My shift started as any typical shift would start. As soon as I reached the trauma bay, my nurse Mindy came and got me and told me to scrub in.
"What are we dealing with?"
"89 y/o female, with a left frontal brain bleed, right hip fracture, broken patella, and a broken femur.
"Shit! Happy Thursday, Mindy, glove me, please" I ask as I begin to dry my hands with the surgical towel.
Surgery started great, easy if you might add. Then the alarms started beeping.
"Dr. B! We're losing her, her blood pressure is dropping fast!" Mindy stated looking at the surgery monitor.
"There's a bleed!" I said as I stepped back, getting squirted with blood from her brain. "Give me more gauze, push 10 of epi, and Mindy get your ass over here and suction this shit up!" I screamed at Mindy who was freaking out, causing me to low-key panic.
It felt as if we had worked on the lady for hours, when in actuality it had only been 10 minutes before we heard the machine flatline. I stepped back with my head hung and threw my scrub cap off.
"Call it! Time of death?"
"Time of death 09:56" the OR nurse called out.
Mindy and I stood at the sink washing our hands in silence. I hated taking losses, man! I felt like my patients were my family. I built relationships with them, I built a good rapport with them so they trusted me, so losing them, really messed with my mental.
Now I have to go and break the bad news to the family, it just feels like my day is getting worse and worse. I said a small prayer in the elevator with Mindy before going to start talking to the family.
"Turner family? Follow me, please." Mindy spoke as she guided them to the small family consultation room.
Being a surgeon was something I took pride in, but this part of the job was something I fucking hated.
"I'm sorry, but she didn't make it through the surgery. We tried everything we could, but we couldn't stop the brain from bleeding." I said watching the family fall apart. "I'll send a family grieving counselor to speak with you guys and let you know the next steps to take and how to properly grieve.
It was straight silence as Mindy and I sat in the locker room changing to go home, until she finally spoke up. "It's okay Dr. B. You tried and did everything you could."
I gave a small nod, put my headphones in, grabbed my bag, and headed out.
YOU ARE READING
The Hood Doctor
RomanceBrooklyn is one of the best surgeons in her state, but what happens when she meets the biggest drug lord and falls for him? Will his ways corrupt her?
