The patient was sat on the edge of the bed when Cal entered the cubicle. 'Good morning, I'm Doctor Knight but you can call me Cal' he stated as he flicked through the notes.
'Hi, I'm Bethan' the patient introduced herself.
'Hi Bethan, now what seems to be the problem?' He enquired.
'I've been feeling quite light headed and I passed out this morning' she explained.
'Okay, how long have you been feeling like this?' He asked.
'About two weeks' she replied.
'Okay, I'll run some tests but I'm sure it won't be anything too mysterious.' He told her before leaving to fetch some equipment.
He returned moments later with a tray of equipment. He pulled on some gloves. 'Right, I'm going to take some blood samples and then I'd like to get you on some fluids in case you are dehydrated' he explained. The young girl visibly froze. 'Bethan? Are you alright?' He asked concernedly.
'I-I don't like needles, please don't make me have a needle' she pleaded her eyes filling with tears.
He perched beside her, wrapping his arm around her to comfort her. 'It's alright, I'll be very gentle and I promise it will take two seconds' he assured her. She shook her head. Suddenly Cal had an idea. He poked his head outside the cubicle grabbing another tray of equipment and his brother.
'What are you doing Caleb, I've got work to do' Ethan muttered exasperatedly.
'Just sit down beside Bethan here, right, I'm going to use my brother Doctor Hardy here to show you the procedure and then hopefully you won't feel so scared' he suggested. Bethan nodded her head.
'Might I just ask what you are planning on doing?' Ethan asked.
'I'm just taking a small blood sample' Cal told him. Ethan nodded.
Cal pulled on some gloves and took an antiseptic wipe from the tray. 'If you'd like to roll your sleeve up for me Ethan, that would be great' he smiled.
'Okay, I'm just cleaning his arm so that it is sterile. Now I'm going to put a small amount of numbing cream on it so it doesn't hurt' Cal told her.
'You don't need to if you don't want to, I mean, I won't need it' Ethan interrupted.
'Well I'll use numbing cream for Bethan so it's best she sees how it works' Cal explained. Ethan nodded.
'Okay and so now I'm going to prepare the equipment whilst the cream has time to work. I'm going to put this tourniquet around his upper arm to restrict the blood flow so I can find a vein. Then I'm going to check the vein. Hmm, Doctor hardy, this one looks great' he told her, the last part he whispered jokingly to his brother.
'Right and now once Doctor Hardy is ready, I'll start taking some blood, just take a nice deep breath for me Eth.' he explained. Picking up the needle, he gently guided it into his brother's arm. Ethan flinched slightly, letting out his breath. He leant his head forward resting it on Cal's shoulder letting out another shaky breath.
'Are you okay Nibbles?' Cal asked.
'Yeah, not a huge fan of needles myself, but no you did a great job, I hardly felt a thing' Ethan admitted as Cal pressed a small piece of cotton wool to his arm as he removed the needle.
Cal put the vial into his pocket, so it wouldn't get mixed up with Bethan's samples.
'Right, Bethan if you'd like to make yourself comfortable' Cal murmured.
'Would you like me to stay and hold your hand?' Ethan asked Bethan who nodded.
He perched beside her, taking her hand in his. 'Don't worry, I honestly didn't feel a thing and I understand how you feel. He might look tough but Cal is a big softie' Ethan assured her. She took his hand and rested her head against his shoulder.
Cal gently rolled her sleeve up and pulled on a different pair of gloves. He grabbed the second tray of equipment and began applying the numbing cream. She buried her head into Ethan's shoulder as Cal began preparing the equipment.
'Alright Bethan, I'm just going to insert the needle now. Just take a deep breath for me and stay calm' Cal told her. As she drew in the breath he tightened the tourniquet and slowly inserted the needle. She let out a soft whimper holding Ethan's hand tighter. He gentle rubbed her arm comfortingly.
'I-I don't feel so good' Bethan whispered.
Ethan grabbed a bowl from the table. 'Here, don't worry' he assured her. She began retching and threw up into the bowl. Ethan wrapped his arms around her shoulders and tried to comfort her. 'It's alright darling' he murmured.
Cal finished up with the test and removed the needle. 'There we go, all done' he told her as he labeled the vials of blood. Ethan stood up and went to the other side of the bed and gently helped her lay down. 'You make yourself comfortable and get some rest, we'll come and speak to you once the results are back' they informed her.
Cal left taking the results to the lab leaving Ethan behind. 'Am I going to be alright?' Bethan asked him.
'I can't say anything for definite but we'll know more after the tests, but try not to worry' Ethan assured her. He stood up, suddenly feeling rather ill. He reached out to try and grab hold of the bed to stop himself from falling but nothing he did would make any difference.