Mourning Has Broken 

Part Four 

Rated PG-15 
By Annie 

Please see note and disclaimer in Part One before reading further!



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"Charlotte! Charlotte, are you okay?" 

Terri's non-hospital-situation first aid training kicked in as she saw Dr Beaumont sink to the floor from the corner of her eye. Forgetting about the clothes she was about to dress in, Nurse Sullivan checked for immediate danger, and finding her assessment to be clear, she quickly but carefully brushed aside the pieces of the shattered mug. Having done the first step in administering first aid, Terri knelt beside the still doctor, placing her hands gently on the blonde woman's shoulders and shook her gently, hoping for a response as she spoke again. 

"Charlotte, are you okay? Can you hear me?" 

Moving one of her hands to Charlotte's left hand, Terri tried a different tactic. 

"Dr Beaumont," she began, checking to see whether the use of professional title would help to elicit a response, "can you try to squeeze my hand please?" 

Nothing. 

Carefully adjusting Charlotte's slumped form so that she lay flat on her back, Sullivan loosened the doctor's clothing, then leaned over and put her cheek close to Dr Beaumont's mouth, wanting to feel air being expelled from Charlotte's mouth as she watched for the rise and fall of Charlotte's chest. 

Well, Beaumont was breathing on her own - that was something good. Terri decided to check Charlotte's airway anyway, just to make sure nothing would block air from getting in and out of the woman's lungs, so she gently and carefully rolled the doctor onto her side. Wanting Charlotte to be comfortable, the NUM positioned the doctor so that one leg was more or less straight, and the other was naturally bent at the knee, and the same for Beaumont's arms followed - one fairly straight and the other bent naturally at the elbow. 

Gently, Terri tilted her colleague's head back and opened her mouth, Beaumont's cheek resting on the floor. She carefully put two fingers between Charlotte's lips, and made a sweep, revealing nothing that should not be there. 

Nurse Sullivan sighed, relieved that the doctor didn't have anything obstructing her breathing. As she gently put Beaumont's head in a more comfortable position, Terri evaluated her performance of first aid. There had been so many times in the past where her techniques should have been better, but this time, she noted, she had done everything right. Nothing could have been done better. 

Sullivan checked Charlotte's pulse and kept a careful eye on her breathing, making triply sure that the blonde woman needed no further immediate medical attention. Finding that Beaumont's blood was being supplied throughout her body normally, Terri relaxed a little, but still kept an eye on the breathing anyway, just in case. Having cast a long, worried look at Charlotte, the NUM realized that her own body was shivering, either from shock or from feeling cold now that the immediate crisis was over, or perhaps a bit of both. 

It took her a moment to remember that she was still naked. 

Quickly, Terri dressed in the blue sweat suit that Charlotte had given her, never taking her eyes off the rise and fall of her friend's chest. She didn't want to be caught unaware if the situation went from bad to worse. 

Just as Sullivan finished dressing, a low, soft moan emanated from Charlotte's throat, and hearing it, Terri rushed to the doctor's side. 

"Charlotte! Are you all right?" 

Terri couldn't keep her worry out of her voice. 

"Yeah." 

Charlotte opened her eyes and found Sullivan hovering over her, the NUM's concerned blue eyes and worried frown filling her entire field of vision. She began to sit up. 

"Hey... take it easy. Just lay down again for me and rest a minute, okay? I'll be right back." 

Terri was gone before Charlotte could protest.