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Magnus was furious.

Not just annoyed. Not pissed. Not irritated.

Furious. Fuming. Looking for some poor idiot to cross his path and take out his anger.

Of course, something like this was just a question of time. Actually, if Magnus were to be honest with himself, he would have done the same thing if the sides were reversed and would have been perfectly happy to do so, with no guilty consciousness afterwards.

We all just do what we need to survive, right?

However, it was not a question of survival this time. Magnus was too old and too experienced for this. Instead, it was the same thing that had plagued his life for nearly twenty years - that desperate need to be on top. To hear people say that he was «one of the best doctors in the country» or «the best surgeon in this hospital» whenever he would pass by them. He was already that and he knew it well. No one could match his brilliance and skill.

Well.

Almost no one.

It was not a question of vain or arrogance.

He just had to be better than Elliott.

Passing back and forth in his office, Magnus was fighting an urge to kick down the door of his rival’s office and punch him in the face. Unfortunately, Elliott would be able to perform surgery even with a broken nose and a black eye and Lewis didn’t want to, once again, have a conversation with the chief of medicine about controlling his anger. Needless to say, doctor Carlyle and he had been getting into a fair number of arguments ever since they’d started to work together again.

Well, not really together. Next to each other. Equals, as others would say.

Still, Magnus couldn’t just leave it be. He had been looking forward to treating this patient for months. A twenty-two-year-old girl complained to her family physician about being dizzy all the time and some troubles with keeping balance about a year ago. Her doctor did the most logical thing and assumed that it was an inner ear issue.

After a couple of months of treatment with no improvement, the girl, whose name is Abbie, was sent to a bigger hospital in a different city. They did every test imaginable but failed to uncover the actual reason for her issues. By this point, Abbie could barely stand straight without having another dizzy spell.

Finally, someone decided to do an MRI because a simple inner ear infection no longer could explain the symptoms. This is when they discovered a small tumour, which decided to make a new home between Abbie’s cerebellum and medulla, pressing down on both and creating these issues with motor functions. 

Luckily enough, the tumour was small enough and seemed operable. On the other hand, the actual location was fairly far from the usual entry point for these kinds of procedures at the base of the skull, which meant a much more complicated surgery. Human brain is a delicate organ - you really don’t want to go around messing it when trying to get deeper inside.

And so everyone knew that they needed a good surgeon. Like a really, stupidly good one. Come to think of it, they needed someone just like doctor Magnus Lewis, thank you very much, of course, he has happy to help this poor girl get her normal life back. She flew in from her home in the midwest last week and the surgery was scheduled for later today.

- Don’t worry, Abbie, I’ve stared at your brain for so long that I could navigate around it with my eyes closed, - smiled Magnus whenever she would start getting worried about the procedure. - You are in the best possible hands. Our team will take care of you, I promise.

Nothing can compare to a rush before a difficult surgery. Nothing, period. It was the feeling Magnus lived for, lived off, flourishing the days before a scheduled procedure as he was feeding off all the praise he was getting. Other doctors and surgical residents went out of their way to try to get to assist him, their creativity never ceased to amaze Lewis. There was everything ranging from constant compliments, seasonal tickets to Mets (too bad Magnus was a Yankees fan anyway), invitations to fancy events and up to one of the senior residents who almost got him to have sex with her in the on-call room. She was pretty enough, but what’s the point of being one of the country’s top doctors if you still have to hook up with your willing colleagues in the crappy on-call room?

- What do you mean I don’t have surgery scheduled this evening? - Magnus looked up from some documents. - Abbie is this evening. You must be looking at the wrong page in the calendar.

- Actually… - Mary, an OR nurse who was one of the few constant companions of Magnus and who was set to operate with him later today, was standing in the doorway of his office and was clearly struggling to say something important. - Well, I was talking to Carrie and she said, that doctor Carlyle will be operating on her today.

- Then Carrie is wrong, - responded Lewis calmly. - You really should spend less time gossiping with other nurses, Mary. You are too good for this.

- No, Mag, you don’t get it. Apparently, Abbie changed her mind. It looks like someone talked to her yesterday and she asked for a different doctor.

- What?! - Magnus jumped up with a look on his face like he was about to kill someone with just fire in his eyes. - Please tell me this is one of your jokes. A really, really shitty one.

Alas, Mary wasn’t joking. A quick check of the nurse’s station proved so.

And so, Magnus was furious.

Not just annoyed. Not pissed. Not irritated.

Furious. Fuming.

He was marching down the hallway and thinking about every single way he can use to destroy Elliott, his life, his reputation, absolutely everything. By the time he’s gonna be done with him, no one in the whole wide world will remember the name of doctor Elliott Carlyle.

- Oh, you’ve really outdone yourself this time, - Lewis opened the door to his rival’s office with a swing, slamming it against the wall and then behind himself. He didn’t give any portion of a damn about being professional. - Is this how you want to do it? Going behind my back and stealing my patient? What did you promise this poor girl? That she will get a once-in-a-lifetime perfect kiss from her knight in shining armour doctor Elliott? - Magnus walked quickly inside and straight to the other one’s desk, slamming his fists on the hardwood surface. - Do you even understand the complexity of this procedure? It has taken me months, actual months to plan and prepare and you want to do it all in just one afternoon? - Lewis suppressed a laugh. - Actually, hold on, it makes sense. If I remember correctly, you were always a lousy student and never tried to study for your tests in advance. Some things never change, eh? Still just trying to catch up, - Magnus couldn’t care less if he was unfair (which he was) or trying to hurt the man in front of him (which he was). Elliott was the only person who could ever get him to be this blinded with rage.

[icon]https://i.imgur.com/8g6hx4S.gif[/icon][nick]Magnus Lewis[/nick][status]truth is never simple[/status][lzname]<lzname><a href="ссылка на анкету">Магнус Льюис</a>, 39</lzname> <plashka>человек</plashka>[/lzname][]Нью-Йорк: хороший хирург, заядлый трудоголик, плохой муж и отец. По-настоящему может поговорить только с заклятым <a href="https://nevah.ru/viewtopic.php?id=431#p32897">врагом</a>[/]

Just one brief look at this perfect, almost angelic face was enough for the doctor’s mind to go into an emotional overload. This, exactly this very innocent-looking face with a falsely warm smile - this alone was enough for him to lose whatever bits of self-control he had left. It was almost like magic, like a goddam curse that an evil witch decided to put on him - no matter what Magnus did, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how old he was or how experienced and how calm and collected - his composure always failed him in front of these blue puppy-like eyes.

The situation was made even worse by the fact that that he was already fuming.

It took everything in him, every ounce of self-control Magnus had left inside not to grab the man in front of him by the lapels of his jacket and not to throw him out of the window.

No other person had this effect on Magnus - he’s met a lot of people he didn't like, a lot of people he didn't care about, but no one has ever provoked this type of response from him.  Elliott was his personal curse and like any other good curse it followed him around and yet Magnus still couldn't accept the fact that he was never going to be rid of him.

- Look, - he tried to sound a bit calmer, but his voice still showed his agitation. - Just try to stay out of my patient's business. This hospital has so many other doctors you can drive insane.

Lewis knew very well that Elliott had no interest in any other doctors. From what he heard from his colleagues and nurses, Elliott was perfectly pleasant to work with.

Well, as pleasant as a surgeon with an ego the size of a detached house can possibly be.

- Oh and about your coffee, - he couldn't suppress a smile looking at a shattered mug on the floor. - Are you quite certain you want to drink anything I bring to you? Apparently, cyanide tastes like almonds. Nice addition to your afternoon coffee, don't you think? - Magnus slammed the door behind himself and send a few glaring looks at a couple of nurses who were staring at him from down the hallway.

The silent rage still bubbling inside, he went downstairs to the ER having found himself with an open afternoon. Magnus needed something to do only work could distract him from this colossal failure, only work could help him calm down, nothing else. He’s heard a lot of doctors say smoking can help calm the nerves down but being a longtime smoker himself Magnus knew that it was just a short-term placebo effect.

ER always needed help being one of the most understaffed departments in most hospitals and they were certainly not an exception to this rule. Normally other doctors couldn't just walk in and jump straight to seeing patients, but Magnus had a good relationship with most of the attending doctors there and nobody in their right mind would refuse help from the great and wonderful doctor Magnus Lewis.

He was torn between a desire to see Elliott fail miserably and an understanding that if he were to fail, chances are Abbie would not be able to wake up from a procedure. It was risky, it was dangerous, it was experimental, but it was also the best option this girl ever had. Making his hands into fists, Magnus had to admit at least to himself that if any other doctor other than him could successfully do it, it was Carlyle. Of course, he would never admit it out loud, he might as well resign and retire early from work if he were to do so.

ER was busy as usual. It was just one of those places where work never seemed to stop with doctors and nurses always busy running from one patient to the next, always in the middle of treating somebody.

Magnus caught one of the attending doctors and told him that if any surgical cases were to come in, he would be happy to take them and then moved himself to the hospital cafeteria looking for some halfway decent coffee while waiting for the page. 

From time to time other surgeons in the cafeteria shot him an odd look. They knew he was supposed to be in the operating room by now getting ready for the procedure. Then news seemed to be spreading rather slowly today. Normally he would expect everyone who's anyone to know within a couple of hours. Doctors were notorious gossipers, especially when it came to people like doctor Lewis.

Side effects on being on everyone's radar. Flattering, yes, but also horribly annoying.

His pager went off at a quarter past four in the afternoon, when after Magnus had returned to his office after losing any hope of an interesting case from the emergency. Major trauma including a head injury just severe enough for Magnus to accept.


«Severe» ended up a bit of an understatement. More than three hours later when Lewis finally emerged from the operating room, his scrubs nicely covered in blood, was exhausted. He ended up operating all this time on this guy who came in after a major car crash - had to be put him together almost bone by bone. Generally, his specialty pushed him towards more detailed and delicate procedures, but he already agreed to help and there was no back-paddling from that.


He was tired. This was not even close to being the longest surgery he’d ever done, but still - three hours of a tense posture made his neck and shoulders stiff and achy. He found his white coat outside of the operating room and put it back on covering the evidence of a recent patient. He was going to change into clean scrubs, but first, he needed a cigarette.

The smoking area outside the hospital was never empty - a constant rotation of physicians and nursing staff made sure that it was always occupied. And these were people who were constantly nagging their patients about health concerns related to longtime smoking. Bunch of hypocrites.

He exchanged a few words with a couple of dark-haired nurses who soon went back inside and left Magnus there. Finally alone, he put his hand in the pocket of his white coat and fished out his phone. Just as expected - five texts from Elizabeth, progressively more angry at him.

His transfer to this particular hospital was supposed to mean a bit more of a stable schedule, which would allow Magnus to be home in time for dinner. He lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply as if looking for energy and willpower to answer these texts in the greyish curls of smoke.

They just had a fight about his working hours about a week ago and now the same story again.

Magnus wasn't a good husband. He wasn't a good father either. He knew it was one of the most significant shortcomings of his life. And it didn't matter how much he tried to change it - it never worked.

You can change your essence.

And yet, he still kept on trying.

He knew that at home he could expect another fight, one more time he would see his wife upset one more time she is going to tell him that she doesn't know why they were still even married. It was fair and Magnus couldn’t fight the obvious.

However, today's emotional rollercoaster of a day left him exhausted, too tired to deal with any of it. And even too tired to leave the smoking area as he saw a tall and slender shape of a doctor Carlyle emerge from the staff entrance.

- Damn, - he signed too quietly for his colleague to hear. - Not you again, - Magnus wanted to put out his cigarette but instead just rubbed his tired eyes and continued smoking as if nothing was happening. Maybe they can just ignore each other.


Just this once.

[icon]https://i.imgur.com/8g6hx4S.gif[/icon][nick]Magnus Lewis[/nick][status]truth is never simple[/status][lzname]<lzname><a href="ссылка на анкету">Магнус Льюис</a>, 39</lzname> <plashka>человек</plashka>[/lzname][]Нью-Йорк: хороший хирург, заядлый трудоголик, плохой муж и отец. По-настоящему может поговорить только с заклятым <a href="https://nevah.ru/viewtopic.php?id=431#p32897">врагом</a>[/]

Отредактировано Alasdair O’Mara (2021-07-29 18:31:14)