Insanely bonded

"Doctor, there is an emergency. Your presence is required." 

"Monitor the oxygen saturation and use the ventilator. Will be there in ten", I responded.

My thinking process seems to be troubleshooting like a broken device. For the past 15minutes, I had been sitting in the couch trying to decide what to cook for dinner and now all I can think is to pull my coat and grab the car keys. I work in Bells Central Hospital for 12 hours a day which includes the In-patient and Out-patient care along with emergency night duties. It's only a 10 minutes drive from my flat to the hospital but it would seem like infinity. I rush to my garage and before I ignite the engine, I let Zach and Amber know that I'm heading out.

"Duty calls. Heading out."

"You got it, kid".

Typical Amber! No one ever calls me kid other than her. I'm 27 and probably look like an old soul in a young body. Amber is my gorgeous elder sister. No siblings call each other gorgeous but Amber makes the exception. She is insanely beautiful with a slender body, dark brown curls and ivory skin. Her hazel eyes make her look exquisite and perfectly radiant. She is a profound psychiatrist who provides medicolegal opinions on patients behalf and provides their diagnostic decisions. I keep telling her that being effulgent is a crime because she drives people insane even without realizing it. She is married to Jayden, who is the flight lieutenant. He is hardly at home. They are blessed with two naughty kids: Theo and Jason.

"Monitor your heartbeat before you start, love."

Do you even need to guess a second time to know who this is? I could literally see him winking the other side. I wanted to counter it with a 'jerk' but he already knows me too well. For him, it ain't abuse but it is rather a form of romanticizing our relationship. It's a reminder of our first meet.

It was on the 16th of September. After a long 12 hour surgery after my normal working hours, all my energy was drained. The patient required a complex spinal reconstruction for spinal stenosis. It's a condition where spaces are narrowed within your spine. After the surgery, I took off to the nearby movie theatre. Luckily, I had got the last corner seat in the front row of the elevated AC section. In a few minutes, the screenplay started and I was nibbling my cheese flavoured popcorns when a well built young man who was quite enticing took the seat next to mine with a couple of other men, who I suppose were his friends.

He might be attractive but I had no intentions of drooling over him and calling him Prince Charming, so as usual, I continued nibbling my popcorn. It was halfway through the movie when the sound of notification popped up. Apparently, it was not from mine but his. The message wasn't welcoming enough 'cause he murmured "fuck it" under his breath. If you know me, you would know how impulsive I am. Exhaustion, when mixed with annoyance, leaves me frustrated. I tried to ignore it but it was too late. "Jerk!", the word escaped my mouth loud enough for him to hear. His face snapped to my side and then he raised his eyebrows in a questioning gesture. I rolled my eyes in annoyance but I believe the theatre room was dark enough for him to see me. He then stepped up and walked away. 

It was almost a month from then for our second encounter. I was in my rounds checking the out-patients when doctor Zu called for me. 

"A victim of a murder attempt. Direct instructions for immediate skin grafting and surgery from the government. A case brought by Master. Zachary."

The seriousness in her tone gave me chills. A direct order from the government in itself provides a lot of pressure to us. I was rushing to the operation when I almost collided with a man, who was in his formals. 

"Sorry", I said.

"Ain't you that lady...", he said with recognition flashing in his face.

"Are you here for any specific reason? I have to rush, Sir"

"Brought a victim. He is one of the crucial guys for the investigation.", he said.

It took me a few seconds to process those words. "Are you". I didn't get to finish when he answered.

"Master. Zachary Philip". He raised his hands for a handshake."Nice to make an acquaintance with you Miss"

" Dr.Amalia Skylar", I answered as I took his hands.

And then I headed to the operation theatre to help Zu along. The rest was as usual.

Zach used to meet me randomly here and there for the next three years. It was our type of dating. I never heard speaking each other's full name until later when we stood in the church...

"Wilt thou have this Woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?"

"I will"

Each word echoed within the church walls and my heart flip-flopped and a new ray of warmth blossomed in my heart. The feeling of acceptance and this big day!

"I, Zachary Philip take thee, Amalia Skylar, to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death we do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth."

"I, Amalia Skylar take thee Zachary Philip to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth."

As he slipped the ring to my finger, we were bonded for life. From 'Jerk!' to 'a life partner', it might be a huge transition but for me, he would always be 'My insane jerk!'.

....

I couldn't help but blush when I realized that I had been thinking about him the whole time I was driving to the hospital. I parked the car in the gravel, near the walkway as I rushed into the acoustic environment. 

"Very little hope. It's a miracle that he has been surviving till now. Tremendous blood loss. Ruptured internal organs. Stabbed multiple times and one ballistic wound. Forced breathing. The murderer wanted him dead at any cost and is totally insane..." Zu stuttered as she spoke. She was more of an expert but seeing her like this ruptured my heart. The case was worse than I ever imagined.

As I opened the door of the operation theatre, a distinct memory clouded my thoughts. It was my 15th birthday and Amber decided to take me to the Pandemonium Club. People were drinking, dancing and hanging out but unlike the rest what caught my attention was the darkroom in one corner of the club. I had my first champagne shot that day. I felt free and brave enough to ask Amber that question or rather a nightmare which used to haunt me as a child. That question is the reason behind Amber being a psychiatrist and its answer is the reason for me being a doctor.

"Amber, I'm going to ask you something hypothetical and I don't want you to judge me based on it."

"Amalia. Your thoughts are free. Let it flow. I shall never question them. Now shoot."

"What if you are in a dark room and you see a man being murdered. The man keeps fighting but it looks no less than a corpse lying in a pool of blood. It seems like no one other than you can see the murderer and he is quick and with quick strokes, the victim falls down. Even if you scream, no one shall believe you. They would think you are insane. And if I, uh you stay there any longer, you would medically become insane."

"As fast as a vampire. But no Edward Cullen to save. As strong as a werewolf but no pack and alpha male to stand up for you. As hideous as a shadowhunter but no Jace Herondale to keep you in place and no warlock as Magnus Bane to lock your thoughts. But remember you are no less than Hermione Granger who is stunning and logical and with her prodigious intellect and cleverness can win their hearts. Yes, you might not be as potent as any fictional characters but you are human and you have compassion in you. It's your strongest weapon. Your thoughts might be lingering but you can connect the dots between good and bad. When vampires use their fangs to suck your blood and werewolves use their strength to rip away your throat and while shadowhunters use their mortal instruments to stab you deep in your heart, you can use your mind and heart to save a life. Saving a single life is worth more than taking away hundreds."

....

As a examined the patient I realized, more than being stabbed almost 5 times at different places, the ballistic wound had caused the pain. It wasn't shot within a few mm and hence he still battles for survival. The fight for life is quite evident in his every breath. We would have requested for mercy killing otherwise. There were comparatively more tissue damage due to change in projectile on contact with tissues and further it's breakage into smaller fragments. Skeletal muscles and blood vessels were pushed aside due to the force but they could be rebound on the operation while the damage in the inelastic tissues posses a problem. Since the smaller projectiles haven't exited the body, the kinetic energy has been transferred to the tissues. Since the abrasion ring in the skin is towards the liver, his atria have not been severely affected. The continuous stabbing has caused inflammation of the lining of lungs and terrible rib fracture and increased muscle oedema. The renal wound causes him to be hemodynamically unstable. Renal reconstruction could be done for now. In later stages, if there might be a case of late haemorrhage, then nephrectomy has to be done. The breakage of nerves was the one causing difficulties. Through all his skin abrasion, I personally felt that it wasn't aimed for the stomach. If the victim was in a sitting posture, then it might be aimed for the head and he might have stood by the time the bullet had hit the skin. If he had collapsed that very second, it still might have looked as if he would succumb to his injuries for he was lying in his own pool of blood. Removing the smaller fragment of projectiles after having reduced the muscular oedema was increasing the time of the surgical operation. His injuries were fatal and every nerve in his body would take time to heal and grow. After several hours of multiple surgeries and operation, the hope for his survival resurfaced.

The dose of anaesthesia had knocked him off but we were sure he would open his eyes. My heart leapt up for joy and Zu seemed to be paralyzed with happiness. The mood in the room lightened and everyone's faced was filled with ecstasy. The victim had scared the hell out of us with the amount of blood that was spilt. I wanted to scream to the whole world that he'll live. 

As we opened the door of the operating theatre, there was a young boy around the age of 8 waiting along with his pregnant mom. The young kid walked towards us and asked in his sweetest voice, "Will Dad live?". 

"He hasn't gained conscious. He is still on medical drugs and of course, he shall live. He is one of the strongest survivors I have ever seen in my medical history.", exclaimed Zu as I nodded along. Hopes soared and sunshine flooded the soul of that young lady. My young boy was flabbergasted with joy and they shed happy tears of joy.

A few meters apart, Zach was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest. The black shirt he wore was a perfect contrast to his pale skin and messy hair. His deep-set blue eyes searched mine. 

"Zach! What are you doing here?"

"I'm in charge of Gereme Roger's case now, naughty girl"

"So are you staying or..."

"Cuddling, huh", he said with a burst of full heartfelt laughter that was too intoxicating.

"Well! That's settled then." I said as he took my hands and lead the way to the exit.