16 Pathway

Warning: Blood

"Damn it!" Ralph's shout echoed through the hall as he slammed his fists to the wall.

"Ralph!" Vincent grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. "Calm down. You're going to scare the patients. Most of them are still in shock. It's a surprise that there's this much casualties given that the bomb was dropped to the North Eastern side, that's at least two days journey by bus."

"I know." He let out an exasperated sigh, looking at the bloodied clothes and gloves he wore. Leaning against the wall, he slid down to the floor. "It's just . . . something."

"Look, Ralph. I understand that this is frustrating and disturbing to see but you're a doctor. You can't just leave the patients because you're frustrated."

"That's not it, Vincent" His voice died down. "Why? Why? Why? We were just about to achieve peace, why do they have to go and do that?!"

"Hey, both of you sh**s! Get the f**k over here!" Louis shouted from the door, wiping blood from her face, mask askew. She glared at the both of them, her brown eyes cold. "You can bi**h all you like later! Rosalind!"

"I'm here!" Rosalind ran in, still tying her apron. Adena following behind, wearing his gloves. She pulled out a mask from the apron pocket, handing it to Adena, she wore her one.

She gave a nod to Vincent and Ralph. With a deep breath, she entered the room with Louis and Adena.

"Get your sh*t together." Ralph slapped himself across the cheek. He pulled Vincent with him back into the room.

He swallowed hard, pushing all the emotions that threatened to spill out back inside. Steeling his resolve, Ralph made his way to a patient with her entire lower half missing.

"How the hell is she still alive?" He mumbled to himself.

Her whimpers mixed with the cries and screams of the other people in the room send chills to his core.

Louis walked up to him and whispered.

"Most of them aren't going to make it. The only thing we can do is make their last moments peaceful. Do what you can." She patted his back, going back to her work.

"I need a knife!" Rosalind shouted.

"Here!" A nurse ran from the end of the room and handed her a scalpel. "What's wrong?"

"His chest collapsed. He's not able to breathe. I need to . . . "

Rosalind pierced his side, allowing the air to enter. The man gasped in and out, slowly losing his consciousness. Blood and . . . some other things from the open wound in his stomach spilt out into the floor.

"I need to do a blood transfusion." She told the nurse. "And also sutures to stitch the wound close."

"We have blood bags in the cabins. I'll go get them. The sutures are in the drawer beside the bed."

Rosalind walked to the drawer and took out the sutures and a sterilised needle. She started by putting his . . . innards back. Then she began stitching wound close.

A tremor shook the ground, knocking some of them to the ground. Patients fell off the bed, screams and shouts filled the room. The lanterns fell to the floor, luckily, they didn't break. The doctors and nurses rushed to help those still alive back onto their blood-soaked beds.

Some died as they hit the floor, their bodies landing with a *thump* and cracking their skull. Adena picked them up carefully and carried them to another room.

"Another bomb went off!" The nurse that went to get the blood bags came in shouting. She clutched the blood bags in her hands.

"Where?!" Ralph asked, relocating a patient's dislocated arm.

The nurse handed the blood bags to Rosalind and said, "I don't know. But I could see the explosion from here."

"Sh**!!" Vincent cursed. "Is it coming here?"

"Major!" Rosalind shouted seeing the Major pass the room.

She hurriedly inserted the needle into the man's arm, connecting the pipe to the blood bag.

"Could you look after him for a minute?"

"Don't worry about him, I'll take care of him." The nurse smiled.

Rosalind ran out the door, spotting the Major, not too far off. "Major! Do you know where the bomb went off?"

The Major nodded his head. "The Gshe village."

"Isn't that just two hours from here?" Ralph asked, arms full of bandage rolls.

"Yes."

"You're going there aren't you?" Adena appeared behind them, drenched in blood.

"They are requesting reinforcements. I'm taking some men. Don't worry, I'm leaving some to guard this place. We'll make sure they don't come here."

"I'll come with you," Adena said.

"Do you plan to fight?"

"No."

"Then what use will you be?"

"There will be much more casualties there. I'll bring back who I can."

The Major looked impressed. "Alright. Let's go then."

"Then I'll come too." Rosalind jumped in.

"No," Adena said, hand on her shoulders. "They need you here, Rosalind."

Rosalind looked around her. Nurses running from one end to another, patients filled the room from wall to wall. The doctors are running from room to room trying to attend to as many patients as possible.

"Even now they're short-staffed. They need you. Also, you know how tired you get during journeys. Do you think you'll be able to go to them and also treat them?"

"Ok! Ok! I get it. I'll stay. Just be careful. Ok?"

"Of course. And you promise me that you'll not use that healing magic."

"I can't-"

He grabbed her arms, "Promise me."

" . . . I'll try."

"I guess that's good enough, coming from you." He smiles. "All the very best, Rosalind." He patted her head and walked out the door.

"You too, Adriel."

"ROSALIND!!" Louis's voice startled her. "Get your ass over here!"

A woman was standing in front of Louis, clutching her convulsing child in her arms. Soft whimpers and crying came from the child, with loud raspy breaths.

"Please. Please help her." She begged.

This feels so déjà vu.

"I'm here. What do you need?"

"Something's wrong with her child and we can't seem to figure out what's wrong. Think you can?"

"I'll try."

"Good. See those dividers there? Bring them here. We have to work in as much privacy as we can get, this girl isn't looking too good."

She took the girl from her mother. "We'll take care of this ma'am. Please go wait in the common room."

Rosalind put up the dividers as Louis gently placed the child on the bed. She was too small to even take up half of the bed.

Blood continued to pour out of her mouth and nose. The little girl trembling all over. Her eyes darted everywhere, full of fear.

"Hey, it's ok. You're going to be ok. " Louis reassured her. The girl tried to talk but no sound came out, only gasps and croaks.

"What the hell happened? I just can't figure it out, she has no open wounds or missing limbs."

"What do you know about her?"

"Her mother said that she suddenly started convulsing just as the bomb went off. She wasn't sure what happened but she promises that she wasn't injured during the bombing. After I inspected her, I can confirm that she has only a few scratches."

"I need to check on something, Louis. Ok?"

"Sure."

Rosalind carefully picked up the girl and turned her over. She lifted her shirt, looking along her back.

"Rosalind!"

"Just trust me here, Louis."

She saw a small wound on her back already closed up. Inspecting her front, she saw no wound there. Laying her back down, Rosalind touched around the girl's torso.

"She must have been shot from the back. Given that there is no exit wound, the bullet is most likely lodged somewhere in her body. Louis. The lead from the bullet is poisoning her body, we have to remove it."

"How did you-?"

"No time for that. We have to remove the bullet. I'll go get the tools."

"Rosalind!" Louis grabbed her. "If what you said is true. Let me ask you this, do you know where the bullet is lodged exactly?"

"No. But . . ."

"We can't just open her up and start rummaging through her organs hoping to find the bullet."

"But if we leave it there, she'll die. Painfully and slowly."

"So will everyone in this room if we don't help them. How long do you think this procedure will take? We don't even have a minute to spare. Just talking like this, we're wasting time. Look, even the floorboards are turning red from the blood."

"Rosalind." She placed a hand on her shoulders. "I know you want to save everyone. But you can't. Come on, we need to tend to the other patients. Give the girl back to her mother. Let them spend their last moments together."

With a pat on the back, Louis left. Rosalind looked at the girl in front of her. Tears streaming down, she hiccuped and gasped, the blood never stops. She looks like she is so much in pain, infuriating Rosalind.

Rosalind picked the girl up and carried her off to her mother, clutching both her gloves on one hand. With the other, she held the little girl's hand. She held the soft little hand, and let out a deep sigh.

After giving the girl back to her mother, Rosalind threw the bullet with her gloves into the dustbin. She got a fresh pair of gloves from the cupboard, after washing her hands.

She ran back into the room, gripping her trembling hands as she felt the heat on her fingers and waist rise up. She brushed it off just as Adena came into the room, carrying two wounded men.

"More patients are there!"

"Rosalind! Can you take care of this?" Ralph shouted, following after Adena.

Louis helped them onto the empty beds as Rosalind covered the stitching Ralph did with bandages.

"He's done a good job." Rosalind was pleasantly surprised when she observed Ralph's work.

"Don't worry, sir. You'll be fine. You've been treated by one of the best doctors out there." Rosalind reassured the man, helping him up from the bed.

"Thank you." He smiled, fixing her a smile. "I know that the doctors are very capable here, even the nurses." He compliments as he made his way out.

"Thank you, sir." Rosalind beamed.

One by one, people poured in like rain. Each one with injury worse than the last. Some had extremely severe burns from the bomb. Their skin was either melting or falling off while others had lost their limbs.

Those who were burnt were rushed to the corner of the room where lukewarm water is patted over their burns with cotton to clean and cool it down. Then ointments are rubbed on their burns to treat it. For now.

If they thought the screaming and crying was bad before, now they know exactly what hell sounds like.