CAMILLA
I can feel Mr Knight's gaze rest on me as I close the door of his office but I do not care what his puzzled mind is all about. I'm even more glad that I could set the record straight concerning Lawrence.
As I sat on the sofa in my office, various streams of emotions clouded my mind. I became even more enraged than I was the first time I saw him in the operating room fighting for his life after five whole years.
Isn't Karma beautiful!? I laughed aloud to myself. The same person who wanted the seed in me to be gotten rid of is the same one whom I operated on to save his life. Just wow!
As I was still reminiscing about my visit to Lawrence Ward, I had a knock on the door
"Yes, who is it?" I inquired
"It's Desmond" the voice quivered "Can you spare a moment?"
"Yeah sure, come in," I said almost immediately
Desmond walks in with a pile of files in his hands looking all tensed up. so I asked "Hope you are doing good?"
"Yeah!"
"Sure?" I asked, peering into his eyes."
"Yeah, sure. I just need you to help me go through this diagnosis for the patient in Ward 209,"
"Oh okay. I'm sure I can help you with that. Let me take a look,"
As I went through the files of the patient who has been diagnosed with an acute blood infection, I could sense that Desmond added so many questions he couldn't wait to ask me but I'm certain the way I spoke to the Managing Director, our big boss, he knows not to bring up the topic and to be honest I was glad he had the intuition not to ask me anything regarding why Lawrence was calling me name in his sleep and why he specifically requested I be his personal Doctor. Even if I have come to grow fond of Desmond, I'm not ready to walk through that chapter of my life with him.
So I pretended like I did not know what was going on in his mind and focused on why he was in my office in the first place.
By the time Desmond left my office, it was already past 3 pm. I picked up my phone and called my kids. I'm sure they already miss me.
"Hii Mom," Mira said, I could hear the excitement in her voice
"Hi my cute little princess, how are you doing?"
"I'm fine. George is using the loo" I heard her say just before I was about to ask for her twin brother.
"Oh is that so," I said
"Yes Mom"
As I listened to my five-year-old daughter give me a surprisingly detailed account of their activities, I knew she was going to do excellently well in the Banking and Finance sector or even Law. Well in any field actually because even as a five-year-old, her appetite for details I must admit is quite alarming.
But how can I forget where she picked this trait from? This has been my fear all along and now that I breathe the same air with the person who wanted her dead by all means, makes me terrified the more.
Well, I will do everything within my power to keep my children away from that monster.
I was about to hang up when I heard George's voice in the background
"Is that momma?" he asked his sister.
I laughed as the words Momma sails out from his mouth. I might never understand why he chooses to call me that instead of Mum or Mummy like his sister does. And he won't even let his sister address me that way. Kids truly can be something else, I smiled to myself.
"Hi Momma," he said pressing the phone to his ear.
"Hi my prince charming, how are you?"
"I'm alright. How is work and your patients?" George never fails to ask me about my patients in the hospital
"Work is fine my boy and the patients are..." I was yet to finish my response when I heard a knock on the door and before I could ask who it was, I saw a head popping in.
"Hey doc, there is an emergency," the nurse said
"I'll be right there," I said calmly and she was gone. This is the effect speaking to my kids has on me. To be calm even in the midst of turmoil.
I sensed I was on speaker now by the time I went back to the phone so I spoke to them in unison
"Hey kids, Mummy has to go now okay? I will call you as soon as I am done."
"Okay mum" Mira spoke
"Bye momma" George sounded rather sad"
I hate it when he feels this way but I promised to make it up to him.
Truth is I haven't spent time with them since we flew back to California and it is eating me up. I'm so grateful my sister is around, I wonder what I would have done since I haven't had the time to scout for a nanny.
I blew them a kiss over the phone and hung up.
As I got to the operating room, I got to work immediately with the host of doctors who were waiting for me.
Luckily, the surgery was more seamless than I had thought.
As Lawrence's doctor, I had to go check his purse and also confirm if he was responding to treatment. But I didn't want to go alone to avoid him bringing up an issue that I have long buried in the past. So I went with Desmond.
As I got to his ward, I saw that he was awake, which was better.
"Good afternoon sir," I said with no emotions
"Hi doctor" he responded
"How are you feeling? Is there any unusual pain you feel?" I asked him with all the professional wit in me. Aside from the fact that I do not wish to give him an audience for whatever he wants to say, I do not wish to discuss him with Desmond. As much as I and Desmond work well as a team, I still do not feel comfortable discussing my private life with him.
"No, not at all" he replied
"Nice then" I proceeded to check his pulse and vital signs carefully, and I avoided making eye contact with him. I'm glad he could read the room and did not attempt to cause a scene in the presence of Desmond.
As soon as we were done, Desmond and I left his ward and headed to the hospital canteen straight away.
I ordered the hospital's specialty which happens to be my favourite. When I was in London, this meal was what made me homesick.
Desmond on the other hand ordered just soda water and a burger. It still amuses me that he is on a weight-loss diet.
We spoke about everything and anything except for what happened in the big boss's office and why Lawrence specifically requested I become his doctor.
He tells me about his mother and how she died from an illness that could have been treated if only they had access to good healthcare facilities. His father, a soldier, died in a war. Being the only son and the last of 4 children, he was taken care of by his mother and sibling until her death. After his high school examination, he applied for a scholarship to study medicine which he got and here he is working in one of the best if not the best hospitals in California. "And where are your sisters?" I asked inquisitively
"Oh! They are all married now with kids and they don't live here."
"Oh! I see, then why have you not married?" I asked with a lowered voice
"Waiting for the perfect mate?" I asked him jokingly
He laughed "Perfect mate? Not exactly. The question is, do I want to get married?"
Taken aback, I asked, "Wait, you don't want to get married?"
He says nothing but rather eats his food with more gravity.
I feared I might have crossed a line so I said
"We will check the patient in ward 304 to see if there's any improvement." The patient in ward 304 has been in a coma for two weeks now so I was told. She was rushed to the hospital after a ghastly car accident that claimed the life of the driver immediately, whom I was made to understand was her fiance. They were on their way to check the venue for their wedding reception which was set to be in a month but ran out of luck as they collided with a truck on the road. Aside from the bruises she incurred from the accident which could not have been the reason she is in a coma, she was traumatised as she was there when her fiancee was crushed by a truck.
"Okay" was all he said
As soon as we were done with our food, we left the canteen and headed to the ward. There is no sign of improvement from the patient. After a quick round, we left for our respective offices. Desmond said no word except for the answers to the questions I asked concerning the patient
As I walked to my office, I could not help but think about what I might have said at the canteen that would have made him close up. Well, we will figure that out later for now I need to speak to my kids.
"Hey sunshine" I said as soon as the receiver from the other end picks
"Hey mum, momma" George and Mira shouted over the phone. "How are you?"
"Momma is tired" I said playfully
As I was about to ask about their aunt, that was when it dawned on me that I hadn't spoken to Raymond. But why haven't they called or texted me? Maybe he is swamped with work in the firm I thought.
"Mum" Mira called out
"Yes baby"
"Dada called us today" Dada is what the twins have called Raymond since they turned three. I still marvel at how the twins and Raymond bonded like they had blood ties linking them together.
"Oh did he?" I asked
"Yes momma" George was the one answering now. "He asked of you also" he added
"That is so sweet of him" was all I could say"
We spoke for another thirty minutes before I asked them to give the phone to their aunt who I am sure must be tired from tendering to them.
My sister and I had a lengthy talk before I hung up. After she told me what the kids did and ate for breakfast and lunch, I relayed to her my conversation with Desmond. And she told me to give him space, maybe he would come around. I also told her about the incident with the managing director and how the regular check-ups with Lawrence went. I trust my sister to always have the right thing to say in every situation. After so much chattering and laughing, we hung up.
Following my sister's advice, I went to see the big boss in his office to put forth some clarity to him on why I behaved the way I did in the morning. He was on a call so by his instructions I waited for him. Dropping his phone on his desk, he asked
"How are you?"
"I am fine sir, thank you"
"That's great," he said, beaming with smiles. "That was my wife on the phone. She just called to deliver some great news" he added with an even bigger smile making his dimple to form an oval shape.
"So what brought you to my office? I hope you are not having a hard time adjusting to the way things work around here, it is usually busy. Well, I don't expect less as this is one of the best hospitals in the country."
"Yes sir" I replied with an even bigger smile than his. " I think I am loving it already." If only he knew about my plans of applying for a transfer away from here but for now I gotta play it cool.
"Actually sir, I'm here to apologise for the way I behaved this morning, I had no right..." Before I could finish what I intended to say, he cut me off
" There is nothing to be sorry for Camilla. I was glad with your response honestly. It's good to know you are not one to be easily pushed. I like that"
Still stunned by his response I said "Thank you sir" in a more hurried way before he changed his mind. I left his office wondering if it was the great news his wife shared with him that made him dismiss me without query or questioning. She'll do whatever it is, I am glad. Now it's time to talk to Raymond.
Editor — AlphaNovel Writer