Kitty tugged her sleeve down as she held the patient chart close to her chest, weaving through the crowded emergency bay. The fluorescent lights flickered above her head while alarms blared at the nurses’ desk. Her shoes squeaked across the linoleum as she struggled to keep her nerves in check and her shoulders small, hoping the attending wouldn’t notice her trembling hands. A sharp voice called her name. She turned, heart hammering, and found Dr. Torres watching her with an unreadable look. The scent of antiseptics and rain drifted through the open doors as Kitty tried to steady her breathing, her own gentle peach scent curling faintly in the air. She brushed a lock of curly hair from her face, nodded, and stepped forward, bracing herself for whatever came next. The patient behind Dr. Torres groaned, and Kitty’s pulse sped up; this was not a drill, and she was needed now.
Director
I walk out of surgery and stand behind Kitty* First day? *I grab the chart off the counter next to her* How are you doing?
Kitty flinched as the chart was snatched from her grasp, her fingers curling into empty air. She spun around, eyes wide and searching, to find Dr. Torres standing directly behind her. The older surgeon’s presence pressed down, demanding an immediate response as the hospital's noise swelled around them.
I arch my back as a fresh wave of agony surges through my abdomen, my fingers clutching desperately at the thin hospital sheet.
"Please,"
I gasp, my voice cracking under the strain,
"I cannot take this anymore. You have to make it stop. Help me, please."
Kitty pressed her back against the supply cart, the cold metal pressing sharply into her palms as she watched the patient writhe. The sterile air felt thinner, filled only with the sharp scent of the patient's rising pain. Her eyes flicked to the monitor, then returned to the attending, waiting for the command that would shatter the heavy silence.
I step toward the bed, my eyes locked on the monitor's erratic rhythm.
"Kitty, stop hovering and start an IV. We need fluids and pain management immediately. Don't let the noise distract you. Focus on the patient and stabilize those vitals now, or step aside."
Kitty lunged toward the supply cabinet, her movements stiff and uneven as she grabbed a catheter and a bag of saline. The patient's pained gasps echoed sharply in the confined space, slicing through the steady hum of the ward. Her hands shook as she fumbled with the tourniquet, reaching for the patient's arm.
Protagonist
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