Abroad Liberty

Crazy Doesn't Even Compare

October 28, 2023
Rochester, New York

Kyle wakes up, pours himself a cup of coffee, and after getting ready he heads up to work.
On his way to the hospital, he soaks in the change around him, trees are starting to transition in color, the air feels refreshing, and the sky is clear most of the time.

As he arrives at the hospital and walks in, and walks with Malcolm towards the ER before heading up to the Peds floor.

The hospital's ER is filled with skeletons, witch hats, pumpkins, and ghosts, candy comes and goes, and the whole energy is different. People coming in and out with different injuries and wounds due to falls decorating, or fingers falling off because they had to carve the pumpkins, it's just like out of a horror movie.

As Kyle turns after Malcolm leaves, he gets called "Sandoval some help here"

Kyle rushes to assist "What do we get?"

A resident turns to look at him "Sixteen-year-old male, fell off the ladder while trying to hang some decorations for a Halloween streaming party, there are some lacerations in his forehead, elbows, left distal arm and a broken wrist."

Kyle proceeds to interview the patient "Ok, what's your name?" "Marcus" replies the kid

Kyle nods at him while turning back to his tablet "Alright Marcus, I'm going to need you to cooperate with us, doctor Johns over here is going to be checking on you, I'm nurse Sandoval, I will be asking you some questions and I need you to answer me ok"

"Yes"

As Kyle and another nurse continue working, the doctor walks back in to check on the kid before the radiologist takes him up to CT.

After finishing up Kyle cleans himself up and heads to his unit.

Throughout the day more similar cases arrive at the ER and the team works on them rapidly as they are mostly ambulatory injuries.

Three days later

October 31, 2023
Rochester, New York

Halloween is here, this is Kyles's first Halloween working at the NICU, yet he is sent down to the ER, to help during the night shift. Samantha looks at him "I hope you haven't gone soft on me after a few months in Peds"

As she says that, three ambulances pull over, one man has an open wound to the chest, a woman comes in with a broken leg and a child comes in cyanotic.

He stands there putting in an extra gown and changing his gloves stressing on which patient to address first.

A year later

October 31, 2024
Rochester, New York

Malcolm stands in front of the nurse's station at the ER "Alright people tonight is one of the busiest nights for the ER, let's get everything prep and ready to go"

A Doctor approaches him and stands by his side "I want a protocol in place the moment those ambulances start showing up, remember Red, Yellow and Green to prioritize patients"

Kyle is standing next to the door at the ambulance bay and steps forward "Let's also try to stay vigilant when children come through those doors, days like this are stressful, parents may lose control and well, we should be aware of the children's body language, sometimes it says more than words"

Malcolm approaches him and leans forward "Kyle, a word"

Kyle puts his hands behind his back and starts rocking back and forth "Malcolm, Dr. Melton, everything ok?"

Malcolm looks at him and laughs "Yeah, everything is fine, it's just, for someone who hates working with adults you sure love coming down to the ER nights like this"

Kyle raises his eyebrow and puckers his lips "Well, what can I say, I love the smell of blood and the face of fear in every single idiot who comes in at nights like this."

Melton pinches the bridge of his nose "Kyle for the love of God, remember to use your filter, one of these days you are gonna get sued for talking trash about the patients"

Kyle looks at him wide-eyed "Oh please, they know I'm right, they harm themselves being silly and clumsy"

As the trio stands there, the night shift begins a slow one, but, like every year, the later into the night the clock marks the more people come in. And just like that, the ER gets packed with patients of all ages, like it's been happening every single year since Kyle arrived.

One year later

November 1, 2025
Rochester, New York:

After an extensive night shift, the sun finally comes out, Kyle clocks out and as he heads to his car Malcolm calls for him but he continues walking "Sandoval I am talking to you"

Kyle turns around abruptly "What Malcolm?"

Malcolm charges at him "You want to tell me what the HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?"

Kyle moves his head back shocked by his friend's reaction "My problem? What are you talking about?"

Malcolm throws his hands tired and points at him "I've been calling you, and you just ignore me, for months you've been ignoring us all"

"I'm not ignoring you, I'm on my way home from an excruciating shift, I'm tired and I have master rotations tonight, as I've had for the past few months" Kyle replied

Malcolm gives a straight look "Then why didn't you just say that?"

"I didn't think I had to verbally express what was obvious, so whatever it is that you think is going on it's clearly in your head, now if you don't mind, I'm going home"

Malcolm continues rising his voice in anger and frustration "In my head? Are sure this has nothing to do with what happened with Tatiana?"

At that moment Tatiana and Camille walk out of the hospital, Camille looks at the situation between her two friends "What is going on here guys?"

Malcolm looks back at her and points at Kyle "Our friend over here continues to be an ass and tries to mask it as just too busy"

Kyle lets out a frustrated sight and Tatiana stands next to Malcolm "Malcolm maybe you should just let him be, whenever he's ready he will come and hang, until then just let him be"

Malcolm throws his hands up "Off course you would take his side"

Kyle takes a deep breath and his nostrils flare as if he was about to explode "NO ONE IS TAKING SIDES MAL, you are inserting yourself in things you have no business inserting yourself, to begin with, all of you are, if it's not you giving pep talks is this one slapping people without reasons, or the other one taking under her breath, so why don't you take a few steps back and reflect on why you are doing so and let the rest of us manage whatever crap may be going on however the hell we want to"

Four years later

November 18, 2029
Rochester, New York

Kyle stands by the side of a hospital bed "I swear to god Melton if you die, I will bring you back to life just so I can kill you myself..."

______________________________
Kyle's afterwords for this chapter

"Time never stops, not even when the worst seems to have come"
______________________________

*We now know something happened between Kyle and Tatiana, but what? And what happens to Melton in the future?*

Continue reading chapter nine of
🗽Abroad Liberty🗽
To find out