Episode 2

Catalina was in the hospital, her schedule was Monday through Friday from 3 PM to 8 PM and every other Saturday night from 8 PM to 3 AM. It was a quiet Saturday night around midnight, unlike the bustling weekdays, so much so that drowsiness was setting in. She was seated at her desk in the emergency area, leaning on it, just about to succumb to sleep when the ambulance sirens jolted her awake. She hurriedly rose and swiftly opened the emergency room doors as the paramedics wheeled in a gurney with a patient right past her. Catalina caught sight of a man in very poor condition, his body covered in blood, which startled her. She closed the emergency doors upon hearing the doctor urgently command the on-call surgeon to proceed immediately to the operating room. Catalina was about to go call the operating room nurses, but the doctor stopped her.

Doctor: Nurse Catalina, go immediately and prepare the operating room.

Catalina: But that's not my area and I'm a student, I'm in training.

Doctor: It's an emergency, a matter of life and death, please go now. I’ll reprimand the nurses later for their absence.

Catalina mustered a great deal of courage and nodded. She had to be brave and face this challenge, she had chosen this noble profession for a reason. As the anesthesiologist readied the patient, she assisted the surgeon in donning sterile surgical attire to prevent any contamination, the doctor prepared the instrument tray, and they started their procedures. The patient had very low vital signs; the doctor stabilized him while the surgeon performed surgeries on both the left arm and leg.

Anesthesiologist: Nurse, please take some gauze and alcohol and clean the patient's wounds.

Catalina nodded and began immediately. She started by cleaning the patient's bloody face and searched for injuries. She braced for a grotesquely disfigured face, but instead, the blood originated from a nasty head wound and a cut on the eyebrow. Quickly, the doctor stabilized the patient and completed treating the injuries. They spent about five hours in the operating room, even surpassing the end of her shift by now, and her little sister would be very worried...

Doctor: Nurse, please fill out the patient's chart. Once done, inform the family who are anxiously awaiting news, and after that, you may go home. Take your next shift off, you've done great work today.

Catalina: Of course, Doctor.

PATIENT CHART NUMBER 36

ADMISSION DATE: OCTOBER 20TH OF "X YEAR"

PATIENT'S NAME: Bruno Salvatore Lombardi

DATE OF BIRTH: JUNE 2ND OF "X YEAR" AGE: 27 YEARS

GENDER: MALE

Having completed the patient record, Catalina assisted the doctors in transferring the patient to the observation ward, and after that, the doctor gave her the information and she headed to the emergency room waiting area.