The Illuminant

Chapter 10

"Come in!!!" A red faced Abigail peeps in clutching the clipboard tightly to her chest.

Truly, this girl is beginning to annoy me.
If she can't as much as look someone in the face while talking, she shouldn't have signed up for the job of an assistant in the first place.
I sigh inwardly and go back to my typing.

"You've been asked to attend a board meeting by 2 o'clock ma'am."

My head creases in confusion and then slowly, realization hits me.

A board meeting?

It has to be it, nothing else would make them call a meeting by this time.

Oh dear, I hope not.

In my bewilderment, I recall she's still standing there.

"Is that all?" I look up at her.

"Yes ma'am."

"Alright, you're excused." I pull out my schedule from the drawer.

One appointment and a surgery, all before 2 o'clock. I hope I have enough time to catch lunch before the meeting, I think to myself.

I heave and take a long swig from my mug of coffee as I lean back in my chair and wait for the next appointment.

                          ※※

The door creaks loudly and I push it open causing the heads of the nurses to fly in my direction.

I straighten myself and dart my eyes towards the door through which I just entered, silently telling them to give us privacy.

The door creaks loudly again as they leave and I wince in annoyance.
Next to roses, the thing I hate the most are noisy doors.
I'll have to talk to the maintenance crew; we can't be having creaky doors all over the place.
With a sigh, I make my way to where he is sitting bent over the hospital bed on which his wife is breathing peacefully and gently tap him.
Instantly, he jolts up and blinks two drowsy grey eyes at me.

"Doctor?"

"Mr. Blake. It's good to meet you again."
I extend my hand in a handshake and he takes it, motioning for me to sit on the chair beside him.

"So, good news?" He prods drowsily.

What?

This guy just saw his daughter being wheeled into the emergency ward in all haste a few hours ago and he's asking if I had good news?

He really doesn't understand, does he?

I drop my head and shut my eyes, hating this aspect of my job. (The part where you have to break the bad news to the patient).

I remember that verse of the Bible we were made to memorize in Sunday school while growing up......

"......... the expectations of the righteous shall never be cut short."

I let out a deep and sad chuckle; well theirs is about to be.
Looking again into his determined grey eyes, my heart shatters into a million pieces.

As a doctor, no matter how many times I have to do this, I never get used to it. I suck in a huge column of air and let it out forcefully.

"Your daughter has a hole in her heart Mr. Blake....." I whisper.

I hear a gasp from the hospital bed and we both turn to see Mrs. Blake teary eyed and cupping her mouth with her hands.

In a beat, Mr. Blake strides over to the bed and wraps his sturdy arms comfortingly around his petite wife.