Hurts So Good (Neil Melendez (The Good Doctor) x OC)

New Year's... ER

At St. Jose St. Bonaventure hospital, 31th of December, 11:43am

"This is St. Jose St. Bonaventure ER? What? Can you please repeat that?" the emergency nurse listens carefully at her interlocutor on the phone, her eyes big and surprised.

"Okay, please send in the most urgent patients, lightly wounded people should be transported to the next closest ER though, we'll try to clear as many rooms as possible."

The nurse puts down the receiver and starts reporting what she has just heard over the phone, "listen up everybody!" all available nurses and emergency doctors who are currently in the ward stop in their tracks and pay attention, "we're expecting approximately 100 people to come in the ER in the next hours, a train derailed, firemen are still trying to figure out what happen and are helping our paramedics getting as many people out as possible. Get as much warm saline, and as many catheters, intubation kits, oxygen masks and defibrillators as possible. It's gonna be hell soon. Be prepared. Page every surgeon that isn't in an OR immediately and tell them to come here as soon as possible."

Dr. Lim happens to be in the emergency room with a couple of residents and listens to everything, the nurse hasn't even finished speaking that she has her phone close to her ear.

"Pick up the damn phone, Neil..."

Santa Clara, California - 11:55am

"I think your phone's ringing," I tell Neil. We're in Santa Clara, we've finished eating a couple of sandwiches out not too long ago and we were walking along Benton Street to get to Central Park. Neil searches for his phone in his trousers pockets just to find out that his phone was actually sitting inside his jacket.

"Audrey?" I moment of silence passes and Neil's face goes pale, "I'm in Santa Clara, give me twenty minutes, okay?"

He hangs up and turns to me, his face wearing a sorry look, "we have to go, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, people need you, c'mon."

"I don't think I have the time to get you home though, you'll have to ask Kelsey if she can give you a ride."

"Okay, no worries, let's go."

*

Half an hour later we get to the hospital, the streets are inundated by ambulances, firetrucks and police cars. We got word of the derailment 10 minutes after we got into the car and the only comment was 'shit'.

"I'm going directly to the ER and assess the situation. You go to my office," Neil tells me quickly as he removes the key from his key chain, "and wait there, okay?"

We are in front of the hospital's ER and I can tell it's madness in there, more so than usual.

"Yeah, okay. Don't worry," I kiss him and we part ways.

Slowly, I make my way to the hospital front entrance and I get in. I suddenly get hit by a rush of memories and hypothesis as I stand there and watch at all these people running up and down stairs: waking up in my hospital bed looking half dead, Claire, Kelsey and the little saguaro, Dr. Garcia and the ultrasound, Shaun explaining my injuries, Neil checking my arm and hand, then I think about what could have happened before that, before I was awake and responding: how many people were there when I was rushed in? Did they yell and run around like they were doing now? Did they fight over what had to be done? What did Neil think when he first saw me?

I shake myself from my rêverie and I walk to the bar to get a bottle of water.

"Hi gorgeous," says Debbie with her usual smile, "is it time? Is the baby coming?"