Catherine
The exhaustion is bone deep as I take a deep breath and remove the bloody vinyl gloves from my hands. But through the exhaustion there is a feeling of accomplishment shining through. Another successful emergency surgery. There was a large car accident with several injured and I have been in surgery for seven hours straight. The last person in need of surgery was not as critical as the others, so the little girl had to wait three hours with a badly broken leg before I could mend it back together. At least we managed to save her leg from being amputated and now she can start healing from this horrible ordeal.
“Good job, Dr. Ross!” I jerk as my assisting doctor, Dr. Martin, slaps his large hand on my shoulder. I inwardly cringe at his close presence but I turn to him with a smile that I hope doesn’t show how much I want to run away. He is always touching me, placing a hand on my shoulder, rubbing my neck, following me around with a hand on the small of my back. Nothing too offensive but uncomfortable. I have spoken to him about it but he doesn’t seem to have understood that I have a need for large personal space.
“You too, Dr. Marvin.” I shrug off his hand to remove the bloody scrubs and throw it in the trash.“You’re off now?”
“Yeah. Have been here since Tuesday afternoon so I think I deserve a couple hours at home in my bed.” Dr. Marvin hums in response while he rips off his bloody scrubs. “How long do you have?” It’s not as if I’m interested but I have been brought up to be polite so polite is what I will be.
“I’m having an hour break now but I’m on until ten tonight. Wanna get something to eat in the cafeteria?”
“Sorry, Elias. But I’m beat. I need to get home and rest.” It’s not really true that I’m going home since I am visiting my mother at the caretaking home she lives at. She is ill with dementia so she can’t take care of herself and with my working hours I can’t have her living with me. I try my best to visit her once every week or every second week. She is fastly deteriorating and soon there won't be anything left of the mom I once knew.
“Maybe another time.” He smiles at me and I give him a smile back. Then I quickly leave the room.
Back at the locker room I collect my private clothes and head to the shower. I am so exhausted and very tempted to skip my mom and just head home to sleep. It’s not like she’ll recognize me anyway.
Maybe she has a good day and I can actually speak to her!
I groan at my bad conscience knowing I could never neglect mom no matter how lost she is. I won’t stop seeing her before I know there is absolutely nothing left of her.
The car ride to her home takes about one and a half hours. By the time I get there I have changed the fast pace of the inner city to quaint townhouses and bungalows. The home is situated in the outskirts of town with a beautiful park right at the fence. No hard traffic, no shouting and violence of any kind. It was the most expensive home in the city because of its location, but the money was never any concern. My father left us with a generous amount of heritage when he passed away four years ago, but my mom had her own money as well.
I could be just about anything growing up with both money and intelligence to back it up. Anything but popular and gorgeous. Fat girls can never be gorgeous. That I have been told since first grade by all the pretty and popular girls and boys. Even now, all grown up, I get picked on by slimmer and more pretty girls. I can’t even count all the times I have been cheated in the club or bar by handsome men that have made a bet with their equally handsome friends of who can woo the fat chick.
I guess someone like Elias Martin is my only choice when it comes to having a boyfriend. He is pretty handsome but there is something about him that makes me feel uncomfortable. The leering smiles, the hungry glances he sends every woman that walks by. The small touches that by no mean is close to sexual harrassments but still. He touches my arm or my shoulder, strokes a piece of hair behind my ear.
I sigh as I pull into an empty parking spot in front of the two story brick building. As I get out I take a deep breath, smelling the faint scent of flowers and trees in the warm spring air. Inside I greet the nurse at the desk.
“Hi, Emily. How is she today?”
“Hello Dr. Ross. She is a bit confused and she hasn’t recovered from her attack on Monday evening. She is outside on her patio at the moment.” She gives me a sad smile and I wave as I make my way to my moms room.
She is sitting in a sunchair on her tiled patio drinking in the sun's warmth. Her pale skin is wrinkly and looks to be three sizes too large. She has lost almost all her weight in the past four months. The gray hair is matted but clean so I guess they managed to shower her in the past few days. I blink away the start of my tears and swallow through my tight throat. Even though she is a shell of her old self I smile at the serenity on her face. This is why I chose this home for her. To allow her to sit outside in the sun, listening to birds, insects and the laughter of playing children.
“Hi, mom.” I say softly as I sit down in the chair next to her. She turns her face towards me and immediately I see the emptiness behind her eyes.
“Hello sweetheart. Who are you?” Her voice is hoarse and dry, but she has a small smile on her lips.
“I am Cathy.” I say and hold back my tears with a lot of effort. “I am here to see how you are feeling.”
“Oh, dear child. I am feeling wonderful. The sun and the birds are so nice to take care of me on this beautiful day. All that is missing is my lovely sister. But she is coming over for some coffee later this afternoon. She always comes on Sundays, you see. And she would never miss such a beautiful day as this.”“That sounds lovely.” She turns her face forward to look out on the park. The playground is a bit away but you can see the children running around and playing. We sit silent for a few moments before she turns her head towards me again.
“Oh. Hello my dear. Who might you be?” Her eyes show no recollection of speaking with me just a minute before.“I am Cathy. I am here to see how you are doing.” This time I can’t prevent the tears from falling but I quickly dry them from my cheek.
“Oh sweetheart. There is no need to cry on a beautiful day like this. You know what will make you feel better? A cup of coffee. My sister is on her way over here for coffee. She always has the tastiest pies with her. You could have a piece. It will cheer you up.” She smiles at me and turns forward again. The smile disappears a minute later and I know the conversation has disappeared with it.
Before she has the chance to see me again I stand and leave the patio with my tears falling freely. There is a bathroom right before reaching the reception and I slip in there to cry. Sure I was devastated when my father passed away suddenly without warning. But I think I would rather choose that loss again instead of seeing the person you love turn into someone else because of sickness.
Emily greets me at the reception with a sad smile again, obviously seeing my red rimmed eyes.
“I will come and see her again next week. Will you please call me if she has another attack or her condition deteriorates?” I can still feel the tears in my voice and I have to sniffle to keep my nose from running.
“Of course, Catherine.” I smile at the use of my given name instead of my surname. I ask them almost every time to call me Catherine but their policy is to be professional and formal. But when a relative comes out crying they always use their given name. “We always call if there is something you have to know about.”
“I know you do. I have to thank you all for the wonderful job you’re doing, taking care of my mother. I can see that she likes it here.” She smiles at me and we wave as I leave through the entrance.
I don’t feel ready to make the drive back to my posh apartment in the city so I decide to take a walk in the beautiful park. My thoughts are cloudy and I don’t really keep my mind on where I’m going. The walkway I take takes me through a small coppice. The silence surrounds me, only broken by the occasional tweets from small birds and the low hum of insects.
There we have the first chapter of The Mafia's doctor. Catherine might have had a privileged upbringing with loving parents and money to live a comfortable life but she still has had it tough through school with other children bullying her.
Catherine The silence and tranquility is broken by a loud, interpenetration sound. The sound of a gun. One shot rings out through the silence making the birds take flight with loud shrieks of terror. The shot is then followed by a loud groan, curses, shouts and eventually a couple more shots. Without thinking I make my way through the low bushes towards the sound of someone in pain. That someone has been shot and needs medical attention, something I can assist with while waiting for an ambulance. The fact that it might be dangerous or a bad idea to run towards gunfighting never crosses my mind. As I break through the treeline I see a man on the ground and a man kneeling beside him holding some kind of cloth against his stomach. I grit my teeth at the knowledge that a shot to the abdomen can be big trouble. “Get away from here, lady.” The unhurt man growls at me when I reach them and kneel on the other side of the hurt man. “I am a doctor and this man is in serious need of medical
Alessio That little fucker is going to pay for this. Nino is like a brother to me and if he dies… Gregor will wish he was never born. I have already sent a team to collect him, or his brother if he decides to not show himself. He will come to me in that case. You never abandon your brother to suffer through your punishment. Then there is the little doctor. I twist and turn her ID between my fingers lost in thoughts. Dr. Catherine Ross. Okay, she is not all that little. Tall, at least 5’9 and a bit more than chubby. I wouldn’t call her fat but she’s definitely not slim in any way. Long blond hair tied up in a tight ponytail high in her head. She wore baggy and shapeless clothes to hide her body and make her look much larger than she probably is. But her look is not the problem here. It’s her presence. She shouldn’t have been there but she was. And now I have to make sure she won’t be an inconvenience for me, for the family. I hate hurting women, but I can’t just let her leave once s
Catherine The people here have some basic medical training and one of them is a doctor. At least he is a doctor on paper, but he is so lazy and distracted I suspect he has bought his license. The other three men and women, who have basic medical education, have more knowledge and experience than Dr. Davies. That thought does not bring me comfort, but instead increases the feeling of dread hanging over me. Why would normal people with basic medical education have this enough medical knowledgement to assist in a surgery? I don’t have any time to contemplate this as I work on Nino. The bullet has shattered to some extent and has left a few organs in need of mending, but the damage is not as bad as it could have been. He was exceptionally lucky this time. The surgery still takes a little over two hours and when I’m finally done I am ready to drop to the ground. I have not had a good night's sleep since the night between monday and tuesday, and now it’s wednesday afternoon. I did have
Catherine “The mafia…” I am stunned into silence about his revelation. I study his appearance and now I can finally grasp where I have seen him before. There have been news articles on both TV and in newspapers lately about the handsome bachelor billionaire who owns several businesses and has a new model on his arm every other week. There is also the hushed gossip going around that he might be more dangerous than people previously thought. Of course there is no evidence. “Yes. The mafia. I’m sure you must have read about me in the paper or seen me on the news. I’ve been a hot subject the past few months. Of course my real occupation is a bit secretive.” I nod absentmindedly as my eyes run over his face. He must be around forty years old and he is gorgeous. One of the most handsome men I have ever seen. Golden brown eyes with thick black brows and a clean shaven jaw. His face is all sharp angles but with soft and full lips. His skin has a beautiful golden tan color that fits extremel
Alessio I swing my fist towards Gregor again, making an impact with his jaw. He groans as his eyes roll back into his head and he’s out. I shake out my fingers. My fist is sore from the over ten hard hits I have made to his face and the least twenty hits to his torso. “Here, boss!” Louie reaches an ice pack to me and I place it on my bruised knuckles. “Make sure he’s uncomfortable when he wakes up.” I start to walk out of the dungeon cell Gregor is kept in. It has chains to hold him in any position you can think of. “Naked! And anyone who wants to fuck his arse can but only I and Franco can beat him!” I shout out when I cross the threshold. Louie grunts his acknowledgment as I leave. I know there are a few of my men that enjoys fucking men and enjoy fucking them more if it’s a form of torture. I meet Franco on the stairs up to the ground floor. “He’s already out cold so no fun down here.” I say and Franco sighs. He follows me up again. “A fucking weak bastard! Can’t take any hits
Catherine The dining hall is big and bustling with life as we enter. It is more like a high end cafeteria than a dining hall if you are picky, which I am. There are several tables lining one wall and down the middle filled with people of different ages, ethnic background and social status. There are even a few children there together with their parents. At the back there is one table slightly raised above the others, as if placed on a stage. My eyes are immediately drawn to that table and I meet the intense gaze of Mr. Peccati. That has to be the main table. Franco is sitting up there as well and there are three empty seats. One next to Franco and two opposite of him. “This way.” Pierto’s hoarse voice draws me back to where we’re standing. I break my eye contact with Mr. Peccati and follow him towards the wall lined with a buffet table. There are all kinds of things to choose from and even though my body is screaming for nutrition my stomach is at an uproar. I choose some fruit, br
Alessio Franco chuckles as the infuriating woman leaves the table without acknowledging me at all. She gave him a sweet smile and a thank you before leaving, completely ignoring me. But I’m not jealous! Why would I be jealous? I am angry, no, furious because she is ignoring me on purpose and showing it by giving my best friend that smile. “She will certainly test your patience, my brother!” Franco laughs and sticks a bacon in his mouth. I only growl at him as my eyes follow her out of the dining hall. “I will have her submit one way or another.” Franco hums and drinks the last of his coffee. “I’m sure you will. But keep in mind what she said. If you injure her she can’t work, so be careful. You can always train on your restraint on the bastard in the dungeon. Make sure you can administer enough strength to hurt, but not enough to injure.” “Yeah. Maybe you’re right. At least it will keep him alive for a bit longer.” I give Franco a sick smile and he returns it full force. “Let's e
Catherine It takes forever to fix up a list of instruments and materials that I want and need. The fact that I don't have access to the internet slows down the process tremendously. I also go through the pharmacy and what I see there scares the shit out of me. Old medication is mixed with new. I use at least one and a half hours just sorting through what can be used and what needs to be disposed of. When my list of more acute materials and medicine is finished I walk over to Dr. Davies office. I hope to have him leave the list to Mr. Peccati. After breakfast and then lunch I wish to have as little with the man to do as possible. The lunch was not much different from the breakfast, except that I went to my designated place immediately instead of trying to sit somewhere else. Mr. Peccati ignored me throughout the meal, laughing and joking with Franco and even Pierto, though he doesn’t seem to be very easy going. If I tried to speak to anyone he would speak over me so I only tired tw