She read through the folder. The symptoms were vague. Chest pain, cold, fatigue. Could be anything from a simple cold to something complicated. She put the folder under her arm and picked a steel tray from the shelf and went out of the to the supply room. The medical supply room was just after the reception area. Interns arriving late hurried past her murmuring greetings as they rushed to get out of their casual clothes. She met Stella in front of the supply room with a tray of her own. The woman in charge of supplies, Sheila smiled at her.
“Morning Sophia.”
“Morning, Sheila.” She pushed the tray through the window, the only accessible space for anyone restricted from entering the supply room. “I need some syringes, swabs and scissors, please.”
Stella’s tray was already full of supplies. She leaned against the glass wall of the supply room, glanced at Sophia and sighed. “I miss the weekend already.” Her red hair was pulled into a tight bun atop her head.
Sophia resisted the urge to let out a sigh of her own. “I have a young patient to attend to this morning.”
“How old?”
“Seven.”
Stella made a face. “Children are the worst on Monday mornings. Too impatient. I’m glad Rosa has been taking them out of my hands. Is he a new patient?”
Sophia nodded as she collected the tray Sheila pushed back out. Together she and Stella walked towards the floor leading to the wards. At the landing, Stella went left wishing her good luck. Sophia took a deep breath and approached ward 5. She stood outside the door and peeked. The large room had four beds with 2 of them empty. The bed beneath the window was occupied by a teen who was brought in for migraines, he was on his back sleeping. The other bed held Freddie, a small kid with thick black curls that fell over his forehead. She stood still at the threshold observing him. It was something she did when she had to take care of younger patients, she observed their personalities from outside before deciding how to approach them.
She didn’t hate children. Far from that.
True, children could be such brats like Stella always pointed out but she thought they were helpless and fragile. Helpless creatures who had to look up to their parents for help at all times. She was always wary around them.
Freddie’s mom was seated in a chair beside his bed and age was holding his hand talking to him. Freddie was looking directly into his mother’s eyes as he listened to her speak and when he smiled and replied her he didn’t look away. That told Sophia all she needed to know about his personality. Bold and direct. That made her work easier.
She entered the room and approached his bed with a smile on her face.
Freddie looked away from his mom toward her. There was an IV tube in his hand which he held away from his body.
“Are you my doctor?” he asked pointing at the stethoscope around her neck.
“Not a doctor. Your nurse. Good morning ma’am,” she said to his mom. The woman looked like she hadn’t had any rest for a week but she smiled weakly at Sophia.
Sophia pulled the chair from one of the empty bedsides and sat beside his bed. Normally with shy children, she would speak to the parents instead of them but this time she angled her chair to face Freddie directly.
“So Freddie, what are your symptoms?”
He seemed pleased that she was asking him. More than that he looked impressed with her peach scrubs. She had them custom-made since Rosa always told her peach was a better shade for her skin than blue.
“I feel tired all the time,” he responded.
“How often?”
He glanced at his mom and there was a hint of worry in his eyes. “Almost every day. I get chest pains too.”
“Have you had symptoms like this before?”
He nodded. “One time last year. I got dizzy in class and was rushed to my school clinic. I was given medicines for cold.”
“Any improvements?” she asked.
He shook his head.
His mother spoke. “There was a slight improvement but the chest pain wasn’t going away. He also complained about some pains in his bones too.”
Sophia listened carefully as she checked his folder to confirm that the symptoms they mentioned were consistent with what was written.
“Pains in your bones?”
He nodded and pointed to his elbow and knees. “In my joints.” He was silent for a long time then said shyly. “I like your uniform.”
She laughed. “Thank you. What do you hope to be when you grow older?”
He shrugged. “A professor. Or a nurse like you.”
She smiled. Picking the syringe and a swab from her tray she moved closer. “That’s nice. What’s your favorite subject?”
“Science. I love history too.”
She uncapped the syringe and reached for his hand. “Freddie, I will need to take a sample of your blood now. I will need it for tests.”
She saw fear enter his eyes.
“It’s going to hurt right?”
“Slightly.” As she took his thin arm in hers to search for his veins she asked, “Do you play sports?” it was a question meant to distract him from the needle which was about to sink into his flesh.
His eyes lightened. “Yes, I used to. I love football and I did karate for a while when I was 5, do you know about it?”
“Of course, I know about it. Actually I know a bit about martial arts. I have a black belt in taekwondo.”
His eyes brightened some more with interest. “No way!”
“Yes, way.” She withdrew the syringe which now had 2ml of blood in it. She placed it in the tray and cleaned the needle wound with a clean swab.
Before she left he asked. “Will you show me your belt some time? And some of your cool moves too?”
“Sure.”
She left the room and headed to the lab at the other wing of the hospital complex. There was a front office where samples were dropped off. She registered his name and card number.
As she left with his folder in her hands to be returned to the card room she felt dread overcome her. His symptoms were far from a simple cold. If the red spots she saw around his neck and chest were any indications, his sickness was much worse.
“You guys, I met someone yesterday.”Rosa cocked a brow at Stella. “Another one?”They were having lunch in the lunchroom. The place was sparsely filled with health workers in uniforms buying boxes of juice and sandwiches. Sophia, Stella and Rosa were sitting close to the door. Nate and Mike could not join them because they were attending to patients. Sophia opened her box of orange juice and drank from it.Stella threw Rosa a dirty look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”Stella shrugged. “You always meet someone every weekend. I’m just saying that’s not new.”“Of course, honey, I can’t keep still, you know that. What’s the fun in sticking to one person, right?” She nudged Sophia.Sophia shrugged. “Why are you asking me? How am I supposed to know?”“That’s right,” Stella drawled. “I keep forgetting that you are a
The rest of the week went so fast. St. Peter’s hospital was as busy as always. Accident victims, minor accidents and the regular checkups kept Sophia on her heels as she went about the job she absolutely loved. But when the weekend came she welcomed it with open arms, ready to sit back and rest her feet. Mike, Nate, Stella and Rosa used what little free time they had to practice the beats to the songs they were to perform on Friday and Saturday nights.The band was an escape for them all from all the hustle and bustle of their working days. Days filled with dying patients and tears of loved ones, of recovering patients and the tears of joy, of bad news after test results came from the lab and of the good ones. The Copycats loved their jobs at the hospital but they collectively breathed a sigh of relief when they came together to sing. In singing, they could let go of the tension of work and just pretend that the lives of people weren’t in their hands for two days.
Matt Wolffe.He was called the Wolf of the business world. He tore his competitors apart, bought people out of business, and outbid his rivals for artworks by renowned artists, and business inventions. There was no stopping him as he rose to the high ranks of business like his father before him. He quenched the rumors that doubted his ability to step into Zach Wolffe's shoes and before the age of 26 his name was called with respect. Many times he appeared in the top 10 successful businessmen in top magazines and social columns. As much as he was known for his unrivaled achievements in the business world, he was also popular among the ladies of high society. Among them, he was known as the Wolf of hearts. He captured the hearts of many and left them broken after short flings. What made him popular among the ladies was his ability to treat his women with utmost respect and affection. He made them feel special and when he became bored of them he let them go with much to compensa
As Sophia sang into the mic she couldn’t help but think about the look on Nate’s face when he held her back before they took the stage and told her he had something he wanted to say to her. The look on his face was different but she knew what it was he wanted to talk about. She just wished he would let it go. She wasn’t ready to let anyone in yet. Maybe not ever. She wished she could explain why she felt that way but he wouldn’t understand even if she tried. Besides, she wasn’t ready to unload her insecurities on him. He and everyone else saw her as strong, mature, strong-willed but she feared what they would think if they saw the real her. The real Sophia that held everyone away from herself. As best as she could she pushed her worries aside. She would just have to let Nate know once and for all that she wasn’t the one for him, if she had to hurt his feelings to do so then so be it. Like always, singing Seal’s Kiss from a rose did things to her. Made her yearn for something she coul
Matt Wolffe seldom worked on Saturdays. Saturdays were for social activities and he honored every social invite religiously. Acquaintances were made at such social events and for someone like him, they presented opportunities to strike business deals. Today was not one of those days, however. His chauffeur was waiting outside with the door of his car open. He slid into the back seat. The chauffeur moved round the back of the car and took the driver’s seat. This was a visit to the only father figure in his life. Simone Pierce. As a child under the iron hand of his father, he was forced out of his comfort and thrown into the jungle of business. At age 18, against his wish, Zach Wolffe forced him into business school. He was intelligent, graduated with good grades and was introduced to the business world. Groomed to take over his father’s banking-investment company, he was introduced to several of Zach’s colleagues and friends in business. When his father began
On Monday morning a frustrated Sophia walked into the section of the St. Peter’s hospital that held the lab. Passing by workers and a few patients she headed to the front desk and slapped her hand on the hardwood. The two ladies sitting behind the high desk barely glanced at her as they chatted about something.“Excuse me,” she said to get their attention.They kept talking.“Excuse me,” she said through gritted teeth. They looked up at her with bored eyes.“Yes?”Straining to keep her anger under control she said, “I brought the blood sample of one of my patients last week and I am yet to get the results of his test.”The one with low-cut curly hair gave her a droll glare before slowly moving to the monitor at the side of the desk. “Name?”“Sophia Blanc my patient’s name is Freddie.”The lady took a long time scrolling through the lists of name
Rosa narrowed her eyes at Sophia as she playfully glared at her. “You have been seeing a guy without my knowledge, Sophia?”Sophia opened her mouth to respond but just then the door swung open and Stella walked in about to say something but she stopped at the sight of the flowers. She looked between Rosa and Sophia.“What is going on here? What are we celebrating?”Rosa tilted her head discreetly at Sophia. Stella’s eyes widened.“You got flowers?” She asked as she closed the door behind her and approached Rosa’s table. “From Nate?” But she didn’t need to wait too long for an answer. She picked the card from the table, read it and her eyes stretched wider. “Matt Wolffe?!” she turned slowly to face Sophia. “Matt Wolffe?” she repeated.“Yes, Matt Wolffe…”“How the fuck did you meet Matt Wolffe, Sophia? You’re a herm
Matt was in a good mood. There was no drizzle today and his drive to his office was great. Looking out of the floor-to-ceiling glass window that overlooked the city from the twenty-fourth floor of the building complex that held his office and other firms he appreciated the view. The view was good. His excitement and light mood were from the good news he received from Simone. According to him, Ricky was clean, nothing shady about the man which meant that Ethan Lowe really lived a secretive life but nothing was hidden for too long, especially not from him. Ricky had called to inform him that Cheryl now had a lead on Ethan. She was getting cozy with him and he knew Cheryl very well, she was as beautiful as she was persuasive. If anyone could get him the information he needed on Lowe it was her.More than that he was looking forward to his date tonight. He had sent Lawrence, his secretary, on a very familiar assignment. Send a dress and large arrangements of flowers. Lawrence was