When the ambulance arrives and takes Nelly, accompanied by Camryn. Briccs and I drive behind it with Wayde in the backseat. The drive to Mitchell's Plain hospital is just as bad as its surrounding areas. The tensions are rising. The only audible thing in the car is the sound of the hot air from the air conditioner set to the highest degree of heat. I already feel like I'm on the road to hell. Wayde complains about the heat, Briccs switches it off. So we just end up sitting in dead silence. Can the mood get any more morbid.
Briccs eventually breaks the silence and asks Wayde about his sister.
"She is my only family, I usually attend these parties by myself but Nelly fed her mind with all her co dependency nonsense and -
Wait I'm not going to be arrested, am I?" he asks in a worry some tone.
"No, well we'll see" Briccs answers and chuckles at his last words
"That was a bad joke." I eventually break my vow of silence.
Briccs clears his throat and apologises
"Are you okay?" he asks
"Yeah, I just feel like I'm losing everyone I'm supposed to help."
"No you are not, you've just had the worst luck it's not your fault."
"So many people have died because of me."
"What the hell Jamie, that was one person and you saved me, and that other lady was going to die anyway, the medical reports proved it."
I sigh and look outside the window at the passing cars, asking myself why they are on the road this late. Maybe late night meetings, or late night dates. Completely oblivious to the tensions and burdens that this road is carrying.
" Let's just hope she's okay."
"How old are you Wayde?" Briccs asks him
"Nineteen"
"And Nelly?"
" Fourteen."
"Where are your parents?" I ask turning back to face him in the backseat.
"Really?" he asks, his voice laced with exhaustion but still finds a way to be sarcastic.
I look at Briccs and he shrugs his shoulder. I suddenly feel worse.There's so much more to this then drugs and parties and I've been suddenly stripped into this world over a night shift. My mind immediately goes back to my daughter and Sivvey and that damned USB, that I have no idea where to find.
I can't believe I've reached a point where I'm mentally arguing with myself debating on what are the least of my worries.
"Can I ask you a question, Jamie was
it?" I snap out of my thoughts to Wayde's attention.
"That's Officer Xane to you, kid,and yes."
"How many people have you killed exactly"
"Oh Fuck off" Briccs intervenes.
"Hey I answered all your questions." Wayde defends himself.
I can't help but smile as messed up as this all is.
"Only one" I answer and wink at him.
"That's not so bad" he answers with amusement in his voice.
I chuckle and look back out the window.
When we finally arrive at the hospital. There's no rush or panic. Camryn is not crying hysterically and Wayde is not swearing every doctor in sight, and Briccs is not trying to keep everyone in check, like I had expected. Instead we are all sitting in the quiet waiting area. The walls are a dull white. A water fountain with Styrofoam cups next to it on a white foldable table. A broken clock on the hall hanging above posters on how to prevent contracting STI's. Camryn is staring blankly at the wall because I'm sure she's read the posters at least 10 times during this wait, we all have. Wayde is surprisingly struggling to stay awake with his head laid on the arm of the chair. Briccs, however is creating holes in the ground pacing the small available space to walk. And I'm just staring at the corridor hoping a little doctor will come soon to put all of us out of our misery.
I take my phone out and it's almost eleven. My battery is on basically on life support.
In the waiting area we sit with a woman who looks around her thirties with a toddler who has a fever , everybody already knows this because he's fast asleep and she's been demanding for help for the past 45 minutes for her sick son.
A young man wearing his work uniform from a petrol station is complaining on his phone that he still hasn't seen his girlfriend who went into labour. He arrived not long after we did, demanding to see the mother of his child. Unfortunately, no luck and he takes a number like the rest of us.
I absolutely loathe hospitals.
The atmosphere slightly changes when lady who is wearing blue jeans and a white golf shirt written 'Mitchell's Plain hospital' and a tag written 'Student trainee'. The way she holds her clipboard and her hair tied in a pony tail. Her smile that stands out in a 5 meter radius, because she's the only one who is smiling. She is clearly happy to be here.
"Moyo!" she yells out. The woman with a toddler raises her HAND.
"Doctor Renol is ready for you" the woman huffs out a breath of relief and whispers a 'finally'. She gets up and leaves, leaving the rest of us wishing our surname was Moyo.
Less than five minutes later. The lady returns and I finally have hope.
"Khumalo" Camryn groans out of annoyance and Briccs holds his head out of frustration.
The man who I imagine is a father now stands up.
"You can follow me", she says to him with a very positive attitude and nicely done voice to rub the good news in our faces, he follows her and small talk about a baby is heard as they move off into the distance.
Every doctor or nurse that passes by us is just mockery at this point. It's been two hours now. The only news we've heard is the hospital gossip between nurses.
Camryn and Wayde are fast asleep. I myself am very close to throwing in the exhaustion towel.
The Guardian angel in the form of a trainee finally shows up.
"Camryn Slindi", apparently she wasn't completely asleep as her eyes shot right open and we all stand.
"Are you all family?" she asks.
"No they just police, I'm her cousin."
The trainee suddenly looks very nervous.
"Police uhm okay."
"You were saying?" Briccs asks her impatiently
"Well before I say anything, the doctors are trying their best, but so far it's bad news."
YOU ARE READING
Line of duty :untrained
Mystery / Thriller"I am a police officer, I didn't sign up for this, seriously this was not in my training" Officer Jamie Xané has just started on the job and is sure to do everything by the book,but she's haunted by the man she was forced to kill on the first day o...
