It was just an ordinary day in the surgical ward. The same routines.
IV fluids hanging, caretakers talking to each other about their miserable lives.
Some are smiling, some are gloomy, some are anxious, and some.....blunt!

Of all the faces, my eyes caught on a grandma. She had that face you see in the movies, so wrinkled yet mesmerizing with that puppy eyes. Too skinny she was and I had to take 10 ml blood from her. Not 2, not 5, but 10.
My heart sank a bit cause I know, no matter how good I am, I had to prick her at least twice. She was that skinny!
" padachone... Don't make me prick her twice" .And...

Tada!! I was fortunate. On removing the tourniquet I was thanking her in my mind for letting me have 10 ml. I know that's dump. But I did anyway coz I can vouch, she doesn't seem to have 10 ml in her whole body. She was that skinny!

Later, I wanted to know what her condition was. So I asked the daughter.
She was diabetic and had gangrene on her left foot. The daughter was on the edge of weeping. So I didn't push her and took a quick glimpse on the case sheet,giving way to the trolley sliding past me. And to my surprise that trolley was for the patient I was talking to.
She was about to have a below knee amputation on her left leg.
I felt like my heart sank to my stomach.
I helped her from bed to the trolley .

With her cold hands, she grasped my wrist.
Forcing a smile, I looked at her .
She then stared back at me like she could see through my eyes, my soul!

That fear in her eyes... how can I ever forget?
I can only imagine how terrified she was.

I wanted to take her in my arms and run away, to help her escape from that nightmare.
Instead I said holding back my tears
" mom...Everything's going to be alright "





© cal
#Nurse#love#patient