I've Been Looking For You

I’ve Been Looking For You

Dr Keith Rose was weary. This was his third procedure of the day and it was proving difficult. His first two patients had responded well to treatment. He located the problem quickly, removed it and returned them to their beds within the hour. Not this one. He had already been working on Ginette Willis for what felt like a lifetime.

Keith’s shoulders sagged as thought of his lost dreams. He had so many plans for his practice when he graduated med school. He was going to specialise in plastic surgery. Not the kind where people want to delay the ageing process. Keith wanted to help broken people rebuild their lives; reconstructive breast surgery was his passion.

Keith sighed and took a moment to wipe the image from his mind. He knew he had no option other than to obey commands. He returned his focus to his patient. It was a puzzle. One which would not get the better of him.

Keith looked to the other members of his team, all of them as experienced as he was. One by one, they shook their heads in resignation. “Maybe you should give up, Keith,” said his anaesthetist. “You can’t save them all.”

“No,” said Keith, “we’re going to find it. Now, lift the liver. I’ll take another look under there.” His assistant obeyed. As he meticulously searched, he added, “This is Rose of Roswell. We do not give up.”

The moment he said it, he saw the tiny creature. “I’ve been looking for you,” Keith said, as he grabbed its body and tugged. It squealed in protest but Keith was used to that. He felt the usual pang of sadness for the fate of the alien. But the world had to be saved from them. Right?

294 words