Love. Lost. Labor Ward

Chapter 1. Love of Labor Unfolded

"Hey, where is the office of department of ObGyn.?" Nathan asked the clerk at the Admission Desk.

"It's on the first floor, take the stairs on the right, then take a left, cross over two cabins and there is a sign board, 'Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology',there you are", she replied.

"Ok, Thanks a lot", Nathan acknowledged.

Nathan looked out of the window. The weather was cloudy and it was about to rain. He took the stairs and reached the office.

Suzy, the Admission Director  was sitting at her desk. He said, "Good morning, Ma'am, I am Nathan Carter and have secured admission for MD ObGyn. These are my papers."

Suzy looked at him, her eyes glowing to see a tall, fair and handsome, black hair, brown eyes, 5.11 feet guy in full sleeves cream colour shirt, faded corduroy pants and jet black polished shoes.

She smiled at him and nodded, "Yes."

She picked up the phone receiver and dialled a number.

"Good morning, Dr. Jack, you have a new MD student, Dr. Nathan Carter. I am assigning him to your unit. He will be there in your chamber soon." Suzy spoke in the hollow of the phone.

Nathan looked at her and said "Thanks. Where can I see Dr. Jack?"

Suzy replied, "His chamber is on the extreme left corner, last room, on the same floor. Please do knock on his cabin door."

Nathan left and zoomed into the corridor. He was excited, at the same time nervous, as all his dreams of getting MD ObGyn. were fulfilled today.

His father wanted him to pursue MD in Cardiology, but the fascination of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ObGyn) was more than anything else.

    Seeing his Father busy all the time, dealing with heart attacks, angiography, conferences, lectures hardly gave him time to spend with Nathan.

His first love was his beloved mother. His eyes became wet with tears, as he remembered her face, brown hair and beautiful broad smile.

    Faint memory of her photos on the wall of his living room, made him sad. He controlled his tears and did not allow it to fall on his checks .

She was in pain. Labor pains. She lost her life due to hemorrhage following delivery of his sibling Ken, 4 years younger to him.

But, he found his love. ObGyn.

His first choice, after his entrance exam was Obstetrics and Gynecology followed by Ophthalmology.

Today morning was a big day in his life. He dressed in his best attire, to meet his love. He prayed to God in the morning, dedicating himself for saving lives.

Nathan took control of his emotions & knocked on the door of Dr. Jack Mackenzie's chamber. He welcomed Nathan and looked straight in his eyes and told him to take a seat.

Nathan sat down on the wooden chair. The room was sea green coloured with sleek Mahogany wooden table in front of him. He looked around from left to right and saw that the wall behind Dr. Jack's chair was decorated with certificates, memorabilia, mementoes, bookshelf stacked with medical books & press cut-outs.

On his right side of the table was a sleek MacBook Pro 11 inch, silver colour. Dr. Jack was typing some clinical notes on the keyboard.

Nathan could hear soothing Beethoven music playing in the background.

    He took a deep breath to get hold of the grasp of reality that he was sitting in front of his teacher and well known gynecologist, "Jack the Saviour", as known to the medics.

He looked at Jack and introduced himself, "Good morning, Dr. Jack, I am Dr. Nathan. I have been allotted your unit. My Dad Dr. John Carter has given regards to you."

Dr. Jack looked at Nathan from top to bottom and smiled at him. He gave him a piercing look.

"Thanks. Give my regards to him. We were classmates at Harvard and it's been a long time we met. Nice to see you son!", Dr. Jack said.

"Our friendship goes back to 30 years. We meet at the Alumni function every 5 years and exchange pleasantries. Be comfortable, my son." Dr. Jack continued.

"However life as an ObGyn. resident is going to be tough here, as we deal with both mother and child , saving two lives and some times, three or four when it's twins or triplets."

"Gynecology is a wonderful branch too. You will learn gradually doing operative work. Be sincere in your work & honest to yourself, while dealing with my patients. All the best to you." Dr. Jack said and wished good luck to Nathan.

Nathan was relieved. The first encounter went smoothly with his teacher. He turned his head and looked outside the window.

It was still cloudy and dull. Rain had started with slight drizzle and he could see the tree branches moving with the gust of wind. What a pleasant morning it was.

He took a deep breath to smell the rain and it was different, something different, but not the smell of rain.

Nathan got up from his chair and was about to leave. "Thank you, Dr. Jack. I hope I will come up to your expectations."

"You may leave now. Join your labour ward duty. It's our emergency day today. Meet Dr. Brown, your Registrar stationed in the labor ward. He will guide you. Regarding your thesis, we will meet next Friday", Dr. Jack said.

Nathan turned towards the door and entered the corridor. Yes, the smell was not of rain. It was something different. He saw a girl, few steps away, wearing a printed pink top inside a black jacket and a black trouser. She had long black hair, with a chiselled chin and a dimple on the right side of her cheek.

She looked at him with lovely wide, hazel brown eyes and smiled. It was HER fragrance. His heart was racing fast, but he had to control himself.

She looked at him but did not say anything and walked past by. He stopped and turned around.

"Hi, I am Dr.Nathan, Nathan John Carter. Can you please tell me where is the labor ward? I am Dr. Jack's MD student and this is my first day at the medical college."

She halted for a moment and turned her shoulders to face him, "Nice to meet you. Just walk across the corridor and go downstairs. Take the first right and ask anyone where is the hospital building. It's on the first floor, ward number 12."

"Thanks", Nathan said.

She had a beautiful but firm voice. She had no make up, no mascara, no lipstick but she was looking so fresh and beautiful. He liked her confidence and her beauty.

What will happen to Nathan?
How will be his first day in the Labor Ward?
Will he ever come across that beautiful girl again?
What will be his labor Ward duties like?

To know more, stayed tuned.

Thanks 🙏 for taking your valuable time out for reading my first chapter.
PLEASE do like 👍, vote✌, comment 📬 and share 💏.