Love at First Cut; A Will Halstead Fanfic

Backed Against the Wall

Yn's POV

"Look at you! Back on Trauma. We've missed you down here," I tell Connor.

Connor smiled and gave me a hug. "I've missed you guys as well. So, did you see the Hybrid OR?"

"Yeah. It looks pretty cool. Maybe I could join you in there sometime," I propose.

Connor laughed. "Yeah. Maybe. Hey, I heard you and Will booked a church and a venue for the wedding."

"Yeah. Things are going quicker than I expected. Look, I've got to get back to work, but we'll talk later," I say and pat Connor on the shoulder before walking off into one of the trauma rooms where I had a patient waiting. "Ms. Blake, I'm Dr. Ln." 

"44-year-old female, complaints of lumbago. Pain 10 out of 10," Dr. Terry McNeal informed me. 

"The important info is that while I was getting dressed for work, I bent down to put on my shoes, and my back locked up," Ms. Blake clarified as Terry checked her back.

"I see a surgical scar," Terry noted. 

"Discectomy?" I ask. 

Ms. Blake nodded. "L4. It was two years ago. I felt pretty good right after, but these days it feels like a bad sneeze could paralyze me." 

"Unfortunately, as common as back pain is, there's not a perfect fix," I admit. 

"Press against my hand like a gas pedal," Terry ordered. Ms. Blake did as he asked, but she cried out in pain. 

"It hurts. Everything hurts. So will flexion, extension, the femoral stretch, FABER test. Today's the worst it's ever been, though," Ms. Blake spoke. 

"All right. I'm going to order a CT and give you five of Valium for the spasm," I disclose and tap some things on my tablet.

"Thank you," Ms. Blake said.

......................................

"Are those my CT results?" Ms. Blake asked. 

"Yes. The scans show spinal degeneration and scar tissue at L3 through L5. We suspect it's chronic and not the cause of today's pain," Terry responded. 

"So you want an MRI, and then you're going to compare it to the scan taken when I had surgery two years ago to see if anything's different. I know the drill, so I know an MRI won't show anything more than the CT. You'll give me some low grade muscle relaxer, recommend physical therapy, but those meds won't do anything more than a baby aspirin. And I'm a lawyer, a partner at Astor, Caldwell and Davis. I don't have time to lie on the floor doing pelvic bridges with some glorified trainer. So how about you just write me a script for what will work? Norco 10-325s, then we can all get on with our lives," Ms. Blake stated. 

"I'll talk to the pharmacy," I tell her and leave the room with Terry following me. I then made my way over to a computer and started typing away.

"What are you doing?" Terry asked me. 

"I'm running Nora's name through the Illinois prescription database to see if she's flagged as a frequent flyer. Dodging an MRI and then immediately pressing for meds reeks of a con job," I explain and look at the computer. "She's not on file. Okay, Nora had her back surgery at East Mercy. Call over there. See if she's only coming to us because they cut her off." A few minutes later, I walked into the lounge to find Will talking loudly into his phone. When Will saw me, he sighed and stuffed his phone into his pocket. "Everything okay?" 

"Uh, yeah, just Jay and I, still arguing over Dad's stuff," Will replied. 

"Oh. So what was all that with Voight this morning?" I ask. "Nat told me he stopped by to see you." 

"He wanted a curbside diagnosis because he doesn't trust his own doctor. He's a pain in the ass," Will said. 

"He should get a second opinion for that. Get it? Pain in the ass," I joke. 

Will chuckled softly. "Oh, yeah. That's funny." 

"No, it wasn't, but that's why I love you," I exclaim and kiss him. An hour or two later, I was standing at the nurses' station when Terry walked over to me.

"Dr. Ln? I just heard back from East Mercy. Nora's not on file as a frequent flier. She's never been a patient there," Terry disclosed. 

"Well, she definitely had a surgery. The scar on her back is clear proof. You know, if I were trying to game the system, I certainly wouldn't use my real name. Dr. Charles!" I call out. "Can I ask you a question?" Dr. Charles nodded and made his way over to Terry and I. "I've got a strong feeling my patient gave a fake name to get a prescription." 

"You think we're dealing with addiction?" Dr. Charles questioned. 

I nodded. "It's likely, but I can't help her with it if I can't separate fact from fiction." 

"You know, when people lie, they tend to describe things in generalities. But when they use specifics, it's more likely they're telling the truth. Did your patient give you any details?" Dr. Charles asked. 

"The type of meds she wanted," Terry answered. "Oh, and her job. That she's a partner at a law firm. Astor, Caldwell, and Davis." 

"Start there," Dr. Charles told us and walked away. Terry walked over to the nearest computer and typed away, pulling up the website for the law firm "Nora" claimed she worked at. He then found a list of their employees, and we found our patient.

"There," I murmur and point to a picture on the screen. "Nora Blake is actually Brenna McDouglas."

..................................

"You caught me. My name's Brenna McDouglas, not Nora Blake. Can I have my prescription now?" Brenna asked. 

"It may feel like you need them, but more pills aren't the answer, Terry spoke. 

Brenna scoffed. "I'm in pain. Don't you even care?" 

"Yes, we care, and we want to help. Let us set you up with an addiction therapist who can devise a pain management strategy that doesn't involve opioids. Here's some referrals that I think you should take a look at," I offer and hand her some pamphlets. 

"No!" Brenna shouted and slapped the papers from my hands. "I don't need a therapist or a new plan. I need my refill. What is the big deal? My God. I'm a lawyer with great insurance, not some junkie off the street. Or worse, some hombre that probably can't even speak the language. That guy in the next room, Mexican or whatever, he attacked a man. He fought him right in the emergency room, but nobody gave him a hard time or prevented his care. The doctor, the administrator, they're bending over backwards for him. There is no way he comes before me. So give me my prescription or, so help me, I will sue you and this entire emergency room." 

"No," I state. 

"Then get out, and send me your boss," Brenna said. I nodded and turned right around, making my way back to the nurses' station. On the way there, I just so happened to pass my boss.

"Dr. Lanik, my patient would like a word," I tell him and walk off. That night, I found Connor standing in the Hybrid OR looking around. "Hey. You off of shift yet?"

"Yeah. Why?" Connor questioned.

"I had a frustrating case, and Will is by Jay's right now, so I was wondering if you wanted to head to Molly's," I say. "You don't look super happy, so I figured you could use a drink."

Connor smiled. "Sounds like a plan. I'll meet you there."