Snippet #2275609

"And... She's back," Lydia confirmed, her voice filled with triumph and relief as the long, constant bleep of the heart rate monitor was replaced by intermittent bleeping, indicating a heartbeat. She took her hands of the patient’s chest where, only moments ago, they’d been rhythmically pressing down on it in an attempt to restart her heart. The muscles in her arms immediately relaxed as they fell back to her sides and her laboured breathing from the exertion of keeping someone alive evened out.

The girl lying out on the bed was just nine years old, the age Lydia’s brother had been when he’d died, she thought bitterly. Her long, blonde hair fanned out around her heart shaped face and wires wound their way under the sheets to various places where they disappeared under her pale skin. Machines sounded around her as they monitored everything from the child’s heart rate to the oxygen level in her blood. Messy, quickly dressed bandaged criss-crossed her chest and her tiny wrist was bent at an angle, in serious need of a cast. The girl had been in a serious car crash with her child-minder. The adult had died upon impact but the little girl was saved by being in the backseat of the car. She’d been rushed into the ER where Lydia and her team had been working tirelessly on her for the last ten minutes, until, thirty seconds ago, the girl had crashed. But they’d managed to stabilise her, meaning Lydia was fairly confident about her chances of survival. Now she needed to be taken up to the ICU for more tests to make certain she wouldn’t need surgery. But, as Lydia was about to issue the order, she felt a hand on her arm.

“Dr Arden,” Lydia turned at the sound of her name, being met by the face of her boss, Dr Jacobs, “Your shift ended twenty minutes ago. What are you still doing here?”

“I just had some things to finish off… I’ve just got to get this girl up to-“ she was cut off.

“I’ll make sure the girl makes it up to ICU safely. You go home,” Dr Jacobs told her.

Lydia glanced at her watch, aware she was meant to be at the Genovese’s Gala in just forty minutes, a prospect which was looking fairly unlikely at the moment.

“It’s fine, really,” Lydia reassured, but once more she was cut off, “I just have a few more things to-“

“Go,” Dr Jacobs told her firmly. “Hospital policy says you should’ve been off this site twenty minutes ago.” Lydia liked Dr Jacobs. They had an understanding between the two of them. She would be able to continue flitting off when she was required by the Genovese family, and he would turn a blind eye, as long as she continued to work hard and continue saving lives under his leadership.

Lydia finally nodded. “But the patient needs ten milligrams Actilyse and fifteen milligrams of-“

“-propafenone, I know,” Dr Jacobs finished for her.

Lydia flashed him a grateful smile, before leaving the girl in his capable hands and making her way along the corridor to the office she shared with others on the same pay grade as her. Here, she hung up her white coat and collected her bag before making her way towards the exit. As she followed the long hospital corridors, Lydia stopped outside room five hundred and twenty-seven before pushing open the door tentatively. Mr Myers was sat up in his bed doing something with his phone.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, her voice a little lower than if she were talking to an ordinary patient. Because, in actual fact, Mr Myers was a man sent by the Genovese’s, requesting he was hidden within the system. He had a bullet to his abdomen that, although serious at first, he was recovering from well now. She had a feeling it was from a drugs trafficking operation gone wrong, but she didn’t know for certain. That was the whole point of her job. She didn’t ask questions, she just did as she was told and saved lives.

She exchanged a few words with Mr Myers before checking his stats and leaving the room. Finally, at half past seven she had left the hospital. The drive home wasn’t far, but with the current New York traffic she found herself stationary more than actually moving. Lydia was always late, to everything. It was a terrible habit of hers that she wished she could do something about, but never seemed to be able to overcome, no matter how hard she tried. Eventually, she reached her house.

Quickly, Lydia showered and blow-dried her hair out before styling it neatly into a low bun, slightly to the left of her head. She chose out a blue dress that she’d bought for the event last week and slipped into the tight, shiny blue material that clung to her curvy figure. Though they could barely be seen under the length of the dress, her heels were a dark coral pink, to match the jewels set into her large earrings. She reapplied all her makeup naturally, and once certain it was good enough, she left.

The journey to the Genovese’s wasn’t much quicker than the journey from the hospital to home, but she wasn’t too late, thankfully. That was one of the good things Lydia found about living in New York, at least it was fashionable to be late here.

“Name, please?” one of the bouncers enquired as she reached the door of the Genovese’s mansion.

“Dr Lydia Arden,” Lydia told them, unfazed by the security. She knew how worried Victoria had become recently about protecting her family, especially her children. This was only to be expected.

The bouncer stepped to the side to let her in. “Have a nice evening, Dr Arden,” he said politely.

“Thank you,” Lydia smiled, entering the house.

She attended plenty of Victoria’s parties, and so, was familiar with the faces that usually frequented them. Mostly it was socialites and the influential rich. But, despite how much Lydia saw of these people, she never felt entirely comfortable in their presence. She was aware they looked down on her, mainly because she actually worked for a living, and of course, because she wasn’t on the arm of a wealthy husband.

As she entered the large room where the main party had begun, Lydia spotted Dylan and Charlee standing together. Charlee had said something to him, and Lydia flashed them both a friendly smile. She was particularly fond of the Genovese children. She’d been present at each of their births and throughout their childhoods. Every time they’d got sick, she’d been there to prescribe them antibiotics, if required, or just to promise them they’d feel better soon. She’d even performed Charlee’s abortion for her, a memory of the children Lydia didn’t hold with quite so much affection. In a way, her familiarity with the children helped her with the fact that she didn’t, and now probably never would, have any children of her own.

Across the room, Lydia saw Victoria, stood talking to… Lydia looked again, not quite believing what she saw. Sienna Rose? She hadn’t been around for… Years. Crossing the room, Lydia went to let Victoria know she’d arrived.

“Victoria,” she greeted her with a smile, kissing her on the cheek, the familiarity of the friendship easily evident. Then, Lydia looked at Sienna. “I apologise for interrupting,” she told her, her apology genuine. “Sienna,” she greeted the other woman with a less familiar smile. They’d never been close, but she was one of the few others who had been around the family as long as Lydia had, and she was still pleased to see her, if a little surprised.