By: Christine Mrozek

At the beginning of medical school, they said, "Be ready to drink out of a fire hydrant." Today, I felt like one was gushing over my head. Outside, what had started as a drizzle was now a torrent. Inside my head, a maelstrom of emotions surged. Not only was it the week before a flood of testing in difficult subjects, but I was also being battered by an influx of hormones—meaning that once again my period would likely be synced to the days of the exams. Perfect.
   To make matters worse, I was also sinking into a whirlpool of worries. My normally sunny outlook was darkened by family health problems that I could do nothing to help with. Tests worth half my grades in certain subjects intimidated me. I had a growing suspicion that the mouse problem in my apartment was back, making me wonder: Does do no harm also apply to the mice you might cohabitate with? I also was concerned for the wonderful man who was brave enough to stick with me since the beginning of medical school, through my flares of pre-test anxiety and the stories of, "What did I sever from the cadaver this week and how?" A pain in his hand had started as a sporadic occurrence, but now it was more constant and sharper. I might have been the one who wanted to be the surgeon, but he could do magic with his hands—relieving my stress through his gentle touch. He was upset because the injury was also interfering with his work. I was upset that he felt so bad. As a concerned medical student, I gave him all of my unlicensed medical advice, including a handful of differential diagnoses and begged him to see someone else if it got too bad. Today, the pain had gotten that bad.
   Before lunch, I fretted. I felt powerless knowing there was nothing that I could do to help at this point. Or was there? Within the past year I had gotten some training in Reiki, an energy relaxation and healing technique. While I couldn't prescribe medications, I could offer that. I texted him the suggestion of visiting.
   As quickly as my hope appeared, it was eclipsed by his discomfort. After a long morning of texting all he felt like doing was resting. I tried to offer counter solutions: I could meet him halfway somewhere, pick him up at a train station, or even drive the whole way myself. If I were in a more logical mindset, I would have taken into consideration that pain can make me just want to be alone and sleep. Yet, lunch break sailed by and my emotions hadn’t quite ebbed to anything remotely calm.
   I tried using a mindfulness technique. Focus on your breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. A tear escaped. As our lecture on viruses turned to the subject of the lytic cycle, I also felt like I was ready to burst and explode from the inside. I slipped out of lecture and ran to the bathroom. While the fiber cereal I had in the morning did a number on emptying out my colon, I still hadn't flushed out the other negative feelings inside of me. I tried to go to the gym and sweat out my sorrows. However, just like the stationary bike I was riding, I got nowhere.
   The breeze ruffled through my jacket as I trudged to my car, whose bright color was a sharp contrast to my current mood. I flopped into the front seat and as I started my ignition, the song, "Come and Get Your Love" played out from somewhere within my bag. I fished for it and uttered a frustrated hello.
"How was your day?" he asked.
"Alright..." I replied as I shifted the car into reverse and started to back out of the lot.
    "How were classes?"
    "...not bad..."
   "Are you sure you're okay?"
    I fought to compose myself. "Eh, test week is coming up... I'll be alright."
    I didn't want to add to his burden since he already felt bad. Though conversing with me was the equivalent of talking to a wet dishcloth, he still consoled me, and by the time I was home and sitting down, he managed to make me smile. He told me to go and take my shower. Potentially, he'd be able to make a trip in for the evening.
   With a new glimmer of hope, I was able to wash off some of my distress. I looked at my work with new eyes. I steadily marched through notes as rain began to drum on my air conditioner from outside. After dinner, my phone rang again.
" How would you like to study something else for a little while?” "Of course!" I exclaimed.
   " Well, I should be there around 10, then!"
   "I can't wait! Drive safe!"
After a few minutes, the steady drumming on my air conditioner from before had turned into a rock solo. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed, and my heart pounded. How were the roads? My stomach sank with the thought. I didn't want to distract him from driving so I didn't call, but I watched my phone intently. An hour passed by. Only the sound of rain graced my ears. Frantically, I started praying. I didn't know what else to do. A few minutes later, "Come and Get Your Love" blared from my phone.
"Hey."
   "Hey! Are you okay?" I asked, now shaking.
"So, there's a tree down about 5 miles from the exit. I need to take a bit of a back way. Be to you closer to 10:20 now."
"Ok! Just drive safe!"
At this point, all I wanted was to see him in one piece. The Bruce Springsteen song, "Wreck on the Highway" came to mind, which further unsettled me. I tried to get back into my notes, but was jolted from my seat by an emergency weather alert from my phone: FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN YOUR AREA UNTIL 2AM.
"Shit... Shit..." My subsequent rise in blood cortisol made me incapable of uttering anything else. My knight in shining armor was fighting against a dragon of a storm. Single handedly, I might add. I peered out the windows. The roads were wet, but it wasn't quite a river. I checked weather stations, and not only did they grace me with the news that there was also a tornado watch, but pictures of other flooded areas also flowed onto my screen. I thought I had panicked before.
A text message. "This sucks."
Immediately, the worst came to mind. He was stuck somewhere in a ditch, surrounded by water from all sides. It was the veritable incarnation of being up shit creek without a paddle, especially as captain of a vessel unsuited for aquatic explorations. Trembling, I texted back, "Where are you? Are you okay?"
Time passed by. Sweat poured down my face.
"Took a wrong turn... Couldn't see where I was going."
   He was alive. Be he was still out there. And I was stuck in here. More time passed by and I spouted out any prayer that I could remember. It got to a point where I couldn't wait any longer and called him.
"Hey," I said shaking again. "Where are you at? Are you ok?"
"I'm in your parking lot."
   Springing to my feet, and almost running out the door without my keys, I rushed to meet him at the side door. Rain still poured down, but soon my miracle, my angel, appeared, carrying an offering of candy. I hugged him and my tears melted into the rain. I've never been happier to see someone alive before.
   "Let's go inside."
   After a storm of a day, and a hell of a night, I was finally in the paradise of his arms. I slept better than I had all week and could have stayed nested by his side forever. The sun rose, and as the rays of light entered my room my morning was warmed further with a kiss. Yet, heroes have other duties to attend to, and he had to leave shortly after we awoke. I hugged him tightly before he left, and turned back to my work with new energy. I was going to be ok.
   When it was time for me to go to school, I found a damp love note under the windshield wipers of my car and smiled again. Which of us really needed the most help yesterday? I'm still not sure. Regardless, at that moment, I could feel my heart beaming at the beauty and power of contact with another person, especially from the wonderful kind that flooded my stormy night with sunshine.