'Cause I'm broken, when I'm lonesome

He often wondered if this is where he should have ended up. He was one of the most brilliant minds in his graduating class, graduating Valedictorian, and having offers from any hospital he could have wanted in Scotland, and many in the United States. He could have been a prestigious doctor, dealing with rich women who ate too much, and whose children were hypchondriacs. He could have gone anywhere, done anything, and been anyone. Why then, as his mother often asked, was he a young Doctor in a poor hospital in Brooklyn? He didn't have the best equipment, and all of the doctors here were second rate, though only in education and not in passion or drive. He'd taken the least paying option, and everyone in his family had been confused.

Everyone, that is, save for three people. The three who knew him the best, as it were.

Ainsley understood the most, he supposed. Like him, she'd chosen a career that many considered beneath her. Ainsley was smarter than he was, and she could be doing anything her little mind aspired to. Instead, his baby sister was a cop, walking the beat. She knew why he was here, because it was the same reason that she was there. They wanted to help people, they wanted to save people, and feel as though they were doing something tangibly good in their lives. Yes, Ainsley certainly understood his motives here, where he was needed more than anywhere else.

Two of his uncles understood him, too. Daniel, his father's brother, had understood inasmuch as going where he wanted, and not caring what others thought. Shayn, his mother's brother, understood him better. It was doing what you felt you needed to be doing, despite the scorn around you. Admittedly, it was going easier for Jacob Stewart than it had for Shayn Munroe. Jake's family still loved and encouraged him, even though they were utterly baffled by what was going on with their youngest son. Nevertheless, Jake knew that these three people supported him the most and he leaned heavily on that.

Today was one of those days that he wondered if he was really doing any good. He'd already lost one kid to a drive by shooting, wrestled an angry man to the floor to keep him from attacking a man in a rival gang, and been told by one irate old grandmother that she wasn't letting some foreigner touch her. Though Jake had tried to explain that he was born right here in New York, his Father's accent combined with eight years living in Scotland had added a touch of the accent to his voice. He felt lost today, and he was relying on dinner tonight with Ainsley, to put it all back into perspective for him. His baby sister was good at that. Izzy might be the fire in the family, and Chris the only one who could handle the fire, Jake might have been the most responsible, but Ainsley was their anchor, and all of the siblings turned to her when their life was in an upheaval.

Tucking one hand into the pocket of his white coat, and draping his stethoscope around his neck, Jake pushed past the door that led to the ER, picking up a chart to observe the people around him. It was always difficult, to assess someone's injuries, and to know who should be treated first. Triage wasn't a fun place to work, and the death and gruesome pain that Jake had witnessed here matured him rapidly. He was about to call the next patient, when an Ambulence pulled through. Knowing that it would be his priority, Jake walked over.
"Doc, we got a Cop here. Shot in a gang incident, we've got 'er stabilized for the moment, but that bullet's still lodged in her chest, and if it moves, we're gonna lose her."

Cool brown eyes assesed the chest wound, prodding at the skin, hearing the woman moan. Her shirt was already gone, cut off in the Paramedic's attempt to stabilize her, though they'd covered her with another shirt for modesty's sake. Pity welled within him at the sight of her, and he turned to her face, brushing back her hair comfortingly. And that was when he saw the young face, the rich brown eyes filled with so much pain and terror that they were insensible. Jake felt as though his heart were being ripped from his chest, and he choked back a sob. He wanted to hold her close and weep, but he knew that he couldn't help her. Not unless he calmed down. This was a serious injury, and he was the best doctor in the building, youth and relation to the patient or not.

"Wheel her into the Prep room, page Nancy, we've gotta prep her for surgery." The paramedics paused, glancing from Jake to the head nurse. The nurse shook her head, and touched Jake's arm.
"But Jake, that's your-"
"I said, page Nancy. We're prepping for surgery."
"Doctor, that is your sister, and you can't-"
"All the more reason to keep her alive, don't you think?"
The people hesitated, and Jake crossed his arms, feeling one of the infamous glares coming on, the ones that he'd inherited from his father.
"Move."

Everyone reacted after that, and soon Jake found himself standing over his beloved little sister, operating on her to save her life. It was a moment that he had hoped he would never have to face, but here it was, and Jake would do his best to see it through for the better. As soon as his sister was finished, he got her through post-op and to her room. The family wasn't allowed in yet, though he knew that his mother and father would be sitting in the waiting room. He hadn't spoken to them, instead having sent out another doctor to share with them the news, and the name of the operating doctor. They'd been grateful that he was here to take care of his sister. Jake disagreed. Had he really been there to watch for her, she wouldn't have been in this situation.

He'd never tell her that, though. He could hear her response clearly in his head.
"You were there when it mattered, Jake. That's all that matters- you were here when I needed you most."
It made sense, and Jake stroked his sister's head, regretting that he couldn't actually hear her voice telling him these things, and regretted that they would have to put off the dinner that they were to share. A meal in a hospital room didn't count. And, odd as it was, this had made his day better. After all of the doubts and irritation of the day, his sister was alive, and she'd reminded him of why he did this.

Jake had to invent some good, or he knew that he would break down and cry.