Open Heart: Second Year {On Halt}

Chapter 6- Eight Course Affair

Jackie found Mitch and Gary in the 1st floor.

Both of them were pale stricken, even the boisterous Mitch who had learnt a good lesson from wheeling an excrement-soaked Gary while people ran away from them, trying to save their respiratory systems. Thankfully, they were found and Jackie directed them to the decon showers which were located in the 2nd floor.

I did my best to explain everything to Ethan who looked like he was about to blow a fuse. I patted him and ducked away, resuming on my rounds. Today, my residency rounds were confined to the ER where Ines was chatting with a little girl and Zaid was scowling at a sleeping man with scrapes all over the body. My patient happened to be a middle-aged woman who had unfortunately lost her footing and fell two floors below. It was reassuring that she hadn't collided head-on or else the situation would have been complicated considering the significant amount of blood she had lost.

I examined her body while she rested with med-administered sleep and painkillers. Her X-ray and ultrasound scans detected major fractures in the femur which needed to be deconstructed. Also, her Tibia and Fibula bones were smashed due to the impact which required an Open Reduction and Internal Fixation or ORIF surgery. Her Fibula also appeared to have embedded in the flesh and it had ruptured the tissues. I informed Ines for the surgery and then called in the nurses to bring 3 litres of blood which was going to be obligatory for the operation.

It was 4 in the afternoon when I was walking in the atrium and again had the strange luck to encounter the Governor's entourage. This time however, I noticed a teenage boy walking behind the lady herself, eyes immersed in the phone he was texting. A bodyguard was observing everyone near him with scrutinizing eyes. But as I tracked him, I found something unusual. His chin twitched to the side and the top of his head titled to the other. And then again.

I sensed that there was something awry with those jerky movements as it would be putting strain on the cervical vertebrae. Slowly, I approached him and softly spoke, "Hey...what's your name, darling?"

My voice stopped the moving entourage and as I was still a few hands away from them- Dr. Banerji saw my expression and mirrored the tone, "Is there something wrong, Dr. Turner?"

I stepped closer to the boy who was eyeing me with surprise and a flicker of pain radiated in his face immediately after another jerky episode. Governor Rivera slightly frowned as she informed, "This is Jamie, first son of Massachusetts."

I smiled at the boy and asked, "Hey Jamie. I have a question for you...Does it hurt when your head move like that?"

"What is she talking about?" Governor Rivera narrowed her eyes, anxiousness starting to show on her composed face.

Jamie nodded, eyes stilled on me, "Yeah. A little. My neck feels real stiff after."

"Have you been getting headaches?"

"All the time, but mom says its because I never drink water."

I took another step towards him, "Do you mind if I give your neck a quick feel?"

The bodyguard closed in around the boy, looking at me with wariness but Governor Rivera ordered him to stand down and let me examine. I gently touched Jamie's neck and began moving my fingers around the area. They felt the tight and rigid muscles, straining against each other and creating a painful friction. I circled the area and felt a knot which had also build.

"Dr. Turner? What do you suspect?"

We collectively turned in the direction of that deep voice and found Ethan approaching our group, face devoid of anything. He wasn't wearing his glasses which made his piercing eyes sharp and enticing. As for his question,