A Street Doctor's Virgin: Standalone

1. Saige

1

Saige

2 4-year-old Saige stepped into the gym and the cool air embraced her. She was glad for that because even though it was early morning, it was still humid outside. It was mid-August in Virginia, and the weather hadn’t quite broken yet. Therefore, it still felt like early summer so cold air was much appreciated. As she sipped her water, she headed straight for the cardio room to get her 5 A.M. workout in like she did every day.

Typically, when she worked out, there were very few people in the gym being that it was so early. She was surprised when she hit the cardio room and saw a beautiful, bronze god running on the treadmill at top speed. The shorts and sleeveless tank top he wore proudly showcased his physique which damn near had her drooling. His arms were extremely defined and heavily tatted, and his legs were just as muscular. Her presence didn’t cause him to break his stride. He acknowledged her with a head nod but continued running.

Trying not to stare too hard, Saige popped her Airpods in and climbed up the stairmaster. After she found the playlist she wanted, she wrapped her small, knotless braids into a bun atop her head. She set the machine to level five and started her workout. Fifteen minutes later, the man was still running and barely seemed out of breath. Secretly scoffing at him, she stepped off the stairmaster and onto the treadmill two machines down from the man.

Just as she cued her machine up to start running fast like the man, he stopped and got off the treadmill. Saige observed as he wiped the sweat that dripped down his face and imagined licking it off for him. That was just how good he looked to her. She was lowkey annoyed the man wasn’t paying her any attention, so she focused on her run instead. He quietly left the room and left Saige to fantasize on what it’d be like to be with a man like him. Only a few minutes into the run, her music was interrupted by a Facetime call from her 17-year-old sister, Moon.

“Wassup, Moon?” she slowed her run to a brisk walk in an attempt to catch her breath.

“Ramel is in the hospital,” Moon informed her big sister calmly.

Saige’s brisk walk came to a complete stop. Ramel was their 7-year-old little brother, and he was Saige’s entire world. Everything she did revolved around Ramel.

“What happened?”

“He had a seizure in his sleep and his tongue was blocking his airway. We’re not sure how long he’d been seizing, but luckily Hailey caught him before…” her sentence drifted off then she sighed. “He’s getting a scan of his brain right now.”

“What hospital are y’all at?”

“CHKD.”

“I’m on my way,” she ended the call and grabbed her phone.

Shoving her phone in her pocket, she dashed right back out of the gym. The only thing on her mind was getting to Ramel and making sure that he was going to be okay. Ramel had been born with epilepsy, but it had been well controlled since he was a small child. He had only had a handful of seizures that they knew of in his entire seven years on Earth. Ramel having a seizure in his sleep wasn’t even a thought that had occurred to her at all. She had just seen him the night before when she went to go visit her father, and he seemed to be in high spirits. He was his normal, goofy, bubbly self.

Twenty minutes later, she was parking at the Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughter and hopping out of her pearl white Lexus 500h. Walking inside of the building brought back a flood of memories for her. When Saige was just five years old, she was diagnosed with cancer that kept her in and out of the hospital until she was almost eight. It was the longest battle of her life, but with God, some of the best doctors and her parents by her side, she pulled through. The irony wasn’t lost on her that all these years later, she spent more time in the children’s hospital because of Ramel.

“Saige,” her father, Winston, greeted her with a hug when she located them.

“Why didn’t you call me?” She looked up at him.

He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. “I knew that Moon would. It’s just been so much going on, and I was trying to keep Hailey calm.”

Saige rolled her eyes at just the mention of her father’s wife’s name. She couldn’t stand that lady and the feelings were clearly mutual. Hailey tried to get along with Saige and Moon, but the sisters felt like Hailey just wasn’t a good fit for their father. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was white and everything to do with the fact that she tried too hard to be black. The constant ‘ghetto’ act that Hailey put on was annoying to say the least.

When Saige found out that Hailey hadn’t grown up in any hoods and actually came from a very affluent family, that’s when the issues started with them. Moon just never liked Hailey to begin with so there were always problems between the two of them.

“Mmhmm. How is he?”

“We’re still waiting to hear back about the results from his brain scan,” Winston sighed, praying for a miracle at that point.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Moon rushed into her big sister’s arms and hugged her tight.

Saige kissed the top of her head. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“Family of Ramel Persaud?” A good looking, younger black male doctor called out, looking around the waiting area.

“That’s us,” Saige stepped forward with Winston, Hailey, and Moon right beside her.

“Yeah, I’m his mom,” Hailey stepped in front of Saige. “Please tell me my lil’ man is gon’ be straight.”

Saige glared at her father who gave her a look that told her to be cool. It seemed like Hailey was always trying to find some way to piss her off. She reminded herself that they were there for Ramel and not each other.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Ascot,” he extended his hand towards Hailey, and she shook it. “Ramel’s brain scans weren’t as great as I was hoping. According to his chart, he was born epileptic?”

“Yes,” Hailey nodded her head.

“Wait, what do you mean not as great as you were hoping?” Saige spoke up, her heart beating faster with every second that passed. “He’s going to be okay, right?”

“I believe so, yes. But if he was born epileptic and he’s been taking his antiseizure meds, there’s no reason he should still be having seizures. The fact that he is, paired with his brain scans, tells me that the meds are no longer working or probably haven’t ever worked. I have a colleague I want to bring in on this that specializes in neuro disorders in children. He’ll be able to give a deeper insight on what Ramel’s options are moving forward,” he looked at his watch then up at them. “He’ll be on shift within the hour. Once I bring him up to speed with Ramel’s case, I’d love to bring him in to chat with you all, if that’s okay?”

Winston nodded his head. “Whatever you think is best. Can we visit with Melly in the meantime?”

“Of course. Follow me.”

Moon grabbed Saige’s hand as they followed behind Dr. Ascot. Truthfully, Saige was terrified of what the outcome may be for Ramel. She didn’t like hearing that anything was wrong with either of her siblings but especially not the little boy that had stolen her heart. Dr. Ascot assured them that he’d be back with his colleague before walking away.

“Saige!” Melly’s eyes lit up with excitement when they all walked into his room.

She rushed over to his bed and hugged him. “Hey little boy! How are you feeling?”

“I feel really tired. Dr. Ascot said I’m going to need to rest.”

Winston kissed Ramel’s forehead. “You do need to get your rest.”

“We’ll all be right here waiting for you to wake up,” Hailey confirmed, kissing his forehead next.

“Yeah, little buddy,” Moon silently moved Hailey out of the way. She ran her fingers through his curls. “Get some sleep. We love you.”

He yawned and stretched. “I love you guys too.”

They all stayed in the room until Ramel dozed off. Saige texted her supervisor, Veronica, to let her know she had a family emergency and wouldn’t be able to make it in for the day. Veronica was always cool and understanding, so she knew it wasn’t going to be a problem.

“I need the two of you to remember that we are Ramel’s parents, not you,” Hailey spoke through clenched teeth, waving her hand between her and Winston.

Saige rolled her eyes. “Girl, please don’t start. This ain’t the time, the place, nor the day.”

“Winston, get a handle on your daughters, I’ve told you once before!” She folded her arms across her chest and gave him the nastiest glare.

Winston opened his mouth to try and diffuse the situation before it got ugly. One thing he knew about his daughters, they’d pop off with no problem with whomever. He also knew that Moon was extremely protective of Saige, so if anyone fucked with her then they had to answer to Moon in the process. The last thing he wanted was to be kicked out of the hospital because the women in his life couldn’t get along.

There were a few taps at the door. “Persaud family?”

Saige’s mouth almost dropped to the floor when the hottie from the gym earlier stepped in wearing a white coat. He looked completely different in his dress clothes but still just as handsome. The shirt and slacks fit his physique perfectly like they were handmade just for him. His cologne radiated through the room, but it wasn’t overly intoxicating. Once again, he had Saige’s full attention.

“That’s us,” Winston said, thankful for the interruption.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Burrus,” he extended his hand to everyone in the room.

Saige became slightly annoyed that he acted as if he hadn’t just seen her not even two hours ago. Pushing her own feelings to the side, she listened up as he started to explain the treatment for Ramel.

“I have no doubt that if I were to perform either surgery on Ramel, the likelihood of him having another seizure would decrease dramatically. I’ve—”

Saige waved her hands when she realized what he was saying. “ Surgery? Why does he need to have surgery? No other doctor has ever said that.”

Dr. Burrus looked at her. “Whatever the other doctors were doing clearly wasn’t effective either. When a patient Ramel’s age isn’t responding to the medication they are placed on, it’s a clear sign that he will continue to have seizures which can cause more damage in the long run,” he peeled his eyes away from Saige and looked at Winston. “There are two options on the table surgery wise. The first is brain surgery where I go in and remove the part of the brain that is causing the seizure. The second is placing a device in his left chest cavity that will also connect to a nerve in his neck. The device will stimulate that nerve on a set schedule to decrease his chances of having a seizure. Both surgeries have been extremely successful, and I’ve performed both with no problem.”

“Brain surgery?” Moon’s eyes swelled with fear.

“I know it sounds scary, and it can be a bit overwhelming, I won’t lie. The recovery time is hell, but the good part is that Ramel is young. Kids always bounce back from surgeries extremely easily. Both surgeries have their risks, and they both have their benefits. I am only the surgeon, so I can’t make a decision for you.”

“If this was your child, what would you do?” Hailey questioned with her hand on her chest.

He shrugged slowly. “Again, I can’t sway you one way or the other. This is major surgery we’re talking about, and I want you all to make the best decision for your family and for Ramel. All I can do is give you all the information and all the facts to ensure you’re making the most informed decision.”

“W-when do we have to let you know an answer?” Hailey continued with her questions.

“Sooner than later is best. Because of the slight brain damage Ramel has already suffered, I don’t want too much time to pass.”

“Brain damage?” Winston raised an eyebrow, rubbing his fingertips across his forehead. “No one said anything about brain damage.”

“I’m sorry, I thought Dr. Ascot explained that to you. Based on his images, he has suffered some brain damage due to the seizures. It’s possible he’s been having them and not telling you because he doesn’t remember, or he doesn’t even know he’s having them in the first place. The damage is in the temporal lobe which controls our emotions, how we process information, our memory. It’s nothing to be too alarmed about as of yet, but just something to keep in mind. If we don’t do either surgery, the damage will continue without question.”

Saige stared at Dr. Burrus’s fine ass and was extremely impressed by how educated he sounded. To be a doctor, he had to be educated, but to be as handsome as he was, and so damn smart had her intrigued. The confidence he exuded as well as the care he seemed to have when it came to Ramel had her feeling an attraction. She shouldn’t have been because of the situation they were facing, but she’d be lying to herself if she said she didn’t want to get to know him.

“Thank you, Dr. Burrus. Can I talk to you outside for a second?” Winston nodded his head at the door.

Dr. Burrus nodded and stepped out the door with him. Saige locked eyes with Moon before pulling her into a hug. She needed to console her baby sister because Hailey damn sure wasn’t about to do it. It seemed like they had another battle to get through, but she was confident that they’d all get through it together.