Marquita makes her way to the chapel and is relieved to find it unoccupied. She kneels in front of the altar with her hands tightly clasped in front of her. Intertwined in her fingers are the rosary beads her grandmother gave her as a child. Marquita bows her head and tightly closes her eyes to recite the prayer her priest taught her the day before.
“Loving Father, I entrust myself to your care this day; guide with wisdom and skill the minds and hands of the doctors who minister in your Name, and grant that every cause of illness be removed, I may be restored to soundness of health and learn to live in more perfect harmony with you and with those around me. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Marquita’s hands tighten and shake as she proceeds in her prayer. She feels shame start to rise again from her belly. She isn’t sure if it is right to pray for this. Perhaps it is God’s will that she is different. Perhaps he had cursed her family for what they did. Perhaps the Morenos no longer deserved harmony with God or anyone else. Despite this heavy feeling, Marquita’s fear pushes her forward.
“And please, if possible let the surgery make me normal. I don’t like knowing the things I know. I don’t like knowing such horrible things…. Please Lord, if it is Your Will, release me from this torture. I can’t bear it any longer. Into your hands, I commend my body and my soul. Amen.”
Tears start to fall from Marquita’s tightly closed eyes. Behind Marquita, Mechteld silently watches from behind a window.
Mechteld knows she cannot stare at Marquita for long. The doctors and nurses will be getting ready soon, which means she needs to prepare now. Mechteld takes an elevator two stories up and finds her first stop, men’s locker room. She stands in the hall pretending to read a magazine as she waits for her target. Within minutes he appears and waves his ID card in front of a panel to unlock the locker room door. He doesn’t realize he’s being watched and doesn’t observe Mechteld moving behind him. She catches the heavy door before it can close and automatically lock.
Inside Nurse Lopez is alone as he unpacks his bag and readies himself to change into scrubs. He is a Latino man in his thirties, with a small stature and upbeat attitude. As he dresses into his scrubs he doesn’t notice Mechteld’s quiet and quick steps into the room. He doesn’t even sense her as she leans her back against the lockers behind his opened door. When he closes his door he jumps back when he sees the small figure with a ball cap and sunglasses. At first he cannot even distinguish if the person is male or female under the hoodie and cotton scarf.
Mechteld says nothing as he examines her profile. He asks, “Who are you?” but Mechteld gives no response. She merely turns to face him directly. Nurse Lopez asks again, “Who are you? Why are you in here?” Mechteld takes a step towards Nurse Lopez and he takes a small step backwards. He says, “If you need help you can to go to the nearest nurse’s station. They can direct you to where you need to go.” She takes off her sunglasses and ball cap and loosens her scarf. She steps in front of Nurse Lopez who gasps as he takes in her face. He knows he should look away, but instead he concentrates on the ghastliness in front of him. He barely registers Mechteld’s question.
“You’re on the schedule to assist with the in the awake craniotomy, correct?”
Nurse Lopez looks away from Mechteld’s face and hesitates with his answer.
“What? …..Yes. I work with Dr. Batra.”
He knows he shouldn’t have told her this, but his moment of transfixion delays his judgment. Nurse Lopez looks deeply into Mechteld’s calming blue eyes. She stares at him for a moment before gently saying, “I’m sorry, this is going to hurt.”
ns 15.158.61.20da2
