Chapter 6 - char-lin

We all took fast steps while rushing to the OR.

Dr Melendez passed the patient's profile to The person next to him, Charlotte.

"The patient's name is James foster" she read out loud to our hearing. After reading a few lines she looked up to face Dr Melendezs back,

"Foreign bodies in his stomach?" Charlotte asked in a hurry

"Yes!" Dr Melendez replied before continuing "according to his mum, he was having severe stomach pain so she brought him in for checkup and the scan showed us that there are things in his stomach which he probably swallowed by mistake".

We got into the OR, washed our hands and put on our coats and facemask and head to the bed he laid on.

We stood surrounding the kid as he laid still because of the effect of the narcosis which was administered by the nurse before we arrived.

We knew our different parts to play for the surgery so we began.

I picked up the forceps which held tightly to the cotten dipped in chlorhexidine gluconate other wise known as CHG.

I rubbed it gently on the area just above the abdomen where the stomach sac was located; it's to prepare the skin for the forth coming deep cut.

Dr Melendez using the scapel, cut through his flesh carefully and used the retractor to open up the cut for clearer viewing

Lyla, still on punishment was told to perform the suction. Not every surgeon would be happy stuck with suction but Lyla seemed to handle it quite well. She placed the suction tube in; it's essentially used to remove blood in the area being protected in order to give the surgeon a better view. It was quite a handful but boring job.

Easily and cautiously to avoid excess blood loss Dr Melendez cut through the walls of the stomach sac and the impurities were seen

Silas picked up the tray and forceps and Charlotte used it to remove the foreign bodies from the stomach.

Dr Melendez stitched the cut on the stomach and made way to sticth the outer cut but he paused

I looked to the Hp reading and the rest but they were fine so what now?

He handed me the equipment "Dr Louis close him up" he said with intense gaze.

I stare with my eyes widened, I didn't expect it at all so I was a bit confused and surprised

Charlotte immediately stretched out her hand

"sir let me do it" she requested and I couldn't help but crease my brows in annoyance

I watched him close his eyes and open them up again. He asked her

"By any chance do you now go by the name Dr Louis?" He asked her openly, Charlotte sighed and shake her head.

I accepted it and gently stitch the cut and protected it using a gauze.

Through out the stitching, I held my heart in my tongue, it may have seem like a simple easy surgery but if not with proper care and calculations or the slightest mistake it might turn from minor to hectic. I heard sighs of relief as soon as I finished, even Dr Melendez looked proud.

Later after our shifts finished we stood outside the hospital. The air was cold and the darkness was eerie, the only sound were the slightly troubled wind and songs of crickets and toads love call.

I could barely keep my eyes open as the cold air kept rushing in.

"We should go out for drinks and celebrate" Lyla happily suggested. Silas shakes his head slowly

"You do love drinking don't you?" Charlotte asked

"Oh c'mon let's celebrate, we finished a successful surgery today we deserve to drink till stupor" Lyla said with a persuasive smile.

"Listen" Charlotte began her lecture "if we drink after our successful surgeries everytime then we might as well turn into drunkards"

I smiled at her remark, it meant we've only had successful surgeries since the beginning of the year and recorded zero tradegies. Maybe it's worth going to drink for.

"You're such a bummer. Four hours! Charl four hours! We were in there, you know what, I think I deserve a drink myself" Lyla pouted

"Call me Charl once more and ill shove a syringe up your arse" Charlotte said through gritted teeth.

"Oh yeah! Come at me....charl-lin" Lyla teased

Charlotte out of anger dropped her bag and they began pulling each other's hair, it was a funny site, even the passers by couldn't help but watch them squabble.

The jerk Silas took out his phone and began recording their barbaric nature while Megan and I stood and watched in amazement.

"It's quite unfortunate that you're my students " Dr Melendez said while passing by us.

They immediately stopped and started arranging themselves.

"Maybe Lyla's right, celebrate for fay's sake after all, all she did today was quite remarkable" I smile at his complimenting words, it brought warmth to me to know I was being appreciated.

"Even the way she did the stitching " he continued

"I would've done it better" Charlotte was quick to intervene, then she turned to me with a straight face "no offence fay but I speak the truth " I rolled my eyes

"Truth my arse " Layla hissed.

Soon later, everyone else were gone leaving I and Lyla on the street hailing cabs.

"I'm exhausted and sleepy" she said and lazily rested her head on my shoulders. We were practically same height.

"Lyla" I called out and she hummed in response

*Promise me you'll stop coming late in the mornings" I heard her groan and yawn

"You know I can't promise that right" she asked

"Please try, I don't want you to be —" I'm cut off by the loud noise made by a biker that just stopped in front of us.

Lyla looked surprised but I remained my expression, it was a familiar biker after all...