“About ten minutes ago.”
“How long has it been since his accident?”
“About a half-hour ago.”
When Anna pressed on the patient’s injured calf, a bump bulged from the wound punctured by the steel bar. Instantly, the patient screamed in pain.
“How would you handle this situation?” Anna then asked one of the girls next to her.
After a brief pause, the girl walked nervously to the patient’s bed, her hands clenching around her notebook. She stuttered, “He, emmm, He has a broken left calf and can feel the pain, so I should…”.
“Take him for a CT scan and notify the orthopedic and thoracic surgeons to treat him,” Anna said to her assistant. She then turned to face the intern and said, “Have you made your choice? What took you so long? If you keep being like this, the patient may have died because of your hesitation!”
The girl’s eyes turned red as she was harshly criticized in front of many people.
“Don’t cry. You could use the time for crying to learn, couldn’t you? “Anna was always strict with her interns. She believed doctors must be meticulous and decisive because they hold the lives of others in their hands.
Having turned around, Anna quickly left with the nurse, followed by the interns. Patrick handed a tissue to the girl and said, “Don’t be afraid to be blamed. You’re going to be a doctor. You have to deal with it, anyways. Now, wipe your tears.”
Anna didn’t go very far, so she heard what Patrick said to the girl. And she couldn’t help but pick up the record book in her hand and look at it after that. At that moment, Patrick had just pushed that patient in from the stretcher outside. He had already told the nurse about the patient’s basic condition and what they should do first and had written it down in the record book.
Anna thought, This guy isn’t as stupid as I thought he was, and he’s not here to waste time. Perhaps I made the wrong judgment about him. When she turned around, Patrick was helping the nurse in pushing the stretcher cart. He’d already removed the stud from his ear.
“Mrs. Wright!” Someone called Anna’s name, and that brought her back to reality. Anna looked up to see the nurse come in from outside.
“Someone is looking for you in the office.”
“What for?”
“To bring you lunch.”
Anna immediately frowned and appeared dissatisfied. She thought, Again? I told Wayne this morning that I didn’t want him to bring me lunch. Why didn’t he listen to me?
“Just ignore him,” Shaking her head helplessly, Anna sighed.
The nurse paused before responding, “Really? Why don’t you go get some lunch? After all, we’re all here, and Dr. Barnes is on duty.”
Anna quickly put her stethoscope into her pocket and said, “No need. The ambulance is still on its way. I’ll operate on the patient myself.”
Two hours later, Anna finished the surgery. And it was nearly 3 p.m. when she walked out of the operating room. Having removed her sterile gown, Anna returned to her office to rest. And when Anna pushed open the office door and saw the person inside, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Jennie?” she asked in shock.
As soon as she saw Anna, Jennie set the magazine down, stood up, and said, “Hello, my dear! Come on in and take a rest.”
Anna immediately walked into the office and asked, “How long have you been waiting for me?”
“Not for long. I hadn’t seen you in a long time, so I decided to come to see you. I prepared some of your favorite dishes, but I didn’t expect you’re in the middle of something. I didn’t bother you, did I?”
“It was you? Oh, I’m sorry! I had absolutely no idea it was you,” Anna said in an apologetic tone.
Jennie didn’t seem to mind the long wait. She said, “Come on, have some food. You might not have time to eat if you get busy later.”
Anna admitted guiltily, “I had no idea you were here, Jennie. I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting so long.”
Jennie said as she opened each thermos in front of her, “That’s fine. I have nothing else to do anyway. Great! The food is still warm.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted your cooking, and it’s still as good as before,” Anna said as she sipped the chicken soup.
“You like it, don’t you? From now on, I’ll bring lunch to you every day.”
“Really? Thank you, but you don’t have to do that. You can let me know when you come to see me the next time. “
“Someone wanted to bring you lunch, but he was afraid you’d blame him. That’s why he asked me to come,” Jennie said with a smile.
Anna froze for a moment before reacting to what Jennie meant. Her face completely flushed.
“By the way, Wayne told me that Jasper is sending Gary back to England,” As she packed her lunchbox, Jennie said.
Anna nodded and said, “Jasper is going through something complicated. Wayne doesn’t know how to look after the children, and I’m always busy with work. So, we’ll have to ask you to do it.”
“I can absolutely look after him. Is this something related to Gary’s parents?”
“Jasper didn’t tell me the specifics, but I don’t think it’s about them. After all, b both his parents died.”
Jennie sighed and said, “Right. His parents are no longer alive, so let’s not bring it up again.” After saying this, Jennie put her lunchbox away and added, “OK, I’m leaving. Bye.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
“I’m good, dear. You should have some rest here. “
After seeing Jennie off, Anna sat alone behind her desk. She had wanted to take the time to look at the patients’ cases, but she couldn’t concentrate.
A few days ago, Jasper had abruptly mentioned that he would send Gary back home without explaining why. She initially assumed it was due to his troubles, but her instincts told her it wasn’t that simple. It was also weird that Wayne had suddenly returned from the south. Anna suspected he knew something about it, so she decided to ask him when she got home.
***
At around five o’clock, Tammy’s high school entrance was packed with students in the afternoon. Clutching her backpack, Tammy emerged from the school gates, and she had a lollipop in her mouth. As she walked, she talked happily with her friend.
Tammy was fifteen years old and in her freshman year of high school. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, giving her a vibrant look. She wore a white shirt, a plaid skirt and a pair of white trainers.
“Tammy, is that your mother?” Her friend asked with curiosity at the sight of Anna.
“No way! My mother is probably at the hospital right now. She’d be too busy to pick me up! Don’t try to fool me,” Tammy immediately replied without even looking up. And she snatched her friend’s hand and asked, “Tell me, who put chocolate in your locker today during lunch break? I won’t let you go unless you tell me.”
“You’re being mean now, Tammy,” Anna said.
Tammy stopped when she heard Anna’s teasing voice and said, “Mom?!”
“I haven’t seen you in a month, my dear. When did you begin to bully your friends?”
Tammy’s friend greeted Anna politely before breaking free from Tammy’s grip and saying, “I have to go, bye!”
“Hey! You haven’t told me yet!” Tammy said as she tried to catch up to her friend.
Anna reached for Tammy’s collar and asked, “Why are you running? Come on, let me take you home. You should be grateful that I took the time to come and get you.”
“Ouch! That hurts!” Tammy cocked her head and struggled to break free from Anna’s grip. Anna was a doctor who knew how to use her strength, so Tammy had no way of escaping.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.