5| broken hearts

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Arin was a doctor at the first hospital opened in the freshly made United States of America.

He was in Philadelphia, happily living not far from the hospital he worked at. Today was the last day of the first week of the hospital being open to the public. He hasn't dealt with much but enjoyed it all the same.

He spent many years in schools in Britain and the U.S. to help people. He's come to have a certain appreciation for the smiles and relief on people's faces when he tells them they are healthy. So far, he's fixed everyone.

The doors swing open harshly, hitting the wall with a bang and causing Arin to look up from the papers he was writing. Several of Arin's fellow employees were surrounding a bed being rolled in.

"Hanson!" One called, Arin couldn't tell who, "We need you!"

Arin went from behind his desk and fell into step with the other doctors. It was Doctor Kramer speaking. On the bed was a young boy.

"What is it?" The boy was very pale and small looking. His arms and legs were being held down by people as he mildly thrashed around in pain. It broke Arin's heart to see such a young boy in that much pain.

"We're not sure," answered Kramer, face steely. Arin knew that they needed to hide their emotions to do a better job. "The British files on him say he's had heart problems in the past. It lists the symptoms of a heart malfunction and we believe it's that. You're the most experienced doctor here and you need to attempt a heart surgery. If we don't succeed, he dies."

"His name?" This was the most intense thing Arin's dealt with. But he kept looking straight ahead as they walked to the surgery room.

"Leigh Daniel Avidan. Eight years old."

"Why don't we give him medicine?" Arin suddenly stopped, the situation dawning on him. Kramer stopped too but the bed kept moving, they pulled into a room. "A heart surgery you said? No one has done that before. We need to give him medicine."

Doctor Kramer shook his head and looked down at the file. "Says here that any medicines don't work on him." He looks up at Arin. "We need to attempt something. And we're the first hospital- we can be he first to do heart surgery."

Arin nodded, he knew that he wasn't going to change what was going to happen. He and Kramer walked in the surgery room, nurses were scattered and confused as to what to do.

Arin started getting his gloves and mask on. "Why are we going this here and not at his home?" It was common for people to have surgeries in their home for fear of infection.

"We just found him," Kramer answers, also getting his gloves and mask on, he'll be assisting Arin, "couldn't find a home or parents. We brought him in."

Arin grabbed his tools and went to the side of the bed. Leigh was younger than Arin had ever seen him. But he still had the same hair, albeit it was shorter. His brown eyes were looking at Arin in fear and panic. Arin wanted with all his heart to save Leigh, have him grow old and have a great life. But Arin knew that probably wouldn't happen, he would have to achieve the impossible.

"Alright, we need to give him sedatives. And a lot of them. We need something to help with his breathing. We need something to slow his heart down. We need extra packs of blood in case he loses too much." Arin didn't quite know if what he said was right. No one had done a heart surgery before. He was just saying what made sense.

The nurses followed his commands, soon Leigh was knocked out, a nurse checking his breathing and a nurse making sure he was still alive.

Arin made the first incision.

Arin could quickly tell what was wrong. There was too much blood. Leigh's broken heart seemed to be suffocating, pumping quickly to get the bad stuff out.

Arin had no idea how to fix this. He looked up and he and Kramer shared a look. "There's too much blood."

Kramer nodded. "What do we do?"

"I have no clue." Attempts at something flew through Arin's mind but all were quickly shot down with, that wouldn't work.

Surgeries he's studied for seemed much simpler that this. This involved the complex inter workings of the heart- something of which, people didn't understand fully yet.

"Should we stitch him back up? There's nothing we can do." Arin hated saying those words. He practically just gave the death sentence to love of his life. He wanted so bad just to touch Leigh. Involuntarily, his hand twitched, Leigh's hand was so very close. It seemed like second nature just to love Leigh. But here he was, a child, and dying, and Arin couldn't do anything about it.

Kramer nodded. Arin grabbed the different tools and carefully closed Leigh's chest.

He and Kramer both looked at Leigh as he stayed asleep from the medicines.

Leigh Daniel Avidan. Arin had never heard Leigh's other names, he's always just never thought about it. Arin liked Leigh's names.

The nurses eventually left but Arin and Kramer stayed. They were going to wait until Leigh died. They figured it was the least they could do.

After a hour, Arin looked at Doctor Kramer m with a raised eyebrows,"Kramer, what's your first name?" Not knowing Leigh's full name caused Arin to reconsider things.

"Barry." Kramer responds. Barry Kramer. "Yours?"

"Arin." Barry nodded and they fell back in silence.

After a while, Leigh began to stir. Arin and Barry both stood up from their chairs on either side of Leigh. Arin grabbed Leigh's arm as Leigh started breathing fast and panicky.

"Leigh," Arin's heart broke at saying his name. His voice cracked and tears were in his eyes. He blinked them back and cleared his throat. "We couldn't fix you. We're sorry."

This, for some reason, calmed Leigh down. He seemed content with the fact that he was dying. Perhaps, he already came to terms in that he was going to have a short life.

"Thank you, for trying." Leigh gave a small, sad smile to Arin.

Arin sobbed, he couldn't hold it back. He kneeled next to the bed and took Leigh's small hand in his own. "I'm so sorry."

Arin muttered apologizes over and over and clutched onto Leigh's hand. Barry stood to the side, quiet. Leigh's hand went limp after a few moments.

Arin looked up at Leigh's face in alarm. His eyes were closed and head turned, mouth slightly opened. He looked like he was simply sleeping.

Arin held two fingers to Leigh's neck for a pulse. There was none.

"No!" Arin yelled, he stood up and leaned over the bed, grabbing onto Leigh's shirt and crying into it.

Barry put a hand on Arin's back. "We need to leave." Arin didn't respond but Barry grabbed Arin and pulled him away and out of the room. Arin was still crying.

Arin didn't come back to work the best day, or ever.

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