What if...Stephen's Crash Also Left Him Paraplegic?

Chapter 1: Before

 "Stephen!" Christine called out.

"Hello Christine. what can I do for you?" Stephen said as Christine handed him a clipboard.

"What's this?" Stephen asked as they walked to the E.R.

"GSW," she replied.

"It's amazing you kept him alive. Apneic, further brain stem testing after reflex test, but I think I found the problem, Dr. Palmer. You left a bullet in his head," Stephen told her.

Christine rolled her eyes, "It's impinging on the medulla," she said. "I needed a specialist to diagnose brain death. Something about that doesn't feel right to me."

"Yes and we need to hurry,"

"Wait, why?" Stephen points to the patient getting wheeled out by Dr. West.

"Doctor West! What do you think you are doing!" Christine yelled after him. Dr. West turned around to find Christine and Stephen running toward him.

"He is brain dead and an organ donor, Dr. Palmer. Do you have anything against a man who wants to give his organs to other people?" Dr. West replied.

"I never approved this," Christine said.

"And I don't need you to. We've already called brain death-," Dr. West was cut off.

"Prematurely. He needs to be prepped for a suboccipital craniotomy," Stephen said.

"I'm not letting you operate on a dead man," Stephen held up the brain scan.

"What do you see?"

"A bullet?"

"A perfect bullet. It's been hardened. You harden a bullet by alloying lead with antimony. A toxic metal. It's leaking directly into the cerebral spinal fluid,"

"Rapid-onset central nervous system shutdown,"

"This man isn't dead but he is dying, Dr. West," Christine said.

"Still harvesting his organs?" Stephen was already wheeling the patient towards the elevator.

"I shall assist you," Dr. West said, hurrying after him.

"Actually, Dr. Palmer will be assisting me," Stephen declared, as he got in the elevator.

"Thank you," Christine said, as she went to stand with Stephen. She hit the button for the third floor.

Once they were out of the elevator, Christine said to the nurse, "Get me an image status fast."

"No time," Stephen told her.

"You can't do it freehand," she replied.

"I can, and I will."

"This isn't a time for showing off Stephen."

"How about 10 minutes ago when West called the wrong time of death," Stephen replied, walking out of the elevator and into the O.R.

A nurse was getting everything ready as the patient was being intubated. The anesthesiologist and circulating nurse were already there. Dr. West had come up and was in the corner.

"Everyone ready?" Dr. Strange asked. He looked around. Some people were nodding their heads while others looked calm and reserved. "Scalpel," he said, to the nurse. He made the first incision. Then, he took a pair of tiny scissors and inspected the patient's brain on the screen.

"Cranial nerves intact," Dr. Palmer said. Dr. Strange reached into the brain with thin scissors. Stephen started to get irritated. There was a loud ticking noise coming from Dr. West's watch. However, doctors didn't look away from the patient.

"Dr. West, cover your watch," Dr. Strange told him. It was bothering him to have to listen to that noise. Dr. West looked down embarrassed and covered his watch. Strange used the scissors and reached in as the scissors clasped around the bullet. He carefully took it out and dropped it into a tray. Stephen was relieved.

"Someone close," he said, taking off his scrubs and walking out of the room. Christine was right behind him.

"You didn't have to humiliate Nick like that," Christine told him.

"Sometimes I can't help myself," Stephen said, dancing a little as he walked.

"You should be my neurosurgeon on call you know," Christine said as they stopped in front of the E.R.

"I'm not working in your butcher shop," Stephen looked around. "And are you Nick," he did a motion with his hands.

"Are me and Nick what?"

"Sleeping together," Christine looked at him in disgust.

"What no!" Christine yelled at him. "I have a thing against dating people from work."

"Really?"

"I don't date coworkers. I call it the Strange Policy," Stephen smiled. He was relieved that Christine and Nick weren't together.

"Glad to see something is named after me," A few residents walked out of the ER and just looked at Stephen in awe. Stephen gave them a smile and waved.

"So," Stephen looked back at Christine, "I have a speaking event and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?"

"Another one?"

"You used to love them,"

"No. It's always about you,"

"It is on our technique Christine,"

"Our?"

"Yes, but I don't see why they didn't let us name it the Strange Technique," Christine looked at Stephen with a you-did-not-just-say-that face.

"Okay," Stephen realized that Christine wasn't happy with him. "What about the Strange-Palmer Technique?" Christine started to walk away.

"Palmer-Strange!" she yelled back, grinning ever so slightly. Stephen grinned too. He had gotten her.