"Will you stop using me, Sandro? Nakakadiri ka!" I hit Sandro's arm when the girl left. The girl rushed and disappeared from thr roaring crowd, embarrassed. Si Lorenz naman, imbis na tulungan ako ay tinawanan pa ko.
"Why? Can you take it? I'm being molested!"
Hindi ko na alam kung ano ang gagawin ko kay Sandro. I look at Lorenz, trying to fish some help pero wala, he took some tequila and shot it all the way to his stomach.
"Stop.It." Muling utas ko kay Sandro na sinamaan ko na ng tingin. He put his arms up like a surrending position.
It's a Friday today and like my extraordinary days, nasa work ako kanina. But since it is my off tomorrow, nagyaya si Sandro dito sa Black Market.
Nilibot ko ang paningin ko at nakita ko kung gaano kawild ang mga kabataan. They dance wild, some are kissing other people which they just met.
Hindi ko sinasabing sobrang tino ko noong college ako. I had singkos before. Lalo na nung bachelor's degree pa lamang ang inaaral ko. Almost every month, nagyayaya ang mga kaklade ko rito. We stayed up until 4AM, drinking black labels at its finest.
Yun nga lang, I'm not like these students who kiss people they just met here, and actually, will end up in bed.
"You ready for next week?"
Kumunot ang noo ko kay Lorenz. He smirked nung mapansing medyo naguluhan ako sa kung anong pinatutungkulan niya. I took my cocktail and sip a little.
"Kaya nadedelay mga estudyante mo eh. Hindi mo pinapansin ang mga papers sa desk mo." Litanya ni Lorenz sakin na nakatanggap ng irap.
"There's a memo for everyone under the surgery department. Next week, there will be a special occasion sa isang restaurant sa Intramuros. The consultants and attending medical doctors will be there. Iiwan nanaman ang departments sa mga fellow for a while. No operations will be scheduled unless sobrang lala ng kaso." Tumango ako sa sinabi ni Sandro. True enough, hindi ko nga nabasa ito.
Amindo naman akong hindi ko nababasa ang mga papeles ko. I usually go there tuwing free time ko lang. And wala akong free time so it means, I don't go there.
"Para saan daw?"
"Walang sinabi eh. It will be a surprise."
Ipinagkibit-balikat ko na lang ang balitang iyon. Whether or not it is something that concerns about me, I don't want to think about it yet.
Lalagok pa sana si Sandro after a cheers nung mangibabaw ang tili ng mga babae. Napatayo agad ako at nakita ang mabilisang pagkumpol ng mga babae sa dance floor.
Tumakbo ako papunta roon at sumunod sakin si Lorenz at Sandro. There, sumalubong sakin ang isang lalaking nakabulagta sa sahig.
"Shit, mukhang cardiac arrest." I muttered to myself. Agaran akong tumakbo at lumuhod sa lalaki. Sandro took care of the girl weeping beside the guy while Lorenz told the people to stay away from us.
"Hey, hey, naririnig mo ba ko?!" I leaned and shouted at the guy lying in front of me. Nung hindi siya nagrespond, I checked his carotid artery for pulse pero wala.
"Lorenz, ask if they have some AED here." I commanded Lorenz. He nodded at me and left.
I started doing my chest compressions. Kada makaka trenta ako ay binubuka ko ang bibig niya at kinuha sa bulsa ko ang isang plastic protector at humihinga roon.
Maya maya pa ay dumalo na sakin si Sandro. He continued the compressions while I breath. Nung dumating si Lorenz ay sininulan na niya ang paglalagay ng pads sa dibdib ng lalaki.
"I called the emergency room. They're on their way now." Tumango ako kay Lorenz. Once the AED has analyzed the situation, lumayo na kami nung magshock.
4 mintues na ang nakalilipas ngunit wala pa ring siyang pulso. Pumalit si Lorenz kay Sandro sa pag chechest compression.
Dalawang hinga ko pa sa kanya pagkatapos ay hinawakan ko na ulit ang kanyang kamay. Wala pa ring pulso. Maya maya pa ay dumating na ang emergency team.
"Pulseless. I am Dr. Quinn Wildrige, a trauma surgeon in Crimson Medical City. 1 ampule of Epinephrine please." Pagpapakilala ko para sundin ako ng medic. Agarang kumuha ang medic sa bag ng gamot. Bago pa man niya ibreak ang ampule, kinuha ko na iyon.
"Proceed with the AMBU bagging." I commanded. Iniabot ko kay Sandro ang gamot. He can hit the vein better than me. Anesthesiologist siya eh. If there's one here who can do it best, it's him.
Pagkatapos nun, inilipat na sya sa stretcher. I saw Lorenz talking with the girl. Maya maya pa ay lumapit na sakin si Lorenz. The girl rode with the ambulance while we went to our car. Nakisakay na ko kay Lorenz while Sandro brought his own.
"What happened daw?" I asked.
"He's a 28 year old man who's doesn't have any co morbodities or disease. Ang sabi sakin nung girlfriend nya which is yung kasama niya kanina, okay lang naman daw siya kanina. Bigla na lang raw bumagsak." Napakunot ang noo ko sa sinabi niya. If that's the case, hindi pwede ang naiisip ko. He took a glance at me then tumango siya.
"You're right. It can't be a simple cardiac arrest. He's too young to be Myocardiac Infarction. Masyado siyang bata para magkaroon ng atherosclerosis. He doesn't look like Diabetic to me." Tumango ako sa kanya. If that's the case, tama nga ako.
"I don't think he has a bad lifestyle aside from going to bars and drinking liquors. Habang nirerevive natin sya kanina, he's fit. And nakita mo naman kanina habang nagchechest compression tayo, he has defined and prominent abdominal linings. And I don't suspect him of smoking." Utas ko. Nilingon ako ni Lorenz at kumunot ang noo.
"How can you say he isn't?"
"When you go bars and drink, lalo na kung kasing edaran niya lang, you smoke while you drink. When I gave him breathes, wala akong naamoy na nicotine."
Tumango tango siya sa observations ko. Maya maya, he laughed little.
"Kahit kelan talaga napakaobservant mo." Utas niya wherein I gave him a snort.
"Ang sponty mo."
When we get there, agad na nagpagawa ng tests si Lorenz. Ako, lumapit na muna ako sa pasyente.
I took his general assessment. Nung kinuha ko ang flashlight ko at tinignan ang pupilary reflex nya, nanlaki ang mata ko nung dilated ito. Fudge! Dilated?!
Kinuha ko ang pang BP. It revealed 180 over 120. I look at his ECG monitor and saw a pulse rate of 39. Napatingin agad ako sa balikat niya.
Nung may marealize ako, agad akong tumakbo sa station.
"Prepare a CT Scan now!"
Napataka sila Sandro sakin. I saw Lorenz approaching us with X-Ray films in hand.
"CT Scan?"
"He's having Cushing's Triad." Kumunot lalo ang noo ni Sandro.
"Quinn's probably right. He has 4 broken ribs right now. I think he just went an accident and didn't see a doctor. Mukhang may cerebral hemorrhage. Compression of the brain might cause his cardiac arrest."
"Prepare the OR." Sandro commanded to the nurse.
Lumabas ang CT Scan and we were right. May approximately 80 cc of blood sa kanyang occipital area.
After all the consents were done, I started the operation. I decided to do it dahil hindi naman ako gaano nakainom. Ngayon, seryoso kong ineevacuate ang blood sa kanyang ulo. I digged a hole wherein I inserted a small tube.
"He'll make it, right?" I asked Sandro. Kahit seryoso sya sa pagaadminister ng gamot, he smiled and nodded at me. Slowly, we evacuated the blood.
---
BINABASA MO ANG
Pieces of Pastiche
General Fiction#LostGirlsSeries Third Installment Status: Compeleted Quinn Stephanie Wildrige is a renowned Neurosurgeon of Crimson Medical City. She's enjoying the time of her life when suddenly, her bully highschool schoolmate Kirk Archer Elijah Houston returned...
