Not My Little Sister

Chapter 57: Code Blue

Vinaya's heart thudded in her chest as the doctor introduced himself.

"I have you listed as the emergency contact for Nithin Balachandran. May I know how you are acquainted?" he asked, his voice firm yet compassionate.

It felt surreal to be on this side of the conversation. She was usually the one delivering updates, the one who was breaking bad news or offering comfort.

"I am his wife," she managed to say, her heart aching.

"How much do you know about what has happened to Mr. Balachandran?" he asked gently, his tone hinting at the gravity of the situation.

Vinaya took a steadying breath, trying to quell the rising tide of panic within her. "I just know that there was a shooting in his building. Is my husband alright?"

There was a short, agonizing pause on the other end of the line, and a chill crept through her as she waited for the doctor to respond.

"Ms. Nambiar," he began, "Mr. Balachandran sustained injuries during the incident. He is currently in surgery, and we are doing everything we can to stabilize him."

Surgery. Trying. Stabilize. The world around her seemed to blur as his words sank in. "What kind of injuries?" Her voice was barely audible as her grip tightened on the arm of the couch.

"It's too soon to provide detailed information on his condition, but I assure you, he is receiving the best care possible," Dr. Hawthorne continued. "I will keep you updated as we learn more. I recommend you come to the hospital as soon as you can."

"I am a physician; can you be more precise about his injuries?" Vinaya asked, irritation creeping into her voice at the lack of clear information.

"Mr. Balachandran has sustained a right pneumohemothorax with active extravasation of blood into his pleural cavity. We have the cardiothoracic surgeon performing exploratory VATS to get the bleed under control," the trauma surgeon explained, now using clinical terms to explain.

Vinaya's breath caught as she processed the information. Understanding the situation helped calm her. "Thank you, doctor."

She turned to Hugo, who was watching her intensely.  "He is in surgery. The bullet went through his lung, and they are trying to control the bleeding. I need to get to the hospital."

Hugo nodded, giving orders through his microphone while leading Vinaya toward the elevator.

As they approached the hospital, a swarm of paparazzi greeted them like a wall of flashing lights and shouts. "Dr. Nambiar!" someone called out, but Vinaya ignored the chaos, dodging the clicks and the bright flashes as she hurried through the entrance.

Inside, she spotted a familiar face and felt a brief spark of relief. "Camarillo!" she exclaimed, recognizing her friend fromher Clinical Rotations. Camarillo hesitated for a moment, caught between a serious expression and a smile, before finally breaking into a grin and opening his arms for a hug.

"Do you work here?" she asked, observing his green scrubs. Surgical residents usually wore green scrubs while medical residents wore blue.

He nodded. "I'm a third-year general surgery resident, and I'm on the trauma team. Well girl, I saw in the news that you married your hunk!" he said playfully, but as the reality of the situation set in, his smile faded into a look of concern.

"Your husband is still in surgery." he explained switching to a more professional expression . "I'll walk you to the waiting room, and I'll go in and find out what's happening, okay?"

Vinaya nodded, though apprehension gnawed at her. "Thank you, Camarillo."

"Just sit tight," he assured her, before turning to walk toward the operating room.