— “…I have no reason to believe that we won’t be able to deal with whatever we are confronted with. We are doctors and nurses. That’s what we do. We deal with whatever we are faced with when it walks through the door—but we don’t strain our existing resources because something just might come through the door.”
That was precisely what he told his brother-in-law, Kevin. Kevin was a paramedic, and as a first responder, he understood emergency medicine. Over the years, the two men had had many discussions about the changes and expectations in providing emergency care and for the most part, they were in agreement on the issues. They had no control over how many patients they would serve in a day. They were faced with triaging, diagnosing and treating patients at a rapid pace—often in life-and-death situations. On top of that, they dealt with anxious and upset family members and from time to time, had to deal with individuals who could place themselves or their coworkers in life- threatening situations.
But it was precisely that—the unknowns, the ever-changing routine, people, and situations—that got their adrenaline flowing. It was a rush and, in part, was what made them love their jobs and kept them dedicated to coming back to it every day, regardless of what that day might entail.
So maybe it was natural that something like a pandemic didn’t scare Dr. Hicks. The unknown and risks were part of his daily life, maybe even in his DNA. It was why he’d chosen his specialty, and why he was so darn good at it.
Greg’s leadership and abilities were highly respected across the hospital. He did his job, and he did it well. No one could or would argue that. However, Greg’s reluctance to face this potential crisis was a concern, not only for Vivian and Phil, but also for some of the technicians and nurses who worked side by side with him in the ED. Greg wasn’t scared of a virus—he’d dealt with them throughout his entire career. But not everyone felt the same. They were quite frightened for what the future might hold, but their fear was silenced by their reluctance to meet with their supervisor’s disproval and disappointment. Greg was the departmental rapport leader, dominated the culture and, well, they just didn’t want to rattle his cage.
The highly esteemed emergency department director wouldn’t face the fact that there could be potential issues down the road. He had absolutely no idea that his staff felt vulnerable and frightened. Even worse, he had no idea that he was at risk of committing involuntary brandslaughter in the highest degree. Until these things were brought to light, Dr. Hicks would remain in the dark….
