Page 38 of Love Medley (Med Wreck Romance #1)

Chapter twenty-eight

Lucy

T he next morning when I wake up, Jake is already gone, but he’s left a sweet note by the bed telling me to take my time. I’ll be seeing him later in the ER when my shift starts.

I lie there for a moment, reliving yesterday moment by moment.

It's so cheesy, but the way I feel right now…the best analogy I can come up with is that spot in a Disney movie when something alters the character’s perspective—making them realize there’s another way to see the world.

Maybe a certain Aladdin song is ringing in my ears.

I think part of me believed that after Weston—I wasn’t worth knowing. I escaped physically, but my mind was still imprisoned in the same jail. I worried that I couldn't be put back together again.

But yesterday with Jake… it was more than just a date, more than just sex. It was a transformation of everything I knew.

Not only that, but a reassembling of me . Into something whole.

Maybe in my new state, I’m becoming something even better. Stronger.

Slowly and reluctantly, wishing I could just bask in the heady haze of last night, I drag myself out of Jake’s comfortable bed.

As I pad to the kitchen in search of his coffee maker, I scan my phone for new emails. My heart pounds faster when I see there’s already a response from Dr. Simons.

Lucy,

It was great having you in the ER. I think our program would be a great fit for you, so I hope you are thinking of applying here. Have you decided on ER as your specialty?

Regarding your question about current studies in our ER, we don’t have a study specifically for physical abuse screening in the ER.

That said, such a screen is needed, and I believe it would be a wonderful project to get off the ground.

Would you be interested in spearheading the project with me as your advisor?

You don’t have to decide right away, but I think this could be a very important contribution to an area that’s currently lacking in data .

Send me your availability over the next few weeks, and we can set up a meeting!

Best,

Jean

Jake was right about there not being a current study on physical abuse screening. And in fact, I don’t even have to ask Dr. Simons. She wants me to do this project. Am I up for the challenge?

Could something in my life finally be falling into place?

Maybe without Jake’s encouragement, I’d be more scared by the possibility. But his calm, unwavering confidence in me has settled me in a way I haven’t felt before.

With a determination that feels new and right all at once, I swipe through my phone, initiating a search on PubMed, which is one of the best sites to search for data-driven research.

The first thing I need to do is to see if there are any pre-existing screens for abuse that we can implement easily in our own ER.

Scanning study after study, I’m flummoxed to discover that the most current review paper confirms that there isn’t a validated way to screen for abuse in the ER. That just boggles my mind.

I no longer need the jolt of caffeine to wake me up—I’m already energized.

This is a gap in medical care that needs to be addressed.

I’ve never had a passion project or a cause that I’ve felt strongly about.

But this has become personal for me. No one—not women, men, or children—should fall through the cracks merely because there is nothing in place .

Hang on. Children. While there aren’t any studies on adult populations, there might be some on children. Maybe there’s an already established screen for abused children in pediatric hospitals? I quickly perform a new search; the list of available studies in pediatric ERs is definitely more robust.

Clicking on one article from 2022, I uncover a validated checklist that screens for child abuse.

I scan through the items: incompatibility of the history and injury, unnecessary delay in seeking treatment, inappropriate patient behavior, and other signals that are concerning for the patient’s safety.

This list is much better than what we’re doing now, which amounts to relying on the patient telling us they aren’t safe.

With these criteria from the physician’s side, we could identify more people and give them resources.

This is something I can propose to Dr. Simons.

Am I ready to take the next step?

Maybe I’m not. But this time, I'm not going to wait for it to happen—I'm going to make it happen.

I quickly type out an email with my availability.

That done, an unexpected satisfaction fills me. For so long I’ve been hesitant to make my own decisions. But maybe I can trust my own instincts? This project seems like destiny, and all I have to do is grasp it with both hands.

Jake makes me think my ideas are worth pursuing. He’d only be proud of my accomplishments: my test grades, my upwards career trajectory, my upcoming research study.

Who knows what I can accomplish with Jake by my side?

So much for the pact I made with my friends .

Sorry, Zoe.

It’s so fast, but I know my research project isn’t the only thing I’m actively reaching for.