Hanahaki Disease

Chapter 5

Why do I suddenly feel that I don't know something? Or maybe I am just overthinking something that doesn't even exist?

Yes, maybe that's the thing... or it isn't.

"Say, Cassiel--" I turned to Juno who was scanning the central navigator. He looks serious though. He scratched his right cheek before talking again

"Do you think Sarrina has someone else?" I blink three times and frown at him.

"What the hell are you talking about? She's about to marry you even though you are dumb sometimes." He gave me a piercing look.

"What? I am just telling you the truth," I rolled my eyes. But then, I saw something in his eyes, a sadness that I'd never seen before.

"No, I just... feel that there's someone else," he looked at me, a sad smile creeping on his face.
"But yeah, maybe I am just thinking out of the box. Maybe I am just having cold feet?"

Somewhere in my heart, I feel sad for him. Just thinking of the person that I love loving someone else is tormenting. My mind suddenly imagined this one person with someone else, I don't know but I feel like my stomach is churning again and my heart starts pounding.

"Juno, if you feel that there's something wrong, why don't you ask her? So you can give your heart and mind at peace" He gave me a long sigh and shook his head,

"I am afraid, what if... there is?"

Suddenly, the machine that monitors Mavis' status alarms. "Shit!" I shouted and run to the observing area. I don't have the time to put up the hazmat suit, I pressed the red button to open the glass door and run inside, her oxygen level is dropping

"She's desaturating drastically! Juno, Increase the flow rate!" But when I look at the oxygen meter, it is at the maximum flow rate.

Shit! We need to intubate her in this situation.

"She's on five liters per minute, Cassiel! We cannot go further!" Damn! This is not happening! You're not going to be a casualty, Mavis!

"Get here! We're going to intubate her, there's no choice!" I shouted and stand on the top of the bed, facing the top of Mavis's head, getting off her nasal cannula. While Juno is preparing the intubating set and handed me surgical sterile gloves which I put on. Then I elevate her head in a perfect position that will help me finish this in the blink of an eye. I opened her mouth and using my right index, I push the side of her inside cheek for the visualization of her tongue. While my left hand held the laryngoscope blade and put it inside her mouth. From the right side of her mouth, sweeping the tongue towards the left, then I bring the blade to the mid-line. Pushing the blade upward gently while looking at the small monitor on the top of the equipment, I now see her epiglottis and vocal cords.

"E.T. tube and make sure it has a rigid stylet inside," I said to Juno.

"I know! I'm not dumb, you Genius!" Then he handed me the tube.

I put the E.T. tube inside her mouth, while watching it go through the vocal cords, estimating I am three to four centimeters below the vocal cords then I removed the blade from her mouth. I hold the E.T. tube against her upper teeth, I pulled the rigid stylet inside the tube then Juno tried to inflate the balloon of the tube.

"Check for color change of co2 detector and listen to the bilateral lungs in the axilla and epigastrium," using the stethoscope, Juno checked if I'm on the spot

"Violet. You're in," he said. Then I secured the E.T tube on her mouth then connected it to a ventilator. After a few minutes her vitals become stable... For now.

"What happened to Mavis?!" Sarrina went inside the observation area, looking pale while staring at her best friend.

"She's desaturating drastically, and we have no choice," I told her but tears run down her cheeks. This is devasting to see...

Juno hugged her but Sarrina keeps on staring at Mavis's unconscious body. Suddenly, I feel suffocated by the atmosphere. I went out of the observation area to have some air, seeing Urriel standing in front of me while looking sad.

"To be honest with you, I don't know what is going on with her. Even with the other patients... This is making me insane, Urriel" she grab my body and hugged me so tight. It feels warm and comfortable

"Can we stay like this? I badly need this," I told her but she slaps my arm

"We have a lot more things to do, we have to save more lives, and Mavis too" I closed my eyes and gave her a long sigh.

Hours had passed, and Mavis is still unconscious but stable. That's the important thing, I cannot afford to lose one of my close friends. I remember the first time that we met, she doesn't like me. Why? Because I'm the one who dethrones her from being a top student in the program that we're in. Until Sarrina and I became friends, that's the time Mavis stops disliking me. We get along more and discover more about ourselves. There was a time when Mavis got drunk, she spilled to me every little secret that she had, how she hates me, and how wrong she was for disliking me. She told me how important Sarrina is, that she loves her more than a  sister and that she can do anything for her cause she is her...best friend

"Cassiel, look at this graph." Urriel's voice took me back from reminiscing. She flashes the human memory chip information coming from the cadaver. Using the central navigator, the holographic screen flashes the fluctuations of certain hormones from the past six months. All I can say is that it was intense, just by looking at the graph. The patient's dopamine and oxytocin were depleted thus, the cortisol is intensely high.

"Also, look at this. His amygdala for the past six months where intensely working with the pre-frontal regions of his brain." She looks at me and waits for me to say something.

"He's having a hard time for the past months. His suffering from depression, and too many emotions connected with sadness--- I can say he's suffering as if he's broken-hearted or something..." I suddenly remember the anatomy of the heart of the cadaver, and it looks like a takotsubo cardiomyopathy. What if... he's really suffering from a broken heart or a heavy situation that lead him to death? 

No. There is no way this can be possible... 

"What is it, Cassiel?" my heart is pounding, what if my realization is true? Is it possible to be true? I look at Mavis' unconscious body beyond the glass window.

 "Urriel," I muttered. "When did Mavis become more silent and out of herself?"

It took her seconds to answer me, "I think after the party, the day when Juno proposed to Sarrina." As if air left my lungs when everything fits like a puzzle. After the party Mavis asked me to have a drink in a bar, she got drunk and told me many things that I didn't pay attention to. I just thought that everything is a bluff, telling things out of the context because of the alcohol influence. I didn't know that everything she said was real... 

"B-But what's with this question? I'm confused, Cassiel" I looked at her,  I was about to open my mouth when I felt a sting inside my chest.  I gasp for air, but it's getting heavier when I breathe. What the crap is happening?! My sight became blurry and the noise around me started to fade away

"Cassiel---Cass..."

Everything went black and the last thing I heard was Urriel's voice calling me over and over.