The wind swept through the dry leaves and branches, the clouds still faithfully embraced the earth, and the sun was nowhere to be seen on the horizon that day. The sidewalk, usually bustling with pedestrians, now appeared so deserted, perhaps anticipating the imminent bad weather.
A girl walked languidly, her face pale, compounded by eye bags indicating several sleepless nights. Her long hair was left loose, swaying with the wind's gusts. Yet, her eyes seemed to have lost all hope, a vacant gaze that seemed to carry her away with the evening breeze.
She stopped at the edge of the barrier, staring straight down at the seemingly calm river flowing with its current. Drop after drop of sorrowful tears fell onto the concrete, as if reliving the painful memories she had tried so hard to erase.
Perhaps after a long inner turmoil, and God knows where she found the courage, the girl climbed over the bridge barrier, ready to plunge freely into the depths of the river below whenever she wished. Several times, the girl inhaled deeply, filling her lungs before they would be filled with the water that would lead her to eternity.
Just as her body lightened, ready to release the pull of gravity, something from behind grabbed her wrist, causing her to lose balance and fall onto someone's body, this was outside the scenario she had imagined for the past three days.
"What were you thinking?"
The girl looked up at the woman in a white jacket who now stared at her in disbelief.
"Why did you interfere? Let me go, let me jump down there and meet Father!" She struggled, pushing the woman's shoulder slightly as the woman still tried to hold her hand.
"Don't do that. What crazy person jumps off a bridge to meet their father?" The woman braced herself as the girl stood close to the barrier again.
"It's none of your business. Call me crazy, I am indeed going to meet my father down there."
As she was about to climb the barrier again, she was once more restrained. This time, the woman hugged her from behind.
"Instead of being happy, he'd be very disappointed to see you come in this state. Please, calm down."
"No, let me go, let me follow him." Her tears broke, and she crumbled with the sorrow that choked her breath.
The woman read the name tag on the girl's school uniform and then said, "Cry, Rina. Let it all out. You deserve to be heard. I understand how you feel." She embraced the trembling body, gently stroking her back.
"No ... no one wants to hear my complaints, they ... don't believe me."
"It's okay, I'm willing to listen." Seeing the girl look at her doubtfully, she reassured her again. "Truly, I will believe you."
After being calmed down, Rina was taken by the woman to a housing complex in the city center. Although she often passed it on her way to and from school, Rina never realized that the houses there were so well-arranged and magnificent.
They stopped in the yard of house number 009, dominated by an ivory-white color, making its appearance seem simple yet elegant at first glance.
"Come in, I'll make you some warm tea."
The house with a classic modern ambiance was very pleasing to the eye; its furniture was not gaudy yet still looked expensive. Rina was led to the living room while the woman went to the kitchen to make tea.
"Drink this, calm yourself down first."
After a long silence, staring at the lavender-scented teacup, Rina hesitantly began to drink it. "Are you the child of a conglomerate?" That was what came to Rina's mind.
Choking at Rina's rather direct remark, the woman shook her head. "No, I come from a simple family. My father is a civil servant, and my mother is unemployed."
"Civil servant? Police or military?"
"Neither, but his profession still concerns national security."
Rina nodded in response, though she was somewhat confused inside. "Then where are they?"
"They have returned to God."
Rina pressed her lips together, suddenly feeling uneasy.
"Relax, I won't be sad just because you asked that." The woman grabbed a sofa pillow behind her and repositioned herself to face Rina. "Now, tell me what's wrong. I will try to help and find a solution," she said with conviction.
"Excuse me, but... what's your name?"
"Ah... right, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Zahrina."
Initially, Rina wasn't sure if she could share this bad experience with a stranger, but considering all the efforts she had made to convince her mother, teachers, and friends about the misfortune she had experienced, not a single one of them believed her. Not even her own mother.
"I was harassed—no—not just harassed, but molested and forced ... by my own brother."
As if struck by lightning on a clear day, Zahrina was utterly shocked to hear this bitter truth. This poor girl was indeed very desperate.
"My mother, friends, and homeroom teacher, none of them believed my story. I was considered to be making things up, hallucinating, and just tired from the upcoming odd semester exams." Rina squeezed the hem of her gray skirt, gathering the courage to continue her story.
"That despicable man, my stepbrother, on several occasions I tried to tolerate his perverted behavior, but that night, when Mother and Father weren't home, he did it... he—he molested me for the first time." Rina's tears could not be held back the memories of that night kept replaying in her head.
Zahrina moved closer, holding Rina's palm and conveying her empathy. As a fellow woman, she understood perfectly how broken Rina's spirit was, especially since the perpetrator was someone close to her.
"For the second time, I was still scared and hadn't dared to tell anyone, but that despicable man did it again, and I was truly desperate. I thought after telling my story he could quickly be jailed and prosecuted for his actions, but... they just thought I was unwell."
While stroking Rina's shoulder, the woman asked, "Rina, you can report this to the police. I am willing to accompany you and support you in court until that man truly receives a fair punishment. Are you ready?"
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Rina's reverie broke as her shoulder was gently patted. She looked up at Zahrina, who now nodded confidently, showing full support for the girl. After reporting the alleged harassment and rape to the police reception staff, Rina was now in a consultation room with a police officer who asked Rina to fill out a report form after being asked some general questions.
Adjusting the pen in her fingers, Rina began to write with the black ink, putting down everything that was in her head, exactly as she had told Zahrina. Five minutes passed, and the form was extended forward, indicating she had finished filling it out.
"Alright, thank you for your cooperation. Tomorrow, our team will contact your guardian for further information," the young man clarified.
"Thank you, then we'll excuse ourselves."
Rina thought she would give her testimony tonight, but it turned out everything required procedures. A slight relief settled in; at least now she had hope to calm herself.
"Thank you, Sis Zahrina, you are so kind. My mother should be accompanying me, but she doesn't believe me at all."
"Don't be disheartened. The most important thing now is for you to prepare yourself for the continuation of this case. You must be strong, Rina."
Initially, Zahrina invited Rina to stay at her house since it was already late, but Rina insisted on going home; she didn't want to owe the woman too much. She was already very grateful for the help in reporting to the police station.
"Alright, let me drop you off."
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"Move, please make way!" Zahrina had just exited the parking lot when she encountered a young girl who was now slumped weakly in a man's lap, and they appeared to be of the same age. However, Zahrina was startled by the blood gushing from a 6 cm wide cut on the girl's neck. While carrying the girl, the young man said, "Doctor, save Nila. Please."
Medical staff swiftly prepared a stretcher and took the patient to the operating room. Two of Zahrina's colleagues, who happened to pass by and realized the emergency, immediately ran after them.
"Aida, prepare the hemostatic set and check vital signs." Upon seeing her two colleagues, Zahrina gave orders without time for any explanation.
Aida quickly chewed her last piece of bread and hurried to prepare the equipment for the vital signs check. Meanwhile, Rasya followed the patient to the operating room.
Zahrina looked at the young man who was now pale and had bloodstains on his white T-shirt. "Tell me what happened? How did she get that wound?"
Anxiously rubbing his fingers, the young man recounted the chronology. "I'm her boyfriend, Doctor. For the past few days, we've been fighting more often, and for almost a week, Nila has been unreachable. She ignored my calls and didn't even come to campus during that time. She lives alone in a boarding house. This morning, around 7 AM, I went to her boarding house and found Nila covered in blood."
From behind, Aida came running. "Doctor, vital signs are normal. The bleeding is still minimal," she reported.
"Please finalize the administration. You are her guardian now," Zahrina said, gently patting the young man's arm, then rushed to the operating room.
Upon arriving there, what greeted Zahrina was the patient's vacant gaze, it seemed the girl had not yet felt the effect of the failed laceration. Zahrina approached, examining the wound more closely. "Fortunately, her carotid artery wasn't torn," she sighed with relief. Zahrina was sure it was only 2 mm away from the incision hitting the artery.
"Nila, how are you feeling?"
Zahrina put on sterile gloves size 8.5 and then looked at her two colleagues. "Start stitching."
Rasya pushed the trolley with medical instruments towards Zahrina, who was standing on the left side. "Why are you quiet? Give her an injection, Rasya."
Hearing that, Rasya snapped out of his daze, whatever he had been thinking. He quickly filled the syringe with lidocaine solution, then cleaned the injection area with cotton dabbed in antiseptic solution. It didn't take long; three minutes were enough to anesthetize the skin tissue.
"I'm going to start stitching now, Nila. Tell me if you feel uncomfortable."
Aida helped place the fenestrated drape, covering Nila's face up to the bridge of her nose. This was to focus on the area to be stitched. Zahrina's right hand held the surgical forceps, while her left hand held the needle holder, which was used to grip the crescent-shaped suturing needle. With care and precision, Zahrina began her stitching with a horizontal pattern beneath the skin surface. She clamped the wound edges to widen the view and inserted the suture needle in a zigzag pattern. Meanwhile, Aida helped clean the oozing blood with a gauze pad to facilitate the needle's path.
When the stitches were complete and tied, Rasya promptly cut the thread after Zahrina said, "Cut."
"Done. Nila, did I hurt you or make you uncomfortable?" Looking at Nila's face, which was considerably bloodier than before, Zahrina tried to engage the girl in conversation.
"I'm sorry, Doctor, I was distraught and scared. My parents in the village keep fighting over money. Every time I call, Mother always forces me to come home and quit college because this year's harvest failed completely. But ... Father forbids me to come home and will keep sending me to college no matter what. I feel sorry for them and agreed to Mother's suggestion, but on the other hand, I still want to keep studying, Doctor." Tears welled up in her eyes, unable to stop crying when remembering this dilemma.
Zahrina, Aida, and Rasya, of course, felt pity for the girl's problems. They had experienced it long before standing as medical personnel in this hospital. Especially Rasya, who also migrated from the village and was even unable to afford college due to financial difficulties at that time.
"I don't intend to interfere, but it would be best for you to persevere and fight for your dreams. The challenges in the process of pursuing knowledge are indeed tough. My own journey to stand here, as a Doctor who now treats many patients, also required a lot of sacrifice. If you truly want to give up, you are very weak in facing problems. Because in my opinion, problems are meant to be tried and faced, and by doing so, we will appreciate the results more."
Aida and Rasya nodded. They accepted the advice well because throughout their work as Zahrina's assistants, they learned not only medical knowledge from her.
"But... I don't have any savings, Doctor. Even if I work, the remaining time is less than a month; I have to pay my semester fees soon."
"I will lend you the money."
Nila, somewhat disbelieving the offer, asked several times, but after Zahrina asked for her bank account number and immediately sent a sum of money, Nila could no longer hold back her overwhelming emotion.
"Thank you very much, Doctor. I promise, I will pay it back soon, and I will always remember your kindness. Thank you once again, Doctor."
After confirming that Nila could go home after receiving treatment, the three of them were about to return to the Surgical ward, and Zahrina's phone rang before they reached the place. Seeing the number displayed on her phone screen, she quickly answered the call, and a mature male voice greeted her ears first.
"Yes, speaking?"
Her face, which had been calm, now wrinkled, conveying deep concern. "Alright, I'll be right there."
Book Note:
TTV (tanda-tanda vital): Refers to the measurement and monitoring of several physiological parameters to determine a patient's health condition.
Set heacting: Equipment used to measure TTV (vital signs), consisting of a sphygmomanometer for blood pressure, a stethoscope for pulse rate, a thermometer for body temperature, a pulse oximeter for respiration, and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) for assessing consciousness.
Arteri carotis (Carotid artery): The main artery that carries blood to the brain and head. It's located in the neck and has two main branches: the internal and external carotid arteries.
Handscoen steril 8,5 (Sterile gloves 8.5): Gloves used in medical procedures.
Duk bolong (Fenestrated drape): A medical device used to create an opening or a gap in body tissue, allowing doctors to perform medical procedures safely and sterilely.
Subciticular suture: A skin suturing technique performed beneath the skin to close a wound. This technique uses very thin thread that is not visible from the outside, thus leaving no visible stitch marks. Subcuticular sutures are often used to close small and not-too-deep wounds, such as incisions or puncture wounds.
Spuit (Syringe): A type of syringe used to inject lidocaine into the body.
Lidocain (Lidocaine): A local anesthetic used to relieve pain and discomfort on the skin or in body tissues.
Pinset chirurgis (Surgical forceps): A medical instrument used for grasping tissues or small structures within the body.
Needle holder: A medical instrument used to hold a needle during surgical procedures or injections. This tool is designed to allow doctors or nurses to hold the needle securely and steadily, enabling them to perform procedures with greater precision and effectiveness.