Open Heart: Second Year {On Halt}

Chapter 13- Keeping Steady

By 11am everything a.k.a everyone lumbered back to normal.

I spent the morning hour with Esme who was rather fascinated by Ethan's speech. Her eyes sparkled with interest and charisma, with a spirit to interact. She couldn't believe I had once taken her to visit the man himself.

"I never realized that Dr. Ramsey was so..." she trailed off as we walked towards the wards.

"Passionate? Motivational? Intense?" I suggested, rummaging through the bag of adjectives I have kept for him.

"Yeah. For what's it worth, I got a chance to work in the same place as him. But you work with him. How is that?" she asked.

"Different if you wanted the confirmation. Diagnostics Departments gets cases from whole over the country, pretty handful thought, all of them. Puzzling and intriguing. The ones you won't be assigned in this year. We work together as a team but Dr. Ramsey keeps himself away from mingling too much with us."

"Why?"

I kept my face plain, "Our duty is to patients, and we should never do anything which will prove problematic to the duty."

She stopped and eyed me, "You both look close."

"We are colleagues, yes. I still have so much to learn and Dr. Ramsey is a good mentor." I replied without looking, trying to be monotonous.

"Boooooring." She huffed but didn't ponder much of hooligans.

According to this week's schedule, I was to attend stupendous 5-hour shift in the free clinic. Despite feeling the bubbling energy around here, my mind was soured after being reminded that my back would be in the same condition soon. Seriously, sitting my ass down was on a metal chair for such long duration definitely wasn't my goal but hey, who was I complaining. I took an oath after all. Doctors worked in forests which was ravaged my murderous mosquitoes, creepy crawling spiders and anything form arachnid, slithering creatures getting attracted towards you because you were warm and just simple any kind of flora and fauna which was hell bend on ending our lives.

Yep. Despite my approaching sore back, I was in heaven.

It was 9th of January, Thursday which turned out with a wind of pressure change.

Esme orated her patients during the rounds, and the hour was spent that way. I found myself growing gentler towards the girl but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to...like the way Ines did to me. It was a confusing feeling. I meant the girl wasn't personally responsible for anything at all but there was this hitch inside me, a resolve which made me wary of her. And everything I noticed the scars on her hands, it strengthened that something was wrong with Esme. At least not physically but...

So? You are struggling still, Charlotte.

"I am not struggling." I snapped.

"What?"

I perhaps have shouted that line louder because both Esme and her patient were giving me weird looks. I said nothing and motioned my intern to continue. But still, I found myself unable to gather a kernel of warmth for her. It was terrible to do so but I wasn't going to love every human being who gets in my circle in hopes that everyone would turn out to be friendly. I knew who cared for me, loved me and for them, my heart was always open.

Three more cases followed in quick succession before I separated with my intern to satiate myself for the betterment of humanity even though those humans were trying to demolish this building and those inside with it. How wonderful.

The community clinic was busier than usual; more surges of people had arrived and were trying to get their tickets to be checked up. Before entering to my cabin, I cast a sad glance at them. To those faces...that hope in their eyes as they came to Edenbrook to be cured of their ailments without hesitating. Those were the people I didn't need to like but I cared about them anyways as they mattered more for my oath and duty.