Chapter-3

10 MONTHS AGO

"OH SHIT!" I shouted out loud, after taking a look at the time on my phone.

'I can't believe I actually forgot to put an alarm! Never in my 11 months of housejob had this happened, until now! The start of my last rotation! I knew Trauma was bad news. No wonder I couldn't shake off that feeling of anxiety. I missed Fajr too! If the start of first day is this sucky, how is the rest of my month going to be?! I am doomed! Most definitely!' I kept on thinking as I quickly washed my face and brushed my teeth.

'Only 5 minutes, until the driver comes.' Throwing the phone on my bed, I quickly opened the wardrobe to get something to wear. I don't even have my scrubs ironed. Have to wear civies?!!! Ugh!! It's going to attract so much attention. 

I thought, quickly putting on my clothes. Despite the extent of noise that I was making, my 2 roommates kept on sleeping without so much as stirring.

'They just had to skip work today too! Atleast one of them could have woke me up otherwise!' I thought groaning looking at the time. It was 5 minutes past the time for my driver Uncle to come. Luckily, he was late today. Which never happened, like ever.

Quickly grabbing my bag, I quietly left the room, locking the door after me.

"Oh dear Lord. I have a very ominous feeling about this ER rotation. Please help me get through it in one piece. Ameen." I made a silent prayer on way to the hospital.

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"—Dr. Amna will take bed 10-15 with Captain Momin. Dr. Faryal, bed 16-20 with Captain Soha—" Dr Huda our coordinator for Trauma went on with the morning brief. I looked around with a bored look on my face until she asked if anyone was left.

"Umm. Maam, me." I squeaked, putting up my hand. She watched my face expectantly so I could tell her my name. I gave her a tight- lipped smile before giving out my name.

"Hmm. Dr. Mahnoor you will be in R&R with Captain Omar." She informed, as she wrote down my name beside the other house officer. 

'Noice. I will be the only one, who's gonna be by myself in the other room.' I wondered with a roll of eyes as I shared my thoughts with Faryal through facial expressions. She was as excited about it as me.

With an exasperated sigh, I went on to the Resuscitation room next door.

'Sigh. I am bored. I thought after some time had passed. In the past 2 hours, there had only been 2 or 3 patients and there was very little for me to do. 

'You can't even get any signal coverage here. Can't even use internet here. I should go check on others.' Thinking this, I got up from my doctor's desk and made way towards the Major area.

Ah! There is Faryal. I spotted her as soon as I entered, standing with Captain Soha, examining a patient. I basically looked liked a patient or an attendant, without my overall; which I didn't get a chance to iron. On top of that, since I had stuffed it in my bag in a hurry, it was in a very precarious state. So, I was in my long coat and civies and everyone kept asking me if I were a doctor? with the way I kept hovering around patients.

In my oblivious state, I happily started walking towards ber and didn't notice the third doctor with them, who was standing with his back to me, in blue scrubs; meaning he was a senior doctor—A resident. 

I was only a few feet away from them, when I realised the consequences of interrupting—and quickly tried to put a brake on my heels but despite my best attempts to turn back—just as I took a step to retreat, he turned around and looked at me. 

I, who had one foot hanging a few inches from the ground in air, watched him with a feeling of regret—of getting caught in the middle of slipping away.

Snapping my mouth shut, I quietly returned my foot to the ground. At this point, he turned back to the patient and I started walking to where Faryal was standing.

"Hey." I muttered and turned my attention to sir, who was taking the patient's history. I silently and intently watched and listened to his every word and action. Subconsciously, I kept looking for any signs of slip ups—judging his competency. Without realising it, I hadn't taken my eyes off of him for a single moment.

When he moved to examine the patient's abdomen for signs of tenderness, I noticed that his hands were very neat and clean, with long fingers.

"I am bored." I said to Faryal after the examination was over and the resident was writing down the notes and giving instructions to the patient. His voice was low and steady. 

"There is nothing to do in R&R." I cried, when only us two were left with the patient and the other two had moved on to the next bed.

"Come, I'll teach you what I have learned."

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I returned to the R&R after the alarm went off—indicating a patient had arrived in emergency. On reaching there, I noticed two patients were being treated.

I reached the bed closer to me and examined the patient before taking down notes. On the arrival of the medicine resident, I explained my findings and she went on to continue her examination. After giving further treatment instructions, she left me to monitor the patient.

I had just completed my work on this one, when my gaze wandered to the next patient. I watched in amazement the doctor working on the patient. There was so much blood, as he tried to put gauze after gauze on the man's back to stop the bleeding. On a closer look, I found a glass shard lodged in his back, which the doctor was trying to work around. It all looked so fascinating to me. Not the fact that the poor patient was hurt—but the skills it would require to fix him. He must've been given some anaesthetic, as he was sitting very calmly on the bed.

"Madam—are you a house officer?" I looked away from the patient to the doctor, whose face was covered with surgical mask. He was holding the skin flap and trying to get the small pieces of glass shards out.

"Ah—yes sir." I answered turning to him, only for my gaze to wander back to the patient. So much blood. The bed was getting soaked with it.

"Please call Captain Haider from the major area." I heard him say and turned my gaze back to him.

'Now what do I know who Captain Haider is? Tch.' I thought miserably while searching for him by looking around the room. Maybe the receptionist would know. 

"Staff—Do you know who Captain Haider is?" I stood with my elbows on the counter.

"Who Maam?" He questioned instead.

"Captain Haider?" I quacked out. He should be in uniform if he is a captain right? Is he a resident? Ughh! 

"I don't know Maam—there are different doctors on duty every time—" he answered clueless. 

'Tch. Not helpful at all.' I thought turning on my heels and saw someone walking past me. Almost as if slowly and intentionally. I noticed then that he was wearing blue scrubs—Maybe he would know? I thought without looking up at his face and before I could, my eyes had wandered to the name inscribed on his scrubs.

"Umm! Sir! Do you know who Captain Haider is—-" I was saying while staring at his name that read—"Capt. Mohammad Haider"

"Yeah? It's me." He returned dryly and I finally looked up at his face.

"Um Sir, There's a patient in R&R. Sir is asking for you." I spoke cautiously.

"Which sir?" He asked plainly.

"Um—I don't know his name." I returned and watched his face for any change but couldn't find any.

"Okay. I am coming." He remarked flatly before walking away to the other side. I watched him wondering if he is going to come or will I be getting in trouble.

'Ugh!! When is this day going to be over?!' I thought with a groan and walked out of the department to R&R. After informing the doctor about completing my job, I started assisting him with the patient, until my phone started going off.

I looked at the caller ID to see it was Mano.

"Hello? Mano??" I went out to take her call but couldn't hear anything.

"Hello—I can't hear you." I was still trying to hear her when I was interrupted.

"Oh. It was this Madam." I pulled away my phone to look at the source of that voice. Only to find Captain Haider, coming towards R&R with someone beside him, whose face I didn't care to stop and see.

"Madam, you had called for me right?" He asked in a friendly tone and I only bothered to say 'yes, sir' before returning to my phone. They didn't stop and I moved outside to take my call.

After finally listening to her urgent call. I returned to my duty some 10 minutes later. On coming back to that patient, I noticed a familiar figure standing next to the patient. His back was turned to me, as he continued discussing the case with another doctor who was standing next to him. So I waited until he was done. When he finally did, I greeted him with a familiar smile.

"Assalamualaikum Fahad bhai." He watched me in surprise for a moment before returning the greeting. 

"Walaikumusalam Mahnoor! How are you? You are on duty here?" He asked smiling as we stepped away from the patient to one side. 

"Alhumdulillah. Yeaaah. It's my last rotation." I returned smiling.

"That's great. Where are you these days? We haven't seen you in ages." He inquired. I looked away embarrassed.

"Ah—nowhere Fahad bhai. You know housejob is so hectic and everything—"

"No, Mahnoor. You are completely AWOL. We have family terms. You can't just disappear likes this. You have to come visit." I rubbed my neck to cover up my guilt and noticed Captain Haider was watching me with a weird face as he continued to walk towards where we were standing and then past us to the patient. I ignored him and continued to get an earful from Fahad bhai for the next 10 minutes. Only after promises of showing up more did he let me go.

I returned back to the patient and completely oblivious to my surroundings, I was reading the patients chart when Sir called out, who was until then discussing the case with some other doctor.

"Madam." I looked up at his voice.

"When this staff returns, you have to come and inform me. We have to shift the patient to OT." He gave instructions before leaving me with the patient. I realised then that my driver was going to come pick me in a while. I hope that the staff comes back quickly.

Thankfully I didn't have to wait too long. But when I went back to inform sir, he gave me another task.

"Have they shifted the patient to the OT room? Can you go check?" I watched his face for a moment, before getting on with my task.

"Yes sir. The patient is in Minor OT."I informed him, who was busy with another patient.

"Captain Asif, is doing the procedure?" He inquired again and I returned with a blank look.

"He must be. Madam, when that bed 14 gets free, you get the patient shifted there, okay—"He was saying when my phone went off.

"Ah—" I looked between him and my phone, which indicated that my driver was outside.

"Madam you are going on bunk?" He asked surprised and I was like, what even—? It's my off time.

"Uh no—sir." I was saying but he cut me off.

"Madam. I'll have to tell Fahad." He remarked plainly and I watched him stupefied. What does he even— before I could counter him. My phone went off again.

"Umm—" I began to walk backwards while he continued to watch me, until I turned around and left.

God. I am so late.