Chapter 1.The Vulnerable You.
"Ahhh!!"my head hurts. I winced at the throbbing headache that I had been having since the morning and all of this is because I couldn't sleep last night, crying in my pillows again and again not able to digest the words Posey told me yesterday evening...
"That guy is just like a Playboy, doesn't really care about anyone, he's been like that with every other girl, you know right?".
The words swirling in my mind, the words crushing the shattered pieces of my heart more and more...
Indeed, she doesn't know how much that person meant to me. Posey is my school friend, she talks to everyone, and she has good friendships with everyone, but not everyone is genuine with her, and she knows it but ignores it, not to let them play an unnecessary part in her life, she knows everyone almost. She happened to meet me after a long time hence we had a long chat about our school friends and others, she mentions everyone including Carter, Ryan, and Alex the people I hate, but always forget about Aaron, which I have to remind myself all the time, just so I could know how he is now, just to know him in others words since I don't get to see him myself how much I wish or pray...
It's not like I cried listening to her words about him but I knew he's changed, the way he responds to me online the way he spends time with me online...all the enthusiasm that had been before being gone in him, this wasn't the first time I cried but this time I felt like I realized more that he isn't for me, he isn't the guy I knew anymore...
As I went deeper into my thoughts a sudden knock on my door was heard, it is my friend Cassie who stood there wide-eyed "Hurry up, Mira!!! Can't believe you are still sitting here!! She's gonna lecture us again for the fourth time today if you get late"...' Oh!! Yes!! I forgot I forgot that I should assist Miss. Sherlin today in the surgery'...' How can I even forget something that involves Miss. Sherlyn with me, how can I forget how much careful I should be with her, No, not even a second. I quickly grabbed my blue scrubs that are neatly folded in my bag and rushed to the changing room, people already giving me stupid looks which I couldn't even consider since my mind is occupied with the lady that is going to give me a good lecture for the rest of the day...
Ever since I had become an Intern and got posted in the Surgery department, I was assigned to Miss. Sherlyn. She is a Surgeon, a smart lady of 30 years, with long brown hair that is as straight as a line till her waist, eyes that of chocolate brown with a piercing gaze, that goes perfectly with her fair skin and sharp features, not to forget the body which has the perfect curves and a desirable height, she doesn't even try to make efforts to look beautiful, she is a natural beauty that every girl envies, on top of all, are her confidence that radiates the room, when it comes to the other side, she is a lady that loses her patience every 5 seconds and goes out rampaging, the only thing that made her eligible to be a doctor is her skill, an excellent person with high Surgical skills otherwise she's just a lazy poke...The only thing I was made use of is to handle the instruments that she hands me in the Operation theatre and if I get late then I'll be done for the day...
I was late by 3 and a half minutes and she had already given me a very irritated look, I gulped in fear, now it starts--- 'My Ruined day'...
I went and stood by her side, started to wear all the necessary equipment while she is still staring at me, I avoided her eyes, maybe it is correct to say I didn't dare to look at them...
Making myself snap out of the fear, I decided...
'Now I should be careful with my wor---
'''CLANG'''!!!!!!
'SHIT!!! I DROPPED THE SCALPEL'...
I closed my eyes shut, as soon as the metal hit the ground making a big sound and jolting everyone. Now I'm standing there still eyes closed, waiting for her voice to echo through the room making everyone look at me including the patient on the bed raise their head in pain, and stare at me, I can already feel all of their eyes on me 'Oh God!!' 'How Embarrassing!!!' Wish I could just die here.....' Now she goes, with those toxic words of hers that's gonna penetrate my ears reaching my brain and exhausting every part of it, here they come the words that I wish I could have some strength in me to bear, here they are----
"Hand me another Sterilized Scalpel quick!!."
'Yes, Hand me another sterilized Scal----'
Wait--What???? Scalpel??
What did she even say? NO!! That isn't what she is supposed to say, she should scold me right now so that I get pity looks from the others for the rest of the day, so that my record of bearing her anger without missing every single day doesn't get broken...
In disbelief, I lift my head to look at her. There is no sign of any irritation on her face. Not even grumpiness. On top of these a Normal Pleasant face? That I could make out even when she has the mask? Did she ignore me? Did she forget to scold me? What in the world had happened to her? Is she on drugs or something? All of this is a 'Once in a Blue Moon'...
The rest of the day just passed with my disbelief thoughts on Miss. Sherlyn and discussing them with Cassie who is also in disbelief, and some basic check-ups on the patients I was assigned to...it's almost 6'o clock in the evening when I headed home. I travel on the city bus every day it takes around an hour for me to reach home, likewise, it takes an hour in the morning. They are comfortable since I get to have the window seat always. With the Music On I forget the existing world around me.
I am standing at the bus stop wearing the thick jacket that I adore, that is protecting me from the cold, I placed my hand in my pockets and waited for the bus. Just when the bus is about to arrive, a car stopped in front of me. Its Miss.Sherlyn. I see her every day passing by without even giving a glance at me but today she stopped in front of me. So now I see...'So, after all, she does know I stand here every day, she isn't a very much lazy lady that ignores others' presence after all...I smiled at the thought I had, 'Finally she recognizes me'...
She waved her hand and gestured for me to come near, lowering the car window. I went to her with a smile...
"Why are you standing here?"
What? Why is she asking this, did she forget?..."Umm. I am waiting for the bus...?" I said it more like a question rather than an answer.
"Why is it today?"She asked.
'Why is it today?' doesn't she know?
"I go by bus every day". I said.
" What? Every day? I don't even see you "...
My face dropped internally. How can I even mistake someone like her? After all, I had been watching her all these days...I stood there with a dead expression that she couldn't make it.
"Hop in. I'll drop you today" she said.
Is she the same lady I knew all these days? She wants me to hop in? Why is it? Is there something she needs me to do?... Wondering what was wrong with her, I accepted her offer and hopped in.
The ride home was silent, and ll along I kept staring out the window...it is a cold winter evening with trees that stood without leaves showing off their long branches that looked so beautiful in the setting sun...
My house is in a peaceful community, with neighbors that are kind enough to help me when needed and also questioning enough when I get home late, just so they could get some spicy information from a young aged girl being late out at night...only to find out I had work till late night, Poor guys don't get to have something interesting from this boring girl.
My house has a small kitchen with rightly placed windows, a lively living room with minimally placed furniture, and two bedrooms one for me and another left for my parents or my sister when they come to visit me, and a store room that is in the backyard and the yard surrounding the house within the walls filled with my lovely rose plants that smell so fresh in the morning enlightening my mood for the day till I get to the hospital and messed by Miss. Sherlyn... I live alone, and I choose to be so, so I want to avoid interaction with some strange roommate...I moved there alone after I had to pursue my studies, far from my parents, I miss them occasionally though, especially my crazy sister that makes me laugh all the time.
After I had started my studies here, it took me long enough to get along with the people hence I barely made friends here and there. To people I had been an almost invisible person, they ask my name even now, after my journey with them for years. I had always faced questions like-
---"Were you there with us all this time?"
"What's your name by the way? Never even saw you before"....literally when I had been sitting just a few meters away from them all the time in the same class
---"Why are you always so serious?"
--- "Did you cry or something?"
And recently a new one was added
---"Are you sick? Your face looks like that".
I'm pretty sure they don't mean to offend me, they were genuine...But... But I don't understand why I seemed like that to them it's always 'Annoying' like 'Can't you spend some space in your mind for your classmates? For the people around you?' it doesn't even take much, and even if you ask, 'Can't you just remember the answer you receive instead of asking again and again, if you can't then, why ask in the first place?' Annoying!!
Coming to my appearance I have Black wavy hair till my hips that is mostly a little frizzy all the time, so it goes to be a braid almost every day, Black eyes that hide behind the medium to big sized thin-rimmed rectangular glasses that I wear, Skin which is Golden-Brown, Height which I barely made up to 5'3...by which I'm not satisfied...and a medium to thin built body that is not so curvy, but yes to some extent I am, with all of these plain features and my anxiety and nervousness that I face when I talk to people, I couldn't make any friends let alone a romantic relationship...
I envy the couples I see and the gang of friends with boys and girls roaming in front of me all the time in the hospital...couples almost dating in the hospital. Everyone around my age is enjoying their youth while me being 23 years still crying over a guy that I had started liking when I was 15, who doesn't have feelings for me.......
'THUD'!!!....'CREAK'!!!!
A loud sound followed by a sudden break that almost made me hit the front. My heart started to pound in my chest. My breathing became irregular that took me a while to catch up, Head was almost dizzy with the quick movement...What just happened? I quickly looked at Miss. Sherlyn, to find out the answer. To my surprise, her eyes went wide, gaze straight, blank minded unable to process what just happened.
She Was Dumbfounded.
"SHIT!! What did I just do?"
She said it aloud hitting her forehead with her palm, snapping herself out of shock....She quickly made her way out of the car, I stepped out and followed her just to find a man lying a few meters away from the car on the black road in an unconscious state, all of the car headlights focused on him...
'AN ACCIDENT????!!!!!!'
' MISS. SHERLYN MADE AN ACCIDENT!!'
Just then a loud siren was heard...it took us just a few minutes to figure out it was the cops on patrolling duty...by the intensity of the sound they might be just a few streets away from us and they might reach us within minutes if we stay here any longer.
"NO!!! They can't know about this, I shouldn't be involved in something like this right now!!" she said in a terrified tone...she is filled with fear, and so am I. Watching her tense up my fear grew more and more, considering the fact I fear easily almost everything.
On the other hand, the man is lying with some random wounds with the blood dripping...we ran to him, and he fell in a position where his face faced away from us, I quickly kneeled to him, eyeing him all over, without any thought my trembling hands went for his face slowly, when my hands touched his cheeks, I felt them warm, he is burning in this cold night. I cupped his face in my palms, which fit in them perfectly, turned his face towards me gently to make sure it doesn't pain him, and now I see him, he isn't unconscious, instead, he is semi-conscious, mumbling some words from his little open mouth that are barely audible, in a deep husky voice, he is telling something with the most saddest smile I had seen, as if he had lost something precious as if he had messed up the things in his life that can't be returned, his eyes heavy, tired and drooping, almost like crying, his eyelashes wet and sticky with the slight tears that made them shine in the light along with his hair that is messy and wet with the sweat, I felt a quick chill when they touched my hands in the cold weather, strands of wet his hair covering the forehead and falling on his eyes.
Judging by the state he is in, realizing what it is suddenly Miss. Sherlyn and I exchanged glances in shock!!
'HE IS BEEN DRUGGED!!'
Did he take drugs? Or is it someone doing it?
But overall, He felt very 'Vulnerable'...so Vulnerable that I couldn't move away from him...
After examining his features more clearly it took me a few seconds... I froze!! my eyes went wide in shock realizing the person in my hands, my mouth fell open, realizing it is a familiar face I had known...
"It's ALEX"!!!!...I said out loud...
Hearing my words, Miss. Sherlyn then suddenly lifts her head to me,
"You know Him??!" "Oh!My Goodness"!!!...
It took me a few seconds to process what she said. I gave her a confused look... then her eyes lit up, making me go bewildered, the face she made told me she was about to say something that was gonna drop me in trouble, and it sure does...just then the words came from her mouth...
"LET'S GET HIM TO YOUR HOME".
" W...H...A...T...???????"
--------------------------------------------------------------
'Alex'?????
____ Who is he???
_____ How does she know him???
_____What does she know about him???
_____Why is he there???
_____What made him land up in such a
terrible state???
' Take Him Home'???
_____Why should she allow that???
_____What is she going to do now with
that messed man in her hands?
_____Is She going to leave him there or help
him???
_____What kind of fate is awaiting
her???
____________________________________________
