Incompetent Eden

Eden’s Point of View

Tracing the scalpel with perfect precision, I cut open the flesh, making an incision; sweat dripped down my jaw, my breaths came out shallow, I was basically gasping for air at this point.

I still don’t know why I get so nervous whenever a person is laying on the operating table.

Especially when the person is a child.

“Vitals?” I asked just before I commence surgery, the case was delicate, and I fear the outcome of the surgery. I am aware I shouldn’t do it, because I wasn’t a pediatric surgeon, but time was wasting, and this boy will not make it before a consultant come in.

Even if they use a chopper he won’t.

I was sure I could do it, but why am I so scared now?

“BP is at 115 over 80, heart rate is 85, and Saturation is 96%,” Nurse Luke replied promptly, I nodded my head because the vitals was good enough.

I can do it, I encouraged myself, and almost immediately my trembling hands slipped and my eyes widened when the very precise scalpel punctured something.

“What is that?” I asked my surgical assistant, Dr. Farha.

“That is the superior vena cava.” She answered with the same panic, and I felt my chest tightened.

Fuck, I am fucked.

“The patient is hemorrhaging.” She announced, and almost immediately, the alarm sounded from the machines.

“Vitals!” I demanded.

“Pressure is dropping, heart rate is rising, 140 and still rising! We are losing oxygen.” Nurse Luke yelled at me, while I tried to fix the damage I caused, I could barely see anything, the entire chest was filled with blood.

“Clamp.” I announced trying to steady my breathing, I collected it from the scrub nurse as I held the damaged blood vessel together.

“I need suction.” I called out to one of the standby nurses who hurriedly wheeled the suction machine towards us.   

“No pulse—he’s flatlining!” Nurse Luke yelled again.

“Compressions!” Yelling out, then Farha gets with the compression, I sutured the wound as fast as I could.

“He’s stabilizing.” That was the only word I needed to hear at this point.

****

“How was the surgery?” I jolted slightly; the parents of the boy were in front of the emergency room.

Worry lined their faces, especially the mother whose eyes were swollen, they had been skeptical about letting me do it, but the mother was willing to take the risk with me, and I am glad I didn’t fail.

“He is fine, the surgery was a success.”

Their gasps were of both shock and relief.

“Thank you so much, doctor.” The mother’s thanks were my everything, and once again, I was filled with a sense of fulfilment.

“You did great in there, doc.” My assistant Farha, and Lisa the scrub nurse, pulled me into a hug, I guess they noticed how tensed I have been, and I needed the hug.  

“Thanks to you both, my life saver.” I smiled. “I owe you dinner.”

“Don’t mention.” Lisa grinned also.

“Doctor Eden!” Anna, secretary to the director, called holding some files close to her chest, and I paled. “You are summoned to the office of the director.”

The director of Montclair Medicals, also known as my father, needed me to be in his office.

“Why did you do it?” He snapped and I flinched, I didn’t plan to be met with such level of hostility.  

“It was a success.” I answered defensively.

“It was a delicate one, and you are not even qualified for the surgery!” He snapped. “What if the boy had died, what would you have done?”

“The boy would have died if I hadn’t attended to him, we were the second hospital they referred him too.” I defended. “I just couldn’t turn them away when I knew I could do it.”

That was a lie, I was uncertain also.

“That’s all the more reason you should have turned them away! If things had gotten worse, we don’t have the funds for a chopper.” He yelled at me.

“He won’t even last that long.” I retorted.

“We both know this hospital is at its last days, I don’t want to ruin the image my mother suffered so hard to build. I made it clear; don’t take extreme cases you would be unable to handle. And the reports—”

He slammed the files on the table.

“You punctured the vena cava during surgery?” I fell silent. “You are not a bloody intern anymore, Eden, you have done surgeries for 2 years. You shouldn’t be at the stage where you puncture anything, especially at such delicate case.”

I bit down on my lips.

“I can’t wait for Evangeline to be done with med school; she seems to have better potential than you.” He slammed those words that I have always heard since I was a child. He had always compared my little sister to me, and now even though she isn’t even a surgeon yet, he still did the same shit.

“The fact remains the surgery was a success despite the complications, and that just added to our good image.”

“You are suspended, Eden.” His voice was stern, he didn’t have any reason to do it, but he just did it. “Let Doctor Logan take over from you.”

In anger, I pulled the stethoscope hanging on my neck and slammed it on his table before leaving his office.

“I hate my father so much.” I texted Uriel, my fiancé, “I think I might quit, I can’t stand him!”

I texted again, but there was no reply.

Fuck. This won’t do; I am going to find him.

   I pulled out of the driveway in my Toyota Mirai, realizing just how bad of a fiancée I am to Uriel. Due to my heavy schedule, I barely responded to any of his text during the week.

Maybe I needed this suspension.

I could use the opportunity to bond with Uriel, and then we can plan our wedding with a clearer head.

Throwing the keys in my pocket, pausing slightly when I noticed the door was opened; he wasn’t usually this careless.

Hesitantly, I pushed the door opened, my eyes darting around suspiciously, the living room was empty, and my eyes fell on the half-filled champagne glasses on the table.

 Dd Uriel have a visitor?

   I wondered as I made my way up the stairs, I heard a sound and my heart tightened, cold sweat popping from my forehead, and I followed the sound to the bedroom door.

“Argh! Um… Yeah, harder!” I stood frozen in front of the door, my eyes glossy with tears from the disbelief. The moan was accompanied by wet smacking sounds, the sounds of bodies slapping together, creating a twisted rhythm that made my head spin.

Not only because I just found out that Uriel was cheating on me, but because the voice of the woman he was with sounded so familiar.

“Fuck, you are so tight.” I heard him groan. “Your stupid sister won’t even let me touch her. She is always too busy.”

“You shouldn’t even compare us.” Her high-pitched squeals echoed again. “Ugh! Yeah… Oh, God, yes!”

I stood there as I tried to catch the pieces of myself, wondering if I should leave or go inside, I decided on the latter, I stormed in.

Uriel, and Evangeline, my half-sister was naked, I was soon overwhelmed with the intense feeling of disgust and rage.

“What the hell are you two doing?!” I screamed.