A Christmas Carol Blooms (New Amsterdam fanfiction)

A break in

Lauren wakes with a start. Darkness pouring in from the windows. Her tv playing an infomercial about a new cooking appliance. Obviously the movie has reached its conclusion while she was in slumber.

She turns off the tv and just as she was about to roll over to sleep some more, Lauren hears a crash coming from the kitchen. She jolts up into a sitting position, fear overcomes her. Living in a penthouse apartment of a building with tight security, Lauren should feel safe. But that crash did unmistakably come from her kitchen.

Lauren grabs her robe and puts it on. She grabs the flashlight from her night table ready to meet any assailant in her kitchen. As she turns the corner, Lauren turns on the flashlight and screams in shock. "Casey what are you doing here?"

"I'm not actually here, Dr. Bloom" Casey replies, his arms crossed.

"Really, what? You're a figment of my imagination?"

"No I was sent here as a guide."

"Really?" Lauren grabs a knife from the kitchen counter, grabs hold of his hand and cuts his palm. No blood.

"See if I was really here, I would have bled."

"Or I didn't cut you deep enough." Lauren says.

"Slap me then, Dr. Bloom".

"That's not going to do me any good. Obviously you will feel solid. I mean solid enough to make me believe you can bleed." Lauren puts the knife in the sink, reminding herself to wash it later. "So you say you were sent here. By whom?"

In reply casey looks up. Lauren follows suit. "Nobody is up there. This is the penthouse floor. There's no apartment above me. Unless there's some crazy person on the roof."

"I wasn't talking about a neighbor. Forget it. He warned me you don't believe."

"He? Who's he?" Lauren asks, frustration becoming more evident.

"That's not important. Look I was sent here because you need help. And my job is just to warn you there will be three more spirits coming to visit tonight."

"I don't need help. I am fine."

"You're not, Dr. Bloom. I have been covering up for you. Correcting your charts, dispensing medicine that won't kill the patients, rewriting your notes."

"Doctors make mistakes all the time. I mean it's just paperwork. Nothing serious."

"What about last month when you ordered to give meds to a patient that he was allergic to?"

"I thought we were gonna forget about that Casey." Lauren opens her fridge looking to open a beer only to find it empty.

"I am going off track with what I'm here to do. Tonight you will be having three visitors. Ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Just listen to them." Casey says. He reaches into his pocket and takes out an apple and hands it to Lauren.

Lauren refuses to take the apple. "I know what's happening here. I have seen this movie many times as a kid. I fell asleep with the movie on. This must be a dream." Lauren starts to pinch her arm repeatedly. "I want to wake up now. Casey. Why am I not waking up. This is a dream. Nothing more."

Casey begins to disappear in the darkness as Lauren repeatedly says "wake up Lauren. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up."