So here’s the story of my uncle Aaron, from his own diary. I still don’t get how he remembered all of the dialogues but my mother used to say that your uncle Aaron had the greatest memory of all the people I had met in my life. He never forgot anything…
I am a surgical intern; my life is going out as I planned. I have left my dark past way behind and now there is nothing pulling me back from my goal. I have buried my past so deep but I still remember everything. I guess there are some things you just cannot run away from. Problem of life in my perspective all start with girls. Yes girls, my past is associated with a particular girl which was the foundation for this perspective of mine. This foundation was starting to crumble at some point but then some events happened and this perspective of mine became more firm.
The day was Wednesday, a cloudy day and the expectation of rain was high. It was like any other day as it rained much in this part of the country I lived. Little did I know that this was not like any other day? I woke up and then went to the hospital. The rounds were just about to start. I entered the interns lounge and changed into my scrubs. The resident I was appointed to, was Dr. Holly Lambert, I, with my other fellow interns started the rounds. After the rounds I was appointed to a patient with Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer). I did the patient’s pre-op and then he was sent to surgery, luckily I was asked to scrub in on that surgery. It was so far going as an awesome day; a 12 hour surgery is just what I needed. After 18 hours my shift ended and I started to walk home. It was raining and I loved rain but I was an intern so I couldn’t afford to get sick so I opened up my umbrella and started trotting home. Every day when I walked towards my apartment, memories of the past came flashing back to me. My life could have been different if I hadn’t met her. I might not even be a doctor if it wasn’t for her. I thought on how much she influenced my life. The good and the bad. It really was her mistake that I was left broken. Yes I was grateful to her that because of her I had become the man I now was but at the cost of nearly losing my life. I will never forgive her for what she did to me, because the thing that she did not even an enemy would do.
“HEY!”
Did someone just shout hey?
“Hello mister, the one with the umbrella.” – The voice of a girl hit me
I turned around and saw a girl fully drenched in water, her lips curved into a smile after seeing me stop, walking towards me.
“Can I help you miss?” – I asked
“Yes, could you please drop me to my home as you have an umbrella and I am fully drenched and freezing?” – She said
I was a little taken aback by what she just said and then I reminded myself of the promise I made to myself and said to her politely.
“Here take my jacket and my umbrella, my house is just around the corner so I don’t need them anymore.” – I replied
“Are you sure?” – She asked
Honestly speaking, I was not sure at that time but I just couldn’t leave someone in that rain so I gave her my coat and umbrella.
“Yes, I am sure.” – I replied
And then I gave her both my coat and umbrella.
“I will return them soon, I promise” – She said
“No need to.”
And then she smiled and waved and left. I also continued on my way home. I slept soundly as I always did and woke up the next morning, got ready and went to the hospital. That day I was on post-op of a certain patient. That day went as boring as hell as I was monitoring that patient and just thinking. After a 20 hour shift that day, I as usual started to trot home. Suddenly I heard a familiar voice.
“Hello.”
I turned around and it was the same girl from last night, holding my coat and umbrella.
“Hi.” – I said
“I wanted to return them back to you and I didn’t know where you lived so I have been standing here for almost 3 hours and I was just about to left when I saw you.” – She said it all in a flow without even breathing
When she stopped she took a deep breath and held out her hands to return me my coat and umbrella. I took them and said,
“I told you there was no need to return them.”
She just smiled, and then said,
“Well, okay then. Bye.”
“Bye.” – I replied
And I continued towards my home, as I walked I thought that who was this girl? Why is she not running away from me? No, I have to stick to the promise I made to myself 6 years ago. I have to concentrate on my goal; I have to become a surgeon. And I closed the thoughts of her. In the past years I had become an expert in closing my thoughts off. Guess it came with experience and betrayal.
Returned to my everyday life and spent the next week scrubbing in on great surgeries, prepping patients and being on scut. I didn’t encounter the mysterious girl again but just as I was believing that she had just out of gratitude given me back my things, she appeared. And this time, in the hospital. A massive trauma was coming into the E.R. that day, as there was a massive gas explosion in a restaurant and many were injured. Everyone rushed towards the E.R., put on our trauma gowns and entered the E.R., the E.R. was filled and our residents gave us all a patient.
“Where should I go, Dr. Lambert?” – I asked
“Trauma room 3.” – She said loudly as there was noise filled in the E.R.
I entered the room; the trauma surgeon Dr. Lively was already there and was checking the girl lying on the gurney.
“Dr. Lively, I am assigned here.” – I said
“Okay Dr. Kent, she is clear. Only minor injuries; get her X-Ray and then suture her. My work here is done.” – Saying this he left
I walked to the gurney and started the X-Ray, then turned my attention towards the cut. Her calf had a huge cut covering almost the whole calf. But overall she was lucky that she had only got minor injuries as I had seen the other patients.
“So, you’re a doctor. Huh?” – Again that familiar voice hit my eardrum
Till that time I hadn’t looked at her, I was too busy suturing. But now I looked and there she was, the same girl. I looked at her for a few seconds then again diverted myself from her and continued suturing and said,
“Yes.”
“A doctor and a kind hearted man; must be my lucky day.” – She said
“Can you tell me ma’am what hit you and are you feeling any pain?” – I ignored her comment
“You know you can call me by my name.” – She just like me ignored my question
“Ma’am! Can you tell me if you are feeling any pain?” – I emphasized on the word Ma’am
“Yes, my heart. It is paining, because you are not calling me by my name.” – She faked a sob
I picked up her chart and then said,
“Miss Alison, can you please tell me if you are feeling any pain?” – I asked again
Just who was this girl, she had her leg cut open and she was joking?
“You know my first name is Joey, you can say it. No one will kill you for saying it.” – She said jokingly still not answering my question
“Joey! Can you please tell me if you are feeling any pain?” – I finally gave up
“Now that’s more like it. No, not now. I was feeling a little pain in the ambulance but now that my leg is sedated, I don’t feel any pain.” – She said in a serious way; finally!
“Thank you for telling me. I am just finished with my sutures. I will observe you for a day and then you will be ready to leave.” – I said
“Guess my lucky day. Will you observe me for a week maybe if I tell you that my whole body is hurting?” – She joked again
“Are you serious ma’am? Does it hurt anywhere else?” – I asked completely ignoring her comment
“Come on! Enough with this ma’am crap, my name is Joey!” – She said
“And no I was just joking.” – She added
I nodded approvingly to the nurse and she took her on the gurney to patient room.
“So when will you start observing me doc.?” – She asked in a humorous manner while going
I ignored her and then went back to the E.R, which was a lot calmer now. I spotted Dr. Lively and approached him.
“Dr. Lively, the patient is stable. I have performed the sutures, I am going to observe her for the night and then discharge her.” – I said
“Okay Aaron. Go to the patient and observe her, there’s no work left for you in the E.R.” – He said
I nodded and then went towards room 1325, not my lucky day. I had to spend the whole night with that crazy girl. God! Please help me.
I approached her room, stood outside the room for a few seconds. I was hesitating to go in as I was thinking how my brain would be cooked when she will leave.
Hesitatingly I entered the room.
“Gosh! It really is my lucky day. Seems like you have nothing to do other than to observe me doc.” – She said
How could she even joke in this state?
“I guess that too.” – I replied while picking up her chart
I sat and started to read her chart.
“Your vitals look stable, and your pH levels are good, guess you will be discharged soon.” – I said
“You know you can look at me, I am not that bad looking.” – She said
Just who does she think she is? Ignoring my every question, joking around as if nothing happened. I was completely irritated by her.
I looked at her and then asked her,
“Do you have any relative, someone we can inform?”
“No. I am all alone.” – She said
At that time I looked at her eyes and they looked sad, as if she had a bitter past. And at that moment I felt sympathy for her.
She turned her face away as she noticed that I was watching. For a moment I thought she was crying but then she turned and said,
“Gotcha! You should have seen the look upon your face doc.” – She said while laughing
At that time something strange happened, I laughed. Which I hadn’t done in a very long time.
“You look cuter while laughing doc.” – She said
I suddenly stopped, first she made me laugh and now she is complimenting me? Just who is this girl?
“Thanks, Joey.” – I said
“For what?” – She asked confusingly
“For making me laugh after such a long time.” – I replied
She smiled and then started staring at the wall.
I took the seat and sat while observing her chart and her wound. The rest of the night she didn’t say anything. She went to sleep and I observed her vitals for the rest of the night.