Heart's Cry

by Rita Peterson

  “What do you think?” Clyde stroked Four’s large floppy ears and stared into his deep brown eyes waiting for an answer. “I never expected her to be so mysterious. Do you like her?”

  Four lifted a paw and rested it on Clyde’s shoulder. His head rotated from left to right, then he answered with a deep-throated, “Woof.”

  “Good, boy. Now remember your manners.”

  Within thirty minutes Lily Ann came out of the store wearing a new Columbia winter jacket.

  “You look so much warmer.” He thought about what he said for a moment. A bit cheesy.

  “I feel better. The salesclerk was most helpful. Thank you.”

  “A deal is a deal. So where are you staying?”

  Lily Ann opened her phone case and gave Clyde the pink post-it note with the address written on it.

  “That’s right near the hospital. There are only houses there and no rentals to my knowledge. Are you sure you have the right address?”

  “Yes, I didn’t want to rent a house or a basement suite or share a place. So I scoured Craigslist and found an older woman in need of light medical assistance once a week. Her name is Miss Patty. I called her and we clicked. So I’m staying in one of her spare rooms in exchange for helping her out medically.” Lily Ann continued to watch the buildings out of her window.

  “It will only take a few minutes to get there. For tomorrow, come in at seven. I would like you to meet Dr. Stone. We will introduce you to the team and show you around.” She nodded. He wished she weren’t so quiet. The awkward silence was driving him crazy, but he didn’t want to push her with so many questions.

  Chapter 2

  Lily Ann awoke before the sun had a chance to rise. Splashing warm water on her face, she donned her emerald green doctor’s uniform. She stood in front of the wall mirror next to the closet. Adjusting her turtleneck to hide her scarred skin, she hoped she wouldn’t be bombarded with questions and concerns about her deformed hand.

  She parted her long hair in three groupings and began braiding her hair off to one side, leaving the front longer strands to fall gently over the side of her face. Oh, Clyde, you stirred up every emotion inside me. The last thing I want to happen. I’m scared you won’t like me when you find out about me. Like so many others, once they know, they’re gone, leaving me stranded. Why do you have to be such a gentleman, and on top of that, good-looking too?

  From her suitcase, Lily Ann grabbed a new box of one-hundred, custom-made disposable gloves, designed to fit her hand. She unzipped her backpack and emptied its contents, then replaced them with items she needed at the hospital: an extra outfit, her custom non-latex gloves, a phone charger, paperwork, and a few protein bars. That will have to do for the first day. She was sure there would be plenty more to take to work once she settled in.

  Lily Ann caught herself studying her appearance. Inhaling deeply, she held her breath for a moment before exhaling. She wished she was back home where everything was familiar. Where the staff knew her story and didn’t question her. Now as she sat on the edge of her bed, she buoyed up her courage to enter a foreign hospital and witness the staff’s reactions. Clearly she should be confident—a role model even, but the constant judging had turned her into a recluse. She sniffled and frowned. Why do people have to be so judgmental? A flashback of disaster first dates reminded her of the many rejections she’d endured over the years. Deep down all she longed for was honest love, but her past obstructed her view of the future.

  Lily Ann’s body shivered, remembering the searing pain of her pinned right hand as devouring flames engulfed her. I need to pull myself together. She shook her head and forced a smile. Straighten my shoulders and focus on the patients who need me. It’s all about saving the patients and making miracles happen. That’s what I do.

  Peering down at her hand, she slipped on a tight custom-made, skin-color glove over her right hand covering up the unsightly scars and discoloration. She adjusted her turtleneck and tugged on her left arm sleeve to pull it further down towards her knuckles to cover as much as possible. Grabbing her new winter jacket, she zipped it up and flung her backpack over her right shoulder. Thus began her first trek to the hospital.

  The crisp morning air entered her lungs. She almost felt lightheaded with the sudden exchange of clean air. Lily Ann had been so tired the day before, she hadn’t noticed how fresh and unpolluted the air was. She’d lived her entire life in downtown Seattle, minus the times she spent at universities across the United States. But still, all her places of residence were in large smog-filled, densely populated cities. This was her first time to breathe actual fresh air.

  Lily Ann entered through the automatic doors of the Alaska Regional Hospital. She paused in the foyer and familiarized herself with the directional signs. Within a few minutes, two doctors strolled out from the cafeteria to greet her.

  A tall, husky, well-groomed man approached Lily Ann and shook her left hand. “Good morning, I’m Dr. Jared Stone, Direct Supervisor. I’m grateful you have come.”

  “Good morning, Dr. Stone. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lily Ann analyzed his behavior and was stunned. He didn’t stare at her hand. Lily Ann glanced at Clyde’s heavy eyes. “You look tired, Dr. Nelson, an all-nighter?”

  Clyde took a sip of his coffee. “Something like that. Please, call me Clyde. Around here, we’re on a first-name basis with each other. With patients we can be more professional.”

  “That works for me. Why don’t we start with labour and delivery?” Lily Ann wanted to skip the superficial chitchat and dive right into the tour. She wanted to see the state-of-the-art birthing rooms that were built about ten years ago. Posts on Facebook and a few articles in several medical journals had lauded the amazing birthing tubs and king-size beds in the recovery rooms. The rooms were made to feel like home, where the husband or significant other could share a bed and take an active part raising their new baby.

  Lily Ann noticed Jared’s face drop as he motioned them towards the elevator to the third floor. When the stainless-steel doors opened, Lily Ann audibly gasped. “What in tarnation is going on here?” She cupped her gaping mouth.

  Jared slid his hands into his pant pockets and sighed. “I know exactly what you’re thinking. It’s a disgrace that I have to show you this, but this is reality. With the president re-elected for another term, our hopes for more funding went down the drain.”

  Clyde stared at the floor. “I’m sorry, I should have told you in the interview.” He tossed his coffee cup in the garbage next to the reception desk. “Let’s show you around. It’s not all as bad as it seems.”

  Jared led the way.

  Lily Ann had no words to describe the horror of what she was seeing. Paint peeling on the walls. Broken beds. Stained bedding. Malfunctioning or a shortage of equipment. Lack of staff and resources. NICU with only two specialized nurses burdened with fifteen infants. Closed-off specialized rooms. Lily Ann clenched her teeth. “For Pete’s sake, how can a hospital run like this? This doesn’t even meet the basic needs of the mothers and babies. Complete and utter filth.”

  Jared slammed his arms together. “Do you think I’m proud of this? You’re right. This is a disgrace. But what can I do when funding has been pulled from us? The government has stripped our finances. We’re operating on fumes.”

  “We had to make hard decisions,” Clyde added. “Cut funding somewhere, and the maternity ward was where it happened.” He stepped forward and stared into Lily Ann’s heartbroken eyes. “We had to close the luxurious rooms and lay off staff. And then equipment began to fail—”

  Jared cut Clyde off. “Preemies are dying, postpartum depression is on the rise, opioid and drug-addicted babies and mothers are not receiving proper care, teen births are skyrocketing.” Jared shoved his hands back into his pant pockets. “And to make matters worse, I don’t have the foggiest idea how to turn this around. Our mortality rate is five times higher than last year.”

  Lily Ann had heard enough. Her blood pressure was ready
to blow the roof off of the hospital. She could feel Jared’s and Clyde’s disgust and knew these men where not proud of the despicable conditions. “Let’s all calm down and head back to the cafeteria. I need a strong coffee.” Lily Ann recalled the thesis paper she wrote that described a solution to underfunded hospitals. “On a positive note, I have a radical idea that may be able to turn this place around.”

  Jared’s eyes widened, he turned, and faced Clyde.

  Clyde shrugged his broad shoulders.

  Jared exhaled. “Lily Ann, how can you change this? We need equipment, nurses, doctors, all kinds of resources. It’s impossible to—”

  “Jared, you need to look at this from a different perspective. We all need a strong coffee and a clear head.” Lily Ann glanced between the two. “Is there a coffee shop close by we can sit down and remove ourselves for a few hours from the hospital?”

  ~

  Clyde held open the glass door for Jared and Lily Ann as they entered Starbucks. The heavenly smell of roasted coffee flooded Clyde’s nostrils. He couldn’t wait to sit in an oversized chair, hold a warm cup of coffee, and listen to Lily Ann’s proposal. He had been working at the hospital for fifteen years, and no one had ever come up with a plan to turn the ward around within one hour. He was bewildered, yet amazed that Lily Ann could have a reasonable plan of attack with no budget to pull from.

  “Please, let’s sit over there in the corner,” Jared said leading Lily Ann and Clyde to a more secluded area. After placing his caramel macchiato down on a side table, Jared left to use the restroom.

  Clyde held his pumpkin spice latte with both hands. He was lost for words once again. This was so uncharacteristic of himself. Usually his co-workers and father told him he talked too much. And here he was sitting next to a beautiful, mysterious lady and couldn’t figure out what to say next. Clyde had so many questions running through his head, but they were all too personal to ask. This is a work meeting, not a date. Although he wished it was a date. Lily Ann stirred up many emotions that had been buried far too long. He twitched in his seat and took a small sip of his latte and was glad to see Jared approaching to break the awkward silence.

  Lily Ann smiled and nodded at Jared while sipping her cappuccino. “Like I said on our tour, I have a radical idea that will work, but it’s out of the ordinary. As far as I know, no one has ever done it.” Lily Ann took a deep breath of fresh coffee aroma and removed her winter jacket.

  Clyde caught sight of her right hand and noticed she couldn’t straighten her fingers. He observed her left hand partially hidden in her sleeve. “This hospital needs a new and refreshing idea.” Clyde moved his gaze to Lily Ann’s dazzling eyes and pondered what happened to her.

  “When I was writing my doctoral thesis in college, I wrote about involving teens and young adults in the maternity ward and the NICU.” Lily Ann shifted in her seat. “This sounds totally contrary to what we think, but I’ll explain how this can drastically offset the issues you brought up earlier, Jared.”

  Jared’s eyebrows shot up, his eyes widened, and his mouth dropped. “How on this earth can you use irresponsible teenagers to care for some of the most fragile human beings? Seriously, all teenagers know is how to play video games and take selfies and spend hours on social media.” He took a sip of his macchiato.

  “You’re right. This is a radical and stupid idea.”

  “Listen, Jared,” Clyde chimed in, “give her a chance. What do we have to lose? We are already losing innocent lives because we can’t care for them properly and the government will not be giving us any money to help. So let’s hear her out.”

  Lily Ann rolled her eyes. “I knew this was going to be a hard sell, but with so many cutbacks, you need to understand there is no other way.” She ran her hand across her forehead.

  Clyde immediately recognized the distinct scars on her hand. He swallowed hard knowing she’d been horrifically burnt at some point in her life. Clyde sipped his latte and turned his attention back to Lily Ann’s proposal.

  “This was the same reaction my professor gave me. He thought I had lost my mind. But still after twenty years, I think it could actually work. I have done many scientific studies and instituted the Kangaroo Baby technique, which has saved many newborn babies, and by the way, it is used all over the world. So maybe we should be the first city in the US to make a radical change involving our teens.”

  Jared removed his jacket and loosened his shirt collar. “I should be more open-minded. So please, get to the nitty gritty of what you propose.” He glared at Clyde.

  “Okay.” Lily Ann inhaled the coffee aroma. “The teens are not here to replace nurses or medically qualified personal. They’re here to fill the human touch that the nurses don’t have time for. They help out by looking after a baby for an hour while the mom sleeps or running some quick errands like bringing the mother something to drink or maybe reading to her so she isn’t lonely. Believe me, this is important to mothers who have no support or who have babies who need extra care.”

  Both doctors’ jaws dropped.

  “Preemies thrive on physical touch. They recover faster if they are on their mother’s chest, skin to skin. This got me thinking of how important it is for babies, especially high-risk ones, to be placed skin to skin on someone’s chest, and talked or sang to. The warmth and sound of the person’s beating heart, the natural swaying of their body when they walk, mimics the motion the baby received in the womb. And while the nurses can’t walk around with babies strapped to their chest, teens can.”

  Jared’s eyebrows furrowed. “So you mean we need teens to come in and have skin-to-skin time with the babies. I don’t understand how that can solve teen pregnancies, opioid-addiction recovery, or postpartum depression.”

  “Let me explain further.” Lily Ann leaned forward. “Think about it this way. If we got teenagers ranging from ages twelve to seventeen to spend two hours a week in the maternity ward, they would see healthy babies born to happy and stable parents.” Lily Ann paused and took a sip of her cappuccino. She crossed her legs and continued. “The teens would also see babies born who are deformed from mothers drinking and preemies born with medical complications from mothers who neglected their health. They would witness babies born with all kinds of medical issues, and most importantly, they would understand how much effort and time babies take.”

  Clyde nodded. Jared rubbed his chin between his fingers.

  Lily Ann took a deep breath. “Instead of playing video games, they would see what it takes to care for healthy and medically-challenged babies. This will aid in teaching the teens the consequence of unprotected sex. You can tell teenagers that, but it never sinks into their heads. The majority shrug the consequences off and have the attitude that it would never happen to them. But in reality, teens need to get involved, they need to be given responsibility, and they need to be treated like adults.” She paused.

  Jared and Clyde stared at her widened eyes.

  “Basically this is how it works.” Lily Ann took another large sip of her cappuccino. “We approach the schools. We set up a weekly rotation that involves seventy teens for two months. Every two months, a new seventy teens come onboard. With this program they can earn volunteer credits towards their diplomas. Out of those seventy teens, they will be paired up. Each pair will consist of a younger and older teen of the same gender.”

  “Why the same gender?” Clyde asked.

  “Because the Kangaroo Baby technique requires skin to skin to work. The infant needs to be placed upon the teen’s chest and then securely wrapped in place. Having the same gender means that they can help each other out comfortably. After the infant is wrapped, a gown goes over the teen to stay warm.”

  Clyde stroked his goatee and nodded.

  Jared interrupted, “Having the same gender partner relieves any headaches of sexual misconduct.”

  “Exactly.” Lily Ann nodded.

  Jared’s face relaxed. He shifted in his seat and crossed his legs. “I hear you and I see
the possibilities, but I have a serious problem. One that will stop this idea in its tracks.”

  Lily Ann’s color in her face vanished. “And what would that be?”

  “We have no budget to implement this. We are talking about extra gloves, more gowns, baby wraps, masks, police-background checks, drug tests, alcohol testing, transportation, training, and I’m sure there is more.”

  Clyde witnessed the frustration on Jared’s face. “Jared, slow down. Breathe.”

  “I know there is a cost. There was a cost to all my studies too that was life-changing.” Lily Ann pushed her chair closer to Jared. “I live a minimalistic life. Don’t worry, I will pay for everything.”

  Jared stared at Clyde and then back at Lily Ann. He ran his hand through his hair. “Do you realize how much that will cost? I mean, we’re talking ten or maybe twenty thousand dollars by the time we hire lawyers to make sure everything is legal so no one can sue us. And don’t forget all the training needed ahead of time like first aid and how to handle preemies and—Oh my goodness, this is too much.”

  “Listen, Jared, you’re all worked up.” Clyde motioned for Lily Ann to say something quick before he exploded.

  “If you give me the go-ahead, I will take care of everything.” Lily Ann swallowed hard. “This is not the first time I’ve taken a chance. The worst-case scenario is it doesn’t work, and I’ve wasted twenty grand and all my time. The best scenario is it works, and lives are saved, and teenagers learn there is more to life than conquering the next virtual world. Instead, they can conquer the real world and make an honest difference.”

  “What do we have to lose?” Clyde interjected.

  Jared rolled his eyes. “Okay, I give you the go-ahead only because I have no other answers to the problem. I think this is crazy, insane, and plainly stupid, but I also understand that you are a women of many talents.” He paused for a moment. “Lily Ann, you are one courageous woman to be so forward on your first day here. I commend you.”