Rabid

Chapter One

"QUIET!", she screamed.

The jam-packed hospital lobby went silent upon the loud admonition from the girl clad in bloodied scrubs. A fuming 25 year old, with a scalpel in her hand, stood at the far end of the lobby, her eyes shooting daggers at the crowd. It was her third week as duty doctor in the Emergency room and was moments away from a mental breakdown.

Dr. Meya Moone, or 'Mad Moon' as her juniors called her, was a final year resident in Emergency Medicine at the Georgia University Medical Center. She was famous for her tenacity in the direst emergency situation and more so for her nasty temper. It was rumoured that she had a criminal record for assault and even spent time in juvenile detention. But nobody could deny the fact that she was the best amongst all resident doctors in the hospital.

She made her way back to the patient she'd performed tracheostomy on, right before she was rudely interrupted by the din in the lobby. The patient was a mangled 17 year old boy with multiple animal bite wounds all over his body. He was brought to the hospital in a state of delirium, gasping for air and bleeding profusely. This wasn't the first time she'd seen such a case in the Emergency. The previous month, a 43 year old man had been treated for similar injuries, who to her surprise, made a miraculous recovery the very next day.

'Bollocks! Looks like I can't sleep tonight as well', she thought, adjusting the IV line hooked onto the sleeping boy.

"Did you contact his guardian, Will?", she asked, turning to the clueless intern standing behind her.
"Uh... Oh! Right! I was on my way to--".
"Forget it! I'll do it myself!", she huffed and stormed out of the room.

Meya Moone wasn't always like this. She was a bright and cheery girl, who grew in Mtskheta, amidst the churches and rivers, with her parents. They were a typical, middle class family- her parents ran a convenience store while she went to school.But it all changed on her 16th birthday, when her parents went missing. It's been just her since then, fending for herself through the ordeals of life.

She punched in the number and tapped her feet impatiently as the call connected. The phone rang for a while but nobody answered it. Muttering curses under her breath, she was about to hang up, when a deep voice answered the call.
"Hello?", he asked.
'Beautiful voice', she noted. "Hello, Mr. Avery Black? This is Dr. Moone from the Georgia University Emergency Center. I'm calling regarding Mr. Trevor Black, who was brought into the Emergency right now. He --".

"Trevor! Shit!". Click.

"Rude arse!", she thought aloud.

"Will! WILL!", she yelled.
"Yes, Dr. Moone?", Dr. Will replied, panting heavily from the short run.
"Did the patient give an alternate contact?"
" No, Dr. Moone. This was the only one."
"Keep calling him, till he agrees to come to the hospital."
" Keep ca-- Ye..yes, of course, Dr. Moone", Will sighed.

This was probably the busiest day for the department, as every bed was occupied by patients in need of constant monitoring. In addition to that, were the slew of people in the lobby waiting for treatment. Being the senior resident meant that she had to be on-call at all times, add that to her lack of friends to switch shifts with, Dr. Moone practically lived in the Emergency room.

Five years of medical school and three years of post graduation hadn't readied her for these tiresome shifts and sleepless nights. The long hours and lack of sleep were getting to her otherwise athletic frame; huge bags under her eyes, a crick in her neck and a constant headache, Dr. Meya Moone could not have looked worse.

Just as she turned to walk to the doctor's lounge, dreaming about a hot shower and an espresso, it hit her. The sweet smell of ripe mangoes in summer, her favourite fruit. Her nose traced the enchanting fragrance and led her eyes to settled down on a god-like figure. He had a chiseled face and muscular tattooed arms, his hair pulled back into a man-bun, wearing ripped jeans, a leather jacket and a white t-shirt that hugged his torso, begging his abs to peek out. The sweet smell emanating from his body made him look like the tastiest snack she'd ever laid eyes on.

He was at the nurse's station, and by the looks of it was enquiring about a patient. There was worry writ on his eyebrows, which made him look a lot older.

Curious about the man who caught her attention, she walked to the nurse's station and positioned hereself across the man.

He was pacing impatiently, probably worried about the patient he came to visit, wringing his hands while doing so.

Suddenly, as though hit by an imaginary wall, he stopped dead on his tracks. He slowly looked around the room, till his gaze fixed on Dr. Moone. His eyes shone the brightest silver, his lips curled into the most beautiful smile and parted to mouth a single word-

"Mate!"

END OF CHAPTER ONE.