January 21, 2021: Voorpret

Drip, drip, drip -- the sound of drops merging with a pool of liquid, and the soft, steady breathing of a woman deep in her sleep were the sole sounds that resounded within the pearl white walls of room 1028.

Although there were four hospital beds lodged inside the room, the one on the right farthest from the door lonely had an occupant. As it was just a quarter before six in the morning, the sun rays have yet to fully illuminate the unlit chamber with their radiance.

Well, the cream-coloured blackout curtains that were yet to be drawn aided in preserving the twilight.

Those who would be able to witness this moment of pure serenity would be drowned with a euphoria that was well needed to clear up their minds.

All the same, there was no such thing that was everlasting. Every single thing that humans could see, smell, taste, hear, feel and experience was bound to have an end.

Whatever would happen with their meager existence when even the biggest and brightest stars in our universe were destined to lose their luster, eventually perishing from exhausting their own fuel.

There would come a time when the cycle of life and death would cease in its entirety, lacking its very quintessence which was the presence of beings that'd go through its process.

However, as individuals bestowed with life, death was not something that humans needed to contemplate about. Living in between these two junctures was where our considerations should lie.

This point of view was idealistic in nature knowing that there's a considerable amount of catalysts that would affect the way they'll live their lives. However, there's one absolute truth -- no matter how many adversities would befall upon life, the chance to overcome them would never arrive if death was at the doorstep.

The calming scenery, wherein the sunshine was laggardly and somberly embracing the room with its warmth, only lasted for a few more minutes. It was interrupted when a knock and the meek voice of a woman were heard from the outside.

"Pardon the intrusion."

Two male staff nurses, wearing similar two-piece Prussian blue scrubs, and a middle-aged woman donning a lab coat, which was a standard for the doctors on duty, over a modest knee-length grey dress, emerged from the newly opened entryway.

They went straight for the bed where the sole patient in the room was lying down.

The nurse who was holding a clipboard immediately withdrew the curtains, then tied them up with a golden tassel. Next, he inspected the infusion pump of the IV Drip to see if the VTBI (volume to be infused) was still the same as the one reported by the nurse who previously made the rounds.

A look of satisfaction was seen on his face once he spotted that it corresponded to what was written in the memo. To end his tasks, he turned towards the doctor and awaited orders.

The one that the doctor decided to address first was the nurse who had yet to do anything.

"Mr Randall, please check her vitals."

"Right away, Doctor Birkenfeld." Randall answered as he approached the bed.

Doctor Birkenfeld then faced the other nurse before speaking.

"As written down by her personal physician, we should begin administering Metoclopramide and Dihydroergotamine IV consecutively for the patient's intractable migraine. An initial dose of 10 mg for the first and 1 mg for the ergotamine was prescribed."

The Doctor immediately stopped speaking as she gave the lady a glance. She couldn't help but sigh at just how grave the latter's condition was. 

"It's stated in the notes that Doctor Sebastian had already placed a standing order for this, so just pick it up from the internal pharmacy, Mr White. Just leave her records to me."

White took out a small sheet of paper from the clippings ahead of handing the clipboard over to Doctor Birkenfeld. He proceeded to swiftly exit the room to visit the pharmacy.

Upon the nurse;s departure, a stifled groan suddenly escaped Syn's lips, probably disturbed by the presence of other people in the room. The gentle heat of the winter sun had also started to caress her whole body.

The doctor quickly went to the side of the bed opposite where the nurse was.

"Miss Rosenfeldt? Are you awake?"

Another groan, nearly asphyxiating, reached the ears of both the doctor and the nurse. Soon, Syn's eyelids fluttered before she tardily opened her eyes, stopping halfway.

Now that it was bright out, the colors of her eyes could clearly be seen. Yes, colours, since Syn had an acquired Heterochromia Iridum which made the irises of her eyes different in hue.

The left one was reminiscent of a green paler than the transparent waters of the ocean housing an abundant greenery; the right seemed as if a segment of the Veil Nebula was relocated within that iris.

The sight was truly enthralling. It was to an extent that people couldn't help but be drawn in to how vivid the colors of her eyes were. It was a waste though, considering Syn always made it a point to keep them hidden by wearing hazel brown contact lenses.

There was nothing wrong with covering them up, but she had this habit of forgetting to take them off whenever she was occupied with her thoughts and exhaustion. One instance as such was yesterday.

Last night, once the pain in her body subsided, the tiredness she felt from her eyes made Syn remember to remove her lenses ahead of embracing the comfort of the hospital bed.

"Do you need anything?"

Syn fixed her gaze towards the person trying to engage her in a conversation. She was still a bit drowsy after sleeping undisturbed for ten hours. Withal, she mustered all the strength she could to articulate a reply.

"N- none. Who... are you?" She said, her voice quite raspy.

"My name is Doctor Henna Birkenfeld. I will be responsible for your well-being in Doctor Irina Sebastian's stead. She had to attend a seminar scheduled for three consecutive days starting today."

"I see."

"Are you in pain anywhere? Any discomfort?"

Syn had to close her eyes for a brief second to actually get a feel on her body. She felt anesthetized ever since she woke up. Noticing nothing major, she decided that there was no necessity to inform the doctor of anything yet.

"I will tell you when there is."

"Alright. I assume that Doctor Sebastian informed you of the medicines that we are going to administer right now."

"Yes, she did."

"These drugs were prescribed solely to treat the symptoms of your migraine. The problem is your Aplastic Anemia. Your immunosuppressive therapy did not show any significant success. You are still prone to nose bleeding and bruising. In addition to that, your lab results exhibited, again, that your neutrophil and platelet counts are low. You do know the implications of that, Miss Rosenfeldt?"

"Yes, Doctor Sebastian explained that to me in detail."

Doctor Birkenfeld, for the innumerable time, scrutinized the documents that told an extensive account of Syn's past visits in this hospital. As a professional who has been traversing the field for over a decade, it was not unusual for her to encounter patients that attempted to hide their medical history.

However, in the case of Syn who requested for a complete treatment to rid her off of the anaemia which made her everyday life difficult, they would be needing her detailed records.

Absence of records would open another option which was to conduct all the necessary tests in the hospital frequented, Baumhauer Medical. But Syn already refused with the reasoning that she could not afford to invest more unnecessary time and money towards her sickness.

Since Doctor Sebastian had left her the task of convincing Syn no matter what, Birkenfeld sighed with the thought that the lady might be too stubborn for her liking.

"Miss Rosenfeldt, I understand that you are suffering from this disease, and I do not want to give you additional things to think about. Except, you are at the stage where you might need to undergo a procedure soon if you really want to be free from this disease."

Doctor Birkenfeld drew in a mouthful of air, making her shoulders slump a bit. She hurriedly straightened her posture lest offending Syn with her attitude. 

"In the event that a complication occurred post-procedure because we went ahead and did it without knowing any of your underlying conditions, you might face an even more difficult ordeal concerning your health."

At that second, Syn tried to hoist herself up to sit. Randall attempted to assist her, but the woman just waved him off with a slight of a hand. After a few seconds and with much difficulty, she was able to sit upright. She heaved a deep sigh before giving a response to the doctor.

"How many times should I tell you that you can simply base off of what you have now?"

Rather than anger, it was exhaustion that was heard from her voice. If she came off crass or a bully for directing her frustrations towards the doctor, it was definitely not her intention.

Syn had noticed it herself that her emotions seemed to have been unleashed from her tight reign. Withal, whether it was because of utter distress or other factors was something she did not care about.

Doctor Birkenfeld was, at the same time, at a loss on how to persuade Syn. If she was not cautious of how she worded her opinions to a patient, she might offend them for being too impertinent. Still, it was in her best interest as a doctor to put her patient's health as her top priority.

"Excuse my presumptuousness, Miss Rosenfeldt. No hospital can reprobate anyone from acquiring their medical records. We can help you out with the request if you'd like. Also, if the cost is your worry, insurance wi-"

"Enough!"

It was hardly a scream, but that was all it took for Doctor Birkenfeld to realize that Syn was not willing to compromise pertaining to this matter. The lady tried to stifle her vexation by holding her breath and tears, although miserably unsuccessful in the end.

"I feel so nauseated having to spend my hours in this place! If only I could stay away from a hospital for the rest of my life, I would have done so sooner! But I want to live without any illness! Do you get that?! Do you get why I am being like this?!"

Doctor Birkenfeld was alarmed, seeing that Syn's skin was turning paler and the pupils in her eyes were getting dilated by the second. Of course, she followed through what Syn was complaining about, but these heightened emotions would have an instant effect on her condition.

The doctor immediately gripped Syn on both of her arms, hoping to deescalate her agony.

"Miss Rosenfeldt, please calm down."

The minute that Doctor Birkenfeld's hand touched her, Syn winced at the distressing pain she abruptly felt on her head. Her breath was cut short and her vision blurred concurrently. At that moment, she lost consciousness.

Her weight fell on the doctor's arms, causing the latter to step back. Randall was a tad late to respond, but he adeptly assisted Birkenfeld in carefully laying Syn's body back on the bed.

"Mr Randall, check her pulse. There is no certainty that she will wake up within the next hour, so put her under constant monitoring. I will leave the administering of the medicines to you and Mr White. It's time for my rounds, so I'll finish that first. After that, I will have to call Doctor Sebastian."

"Affirmative, doctor." Randall replied with a nod, "I will inform you in case of an emergency."

Doctor Birkenfeld straightened her coat and strode in the direction of the door. In that short exchange she had with Syn, she was somehow extremely enervated.

She might not know the entirety of the patient's reasoning, yet she still considered it unfathomable to be enraged from being told of all valid logic behind their concerns.

Out in the busy corridor, the doctor bumped onto someone's back since her head was lowered.

"I'm sorry. I was not looking properly."

She threw a gaze towards the person that she bumped into. Upon recognizing the individual, the doctor smiled and hurriedly gave a nod.

"Good Morning, Doctor Birkenfeld. You are diligent this early in the morning."

"This is my job after all. What brings you here?"

"Work, what else?"

"As expected of you. Then I won't hold you back any longer. I will be doing my rounds."

"Please go ahead."

"Alright, have a good day, Mr Brecheisen."