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ok since it seems dead, fine. another essay.

hah

Heart

My footsteps echoed eerily in the empty corridor. Walking briskly to the operating theatre at the end of the corridor, I loosened my tie around my neck and released the cuff links at my wrists. I would need maximum flexibility later. As I neared the doors, I noticed the ceiling lights flickering ominously ahead. Shaking off dark thoughts, I pushed the doors opened and entered the operating theatre.

I was greeted by my colleagues and assistants. Flicking a quick glance towards the operating table, I saw a small figure under the dark green cloth. Good, I thought, they knew my style. I replied their greetings with a terse “Morning,” and continued on. Putting on the surgery attire with acquired efficiency, I was ready to begin the procedure momentarily. This was what they called me here to do. I was the head surgeon.

I could see their faces now – tense, excited. “You people ready to make this operation a success?”I asked as I looked around. The expressions on their faces seemed to have transformed into faces of determination and concentration. Soft proclamations of “I'm ready” were audible through the surgery cap I wore. Breathing out heavily, I said, “Okay, let's begin! Chelsea, flick the switch.” My assistant went to the side and switched on the radio, at once, soft oceanic melodies meandered lazily into earshot.

Music is always present at all my operations; they helped calm my heart and ease the tension within. With the music in the background, I explained the procedure to the group gathered around the table. Then, they all dispersed to their respective positions and I approached the figure under the cloth, muttering to myself softly, “You're such a poor thing, getting worked on by us. Don't worry, we're going to get you all up and runnin' soon!” Apparently, Perry, my close friend and colleague, heard my mutterings and replied, “ He's not going to thank you for that..” The room soon erupted in quiet laughter. We calmed down in a few seconds and assumed our poker faces.

Applying pressure on the knife onto the patient's skin, the skin underneath gave way and split open. Immediately, blood leaked out of the freshly-made cut. The assistants rushed forwards with soft gauze and staunched the blood flow. Muttering a soft “thank you very much”, I continued with the operation. I made a deeper cut. The knife penetrated deeper into the body and soon I could see the bloody mass of muscles that was the heart. Reaching my hands outwards, the assistants quickly passed me the required tools and the procedure went on.

After what seemed like fifteen minutes of the bloody business, I muttered, “Clean the opening please” I was so focused on the procedure that I had not realised that I was drenched in sweat until after the whole operation.

For the umpteenth time, I asked, “Heart rate?” The reply was, “Normal”. Good, I thought, that meant everything was going well, so far. Now for the part of the procedure where most mistakes and infections occurred, time was of the essence now. Whether or not I could do it quickly would decide the fate of the patient under my knife. Placing a small pipe into along the patient's aorta, gently, gently...

Once the device was in place, I waited for a few seconds for the result. True enough, ten years of experience had not betrayed me. It was a success! The heart continued to beat, strongly. As I signaled to the rest of them to take over the operation from there, I retreated from the table. Holding my gloved hands up, I saw that it was red with blood. Looking down, I saw too, that my gown was stained with random splashes of red. Looking back at the table, I smiled as I saw one of the trainee surgeons finishing what I started. I caught his eye and nodded. He seemed to continue stitching the wound with more gusto than before.

Smiling inwardly, I stripped off the gown and gloves as soon as I exited the operation theatre and threw them into the disposal bin. After washing my hands thoroughly, I was headed for the staff toilets to get a quick shower, when I was stopped by Perry. “Good job back there! Didn't know it could be done like that, be sure to watch out for me, Edward. Hey, let's wait for Matthew to come out!” He said, as he slapped my back and dragged me to sit down with him on the chairs. Managing to catch my breath,I muttered a terse “Thank you”.

Sitting at the chairs, a tinge of worry overcame me. It shouldn't take Matthew this long to wake up, could the heart bypass surgery have gone wrong? I thought back to the procedure and tried to find fault with it.

Deep in recollection, I had not realised that Matthew had come out of the operation theatre until Perry pulled me up. Matthew was sprawled on the table pushed by a nurse. His tongue was out and a soft sound escaped from his mouth. “Meow...” I went forward and patted him on his furry head, taking care not to exert too much pressure on him, letting him nuzzle into my palm. “Sorry little guy, no food this time, next time alright?” I said. As if he understood me, Matthew licked my palm weakly.

Withdrawing my hand from him, the nurse nodded at me and continued pushing him to his 'ward'. Like a flower blossoming inside me, a sense of happiness filled my entire being. This was what I became a veterinarian for, this satisfaction that I get from helping these creatures. A smile spread itself across my face. Beside me, Perry gave me a quizzical expression and left me alone. Ignoring him, I thought, through my efforts, I have saved yet another life.