CHAPTER SEVEN: THE PATIENT IN ROOM 307.

The ward had barely settled after Margaret Cole’s departure when Jasmine returned to the nurses’ station. The conversation with Harrison’s mother still weighed on her.

“Do not make emotional decisions in this environment.”

Jasmine had heard the words clearly, but she refused to allow them to disturb her work. Margaret Cole was not the first wealthy relative to question a nurse’s competence, and she would not be the last. She placed the chart she was holding on the desk and reviewed the morning observations. Room 301 remained under close monitoring. Harrison Cole’s vital signs were stable for the moment, though his condition still required careful observation. His pain had reduced slightly after medication, but he remained difficult, impatient and unwilling to follow instructions without argument.

Jasmine checked the time. Her shift still had several hours left. She had to work 2 shifts since she was in charge of Harrison's care and there was also an increase in her salary.

“Jasmine.” She looked up.

Emily stood beside the medication trolley, holding a file against her chest. Unlike Sharon, Emily rarely approached people with gossip. She was quieter, kinder and observant in a way that sometimes made Jasmine uncomfortable.

“What?” Jasmine asked.

“Are you alright?”

Jasmine returned her attention to the chart. “I’m working.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

“I’m fine,Emily.”

Emily studied her face. “You have said that three times since morning.”

“Then perhaps you should believe me.”

“I would if you looked fine.”

Jasmine gave her a brief look. “What exactly does fine look like?”

“Not like you.”

Jasmine picked up a pen and began writing but Emily did not leave.

“You have been quiet since you came back from administration.”

“I’m usually quiet.”

“Not this quiet.”

“Emily.”

“Alright.” Emily raised one hand. “I’ll stop.”

But she did not sound convincing.

Jasmine continued documenting the observation. She could feel Emily watching her, but she refused to explain herself.There was too much to explain. The pressure from administration, Margaret’s warning,Harrison’s constant hostility, the money she needed at home, the rent that was already overdue, the fees her younger brother needed before the week ended. None of it belonged at the nurses’ station. The vibration of the phone in her pocket made her jump out of her thoughts. She quickly dived her hands in, It was her Mummy.

She stepped away from the desk and answered.

“Hello, Mummy.”

“My Jasmine, how are you?, are you busy?”.

Jasmine let out a shaky breath. Hearing her mom call her like that calmed her down.

“I’m fine Mum and I'm on duty.”

“I know dear. I won’t take much of your time.”

Jasmine closed her eyes briefly. Her mother’s voice was weak, and that alone made her guard rise.

“What happened?”

“The landlord came again.”

Jasmine looked down the corridor.

“And?”

“He said we cannot continue staying there without paying.”

“I’m sorting it out Mum.”

“He said he will give us only a few more days. Dear, please don’t be sad”, her mother added.

Jasmine lowered her voice. “I’m not sad Mummy.”

“You sound unhappy”

“It’s work Mummy, i will be fine.”

“I understand and I have a little money saved. We can add to it and pay on time."

Jasmine pressed her fingers against her forehead.

“How about Jasper's school fees,How much is left?”, she asked.

Her mother told her. Jasmine said nothing.

“They said the tuition must be completed before he can go for classes.” Her mum continued carefully.

“Jasper said he can stay at home for a few days while we complete the rent first”

“He will not stay at home.”

“Jasmine…”

“No, Mummy. He has already missed enough because of us.”

Her mother sighed softly. “We are trying our best.”

“I know we are”

“Your salary…”

“My salary is not enough for everything”

The words escaped before she could stop them. Jasmine immediately regretted saying it.

“I’m sorry, Mum” she said. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“I know you are tired and disturbed but I'm always here if it gets difficult and you want to cry out to someone. I love you Jasmine”.

“I love you too Mummy”.

Jasmine looked toward the corridor.A patient’s relative was speaking to one of the nurses near the entrance. 

“I’ll send something,” she added.

“I have to go, Mummy. Greet kiddo for me”.

“I will baby, take care.

“Bye Mummy”, Jasmine said as she ended the call.

For a few seconds, she stood still with the phone in her hand then she slipped it back into her pocket and returned to the nurses’ station.

Emily was still there. She had heard enough to understand that the conversation had not been pleasant.

“Family?” Emily asked gently.

Jasmine opened the file in front of her.

 “Yes.”

“Is your mother alright?”

“She needs medication.”

“And your brother?”

“Tuition fees.”

Emily’s expression softened. “And the rent?”

Jasmine looked at her.

Emily sighed. “I wasn’t trying to listen.”

You were eavesdropping.”

“I wasn’t, you weren't that far.” 

Jasmine closed the file. “Everything is fine, I'm fine.”

“Jasmine.”

“What?”

“You don’t have to keep saying that.”

Jasmine looked away.

Emily lowered her voice. “You can talk to me.”

“There is nothing to talk about.”

“It's fine if you insist”

Before Jasmine could answer, a sharp sound came from the corridor. A nurse appeared at the entrance with a pale face.

“Jasmine!”

Jasmine stood immediately.

“What is it?”

“Room 307. The patient is unresponsive.”

Emily stepped back as Jasmine moved.

“Call Dr. Lawson,” Jasmine ordered. “Bring the emergency trolley. Tell the team we have a possible cardiac arrest.”

The nurse hurried away.

Jasmine and Emily ran toward Room 307. The patient was an older man who had been admitted two days earlier. His daughter had been sitting beside him earlier that morning, reading from a small book while he slept.

Now she stood near the window, crying out.

“Dad?, Dad, please!”

The patient lay motionless on the bed. Jasmine moved to the bedside.

“Everyone step back.”

She checked for responsiveness, breathing and a pulse but there was nothing.

“Start an emergency response,” she said. “Call a code blue.”

Emily pressed the emergency button.The alarm sounded through the ward. 

“Code Blue, Room 307. Code Blue,Room 307.

“Begin compressions,” Jasmine instructed.

The nurse beside her started chest compressions while Jasmine opened the airway and assessed the patient again.

“Where is the trolley?”

“Coming!”

The room filled rapidly. Footsteps rushed through the corridor. Nurses entered with equipment. Dr. Lawson arrived moments later, already pulling on gloves.

“Time of arrest?” he asked.

“Approximately two minutes before we arrived,” Jasmine answered.

“Continue CPR.”

The team worked with controlled urgency.

The patient’s daughter was escorted outside, but her cries continued through the closed door.

“Daddy! Please don’t leave me!”

Jasmine heard every word. She kept her attention on the patient. The monitor showed no effective rhythm.

“Prepare for defibrillation,” Dr. Lawson ordered.

The team followed the instructions.The first attempt failed.

The second attempt failed too. Medication was administered, compressions continued,Instructions were repeated. The emergency trolley remained open beside the bed, its contents scattered across the surface as the team worked against time.

Jasmine’s arms began to ache, but she did not stop.

She had seen emergencies before.She had seen patients deteriorate.But something about the daughter’s voice outside the room made the situation feel heavier.

“Come on,” Emily whispered.

Jasmine did not know whether Emily was speaking to the patient or herself.

Dr. Lawson checked the monitor again.

“Continue.”

Another cycle began. The room had become unbearably warm. Sweat gathered beneath Jasmine’s gloves. Her breathing was fast, but her hands remained steady.

Then, after another assessment, Dr. Lawson’s expression changed. He looked at the monitor for a long moment.

“Stop compressions.”he said. 

"Time of death, 3:30pm," Dr. Lawson said.

The room went still.

From the closed doors,where mother and daughter were watching what was going on inside the room,they saw the silence and at once barged in. The silence in the room stated the obvious but a voice was just needed to confirm the uncertainty.

“I’m very sorry. We were unable to revive him.” Dr Richard finally said.

“No. No, you have to try again.”

The woman pushed past him toward the bed while her daughter followed.

“Daddy!”

“Baby!” 

Mother and daughter were sobbing. Their wail travelled round the wards. The nurses tried to hold their daughter, but she pulled away and fell against the bed, gripping the dead man’s hand.

“Daddy, please wake up. Please.”

Jasmine stood near the foot of the bed. She had performed her duty, she had followed the emergency procedure, she had done everything required of her. But the knowledge did not make the death easier to witness. Emily stood beside her, her face drained of colour. 

Other relatives gathered outside the room. Someone began praying while another person called a family member and struggled to speak through tears. The ward, which had been filled with ordinary hospital sounds, now carried grief.

Jasmine lowered her eyes. She had learned during training that death was part of her profession. She had repeated it in examinations and also heard it from instructors. But no lecture had prepared her for the sound of a daughter begging her father to breathe again.

Dr. Lawson eventually stepped out to speak with the family. Jasmine remained behind with other nurses to help clear the room and complete the required documentation. Emily moved beside her.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“We all aren't okay”, Jasmine replied.

Jasmine removed her gloves and disposed them. Her hands were trembling slightly. She pressed them together until they stopped.

“Don’t ask me that again,” she whispered.

Emily said nothing. For several minutes, they worked without speaking.

When Jasmine finally left Room 307, the daughter’s crying could still be heard from the relatives’ waiting area. She returned to the nurses’ station and sat down. Her phone remained in her pocket.

The rent was still waiting, The tuition fees were still unpaid, her mother still needed medication. And somewhere down the corridor, Harrison Cole remained alive in room 301, demanding attention as though the entire world had been built around his needs.

Jasmine glanced toward his door then she looked back at the records in front of her.  One patient was lost, the day had shifted and deep down, she had the uneasy feeling that it was only the beginning.