CODE RED!Márcia's condition worsened; her kidney was hurting too much. She placed her hand on one side of her abdomen, which felt warm and pulsating, where the kidney pain was, while the other side of her skin felt cool and normal. She needed to go to the emergency room and knocked on Lara's door at 1 a.m. She needed another painkiller until morning, and it would be best for her to go to the hospital. Lara didn't answer, so Márcia easily opened the door. She wouldn't wake her up; she knew where Lara kept the medicine box. She found her lying next to the bed with an empty bottle of vodka and an empty blister pack of tranquillisers.In a panic, Márcia called an ambulance and, after hanging up the phone, she called Lipe and told him what had happened. Lipe arrived at the emergency unit before the ambulance, and he felt a chill when the vehicle arrived with its sirens blaring.He hoped it wasn't Lara, but when the paramedics brought down the stretcher and rushed toward the nurses and doc
VISITING HOURSClara stood still, like everyone else in the waiting room. Patrícia had entered the emergency room with the doctors, and it was only after twenty agonising minutes that she came out to deliver the news that Lara was stable but still in intensive care.Lara had been admitted to the ICU and would remain there until she improved."Thank you for bringing her to the hospital, Patrícia," Megan expressed her gratitude."She is in an excellent hospital and well taken care of. There is nothing we can do for her now, folks. I suggest everyone goes home and waits for news," the psychologist advised, and everyone nodded in agreement.Only Lipe and Murilo stayed behind, refusing to leave until Lara was out of the ICU.The friends departed, and Murilo and Lipe were left alone. They sat side by side, not exchanging a word for over an hour. Other people also awaited news about their loved ones and sat in the waiting room, speaking quietly to each other or on their phones. An elderly wo
DRINK A LOT OF WATER!Dália arrived at the hospital, and Lipe and Murilo were sitting in the same chairs where she had left them the previous night. They stood up when they saw her, and Sandro and she insisted that they go to the cafeteria for breakfast while she stayed there in case the doctor came with any news. After quickly swallowing their coffee, they returned to their positions in the chairs. Dália crossed the hospital to the opposite side and was able to visit Márcia, who was already in the ward after a successful surgery."Thank you for visiting, Dália," Márcia seemed small in the hospital bed. "The nurses are wonderful and keep me updated on Lara all the time.""That's good, my friend, but take care of yourself too.""Well, you should tell her that because this little devil doesn't want to stay still!" A kind nurse said to Dália."I can't believe that, Márcia!" Dália sat in a chair near her friend and took her hands in hers. "Is she giving you trouble?""I hate being in the
Jacqueline was accompanied by a guy. Clara and Dalia knew he was her husband from the photos they had seen, and because they were holding hands. She seemed nervous and hurried, her low-heeled shoes tapping on the smooth hospital floor. She was wearing a grey linen outfit, with pleated pants and a three-quarter-sleeve blazer.Dalia and Clara stood up together and followed her and her husband as they walked past without noticing them."Hello, are you Jacqueline?" Dalia asked, with a wide smile, reaching out her hand to greet her. Jacqueline looked at her for a few seconds but didn't shake her hand. She seemed frightened and looked around. "I'm Dalia, and this is my friend Clara. We're the ones who contacted you on Messenger.""Your hand is fine, you'll be discharged today, and we haven't visited you yet. We were waiting for you," Clara also spoke with a smile, but she didn't extend her hand since Dalia's hand was still outstretched.They were almost at the reception desk, and the recept
DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER!"Is her mother doing well?" Cilmo asked her friends after Jaqueline left."She is, she's doing fine," Dalia answered sadly.The three friends hurried to Márcia's room. They only had fifteen minutes left to visit her as visiting hours were coming to an end. They ran down the hallway to the elevator and arrived at the room where Márcia was lying, facing the wall quietly."Hello, dear, feeling a bit sad?" Cilmo approached the raised bed and kissed her cheek."Hey, girls!" Márcia seemed to brighten up and sat up in bed. "I'm fine now, eager to leave. Lipe just came by and told me about Lara. My nurse friend hasn't come in to work today, so I don't have any news about Lara.""But are you doing well?" Clara asked her."Oh, yes, ready to go, can't stand any more poking and prodding," Márcia smiled, and the friends took their seats in the chairs arranged by the bed. Cilmo pulled out an expensive and fancy apple and a magazine from her purse and handed them to Márcia.
THE HOSPITAL EVASIONCilmo returned to the room, feeling a bit dazed and smiling like a clown."What's with that strange smile, girl?" Dália asked her."Guys, I think Cupid has struck me!" she exclaimed, sitting down in the chair in front of Márcia's bed."You mean that shy nurse?" Márcia asked."He is really timid, isn't he?" Cilmo asked."Very much so. I've never seen anything like it. He's one of those people who, when they're embarrassed, tend to keep talking without being able to stop," Márcia recounted."I once watched a show where they matched people up, you know, the guys would come on the show and the girls too. It was a show that was really popular in the 80s and 90s," Dália began to share. "There was this guy, I'll never forget, Rômulo. My husband used to watch it with me every Sunday. Well, there was this guy, and he stayed on the show, unlike those who were eliminated on the first day because they were rejected by the girls. But this guy, he lasted four weeks, appearing a
EXTREMELY SHYCilmo didn't react. She didn't reciprocate the kiss, nor did she even close her eyes. His mouth was warm, and he simply kept his lips on hers without demanding anything more. With closed eyes, he maintained contact.When the elevator beeped, signalling that they had reached their floor, he opened his eyes and stepped away, taking a step to the side.Cilmo pressed the elevator button to keep it closed on the same floor."What are you doing?" she asked."I don't know, I'm sorry. I've been thinking about you all day. Well, even before that.""Are you a stalker?""No!""How could you think about me without even seeing me? It was my first time coming to visit my friends.""I... it feels like I've always been waiting for you, my whole life.""Damn, man, you work in a hospital! It's not possible that you don't have access to psychologists!" Cilmo was starting to get scared of the guy. She opened the elevator door and before leaving, she gave him a warning. "I'm a lawyer, don't
BASIC SECURITY!His mouth was velvety, his lips were plump. Cilmo laughed inside his mouth when their teeth accidentally clashed, and he stumbled when she sought his tongue.Fael moved away from her, leaving her momentarily puzzled."What's wrong?" she asked when she noticed he was uncomfortable and had moved to the other side of the elevator, his head bowed."I'm sorry... I...""It's okay, Fael. We're in your workplace," she said, trying to convey calmness. She released the elevator button. "Give me your contact information, and we can arrange to meet outside of here, talk a bit, get to know each other better."He dictated his number, and she wrote it down. She smiled at him before letting him off the elevator when it reached the ground floor.She celebrated with Murilo and Lipe in the waiting room when they told her that Lara would be transferred to observation in the late afternoon, moving out of the ICU. This was more than enough reason to celebrate, and the group was buzzing with