Olivia suddenly heard a loud, thundering sound that gradually faded into a persistent knocking on the door. She realized she had been dreaming and sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes.
The knocking sounded again, and Olivia glanced over at Tara's bed, where her roommate was also stirring.
"Crap!" Tara said, getting up from the bed.
"Who's that in the middle of the night?" Olivia asked, joining her.
"Who knows?" Tara replied, turning on the light and yawning.
"It could be some emergency," Olivia said, grabbing her housecoat.
They heard the knocking again, accompanied by a familiar voice.
"Tara! We need you!" It was Melvin.
"That's Melvin," Tara said, rushing to the door and opening it. Melvin's worried, anxious face greeted them.
"Thank god," Melvin said, looking at Tara.
"Why? What happened? It's almost midnight, you better give me a good reason," Tara said, her tone complaining but her expression concerned.
"Kalvin is sick, he looks like he's in bad pain. He doesn't normally let others see when he's hurt, but this time he is, which means the pain must be intolerable," Melvin explained hurriedly, her voice laced with worry.
"What? But he was looking good in the evening," Tara said, unable to make sense of the situation, wondering if she was still dreaming.
"I don't know, I'm not a doctor! His stomach hurts bad," Melvin said, her tone nervous and slightly irritated.
"Looks like he's eaten something bad," Tara said, stepping back into the room to retrieve a medical kit.
"Does he have any allergies?" Olivia asked as Tara gathered the supplies.
"No, no," Melvin replied, her expression growing more concerned.
"Let's check. Where is he?" Tara asked, looking at Melvin.
"He's in the bridge. I woke up Clarence," Melvin said briefly.
"Take him to the medical room," Tara instructed, locking the door behind her as she and Olivia followed Melvin.
Olivia glanced at Tara, her expression questioning.
"That's weird," Olivia said. Tara nodded in agreement.
"I know, let's hurry," she said, quickening her pace towards the medical room, Olivia right behind her.
When Olivia and Tara entered the medical room, they quickly sprang into action, preparing the space for the necessary treatments. It wasn't long before Melvin arrived, supporting a clearly agonized Kalvin. His arm was wrapped around Melvin's neck, while his other hand clutched at his stomach, indicating he was in severe abdominal pain. Melvin had her arm wrapped around his torso, trying her best to assist him in making his way to the medical bed. Tara and Olivia rushed over to help Kalvin get settled onto the bed. They could see the distress etched across his face - his brow furrowed, his teeth gritted in obvious anguish. He seemed to be out of breath.
Without wasting any time, Tara began assessing Kalvin's condition, gently pressing his abdomen and asking him questions about the nature and location of the pain. Olivia stood by, ready to assist in any way she could, her own expression concerned about kalvin.
"His respiration is rapid and shallow," Tara reported after listening to Kalvin's chest with a stethoscope.
"Do you have a headache or feel dizzy?" Olivia inquired. Kalvin nodded slightly and said, "A bit." through gritted teeth.
"Describe exactly where it hurts. Is the pain more like cramping?" Tara continued her examination.Kalvin lay there, wincing in pain. He shook his head to indicate that it was something like cramping.
"Is it like waves of pain, with no localized spot?"She asked and Kalvin nodded indicating 'yes'.
"Did he throw up ?"Olivia asked Melvin who was very nervous watching over Kalvin.
"Yeah yeah umm yeah ah ah a couple of times"Melvin said nervously looking at Olivia's face. Tara glanced over at Olivia, her expression grave.
"It looks like he's been poisoned," Tara said, her eyes wide with concern.
Olivia's eyes widened as Tara's assessment sank in. Having trained as a doctor for years before leaving, Olivia knew all too well how serious Kalvin's condition was. She could tell he had been poisoned even before Tara had stated it outright.
Olivia's gaze shifted to Melvin, who stood frozen in place, clearly shaken by the revelation. Melvin's face had gone pale, her expression one of pure terror. As Tara uttered the word "poisoned," Olivia could see the fear and panic taking hold of the young girl.
"Poisoned?" she whispered, her tone laced with a growing anxiety. It looks like she didn't believe her own voice
"I know this is hard to believe, but we need to act quickly if we're going to save Kalvin. Tara and I are going to run some tests to try and determine the cause, but I need you to think - has Kalvin eaten or drank anything unusual in the last few hours?".Olivia spoke in a reassuring, yet urgent tone.
Melvin's brow furrowed as she tried to recall the evening's events.
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"I-I'm not sure," she stammered, her gaze darting between Olivia and Kalvin. "We all had the same dinner, but I don't know if he had anything else later on."
Olivia nodded, her mind racing as she considered the possibilities. Poison could come from a wide variety of sources, and time was of the essence if they were going to identify the toxin and administer the proper treatment.
Turning to Tara, Olivia's expression hardened with determination.
"Let's run some tests and see if we can figure out what's causing this. We need to work quickly if we're going to save him."Olivia said in an urgent voice. Tara nodded, her resolve steeling as she set about collecting the necessary samples and equipment.
"Did you take anything unusual?" Tara asked Kalvin as she drew a blood sample from him.
Kalvin shook his head weakly.
"When did you have dinner?" Tara continued, and Kalvin winced in pain as he responded.
"Around 10.30," he said, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Wait, I brought him dinner. He had only half-finished it, so I gave him the rest," Olivia said quickly, as a realization dawned on her.
Kalvin, despite his evident suffering, turned his head slightly towards Olivia, his eyes filled with pain and a glimmer of hatred.
"You poisoned me. Didn't you?" he accused, his tone laced with pain.
Olivia was taken aback by his response, her eyes widening in shock.
"No, I didn't!" she screamed, confusion and hurt evident in her voice.
"You hated him! How many times did you truly want to get revenge on him after the day he strangled you?" Melvin asked furiously, rounding on Olivia.
Olivia felt incredibly uncomfortable, unsure of how to respond to the accusations.
Tara looked back and forth between Melvin and Olivia, trying to make sense of the situation.
"I hated him, but I never wanted him dead!" Olivia cried, her voice trembling.
"Who knows? Your mom is a murderer," Melvin shot back pushing Olivia back, her anger palpable. Olivia hardly managed to stand still. Tara, caught in the middle, knew she needed to regain control of the situation and focus on saving Kalvin's life.
"Look, if you need to save Kalvin, stop that and help me!" Tara said out loud. Both Olivia and Melvin looked at Tara, who seemed nervous.
"What do we need to do?"Olivia asked hurrying to Tara.
"I need the nano equipment, That's the fastest way to identify the poison," Tara said looking at kalvin who turned aside in pain. Kalvin winced and hissed in pain, his usually stoic demeanour shattered by the intensity of his discomfort. Melvin hovered nearby, her eyes darting between Tara and Kalvin, her hands wringing with barely contained anxiety. Tara added the blood sample to the equipment. Tara and Olivia stared at the equipment nervously, waiting for the test results. When the results finally came in, they were both shocked.
"Oh my god! It's cyanide!" Tara exclaimed, her eyes wide with alarm. Melvin immediately turned around, covering her face anxiously.
Kalvin looked at Tara and Olivia's faces, his expression sombre.
"It's deadly, isn't it?" he asked, his voice tinged with disappointment.
Olivia's gaze shifted to Kalvin, her brow furrowed with concern.
"No, not always," she said, trying to reassure him. "If it's a small dose and we catch it in time, it's still very treatable."
Kalvin stared at Olivia, his eyes filled with pain.
"Are you a doctor?" he managed to ask through gritted teeth.
"Yes I was in my surgeon training when I left," Olivia replied, her voice laced with anxiety as she hurried to gather the necessary information.
"When did you have the food? Think, exactly when?" Olivia asked, her eyes intently focused on Kalvin's face, which was contorted with agony.
"Around 10:30, I think," Kalvin said, tightening his grip on his abdomen.
"Okay, and when did the pain start?" Olivia asked, her tone urgent.
"Around 11, I think," Kalvin gasped, being unable to tolerate pain.
"You're lucky, we still have time, It seemed to be a lower dose" Olivia said, relief evident in her voice. She turned to Tara, who had returned with a catheter.
"Can you please give me some painkillers?" Kalvin pleaded, his eyes desperate.
"Not yet," Tara said, taking his arm to insert the catheter.
Olivia ran to the nano equipment to see if it was a lower dosage.
" It's a lower dose, I think he's lucky, we still have time," Olivia said with a hopeful voice. Melvin who was walking back and forth nervously stopped to look at Kalvin. She heard the word luck clearly
" I..." Kalvin covered his mouth, and Tara rushed to hand him a bucket.
"Into the bucket," Tara instructed, as she prepared an injection. Melvin hurried to Kalvin's side, helping him. She tapped on his back gently as he coughed badly while throwing up. Olivia started to take an ECG and then attached him to a vital signs monitor.
Olivia assisted Tara in the medical procedures, and Tara's brow furrowed with concern.
"We need to start oxygen therapy right after medicines" Tara said in a low voice to Olivia.
"We have time, right?" Olivia asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
"I think so, but I've never treated a cyanide poisoning case before," Tara admitted, her nerves showing.
"But we both have learned and seen the procedures," Olivia said gently, and Tara nodded giving out an anxious breath.
Kalvin curled up on the bed, his arms wrapped tightly around his hurting abnormal area. He leaned over the big bucket on the floor, throwing up. Each time he did, he let out a sharp cry of pain, his face turning pale from the discomfort and damp with sweat. Melvin rushed to his side, gently rubbing his back to try and comfort him. Her forehead was wrinkled with worry as she watched Kalvin's pained, ashen features. The room was quiet, except for Kalvin's heavy, suffering breaths and cries. Tara felt a pang of sympathy for Kalvin, knowing how much pain he must be in, and how much he must be missing Bell, the one he always wanted when he was hurt.
Tara came back with an injection. By that time, Kalvin was gasping for air. She immediately administered the medicine through the cannula in his hand. Then, she hurried to give him some medicine to stop feeling nauseous.
"Drink this, It'll stop nausea," She said giving him a pill and some water. He drank it with Melvin's help.
Olivia rushed over with an oxygen mask, which Tara eyed with a curious expression.
"Is that the nano mask?" Tara asked, and Olivia nodded.
"Yes, I've added an oxygen pill," Olivia replied, her voice tinged with nervousness.
Melvin watched as Kalvin began breathing more easily with the oxygen therapy. She turned to Olivia, her brow furrowed.
"O2 pill?" Melvin asked curiously, and Olivia nodded, glancing down at her wristwatch.
"Yeah, it's a joint project of the medical, chemical, and nano sectors. That pill can produce oxygen inside the mask for up to an hour, though I'm not sure exactly how it works," Olivia explained.
"Probably not just chemistry," Melvin mused, her gaze shifting back to Kalvin.
"Lots of nanotechnologies, with a bit of chemistry mixed in, madam Elsa got a honour medal for leadi ng the research while she was a senior profesor" Tara chimed in, her eyes fixed on Kalvin. She could see that he was starting to stabilize, his breathing becoming more regular, and his grip on his abdomen loosening.
Tara let out a relieved breath and looked over at Olivia.
"He's getting better," Olivia said, a smile spreading across her face. Tara returned the smile, visibly relaxing.
Melvin looked at Kalvin, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You're gonna be okay," she said, her voice laced with emotion. Tears began to flow down her cheeks.
Kalvin stared at Melvin for a moment, wonder in his eyes. Then, he slowly reached out and placed his hand over hers, which was resting on his chest after a long period eventually she showed her love toward her brother. Kalvin felt a wave of happiness and relief washing over him.
"He needs to rest, I'll monitor his condition. He's gonna have to rest for at least few days" Tara said in a relieved voice. But Kalvin seemed to be upset by that. Melvin understood what he was thinking.
"He can't rest for days. A day would be fine but he needs to report to work."Melvin said in a concerned voice. Tara looked at Kalvin.
"Let's think about it later then," She said sitting on the chair with a relieved look.