CURING DOCTOR'S HEARTACHE

Lumina Hospital a private health care facility faces a crisis when a nearby accident leaves the hospital flooded with victims who need immediate medical attention . Some patients are critically injured and need emergency surgery.

Nurses and doctors run with critically injured patients in stretchers, some just carried and all you could see was blood and the RTS victims groaning in pain.It was like witnessing a horror scene.

With senior surgeon, Dr Christian being on leave recovering from abdominal surgery and another experienced surgeon, Dr Osborne, away mourning his mother's death, the hospital is left in a precarious situation with only two available intern surgeons.

As the sirens, groans and wailing filled the air, a curious patient who's recovering from a fructured limb on her crutches limps to the window to see what's happening . But the horror she witnesses leaves her shocked .

She turns around, grabs an abandoned stethoscope on the table. And on her crutches, steps up to her calling, her passion of saving lives .She walks out of the room.

As she walks into the emergency area, she looks around and sees two intern surgeons being given instructions by the hospital administrator to carry out the emergency surgeries.

The two interns are clearly terrifed . Serena quickly goes to them .

" Excuse me," Serena said , approaching the hospital administrator.

" I'm a doctor by profession. A surgeon to be precise and I would like to offer my assistance. I can help with the surgeries if you allow me."

The administrator initially taken aback by Serena's unexpected offer, can't hide his doubt.

But before he could say a word, Serena quickly pulls her credentials on her phone which she has backed up on her email .

Impressed by her qualifications and the dire situation the hospital is in ,the administrator agreed to let Serena lend a hand .

" This way."

The adminstrator led Serena towards the hospital theatre.

Over the next 36hours Serena worked tirelessly performing the surgeries alongside the interns and some nurses. After 8 hours, the first intern left so exhausted.

Nurses changed shifts but Serena had nobody to take over . Another 3 hours down the second intern left .

Serena was the only remaining surgeon. She diligently did her work. You could think she's a machine or some kind of robot which doesn't get exhausted.

At this point, Serena was a super human . Even machines malfunction when overworked. But Serena didn't .

All the nine patients she operated on, were saved and given another chance to life .

Her skill and composure amidst her own situation didn't deter her. It was remarkable under the pressure, in her condition but to her patient's lives mattered more than anything else .

This is Dr. Serena. She believes that, every life must be saved at whatever cost.

As she stood exhausted but triumphant, leaning on the wall , the owner of Lumina hospital Dr Lucas who was eargerly waiting to see the hero of the day, was shocked; as he strolled in the operating theatre, only to see a tiny young lady with tiny hands that had performed the magic .

Dr. Sinclair couldn't believe his eyes .

This is a young lady, barely 28 years who has stepped up without hesitation to save lives despite her own physical limitations.

He approaches her and appreciated her for her selfless act . He just looks at her in admiration.

" Your actions for the last 36 hours are nothing short of heroic . Please let me help you." Smiling,

" My name is Dr. Lucas Sinclair. I'm the founder of this hospital. I'm really glad to meet a hero like you. Thank you so much for your bravery and selflessness. The field of medicine needs people like you. "

A visibly worn out Serena affords a very weak smile . In a very weak voice...

" Hi, I'm Dr Serena . I've been a patient here for one week, willow ward , Jasmine wing ."

Smiling back at her Dr. Sinclair nods without going into more details. She really looks haggard.

He gently helps Serena remove her scrubs supporting her as she made her way out of the theatre.

In the subsequent days Serena continued to step in as a surgeon , her skills and dedication impressing the entire hospital .

And since both surgeons were yet to come back, Dr. Sinclair wanted her to keep helping.

Recognising the extraordinary circumstances and Serena's invaluable contribution, Dr. Sinclair decided to take a personal interest in her care.

He moved her to a more comfortable ward and ensured that she received the best medical attention. All the while observing her with growing fascination .

As the crisis at Lumina hospital began to subside, strong friendship between these two started to take root .

This friendship, was built on the foundation of mutual respect and admiration. Dr. Sinclair could visit Serena in her ward and this way they started knowing each other better and deeper.

Everyday he could check on her and they could talk about different topics ranging from the experiences in the field of medicine, what prompted them to choose medicine, and their future prospects in this field. He seemed so intrigued by her personality and attitude. He just liked her.

Yeah, their frindship was platonic but with deeper connection. As time went by, they learned that they had same values , very related goals in life and one particular day this conversation revived some bad memories and traumas .

" My dad died when i was only four. My mum raised me singlehandedly with alot of struggles." Serena narrates.

" You have siblings? " Concerned Dr. Sinclair asks. Serena shakes her head.

"I was an only child. When i was twelve my mum felt sick, we couldn't afford a better hospital and the only option was a dispensary nearby."

Serena takes a deep breathe, a moment of silence , her face looking down.

When she looks up, all we could see, was tears filled in her eyes.

"That day I accompanied my mum to the hospital but there were no doctors. The facility had only one clinical officer who was away."

She breaks down. Dr Sinclair doesn't know how to comfort he. He just gently rubs her back.

" With only nurses left who didn't know what to do, all they could say was they couldn't understand what my mum was ailing from and we could come back when there's a doctor. We kept coming back multiple times."

We hear movements, they both turn and a nurse walks in. She hands Dr. Serena medicine. The nurse leaves. Dr. Sinclair assists serena to open a bottle of water and passes it to her. She swallows her pills and continues.

"I pleaded with them to do something...the most painful part is my mum succumbed to what I later discovered was pneumonia. She had gone to that facility for more than two weeks being given painkillers and anti -malaria administered by nurse aids." She choked.

" Sometimes I feel, if they had put her on right medication immediately, she could be alive today."

Tears still rolling. Serena wipes her eyes which are now red and looks away to avoid Dr. Sinclair's gaze as he listened. He pulls a clean handkerchief from his pants, and offers her.

" I'm really sorry for your loss . That must have been so disturbing." Dr Sinclair acknowledges her pain.

"My mum's death was the reason I made a decision to be a doctor. I don't want to ever see anyone go through such. I realised we had shortage of doctors and I just wanted to reduce that gap by one." Serena says as tears roll down her cheeks. Dr Sinclair holds her hand in his trying to comfort her.

" My dad was a pilot . One day, they had a crash. He was rushed to hospital while still breathing but 18hours later, with no surgeon to attend to him. That was how a life that could have been saved, was lost. That was my father's dear life."

He removes his glasses. His face clearly showing how he was feeling at that particular moment. Dr. Serena whispers in a soft voice,

" I'm sorry."

"I have a twin brother, he's a doctor too. Together we founded this hospital. When we were young, he was diagnosed with a hole in his heart . All along my life I've watched my brother struggle. When we were young as his condition worsened, you could see the immense pain he endured. These were terrible moments for my mother and I especially after my dad's demise."

His eyes getting moist, a little bit lost in thoughts . Then...

" He had to live in hospital most of the times. Sometimes in ICU. Everyday we were scared of losing him. It was a nightmare to our mum. This put a heavy financial constraints to our family. Slowly, my mom started getting depressed. She was later diagnosed with hypertension."

Dr. Sinclair takes a deep breath. Serena listens carefully sympathising with him.

"When we were in highschool and mum wanted to know what each one of us wanted to do in life, I told her that my brother and I were going to be doctors in order to take care of my brother's demanding health, and our mum's. My brother didn't object and here we are." He sighs

" That's too much for one person."

Serena softly says. A moment of silence,they look at each other trying to process what they had just shared. Choosing to break the eerie silence,

"So how's your mum doing? She must be so proud of her sons. Isn't she? And how's your brother doing?" Serena inquires wanting to know more .

Suddenly Dr Sinclair's eyes well up with tears .

" My mum was feeling unwell. We had an emergency in the hospital just like a week ago. My brother and I were busy saving lives as our mum lost hers, she died of a heart attack in the house. What hurts most, is after reviewing CCTV footage at home, we realised it took mum almost an hour before she died. When my brother came out of theatre, he found dozens of missed calls from her. The senior surgeon in this hospital, Dr Christian who's away recovering from abdominal surgery after he had multiple stabs by robbers who also left with his car and everything is my twin brother."Dr. Sinclair can't hide his pain anymore.

" I'm really sorry. If i knew about your mum I couldn't bring it up."

Serena feels so guilty. Dr Sinclair wipes a tear that escapes at the corner of his left eye with his thumb finger .

" Excuse me !"

Dr Sinclair is visibly overwhelmed, walks away leaving Serena not knowing what to do. Serena wonders after everything Dr Sinclair has gone through and still facing, how does he afford a smile...how does he even concentrate at work?

Dr Sinclair goes to his office and breaks down. Shortly , he picks his coat and briefcase then leaves the hospital.

As he drives on the way, we can see that he's deeply lost in his thoughts. We come back and find Serena standing by the window definitely she was watching Dr Sinclair leave the facility.

She mumbles to herself, " You look like a really nice person Dr Sinclair. I feel sorry you didn't have to go through all these .

I thought that my life was painful but I must agree I've not seen even a fifth of what you've been through.

"I'm so sorry." She closes her eyes for a while trying to let everything sink in. She slowly walks back to her bed and lays down.