It was a still birth. Jimmy Bett, the doctor in charge, let out a forlorn sigh, as huge as the ocean. He proceeded to inspect the perineum area for tears but delegated the task to the nurse soon afterwards. This was the third delivery Jimmy performed in the week and all of them had catastrophic revelations. The first baby was born underweight and literally looked blue. She was incubated for the night but later succumbed to her new era due to breathing complications as her lungs were underdeveloped. Simply put, she had birth asphyxia. Baby number two was a literal case of sudden infant death (SID) as he was lain face down and inhaled his breathed out carbon dioxide. The report came later on after the mother was discharged from hospital. Jimmy was now facing the third demise of a newborn and he was tired of it. He took a stroll down the hospital to the cafeteria and ordered some espresso coffee to make him feel alive again. He took a long seep from the coffee cup and swallowed the contents of the hot coffee thoughtfully. Why did such cases have to be tied to his job? He was already going through a rough patch in his life and circumstances did not do such a good job in making him feel better.
Jimmy Bett, 34, had a long chocolate face with short black trimmed hair and a stubble beard. He was working as a doctor for seven years at the referral hospital and believed that it was his calling to save lives. He graduated from Kenyatta University ten years back and was already on a six figure pay roll, and with a BMW X6 and a condo residence at Pioneer estate, he was living the ideal life of any thirty- four- year old Kenyan bachelor. As an intern at age twenty five, he worked for late hours, assisting physicians in diagnosis and prognosis among other tasks, apprenticing in surgeries and conducting biopsy and catheterization procedures. He was the ideal sidekick any senior resident dreamt of. All medical directors referred doctors to him. He worked to his level best as his vision was to not only meet the job description but to be the patients’ healer. He always believed that he was destined to something great and by sheer hard work and unflinching determination, he would eventually meet his nirvana.
“This seems like a rough day, huh,” Melissa, a nurse, who had just checked out, expressed to Jimmy as she joined him in the bench.
It was 7:08 in the evening. Jim was not looking like himself- who also looked like a ghost- lately at least. He even seemed to have lost a couple of kilos over the past week.
“A rough week it is,” he said in a quavering tone while seeping his coffee, without looking straight at her.
He was ashamed of the past events and felt like they were all his fault. What happened to his fire? His grit? His energy? He felt nothing but profound emptiness and even feared that he would soon not be feeling his job, and his patients- that he loved interacting with as he impressed that it was all part of the healing process, and even joined them with their families for steak outs after they were discharged from hospital.
“Then I suggest,” Melissa started, then he sighed, “That you should take a break from everything, and go for a road trip with friends, you know. Feel some of the outside air for once. It’s a Friday, Jimmy, let loose a little bit,” she shook him to bring some life into him.
Jimmy had never done none of that before. He was the kind that would even show up to work on Sundays (just in case the pastor got hit by a bus). His definition of fun dwelt somewhere close to having a rewarding session with the medical student that aces his speed tests- and they were quite difficult- and reading further on anatomy, and watching Grey’s Anatomy on ABC.
“I don’t know, Melissa, I think I’m doing just fine…”
“Look at yourself, bro, you literally look like the Nogitsune from Teen Wolf,” she then paused and chortled as she studied him, “well, minus the bandages, of course.”
Jimmy chuckled at the joke. He did not realize that. He gave her words a thought. Maybe he actually needed to let loose, didn’t he? He needed to have a drink or two and forget about everything; about his impending loss of touch with his job, about his court case on land wrangles, about his argument with his girlfriend, Jenna, which almost cost her life…
Sunday, 11:38 pm
Jenna lay on the floor of Jimmy’s condo, unconscious. Blood oozed from her forehead and drained on the white carpeted floor. Jimmy was scared. He was terrified. What had he just done! Did he just kill someone?
Of course not; he checked her pulse because he’s a goddamned doctor.
He then carried her to the guest room where he would attend to her until she recovered. It would be a better idea to take her to the hospital as she would probably bleed to death but the consideration did not enter his now disoriented brain. He was a doctor, and that was all that mattered at the time.
What if someone inquires of her whereabouts?
He would cross that bridge later on....
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😀nice work mate! cant wait to read more!