I'm getting married today. I can't wait to see my lovely fiance, Charlie Harris, look at me with his baby blue eyes. Everytime I look into his eyes I melt away in an ocean of blue. His hair perfectly on top of his head the color of wheat fields. First, I have to get through today. I just want to say "I do". Twelve more hours. At nine o'clock tonight I will officially be Mrs. Alex Harris. Alex Harris, Dr. Alex Harris, it all sounds so strange to me. I just keep saying that over and over again in my head. Anyways, first stop rounds. Charlie is the chief of surgery here at Hope Zion Hospital so he does the speaking.
"Stage four tumor in the shoulder. Do we save the arm?" He reels off a few doctor's names finally stopping at me. "Dr. Reid?" he questions.
"I'm a general surgeon. Not an-" I say before he cuts me off.
"Yes but you are a doctor aren't you? You do have an opinion."
"I would save the arm."
"Why?" He questions snidely.
"Because if the tumor doesn't metastasize the survival rate is 75 percent." I supply as rebuttal.
"Yes but if it does the survival rate is zero."
"You're just playing a numbers game," my best friend at the hospital, Melanda Tolliver, adds in.
"That's because it is a numbers game." Charlie replies.
"Dr. Harris is right; numbers are numbers." Shahir Hamsa, The chief of neurosurgery, adds to Charlie's arrogance.
"See, brain surgeon, smartest guy in the room." Everyone laughs.
"How can you be so sure of yourself Dr. Harris?" I ask after the roar of laughter dies down.
"Because that's my job... Dr. Reid." He shoots a sarcastic soft sarcastic smile. I sat back in my seat and sent him the same smile back. "I have completely lost my place." He says flipping through pictures and the slideshow he was presenting.
After rounds we start talking around about the wedding. "Do you think it's bad luck you saw the dress? Wait, I know you don't believe in luck. I just- this isn't like me. I'm nervous."
"I loved the dress. I don't believe in luck but I do believe in love. And you looked great. Great so I will see you at eight."
"There by 8:30," I smile as we part ways and turn around.
I turn to face him again, " Married by nine." He confirms as we go to attend to our patients.
I made it through the day, finally. I felt like ages. It seemed like the longest day of my life. We run to our cab to take us to take us to our wedding. I start to tie his bow tie. He held up his phone playing a video to teach me how to do it. Suddenly the car spins out of control. Charlie hit his head on the car door and has a small cut on his forehead but he appears to be fine otherwise. He went to help the person in the other car. We were about to leave when Charlie collapses. My long day is about to get a million times longer. The ambulance ride, and waiting for the CT scan and the MRI results to come back. We found swelling in his brain.
Shahir comes to me, "If we don't do something now then he could cone. Now coning is when,"
"I know what coning is," I interrupt.
He continues anyways, "Coning is when the lower section of the brain sinks into the spinal column, and he..."
"I turn to Charlie, knowing he can't hear me, and say, " And you could die."
"I could die?" I say out loud to myself. The only problem is nobody can hear me. "Alex! Alex, can you hear me?" I call out to my fiance. She can't hear me and she has always had ears like a hawk. Unless she didn't want to hear you, she heard you. There were times where she would escape into her own little world for a minute. Right now, she is alert and wants to hear me.
So, i guess this is how it all happens. You leave it all behind; everything you love, everything you know. You belong to the hospital now, and all you can do is hope. Hope that one day someone will find you; know that you are here. Hope that one day you will make it back to them. I know what's going on here, I know what this is. I am having a out of body experience in a tuxedo. "Wake up." I say to myself. "For Alex, you have to."
This is pretty much the same as the other one but this one is better. I hope you all enjoy. Thanks for reading. :)
