Clash Of Cultures

42. Unspoken Words - Part 1

Salman

'Sam, what do you want?' I texted back, after seeing the two missed calls from her. I had not really spoken to her since she had stormed out of the Spring Ball a few weeks ago. I knew I should have reached out earlier and tried to amend our friendship, but with all my cardiology patients getting critically ill simultaneously, this was not the time for it.

'Sal, I am done wanting anything from you! It's about Noor. She is in the ER, I thought you might appreciate knowing that', my phone buzzed with Sam's text.

What?

I called her back immediately.

"What do you mean she is in the ER? What happened?", I asked as I rushed towards the elevator that went straight to the ER.

Sam filled me in on how the parent of one of their patient had initially berated Noor and then thrown hot water at her during an argument. Sam had taken her to the ER, with what sounded like 2nd degree burns on her hand and 1st degree burn on her arm.

"Sam are you kidding me? Why would you send her in there if you knew this woman was so racist?"

"I thought she would be fine. And I was busy with something else", she defended herself.

"You're unbelievable", I was seething with anger at Sam and the attending.

There are protocols in place for handling parents when they are so aggressive, and it sounded like not only did no one follow those protocols, but they completely threw Noor under the bus by sending her in to the room without any security personnel present.

"I already told Noor I was sorry! But I'll say it to you too. I am sorry I didn't take better care of the intern you're in love with but who is marrying someone else", Sam said sarcastically

I did not need to be reminded of that.

"Sorry...that was low", Sam followed up quickly after that.

"Yes. It was. I have to go", I was already on the elevator and had no interest in what Sam thought about me. All I could think of was what Noor would be going through, both physically and emotionally.

"For what its worth Sal, she is not as bad as I thought she would be. And I was rooting for you. Sorry, it didn't work out!"

"Yeah, me too!", I sighed and hung up.

I slowed down as I approached her room in the ER, and remembered the resolution I had made to never be near her again.

She wasn't mine, she never would be. She probably doesn't even want me here.

As I stood outside her room I could see her through the glass doors that were only partially covered by the curtain. She was sitting alone on the bed and looking down at her phone with a somber expression on her face. Her left arm and hand were covered with bandages. But I knew her well enough to know that the misery on her face wasn't just because of physical pain. I could only imagine how distressed and betrayed she must be feeling because of how the parent and her team had treated her.

Being near her would probably bring back that crushing pain in my chest, but I couldn't leave her. Not after all the times she had been there for me. I promised myself that I would just say hello, make sure she was ok and then leave. She was on the phone and had probably already called her family, so it would not be long before they showed up.

I stepped in to the room as she looked up at me. Her eyes had the same sadness I had seen when she was standing outside Mustafa's room on the day he was taken off the ventilator. But there was something about the way her lips parted and she held my gaze that was different. Something was going on with her that I could not quite grasp.