Chapter 2

MARINA

“Marina, I told you before please can you take my shift tonight” Lucy said, giving me the best puppy she could ever make and I couldn’t say no to those big brown eyes, they are cute.

“Okay, I will do it,” I said, and she squealed loudly. “Thank you, thank you, “she said happily as she walked to her locker.

Lucy is kind of the only friend I have in the hospital, I don’t really like interacting with people cause I feel they don’t like me because of my skin colour or who I am so I kept to myself but Lucy is the only person I can call a friend in the whole hospital.

Lucy and I are both nurses in the emergency unit so as nurses we all have shifts, my shift was during the day but Lucy has a date with Cameroon, her boyfriend tonight and now I have to fill in for her.

Lucy is someone we call an epitome of beauty. She has those legs, long blonde hair, and most especially her big brown eyes. Sometimes, I get jealous of her, but what can I do? I’m not God.

“I promise I will give you details of the night,” Lucy said as she came back with her bag smiling happily, and I just returned the smile.

“I will love to hear, but please keep it, PG,” I say laughing, she just shook her head with a smile and walked out.

I got dressed back into my scrub and walked out of the female locker room to the reception, waiting for any emergency, which I don't pray for to occur this night.

Sitting down alone I noticed a little boy looking outside as he stood by the door with his smoothie in his hands, he reminded me of Xavier.

“Please, he is having an asthma attack.” I heard someone shout, which got me springing out from my chair just to see a middle-aged man, maybe in his forties, carrying a little boy. Immediately, I walked fast to them to have the little boy, and the boy was Xavier like my Xavier.

I’m very sure he is not yours.

“Hey Xavier, you have to breathe with me,” I said to him as I rushed him into a ward. He was breathing rapidly, his eyes were glistened with tears, and he looked so pitiful right now.

“Have you used his inhaler?” I asked the man, and he nodded vigorously. “I used it for him on the way here, but he isn’t responding to it,” the man said

I ran out of the ward immediately, I got a Nebulizer from the next ward and ran back to his ward with the aerosol in my hands.

With hurried hands, I arranged the machine, wore the mask for him and put on the mask, and switched the nebulizer on.

Waiting for almost ten minutes, he was still breathing the same way. It didn't look like it had that much of an effect on him. I’m not thinking I removed the mask. “Hey baby, look at me,” I said to him, which made him look at me. Tears were in his eyes.

His chest heaving rapidly.

“I want you to breathe with me, you see in and out, in and out, in and out you can do it” I tried controlling his breathing with shaking hands I opened the drawer beside him and brought out a Ventolin inhaler.

“Xavier, once I puff this in your mouth don’t swallow it immediately. Keep it for three seconds, then you can swallow it” I said, and he nodded. I puffed it in his mouth and saw her hold it in “1...2...3 now swallow” I said, and he did so.

“Now I want you to breathe with me, in and out just like we did the other time.” I said, and he was doing it. He was calming himself. He is really doing it.

After five minutes, I saw his breathing was back to normal. He looked at me with a smile.

“You okay, baby?” I asked, and he nodded as he jumped into my arms, making me hug him as he hugged my neck.

“Ohhh, thank God,” I heard someone breathe out, I turned to see the middle-aged man that brought him in, was behind him. I look up to see the idiot himself, Xavier’s father looking at me emotionlessly.

Xavier squeezed my neck, calling my attention to him. I looked at him, and he was looking up at me with a scared expression. “I’m scared,” he said shakenly.

“There’s no need to be scared, baby. You just have to control it. When you feel you are not alright, try calming yourself, hmm?” He nodded, trying to smile.

“Xavier,” a deep voice resonated in the ward, sounding so dark and husky but appealing at the same time.

Xavier peeled his hands from my neck and looked behind me to see his father there right behind me “Daddy” he said smiling as he stretched out his hands for his father.

His father lifted him off the bed and held him close to him tightly. “Mi hai spaventatto ragazzino,” he said as he kept holding him.

(You scared me, little boy)

“Are you okay?” His father asked him, and he nodded. His father turned to me, his dark grey eyes staring me down, which had me looking down immediately, wondering what he was going to say. I momentarily looked up at him, watching as he clenched his jaw and formed a fist by his side before walking away, without uttering a word to me.