#Promise

Garden

          It has been a while since I have checked my social media accounts.... not because I don't want to know what's going on with the world but more of because I don't want the world to know what's going on with me.  The world that was cruel to me... the world that made me give up the most important person in my life, the world that made me hurt the one person who loved me more than anything. The world who loved and adored him,  yet hated the person he loved. 

          The perk of working at a hospital that was built by the oceanside is that I can get to enjoy my half an hour break time from my 12-hour shift, feeling like I am at some beachfront resort. I am not complaining, because, in reality, I really love the career choice that I made. After graduating from Nursing school, I got hired at this hospital and I'm currently in training for the next 3 months.
            I think we all are guilty of "trying hard to prove that we are the best" every time we start a new job. So, even if it wasn't a busy day at the hospital, I felt extra tired trying to be the best trainee around. As I finished the last task I was assigned by my Head nurse, I eagerly anticipated my lunch break as I feel my stomach give out a growl.
                        I really do hate to be in a crowd, so the atmosphere in the cafeteria is something that I don't enjoy much. It is constantly bustling with people. Hospital visitors, patients, including the hospital staff and medical personnel always keep that area busy. Each one seemingly immersed with their own worries, for whatever reason that they have to be in that place.
It is for this reason that I always make sure that I prepare a packed lunch from home. It is always a mission for me, but it has to be done if I don't want to starve myself at work.
               It was on one of those bright sunny afternoons, during lunch break, when I first met this person who became a very special someone in my life. 

               With my lunch box at hand, I hurriedly took the elevators to the topmost floor. The elevator doors opened to this fancy hallway leading to an exit. that hallway reminds me of a 5-star hotel hallway. Sometimes I think that it was meant to make you forget that you are in a hospital. The exit was a double glass door to access an outdoor shaded area, pretty much made to appear like a garden. The charm of this area is the relaxing ocean view below.
               From what I remember in the hospital orientation that I attended a few weeks ago, that floor was a VIP area. That is why they have constructed that little area so that patients on that floor can have a little place to breathe and enjoy the scenery and the sun during their hospital stay. Oftentimes, hospital staff also lounge around there during break. It has become my favorite spot to take my lunch break.
   Today was a bit different from my usual boring day during lunch. That rooftop garden area is usually empty since there isn't a lot of patients on that floor. As I open the double doors to get to the garden, I noticed somebody sitting on one of the benches. It was a bright sunny day, but this person was wearing a gray hoodie as if to intentionally cover his entire upper body and head. You would rarely see somebody with this outfit on,  here in Miami in the summer. His gaze was fixed on the open ocean right below. He had a sad and painful expression on his face.
    I proceeded to sit on another bench on the opposite side of the garden. From where I was sitting, I still have a good view of the other person. Despite the sad and serious expression on his face, he still radiated with a very charming aura. The kind that would make you want to look a second time and then end up staring without even intending to. I caught myself doing just that and kind of felt embarrassed when he turned and saw what I was doing. I shyly looked away and began munching on the chicken salad that I had packed. I can see from my peripheral view that he went back to stare at the ocean and seemed to be in deep thought. A few moments later, an older guy wearing a black shirt and black jeans approached him.
          "Stay here for now. I saw some reporters at the hospital lobby and heard them asking if you were seen anywhere here." He told him. He answered him with a courteous nod.
              " Manager, How long do I need to stay at the hospital?" He asked.
"Your doctor and the Physical Therapist should be dropping by this afternoon. They will be able to tell us." He answered.
              The older guy gave him a slight tap on the shoulder before walking away.

            A few minutes after the older man left, I noticed a couple of men standing behind the double glass doors. They were both holding up some professional cameras, the kind that those news reporters use. They were snapping candid pictures of the other person in the garden.

              "What is this? Who exactly is this person here? Must be a real VIP then!" I thought to myself.

               Suddenly, I realized the fact that he was a VIP patient and his privacy during his hospital stay is the top priority. Any type of photography and video recording is strictly prohibited.

               I got up from where I was sitting and approached them. I stood in front of them to block their next shot.

               "Excuse me Sir, but what you are doing isn't allowed anywhere inside this hospital. It is for patient privacy." I said firmly.

               "You have to leave this floor right now before I call security." I added

                 They both put their cameras down and hurriedly got into the elevators nearby. As I turned around to go back to where I was sitting and finish my boring lunch, I noticed that the VIP patient was now standing up and looking at me. From the look on his face, it clearly shows that he saw what just happened and was in total shock.

                 "Don't worry, they are gone now. I will report this incident to security so they can watch this area more closely." I assured him.

                   There was no reply from him. He was just staring at me blankly and looking pale.  Suddenly, he fainted right in front of me!  I tried to catch him and keep him from falling on the floor but in doing so, he ended up falling against me, making us both fall down.

                    I managed to get him off me and make him lay flat on the ground. As a nurse, my automatic reaction was to feel for a pulse and checked for breathing. He was breathing, and his pulses were rapid but weak. I ran to open the double glass doors and screamed for help. Right at that moment, the guy in black shirt appears in the hallway and was caught in shock with my screams.

                     " I need help out here!!! Go call the nurses and his doctor!"

                      A few seconds later, I hear the running footsteps of the nurses from the nearby nurses' station coming towards where I was. I ran back outside to the garden to where I left the patient. He was still laying down but I could see that he was breathing better. I grabbed his wrist again and felt a stronger pulse.

                      " Are you okay? Can you hear me?" I asked as I shook his shoulders gently.

                         He opened his eyes weakly but did not reply.

                         "Don't worry. you'll be fine. help is on the way." I assured him. I then held his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. It felt cold and clammy.

                          The medical team arrived with a stretcher and took him back to his room.  I stood there wondering what happened to him.  My thoughts were interrupted when the guy in the black shirt came back and thanked me for my help.

                           "Thank you for helping him. It's a good thing that you were there. Do you work here?" he asked.

                             That question just made me realize that my break time was long over, and I am already in big trouble with my Head nurse for not getting back to my area on time.

                             "Yes, I work in this hospital, but not on this floor. I was just on my break that's why I was here." I answered.

                             "But right now, I have to go back before I get into much bigger trouble."

                              I hurriedly grabbed my lunch box and said goodbye. As I was waiting for the elevators, I overheard the doctor talking to the nurses at the station.

                              " We need to either adjust the dose of his pain medication or change it into something else. His Blood pressure dropped so low as a reaction to the medication that we gave him an hour ago. For now, we'll keep on monitoring him. He seems more stable now."