The Phoenix in the ER

Outside the office, the atmosphere in the emergency department had undergone a permanent, irreversible shift.

Dr. Mayhew sat at the central nursing station with his head in his hands, staring at the whiteboard where his crude drawing of the bird had been quietly erased by Nurse Reena Castillo.

None of the residents dared speak to him.

When Mayhew looked up, he saw Greer walking past with a stack of patient charts, his expression cold and distant.

""Greer,"" Mayhew called out hesitantly.

Greer stopped, turning his head just enough to acknowledge the attending physician.

""Did you... did you know about her?"" Mayhew asked, his voice lacking its former authority.

""Nobody knew, Doctor,"" Greer said evenly. ""And if you had spent half as much time looking at your patients as you did mocking the people who actually take care of them, you might have recognized a professional when you saw one.""

Mayhew swallowed hard, looking down at his desk as the bitter realization of his own incompetence settled over him.

Down the hall, Chief Petty Officer Ortiz had regained consciousness in intensive care, his vital signs stable, his eyes fixed on the doorway as if waiting for a miracle he never expected to see twice.