8.95 I Am a Doctor

“KIARA! OH, KIARA! HURRY UP WITH THAT STRETCHER!!”

Breathe, Viv, breathe! I’m a doctor. Today, I am not her aunt. I am a doctor!

“AUNT, VIV,” Ryan cried.

“Ryan!”

The attendants had arrived with the stretcher and whisked Kiara away to the emergency room for triage. Viviana got up and lunged at Ryan and wrapped her arms around him. Then, she tore herself away from him and got to business.

“Tell me everything! What happened? What did she eat? What were her symptoms? What happened right before she collapsed? Is she allergic to anything?”

“We had eggs and toast! And, and she was complaining about being dizzy! Oh! She was coughing really bad and said she was seeing stars. So, I grabbed Holly and we came here! But, as I was checking her in, she grabbed her stomach and started screaming! And then she passed out!! She was perfectly fine last night! I don’t know what–

“Ryan, she’s going to be fine, ok? I need you to stay calm and call your father! She’s going to need surgery, but it’s going to be ok!”

“My sister…”

“Ryan…I’m shook up too! But, I have a job to do, and that’s save your sister. Your job is to let everyone know what’s going on. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes.”

“Great! I’m gonna go. Remember…stay calm,” she said and ran away.

But, before she could get too far, she ran back to the reception desk.

“Hey…my family is gonna start arriving very soon. Can you get them all to a private waiting room on the private room wing?”

“Yes, Dr. Pruett.”

“Thank you,” she said and dashed away for good.

I’m so glad I’m not pregnant right now!

She barged into the emergency room to see where they were up to.

“Somebody tell me something,” she said as she ran in.

“We finally got a pulse, but it’s very low, and her breath sounds are very shallow.”

“She had no pulse?? Let me see her scans.”

Someone handed her the images from the cat scan and she carefully looked them over.

GRRRRR! PLUMNUGGETS!! Why did this have to happen to such a sweet girl?! Ok, Viv…you may have passed the boards and have a plaque on the wall, but today is the day you become a real doctor. 

“But, she needs surgery,” she yelled. “Is she gonna survive the surgery?”

That was a rhetorical question as she was the only doctor in the room. Viviana had to decide whether her niece was going to live or die.

“She’s not stable enough to go through surgery! But if I wait until she is, I risk this thing causing more damage…”

She didn’t want to have to make the decision that could ultimately end Kiara’s life and have to answer to her family, but she had to try. She had to at least try to save her!

“Get her prepped for surgery, please?”

Viviana went to the wash room to scrub in, praying that everything would go smoothly and repeating to herself “I am a doctor, and I am going to save her” over and over again. When she arrived in the O.R., Kiara was already there and barely conscious. To get herself in the correct mindset, she spoke to her as a doctor. Viviana had a pre-surgery ritual where she would introduce herself and then tell the patient she was going to save their life.

“Hello, Ms. Pruett. I’m Dr. Pruett, and I’m going to save your life.”

But, usually the patients were conscious and responded back. Kiara didn’t respond. She wasn’t able to.

“If you can do me a favor and keep breathing, that would be great.

“I am going to save your life.”

The surgery took three hours. It was the longest and most complex surgery she had ever done. Viviana was glad it was over, but it wasn’t time for rejoicing. It was all up to Kiara now.