Mystic Beings

The Itch

"Pauline! Pulse now! Gerard,give me a STAT Adrenaline, Jenny focus on the Defibrillator!" Anna screamed  as she was trying hard to perform CPR and balance herself on the rickety, unstable ride to the operating room. The patient had been fine during consultation, complaining of a mere headache. Just when he stepped out, he collapsed and started shaking uncontrollably. Anna had seen these types of cases before. It was definitely a fit. A very dangerous one too judging from the duration. 

"Phew, that was a close one Dr Anna. Thank the heavens you were the rotating doctor on shift, if not, he would have been a dead man" Gerard said as he heaved a huge sigh of relief. Anna responded with a modest smile. That had been nerve-racking. Even 5 years of experience didn't matter when faced with a collapse case, time was golden.Every second mattered. No amount of experience could suffice for the luck a doctor needed to save a patient.

Anna plunked down on her leather chair in the doctor's lounge. Finally, the long-awaited break after a 12-hour shift. She was the only one there, the rest had gone in for an emergency case on some kid who had a fish bone stuck in the bridge of his nose. Wonder how it got there. Anna swept back her long auburn hair into a top knot, allowing a few strands to dangle haphazardly. Beads of sweat had already found themselves at the nape of her neck and a terrible itch was on the way. Wearing scrubs for 2 days in a row definitely wasn't helping the terrible itch. She had had it for some time now. Applying the cream her dermatologist prescribed for her wasn't helping her either. As her mind succumbed itself to sleep, her drifting thoughts were put to rest.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP" 

"Back to work" Anna thought as she grabbed her overcoat and gulped down a considerable amount of Nescafe before heading out to the great unknown of the hospital. The emergency department. Where almost anything could happen. That was what actually attracted her as a first-year med student. The exciting possibilities that lay beyond simple symptoms that people presented with.

 Going through with the fifth patient, Anna suddenly felt the itch creeping up to her once again. What is with this itch. She couldn't satisfy her desire to calm that terrible itch in front of the patients. That would be completely unprofessional. Explaining her situation to the new nurse on duty was even more embarrassing. Whatever. This time the itch was too unbearable to mind what imaginations the new nurse must be having about her.

"Finally! Ugh. I seriously have to do something about you! You are annoying the hell out of me!" Anna screamed slightly as if having a secret conversation with the burning itch. Anna scratched like she never had before. It was so satisfying and everything seemed like ecstasy.

Until she actually saw it.

It was hideous.