Calling Dr. Love

"Jane, have you gotten a look at the new ER doctor yet?" Maxine Sidel asked her friend.

"Yeah, Dr. Lovell right?" Jane St. John asked.

"Oh yeah, we call him Dr. Love. The guy is gorgeous and built like a brick shit house. I'm tellin' you, that man is built for speed and durability."

"You're bad, Max. He seems like a nice guy from what everyone has told me. He is quiet and mostly keeps to himself. Not exactly your type."

"Honey any man that looks like that, is definitely my type. I'm trying to get the scoop on him, but no one knows anything. The guy is a legit mystery. He isn't even on Facebook. I can't tell whether he has a girlfriend, a wife, or a sex slave in his basement."

"Well, maybe that's exactly what he wants? I can relate to not wanting to be bothered at work by a constant stream of people looking for hook-ups in the locker room or supply closet. Hospitals are divorce factories; with the crazy hours, stress, lack of sleep and hell, even folks looking to snag a Doctor and live the high life."

"You're too cynical, kiddo. We need to get you out and get you back into the human race. John's been out of your life for how long now? That ship sailed and sunk.

You should come out with us Friday for our girls night out. There ain't nothin' going on in your head that can't be fixed by vodka and hot guys to buy it."

"No, I'm not looking for love; been there done that. I'm perfectly fine concentrating on work right now."

"Who the hell is talking about love? I'm talking about getting drunk and getting laid. Jesus, your B.O.B. needs a break."

Laughing Jane said, "At least my battery operated boyfriend won't leave me when times get tough."

"Jane, get back out there. You're gorgeous, smart as a whip and you have a body that makes men melt. Hell, I'd do you."

"Shut up!" Jane said laughing and walked away.

*********

St. Alexander's is a large hospital in the suburbs of Chicago. It's the largest in the area and is renowned for it's Cancer treatment center and it's ER.

Dr. Colten Lovell, was hired on after completing his internship at St. Alex. He made a name for himself by saving a local newscaster who got stabbed by a stalker. His quick thinking and calm demeanor saved the barely alive beauty and as a result of the press attention could've gotten a job anywhere. He chose to stay at St. Alex because he grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and had family roots there.

*********

"Listen Bitch! Give me the money and you get the crank. I don't work on credit and I don't want your skanky diseased ass either. I didn't come out here to get stiffed by housewives." Manny said to the lady sitting in her car with her child in the car seat. They were in a secluded parking lot trying not to get noticed.

"Please, I need it. Look I'll have the money Friday. Please..."

Two cars sped through the lot and screeched to a stop next to the dealer's car. The policemen got out brandishing their guns and the leader told Manny, "Don't move. Put your hands up."

Manny panicked and took off running. The youngest of the policemen chased after him on foot. Out of nowhere Manny stopped and turned around with his own gun. He fired several shots until the police were able to stop him with lethal force.

When the smoke cleared, the mother's screams for help brought them running to the car. Manny did not hit the cops or the mother, but a bullet hit the two year old child in the chest.

**********

"C'mon little man, stay with us." Colt begged out loud as he performed the emergency surgery on the small boy, shot in the drug deal gone bad.

There were tears in the room as Colt had to give up his life saving efforts. The boy lost too much blood and they couldn't stop the bleeding in time. All Colt could do was call the time of death and break the news to the parents. He did not know the mother was in a jail cell, the father was nowhere to be found and the only ones waiting were police and child services.

Colt had dealt with death in his job many times before, but never that of a child. He walked out of the operating room and washed his hands. He wondered if he really had to or if he was merely delaying the inevitable.

He pushed open the doors to the waiting area he gave the news as professionally as he could. He couldn't do what he wanted to do and break down. He had to remain calm, cool and collected.

*********

"Jane, did you hear about what happened in the ER?" Max asked as they walked to their cars after their long shifts.

"Yeah, I heard the police broke up a drug deal and a little boy got shot. Dr. Lovell couldn't save him when they got the boy here."

"How horrible. A two year old kid at a drug deal. I can't imagine how the parents feel. Dr. Love took it fine but some of the operating room staff were pretty upset afterwards."

"Who wouldn't be? We aren't robots."

"I know. Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

As she walked to her own car Jane passed by a car with a man crying into his hands behind the wheel. She stopped and knocked on the window to make sure he was okay.

The window rolled down and Jane realized that it was Dr. Lovell. "Doctor, are you okay?" She said as her heart broke for him. She knew why he was crying and knew why he was doing it in his car, away from the hospital staff.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm taking one a little hard. I never lost a little kid before and I'm having a rough time with it."

"Why don't you come with me over to the pond. No one will be there now and you'll have some privacy."

As she said that Max drove by with a smile and waved at them.

"Uh, yeah. Let's do that."

There was a large pond behind the hospital that had benches around it and a paved walkway that ran all the way around. They got to the nearest bench and as Jane said, they were alone.

As they sat she took his hand and he said, "Thank you. You didn't have to check on me, uh, I'm sorry I don't know your name."

"It's Jane, and I couldn't leave you like that. Everyone needs someone, sometime. Even big, tough doctors."

He laughed and said, "Thanks. I guess you're right. I'm Colten Lovell. My friends call me Colt." He smiled at her and her heart melted.

"Damn, he's gorgeous," she thought and quickly shook that off. He was in pain and she was going to help him, not lust after him.

"You're a nurse right?" She nodded yes.

"What department?"

"Operating rooms."

"Oh, I'm surprised we haven't met then."

"Well, I guess I don't get down to the ER that often."

"How did you know I was in the ER?"

She blushed and said, "Word of what happened got around pretty quickly." Proud of how quickly she covered and couldn't tell him every nurse knew who Dr. Love was.

"Oh, yeah. I guess it would. There's more gossip in hospital halls than high schools. It's one of the reasons I try to keep to myself."

"I get it. Well I'm sure to see more of you soon."

Before she could finish he gave her a questioning glance.

"No, I'm... what I mean is I'm moving over to ER next month when Peggy goes on maternity leave." All of a sudden she was as nervous as a teenager. "Snap out of it!" She thought.

"Oh, good, good. Yeah, we'll miss her. She's a gem."

"Oh yeah. She helped me a lot when I started. I promise you won't be upset to get me in rotation."

"I'm sure I won't," he said with a mega-watt smile. "Look, thanks for checking on me. I don't want to keep you from getting home to your family."

"Oh no, it's okay. I live alone." She regretted saying it as soon as it came out. She was mad she sounded so desperate.

"Well okay, thanks again and it was really nice to meet you. I guess I'll see you around the ER soon."

*********

"You bitch!" Max practically shouted at Jane the next day. "You're after Dr. Love for yourself."

"No Max, he was upset about losing the little boy and I saw him on the way to my car."

"Oh man, he was vulnerable too, damn. I'm jealous. Did you get his number?"

"No! It wasn't like that."

"Damn, I would have been consoling him with a nice warm tongue bath."

"Ugh! You're awful." She didn't tell Max that her BOB got a workout though.

***********

Bill Frain was eating breakfast on his deck when his neighbor Colt came out with his coffee. "Hey Colt, great Sunday morning huh?"

"Yeah," Colt said walking over and wishing Bill wasn't out. He was a good guy, but got mood swings over his ex-wife and her scandal with President Brown's wife during last year's election, and can be really crabby.

Bill pushed away the tablet he was reading the news on and said, "I still can't believe that bastard won the election," he said in disgust.

"Hey, you got the best end of that deal," Colt said referring to Bill's divorce. "A presidential candidate's wife cheated on him with your wife, you both got divorced and you got your girlfriend Dana out of it. All he got was the worst job in the world."

"I know. Who the hell would've thought he would win based on the sympathy vote though. I thought for sure he was toast."

"Never underestimate the mind of the voter."

"Yeah, well, his wife fell on the sword for him. I can't prove it, but a source told me that he has his own skeletons hidden in closets."

"Don't worry about it man. Enjoy yourself. Your book deals, movie rights and that gorgeous girlfriend tell me you did more than okay."

"Yeah, yeah."

"What brought this on?"

"Oh, I just read that he's in town for some reason."

"Gotcha, well I have to be running. I have day shift now."

"Ok. Catch ya later."

*********

Colt walked into the ER office and checked in with that shift's staff. He smiled when he saw that he was working with Jane. He liked her from the moment he met her, but he had asked around and heard she was all business so he never pursued her. He thought it was a shame because she was so caring towards him when he lost that child, he would've liked to gotten to know her better.

**********

"Mr. President, we have your lunch." The agent carrying a tray said.

"Thanks Mark. Jim these are the best steaks in the area. Hopefully they didn't cool too quickly," President Alan Brown said.

Jim Harker, the President's Chief of Staff was sweating and very nervous. When the agent left the room and he and the president were alone he picked up his steak knife and stood up. Staring down at his target he turned the knife and in a quick motion stabbed the president in the chest. The president screamed out and as he raised the knife to strike again he was wide open for the agents to fire several shots into him before he could bring the knife down again. With his dying breath Jim said to his former friend, "I hope that steak was good."

*********

It was a relatively quiet Sunday at St. Alex, until all hell broke loose. They had to prep the operating room for a stabbing patient and apparently he was a big deal. Police started showing up and then men in suits showed up and started running around.

The team found out quickly that it was President Brown who had been stabbed. They were hustled into the OR and given the full search treatment by the secret service. They had some training on this as a prep by secret service for presidential visits. The airport and the President's local home were near their hospital, but no one ever expected to have to actually use their training.

The president was wheeled in and prepared for surgery. Secret service did not leave the room at any time. Colt was nervous, but he thrived under pressure. While Jane was a wreck inside but cool on the outside.

Colt was repairing the stab wound to the chest and Jane was monitoring his vitals when Jane said, "Blood pressure and heart rate dropping Doctor." Secret Servicemen came to attention and watched even closer if that were possible.

Colt went through his mental crisis checklist and orchestrated everyone with a calm precision. The president's heart did stop but Colt and his team expertly brought him back and Colt said out loud, "You're not dying on my table, Sir."

He finished the operation without any further issues and the president was taken to a secure recovery room.

All of the surgical team were pulled into a room with Secret Service and presidential staff. They were made to sign non-disclosure agreements and flat out told to keep their mouth shut without authorization to speak.

Colt was then told he had to join the hospital administrator's press conference right at that moment. Colt didn't want to do it but he wasn't given a choice. He was told what he could and couldn't say and he was told to answer no questions.

He walked up and stood behind the hospitals media director to wait for his turn to speak.

Once, the administrator finished and introduced him, Cole said, "President Brown was brought in with one minor stab wound to the chest. It missed the heart and lungs. He did lose a significant amount of blood, but the surgery was a complete success. We expect a full recovery." He walked away from the mike while the media director fielded the questions.

*********

Bill knocked on his door that evening and as Colt invited him in said, " You should've let the bastard die."

"C'mon Bill, its bad enough that he almost did."

"Yeah, I know. I'm kidding. I can't believe his own chief of staff did it. But I guess that's what you get when you screw his wife. My sources tell me, the secret service ended him pretty quick before he could stab a second time.

They found his wife dead this afternoon. Looks like he killed her before he flew here on Air Force One. He left a note at home, so it seems it was a suicide by secret service."

"God what a fucked up world, man."

"Listen, I know we're neighbors and I don't want you to think I'm asking too much, but you know I freelance write now?" Colt nodded. "Would you give me an interview?"

"I would Bill, but the secret service boys want this locked up pretty tight. They even told me exactly what to say at that press conference."

"No, what I wanted is more of a personal interest piece. Not the play by play in the operating room."

"I don't know. I really want to avoid the spotlight. I still can't believe I don't have press outside yet."

"Oh they're here. Security is keeping them outside the gates. Perks of a gated community, my friend."

"Shit!"

Laughing, Bill said, "Get used to it, and check the news out. Someone leaked what you said about not dying on your table and my venerable peers in the press have nicknamed you 'Dr. Love'. Dana says it's because you look like a Greek God of Love or some nonsense."

"God damnit." Colt shouted.

***********

Dr. Jack Alber the hospital administration had an emergency meeting with Colt and some other doctors about a case of Mani-Virus in the hospital. Mani-Virus is the latest worldwide health scare and has a 20% mortality rate. "We're setting up quarantine treatment for him now."

"How many tests do we have?" Asked a doctor."

"50 at last count."

"When are more tests coming?" Asked Colt.

"We're not sure, but within 48 hours. What we need is an extra doctor and nurse on staff in the ER to specifically administer the tests for this. We want it as cut off as possible from the general population. We will have a section separated out just for these cases."

"I'll do it," Colt said. "I need to be away from the media anyway. This will work out well."

"Great! I'll have a nurse assigned to you shortly," Alber said.

***********

"Wow you've got some balls," Max said to Jane. "Volunteering for Mani-Virus tests in quarantine? Damn!"

"It won't be in quarantine. Just a separate section from ER. The positive patients will be in quarantine."

"Who's the doctor assigned?"

Jane looked at her and smiled.

"Aw, you bitch! It's Dr. Love? God damn it. I knew you had your eyes on him."

"Don't hate me, hate my game," Jane said while laughing.

*********

"Doctor this can't be right. We've tested 10 people and all 10 are positive."

"I know Jane, let's just hope we don't get anymore. We're out of beds."

Colt called Dr. Alber and broke the news, "No, I'm not kidding 10 for 10 on the tests. It has to be an anomaly or false positives. If it were really this prevalent we would have more symptomatic patients than just 10. Can we get those new test kits in here?"

"I'm working on it. It's almost midnight. Sit tight until the morning."

"Okay, we'll hope for the best."

*********

"Jane let's get some rest. No one's come in for a while and they'll let us know if we are needed."

"Alright Dr., can we get something to eat though. I'm famished."

"Yeah. Let's hit vending and scrape something up.

Sitting in the lounge, Colt looked at Jane and noticed her beautiful blue eyes.

Jane asked, "What? Do I have something on my forehead?" As she wiped at nothing.

Embarrassed he was caught staring, Colt stumbled out, "Er, no. I was just in another world for a second. Sorry if you thought I was staring."

"Oh, well sometimes it does a girl good to think she's noticed."

He let that comment stand and took a bite of his apple, wondering what her interest level in him would be.

"Dr.," Jane asked shyly. "May I ask you a personal question?"

"If you're going to get personal, please call me Colt."

"Okay," she said smiling. "You seem very distant. More than just quiet or shy, it's like you want to be left alone. Why is that?"

"I don't do that on purpose, I guess. Maybe on some level I want to be left alone, to be able to just get on with my day, but I'm not one of those God complex surgeons who thinks the world owes them everything and people should genuflect when I walk by."

"No, you're definitely not. Tell me about yourself. Obviously, you love children."

He looked at her with a frown at that comment, hoping she didn't bring up the first time they met and his weakness that day.

"There has to be more to Dr. Colt Lovell than saving presidents lives." She followed up with.

"What? When we're talking alone I'm not Dr. Love?" He said with an impish grin, trying to change the subject.

She blushed and didn't respond.

"Oh I know you guys call me that. I've heard it ever since I told people that I wanted to be a doctor. My ex-fiancé used to call me that too. Right up until I caught her in bed with my replacement."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I guess I'm over it in most ways. It was the usual story. She was also an intern and we never saw each other. He was a 9-5 white collar guy who was more available to her. I still don't know if she was going to leave me or keep him on the side, but they did end up getting married. Since then I haven't really dated much. It did make me wary of having a relationship consisting of more than friendship with a co-worker again. And It did make me sad in one respect, she had a kid right away and went into general practice so the hours are stable. You were right about me in your assessment that I absolutely adore kids."

"Why sour from co-workers, just because she couldn't keep her legs closed?" She hoped she wasn't being too obvious with her question.

"I decided that I want to see my partner. I want to have intimate contact other than when we kiss goodbye on the forehead as the other sleeps."

"Well, if it's any consolation to you, I gave up my fiancé."

"Huh? Why would you do that?"

"He got a promotion and we had to relocate. I was hesitant to move away from my family, but the clincher for me was when he asked 'what about our future family'. It was then that I realized that I didn't want kids. After hours of talking and crying, we split up amicably. He took the promotion and moved to Boston. His wife is lovely and they have twin girls so he got his family. That was 5 years ago."

"No one since struck your fancy?"

"I've had some relationships. Nothing too serious though."