The Worst Day of Joy Kwon's Life
--Hi! One of my first fanfics :`) so be nice. I was inspired by Pitt Yuri Week Day1 "Medical emergency/sick fic + Secret relationship". I'll put it up on ao3 soon but for now. The one where Joy and Emma are secretly dating. --
The Worst Day of Joy Kwon’s Life
Joy walks into the ED at 7:00am, on the dot. She is always punctual, never late, never early. She passes Dr. Al Hashimi, coffee in hand, deep in- what seems to be in an even deeper conversation about patient rights with Samira.
I want no part in that Joy thinks and heads towards the main station. She passes Mckay who is inevitably muttering something about the new patient load the new attending implemented.
The double doors blow open. Dana is already wired up, guiding the EMTs to Trauma 4. An older man lays in the stretcher, barely breathing. He looks exactly like her grandfather, and Joy heads the opposite way.
10 more months and I’ll be out of here. Joy glances at her watch.
7:10am… She should be here.
“Joy. Ogilvie. Join Samira in 3.”
Mateo is above the patient, setting up her IV as Samira runs through the routine questions.
Mateo? He works the night shift, he should be gone by now.
Samira smiles, “Nice of you two to join us I could use the help… Ms. Walred here…”
“… Joy? What’s the differential diagnosis?” Samira asks.
“Appendicitis, Ovarian cysts, UTI. Duh” Joy responds, snapping out of her head.
Samira smiles, “Exactly”.
Joy steps out of the room and locks eyes with Dana.
“You need something kid?” Dana asks.
“No..Yeah…Umm..Well I noticed Emma hasn’t come in yet” Joy rambles. It’s weird, even for her, because she always has it together. Something doesn’t feel right.
“Oh you haven’t heard, she had an emergency and called out. Mateo’s pulling a double.” Dana says.
Joy feels her stomach drop. Her breath quickens. Her chest feels tight. She walks to the bathroom, finds the first open stall, and pulls out her phone.
Joy opens her messages and begins to type.
Dana said you had an emergency?
Joy receives an incoming call from an unknown number. She answers.. “Hello?”
An unfamiliar voice begins to speak, “She told us to call you, Emma’s been in an..”
Santos busts through the bathroom door.
She mumbles, “Fucking Huckleberry” She turns the sink on.
Joy sinks, somehow even deeper, into the toilet. She begins to breathe heavier. Her breaths echoing the metal stalls.
“.. a what.. hello sir??” The call disconnects.
The bathroom never has good signal.
Joy looks forward and sees Santos’ sneakers stop in front of her stall.
Santos knocks, “you good Joy?”.
Joy pushes through the door. She puts a half smile on to Santos, washes her hands and leaves.
Santos says to an empty bathroom, “Ugh why is everyone being sooo weird today”.
Joy’s head is spinning. The world is blurry, and she can’t think in all this noise. As Joy is heading to the bay to get some fresh air, she trips over the wheels of a stretcher and plants onto the floor.
The whole department becomes quiet, and they rush towards her.
Joy. Are you okay? What happened?
Dr. Al Hashimi orders her to sit down in a room and sends Princess to check on her.
Princess walks in to see Joy staring at the ground.
Princess says, “Joy, is this because of Emma?”
Joy’s face turns bright red. She looks up and acts confused.
“Emma? What? I just didn’t see the stupid stretcher”
Princess smirks, “You don’t have to lie to me. I know. You know I won 100 dollars in the nurse’s chat. Perlah was convinced it wasn’t true. Don’t worry Dana, and the doctors don’t know.”
Joy’s face is now the reddest it’s ever been, and she can’t make eye contact with Princess.
Princess continues, “She’s going to be fine. The accident wasn’t too bad.”
Joy’s face quickly turns form red to pale,
Her worst fears have become true.
Joy knows she shouldn’t do this. She knows she could lose all her hours and have to add another year of med school.
Joy signs into a computer and guides to mouse to the search. Her hands are shaking.
Emma Nolan. D.O.B. 10/08/2001
Female. 20s. Face: Minor abrasions and cuts, no lacerations requiring sutures. Procedure: Closed reduction and casting of right distal radius fracture. Room 204
Joy peeks into the window of room. She sees a man sitting at the side of Emma’s bed.
He looks exactly like the pictures.
The man heads for the door and Joy quickly steps away from the window. She finds an empty room to hide in.
Pfft. I thought they had no rooms up here.
“I have to go, please call me with any updates. Doctor, take care of my daughter please”, the man’s voice says.
Joy quickly rushes to the room.
Emma lays there, asleep. Joy runs up and stands above her. Her face is cut. Joy reaches for her hand, but notices her arm is in a cast.
Joy’s phone rings. It’s Princess.
“Where are you? They’re looking for you.”
“I stepped outside, I’m coming back now”
Joy hangs up. She kisses Emma on the cheek and holds her. Just for a second.
“It hasn’t been two hours since you’ve started and you’ve fallen, called Ogilive olive oil, and wrote ..”
Dr. Al Hashimi reads off the tablet “…Both breasts are equal and reactive to light.”
Joy wishes she could push down her face into her neck.
She continues, “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off. For everyone’s benefit.”
Joy nods feeling both ashamed and relieved.
Her mind has not been off Emma all morning. It doesn’t help she barely got any sleep last night.
Joy didn’t bother to change. She pulls the chair to Emma’s bedside.
She just stares at her. There are a thousand thoughts running through Joy’s head, but the main one.
“Emma, dear, you’re being discharged you…”
Dr. Garcia stops as she sees Joy sleeping on the hospital bed.
“Joy? Fancy seeing you here. Where did Mr. Nolan go?” Dr. Garcia asks.
Joy wakes up and scans the room. Emma is still asleep.
“Why hasn’t she woken up yet?” Joy asks, ignoring the question.
“Well sleeping beauty, the anesthesia should be waring off any minute now. What are you doing here anyway...”
Dr. Garcia flips through Emma’s folder.
“.. I don’t see you listed here under any emergency contact.”
Joy snaps, “Nothing. I just heard that she was here, so I came see how she’s doing. I’m just being a good friend.”
Dr. Garcia smirks, “Mm, yeah Santos and I used to call each other good friends too.”
Emma’s eyes begun to open. She groans.
“Oh great you’re up. You’re good to go. Keep the arm elevated and keep the cast dry. Make an ortho follow-up in a week to get that cast off…I’ll leave you good friends to it. See you around.”
Wow what great care here at PTMC, Joy thinks.
Emma laughs, “Are you crying? I’ve never seen you do that. I honestly didn’t know you could.”
“No. I’m not crying.” She says firmly. “How are you?”
Emma sits up from the bed and winces in pain.
“I’m okay, just in a little pain.”
Joy smiles in relief and throws her arms around Emma.
“I’m sorry, I forgot,” Joy apologizes.
“Can we go to your place? I want to be with you, and I haven’t really told my Dad yet.”
They grab their belongings and head for the hallway, hoping not to run into anyone they know.