Wake for Me (Life or Death Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

5:59,” Brady muttered from one side of his mouth.
    “Nice,” Sam whispered back.
    “Dr. Brady.” Chakrabarti had a way of zeroing in on a potential troublemaker the way a cobra focuses on a mongoose. “Would you like to tell us how Mr. Jenkins is doing this morning?”
    Damn. Sam fidgeted. Any other morning but today.
    “Well,” Brady floundered. “He’s looking a little yellow. Due to…jaundice.”
    “Obviously.” Chakrabarti was not impressed. His thick Eastern accent made the word sound like it had more syllables than it actually did, and carried a curse along with it. “Please describe the possible causes of this jaundice, Dr. Brady.”
    “Well, it could be a number of things. But in this case, I think he might be suffering from…” he glanced in Sam’s direction, already needing a Hail Mary. Not a good sign. “Obstructive jaundice, due to….”
    Oh, no. Why did it have to be jaundice? As casually as possible, Sam moved his hand into his pocket and made a fist. It was the only signal he knew for a fact Brady couldn’t miss.
    “Gall stones,” Brady finished proudly.
    “That is very true, Dr. Brady. He might be suffering from obstructive jaundice. If he were, it might be due to gall stones. But internal medicine requires slightly more precision than blind guesswork.”
    “Sorry, Dr. Chakrabarti,” Brady said. “What I meant was, he’s most likely suffering from gall stones, which an ultrasound will most likely support.”
    “It would,” Chakrabarti agreed. “If the patient had progressed to obstructive jaundice. Fortunately for Mr. Jenkins, and unfortunately for you, he has only progressed to pre-hepatic jaundice. Which, as Dr. Tanner will tell you, is most likely due to....”
    “Hemolysis,” Traci Tanner answered, shooting a smug look in Brady’s direction.
    Brady’s ego—which had swelled with the assumption that he’d passed Chakrabarti’s first test of the morning—deflated, and Sam could see the wheels in his head turning as he tried to figure out a way to get back at Traci. Most likely, the revenge would come in the form of sleeping with her, and then blowing her off the next day. Or shaving cream in her locker, whichever one turned out to be easier.
    After firing off a few more questions about Mr. Jenkins’ general status, diagnosis and prognosis, Dr. Chakrabarti led the way into the next patient’s room.
    The moment he stepped into 714 and heard the sound of breathing, Sam felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. She was still alive, for now. As usual, the air smelled like roses and something sweet that he couldn’t quite place. Because it was still early, the light coming through the window was pale grey and cast deep shadows across Viola’s peaceful face.
    “Dr. Philips,” Chakrabarti nodded in his direction, folding his hands in front of him expectantly. “Please present.”
    Dr. Tanner grabbed Viola’s chart and held it out to him, and Sam thanked her. But he didn’t open it. He didn’t have to. Instead, he rattled off the patient vitals from memory.
    “Viola Bellerose, nineteen. Came in eight days ago by ambulance, post MVA. Status upon arrival was semi-conscious, with injuries consistent with abdominal trauma—including rib fractures, internal bleeding and splenic lacerations. She was also severely hypothermic, after being pulled from the East River. After the initial assessment in the ER, the patient was taken directly to surgery, where Dr. Takasaki performed reparative surgery on her hepatic and superior mesenteric arteries, among other reparations. During surgery, the patient reacted poorly to anesthetic, causing a systemic anaphylaxis. The surgical team managed to stabilize the patient, but following the surgery, the patient did not regain consciousness. She has been in a comatose state for seven days.”
    In spite of himself, Dr. Chakrabarti looked impressed. Throughout the entire presentation, Sam could feel his attending waiting for him to