Monday, May 13th Pt. 11

“Let’s get your legs up and lay you back.” Carol encourages gently.
“Is everything okay?” Mom asks from just inside the door.
“The uti is causing him a lot of pain.” I explain quietly.
“Can I get my shirt? Please. This isn’t enough.” He whines softly.
“It’s better if you stay in the gown until this second medication is finished.” Carol attempts to calm his nerves.
“Please. Can it wait? I’m feeling really sick right now and it hurts to throw up.”
“As soon as this is done we can get you out of here.” I try to calm him as well.
“That’s what I need to talk to you about.” She starts cautiously. “The sonographer isn’t available until tomorrow morning and Dr. Atkinson will not approve of releasing him until after he has the ultrasound.”
“You’ve spoken to him.”
“Yes. When I retrieved the second antibiotic from the delivery system I called and spoke about releasing Colton. He wouldn’t budge.”
“Can you get him on the phone again? Colton is not staying the night here.”
“Yes sir.” She stops and leaves the room after reconnecting Colton’s IV but doesn’t start the feeder.
“Ma.”
“Yes sweetie.”
“Deven is at children’s right now with Cody but if the doctor isn’t talking with them he should answer a call from you or I. Can you see if he remembers what he gave Colton for his nausea?”
She simply nods and steps outside to make her call. I look briefly at Colton to find that he’s resting a bit more comfortably than he was before his trip to the bathroom. I make my way over to the chair mom was in, taking a seat beside my mate.
“How are you feeling?” I ask as I wrap my arm around her shoulders and use the other one to rub gentle circles on her slowly growing belly.
“Sore and a little nauseous but overall, I’m fine.”
“Dr. Hammond wasn’t available to meet with us today so I have an appointment tomorrow morning at eight. She’s an infertility and high risk pregnancy specialist. I want to be able to enjoy you while you’re pregnant but those cramps this morning were intense and I’d like to have a better idea of what to expect during your pregnancy.”
She lays her head against my shoulder as we wait for answers to start coming in.
“Cass.” My mom is the first one back.
“Dev said that he only used the IV because he couldn’t have anything orally before receiving anesthesia. He should be fine with Zofran now. 20mg dissolving tablet.”
“I just received confirmation from the pharmacy on that order.” Carol comes in next.
“Cass, he also apologized for not warning you that he had placed the order half an hour ago. He didn’t know when Cole would wake but knew that the nausea was likely another symptom of a possible uti.”
“Did you tell him that he’s positive for one?”
“I was unaware of it so no.”
“Thank you.” I stand from the chair giving it back to my mom as Carol approaches.
“Alpha Cassius, Dr. Alan Atkinson.” She hands me the phone.
“Hello Alpha Cassius.” He greets cheerfully. “How May I help you?”
He becomes louder as I place the phone on speaker.
“Colton can not stay the night. You don’t know what it took to get him here.”
“All the more reason to keep him here as he’s unlikely to return for the test I need done in the morning.”
“What is preventing you or your sonographer from coming to the pack clinic and completing the testing. Dr. Leroux has an ultrasound machine and other technologies there.”
“Then why did he bring him to the hospital if he can't handle being in the hospital?”
“X-rays last night showed the dislocation of several small carpal bones that a basic reduction in the field failed to stabilize. With Colton’s unknown history and the amount of pain the reduction caused Dr. Leroux was unwilling to reduce and set his arm in the clinic. He determined that it was best for Cole to go into a twilight sleep so the automatic traction device could stretch and hold his arm in place while a cast was put on it. Neither of those procedures are considered safe to perform in a clinic setting.”
“The person you are referring to I have listed as John Doe 135. Is this Colton you’re referencing the same person?”
“Yes sir. It should be in his chart that he identifies as Colton Allen Zander.”
“The only thing I’m worried about in his chart is his high kidney enzymes and elevated white cell count. Both are indications of a serious urinary tract infection which is why I ordered the catheterization.”
“It sounds like he’s just a number to you.” I’m struggling to contain the anger welling up inside me at his callousness.
“I don’t get paid to care about sanctuary cases.”
“Then you shouldn’t have an issue releasing him.”
“If I release him from care and he doesn’t follow up then the council will have my license. I have done this before and I won’t do it again.”
His voice is getting louder with discontent causing Cole to become restless. Fortunately mom sees his growing discomfort with the conversation and sits on the bed with him.
“I’m going to start this second antibiotic. It needs to run for an hour. It can have some nasty side effects so I will be staying by your side as the worst of them tend to occur within ten minutes of it starting.” Carol’s explanation does little to calm his growing anxiety.
“I’m a newer doctor here. Cole, is the first sanctuary case I’ve had since starting.”
“I believe it would be fair to say you’re not familiar with how I work.”
“I’m not a young doctor and you alphas are all the same. I will not release him.”
“That’s fine. He will be released into Dr. Leroux’s care against medical advice. He will not stay overnight. Not when you can’t take the time to look over his chart and attempt to understand why he can not stay. This young man has already lived a hellacious life and has paid a dear price in his attempt to gain freedom. I will not force him to stay in a place he fears worse than the clinic.”
It’s when I stop for a moment that I realize that Cole isn’t handling this additional medication.
“Please call her back. Make it stop.”
He begs my mom who’s uncertain what to do. The light indicating that the call button has been pressed is lit but no one has answered.
“Can I help you?” Another nurse walks into the room and turns off the call indicator.
“The medicine is hurting him. It needs to be shut off.”
“No sir, I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” I’m surprised that Dr. Atkinson has remained quiet.
“Once medication has been started it must be finished.”
“Not if the side effects of the medication are harming the patient.”
“This stuff burns every patient when it first gets started. That’s not a reason to stop it.”
“Where’s his nurse, Carol?”
“She got called away to another job.” Her attitude towards me is appalling in a situation where I’m already frustrated.
“She’s supposed to be his nurse. She was to have no other patients until he left.” I press upon the comment that was made as she steps over to the feeder.
“This medication is supposed to be fed over half an hour, not an hour.” She comments as she starts pressing buttons on the feeder.
“What are you doing? It’s already causing him physical pain.”
“It burns. Please don’t increase it.” Cole whimpers as my mom stands.
One look at his face easily shows me the intensity of the burning sensation he’s feeling. I know better than to physically put my hands on any of those who work in the hospital as barely a quarter are affiliated with my pack.
“Dr. Atkinson, I need you to call and speak with Deven Leroux, the pack doctor, in the morning about everything you have ordered for Colton.”
It’s as I finish my sentence that the increased feed on the medication puts Colton over the breaking point.
“Make it stop!”
He suddenly yells as he pulls his right arm over to his left. I drop the phone on the bed as I rush to his side. He’s grabbed ahold of the IV line and is now attempting to pull it from his arm by the time I get there.