SHORT STORY #1 August 2022

 Short Story Prompt 1:the Internet suddenly shuts down, and no one knows why or how to get it back running again.

There was something about this day that seemed a bit unusual. As I walked to work, I noticed that the streetlights were flickering for what seems like a minute or two. The traffic lights were putting on a show of their own, fluctuating between red and green every couple of minutes.   It was a rather stormy day, but this kind of weather was more than familiar to us as residents of Seattle. The pitter patter of the rain was about as normal as a heartbeat to us. Walking to work and becoming soaked by the rain was quite routine at this point. Having lived in Seattle for nearly a decade, I actually became worried when it wasn’t stormy outside.

So, the weather was not the culprit, but there was something eerie about the whole vibe of my surroundings. So much so that I was spaced out and did not realize that I had spent nearly five minutes standing still in the middle of the street, in awe of what was before me.  It was now approaching 7:15. I was already 15 minutes late for work. Shit, I thought. I was never late for work and considering that I was now 15 minutes late would be of concern for my boss, especially since he was the routine type, and was the type of person to despise routines if they did not meet up to his standards. I totally understand that aspect of his personality, especially because he is responsible for thousands of lives and receiving the care that their lives depended on. He was a life saver. If he were not anal about the smallest details, it would become a bit concerning and a definite cause for worry.

To be honest, I was a little surprised that he hadn’t called my phone. I would have thought he would’ve called at least ten times by now. Maybe I should try calling him, I thought. At that moment, I pulled my phone out of my overly saturated scrubs pocket and had my phone dial his number. Immediately, as soon as I dial the number, I am met with a peculiar buzzing sound and what sounds like someone fumbling with the boss’s phone. Hello? I managed to let the words escape my mouth despite feeling jittery and anxious as hell. Of course, on the other end, I hear the ear-piercing buzzing sound and then an extremely boisterous thud.

I knew right then and there that something extremely bad was about to happen! I began to quicken my pace, and as I did it seemed the rain was coming to an end, thank goodness. I was already wetter than a pig who had been slushing in the mud for an hour, and more rain would just impede my process of trying to get to the hospital.  Surprised by my pace, I had made it to the hospital drive faster than usual.  As I neared closer to the entrance of my office, I noticed that the lights in the building were mimicking the traffic lights outside. Flickering and blinking and then randomly coming back on. What the hell was going on? I was now officially weirded out, and I knew that my mission for today was going to extend far beyond my usual profession as an Emergency Room doctor.

It seemed that I would have to put on my superman uniform and jump into action! I was not only responsible for myself and my patients today, but for the entire staff and floor of the hospital. Given the oddities of the morning, I was not sure how I could survive the day, strictly relying on my normal survival techniques that I had kept stored in my back pocket. It seems like I would need to rely on something much bigger than myself to make this a successful day. Knowing that, I stopped dead in my tracks and took the time to say a quick prayer. It was a rarity for me to ask God for help, but today, apparently, I was going to need him now more than ever. I grew up in a moderately religious household where prayer was seen as an acceptable and pretty regular coping mechanism. As I grew older and capable of making my own decisions, I found that I relied less on God and more on the flow and ebb of life, much like the dice will fall as they may approach.

However, today was much different. The eerie nature of the hospital floor seemed to overtake me all at once and gave me one of the worst headaches I have ever experienced! My vision began to blur, and my head began to spin like an out-of-control top. I was a control freak, and I held on to every little bit of control with a tight grip. The fact that this day was trying to take control had me feeling irritated and frustrated.  My head was always laser focused and having it clouded over was a feeling I despised. As I walked into our break room, I found the boss under the desk where our community computer sat unused and dark. That was extremely unusual, as most of the staff used the computer in the breakroom to combine and share notes among the common patients they had worked with, to make sure we were all at least on the same page diagnosis and treatment wise.

This computer was more of a lifeline to all of us, even more so than our personal computers and patient software.  It was where our patient’s lives were altered and changed.  It was their own personal medical diaries, and we were the lone authors.  Hi, boss, I said in a rather elevated voice.  We all noticed that Mr. Jones was becoming hard of hearing at his rather advanced age of seventy-six. It was a reoccurring joke among us in the breakroom that boss would work himself into the grave, but he loved what he did and gave all of himself to his staff at all times. This is what truly matters most at the end of the day. As boss was responding to my rather loud greeting, I heard a huge thud. I knew I had surprised him as he was intently fiddling with the wires that dangled freely and limp underneath the desk. Oh, wow, you scared me, remarked boss. We have been having internet problems all day, and I cannot for the life of me figure it out! Our boss was a total internet wiz, and before he became a doctor, he studied computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I do not think I have to tell you how nerdy you have to be to even step foot inside of that college! His intelligence far exceeded all of ours, and doctors are no slouch when it comes to intelligence.

I have even tried all of the tricks from resetting the modem to entering the data manually, boss said. I could tell by his furled eyebrows and scowl like expression that he was indeed at a loss for fixes, and it was taking a toll on him, because, apparently, even the genius minds become confused on occasion, too!

My knowledge regarding computers and the things that make them tick was very limited to say the least. It took me four weeks to learn about our platform. This was an extremely slow learning rate, especially when compared to my co-workers, who learned it in a matter of hours. So, it obviously was not my strong suit, but I was determined to help! I could not stand to see boss in such a discombobulated state! It was beginning to rub off on me. I definitely did not need to shift my focus from extreme laser-like to confused and lost. After all, I already had it on my mind that I had to be the one to save the day, and I was going to do everything in my power to make this frame of mind become a reality.

I bend down and attempt to avoid looking like a circus clown trying to get under the computer desk and fiddle with wires that I knew next to nothing about. Seems careless at first, but when something as vital as our electronics goes down, I have to do my part, even if it meant that I was going to make a fool out of myself.

Tell me what happened, I demand. Boss looks at me. His hair is unkempt and messy, and he seems to be a bit cross eyed. I really don’t remember, Stacy, he replies. We heard a big boom this morning and since it was stormy as it always is, we chalked it up to be God moving the furniture. It always tickles me pink when I hear the older population refer to lightning in that sense.  The dialect reminds me of my parents, who unfortunately, were no longer alive. Thanks for that I tell boss. I needed the laugh more than he realized. I think he sensed that I needed a bit of fun chatter.

Anyway, boss continues, we heard the boisterous boom and then before we knew it, The lights started flickering, and then we heard. what was akin to noise of  a frying pan and then all of the sudden we were screwed as far as the lights and electronics went. Thank God for flashlights. I have tried every single technological trick I had stored in my memory, and that is a ton, as you can imagine. I even tried resetting the router and buying a new modem. When I tried to hook them up, all I saw was blinking green lights kind of like morse code. I really do not understand it, and you know it has to be hard to figure out. Maybe we should watch the news tonight, they ought to know a lot more than we do, I suggested. Yes! That’s a good idea, replied boss. Call and remind me to stay up long enough to tune into the news. You know us old folks retire to dream land a little earlier when compared to you young guns, boss says in a jovial and playful tone. This day has been really odd and hard, but boss’s attitude makes it all the more bearable.

Well, I tell boss, you know that I cannot figure it out. Snow has a better chance of remaining solid in hell, I joke. I am attempting to joke around, but the funny thing is that it is accurate. Oh, well, I had done the best I could to be supportive and offer my help, even if it offers absolutely nothing. It’s the thought that counts. We would certainly never forget this day, that is for sure!  The hospital feels like a Haunted House you would hear about on the Travel Channel ; all dark and certainly mysterious! As much as I am loving my time spent making small talk with boss, I need to get back to the original intent for the day.

As soon as I step back onto the hospital floor, I realize how much the break room muffles all of the sound of the hospital. It is almost like being in a soundproof building. As I round the corner to the first set of patient rooms, I notice that all of the doors down this hall are ajar. I find this as peculiar as the shut down because it is hospital policy that the doors remain closed at all times. This simple situation on its own sends thousands of chills right down the center of my spine! If I find out that some crazy lunatic planned to attempt to wreck this hospital and its patients, I know that guilt would be teeming over me like a vulture over its prey.

Unless the person who broke in and caused all of the chaos is invisible, I do not see how it became possible for said person to get away with something as tragic and sadistic as this. Either that or he was so well-versed in crime that he escaped at the speed of light. As I slowly ich down the hall, I find a patient yelling for help because her oxygen mask is not working properly because of the break in and shutdown. This makes me shake uncontrollably with anger and fear. I do not know what we can do to make things better. This is a situation where every single thing is clearly and far out of my reach and control. As an independent person, this makes my head pound and my soul burn with intense amounts of agony. I simply could not live with myself if something happened to an entire floor of our patients at the expense of a deranged individual. Guilt is one of those emotions I have always suffered with when trying  to lessen it in small doses.

I often speak to my therapist about how to stop feeling guilt, especially when it is something like this and completely out of my control and my grasp. I do not think I have much hope of ever completely mastering the elimination of guilt from my life. I am a very sensitive person, and I have always been the type of person to think with my heart first instead of the more logical choice, my noggin.  Despite feeling awful about not taking my usual evening shift, I move from room to room as quickly as my feet will carry me. I do my best to help, but it never feels like enough. I have spread myself thin today, and I do enjoy doing all I can to help others, especially in times of crisis like the very one that is happening before my eyes!  I know I am reaching a point where my body will lag and begin to struggle with the weight and gravity of this situation. I put my head into my shaking hands and begin to yowl from crying so violently and loudly.

I let my mental breakdown run its course. My mom was a social worker, and she always reminded me that it was best to experience your emotions fully and freely. Otherwise, they build up and become congested in your soul, causing you to explode like a ticking time bomb when you finally do release the repressing emotions. I heard her voice in my head as I was sobbing. This was the first time I had heard her since her death that fateful day three years ago. This made me miss her in a way I had not experienced since the day of her funeral. No matter how sad this little bout with grief and overwhelming anxiety was, it was also beneficial and freeing in an odd sort of way. I say this because it reminded me that although gone, my mom would always be there when I needed her most. This was always the case in both life and death.

Get it together! You have to get it together! I had said this so many times in my head, but it was one of those things that were easier said than done. It was true, though. I had so much to get to and little time to do it in. I quickly glanced at the fancier watch that my mother had given me shortly before her death and realized that I had spent around ten minutes listening to her voice and sobbing like a baby fresh out of the womb. It is time I oddly could not take back, but maybe it served as the motivation I so desperately needed to get my workplace and my day back on track.

I was right! It was like a memory refresh, and one I definitely needed now more than ever! I suddenly remembered that we had just implemented a new tool within our system in case of emergency where we could restart our patient’s vital medical equipment in the event of a crisis situation that resulted in a loss of power! We used blue tooth and the battery power from our phones to make it work. Remembering that was a definite blessing! I quickly lifted the lock screen from my phone and turned the Bluetooth on. It immediately connected to the new-fangled software, and before I knew it, we were as good as gold!

The patient’s machines beeped to life, and the hospital was back in business! Considering I was not very skilled at technical things, I was quite proud of myself for remembering how to operate the new application! The guilt hanging in my head reminded me that this whole crisis could have been over much faster if I had just thought about the equipment I had before me sooner.  Guilt will always attempt to throw you off like that, especially if you are naturally a helping person like I had always been.

I dd the best I could to push the guilt away and headed back downstairs to celebrate my victory with Boss and the rest of the staff! It sounded like the best thing to do after surviving this day! I believe that we as humans do not give ourselves enough credit for how adaptable we are, even in the toughest and most grim situations! When you work in an emergency room setting, though, this is not only a requirement but an expectation. I guess you could say that the flight or fight reflex is more attuned in people like us! I like to refer to it as our secret blessing!

As I pushed open the door to the break room, I was flooded by my co-workers with hugs and tears! Look at you! They all shouted this in unison. Suddenly, I felt overcome with emotion once again and began crying all over again! I wasn’t a natural crier, but there was something about the urgency of the day that brought my emotions to the forefront. However, this time, instead of feeling ashamed like I would normally be, I tried my best to remember my late mother’s advice. She would have been so proud of me for allowing my emotions to surface and taking on this crisis with pride instead of panic and anxiety. As hard as it was to remember her words of therapeutic wisdom sometimes, I was as grateful as ever to her for bestowing this information upon me today than I had ever been before. I may have been the hero of the day, but my mother was my true north and guide, even from the grave! I had her support, forever and always, and that made me gleam with love and pride like never before!

***THE END***