Hi there guys! Today I'm gonna try writing a short story or let's say novel for all of you. Hope you like it!
Dr. George Humbert removed another piece of dead tissue from the patient’s infected heart. Asymptomatic abscess formation in the heart and late diagnosis never spelled good news. He examined the heart and exchanged looks with his assistant surgeon. No words but a grim expression summed up how the operation was going. The kidney basin was being filled and he wondered whether the organ would still resemble as it was before. He scraped dead tissues on. There was no room for doubt.
A veteran cardiothoracic surgeon, he had days like these once in a while. However, experience has never made him self-assured. He was dealing with life. The patient, a man in his early twenties lay motionless. He labored on.
As he motioned his hands to remove another dead tissue. The surgeon froze. Everyone’s attention shifted from the patient’s status towards him. Each second decided the fate of the patient. The anesthesiologist broke her silence first.
“Doc?”
The act brought back Dr. Humbert’s attention to everyone. He looked at the entire medical and then the patient with eye bewildered. His eyes conveyed joy in an instant. This sent a small shiver down to the anesthesiologist’s spine. The head surgeon’s eyes looked like he was experiencing a eureka moment.
Dr. Humbert quickly moved removed one the drapes covering the patient. His sterile gloves came into contact with the patient’s skin. The act alarmed the medical team. However, it was not enough to compel them to question or move. Curiosity weighed heavier than prompt prudent action. The patient’s abdomen was now exposed. Dr. Humbert moved his hand with a scalpel over the abdomen. He started making quick incisions over the skin.
I heart medicine.
It happened so quickly. The phrase was written on the patient’s abdomen. The leaking blood became the ink. The act gave a startling statement to everyone who saw it. The anesthesiologist and assistant surgeon demanded an explanation. Dr. Humbert continued cutting the patient’s skin inscribing the phrase. His eyes emanated joy and focus on his task.
The assistant surgeon made a grab for the doctor’s arm. Restraining Dr. Humbert required additional two other nurses. The doctor resisted with all his might. He was ecstatic. The assistant surgeon frantically tried to remove the scalpel. The anesthesiologist stood still dumbfounded. The scalpel was removed but this did not deter Dr. Humbert from attempting to grab another bladed instrument.
They knew he intended to continue and this made the nurses held him firmly. The assistant surgeon examined the scalpel and the incisions made. A nurse asked for instructions but the panic query fell on deaf ears. The assistant surgeon suddenly proceeded to continue Dr. Humbert’s horror. He held the same joyful expression. The anesthesiologist went up to his side with a scalpel on hand. She wore the same ecstasy facing the patient.
The fair weather contrasted the unsettling assignment Sabel has gotten herself into. She was waiting for the red light to pass. She shifted her gaze toward the stack of documents on the passenger’s seat. She read the contents and each fact told made the incidents bizarre. “You’ll get used to this especially when you get your big break.” She said to herself. The self-encouragement was a regular exercise. All famous journalists had to start small before getting them names even remotely mentioned by anyone.
The green light appeared and it was her cue to move her car. Nolan was currently waiting for her. The guy was her ticket to fame with exclusive interviews on the line. It was pure luck that the epidemiologist happened to be in the area investigating when she was present. She was a few steps ahead of him in locating the necessary people. She could have talked to these people herself but to them, she was just another journalist looking for a scope. It was true. Nolan had the authority she needed.
“Just prove yourself useful for the meantime.”
Nolan remembered the number of times he reread the report about his colleague and dear friend. George was never associated with any irrationality as far as he could remember working with him. Yet, he was reading the official report about what transpired during that surgery. All doctors present suddenly behaved like they weren’t themselves. The lawsuits and controversy surrounding the incident were the least of his concerns.
It was not the first time he read such bizarre incidents happen.
Physicians suddenly exhibiting signs of psychosis of unknown etiology. It was happening all over the world and increasing in frequency by the passing days. The CDC was scrambling all their agents to investigate on the field.
Nolan looked over to Nina. His daughter slept soundly. He has pulled out from left abruptly and with justifiable cause. The morning’s rays passed through their hotel room’s window. Today was going to be a busy day he thought.
Nina couldn’t help but frown upon waking. She looked around the hotel room before compelling herself to move. She was going to spend the entire day in this room alone. With no babysitter available, her father had no choice but take her along during his field works.
“A frown isn’t a good way to start the morning.” her father spoke over the coffee table. Nolan Mendoza had his eyes glued to the laptop. Nina guessed he was stealing quick glances. She looked over the contents of the table. There was food on it.
“What’s for breakfast?” Nina asked but knew eggs and toast involved the answer.
“You’re favorite.” Nolan beamed a smile before resuming what he was typing.
“Ice cream?” Nina jest to herself. She didn’t wait for her father’s reply. She knew there wasn’t going to be one. The sound of buttons ticking as he typed was confirmatory enough. She went out of bed and proceeded to help herself to breakfast.
“Nina, I’ll be going off to work now. Remember what I’ve told you before.” Nolan checked his watch. Sabel would be knocking any moment from now. He games a timely glance at Nina rolling her eyes at his instructions.
“Remember what I’ve told you about treating me like a child?”
“You’re ten years old.”
“I’m way more mature than people of my age you know.”
Nolan knew there was some truth to the claim. Girls matured faster but in Nina’s case, she had to learn how to take care of herself whenever her dad was away. Her mother died when she was four years old and since then Nolan stepped up his parenting skills.
“Not mature enough than you might think.” Nolan dreaded the coming pubescent years. Hormones and boys. He wondered how he would be able to handle her by then. He forgot how he survived his teen years.
“Ok, can I order room service?” Nina darted toward the refrigerator examining its contents. She was going to stay cooped up in this room and she was making the most out of it. This was not a vacation, this was routine. Nolan felt a small ache in his heart. This wasn’t the life he wanted her daughter growing into.
“Sure but go easy on the orders, my job doesn’t pay me well enough.” They both exchange laughs. Nina scanned the channels on the television when a knock was heard from the door. Nolan knew Sabel was on the other side.
“Good morning to you…” Nolan’s greeting trailed away as Sabel admitted herself into the room. Her eyes scanned everything and everyone. He thought of something to say. Sabel was enthusiastic and spirited. He was not used to working with someone emanating youth vigor. It made him feel old. “Nice room you got here. Is she your kid?” Sabel waved her fingers and beamed Nina a smile. Nolan nodded. “Cute kid. Ready to go?” Just as she entered without an invite, she left the room before Nolan could respond. Nolan hurriedly followed. He felt it strange that he was marching to the beat of this woman’s drums.
Two hundred recent board passers were about to begin reciting the Hippocratic oath. All stood proud waiting for the signal to begin. Marie imagined the scene happening with frustration from her cubicle. The actual number of oath takers present was a hundred and ninety-nine. She cursed her stomach upset. Anxiety and her bowels reacting during big days were nothing new. However, it never stopped her from hoping that the problem would go away someday.
“Why did you forget to bring your antispasmodics?” She muttered to herself angrily. Her bowels growled which felt like her body’s way to mock. Having her overhear what was happening during the ceremony didn’t help. She buried her face in her palms.
Only when she heard a rise of commotion from the outside did she stop self-pity. There were people screaming outside. The solemn ceremony seemed to cease. There was something happening outside the comfort room.
“Marie Sonesca…” Nolan muttered to himself as he read the recent board passer’s file. Young but has prominent eye bags. Nothing out of the ordinary for someone fresh from med school. There was nothing remarkable about her history. The same thought applied to the other hundred and ninety-nine individuals.
“The only survivor and still no clue how she came to be,” Sabel commented with eyes focused on the road. She drove like she wasted no time. The habit probably resulted from long experience in the profession. The good news was scarce and early birds are rewarded in this kind of industry. “A hundred an ninety-nine individuals suddenly lost sense into themselves. Her upset stomach saved her from ending up like her batch mates… but from what exactly?” Nolan asked the million dollar question. As the passers were about to utter the first word of the oath, their motion started becoming still. Each person broke into a smile and said ‘I heart medicine’ without ceasing from a trance. Like Dr. Humbert, these people showed signs of detachment from reality. Some scribbled the phrase and some said the phrase nonstop. Even if the hands and mouth were covered, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think these people thought of the phrase.
The mysterious syndrome starts out like that. Victims rapidly show progressive signs of acute exhaustion that terminates into multiple organ failures. The people present during the ceremony who showed no signs were quarantined. However, like any other attempts to quarantine and capture the rational cause, to no avail could an etiology be identified.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and find out something others have missed.” Nolan felt genuine optimism about today’s scheduled interview. He was still trying to get used to Sabel’s company. Her determination probably one him over during the first impression. Nolan hoped Marie held the answer and he knew Sabel hoped for the same.
“I hope so. I’d hate the thought of our efforts going to waste.” Sabel felt already annoyed at the thought of wasted efforts.
“Are you absolutely and positively sure you’re not forgetting something?” Sabel stressed the
words.
“Yeah… I think so.” Marie wryly responded. She sat leaning back on the couch facing opposite Sabel. Nolan didn’t approve of Sabel’s assertion but he shared the same frustration as the journalist. Marie’s accounts of what happened were the same as the reports they previously read. Her stomach upset made her miss the oath-taking portion of the ceremony. There was no common identifiable agent that the victims were exposed to. It seemed like she was at the right place and the right time to have missed death’s call.
“Did you smell anything unusual in the venue right before the ceremony or during the ceremony took place?” Sabel pressed for possible gas leak exposure. Nolan discarded that possibility after knowing only board passers and not other guests were affected. Blood workups indicated everyone was relatively fine. At least, no blood results indicated anyone could need emergency treatment.
“No.”
“Did you or have you heard anyone else felt something unusual during that time? Like, being severely anxious, mentioning any hallucinations, or funny sensations?” Nolan was just shooting a random list of questions. A lead. He prayed for any lead that could make any sensible cause to the mysterious syndrome.
“Everyone was anxious probably.” Marie shrugged after a brief pensive moment.
Nina changed the channel again. Cartoons can no longer glue her attention to the screen. She learned to like skipping channels and randomly viewing any featured movies as she goes. She made it a game to figure out what the story was about. She’d do anything to relieve the boredom. She tossed the can of empty cola after taking the last sip. She reached for her journal. Doodles. Several pages of doodles and thoughts for the day.
Earlier, she came across the news of a mysterious syndrome currently on the rise. She thought about her father. He was a doctor and part of the job was dealing with medical risks. She didn’t want to be cooped up in a room.
“Great… more bad news. Why do we never seem to run out of it?” Dr. Grand didn’t bother keeping his frustration subtle over the phone. Nolan recently reported the outcome of the interview with Marie. Dr. Grand kept Nolan posted about the higher-ups were looking at. Direct and result oriented, the man never became Nolan’s go-to person. In spite of that, he was effective in managing people working under him.
“What does it look like so far?” Nolan dreaded to know the real figures being sent real time. “Are you looking at your laptop?”
“Yeah.” Nolan viewed a window displaying the incident and mortality rates. The red text and numbers didn’t make any informed person at ease. These were just two of the many figures on the rise for the worse. They were adding up by the minute.
“What we are sure of is that no other person outside the field of medicine has been reported
suffering from it… or died from it.”
“...” Nolan couldn’t think of any response for the moment. He had several thoughts racing through his head. However, these thoughts would only end up in questions none could answer. “It was a long line. Here.” Sabel handed Nolan’s coffee and sat next to him uninvited. Her eyes weren’t fixed on the epidemiologist but on what the figures showed on screen. Her expression in astonishment as the figures updated in real time. She didn’t speak. Too busy to comprehend what the numbers mean as she sipped her coffee.
“Have you heard about what happened to Dr. Satomo?” Dr. Grand continued. Only Nolan could
hear his voice from the ear-piece.
“What about him?” Nolan recalled the colleague was a prominent figure in the field of psychiatry. Dr. Satomo was a leading researcher when it comes to mental health. He was bound to hear the doctor’s name commenting on such a bizarre pandemic case. Dr. Grand sent a video clip without a word. Nolan openings the file. He adjusted the audio for the curious journalist as it played.
Dr. Satomo stood in a podium in an emergency press conference. He said the official statement that Nolan already knew. There was no identified etiology and preventive measures currently available. Observation and documentation were the only ones being taken priority. As he was about to mention another conclusive statement, the doctor abruptly stopped talking.
Nolan has seen it happen several times now. He knew what was about to happen next. The flashes from the news photographers became more aggressive as each scene unfolded. Dr. Satomo spoke the cursed phrase and was writing something on the podium. Everyone already knew what he was probably writing. Dr. Satomo’s eyes became rounder and his gestures excited.
Nolan stopped the video clip even after Sabel’s protests. He already knew Dr. Satomo now contributed to the number present on the screen’s red texts. Dr. Grand immediately concluded the conversation.
“I got another lead that you might want to check out.” Sabel suggested halfway finishing her coffee. “I’ll be going back to the hotel.” Nolan declared.
“Not enthusiastic to do your job?”
“There’s a limit to how much I can afford to be nosy.” Nolan took a sip and let his thoughts
wander.
“Hmpf!”
Marie lay wide awake on her bed. She tried to forget what she saw during the day of the oath-taking. The elated faces of her batch mates. The frantic eyes of every witness then. She never had a decent sleep and maybe it was for the best. She would only have nightmares anyway, she thought. She got off her bed realizing the futility of forgetting and sat facing her desk. Her journal was her confidant and distraction. She tried to divert her attention to recalling what transpired during the interview earlier.
Anything just to distract me.
Nolan entered the hotel lobby with the same thoughts running through his head earlier. What was the cause and how it came to be? He felt the weight of another pertinent question. Why is it only affecting anyone working in the field of medicine? Even if the cause was identified, thinking about the possible reasons why the cause exists became an absurdity. Professionals that lived to save lives were now targeted.
The implications of such a disease continuing to occur normally would deter any aspirant to study the profession. It was as if the mystery disease was meant to cripple the profession… and maybe even humanity. You take out the people capable of taking care of others and you end up with a world with each man for himself.
He pressed a button that leads to his floor. He felt like a fool for overthinking. The cause will be identified and its existence’s purpose is rational eventually. If not him, some researcher would stumble upon the answer. He only laughed at the absurdity of it inside his head. Other people in the elevator would think he was getting crazy for laughing suddenly, worse if they find out he was a doctor and might think of he had the disease. He got off the elevator and made a chuckle after making sure no one was there within earshot.
“A pandemic folie à plusieurs.” He muttered to himself finally.
He was a few steps away from his room when he felt the vibration of his phone. A call from Sabel. He stopped in his tracks to answer.
“What is it now?”
“Guess who just got rushed to the hospital just now.” Sabel made a jesting tone but failed to conceal the hidden urgency.
“You? What happened?” Nolan’s attention reflexively raised. He didn’t find it unlikely that Sabel was going to run into a road accident. She drives impatiently.
“Not me, it’s Marie, the one we interviewed earlier. Her mom found her writing ‘I heart medicine’ all over the walls of her room. According to her, it looked like her daughter has been scribbling the phrase nonstop until all her permanent markers lost all their ink. She started to cut herself and guess what kind of ink she used to write on the wall.” Sabel blurted out enthusiastically. Nolan tried to comprehend everything she dropped at once. She was a journalist and hot news was always a cause for enthusiasm especially when she was on top of it.
“Ok, I’ll be there as soon as I can, what’s the name of the hospital?” Nolan spoke as he
scrambled off towards his room.
He opened the door and found Nina silently scribbling on her notebook. He called her. She didn’t answer. He took a few quick steps and from over her shoulder, he was able to view what she was writing. Nina admired him so much.
The ‘I heart medicine’ enigma no longer affects people who are in the field of medicine. It now affects anyone wanting to study medicine.
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