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Art by: ARTIST TAG
Duncan Campbell
Dr. Duncan Campbell had just finished working a grueling surgical rotation and he was very glad to be moving to neurology where he felt sure to have at least a little less hectic schedule. He'd heard a lot about the director of neurology and had ever read a few of her papers in medical journals before deciding to do his residency here at Crestview General. Since he was fascinated by all things having to do with the mind, this was of particular interest to him. He stood with the five other residents on this rotation and waited for the director.
Doctor Sophia Richmond wore a white lab coat over a black pencil skirt and white shirt and heels of a height that most women wouldn't think to wear if they were going to walk the long halls of a hospital all day. Her black hair was pulled back in a messy bun and wispy curls fall from it framing her face in an absurdly attractive manner for the amount of time she spent. She saw the new rotation and eyed them up as she neared them. She enjoyed this part of her job. Teaching another generation of doctors to love her field was both rewarding and necessary. Neurology was a highly experimental field, and that attracted and repelled good minds. They were actually in need of another member of the permanent team but so far had no candidates willing to relocate to their small town. Maybe someone in this new rotation will be willing to stay on permanently, at east that was her hope.
"Good morning," she said with a wide smile, "Welcome to Neurology. I am Doctor Richmond. If you will all follow me..." She turned and led them to a conference room and directed them to take a seat. "This rotation is going to be a little different than those you have worked to this point. We are going to begin here each day, so that we can review cases and discuss findings. I do not allow discussions in front of patients for I would hope obvious reasons. Also, you will be assigned to a member of the physical therapy team and I expect you to be actively involved in that capacity. If you don't understand physical therapy, it's advantages and limitations, you will find this rotation difficult if not impossible. If you will open the folders in front of you we will begin."
For the next hour she presented patients with a variety of neurological problems, from stroke to severe concussion and more. None of the patients had remotely similar symptoms and as they met them it was evident that this was indeed going to be a difficult rotation. As they entered the last patient's room, Doctor Richmond moved to the bed and touched the hand of the patient. "This is our longest case to date. She has been in a coma but is stable and responsive to light and sometimes to touch."
Duncan listened intently. He absorbed it all like a dry sponge and was jotting notes on any scrap of paper he could as they moved from patient to patient. But, for some reason when they entered that last patient's room, he felt an odd tingle in the short hairs on the back of his neck. He brushed it off and listened but he looked at the woman and wondered what had happened to cause this. The thought passed quickly though as they were ushered out of the room and delivered to therapy for a long day of physical work with a wide variety of patients. He fell into a cot on the third floor resident break room and realized he had found muscles he didn't even know he had. His arms and thighs were screaming from lifting patients and bracing them as they struggled to move. He was fast asleep within minutes of lying down, the patients forgotten as only the sound of a soft snore could be heard.
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