"Help! Please? Somebody, HELP!" A voice boomed. Mellisa looked up to see a ghost from her past running frantically around the hospital. She immediately sprinted towards his, Vivian hot on her trail.
"Sir? Sir! What seems to be the problem?" Vivian called out to him, trying to calm him down. Mellisa said nothing.
"Please! My friend..." he couldn't get any more words out as he turned and sprinted in the direction he came from. The pair followed him. Before she realised it, Mellisa had run up three flights of stairs and was in the VIP wing where an elderly woman was yelling at a frazzled orderly.
"What kind of a hospital is this? My grandson is writhing in pain and there is not a doctor or nurse in sight," her voice boomed. Behind her, Mellisa could see about 5 different people helplessly hovering around a bed.
Leaving Vivian to deal with the hysterics, Mellisa made her way towards to bed, only to have the wind knocked out of her body.
Lying on the bed, writhing in pain was her baby brother. Well, one of them.
Instincts kicking in, Mellisa pushed her way through the crowd and quickly pressed down on his abdomen. He immediately stopped, the monitor going back to normal.
"How did you do that?" asked the elderly gentleman standing beside the bed.
"She's got the magic touch," came Dr. Perez voice from behind them.
Mellisa quickly stepped away and let him work on Kyle. She took this opportunity to look around the room for his twin; Jackson was rarely ever away from his brother. It didn't take long for Mellisa to find him. He was slumped on a seat, across the room, his head resting on the shoulder of a petite brunette. The girl seemed familiar to Mellisa, but she didn't dwell on it for long as more commotion sounded behind her.
"I assure you Mrs. Adams, it wasn't our intention to leave your grandson unattended. I just checked on him 15 minutes ago. He was doing okay. I just went down to fill out his chart," Vivian was pleading with the old woman, who looked livid.
Did she say Mrs. Adams?
Mellisa stood on the side staring at the woman, trying to place her. She looked incredibly familiar. But Mellisa didn't have time to contemplate any further. She was brought out of her thoughts by an incredibly flustered Vivian trying to catch her attention.
It was time to step in. "We apologise for the oversight, Mrs. Adams. It won't happen again. Dr. Perez is with the young man right now. I assure you, he is okay, and being well looked after," Mellisa calmly told Mrs. Adams.
"If I may be so bold as to suggest that you get some rest. You look pretty exhausted yourself. Your grandson will be monitored constantly tonight. I won't suggest that you leave him, but I do recommend that you get some sleep yourself. He doesn't need his grandmother occupying the patient's bed next to his," she bolded concluded, surprised that her words calmed Mrs. Adams who softly nodded her head.
Mellisa had expected Mrs. Adam to bite her head off as she had been doing to Vivian.
As Mrs. Adams made her way towards Kyle, Mellisa turned to Vivian. "Go home to your sons. Hug them and tuck them into bed. Get some sleep yourself. I will see you back here in the morning. You need the sleep," she said, pushing Vivian towards the Nurse's lounge.
"What about you?" she asked Mellisa, apprehensively.
"I'm on the clock right now. I'll sort out someone to take my place downstairs. I'll manage. Go home. I'll see you in the morning," she said.
"Are you sure?" came Dr. Perez voice.
"I'll be fine," she said before making her way to the nurse's station in the VIP wing without waiting for a response.
Sighing, Dr. Perez and Vivian walked away, certain that they would not be able to change Mellisa's mind.
It was easier than Mellisa anticipated. The entire floor was quiet, save for the beeping monitors. Luckily, Mellisa could keep an eye on all the monitors from the Nurse's station. So, she didn't have to constantly be on her feet for long. Instead, she busied herself studying patient files, because if she didn't, she would fret over the fact that she was in contempt of her restraining order.
All too soon, it was morning, and the hospital came alive again as doctors, nurses and orderlies clocked in for their shift. Mellisa didn't miss Dr. Perez and Vivian heading her way, both looking well rested and freshly showered.
"I believe you're officially off the clock, my dear. Time to get out of here."
"I can stay back for a few more hours if you need me," Mellisa offered.
"Why exactly do you insist on staying here?" Dr. Perez gave her a pointed look.
"My job's not done. I have to handover patient files before I can leave. You know that," she gave him a sweet smile before leading him towards his patients. Standing at the door to her brother's room, Mellisa waited for Dr. Perez and Vivian to join her.
"No activity overnight. Your patient and his family slept through the night. But I believe your patient is awake now and eager to hear from you," she said before handing over the file and walking towards the next room to update another doctor.
Two hours later, she was done with all her handovers. With everything taken care of, Mellisa changed out of her uniform and back into normal clothes, before making her way towards the cafeteria for some coffee before heading home.
As she waited patiently for her coffee, a voice said from behind, "You're still here."
It was a statement, but void of any emotion.
Turning around, Mellisa smiled. "Good morning, Mrs. Adams. I trust you got some much-needed sleep?"
"Yes, thank you, my dear. Why are you still here?"
"My shift just ended."
"But I didn't see you come into my grandson's room even once."
"Contrary to popular belief, nurses don't take pleasure in interrupting patients' sleep. There was no need for me to come into the room. The nurse's station has a live feed of all patient activity. We monitor patients on that, and only jump in if needed."
"You mean there are cameras in there?" Mrs. Adams seemed bewildered.
"Oh, no. That would be an invasion of privacy. If we have critical patients like that, we put them in a room with glass doors. The monitors send direct signals to the computer in the nurse's station. When any of the monitors show anomalies, we jump in. And, of course, if there is anything that needs to be administered."
"So, you've been here all night?"
"All night, monitoring," Mellisa nodded before grabbing her coffee.
"Good luck with your grandson, Mrs. Adams. I should get going."
"I'll see you later, then."
"Probably not," Mellisa shook her head.
"Why not?"
"Me being in the VIP wing was a one-time thing, Mrs. Adams. That isn't my station. I was only filling in."
"What do you mean?"
"The VIP wing is for more seasoned nurses. I've only been a nurse for a few years. High risk. Not enough experience."
"I see." She had a glint in her eyes, but before she could say anything else, Mellisa bid her farewell and walked out of the hospital as quickly as she could. She was late, and she knew there would be consequences.
YOU ARE READING
Plum Blossom | Completed
ChickLit"Why does Dad call you his Plum Blossom?" he asked his older sister. "Because she never gives up," their father replied. ...
