Breathe-Chapter 5
By: Panda Angel
“Thank goodness you’re here, Jillie!” Dustin exclaimed, his blue eyes bright.
Jillian smiled as she put her hospital scrubs on. “What’s wrong with,” Jillian paused to check her clipboard, “Mrs. Peters?”
“She’s been in labor since yesterday you know and there’s some complications. I think an emergency cesarean might need to be done. I would do it, but I’m about to go into delivery with another patient,” Dustin explained very calm and professional. The two doctors washed their hands, put their white latex gloves on, and covered their faces with masks. “Good luck, Jill!” Dustin called, almost slipping through the doors.
“You too! Oh! Molly says hi, by the way!” Jillian called to him. His bright blue eyes crinkled at the corners indicating that he was smiling. ‘Well, that’s a good sign,’ Jillian thought to herself. She smirked thinking how cute of a couple they would make, then went to prepare Mrs. Peters for her emergency cesarean section.
Several hours later, after the emergency surgery, routine check-ups in the nursery, and another delivery, Jillian went on her ‘lunch’ break. She entered the lounge just as Dustin was leaving.
“Hey, Dustin!” Jillian called.
He turned his tall, slim, but muscular figure around to see who was calling his name. “Oh hey, Jillie!”
“What are you up to?” she asking taking a sip of her mug of hot cocoa she had just fixed.
“I was um…ya know, just gonna walk around for a bit, yeah,” he attempted to lie, running his fingers through his sandy blonde hair.
Jillian looked up at him unconvinced. “Want me to come with ya? I told Molly I’d come see her.”
A look of shock appeared on Dustin’s face, knowing then that Jillian knew exactly where he was going. “Oh, is she working?” he pretended not to know, continuing the charade. Jillian just laughed and stood up to follow him to the emergency room.
While the two doctors were chatting and making their way to the ER, Jillian’s cell phone rang. “Dr. Craig,” she answered.
“Hey Jillian!” Michael’s familiar voice greeted her.
“Michael! Hi!” she exclaimed surprised. To be honest, she hadn’t thought of him since he had left for Huntington Beach. Dustin tossed up his hand, as if to say hello to Michael. “Dustin says hello,” Jillian relayed the message into the phone.
“Dustin?” Michael prompted sounding clueless.
“Yeah, Dr. Dustin Douglas,” Jillian said, knowing that would ring a bell. The two had met at a faculty Christmas party a few weeks prior. Christmas was only three short days away!
“Oh yeah! I thought you didn’t have to work tonight…” Michael qued, becoming suspiscious.
“I didn’t, but I am on call and I had to come in to take care of a patient,” Jillian explained.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll let you go, but I just wanted to call to say that I made it okay. I miss you,” Michael’s voice became softer. Jillian smiled to herself to hear that but had no idea how to respond. She couldn’t lie and say that she missed him when she didn’t…because honestly, she needed a break. Luckily Michael just continued and she didn’t have to reply. “I love you and I’ll see ya soon! Bye honey!”
“Okay bye!” Jillian clicked off the phone in a hurry. “I’m sorry about that,” Jillian turned her head in Dustin’s direction and apologized.
“Not a problem! Hey look, we’re at the ER,” Dustin paused in front of the doors to compose himself.
“Oh, just c’mon! It’s only Molly,” Jillian cried out, pulling him through the doors.
As soon as the two stepped through the doors, Molly hurriedly whisked past them alongside a stretcher, pressing an oxygen mask over someone’s face. Jillian and Dustin observed as they quickly but carefully whisked the patient’s body past them on the stretcher. The patient’s dark brown pleading eyes met Jillian’s sending chills up and down her spine, causing her to shiver. Those eyes…those unmistakeable eyes…
Email: panda_angelaj@hotmail.com
