Carmen sighed and got closer to her.

“I was on my way up to x-ray… and I thought I’d stop in and just… hide”, she confessed.

Dana giggled.

“From what?”.

Carmen stared at the baby. She stretched out her arm and touched him, delicately.

“I should’ve gone into pediatrics…”, she murmured to herself.

Dana brushed her forearm, gently.

“Oh, no. Every one you meet is either married or a gyno. Never date someone who knows more about your vagina than you do”.

The baby started crying and Carmen grimaced.

“Poor little guy”, she muttered.

Dana massaged his stomach, soothing him.

“Yeah…”, she sighed, “…he never stops crying”.

“What’s wrong with him?”, Carmen asked, looking up at her.

Dana smiled bitterly.

“No insurance. Found him in a dumpster behind the Horse of Pies. We worked him up the wazoo from everything… from drug exposure to diabetics. We got nothing”.

Carmen moved closer to the baby.

“May I?”, she asked, softly.

Dana nodded, removing her hand, letting Carmen auscultate him carefully.

“Did you do an ultrasound?”, Carmen asked, frowning, glancing at Dana.

“You hear a murmur?”, she replied, worriedly.

Carmen shrugged and removed her stethoscope.

“Worth a shot”.

Dana’s fingers brushed the baby’s forehead.

“Okay baby”, she nodded, then she looked up at Carmen.

“So, what are you hiding from?”.

Carmen hid a bitter smile.

“My patient’s wife. She wants me to tell her that her husband is going to be okay… and that I have every confidence. And I don’t…”.

Dana didn’t reply. She just pursed her lips and stared at Carmen attentively.

“…And after all this time, and after all this work…”, Carmen sighed, tears threatening to fall, “…I suddenly have this feeling that none of this is in my hands. Nothing”.

Dana tilted her head to a side, her eyes soft. She didn’t interrupt her.

“…And if it isn’t… what do I do with that?”, Carmen whispered desperately.

”…But this is not allowed
You’re uninvited
An unfortunate slight…”

***

It was almost 9 pm when Carmen made her last reconnaissance walk through the Surgical Unit. The corridors were silent, deserted, perfectly neat and disinfected.

She reached the end of the hallway, acknowledged that no-one was around and turned around, heading for the dressing room.