In The Darkest Hour

Part One - Chapter One: Tired but Okay

“Buenos Días Miss Mebarak,” Isla Cortez greeted walking into the hospital room, she had just started her shift for the day and Isla was in such a good mood; she loved working on the maternity ward even if she was only a nurse.

Isla moved forward to check on Isabel Mebarak’s chart, she was sure that the new mother wouldn’t be staying in the hospital much longer.

Isabel had given birth to a beautiful baby boy only two days earlier, she had named him Milan Felix Piqué Mebarak; she couldn’t have been happier and neither could her fiancé.

“Hola,” Isabel replied smiling, she couldn’t wait to take her little boy home and she was sure that her fiancé had gotten everything ready for when they returned.

Isabel’s older sister, Shakira, had been to visit the day before and had adore the little boy even if she wasn’t overly fond of Isabel’s fiancé but she knew that there was little that she could say to change her sister’s mind.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Isla asked checking over Isabel’s chart, she frowned when she noticed that no one had been to check on the brunette or her son in the last few hours; it was against procedure for someone not to pop in every so often to make sure new mothers and babies were okay.

“Tired but okay,” Isabel murmured with a smile, she felt good and she couldn’t wait to go home; she looked over at her son hoping that Gerard would be coming to visit soon.

Isla nodded her head, she murmured to herself annoyed that no one had bothered to come and check on Isabel; the last thing that the hospital needed was a law suit started by a footballer.

Isla pulled off her stethoscope and moved to give Isabel a quick check over, she knew that it was important after the caesarean section that the woman had when she had delivered her son.

Isabel sat quietly as Isla checked her over, she liked the other woman and she was sure that she would leave something special for her when it came time for her to head home after her hospital stay.

Isla frowned at the rattle in Isabel’s chest, it hadn’t been there when she had left the day before and she didn’t know what was going on but she knew it was best if she went and spoke with one of the doctors.

“Excuse me a moment,” Isla said flashing a small smile to Isabel, she didn’t like the sound of that rattling and since no one else had bothered to check on the new mother it worried her how long it had been there.

Isabel nodded her head curious about what was wrong, she knew that no one had been to see her the night before but she had thought that they had maybe forgotten and she didn’t wish to be a bother.

Isla walked out of Isabel’s hospital room, she hurried over to where several doctors where stood knowing that Isabel’s doctor stood there; she swallowed a little nervous about approaching the large group.

“Excuse me… Dr Gomez,” Isla said moving towards the group, her eyes fixed on Sharon Gomez knowing that it was important that she spoke with her.

Sharon rolled her eyes annoyed that some nurse was interrupting her talk with the other doctors; she looked over at Isla and pursed her lips wondering what she wanted.

“What is it?” Sharon asked bored, she was tired of all the nurses coming to her about her patients; she was the doctor and knew how to check on them and treat them without anyone else’s opinion.

Isla opened and closed her mouth, she hated speaking to doctors like Sharon; they were always so dismissive of the nursing staff who were stretched just as thin.

“It’s about your patient Miss Mebarak…” Isla started knowing that she had to suck it up, she didn’t want anything to happen to the new mother and she was sure Sharon would be worried.

Isla knew that some patients were high risk after having a baby, she couldn’t help but worry and she knew that the sounds that she had heard were worrying; now if only she could get the doctor to listen.

“I’m well aware of my patient nurse,” Sharon dismissed turning back to talk to the other doctors muttering about how disrespectful Isla was for thinking that she could tell her about her patients.

The other doctors were quick to agree with her, they were tired of nurses trying to tell them how to treat their patients; they were the doctors and they had been the ones to pass their exams.

“But…” Isla tried to interrupt however no one paid any attention to her, she grumbled to herself walking over to the nurse’s station wondering what she could do; no doctor would listen to her if she couldn’t even get Sharon to listen.

Joanna Simmons looked at her friend, it wasn’t unusual that the doctors wouldn’t listen to them; they were often dismissed just because they had different training.

“Everything okay?” Joanna asked looking to her friend and co-worker, it got them down sometimes that no one was willing to listen to them; she had been screamed at last week by one doctor when she had tried to correct him on dosage.

“It’s the woman in room 3410… there’s an odd rattling sound in her chest,” Isla explained knowing that Joanna would listen, she moved to make some notes in Isabel’s file so that someone would get around to check it at some point.

Joanna offered her friend a small smile, she was sure that whatever it was, wasn’t big and just a bit of an infection making itself known.

***

Isla frowned as she walked along the corridor, everything seemed to be in action and she wondered what was going on; she had never seen the ward so active before so she knew it wasn’t a baby being born.

Isla put the file that she had been carrying back in it’s slot, she had been sent on a fools errand by one of Sharon’s friends; she hated that the doctors all like to gang up on the nurses.

“What’s going on?” Isla asked peeking down the corridor, nearly everyone was looking that way if they weren’t dashing in and out of the room in question.

The nurses were all whispering and Isla wasn’t sure what to make of all of this, she knew that they were all waiting to see what happened; the air was filled with a charge that had set everyone on edge.

“Isabel Mebarak… she stopped breathing,” the other nurse whispered making Isla stare at her, her heart pounded in her chest knowing that this could have something to do with the rattling that she had heard earlier.

Isla swallowed wishing that Sharon had listened to her, she prayed that Isabel was going to be okay and wouldn’t suffer for her doctor’s negligence; she had everything to live for.

“Time of death… eleven-forty-two,” Sharon announced stalking out of Isabel’s hospital room, the entire ward was silent almost as everyone stared at her; she couldn’t believe that one of her patients was gone.

Isla clapped a hand over her mouth, she knew that no one deserved what had just happened and she could only imagine what was going to happen now.

No one said a word knowing that someone would lose their job over this and Sharon was the first person on the hit-list; she had been Isabel’s doctor and had failed her.

“Where’s my fiancée? Is Isabel okay?” Gerard Piqué demanded storming into the hospital ward, his blue eyes wildly looking for someone, anyone to tell him what was going on and if his fiancée was okay.