“And that’s how you found me?”
“Yes.”
“So, your course?”
“I start this week.”
“Dr Danni?”
“Yeah, in fact, I may have my I.D. badge changed to that.”
“I think you should.”
“Thank you, for everything.”
“Danni, you’ve come a long way and made some real progress, but I’m not sure our work here is done.”
He was right. “I agree, but I might need to come less frequently with work and everything else.”
“Sounds fair.”
I was already on my feet and preparing to leave when he called to me.
“What happened between you and Jess?”
“She is busy and has moved away, but we’re talking and trying to be friends again.”
His smile was one of genuine happiness for me and my old friend. “And Mike, what happened to Mike?”
“I have no idea. Not that I have ever looked for him and we don’t have mutual friends . . . it took me a long time to be able to not look over my shoulder or to sleep soundly knowing he was out there still, but as my mum says, he was a coward and a bully.”
“And what does your dad say about him.”
“Not much, although, he does still attempt aDon Corleoneaccent when he says things about nobody finding the body and swimming with the fishes. I have to go.”
“Until next time, and Danni, don’t ever let anyone make you feel less than your worth.”
“That’s Dr Danni to you.”
A YEAR LATER
“Dr Danni,can you come and take a look at a patient for me, please?”
The biscuit that was halfway between my hand and mouth paused. I hadn’t even made a drink or considered the option of sitting down when the nurse interrupted me. Placing the biscuit down, I turned and offered the lady filling the doorway of the staff room a warm smile.
“Of course.”
“Sorry,” she said as I passed by.
“Hey, it’s fine.” I meant it. This is what I wanted and for a time thought I would never manage it, but now, this was my life. I hadn’t slept in almost forty-eight hours aside from a twenty minute power nap at four o’clock that morning, but I survived on adrenalin and the love I had for my work. In just a year’s time my foundation would be complete and I would be a real doctor. I mean, I was already a real doctor, but I couldn’t wait for the next step of no longer being in training of any kind, not that I believed I’d ever stop learning.
Heading back out into the busy emergency department where I was currently based, I followed the lead of the nurse who was now in front of me and entered the cubicle to find a young woman in obvious pain. I examined her, ordered some bloods and prescribed some pain relief and with some reassuring words, called for a consult from the on-call surgical team as I suspected this woman might have an appendicitis.
I continued with my work for the next couple of hours before the nurse from earlier called me to come back to the same patient as her blood results were back and despite pain relief, her condition was worsening. The surgical consultant had been to see her in my absence and had requested that the patient remain under observation until the blood results returned.
The woman was clearly still in pain as I began to go through the results on the tablet in front of me. She knew that the consultant she’d already seen would be coming back too and discussing next steps with her. She looked clammy and a simple touch of her forehead confirmed this. I reached for her wrist and felt her pulse hammering away far too quickly.
Looking at the nurse, I prepared to ask her to call for the consultant, fearing the patient needed reviewing sooner rather than later, but before I could speak, the curtain around us opened and the world stood still. The consultant looked at the patient and sprang into action and as he came alongside her opposite me, our eyes met. I had recognised him the second he had entered and judging by the look in his eye and the smile that followed, he remembered me too.”
