When I Die

“Multiple ambulances en route to the emergency bay!” The announcement blared on the overhead speakers.

“ALL HANDS ON DECK! ALL HANDS ON DECK!” 

Multiple people injured can mean a lot of things, a big car accident on the freeway, a fire at an apartment, an explosion at a makeshift meth lab, or something as simple as getting heat stroke during summer.

Grace Medical Hospital was used to these kinds of things happening from time to time, but not all days were this busy. The hospital was in a peaceful part of town and used mostly by patients who needed costly procedures like neurosurgery, organ transplants, and plastic surgery.

The best surgeons in the world had taken up residency at the hospital because they liked the living areas and the community it built.

But that is not why the hospital became popular. People knew them for their philanthropic efforts, such as feeding the homeless, no-cost healthcare, and never turning away patients who needed medical attention.

Regina Martin is a nurse, and she had just finished cleaning and dressing up the wounds of a 15-year-old teenager who hit his head and had long wounds and scrapes on his elbows, legs, and knees skateboarding down several flights of stairs. 

He did not wear any protective gear because he felt invincible.

“The doctor says to keep you here for a few hours to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“Man, that’s too long. I didn’t break any bones, so I should be free to go. My friends are waiting.”

“Nope, young man, we will wait for your parents, and let them talk to the doctor,” she said.

“Watch him. His parents are on their way.” She instructed an intern who was cleaning up the materials Regina used for the patient.

Regina heard the announcement again and was on her way to the ER when she heard people running and screaming, so she rushed toward them with one thought on her mind.

‘They need my help.’

“Code Orange! Code Orange!” It was too late when she heard the warning code they used to alert everyone that a dangerous person carrying a gun was in the building.

This code meant they were on lockdown, and safety protocols were in effect. Hospital staff and patients were to stay in whatever room they were in during the lockdown. Nobody could come in and out of any room until the police neutralized the gunman.

Regina barged into the room without regard for her safety, and standing right in the middle of the emergency waiting area with several injured people around him was the shooter. His gun pointed straight at Regina’s face.

Hate radiated from his eyes, and Regina could feel the anger rolling off him in waves.

It was clear that he intended to hurt people, so she raised her arms in surrender, ready to drop to the ground if he allowed it. 

Regina knew never to stare at dangerous people, but like any terrified victim, she could not look away. She saw the muscle in his jaw move seconds before he squeezed the trigger. 

She had angered him by staring and knew it was the end for her.

BANG! 

The sound was deafening as everything went black.

Regina woke up a few minutes later when she saw a bright light shining ahead of her.

‘This is it. I’m dead, and I’ll never see my family again.’ 

‘I don’t want to go into the light. I’m not ready.’

Regina frowned when the light disappeared. ‘Am I going to hell?’

‘This is so ironic. I tried to live a decent life, yet I’m heading to the dark place.’

“Regina? Are you awake?”

“Am I dead?” She asked out loud before she felt a set of arms grab her.

“No, you’re not, thank God!” She smelled the cologne she gave him for Christmas before recognizing his voice.

“Raffy?” The familiar fragrance her brother favored invaded her nostrils as her face got smooshed into his chest. Regina could still see the gun barrel pointed at her face when she closed her eyes. It made her shiver.

Raphael Albright pulled away after he felt her tremble. “You should take a few days off. Facing that guy won’t be easy to forget.”

He checked again, looking for any signs the fall might have injured her, and Regina just sat there, still in shock.

“Do you know what happened? Why am I still alive?”

“The nurses told me the guy had a gun pointed straight at you, and you were lucky the cops came and took him down before he killed you.”

“Is he dead?”

“No, he’s in the emergency room. Witnesses said it looked like something out of a movie. Lucky for you, the first responder was a sharpshooter.”

“Did I get hit anywhere?”

“No, you passed out just as they shot him.”

“I saw him pull the trigger. I heard the sound.”

“Yeah, but they got him first. You’re lucky, kiddo.”

“I am.” She hugged her brother tight, afraid that this was just a dream and, in reality, she was dead. Raffy obliged, knowing his sister was still in shock.

“I love you,” she whispered against his coat jacket as her shaking lessened.

-=-

Regina stood across the street, staring at the enormous letters welcoming people outside the hospital.

It had been several weeks since the incident, but fear still gripped her when she stepped anywhere near the place.

When she couldn’t muster the courage to enter the hospital, she visited Raffy, knowing he had a late shift that day. 

She didn’t want to be alone because each time she closed her eyes, her mind wandered, bringing her back to the hospital shooter with his gun pointed at her face.

“Regina, did you respond to that interview yet?” He asked as soon as she entered the door to his house.

“Hello to you, too,” she replied before hugging him. “I don’t want to be a caregiver, Raffy. I’m a nurse, and if I wanted to work in hospice care, I would have applied for that job.”

“Ginny, Mom, and Dad are just concerned about what happened.” 

“I’m perfectly fine. You guys treat me like a baby when I don’t even remember anything anymore.”

“Did you talk to your doctor?”

“I don’t need to. I’m ready to go to work.” Regina evaded his gaze by raiding the refrigerator.

“Are you? You still haven’t gone back to the hospital, and we all know you are still having nightmares.”

Regina glared, “I told you that in privacy. I can’t believe you told Mom and Dad.” 

Raffy shrugged. He could not lie to his family when Regina’s well-being was at risk.

“This job will be good for you, a change of scenery if you will.” 

“I love being at the hospital. It’s where I belong.” 

“You don’t even know if you’ll pass the interview.”

“I will. I’m that good.”

“Hah! I see you got your sense of humor back. Just go to the interview so you can tell Mom you did, and they can get her off your tail.”

“For a few weeks. Until they find something new.” She scoffed.

“What’s the price of your sanity?”

“Fine, I’m going because it was my idea.”

“Whatever you want to tell yourself is fine. Just don’t miss it.”

Whatever Raphael said made sense, but it did not mean she should be happy about it.

The incident at the hospital rattled her family’s nerves, and their first instinct was to shield her from the world and squirrel her away to a more peaceful environment.