Three

Chapter 3

Saba Muhammad POV

                 Life was a game of chance, you either lose or win. Life was a bittersweet place; where sometimes it went as you wish while sometimes it didn't.

I sighed, messaging my nose tiredly and removed my Harry Potter's glasses, putting on my desk. I cracked my fingers to relieve me from feeling tired. I was cranky this morning without my morning coffee.

I couldn't function well without my coffee. It helped me to relieve stress and pain.

"Sabby!" one of the interns - Amber called me urgently, rushing inside my office while panting heavily.

I moved out of my chair and went to her concerned, "What's the wrong Amber?" I asked her. Amber- my personal assistant was a calm cool lady but sometimes she was three hundred degrees opposite of it. We met at a conference meeting; held for the doctors in Abuja. I was fighting my depression at that time while she was escaping her past. We talked and clicked on that very day. She was like a sister I never had.

"You are needed in the ER (emergency room) right now," she said.

I put on my white coat and went out with her. "What do you think happened to need me?" I asked her while a button up my coat.

"I don't know what actually happened but I heard some people talking in the hallway." I scrutinized my eyes . She widened her eyes, "sincerely, I didn't eavesdrop" she smiled sheepishly, scratching her neck. "What they were discussing just passed through my ears" she clapped her hands together happily. "I heard that a man was hit by his wife with the pestle," she said in a hushed tone.

"What?" I exclaimed.

What kind of wife hit her husband with a pestle. Did she want to kill him? I wondered.

She tugged my sleeve abruptly while she glared at me, "why screaming?" she whispered harshly.

"Sorry" I smiled embarrassedly.

"It was said that the husband always beat his wife and the woman used self defence" she shrugged her shoulder, "well" she dragged, "he deserved it" she concluded.

"Amber!" I called, "I know but I think..." She cut me off.

"Put you thinking in that brain of yours. He deserves it" she pronounced and marched away while I tsked.

I entered the room, smiling at some familiar faces in the room.

"Dr Saba, this man was hit with a pestle, we've run some lab tests on him and the CT scan shows that this man will need neurosurgeon attention," Mr Brown said, handing me the result of the CT scan while I nodded in understanding and took a look at the scan.

"Amber" I called, "prepare the theatre room for the surgery. Tell the anaesthetist to check his pulse and body system. Tell him to induce him with anaesthesia to numb the pain." I said, walking out to go call the senior surgeon before I remembered he wasn't around.

"Mr Brown, Dr Mark is on vacation and there's no other surgeon around except me" I trailed off.

"Then what are you waiting for?" he asked while I stared at him dumbfounded, "Go perform it" my mouth was agape when he finished, was I hearing him right?.

I've never conducted surgery on anyone by myself except with the senior surgeons. I was bubbling with happiness, but also nervous.

I took the scan to my office to get read, I put on my glasses. "he had Epidural Haematoma" I muttered.

Amber came inside, "I've spoken with the anesthetist," she said, "What is his condition?" she asked softly.

I pinched my nose bridge tiredly, I needed my coffee. "he is having epidural haematoma" I answered her.

"Oh!, that's when bleeding occurs between the tough outer membrane covering the brain (dura mater) and the skull. This happens when receiving blows at the side of the head; the pterion region. And if the surgery is delayed it could lead to permanent brain damage or death. " She explained.

"Please get me a coffee while I pray (nafilah)" I pleaded with my best puppy eyes while she reluctantly agreed.

I performed ablution then took the musolah (praying mat) at the locker. I prayed to Allah to make it easy and the surgery to be successful. As I was folding the musolah, Amber came in with a cup of coffee. I grabbed it from her and drank it greedily like a thirsty camel in the desert. I drank everything in the cup, almost licking the cup for any drop. I sighed in content, I felt relieved.

I and Amber went to the changing room and put on our; scrubs tops, trousers, shoes, face mask and gloves. I towed my green hijab inside my top. As I entered the room, I saw three other nurses and cleaners, all dressed and ready.

The circulatory nurse came to me and put on a sterile gown, gloves on me while I nodded in appreciation. The nurses had gotten the equipment set for the surgery.

The anaesthetist's voice boomed out, "surgery starts 10:59 am" I quietly whispered a prayer.

I noticed the patient was put to sleep and the side of his head was shaved. My hands were trembling. I was nervous.

I touched his head nervously and asked the nurse beside me to hand me the scalpel.

I used the scalpel to make a small incision on the scalpel, then retracted it.

"Cranial drill, please," I asked and I was handed the cranial drill which I used to drill a hole, the blood clot was between the brain and the bone flap.

"The titanium plates and screw," I asked after I was through with drilling a hole, I replaced it with the titanium plates and screwed to sew back the scalp.

"Cotton wools" I have handed the wools which I used to clean the area.

"Surgery ends 1:59," the anaesthetist said.

I removed the used glove, threw it in the trash bin and sighed.

Before walking out of the room, "make sure to give medication after surgery which should include anti-seizure medication and hyperosmotic agents to reduce the brain swelling and intracranial pressure" I instructed and went to change my dress.

I went to my office and prayed again for the succession without any complications. I folded the mosalah back and returned.

Amber came in tiredly, "can you please get me another coffee?" I asked.

"Not again" she groaned and fell down.

"Oops".

~**~