The Fifth Horseman

The Stage is Set

It was high noon under the sun of the blazing equinox. One would think people would rather stay indoors as long as they could. But on the contrary, it was a horrid mess in the waiting room of Sepang Hospital Emergency. The triage doctors were swamped with cries and complains and only seconds to think before tagging patients. The EMTs wheeled in more and more pale and shrivelled civilians from all identifiable groups and nationalities. Distraught visitors were ready to set up camp outside the waiting area both in the lounge and outside the ER. Opportunistic food vendors slipped past the guards and started selling merchandise whilst past the heavily tinted windows the nurses of the 1st floor stared downward looking outside in horror. They had their shift cut out for them and none were too happy about it.

An afternoon shift nurse mumbled under her nose as she walked into the lobby to start her shift. She held her latte with both hands and walked hastily while eyeing the crowd. She hurried for the elevator and got in. 2 other nurses were heading up, looking tired. One of them looking easily 7 months pregnant in her maternity uniform. 'Ending your shifts?' She greeted them and they pleasantly nodded. To the corner of the elevator was a woman dressed in business wear just coming up from underground parking. Her hair out, bangs, her jewellery, subtle and she said nothing but watch the numbers rise on the panel. As soon as the doors opened she was the first to get out while the others moved aside paving a way for her. She tried walking hastily but she was distracted as her eyes were too busy absorbing all the chaos around her.

Siti Rahman finally moved to side and scanned the perimeter of the hospital lobby from the 3rd floor corridor balcony before she decised to head down to the ER. 'Everytime,' she mumbled under her nose as she navigated her way past a multitude of restless visitors loitering the scene. She scanned her access card and walked in through the back entrance right into the observation bay. She furled up her sleeves and furrowed her brows. An ER Medical Officer in brown scrubs walked right up to her stunned by her untimely presence.

'Director! I didn't know they brought the whole calvary down here,' he said jokingly.

Unamused by his remark she lifted up one of the charts and started flipping pages. 'Not the calvary, just me,' she continued, 'are all these patients just in here for heat stroke?'

The Medical Officer nodded while flicking on a vein of a resting patient's arm fervently looking for venous access.

'Datuk?' Yelled another. Siti turned her immediate attention. 'Dr Ros!' She exclaimed as the department head approached her shaking his head in apparent discontent. 'I told you once before and I'm telling you again, I needed more staff in here yesterday,'

Siti sneered back and almost chuckled a little. 'I understand you're swamped but this isn't why i am here,'

Ros attentively listened and so did the young medical officer after finally setting up the iv cannula.

'There's been a situation which calls for an emergency meeting,'

'you didnt have to come down here to tell me that,'

'No, i just wanted to,' she turned to walk out before she stopped. 'Oh and i need a list of all the house officers working today,'

'This is about her isn't it?' the medical officer interjected. Siti gave a glaring stare before turning back to Ros. They exchanged nods of agreement and she trotted off as her loud brazen heels clattered against the floor tiling. Ros sighed and placed both hands into the wide pockets of his white coat. 'Carry on Jamal, I'll be in Yellow if you need me.'

Her next visit would be the paediatric wing where she would need to meet Dr James Wong, the only certified neonatologist in the hospital but a phone call stopped her in her tracks. She starred at the screen for a good 2 seconds before sliding right. She kept walking with the phone to her ear. 'What is it? Is he not eating? Is he pooping too hard? What is it this time?' The man on the end of the line was her poor helpless spouse who had just been recently out of a job and was indeed having a tough time managing the chores at home. They had a 2 year old who apparently kept screaming while rolling sideways on the floor for the past hour.