The Angel

Not so long ago...

The late evening traffic moved at a leisurely pace. The honking,sounds of the vehicles, of people shouting, calling to one another wafted across the streets to the white hospital building.. crossed the yard and climbed the wall and let itself into his room on the third floor.

The Boy recognized the sounds. Late evening traffic so different from the hurried honking and the urgency of the morning traffic. The Boy knew all the sounds that came in through his window.

Early morning - the twittering of birds, milk man's bells as he made the rounds then the rush hour traffic, a relative quietness in the afternoons, school children's shouts and laughter in the early evenings,then the evening traffic and then the stillness of the night.

The nights were what he feared the most. The absence of activity within the hospital. No doctors rushing around. No one to help if anything went wrong.

The Boy and the Mother were alone in the room. The doctor had just made his last rounds of the day and the nurses had moved to their station. Two more days to go and twenty more bottles left. The boy made a mental calculation as he watched the medicine go drip drip drip to his vein through the IV injection.

These medecines had to be diluted and injected through the intra venous drip - continously for five days.

Five days - the boy had to lie still in the bed except for small toilet breaks. Five days of the continous drip drip drip.

The veins cannot take this continous flow. They would suddenly fail and there would be the familiar sharp pain as the needle hit a muscle.

Usually one hand - all the visible veins in that hand - would last 2 days. The third day they would shift it to his next hand while they bandaged his other hand. Fifth day they would go with whatever veins seemed strong in either hand.

Now the third day. The Boy's left hand was swathed in bandages - not a single vein left to poke a needle. The right hand was doing well so far. Few veins were out and it was becoming difficult to find the smaller ones.

Drip Drip..The mother stroked her son's forehead and humming a song she dozed off. Tired from the exertions of the day.

It must have been past midnight. The Boy was just going to sleep when the sharp pain of needle hitting muscle shook him awake. The vein had failed. Panic filled the boy. The mother was awake. Still so much more of the medicine to go in.

The Mother was worried but she did not show it. We'll find a vein she said. But the Boy was scared. Midnight. No doctors.

The Mother was also a doctor but this was tough and not in her line of work. She took a new needle searched the boy's arm and found a small vein. She slipped it in. Whether it was the fear in the boy or maybe the vein itself was too small..it collapsed. The sharp pain again. The Boy broke down.

No more. No more needles.

Now the mother was also worried.The medecine had to go in. And if they wait for the doctor they would loose 5-6 hours. Panic started to buildup in the room. The Boy was adamant. Take off the medecines. No more needles. The Mother was helpless and alone.

She needed an Angel. She prayed for one.

Dear God send me an Angel. Please send me an Angel to help us through this night. An angel dear God... the mother prayed.

And she opened one more needle. The Boy after much coaxing showed his arm. The Mother found no veins. Soon one small vein was pulsating - a difficult spot on the arm. The needle went in. Collapse. The sharp pain. The Boy was getting hysterical.

The poor Mother was distraught and alone. She knew the staff nurses. They did not have the expertise to slip a needle into a veinless hand such as her son's. No doctors were available now. She was distraught. What could she do?

She prayed again..for an Angel to help her.

2 AM - the duty nurses came in for their routine check. There was a new nurse. Not too young and with a smiling face. The Mother explained what had happened. The worry showed on their faces as well.

The new nurse said she will try to find a vein. The Boy went hysterical again. Even the mother was not confident. The nurse asked the boy just to show his hand.

Soon she found a vein. She took a needle. Talking gently to the boy she slowly put in the needle. The mother could not look. They waited.. the Boy was waiting for the sharp pain. None came. The medecine started flowing. The needle was in.

The Mother wept tears of joy. The boy gradually fell asleep. Thank you so much sister said the Mother as she hugged that new nurse. Whats your name?

"My name" said the smiling nurse "is Sister Angel"

Did you know... God does answer prayers.
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