The Smart Sister

I Need Some Help Stat

"Are you coming?" asked Ebony Campbell. Amelia had just sat down in the break room, but she knew it wouldn't last long. It never did. It seemed that she never got a real break. 

"Yeah. Where are we going?" Amelia asked as she rubbed her tired eyes. She had pulled the short straw to get the graveyard shift. 

"There's been a car crash on the interstate. They should be here in a few."  Ebony was already speeding down the hall, her long braids waving behind her. 

How she was able to still be so energetic at three in the morning was beyond Amelia's capabilities. Still, Amelia ran up to keep up with her. 

When the car crash victims arrived, it became chaos. That was life at St. Therese Memorial Hospital. It was one of the best hospitals in the county. Amelia was lucky to even be working here, but it was daunting to really be in charge of someone's life. 

Her supervisor yelled at her to work on one of the patient. She watched as his heart rate spiked. The data was off. Something was wrong. She tried everything that one would do as the normal procedure for car crash patients. 

"Doctor, he is still bleeding. What do you want us to do?"

Amelia paused. There was something else. She had it on the tip of her tongue, but couldn't grasp the word firmly. 

"Doctor?" yelled the nurse. 

Before she could say anything, her supervisor stepped in. 

"He's probably a hemophilia. Step back, Ms. Delafield. I got it."

Amelia stepped back as Dr. Marchand took over. The man was a great doctor to watch. He calmly, but efficiently gave the orders needed to save the young man. Once the patient was stabilized, Dr. Marchand walked right past Amelia to check on the other victims. 

"Delafield, go take a break. We'll talk later."

Even though Amelia had wanted a break only minutes ago, she wanted to refuse the order. She knew it wouldn't be good, but Dr. Marchand was already gone. She was dismissed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's where Ebony found Amelia a few minutes later as if she had never left. Ebony grabbed a seat across Amelia. 

"You okay?"

Amelia shrugged. 

"You know, it is not your fault. The EMTs or someone should have let you know the guy was a hemophiliac. What are the chances of that?"

"Dr. Marchand got it. In no time, he was able to see it."

"Amelia, he has been a doctor for over 20 years. I would hope he would see it." Ebony smiled at Amelia.

"I guess. It's just that I should have guessed it too. I just finished my intern year. I'm so close to being fully certified. I can't make these little mistakes."

Ebony leaned forward, attempting to comfort Amelia. 

"That's why you are a resident. You don't have to get it right away."

"I guess."

"Hey, maybe you're tired. I know all these double shifts to cover for everyone sick with that stupid cold bug is hitting me."

"Really?"

"This energy," Ebony motioned to herself before continuing,  "is fueled by coffee. I mean, what is with everyone being sick? We work in a hospital. Do we not listen to our own advice of taking care of yourself."

Amelia laughed along with Ebony.

"Right?" 

"Amelia, I think you'll do fine. It will just take some time."

"Thanks. You have been a huge support for me."

"Well, we are in the same boat. We gotta stick together," she said as she stood up and hugged Amelia. "I'm going to head down to the cafeteria for some more coffee. Wanna join me?"

"Sure." Both women left the break room, talking along the way. Amelia even started to feel better as they talked. 

"At least, you didn't throw up like Chet did, " said Ebony as she began to laugh. Amelia laughed as she thought of the first time their supervisor let them watch a live surgery. Of course, Amelia was grossed out like most of her colleagues when she saw the lady's organs, but she swallowed it. There was always one. She refused to let it be her. 

"I mean, Mr. My Dad's a Doctor should be a pro. I guess, he didn't spend his childhood following dad around," Ebony continued. The women were so enthralled by the memory that neither saw Dr. Engels walk around the corner. 

Amelia ran right into the doctor, but caught herself before they both fell. Dr. Engels looked unfazed as if she were a Grecian statue. At 45, she was the youngest head of cardiology in the state. Seeing how they lived in California, there was a lot competition. There was even talk that she would be next in line for director of the whole hospital. Among the peasants, she was known as the ice queen. Whether that was because of her attitude or the white blond hair and grey eyes, no one cared to find out. She had the expertise to back up her behavior. So of course, both women instantly stiffened. 

"Ladies, it's important that we present a professional appearance at all times. We cannot giggle like schoolgirls."

"Yes, ma'am," whispered both women. 

"But while I have you here. Ms. Delafield, did you happen to meet a Dr. Sharma at Olympus General."

Amelia had to control herself when she realized that Dr. Engels even remembered her name. She usually called all the residents something based on their appearance if she didn't remember your name. For example, the "short one". Unless you did something bad, then she knew you right away. Her calling your name was the equivalent of your parents saying your full name. Even though Dr. Marchand was her supervisor, Amelia was more scared of Dr. Engels. Everyone knew she had the head of the hospital's ear. So Amelia was extra cautious now that she was on her radar.

"Y-yes?"  

"Did you or not?"

Amelia cleared her throat before speaking again. 

"Yes. May I ask why you ask?"

Dr. Engels switched her weight from one foot to the another. It was like a switch turned on. She became  . . .pleasant. It wasn't a blinding smile, but there was definitely a lightening of her face. It was if she had seen something that she found amusing, not amazing just amusing. Her face relaxed just slightly. 

"He mentioned you. He operated on your sister, I believe. Compared to most patients' families, you were apparently very knowledgeable and insightful. At least that is what he said. When he found out you worked here, he was very impressed."

Amelia hadn't spoken with the orthopedic doctor for long when Christi had surgery on her leg. Though everyone knew Dr. Sharma, he was the leading orthopedic surgeon on the West Coast. If Amelia remembered correctly, Christi's team had personally called him to take Christi's case. Amelia had only known him through his research work in medical journals. She was sure the only reason she hadn't fangirled was because of the circumstance. 

"It looks good when one of our employee impresses doctors at other hospitals. Especially someone of such a high-caliber. I will be hoping for great things from you."

Amelia nodded dumbly, still very confused. Then, the doctor walked away. Amelia and Ebony looked at each other in mutual confusion. Just as they were going to speak, they could hear the click-clack of Dr. Engels's heels pause. 

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask. Ms. Delafield, you said your sister was the patient. The Christiana Delafield, right?"

Amelia nodded.  Then, Dr. Engels nodded and actually walked away. 

Both women speculated on the weird encounter with Dr. Engels as they headed to the cafeteria. It was not until Amelia had finished stirring the creamer in her drink that she realized that she had never mentioned her sister's name. 

So how had she known? More importantly, why did she make a point to know who she was?