Open Heart: Second Year {On Halt}

Chapter 14- Friend o' Friend

The next day doctors forgot yesterday.

I found a tired Jackie while entering inside the locker room, and concluded that she had seen better days. Leaning in front of her closed locker, her grubs were halfway out of body and a grim expression marred her face.

I kept my bag on the bench and the sound brought her attention, "Charlotte? Are you in the night shift too?"

"Jackie, it's 6 in the morning. You shift just got over." I touched her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

She wheezed, "Okay? I feel like I have been dragging a ship at the bay without success."

Ouch.

"You should head home. Get some rest and by the time you wake up, Sienna would have whipped some of her magic in the room." I smiled.

"And I would be alone till you all come back. This sucks." She pulled out the shirt and I turned away, giving her privacy. Our schedules were turned round for the week. Everyone was dreading for the moment they would be pushed in for the night shift— which usually didn't involve us lot, but considering the fact that we were drawn into the shifts in a lottery, anything was possible. Plus whoever among the roomies would get the night shift could only find that hedgehog in the hospital. Ten hours plus each day, mine being usual fourteen.

"I don't like this, Charlotte." Jackie said, "Ramsey's speech might be inspiring but he isn't facing what we are. I am supposed to have paid that bill by last month if they wouldn't have pushed on a vacation. Now they get to not raise our salaries."

"It's just this month, Jackie." I gave her false assurance, making sure my face was behind the locker, "The administration will sort this out."

"Only if you say." She softly said and walked out with a crestfallen expression.

She was having the worst of us. But she wasn't asking for us to support her or give a shoulder to lean upon. Jackie Varma wasn't like that. She was a bold woman, proud of her degree and career. Her education demanded her to be steadfast and equally persistent to achieve goals. I remembered the manner we both competed during the fellowship in our intern session. She had looked me in the eyes and said my friendship with her was a distraction she couldn't let come between the competition. Those were some tensed weeks when we both were practically in the same apartment but separated by leagues of confliction.

I liked the way she was, though. She might not be my best friend but she was a dear one. All of my roommates were, duly ignoring the previous occupant.

My case began with a woman who had arrived from Beijing. She was diagnosed with Strongyloidiasis, a tropical parasitic disease caused by a helminth. While it was not a fatal disease, if left untreated could lead to hyperinfection which would eventually prove life-threatening. Usually the patients who were prone to the use of corticosteroids belonged to the hyperinfection zone. Thankfully, the patient wasn't a user.

"Run tests on the duodenal fluid. We need to confirm the strain." I informed the nurse. "And then, give her Ivermectin."

The next patient was a ten year old boy. His parents had brought him in when he showed rapid gain of weight in a span of two weeks. Edema. Early blood tests showed hypoalbuminemia i.e low serum albumin. I ordered for the biopsy of kidney. And an hour later, the results came. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis or FSGS, a cause of nephrotic syndrome in young population. While there weren't any immediate course of action since the disorder itself was a slow progressor, and if overlooked—can lead to kidney failure when the patient entered his adolescent. Immunosupressive drugs were necessary treatment.