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Typing...
You get hurt and end up in ER with a highly inconvenient injury, and a very handsome doctor.
Jack Abbot x f!Reader, nonbinary OC, background ish Parker Ellis, inaccurate medical procedures and injuries.
This is my first fic ever please be gentle with me
Word count: 3.4k
Rating: E
no beta
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You woke up in a pool of your own sweat feeling like you had been hit by a truck, your neck was stiff and back was aching, and you were definitely running a fever. You grabbed your phone to check the time
2 am… god, you only slept like four hours.
Rolling out of bed was painful, the stiffness spreading from your neck down your spine felt worse by the second; “Tylenol, I need Tylenol” you thought quietly. Hobbling into your bathroom you searched the cabinet until you found the bottle of acetaminophen and twisted open the cap to pour out two pills. You opened your mouth to throw in the pills, except you couldn’t open your mouth…
“What the hell?!” You mumbled and quickly looked in the mirror. You looked as sick as you felt, your skin was covered in a sheen of sweat and the muscles in your neck looked pulled tight. You tried to open your mouth again and were only able to get your teeth a few centimeters apart, there was no way you could take any medicine and you started to realized that you were even struggling to swallow your own saliva. This was not good.
You slowly made your way out of your room and down the hallway to your roommates bedroom and knocked on the door a few times before hearing a tired “come in!”. You opened the door and your friend Sam was immediately concerned
“Oh my god! Are you okay? You don’t look so hot…”
“I think I have Lockjaw…” you managed to get out through literally gritted teeth
“Uhhh okay… do we need to call an ambulance or…???”
Sam looked at you with questions in their eyes and all you could do is shrug
“I don’t know, I mean I think am okay if we just drove there. I don’t know what’s going on though, why can’t I open my mouth?”
Sam grabbed their phone and asked Siri
“Hey siri, what can cause Lockjaw?”
“Lockjaw can be caused by muscle spasms, jaw injuries, dental issues, and by the bacterial infection tetanus, which can be fatal if untreated”
The cheery robotic voice delivered that last bit of information a little too upbeat and the realization seemed to hit you and Sam at the same time. A week ago you had both moved into this townhouse together, it was old and full of the rustic charm that came with a house that was over 100 years old and that included no central AC. The previous tenants left several old window units in what was at best an attempt to be helpful and at worst pure laziness; the landlord had told you to keep what you wanted and trash the rest, so you and Sam made quick work of getting the old rusty units out of the windows as soon as possible. While moving one of the larger units you had cut your arm pretty bad on a rusty corner and Sam had immediately asked you if you had a tetanus shot.
“Yeah! I had to get one when I was a teen and they’re good for like ten years! I’ll be fine, I’m pretty sure I was like 16 so it’s been less than 10 years.”
And you had left it at that.
Looking at the google search now of “how long is a tetanus shot good for?” Felt like you were a little late to your own funeral
“….booster recommended sooner if you experience a deep, severe, or contaminated wound…”
You looked up a Sam with a sheepish grin… or whatever you call what you were doing with your mouth right now.
“Grab a coat..” Sam sighed
Sam drove as quickly as Pittsburg would physically allow possible and it didn’t take long for them to park outside the Emergency Department of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. The drive was only about 10 minutes but the pain in stiffness in your neck and back seemed to have gotten a hundred times worse and you were in intense pain. Sam quickly came to your side of the car and helped you out, you were still able to walk but it was becoming increasingly hard and by the time you crossed the threshold to the lobby you were sweating from the effort it took to stay upright. Sam sat you in a chair and immediately went to the reception window.
“Hi! I think my friend has Tetanus and she has some pretty intense lockjaw right now. We need help.”
The receptionist face as soon as she heard Tetanus changed from polite to intense worry and she immediately buzzed the door open and told Sam
“Someone is coming out with a wheelchair right now!”
You were quickly surrounded by about 6 people, and a million questions were being asked around you. They immediately took you back to a room and got you on a bed, there was a nasal cannula around your face and sticky pads on your chest within seconds of the break locks being secured on your bed, you could hear Sam in the background answering questions and finally a doctor looked at you to ask you what happened, she was pretty with brown braids pulled into a bun and an undercut, you could see on her scrub top a badge that said “Parker Ellis : DOCTOR”.
“I…ut’…my…arm…on a….ruty’…” you couldn’t finish, you looked up at Dr. Ellis pleadingly, it was nearly impossible to speak now and the pain in your neck was getting worse
“Okay, okay don’t worry about talking just nod your head yes or no okay?”
“Your friend Sam mentioned you got a nasty cut from a rusty window unit correct?”
“Okay, we are going to start treating you with Antibiotics, while we run some test to make sure we know exactly what is going on. However, your oxygen is a little lower than I would like and the nasal cannula isn’t cutting it, we cannot do a typical intubation on you because of the lockjaw but there is a method of intubation through the nasal passage, you will be fully awake but we will numb the passage and make you as comfortable possible, do you consent to us running some tests and doing a nasal intubation?”
You nodded “yes” again but you could feel tears pricking at your eyes, you were starting to get really worried and now you couldn’t even talk. It seemed like Dr. Ellis was able to read your mind and immediately called for a nurse to go find the communication tablet.
“I’m having a nurse grab a tablet we use for patients who are unable to verbally communicate with us, it will be here shortly, everything is gonna be okay. While we get your meds and let the numbing agent sit would you like me to have your friend come over to be with you?”
You nodded vigorously “yes” a single tear falling down your cheek.
Dr. Ellis disappeared and nurse quickly came over to spray the numbing agent into your nose and throat while another was setting up your IV antibiotics and pain management. Once they wrapped up Sam was allowed into the room and immediately came up to your bedside, a worried look across their face.
“They told me I could come back to see you while they waited for you to numb up… and that you can’t talk…”
You nodded again trying to smile at Sam but it probably coming across more as a grimace.
“It’s gonna be okay, I’ll be here the whole time okay?”
You closed your eyes again and nodded. The fear and pain were compounding on your exhaustion and all you wanted to do was go back to sleep and have this all be some crazy horrible dream.
There was a knock at the door and the curtain was pulled back to reveal the nurse from earlier returning with the communication tablet.
“This is for you, it’s a pretty simple set up, there are categories for preset phrases like your pain levels, or simple responses like yes or no. I’m gonna let you play around with it for a little bit while the numbing agent works some can get adjusted to it okay?”
You nodded and pressed the big green “yes” button on the screen.
The nurse smiled at you and turned to leave, letting you and Sam test out the tablet.
“So… on a scale of 1-10 how much pain are you in right now?”
You flicked to the “Pain” category and pressed the number seven
The robotic voice from the tablet said “my pain is a seven” in a monotonous and very male voice.
Sam laughed a bit, “I wonder if there is a setting to change the voice to a woman”
You chuckled silently and found the custom message category that allows you to type out a message on your own
“No, no, I like the male voice. It makes me feel powerful muhahaha.” The robotic voice said everything perfectly except the evil laugh, that’s when it decided you had instead meant “moo HA HA HA” which pulled a genuine laugh out of Sam.
Sam’s laugh was cut short by other knock at the door and the curtain being gently pulled back by a man this time, he very quickly announced himself.
“Hello, my name is Dr. Abbot. I am going to be to be doing the Nasal intubation today, I just wanted to come in and check on the numbing before we get everyone in here to do the intubation. You mind if I poke around some?”
You quickly typed out a response
“That’s fine.” The male voice said, earning a quiet giggle from Sam.
Dr. Abbots lips ticked up in a small smile
“Okay I’m gonna touch the inside of your nose, you will feel some pressure and it might be a little uncomfortable but let me know at any point if you are in pain. Also if you want I am pretty sure there is a way to change the voice on the tablet to something more feminine”
“Oh don’t worry about that, she said the male voice makes her feel powerful” Sam piped up with a laugh
Dr. Abbot chuckled lightly, and you rolled your eyes while flipping Sam the bird, which made Abbot huff another laugh.
“Alright you’re gonna feel some pressure now.”
The entire time his hands were on your nose you were distinctly aware of just how close he was to you. You hadn’t really paid much attention when he first walked in, still softly laughing at the failure of an evil robotic laugh, but you noticed now just how handsome Dr. Abbot was. He had curly salt and pepper hair and beautiful greenish blue eyes, there were probably thousands of freckles across his face and arms, and that’s when you noticed his arms… wow…the veins running down his forearms to his hands were bulging and the sleeves to the T-shirt under his scrub top were straining against his biceps. You could feel the warmth of a blush climbing from your neck to your cheeks and quickly cut your eyes away from Dr. Abbot and instead focused on the ceiling tiles above you.
You could feel the pressure of Dr. Abbot inserting part of his pinky into your nose but it wasn’t painful and he was done prodding around fairly quickly.
“Alright, seems like the numbing agent did its job and you are ready for intubation, I’m gonna let pain medication from your IV do its job for a few more minutes but I will be back with the rest of the team to get everything going.” Jack looked at you for confirmation and you were able to give him a weak nod as an okay. He nodded back and gave a small smile before turning to leave.
Once he was gone Sam came back to your bedside and was gushing as soon as they were sure Abbot was out of earshot
“Dude, he was hot! And so was Dr. Ellis, how do you manage to have two hot ass doctors taking care of you. Last time I was in the ER my doctor looked like the Slug receptionist lady from Monsters, Inc.”
You laughed hard which caused your neck and back to stiffen in pain but it wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier so you still managed to stifle out a chuckle
“I don’t know, I guess I am just lucky. They are both attractive but Dr. Abbot is definitely more my type” the statement sounded wrong coming from the robotic voice but it was true; Dr. Abbot was one very attractive man.
“You and your fetish for old men, I always forget how the peepaw’s are what do it for you” Sam laughed
You rolled your eyes again and started to type quickly
“I do not have a fetish for old men! Plus he’s not even that old, he can’t be older than like 48”
“Oh yeah, not that old just nearly twice your age!” Sam scoffed
“Looking doesn’t hurt anybody, it’s not like I am really in a position to flirt with him anyways, plus who’s to say he would even be interested”
“You never know, the sweaty sheen and inability to talk might be his thing”
You laughed again at your friend’s sarcasm, finally feeling the full effects of the pain medication it didn’t hurt to let out the laugh this time.
“I’m not gonna flirt with him, this is his job and that would be wrong. But he does have really pretty eyes, and the curly grey hair is really doing something to me”
“Yeah, I caught you staring at him and then turning a shade I’ve only seen on tomatoes. Your subtlety is lacking”
“Don’t remind me” you rolled your eyes.
Just then a knock at the door came and soon the room was filled with people again. Sam was quickly asked to step out into the hallway and Dr. Ellis and Abbot both approached your bedside.
Dr. Ellis was the first to speak:
“Okay, we are going to do the intubation now; do you have any questions before we start?”
You nodded your head “No”
“Alright, if at any point during the procedure you feel anything that hurts I want you to tap Dr. Abbots arm for me okay? Don’t be scared to tap him hard”
You nodded and acknowledgement and peered over to Dr. Abbot who gave you a smile
“Don’t worry about me kid, I can handle a little love tap”
His words made you giggle slightly and helped settle some of the nerves you felt crawling into your brain. “I can’t believe a little cut from an ancient AC unit landed me here” you thought to yourself.
Dr. Ellis was prepping all the tools and the nurse from earlier came around to lean you back slightly. The nerves were slowly coming back to your mind but just then Dr. Abbot put your arm around his.
“Remember, if you feel anything besides pressure, tap me hard”
Dr. Ellis leaned over you then and began to insert the long tube into your nose.
“You are going to feel some pressure now”
You could feel Dr. Ellis pushing the tube further into your nose but just as she said, it was painless.
“Okay, the tube is at 14 centimeters, just above the airway. Dr. Abbot are you ready to feed in the scope?” Dr. Ellis was looking across you at Abbot waiting for his response.
Your eyes flicked over to him and he was holding a long wire looking thing with a bright light on the end.
“Yeah; I’m gonna feed this camera though the tube that Dr. Ellis just inserted so that we can get a clear view of your vocal cords now”
You could faintly see the tube at the end of your nose and watched as Dr. Abbot inserted the scope. The monitor next to your bed lit up with the view of the inside of your nose and then your esophagus
“Alright I need you take a big breath in for me so we can see your vocal cords”
You looked over at Dr. Abbot and he gave you a small smile as if to tell you everything was okay. You took a deep breath in and felt the tube move just ever so slightly forward.
“Alright perfect, the cords are sensitive, so we are going to spray them with some lidocaine now”
You could see Dr. Ellis moving over you again with a syringe of the clear liquid and could feel the cool sensation as it hit your vocal cords.
“1cc of lidocaine is in, we are going to let that sit for a moment, how are you doing?”
You looked over at Ellis and gave a thumbs up.
She smiled at you softly “okay, once the tube is in you are going to have to breath through your nose okay?”
“Alright we are going to progress the scope to get a view of the Carina and once we see that we will progress the tube. Remember to keep breathing through your nose right now.”
You felt the sensation of movement again and could see on the monitor as the scope brought two passages into view. Dr. Abbot spoke then:
“Okay there are the right and left mainstem, Dr. Ellis you may progress the tube now”
You felt the tube slide further in and watched as Dr. Abbot began to pull the scope out.
Dr. Abbot was nodding in approval
“That went really well, we are going to hook you up to the CPAP to help support your breathing some that way your body can rest”
You were able to reach the tablet again to type your responses now
“We are going to head out now and let your meds do their work, if you need anything there is a call button on the bed, would you like us to let your friend back again?” Abbot was looking at you patiently as you typed.
“Yes, please send Sam back in. Thank you Dr. Abbot and Dr. Ellis for everything”
“Of course, I’ll go grab Sam”
Dr. Ellis stepped out then to go get your friend and Dr. Abbot stayed behind just a second longer
“Don’t worry about it kid, I’ll be back later to check on you, try to get some sleep”
Before you could respond Dr. Abbot was stepping out of the room and was replaced by Sam.
You could tell Sam was concerned and the visual of you with a tube in your nose probably wasn’t helping
“I feel a lot better, the meds are definitely working.”
You could see Sam relax some then, their shoulders dropped and face was less pinched; then a smirk made their way onto their face.
“So how having Dr. Silver Fox that up close and personal?”
Sam was wagging their eyebrows at you as you rolled your eyes.
“Don’t call him Dr. Silver Fox that is so childish”
Sam shrugged “You’re the one that said he was hot”
“I said he was attractive not hot”
“Yeah, yeah okay whatever, the other Doctor, Ellis, she told me to let you rest so I’ll leave you alone. I’m going to run back to the house and get into some actual clothes and not my Pajamas. Do you want me to grab you anything?”
“I’m good I think, just tired. I will probably sleep while you’re gone.”
“Alright, if you change your mind just shoot me a text.”
“Okay, be safe driving please, I know you are tired”
Sam then leaned over to give you a quick hug and to hand you your phone. Then they were out the door.
You realized then just how exhausted you were, the lack of sleep and now the stress of dealing with a fatal infection was really starting to wear you down. Before he left Dr. Abbot literally told you to get some sleep and who were you to defy the very handsome doctor’s orders. You closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep easily, familiar green eyes and silver hair gracing your dreams.
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