"Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are." - Harold S. Kushner
It was my second year of residency. I had just finished a night shift; I climbed the stairs leading to the leisure area giving my neck a twist and turn trying to relieve myself from my neck pain. This is what happens when you have to offer treatment to kids. Ah! shoot! my phone. I grabbed a coffee from the vending machine and walked towards the reception; I quickly grabbed my phone when the landline from the reception rang.
Since the staff were indulged in switching positions and packing their belongings. I head towards the phone.Yes, I am a paediatrician but since my shift isn't very busy as the others I try to help out at the ER; A very good colleague of mine also works there,so I head for a chat every now and then between breaks. I picked up the phone. Nobody answers. I try to speak into the phone trying to figure out who was at the other end.
"Hello? Anybody there?"
I hear from a distance in the call- a voice,
"Elixir! Why are you doing this? We can work this out please put down that right this instant honey"-silence- I hear two or three other voices all trying to talk to one person.trying to stop him- why? A familicide? It can't be?Why would anyone in broad daylight-as thoughts gather in my head ; "I'll take it from here Dr. Nisa'' the head nurse takes over the phone."No I-"
The call ends in less than a minute with the nurse trying to talk into the phone trying her best to get a response from the other end."Probably unintentional call, kids on phones these days. We get these kinds these days."
I clear my head thinking the same.
The next day I report back to work. My colleague offers starbucks and as we sit in the lounge room she flips through the news headlines. A FAMILICIDE AT 2.3 MILES FROM-
What?
***********
An unexplainable pain developed in my chest, sweating horribly,gulping down my throat.If only I wouldn't have thought so little of it maybe I would've acted more responsible. Without a second thought,I rushed out of the hospital, A close friend of mine a.k.a my colleague Mia followed me out.
"Where the hell are you going?"
" Beverly Hills, lane 25, Milane neighbourhood,block 10, house no. 6"
"The place where the familicide occurred.why would you-"
"No, a kid is missing.... The 15 years old kid -Elixir"
"Yeah I know, but how are we going to be of any help?"
"That kid needs our help, he tried calling yesterday as well"
"How are you so sure he's alive"
"I just do" shuddering with fear I screamed at her probably being the most expressive I've ever been towards them,or so I couldtell from her perplexed face. I suppose it did look out of my character to look this emotional.
"Fine! But I'm coming with you... I don't understand how you'll be of any help in this condition."
She didn't question me further and drove the car. I was still in trance. Trembling thinking whether we'd be too late. In the next 15 minutes we were at the site, warning tape stretched across the crime scene. I quickly opened the car door and ran outside towards the tape. A police officer stopped me from going across it, until I
showed my ID to the police officer.
"Please allow me to help in finding the child, I am a paediatrician at Hospital Miracle. I can help, in fact the kid had tried calling us yesterday but we assumed it to be a prank call since the call ended so abruptly. I only managed to hear the boy's name during that period. Allow me to fulfill my duty, the kid needs me"
I pleaded to the police officer with utmost sincerity. He seemed quite taken aback as well, he asked me to wait while he made a call. After listening to my pleas once again, he finally agreed. Mia followed me.
Bodies were placed on the ground covered in plastic bags. I was slightly nauseous. Regardless, I made my way into the house and frantically looked everywhere. But I made sure I was precise enough so I'd stay quick.
All the places I was looking for showed no traces of struggle; neither did I find traces of blood. I took a deep breath. What place would a kid hide himself; a place he'd find safe? Yes, a kid I know he's 15 but in situations like these the brain reverts back to a time when a human feels the most safe. Childhood. Oh lord! the closet? Since this was a two story house; I asked Mia to look for the child on the second floor, I took the first floor.
Within the next 5 minutes,
"Nisa! Come up here" I ran towards the second floor via stairs ; my mind trying to assume every worst thing possible at the moment. For instance, things could worsen if the child was claustrophobic. I ran into the room further down the corridor where Mia was calling out to me from. She was kneeling on the floor, looking into the closet with a horrified look.
Taking deep breaths I walked towards Mia and sat down beside her. Inside I saw the boy with dark brown almost black wavy hair cooped into a corner of the closet. "Bring me a blanket from the bed Mia". I hesitantly stretched out my hand to check for his pulse. But he's been in the closet for long enough. We had to rush as I rubbed his hands against mine trying to bring back his skin tone.
I delicately pulled out the child by his shoulders and cradled him into my arms. He didn't have any visible wounds except a few scratches on his arms. He wore a Marvel printed black t-shirt and grey pyjama pants.
I ran down the stairs, making sure to keep the boy warm using the blanket. Learn sports adults said. I'm glad for once I did learn. We came out of the house and the police officers immediately surrounded us. I caught hold of the senior officer and said "Please drive us to the Miracle hospital, the child needs immediate medical attention."
Without further questions, the senior officer immediately guided us towards the police car. We sat in the back seat and zoomed towards the hospital. People parted their ways in the traffic. During this time, I called the hospital to keep the requirements ready. As we left I noticed a child peeking from the window of the house next to Elixir's. But immediately hid himself, when he noticed my gaze.
The minute we reached, I rushed out of the car carrying Elixir while everything was laid out for quick assistance. I quickly placed him on the stretcher assisting the application of oxygen mask on the kid. We took him straight to the ER and once his condition stabilised, he was shifted into one of the wards. Enough oxygen supply stabilised his oximeter readings in time.
I left the nurse to the kid so she'd change him into fresh clothes while I stayed in close proximity. I came out of the patient's wards to discuss with the other doctors regarding the kid's condition.
"I can pay for his hospital expenses" I said
"I believe that's not required, his parents must have someth-" Before she could complete her sentence, I heard a scream from the inside.
"Doctor Nisa! Doctor Nisa! Please come over here!"
I rushed inside to see what terrified the nurse, What possibly went wrong? As I rushed into the room carefully wheeling the table with the laptop bearing the patient's information of one of first beds in the way,I stood before the kid's bed beside the nurse - a look of horror on her face , I felt a shiver go down my spine as I saw the kid.In reflex I drew the curtains around the bed.
The boy had belt marks and bruises on his body that had turned black-blue, they seemed repetitive judging by the varying intensities of marks. It was either the parent's doing or an outsider(isn't most of the time).
As for the other bruises, I wasn't quite sure, though I had a vague idea as this wasn't the first time I'd seen such bruises. My heart rate fastened and so did the thoughts in my mind,
'get away from this kid, don't involve yourself, he is going to bring you nothing but trouble just like it had before.'
I ignored the silent pleas of my alter ego but in either scenario I couldn't leave the child. I'm a doctor,at the most a pediatrician. Things never go our way in either worlds.
Out of nowhere I remember the boy peeking from the neighbourhood, he definitely knows something.
I asked the nurse to dress his wounds and informed I'd be back in an hour. I rushed to the car and drove to the Milane neighbourhood once again but this time I was here to visit house no. 7.
I rang the doorbell and waited. After five minutes, a woman who I assumed to be in her late thirties answered the door. "Yes, How can I be of any help?" she asked. I asked whether I could meet her son, she didn't seem all that surprised.
"I suppose you're here to ask about Elixir"
"Umm, yes ma'am"
"Well, quite a commotion it was this morning, it's hard not to notice yea?"
"Ahh! Yes, once again I apologise, for disturbing you at this hour."
"Not at all, in fact it is our tea time now, would you like to join?"
"Ohh! I will be honoured to, thank you ma'am"
Ah I didn't realise, it was already 4.30 pm. I entered the house and she showed me the way to the living room. The house had a twist of modern and historical effect to it. There were many antiques and paintings that seemed to occupy every wall in the house. But still, it was quite a refreshing sight, as not many people still use antiques to decorate their houses. While I was admiring their interiors, the host ushered her son into the room.
I gave him a gentle eye smile patting down a seat for him in front of me. The kid had blonde hair, blue eyes and cute freckles near his nose. He seemed quite shy as he sat down cupping his hands nervously around the cup's handle (one cup was already on the table, I guess I did interrupt their tea time) .
"Hello, Nice to meet you, My name is Nisa Novak. I am a paediatrician at Miracle Hospital. What's yours?"
"Umm... Hi, my name is Andrew Peterson"
"I've heard that you are close friends with Elixir, can you please help me out? Elixir is in a very dire condition, I need your help". This time shooting pretty please sparkles at him.
He blushed slightly, but soon his expression turned dark as he took his time before answering to me. While he took his time,the host arrived with a tray of antique tea set. She poured a cup of tea and placed the saucers on the wooden table already occupied with chocolate chip muffins and cookies.
I thanked her once again. It was then she asked me to call her Hanah, then she politely excused herself out of the room. The fruit tea was quite refreshing focusing my mind towards the subject and the situation. He took a sip too after which he cleared his throat.
"I am his neighbour, also his very close friend.... at least we were, both of us went to the same school, things weren't always like this....."
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