wraps his arm around his wife and pulls her into an embrace. “Please, do whatever you need to do to help him,” he tells me as he holds back his emotions. I’ve seen this exact scenario more times than I can count in my career. Delivering this type of news is never easy, but part of the job that must be done.
“Absolutely, we’ll start with another EKG and go from there. Has he been a healthy baby since birth?”
“He’s always been susceptible to getting sick. Mostly just colds that linger.”
“And what was his birth weight?” I ask as I press my stethoscope to his chest so I can listen to his heart.
“Seven pounds,” Mrs. Brown informs me.
“And how has his weight gain gone?”
“Slow, our pediatrician had us supplementing with formula since he was about a week old.”
“Do you still breast feed?” I ask as I place my stethoscope back around my neck.
“I do.”
“Good, and are you still supplementing with the formula?”
“Yes, he also eats a few things. It’s been a slow process introducing foods to him the past few months. We waited until he was nine months old to start.”
“Not a problem. His slow weight gains, along with being susceptible to colds, specifically if any affected his lungs, are both signs of CHD.”
“How long will the tests take?” Mr. Brown asks.
“I’ll get the order in now and place a rush on it. Hopefully we’ll have the results within an hour or so. I’ll be back once we do,” I assure them before following Simon out of the exam room.
“Do you really think he’s got CHD?” Simon asks as we walk down the hall.
“That’s what my gut tells me, but we’ll know for sure within a few hours. How late are you working in the ER?”
“Until shift change at six.”
“Page me and we can grab a beer afterwards. I’d love to catch up.”
“I’ve got to get home to Bridget and the kids, how about you come over this weekend?” he suggests.
“Sure, Saturday around four?”
“That should work, we can grill and drink some beers on the back deck.”
“All right, text me if you want me to bring anything other than the beer with me. Give Bridget my love, and I’ll see you Saturday.”
“Will do, mate. See you then,” he tells me before I take off up the stairs to go check in on my patients on the pediatric floor.
4
MEGAN
“YOU DID GREAT TODAY. Did you have fun?” Lucy asks me as we enter the staff locker room together.
“I did, and thanks for all your help today,” I say as I grab my backpack from my locker and sling it on the back of my chair. I down the rest of the water in my bottle before tucking it into the side pocket.
“I think tomorrow you’re good to work on your own. I’ll be here and can help if you run into any issues, but after observing you today, you’re a natural at this.”
“Thank you, that means the world to me,” I reply honestly. I’m so thankful I was paired with Lucy. She made my first day with patients super