Heartbeat

Starting line

Heartbeats chapter 2

The heartbeat. 

For science, a simple act of contraction of the atria and ventricles, which begins when the heart's electrical conduction system sends a signal from the top of the heart to the extremity, causing the muscles to contract at the correct rate and, in doing so, sending blood to the lungs and the rest of the body, making a lub-dub sound that you can hear and judge through it if the heart is working properly.

For me, a magical mechanism that holds the mystery of life, from intra-uterus life to death and works with the brain to reflect our fears, hopes, dreams, enthusiasm, unconscious feelings and thoughts.

Right now, standing at the hospital door, I can tell you that my heartbeats are telling me the epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, is dancing through my bloody sistemy while dozens of thoughts pop in my head.

Choosing to only listen to the good ones, I take a deep breath and make my way through the doors, asking a nice receptionist where I can find the auditory.

– Are you one of the new surgical interns?

– Yes– I answer shily.

– We were told that we could see new faces around today. You have nothing to worry about. Your residence program is really great, people are usually nice around here. The surgical floor is the 5th, and when you leave the elevator the auditory is the second door at your left.

– Thanks.– I smile at the woman, grateful and calmer, and head to the elevator. In seconds I take a deep breath and open the double-door, seeing a room full of strangers that I know are my colleagues. But as much as I know they are colleagues, I also know this is a competition. Only the best interns and residents survive in surgery, and If you wanna rise up your career you have to work your ass off to prove your value.

I go sit next to a brunette girl.

– Hi!– she waved to me in a sympathetic look and strong Texas accent.

– Hello, I'm Taylor Carter, but since we are going to work together I think you can call me Taylor. And you?

– I'm Selena Quintanilla, Selena or Sel for you. It's good to have at least one woman here.– she says looking around and I finally turn my head. She's right. There's at least 10 men in this room, and only me and Selena as women.

The door opens again and we both smile seeing a dark-blond girl walking in. We make a sign for her to sit with us and introduce ourselves.

– I'm Blake Shelton. I hope we can stay with the same resident. If we will be tortured, at least we can suffer together.

– For sure, they think women can't handle a surgical program, and nothing gives me more power than a man doubting my abilities. Me and my anger work really well together.– Selena says.

– It's going to be interesting. Little they know I have won tons of dissection competitions since elementary school and just left Harvard Med School with a 97,9 score. My hand and a scalpel moving in a body are like a ballerina and her pointe shoes twirling around, a perfect mix between peace and adrenalin, an intoxicating freedom. That's how surgery makes me feel, so why not help people and feel that at same time?

The girls look at me and nod.

– I choose surgery because of the pleasure of fixing something that's going wrong – Selena explains – For years I've been suffering to fix what I can't fix in my life anymore, so at least on surgery I have the opportunity to change the direction of someone's life, I can fix something right away without having to wait the time act. I feel helpful. And at some point I feel free too, Taylor. The same kind of freedom I have when I take my motorcycle on the road, the freedom of a brain soaked in adrenalin. Helps me clear my mind, makes me more wise. It 's addicting.