Until My Heartbeat Stops

"don't answer the phone drunk."

"Camelia Mendoza, 25, she jumped out of an airplane the parachute failed to open, she's got a collapsed lung, three broken ribs a twisted arm, a broken leg and torn cartilage in one knee. She has some internal bleeding and her oxygen levels are failing." Dr. Reeves announced the patient's injuries as she and a couple of other surgeons including Noah and Dixie rolled her hospital bed into the emergency room. 

"Grab an apron you two." Dr. Reeves declared "Your scrubbing in." Noah and Dixie nodded simultaneously each grabbing an apron and a mask from the rack in front of them. 

The O.R. is always busy and for most, it would seem hectic and exermely hard to work let alone concentrate in such an environment but it always brought a scene of tranquility to both Noah and Dixie. It gave them peace as if the rush of the world around them couldn't change what they knew about surgery. 

 "Were doing a Thoracotomy." Dr. Reeves looked at Noah "Noah would you like to start?" Noah nodded taking the scalp in Dr. Reeves's hand. he began by cutting between the ribs to allow access to the lungs or other organs in the chest or thorax. A thoracotomy is usually done on either the right or left side of the chest. In this case, it was the left scene that was the side that her lung was failing. 

When Noah finished he put the scalp down and told Madi to close. She did and Noah walked out. Dixie followed him.

"Great job in there," Dixie stated as they walked out of the O.R. Noah didn't even acknowledge her somewhat pitiful complement and instead went to find Mr. Mendoza to let him know the surgery went well.  Dixie knew he was hurt. It wasn't that she felt weird about kissing him or maybe she did. She had emotions to sort out and she didn't want to drag him into her rollercoaster of a life. Besides that, she still felt guilty about taking his bag out of the trash.

Noah had decided to never speak to Dixie again. They did live in the same building, right across from either for that matter, they did work in the same building with the same people but he would make it work. He didn't want to see her anyway. 

"Mr. Mendoza I just want to let you know that your wife's surgery went very well were gonna keep her for the night just to make sure this  process doesn't have any complications but we expect her to make a full recovery." 

"Oh thank you so much, Dr. Beck." 

"No need to thank me I'm just doing my job."

Dixie got home way later than she had initially anticipated and in a state that's somewhat foreign to her.

she was drunk, really drunk.

She took off her heels unclipped her bra and laid down on her couch. she took a breath a long I-really-need-a-shower breath. Her phone ringed and she nonchalantly picked it up answered it and put it in her ear. 

"Hey." a male voice said on the other line. 

"Griffin?" Dixie asked.