Chapter - 33 - Mission: Water

Gianna shook her head and Stanley was totally confused. He looked at Victor and Ralph for a hint but he saw them smiling back at him. 'If Dr.G didn't scold me for that, then what would be the reason? Did I make some other mistake? And why are they both smiling at me?' thought Stanley. "I am not able to think of other reasons, Dr.G." Gianna looked at him and smiled softly.

"We are all humans and are not perfect so we tend to make a lot of mistakes. There are times I have made mistakes during surgery and there are chances I might make mistakes in the future. The main point here is not about mistakes but how you rectify that mistake." Stanley was more confused now and scratched the back of his head. "What went through your mind as soon as you realized you made a mistake during the surgery?" Stanley thought for a few seconds and said, "I was scared and my mind was blank."

"That's what I am talking about. You can be scared but never be blank. The patient lays on the operating table confidently because of the patient's trust on the surgeon. They believe that we will save them from their misery but what happens if the surgeon goes blank during the surgery? Can the excuses bring back their life or can we live happily because of our cowardliness?" Gianna drank the remaining coffee and continued with a smile, "If you make a mistake, you should become more alert to rectify that mistake. If I would have dropped the instrument and the nerve got cut, it would have been a disaster."

"But as a surgeon I shouldn't go blank at that moment, instead I should do everything to stop the bleeding. I yelled at you not because you made a mistake but you were blank. Didn't you come back to your senses quickly as soon as I yelled at you?" Stanley looked at Dr.G with widened eyes and nodded his head understandingly.

"Can I hug you, Dr.G?" asked Alice all of a sudden. "Hug yourself" Gianna turned away from Alice to face Ralph. The group laughed at Alice and Dr.G's interaction. 'Dr.G is really wise.' thought Alice while staring at Dr.G. "There is nothing special in my technique. Watch the video again and calculate the timing for each step. Then you will know how surgeons are able to sit for long hours and also how I complete the surgery faster." Gianna pointed her index finger at all and said, "Keep in mind, finishing the surgery faster should never be your aim. Understood?" They nodded their heads obediently.

Victor reported to her the details about their morning rounds. "Alexander seems to be doing well. His mental health is really good unlike other patients. Also, Mr.Ellerbrock had stationed three men in his room as the management gave him a green signal." Gianna nodded quietly and instructed Ralph and Stanley to keep an eye on the operated patients, till next morning. Gianna looked at the surgery schedule and noticed there were still three surgeries pending. Gianna pointing at the paper said, "The surgeries scheduled for the day after tomorrow and on Monday will be led by Victor and Ralph will assist."

"I will prepare for the surgery, Dr.G." said Victor confidently. Gianna smiled and said, "If you have any doubt," she paused her sentence. "I will surely ask y..-" Gianna cut off Victor and said, "Don't ask me. Find the answer yourself." The team knew Gianna was clearly teasing them and chuckled at her response.

"Continue with your work. I will take my leave for the rest of the evening." Gianna stood and moved her back in a swift motion and the team heard a series of cracks at once from her back, which amused them. She reached the door and turned to look at the group. "Ralph, you're officially appointed for the Mission: Water and it starts from this moment. Enjoy teaching!" Gianna left the room with a mysterious smile.

Stanley and Alice looked at Ralph and noticed a wicked smile slowly appearing on his face. "Ahhh !! I really miss the mission!" said Victor in a disappointed tone. "Get your skates on, my dear boy!!" Ralph burst out laughing and patted on Stanley's shoulder. He continued to laugh and left the room. Stanley and Alice looked at Victor with a clueless face. "Don't worry. Your doubts will be cleared very soon." said Victor and left the room. Stanley and Alice exchanged glances and shrugged their shoulders at the same time. They also followed Victor and Ralph outside the room.

Gianna reached her room to change her outfit but to her dismay, her duffle bag was nowhere to be seen. She hit her forehead and realized she forgot to bring it from the apartment. She sat for some time on the chair and decided to go back to her apartment by eight pm. The team went on with their rounds and returned to the staff station at seven and sat with the attending staff to gossip.

"Good evening everyone!" The group turned and saw Dr.Zane walking towards them. Everyone's face instantly lit up and greeted Dr.Zane one by one. Zane handed a small paper box to Alice as soon as he reached the desk. Alice was stunned but received it with a bright smile. Others looked at the box and were curious to know what was inside. Alice slowly opened the box and saw two slices of delicious looking cheesecakes. Alice was taken back by Dr.Zane's gift and tears started to fall drop by drop from her eyes.

'Why is she crying?? Doesn't she like cheesecake? What should I do now?' thought Zane as Alice continued to shed tears like a kindergarten kid. Zane calmed himself and said with concern, "It's okay, if you don't like cheesecake. I will get something else for you. Don't cry, Alice." Alice placed the box on the table and hugged Zane tightly and cried loudly. It happened in an instant, so Zane and others were equally shocked by Alice's sudden gesture!!