The Life Criterion 6d/??
anonymous
August 7 2010, 14:35:23 UTC
Alfred put his smile on; if Braginski had to start on that, he was well prepared. “Well, maybe. And oh I forgot there was chest X-ray. And acid-fast. And culture.”
“Chest X ray only suspected tuberculosis. There are other bacteria that are positive in acid-fast. And the culture you said,” Ivan paused to emphasize, “hasn’t even grown yet, now has it?”
“Yeah right, why don’t we wait patiently until it grows enough for you? That’s what, eight weeks? And then yeah, I’m positive we can be both one hundred percent sure then. Too bad I already know.”
“Please, both of you stop.” Kiku, who also hadn’t left the room, cut in while his tone stayed unwaveringly neutral. “Alfred, Dr Braginski was just reminding you that those tests had their own limits, and there could be a false positive once in a while.”
Alfred opened his mouth but Kiku eyed him to close it, then turned to the pathologist and added, “And Ivan, I’m certain that it was tuberculosis, considering all the aspects and means Alfred took. The patient really couldn’t afford waiting.”
“But it’s not that urgent,” Ivan disagreed, “The patient walked himself here. Jones only got it on a hunch.”
“Hey!” Alfred wasn’t going to take that, “I proved it, scientifically!”
“No you didn’t,” Ivan shouted back and before Kiku could stop them this time, he said with a teeth-baring smile, “You were looking for it! And you got lucky. You won’t always get lucky.”
Kiku said something but it was muffled by several knocks on the door. A nurse entered and glanced nervously at the three of them, especially Ivan and Alfred, who were barely an inch away from each other’s face and both had cold rage dancing in their eyes. “Um, I’m sorry to interrupt, doctors, but the morning round, the patients . . .”
Kiku sighed, “Well, Alfred I supposed you should go now.”
“And the clinic, Dr Honda.” The nurse quickly added.
Kiku nodded and turned to Alfred, “It would be nice to keep me posted, Alfred. If you need me, you know where to find me.” He didn’t move from the spot. Alfred guessed he should be the one first to go, since Kiku was too prudent to leave him and Ivan alone in the same room.
One last stare and Alfred said on his way out, with a smile that never went to his eyes, “Good day, Braginski.”
“Same to you, junior.”
Alfred closed the door behind him. The nurse, leaving with him, let go a sigh, “Why are you always arguing?”
“He started it.”
“What’s the point at fighting? I mean, he can’t get you fired. Who’s going to do all the rounds if he did?”
Alfred laughed, “Yeah I supposed. Thanks. I’ll use that as leverage next time.”
He looked out through the corridor windows and the fight, at least to the nurse, flew out of the window and left not a shadow under the sun. It was a nice day, clear sky and Alfred could see the trees swaying in the tender breeze. A wonderful morning, a promising start and Alfred made a memo to self about eating lunch outside on the lawn.
The morning round, basically, was the same as what he did at night; rinse and repeat and there it was. What differed was the mood. Alfred like afternoon shift the best, morning round the next and enjoyed the evenings when patients were fed, tame and content. He figured if you had to do that everyday, it’d be easier when you found something you liked in it. After spending five days a week under the fluorescent light, every ray of sunshine felt like bliss to him, and he somehow knew it did the same to the patients.
When he got to forth floor, the route was almost completed and the nurse held Alfred before he entered the isolation room.
“He’s having breakfast. Wait until the tray comes out.” she said, “and don’t forget your mask this time.”
Alfred put on the mask reluctantly. He knew it’s for the best but the mask made his breath go upwards and fog his glasses. A doctor with fogged glasses? That’s so ridiculous and not professional at all.
Maybe he should get his glasses fog-proof.
“He didn’t eat much, huh?” Alfred said when the tray finally came out.
“You know how it works here Dr Jones,” said the nurse pushing the cart away, “It’s good that he can still eat.”
“Chest X ray only suspected tuberculosis. There are other bacteria that are positive in acid-fast. And the culture you said,” Ivan paused to emphasize, “hasn’t even grown yet, now has it?”
“Yeah right, why don’t we wait patiently until it grows enough for you? That’s what, eight weeks? And then yeah, I’m positive we can be both one hundred percent sure then. Too bad I already know.”
“Please, both of you stop.” Kiku, who also hadn’t left the room, cut in while his tone stayed unwaveringly neutral. “Alfred, Dr Braginski was just reminding you that those tests had their own limits, and there could be a false positive once in a while.”
Alfred opened his mouth but Kiku eyed him to close it, then turned to the pathologist and added, “And Ivan, I’m certain that it was tuberculosis, considering all the aspects and means Alfred took. The patient really couldn’t afford waiting.”
“But it’s not that urgent,” Ivan disagreed, “The patient walked himself here. Jones only got it on a hunch.”
“Hey!” Alfred wasn’t going to take that, “I proved it, scientifically!”
“No you didn’t,” Ivan shouted back and before Kiku could stop them this time, he said with a teeth-baring smile, “You were looking for it! And you got lucky. You won’t always get lucky.”
Kiku said something but it was muffled by several knocks on the door. A nurse entered and glanced nervously at the three of them, especially Ivan and Alfred, who were barely an inch away from each other’s face and both had cold rage dancing in their eyes. “Um, I’m sorry to interrupt, doctors, but the morning round, the patients . . .”
Kiku sighed, “Well, Alfred I supposed you should go now.”
“And the clinic, Dr Honda.” The nurse quickly added.
Kiku nodded and turned to Alfred, “It would be nice to keep me posted, Alfred. If you need me, you know where to find me.” He didn’t move from the spot. Alfred guessed he should be the one first to go, since Kiku was too prudent to leave him and Ivan alone in the same room.
One last stare and Alfred said on his way out, with a smile that never went to his eyes, “Good day, Braginski.”
“Same to you, junior.”
Alfred closed the door behind him. The nurse, leaving with him, let go a sigh, “Why are you always arguing?”
“He started it.”
“What’s the point at fighting? I mean, he can’t get you fired. Who’s going to do all the rounds if he did?”
Alfred laughed, “Yeah I supposed. Thanks. I’ll use that as leverage next time.”
He looked out through the corridor windows and the fight, at least to the nurse, flew out of the window and left not a shadow under the sun. It was a nice day, clear sky and Alfred could see the trees swaying in the tender breeze. A wonderful morning, a promising start and Alfred made a memo to self about eating lunch outside on the lawn.
The morning round, basically, was the same as what he did at night; rinse and repeat and there it was. What differed was the mood. Alfred like afternoon shift the best, morning round the next and enjoyed the evenings when patients were fed, tame and content. He figured if you had to do that everyday, it’d be easier when you found something you liked in it. After spending five days a week under the fluorescent light, every ray of sunshine felt like bliss to him, and he somehow knew it did the same to the patients.
When he got to forth floor, the route was almost completed and the nurse held Alfred before he entered the isolation room.
“He’s having breakfast. Wait until the tray comes out.” she said, “and don’t forget your mask this time.”
Alfred put on the mask reluctantly. He knew it’s for the best but the mask made his breath go upwards and fog his glasses. A doctor with fogged glasses? That’s so ridiculous and not professional at all.
Maybe he should get his glasses fog-proof.
“He didn’t eat much, huh?” Alfred said when the tray finally came out.
“You know how it works here Dr Jones,” said the nurse pushing the cart away, “It’s good that he can still eat.”
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