2. Chapter 2 My Best Friends Sister Is A Pain In Both Our Necks.
Chapter 2: My Best Friend's Sister Is A Pain In Both Our Necks.
Killian
(The club night)
I'm not a fan of nightclubs. With my busy schedule as a doctor, I don't see the need to waste time at a club.
So how was I there?
I noticed her by pure coincidence.
Madison and I aren't really on the best of terms. Just like her brother, I see her as a spoiled brat who doesn't know how to stay out of trouble.
Her gown was beautiful, a tad bit short, but I ignored it because it revealed her features properly.
But it was almost 11 p.m., and knowing Nathan, he wouldn't let her leave the house that late.
I was worried that something might have happened and decided to follow her.
She didn't even notice me come in. Well, judging by how loud the club was, I didn't expect her to.
As she ordered her drink, I thought I was worried about nothing and was even about to leave when I noticed a strange man watching her.
She's a beautiful girl; of course, people would have their eyes on her. But this man was obviously up to no good.
When I noticed how uncomfortable she was, I stepped in. And what did I get?
Not a single thank you.
Nathan was awake when we got home, and he didn't even say anything to his sister. It was like he had given up on her already.
I sigh as I recall last night's event.
"Why can't she just be more careful?" I sigh as I look at the stack of documents I need to go through; I feel exhausted just by looking at them.
A part of me misses the club. It may have been noisy and all that, but it still beats the eerie atmosphere of my hospital.
No matter how I've tried to make this place more lively, it doesn't work.
The atmosphere is heavy with thoughts of losing loved ones or patients.
Can you really blame them?
With about a hundred and fifty thousand deaths occurring daily and most of these deaths happening at hospitals, it would be hard to keep people's spirits up.
The nurses rush across the hallways to get an extra syringe; they don't realize they need it until it is already too late. The doctors fear giving the wrong diagnosis or not being able to find a solution for a difficult case.
Then, in my case, the heaviness I'd feel when I would have to shoulder the responsibility of telling a family member of a patient that their father, mother, or sibling couldn't make it and died…
Enduring the weeping and wailing as I try to remain strong for them and my sanity, or having to endure the looks of disdain on their faces when I have to say, "There is nothing we can do anymore…"
Sometimes, I wonder if people just assume that doctors are just Gods with the ability to make any life stay or go.
There are few moments when this place seems lively, like when someone delivers or we have a successful surgery.
So, how long do I have to wait for something good to happen?
I remember Madison's look of fear as that strange man held her.
There was a little twinge of happiness I felt as I saved her.
I guess, as a doctor, saving lives in whatever form is all that matters.
Enough of the thinking. It's 8 a.m., and I already know that an emergency is bound to make its way here.
No sooner than I can properly think about it, my door flings wide open.
"Sir! We have a patient in the ER who suffers from internal bleeding around the cervix and needs dialysis while at it," Dr. Stacy Stuart, a new medical resident, informs me before sprinting back out.
She has probably been sent here by Dr. Claude Ramone, the most experienced doctor in the building, even though he vehemently argues that I have a brain that trumps his experience.
"Good morning to you too, Dr. Stuart," I groan, but she doesn't respond as she's already meters away from me, making her way toward the ER.
I begin making the sprint as well to join her.
I arrive at a girl in need of serious help. It appears that nothing is wrong with her except for the fact that she's unconscious, but by the swelling of her legs, my head immediately goes into an alarm.
Dr. Ramone is already hooking up the dialysis machine to the various parts of her body that need the wires.
"I'm going to need two shots of Enoxaparin for this one. Blood is already thick due to loss of fluid, and we still need to funnel the blood leak in the cervix," he says to me as he twines the tube to set it into a syringe. He must have seen me through his peripheral vision.
It seems like I'm the only one with proper manners in this hospital. "A fine morning to you, too, Dr. Ramone. How many milligrams of the anti-coagulant do you need?"
"The first one would be fifty; the second would be thirty-five, but a little later, just as the blood begins passing through," he explains without giving my greeting a second thought. Of course, I don't mind.
Dr. Stuart gives me a side glance as I pass her the prepared syringe, probably trying to sense the hurt in my voice, but there's genuinely nothing. I get how tense situations like this can be and even relate directly to the tension myself. I just use my light sense of humor and sarcasm as a coping mechanism to dissipate as much of the grim uneasiness as possible.
"We'll need to cut her open and inspect that artery. It would be messy dealing with internal bleeding when the fresh blood is already flowing," I suggest, and Dr. Ramone gives me a pointed look.
"Well, why do you think you're here? Think you can do it in ten minutes; that's when the entire dialysis process should be set up. Plus, I'm adding the Enoxaparin right now, so you're racing against the clock with blood flowing rapidly."
Of course, Dr. Stuart couldn't have known how to quell internal bleeding yet, which is why I've been summoned. Two extremely important activities that needed to be carried out at once, but by experienced professionals. I rush into action immediately, hoping I can stop the bleeding before Dr. Ramone's compound begins working.
"Quick, Dr. Stuart, get to the blood bank and bring me frozen plasma, O positive. Ask a nurse to get me a fresh supply of vitamin K and a syringe. Tell me you can get it done in three minutes," I instruct her.
She gives me a doubtful look, knowing it's impossible within that time frame, but she nods and sprints out before I can give her a pat on the back. If she could make it within that time, though, I might not need to make any incisions.
Five hours and three close calls of complete organ failure later, I collapse on my office chair, fatigued as hell and probably in need of a heart transplant myself from how tired I am, but with so much relief that we were able to save the patient Daliah.
It was a rougher five hours for her than it was for us.
She'll live to fight another day. Definitely.
There's a knock on the door, and it opens; Nathan peeks in and waves at me, "May I come in?"
"Please do," I reply. "You're actually the breath of fresh air I need right now."
"I'm touched," he says as he holds both his cheeks, faking a blush.
He collapses onto the gray couch further away from my desk, much closer to the door. I usually have that to keep certain clients comfortable if they visit during my break hours or if they have something else to discuss that won't require my medical expertise. But on some nights, it becomes my bed.
He's exhausted.
As a fellow medical practitioner, I can tell he has his own problems to deal with and how much they can weigh on him.
"Thank you," he says.
"For what?" I raise my brow.
"For watching over Madison," he answers. "I was exhausted from yesterday's activities at the pharmacy and other matters. I slept off and didn't even know she left the house," he says before yawning.
It's 1 p.m. in the afternoon, and he's already bushed. He has medical exams to prepare for and works a job at the pharmacy in a hospital of a professor we both trained under. He's been working on a project developing samples for a new kind of pain relief drug. There's no way a human can keep up with all this. But there is Nathan.
"Maybe I am being too hard on her," he says.
I didn't tell him what happened at the club. I just made it look like I saw Madison there and brought her back home.
If he had known what had happened, he might have yelled at her. Neither of them definitely needed that.
He had a rough day, and she almost got assaulted.
Still, should I say something?
It does seem pretty bad.
"You're not being hard on her," I reply as I pick up a folder containing his research so far. "In fact, you're being a little lax."
"She's twenty-five, and I keep treating her like a kid," he groans. "It's no wonder she rebels a lot."
"It's because she rebels that you have to treat her like a kid," I insist. "I'd lock her in the house if I were you. She's gotten into too much trouble already."
Not to mention, someone was behaving strangely with her.
"No wonder she doesn't like you," he smirks.
"A badge I would wear with pride," I shrug.
Those who truly care about others are the ones who are willing to scold them when they do wrong.
"I've gone through your research; you're doing magnificently," I compliment him.
"It pales in comparison with what you do," he sighs.
"Don't say that, Nathan. You're an amazing hard worker. You juggle a lot more than I have to," I admit. "I'm not trying to flatter you or anything, but to take this huge step to make the lives of everyone around you better. You're making my job look like child's play."
"You're a good friend, Killian," he finally smiles.
"As are you," I smile as well. "Now, are you getting ready for your one-month business trip starting tomorrow?"
"That's the problem; I am ready, but I feel a little worried about leaving," he replies.
"What? Why?"
"Who's going to take care of Madison?" he replies. "If I'm around and she behaves like this. Then…"
"How would she behave if you weren't here?" I complete his sentence.
I haven't even thought about that.
"There has to be a way. Maybe you should just leave her alone and focus on your work," I advise him. "You've been looking forward to this trip since last year. Imagine canceling your plans because of your younger sister, who still manages to make time for her own work."
"It's easier said, but I can't help worrying about her. She's all I have left after my parents," he says.
As someone who works with families, I'm able to sympathize with him on that.
"There has to be something you can do," I sigh.
We're both quiet. Thinking about a possible way out that would help him chase after his dreams and still keep his sister in check.
His facial features light up as though he's just had a lightbulb moment. But as he looks at me, his expression turns to worry.
"What is it?" I ask.
"I actually have an idea, but you're not going to like it," he replies.
I groan, "Nathan, as medical practitioners, we constantly have moments when we can't do anything but accept methods we won't like. I can handle it; what is it?"
"Can she stay with you?" he asks.
For a moment there, my ears aren't working properly.
"I'm sorry, I may have developed a hearing defect," I say as I clean my left ear with my pinky finger, even though this isn't medically advisable. "Sorry, Nathan, would you mind repeating that?"
"It's just for a month. I need her to stay with someone who'd keep watch over her," he explains. "You'll be good with her."
"Good with her? Both of us can't stand each other's guts!" I remind him.
"Well… it was worth a shot," he says as he looks away. "Maybe I should take her on the trip. Or maybe I should just forget about it and stay behind."
He repeatedly glances over at me while fake sobbing and sighing.
This man is a good emotional blackmailer.
"Fine, but if you stay one more day away, I swear I'll kick her out," I warn.
"I know, I know," he says with a satisfied smile on his face. "Thank you, Killian."
"Don't mention it," I reply. "Now, here comes the hard part. Telling the spoiled princess."
"It's actually not going to be that hard," he says. "I have it covered. She'll bend over in a second."
"Glad to hear that. Don't worry yourself, buddy. Maddie would be in good hands," I assure him.
"Ah, she doesn't like being called Maddie, " he reveals.
A smile creeps up my face when a pun shoots right into my mind.
"If I call her Maddie, you're telling me she'll be 'Mad'? "
Nathan laughs at the joke and shakes his head at my weird sense of humor. One month without me is going to be tough for him, but that's just me bragging.