The day broke more quickly than Petra had expected. Today was supposed to be the day she performed the surgery on Mrs. Walker.
She didn't sleep all through the night. She had stayed up checking through the report that had been given about Mrs. Walker's health. From start to finish and with each line she read, she meditates on the process of carrying out the operation over and over again.
And by the sound of the first cock crow, she was done with everything, and she felt sleepy. It would be the sixth day she had decided to sleep in the hospital while some staff was off duty.
Quickly, she rushed up to the staff bathroom and had her quick shower, coming out of the toilet and feeling all freshen up once more. She checked herself in the mirror to discover she had been losing weight, which didn't mean a good thing and was never a good sign for her.
Once she was comfortably dressed in her neat white lab coat, she got back to her office in time before the other staff noticed her presence.
Her phone rang, and she rushed to check the caller's identity being Sonia. Petra had almost forgotten that today was supposed to be the day she would appear in court.
"Good morning, dear," Sonia sounded lively from the phone, and it was a massive relief for Petra, who presumed the court had accepted their request.
"So, how did the stuff go?" She asked, ignoring the greetings from Sonia.
The latter was silent for a minute, causing anxiety to run through the body of Petra, who believed honestly that something must have gone wrong, which wasn't likely the case.
"It worked! The court had granted that you continue with your operation and has chosen the following week same day to appear before her," Petra sighed, a colossal burden coming off her chest.
"How can I thank you enough, Sonia? You have just saved my life from the numerous worries that once plagued them" The latter chuckled and said;
"You are my friend, and whenever you call upon me, I will always be there to answer your problems," Sonia stated. "How are you getting prepared for the big surgery?"
"Well, in the next few hours, I will certainly be in the ER tearing flesh and doing some other medical stuff that might get you confused."
"Don't stress yourself, okay? I have a perfect feeling that this would come out successfully."
Petra could only hope that she would come across that sensation of her own too.
"Thank you, Sonia, and have a great day. One of these days, I will make out time, so we could see and have a good conversation."
"No problem and goodbye, my dear friend" Petra hanged up afterward and began her work across the table. Opening her rough sheet to see the work she had written on the operation, Petra could easily pick out everything word for word.
***
Petra was about to walk down the hall, she was ready to make the best out of the surgery, and while she greeted some of the nurses that walked by, she wondered why Lewis was yet to arrive at the hospital.
"Excuse me, ma'am," She turned to see one of the nurses calling on her, causing her to stop on her track.
"Ma'am, we have a situation at the moment; some random man was rushed down here right now; he was shot on his belly, and he is losing lots of blood."
Petra wished she could attend to the patient, but knowing how Mrs. Walker's case was essential to the hospital, she turned to look at the nurse saying;
"Check on Doctor Matts and tell him to handle the case. I am fully in charge of Mrs. Walker's case. I would have loved to tend to the patient, but you know how her case is very trivial and needs critical attention."
The nurse nodded her head in understanding and thanked her before leaving the hospital.
When she turned to head into the unique ER, she heard her name being shouted out loud, and she groaned again in frustration, having to turn around to know who was calling her name out so loud.
Lewis had seen sights of her and was lucky enough to have caught up to her at the moment. All through the night, he was thinking of a possible way to help Petra, and then he imagined himself sneaking into the ER, and she told the guards that he was her nurse.
"Gosh! You would be the second person calling my name today!" She commented, a smile gracing her lips, seeing how smart he looked in his nurse uniform.
"Why have you decided to wear a nurse uniform?"
"I wanted to be the one assisting you with things in the ER" He summoned up the courage and revealed it to her.
Petra stared at him for a moment and checked her left side and her right side before walking up to him and saying in a low tone.
"I was already hoping that you would come before I get started with the surgery, and I am glad that you came."
"So what will you tell the guards if they see me? Remember, I am still an intern here, and we are not allowed into that room," He said, pointing towards the hallway that led to the unique ER.
"Don't worry, Lewis, since you have decided to be the kind gentleman that would follow me, I will handle the guards appropriately."
He nodded, and Petra held on to his hands and looked at him in the eyes, handing over all the paperwork to him.
"This is my chance to prove to these people that I am not the person that they have all thought I was, and I never for once had a hand death on Thomas's death case."
Petra knew the value that Mrs. Walker attached to her; that was why she was given the job in the first place.
"Alright, let's go."
—
Lewis's mouth was wide open seeing the gigantic size of the room. Everywhere was made out of artistic interiors, and all for every equipment he laid eyes on, they were all ultra modern-day equipment.
"I think you will need a hand glove," Lewis indicated, seeing how close she was to Mrs. Walker, who was fast asleep.
"I know, and I will use one. But first...." She quickly bent down to check the ground for any syringe, and luckily she found none.
"Just to make sure that we are on a safe side here," She stated, after raising back up to her feet again.
Lewis smiled in understanding. Knowing what had happened in the hospital and what could go wrong, he knew every doctor was out to take precautions of things.
"Anesthesia?" She asked, having worn her hand gloves and used the appropriate mask. This shouldn't take time, and she believed it would go well.
"Here" Lewis handed over the anesthesia syringe to her, and Petra turned to look at Mrs. Walker.
"I hope you have faith in me as I have always believed that you do," She stated, injecting her IV with the anesthesia.
She checked the monitor to discover that everything was going on as planned. She made gestures to Lewis to come closer with the tools she had arranged for him.
"Here it comes," Petra commented.
She made a breathing tube and placed it into the airway to allow each lung to be separately inflated. She then positioned Mrs. Walker on her side and made an approximate six-inch incision below the tip of the shoulder blade, typically between the fifth and sixth ribs.
While the surgery went on, Petra decided to insert a chest tube on the side of the thoracotomy, which drains excess fluid or air leaking into the chest and helps her lungs re-inflate.
"They're all done," Petra finally breath in relief. During all the process, Lewis had not said a word as he watched in amazement how Petra navigated her way through the woman's body.
"So you are done?" After six hours of watching Petra work, He asked, a look of disbelief coming across his face.
"I told you the surgery would not take long. I will have to make sure that this tube remains in place for a few days."
"Aren't there any form of risk that might occur?" Lewis asked again, and he needed to know what the risks were.
"You can expect some pain when is taking a deep breath and will be prescribed pain medication. Although, I will have her use an incentive spirometer for breathing exercises to help prevent pneumonia while she recovers."
While she was explaining, Lewis was amazed by her level of intelligence and thus commented.
"You are just wonderful, and I am certain that when Mrs. Walker wakes up, she will be happy and will reward you." Lewis mumbled.
Petra wasn't seeking any form of reward. All she was after was the survival of the woman. Mrs. Walker will be transferred to the VVIP room in less than four minutes.
"Come on, let's leave her to rest," Petra indicated, holding Lewis's hand as they left the ER.