Goddess In White
“Congratulation, Nora. I wish you all the best!” Cate said, cheerfully squeezing the hand of the woman in the delivery room. “You have a very wonderful, healthy baby boy. Enjoy your time as a little family.”
Nora smiled fondly and looked from her son to her husband, who was just overjoyed to share the happy news with the rest of the family over the phone, giving his wife amorous glances over and over again.
“Thank you,” Nora replied, “Thank you for making this birth such a great experience. I’m a midwife myself, but I have to admit I was still pretty nervous. After all, it’s not every day you become a first-time mom. But, with your calm demeanor, you managed to make me feel completely in control yet somewhat relaxed by the end.”
Cate smiled back. “You’re a strong woman, Nora. You could have done just as well with another doctor.”
“That may be. Still, I’m glad it was you.”
“And I’m glad to hear that,” Cate answered. It was a great compliment to experience such gratitude from her colleague.
“You know, I actually think I’m going to miss the delivery room a little,” Nora stated thoughtfully.
“For now, enjoy your parenting time. Everyone always says the months just fly by. You’ll see, you’ll be back at the ward before you know it,” Cate laughed.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Now, get the hell out of the hospital. I know you’ve been here way too long again,” Nora ordered, shooing Cate out of the room with a wave of her hand.
“I’m already gone!” the latter assured with a grin. She had barely reached the door, however, when her pager went off.
Cate looked at the message and sighed. That’s it for my closing time, she thought, and immediately headed for the elevator to change wards.
The Emergency Department was as busy as always. Cate passed through the packed waiting room, held her ID against the scanner, and marched purposefully through the otherwise locked electronic wing door toward the treatment rooms.
She hurried into the anteroom of the area with several operating rooms, where a nurse was already waiting for her.
“Are you the doctor from gynecology?”
Cate nodded.
“Mrs. Patel suddenly developed dizziness while she was waiting for her husband. He was involved in a car accident and is being treated right now,” the nurse explained without hesitation. Then she pulled her aside a bit and whispered: “He’s just been resuscitated. His condition is not stable yet. Probably the stress was too much for her.”
Cate nodded and turned to the patient.
“Ms. Patel, I’m Dr. Caitlin Whitecross. I’d like to examine you.”
“No, no. I’m fine. I don’t need any treatment. I just felt dizzy for a minute. Please, I want to wait here for my husband,” the woman stammered, massaging her temples as if it would help her focus.
“Were you also involved in the car accident?” asked Cate, putting her fingers to the woman’s wrist to take her pulse.
“I was out grocery shopping when I got the news. My husband was on his way to pick me up. After all, I’m not allowed to do any heavy lifting in my condition. I then rushed as fast as I could to the cab station in front of the shopping center and got a ride to the hospital,” the woman replied. She sounded out of breath.
“What week of pregnancy are you?”
“Thirty-six,” Ms. Patel replied, sounding increasingly strained.
“Were there any incidents on the way to the hospital?” asked Cate, putting a blood pressure monitor on the woman. She barely noticed.
“I don’t think so. I simply dropped everything. On my way out, I bumped into another man. He was just coming through the door with his shopping cart,” the woman told choppily, suddenly holding onto her stomach while wincing in pain.
An uneasy feeling spread through Cate as she eyed the woman closely.
“Have you been in pain for a while?”
“No, just since a moment ago,” Ms. Patel replied in a clenched voice.
Cate’s gaze fell on the patient’s black pants, which, on closer inspection, showed a dark stain, like that caused when a liquid leaks.
“Can I have a quick look?” asked Cate, touching the wet spot as the woman nodded.
A glance at Cate’s dark red fingertips confirmed her suspicions. The woman was losing blood. But because of her shock, she didn’t even realize it. Not much was leaking, but Cate feared it looked different inside the patient’s body.
“Notify the team immediately for an emergency Caesarean section,” Cate said calmly but firmly to the nurse, who was still standing beside her, waiting.
“Excuse me?” the nurse asked in surprise.
“It’s urgent,” Cate said without taking her eyes off the patient, and the nurse hurried off. “Mrs. Patel, I know this might sound shocking, but we need to deliver your baby now.”
“What? No!”
The operating room door opened and a couple of doctors stepped out into the hallway.
“Hello, I’m Dr. James Morelli, the attending surgeon. Your husband is doing-” but the doctor’s voice broke off.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, rushing over to the two women and squatting down next to Cate. He was followed by another doctor who appeared to have stayed in the OR with him.
Cate looked sideways into her friend’s familiar face. But she didn’t let the private connection show and gave a matter-of-fact summary.
“Ms. Patel is currently thirty-six weeks pregnant. She had a collision with a person while she was shopping, just before she went to the hospital. I’m concerned that the shopping cart caused a retroplacental hematoma,” she said. “I can’t rule out blood congestion. Her pulse is elevated, her blood pressure has dropped to eighty over sixty, she’s bleeding and appears to be in respiratory distress,” Cate summarized as she palpated the woman’s abdomen. “Her uterus is also indurated.”
By now, the nurse had returned. “Dr. Whitecross, here’s the gurney. The team has been briefed. Operating room one is being prepped right now.”
“Good job,” Cate said, and to James: “Mrs. Patel needs to get to the OR as soon as possible. I need an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis, but I’m assuming a large placental abruption. ”
James nodded without hesitation, and together they moved the patient into position on the gurney.
“Please, my husband. How is my husband? I can’t leave here!” the woman cried out, sobbing, looking debilitated and wincing in pain. Still, she tried to sit up again.
“Your husband came through the surgery just fine. We had to resuscitate. But his condition is stable. He’s being monitored all the time. Now we’ll take care of you and your baby.”
He leaned closer to Cate. “I’ll check in with you later,” he murmured, only for Cate to hear. Then he gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. “You can do this!”
Aloud, he said: “Mrs. Whitecross is one of our most promising colleagues. Please put your mind at ease. You are in the best of hands.”
Cate gave him a grateful nod before pushing the woman toward the operating room as quickly as possible with the help of the nurses who had hastily come over.
Her white sneakers flew across the smooth floor as she spoke soothingly to her patient. Still, Cate didn’t feel rushed. On the contrary, contentment coursed through her body.
For most people, hospitals were a scary place. But Cate loved it here. The smell of disinfectant, the squeaky sound of rubber soles, and the hustle and bustle of white-clad staff gave her a sense of coming home.
All those years of relentless studying had paid off. It was like she had finally found her natural habitat, the place where she could feel comfortable and completely be herself. She was nowhere more in her element than here, no matter how stressful some workdays were.
♡♠♡
My little Mobsters,
First of all, thank you for reading this story!
If you’re interested in my writing progress, sneak peeks of new chapters, or more personal content, please follow me on Instagram (anna.kosalla).
My Secret Mobster Boyfriend (MSMB) is taking part in Inkitt’s monthly contest. You can support my book by giving it a like (♡) every new month. You can also support me by writing a short review (☆) and/or by commenting on my book chapters. I’d be forever grateful for your help and feedback!
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Love,
AK
