*******
“Madam, is
that your final decision?” Duke asked the woman.
“Please, call
me Gina.” She looked at Loretta crying in Lola’s arms and she returned her gaze
at Duke. “Yes. It is my final decision.”
“No!!”
Loretta cried.
“I will get
you the consent forms for you to sign.” Duke told her.
“No
problem.”
Duke
marched away with Ahmed. Duke could not look at Lola. It wasn’t his fault. What
he did was the normal procedure.
Lola looked
at Loretta. “You have to stop crying.”
“You won’t
understand. My father is all I have. My mother cheated on my father and left
us.”
“Loretta!”
Gina uttered. “She is a stranger, you can’t tell her that.”
She stared
at her mother with enraged eyes. “I can tell her whatever I want. You are the
one that is a stranger. Dad was ready to give you a second chance but you said the marriage wasn’t working!”
“I had to
leave.”
“Then leave
and never come back!”
“Loretta, please
don’t shout at your mom.” Lola said. “I will leave both of you to talk. I will
be right back.”
She held
Lola’s hands very tight. “Promise me he won’t cut my father’s leg.”
“I will do
everything I can to persuade Dr. Duke to change his mind. You can stay here.”
Lola hiked
away to look for Duke. She sighted him with Jidenna and Ahmed. They were in a
conversation. She stood behind them and waited.
“I have
told Oliver to get me the consent forms for the surgery.” Duke said to Jidenna.
“How is the
patient now?”
“He is
stable, although he has not woken up because of the volume of anesthetic
administered to him.”
“You have
to see Dr. Wendy about this before the wife signs the consent form.”
“I know. I
will talk to you later.”
“Okay.”
“Dr. Duke.”
Lola called him.
Jidenna was
about to walk away when he heard Lola’s voice. He paused. The three of them
faced her.
“What is it
Dr. Bello?” Duke asked.
“It’s about
the patient.”
“What about
him?”
“I wanted to ask if it’s possible not to cut
his leg.”
“What kind
of a request is that? This is not the first hospital you have worked before.
You are talking as if I am in the position to make a choice for the patient
because his daughter wants the surgery. If I do otherwise and something goes
wrong, she can sue not only me but the hospital.”
“I know the
procedure but I am confident that you are capable of saving his leg without
amputation. I trust you.”
Duke gives
her a look and thought for a quick moment. “Right now, I don’t trust myself.”
“What if
you do the surgery without letting the wife know?”
“This is
unethical. You are emotional about this and crossing the line.”
“I am
sorry.” Lola said calmly.
“The wife
is the right person to make a choice for her husband.”
“What if
you carry on with the surgery and he survives it?” Jidenna asked Duke.
“It is
possible he survives or dies during the surgery.” Duke replied.” The only way I
can do the surgery is if the wife changes her mind about the amputation.”
“I can talk
to her.” Lola quickly said.
“No problem
but I don’t have time to waste. You need to be fast about it.”
Okay Dr.
Duke.” Lola managed to smile at Jidenna for trying to back her up. Duke informed
Ahmed that they should go to the cafeteria.
*******
“Loretta,
you have to listen to me.” Her mum said. “This is the best decision.”
“No! I
can’t accept for my father to lose his leg.”
“He will
use a prosthetic leg.”
“You are
just selfish! You don’t care about him. You care only about yourself. Dad lost
his job because he couldn’t concentrate after you walked out on us. He was able
to get back on his feet because I told I would never leave him. I know I am
young but I am wise enough to know you don’t have the right to order the
surgeon to take one good thing in his life. He needs his leg to walk!”
“I am only
trying to help him.” Gina said.
“You don’t
know what the word help really means.”
“I do. What
if your father dies during the surgery? Have you thought about that too?”
“I am not
going to give up on him!”
Lola cleared
her throat. She had been standing there and they didn’t notice her presence.
Loretta speedily moved towards her.
“What did
he say?”
“I have to
convince your mom to change her mind.”
“She is not
my mother anymore.” Loretta said.
Gina
appeared upset and folded her arms. “What do you think you are doing doctor?”
Lola looked
at her. “I don’t understand.”
“Are you
trying to come between my daughter and I?”
Loretta
pointed at her mother. “Don’t put the blame on her. She is trying to help!”
“I am not
trying to come between you and Loretta.” Lola defended herself. “I am simply
trying to bring peace between both of you.”
“You are
not in the position to do that.”
“I am
sorry. I know your daughter has been
disrespectful to you but you have to understand that she is hurt…”
“By her
betrayal.” Loretta didn’t allow Lola finish her sentence.
Lola looked
at her. “Loretta, you are only making
matter worse. Calm down and allow me talk to your mom.”
“Doctor,
there is nothing you will say that will make me change my mind. When you need
me to sign the consent forms, see me in the waiting room.” Gina walked out on
them.
Loretta
stared at her Lola. “She is unreliable. I knew she won’t listen to you.”
Lola took a
deep breath and stare at her for a moment. “How old are you?”
“I am
seventeen.”
“When is
your next birthday?”
Loretta
realized because of the situation she had forgotten her birthday and in a split
second, she remembered.
“As a
matter of fact, my birthday is next tomorrow.”
“You will
be eighteen by next tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“You can go
to the waiting room, I will see you there.”
“Okay.”
Lola and
Loretta left the room together and separated. Lola searched for Dr. Duke, went
to his office but didn’t find him. She went to the emergency ward and sighted
Zara with her young patient. She had discharged him and was giving the child’s
mother his prescriptions. They left and Lola questioned her.
“Have you
seen Dr. Duke?”
Zara gives
her a curious look. “Why are you looking for him?”
“Don’t
worry.”
Lola turned
around and saw Jidenna but he was talking to a man. She decided to check the
cafeteria. She went there, and surveyed. The aroma of food made her very hungry
but she wasn’t there for that. She touched her stomach and heaved a sigh. Lola
saw Ahmed and Duke eating on the same table and she moved to meet them.
“Dr. Duke.”
She called him.
Duke peered
into her eyes. The look in her eyes gave him the answer he needed. He didn’t
even allow her to talk further. “She refused, right?
“How did
you know?” Lola asked him in a surprised tone.
“Never
mind,” he said. “We will do the surgery.”
“The
patient’s daughter will be eighteen by next tomorrow. We already know they don’t
want the same thing. We can have a board meeting to cast a vote to support between
mother and daughter.”
He dropped
the spoon on his plate and drank the remaining water. He wiped his mouth with a
clean napkin and rose. He stood in front of her. “Do you expect me to wait?”
“Can the
patient be strong to wait till next tomorrow?”
“No. We
have to perform the surgery today. I’m done talking to you Dr. Bello.” He
looked at Ahmed’s direction. “Are you still eating?”
“No doc.’
Ahmed stood. He had placed his spoon down.
Duke began
to walk away.
Ahmed
stared at Lola. “I’m sorry.” He hurried to walk with Duke.
Lola
thought of Loretta. She wasn’t going to give up.
******
Wendy
Fayemi’s was working on her desk in her office when she heard a knock on her
door.
“Come in.”
She ordered.
Lola
entered and closed the door.
Wendy
looked up and dropped her pen on a document. “Dr. Lola Bello, what can I do for
you?”
Lola became
short of words. She didn’t know what to say anymore.
“What is
it?” Wendy asked. “You can talk to me about anything.”
“It’s about
the surgery?”
“Which of
them? Who is the surgeon?”
“Dr. Duke.”
“Oh I see.
I’m expecting him to bring the consent forms for me to sign before the wife of
the patient does.”
“But the
daughter doesn’t want Dr. Duke to amputate her father’s leg.”
“I know but
she does not have to power to give the order. His wife does.”
“Ex-wife.”
“She is
still his wife. They are not divorced yet. What exactly do you want me to do?”
“I want you
to talk to Dr. Duke and persuade him not to do the surgery.”
“You know
the protocol and you are still insisting Dr. Duke shouldn’t cut his leg. I am
not happy with you. You got close to the daughter. I am sorry, I can’t do
anything.”
“But you
are the chief of surgery.”
“I know. If
I agree, I can lose my position here.”
Duke
knocked and opened the door. He appeared surprised to see Lola. He said nothing
and gestured to Wendy’s desk. He dropped the documents and she signed straight
away.
“Let the
woman sign.”
“Okay.”
Duke turned
and started walking towards the door when Dr. Wendy spoke to Duke. “Won’t you
ask why she is here?”
Duke
sighed, turned back and faced her. “Why is she here?”
Wendy
explained. Lola couldn’t look at him. He moved closer to Lola.
“Why are
you so stubborn?” Duke asked her. “How could you go behind my back to talk to
Dr. Wendy about my surgery? You had no right.”
“I am
sorry, I just wanted to help.”
“This is
not the best way to help.”
Lola stared
at him. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Duke saw
tears hovering around her eyes. “It’s
okay.” He gestured to the door, put his hand on the handle and hesitated. Duke looked
at Wendy and spoke. “What if I wake the patient?”
Lola gazed
at him surprised.
Wendy rose
on her feet. “You want to wake the patient?”
“Yes.”
“That is
risky and unethical.”
“I know but
it’s worth the risk. I can ask him what he wants.”
“Dr. Duke, I
am not disappointed in you. I am surprised at your actions. The patient won’t be
himself. Whatever you tell him, he will say yes to.”
“Let’s give
the daughter what she wants.”
Wendy looked
at Lola and pondered on how she did it to convince Dr. Duke. They knew him to
be stubborn when it comes to making decisions for his patients. She glanced
back at Duke.
“No. As the
chief of surgery, I want the leg amputated. It is the wife’s decision and I want
you to go and meet her to sign the papers. Immediately you do that, amputate
it.”
“I will
talk to his wife and if she refuses to listen to me, I will wake him up.”
“Dr. Duke don’t
do it. It’s an order.”
Duke gazed
at Lola. “Dr. Bello, come with me.”
He opened
the door and Lola followed.
“Dr. Duke, I
don’t want you to have issues with Dr. Wendy.”
He stopped
walking and faced her. “I am not doing this because of you. I am doing it because
of that girl that believes in her father.”
“If only I know
what it means to have a father.” She said almost in tears.
Duke stared
at her surprised. He didn’t say a word.
Lola
sniffed her nose and quickly wiped under her right eye. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t
supposed to tell you that.”
“Let’s go.”
Duke and
Lola walked towards the waiting room and met Ahmed and Melvin coming their way.
“Dr. Duke, I
have been looking for you.” Ahmed said.
“I was with
Dr. Wendy.”
“Can I assist
you Dr. Duke?” Melvin asked him.
“You can.”
Oliver
whistled at them, they looked at his direction and he ran down to meet them. He
stared at Melvin. “Dr. Jidenna needs you.”
“Okay.” He
went with Oliver.
Duke, Lola
and Ahmed went to meet Gina. Loretta motioned closer to listen.
“Where are
the papers for me to sign?”
“They are
with me but I will like to talk to you.” Duke answered.
“I am not
going to change my mind if that is what you want to talk to me about.”
“I want you
to ask yourself, what if both of you were still together as a happy couple,
would you agree to amputate the leg?”
“I don’t know.”
“You can
amputate his leg if that is what she wants.” Loretta said in a teary tone.
They were surprised
at the words that came out from her mouth.
“Do you
want to give up like that?” Duke asked her.
“I am not
giving up. I am just tired of everything.”
She looked at him with tears falling from her eyes. “Maybe I am wrong.
Maybe he will die if you go ahead with the surgery.”
“We don’t know
that.”
Loretta
wiped her face with the back of her left hand. “What if it was you? What if it
was your father? What would you have done?”
Duke
smiled. “That is a brilliant question. My father and I were very close before
he died. He was my best friend.”
Lola looked
at him pitifully.
He added. “He
was a strong and wonderful man and I wouldn’t agree for any surgeon to amputate
his leg. I know my father will fight for his life because he knows he has a
family to return to.”
“What if he
dies? Will you be able to forgive yourself?”
“What if
the leg is amputated and he doesn’t survive it? And what if he survives and he
feels useless despite using a prosthetic leg?”
Loretta
looked at her mother. “Mum, please do this for me. I am sorry for disrespecting
you. I promise to love you. If you amputate his leg, he will never forgive you.”
All eyes
were on Gina. She was fighting hard not to cry. She heaved a long sigh. “Even
though my head says no, my heart says yes. I want you to do the surgery.”
They were
all surprised. Loretta hugged her mom and they started crying together. Duke
walked away faster. Lola and Ahmed quickly went to meet him.
“Ahmed, get
ready, we are going in. I want you to page Dr. Zara, she will join us.”
“Ok doc.”
“What about
me?” Lola asked.
“I can’t
allow you.”
“Dr. Duke,”
Ahmed said. “If not for her we would have amputated the leg hours ago.”
“I know.”
“Please, I want
to assist you.” Lola pleaded.
“You have
involved yourself with the family. You are too close to this. You have to step
back.”
“What will I
be doing?”
“Convince
my patient’s daughter to go home, rest and eat. You should eat too. We are
going to be in the OR for more than ten hours.”
Lola’s face
fell but she understood. “Okay.”
He was
about stepping away with Ahmed when Lola spoke to him.
“I am sorry
about your father.”
“Why are
you sorry?” Duke asked in a puzzled tone.
“You said you
lost your father.” Ahmed reminded him.
“Oh.” Duke
chuckled. “I told her what she wanted to hear. My father is not dead. He is
alive.”
Duke marched
away and continued to laugh. Ahmed and Lola stared at each other speechless.
They had never seen him laugh like that.
********
Loretta
refused to go home. She and her mother followed Lola to the cafeteria to eat.
Loretta took her drugs too. Lola called her mother she might return home late.
At 8:21pm, Jidenna
saw Lola sitting alone and looking very worried. He sat down beside her and she
looked at him.
“I understand
how you feel.”
“I don’t think
anyone does.”
“Yes I do. When
I started working here, I assured a family about their father. I promised them
he would survive. The surgeon in charge did everything she could to save him.
We lost him. I couldn’t face his family. When they received the news, they
blamed me.”
“I am sorry
to hear that.”
“It took me
a while to get over it. I hope the patient that is making you to get worried
survives it.”
“I hope so.”
Jidenna
touched and squeezed Lola’s hand slightly. He smiled at her and left. She saw
Loretta coming her way. She stood.
“Have you
heard anything about my dad?”
“No. Where
is your mom?”
“She went
home to get some items for us.”
“That’s
okay. Let’s sit down together.”
They sat
and Loretta rested her head on Lola’s shoulder.
*********
Damn it!”
Duke uttered. “We are losing the patient!”
The patient
was losing blood and Duke was trying to stop the bleeding.
“Doc, the patient
is not stable.” The anesthesiologist stated.
Duke, Ahmed
and Zara remained focused and determined to save Mr. James.
“Stay with me, don’t give up on me!” Duke said.
******
11.12pm,
Duke came out and saw Lola and Loretta sleeping. He called her name. Lola woke
and Loretta did immediately. They rose.
“How did it
go?” Lola asked.
“What about
my father?” Loretta questioned. There was fear in her eyes.
“It might take
some months for him to be able to walk properly. He survived.”
Loretta
hugged Duke tightly with tears dropping down her neck. “Thank you, thank you,
thank you so much! I’m grateful!”
“I simply did
my job.”
“Where is
he now?”
“He is in
the intensive care unit. Dr. Bello will take you there.”
Loretta
looked at Lola. She was unable to express herself. She embraced her.
Lola held
her hand. “I will take you there.”
Lola smiled
at Duke as she strolled away. Duke nodded and smiled back.
Ahmed
walked to meet him. “Dr. Duke, did you tell Dr. Lola?”
Duke heaved
a sigh. “I did not. Don’t mention it to her.”
“Okay doc.”
Ahmed left Duke.
Duke was
exhausted. He could not tell Lola what had happened in the OR. They had lost
the patient but something happened. Something he couldn’t explain. It was
probably what his father would call a miracle. Mr. James died for a moment and
came back to life. Duke thought of his father. What would happen to him if his father
lost his life? They were very close. Duke avoided going home because his mother
won’t stop talking about marriage.
He dipped
his hand into his pocket to get his phone and called his number.
“Hello
Duke.” his father said in a tensed tone. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay
dad.”
“It’s
11:30pm. I thought something had happened to you.”
“I’m fine. I
just wanted to check on you and tell you what I did.”
“What did
you do?”
He narrated
to his father what he told Loretta.
This dad
laughed over the phone. “You owe me three bottles of beer!”
It was time
for Duke to laugh about it again. “I will buy you a crate!”
Lola
watched Loretta enter the ICU to meet her father. He was sleeping peacefully. Lola
Bello wondered what it felt like to have a father. Her mother told her he died
but never accepted her as his child.
*******
To be continued.....
To be continued.....
Nice post
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