For As Long As I Can Remember

Chapter 1

The hospital seemed to be always at it's busiest at night. Bloody patients entered the Vield Hospital. Normally this is the time my shift ends but as I grabbed my hand bag from the shelf, ready to go home, nurse Edith ran over to me.

"Dr. Zaire! Dr. Zaire Dr. Zaire!!"
She almost ran into me. "Edith. Slow down. What is it?"
      "We're in need of a doctor. We have a patient and he's bleeding out severely."
"Can't Martha take that?" 
       "She's busy herself with another patient."

I looked at the desperation in her eyes and agreed to take in the patient. I threw my scrubs back on and put on a pair of blue surgical gloves. I followed Edith to the OR (operating room) where there lay a guy in blue bloody shirt and black pants. A woman stood next to him with tearful eyes. As soon as I walked into the room she started asking me questions. "Doctor will he live. Is the wound serious...."
I gestured Edith to take the woman out of the room as I checked the guy's heart rate. It was going down. Fast. Edith later came in and assisted me.

He had been shot on the leg twice and in his chest. So that's three gunshot wounds. "Am I gonna be okay doc?" He lifted his head helplessly at me as I cut his shirt open with scissors. "You're going to be fine☺", I assured him. " Edith, if you'd please?"
She gave him Anesthesia and he immediately became unconscious.
Then she brought me a silver tray with surgical equipments.
As I cut open his chest and tried to locate the bullet, Edith helped treat the wounds on his left leg. She applied a negative - pressure wound device and managed to stop the bleeding. By the time I found the bullet and took it out of his chest l, Edith had long done treating the leg and had wrapped a bandage around it.

I threw the bullet into the petri dish and carefully stitched his chest closed. I looked at Edith and gave her a thumbs up.
It took us about three hours to fully treat him. Edith then attaches drips to his arm to replace the water and blood loss. I took of the gloves and threw them away along with my face mask. I washed my hands with soap then went to check on the woman from earlier.

She was right outside the OR sitting on a bench with her head down.
"Miss", I called for her. She looked up at me and stood up. Her eyes were filled with tears and wonder. 

    "Is he okay?"
"He's alright. I apologize for not formerly informing you of the procedure but, he was losing a lot of blood. There was no time for any other thoughts."
     "No. No problem, I...I understand. But how is he?"
"Like I said, he's fine. Clearly he was shot three times. Here, here", I pointed to my ankle and my shin. " And here", placing my hand on my chest.
She mouthed the words "oh god".
" His leg had no bullets, just severe wounds so we were able to treat that. Luckily for his chest, the bullet did not have contact with his vital organs such as his heart. It was found in between the lungs, right under his heart. So the bullet was successfully retrieved. We gave him some medications that should help with the healing."
    "Thank you so much", she said with appreciation.
" Oh it's no problem at all☺. You may see him if you wish."

She walked into the room and I went to my office, took off my scrubs and filed the operation. I did short paperwork which I then handed in to the front office.

"Take care of him, I'll be back tomorrow", I said as I walked pass Edith. She nodded and I walked out the hospital at 11.45pm. I drove back home.

I didn't even change into pyjamas, I hopped right into bed, ignoring the text messages that made my phone flash.