【 31.
Thirty-one
Zer-e-aab 】
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[ Zer-e-aab • submerged ]
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TEN MONTHS AGO Rosaline had to, for the first time in her career, treat a patient who was in the operating theatre due to an addiction. But she still remembers the incident as clear as day.
It was past midnight when Rosaline learnt from one of the night shift nurses that the patient from the car crash was awake. And though she wasn't obligated to, Rosaline stopped by the room the eighteen year old girl was admitted in.
Knocking on the door briefly, Rosaline then opened it just enough to stick her head through the gap. Her eyes landed on the young girl resting on the bed listlessly, eyes open and staring at the IV drip attached to her wrist.
“Hey,” Rosaline called softly. “Can I come in?”
The girl's eyes flickered toward Rosaline, giving her a slow once-over before nodding in response.
Smiling in subtle relief, Rosaline stepped inside and shut the door before tucking her hands into the deep pockets of her white coat.
“How are you feeling?” Rosaline asked gently, taking in the girl's appearance and the readings on the heartbeat monitor all in a single glance.
“I'm alive,” the girl muttered, her voice scratchy.
“Yes,” Rosaline nodded, “The glass shards from your car's windshield missed your heart. And thankfully, there weren't any fractured ribs either. Several stitches on your upper torso, though.” She stepped closer and held the girl's eyes with her own, “You were very fortunate today, Miss Leah. It was a narrow escape. Very narrow.”
The girl closed her eyes and shook her head to herself, bottom lip quivering in an attempt to not cry.
“Your, um,” Rosaline paused, licked her lips, and then sighed. “Your reports show signs of opioid abuse. We found Morphine in your system, Miss Leah.”
The girl, Leah, lowered her guilty gaze to her lap where both hands were clasped together, fidgety and twitchy.
“Yeah,” she choked out. “I took a dose few hours before getting behind the wheel in my car. I didn't... For me, the high usually wears off in two hours. So I didn't think it was dangerous to drive.”
“A Morphine high can last anywhere between one point five to seven hours,” Rosaline informed her gently. “Driving was a risk you shouldn't have taken at all.”
“I know,” Leah cried softly, tears streaming down her cheeks. “But I just—I needed the hit, okay? I can't deal with... with everything. With life, with living. I can't make myself go about my day unless there's this cloud inside my head that blocks everything else out.” And then she laughed, shaking her head to herself. “Why am I even explaining this to you? It's easy for doctors to just read a report and tell the patient there are drugs in their system.”
“You're right,” Rosaline nodded, smiling sadly, “it is easy for us to just inform you of whether we found drugs in your system or not. But do you know why it's easy? Because we know what it does to our insides, what these substances do to our bodies on a physical scale. And, kid, it doesn't stop with just the physical side effects. These things take a toll on your emotional and mental state too. And Morphine?” Rosaline shook her head, worry crystal clear on her face. “The wrong dose and you'd be dead. This is a highly lethal substance, you understand that?”
YOU ARE READING
Till Death Do Us Part | ON-HOLD
Roman d'amourIt's a fact that you can't help who you fall in love with. And for Rosaline Davenport and him, it definitely shouldn't have been each other. Because, sometimes, love stories have blood on them. [warning: this is the mother of all slow-burns] •...
