In a land not too far away sat Jorge getting another tattoo on his back. It was a simple streak similar to the ones you did in school when you were tallying something up. He had about 137 of these streaks throughout his back and he hated getting them each time. Despite this, he was going to continue this tradition for as long as he could. Traditions don’t need to make sense to anyone, except to the person performing it. You wouldn’t judge a couple for baptizing their baby right when it’s born nor would you criticize the people of New Orleans for celebrating a death. Traditions keep us going and help us believe in something bigger.

Jorge doesn’t consider himself a religious man anymore, though. He still went to church and prayed, but he didn’t know who he was sending these thoughts to. After all, would a loving, omnipotent one-above-all truly allow the evil to happen in this world without some form of counter necessity? There aren’t swarms of angels coming down to Earth to help those starving to death nor are they healing those with mortal diseases. Instead, this deity lets the common man try and fight for themselves, and Jorge fought. 

He knew what he was doing was actually helping people in need. No matter how many times he had to go to his hospital for last-minute emergency surgeries, he knew he was doing God’s work. As Jesus walked among us, he healed those in need. The healing god known as Kannon made sure those requiring medical attention was sought after with compassion. Isis used her magic to heal all those demanding her assistance. He knew he wasn’t a god or a prophet, but it felt good to follow in the steps of some of the greatest.

As he did his rounds around the hospital he stopped and talked with all of his patients to see how they were doing. He ensured the people in need of his care were taken care of. They stayed in comfortable rooms and had nurses handpicked by Jorge himself. He wanted to make sure everyone would get along while they stayed here, and this included his employees. There was no reason for negativity in a place where death was already surrounding it like a hunger-stricken vulture.

“Hey Francis! How’s your leg doing,” asked Jorge to the man lying peacefully in his bed. “It’s going alright. The pain is there but at least I didn’t die when the car hit me.” Jorge laughed and replied, “you’re right. If you had been a couple of seconds slower you would be paralyzed or worse. I’m glad you’re doing well. You’ll be out of here soon so don’t worry.” Jorge tapped the man on his good leg with a comforting touch and then walked out of the room as charmingly as he entered.

“How are your withdrawal symptoms going, Paul? Are they starting to lighten up,” asked Jorge to the man shakily sitting. He tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out in full sentences. Unfortunately, he was part of the millions of people who have been laid a bad hand. No one wants to be addicted to something, but certain life events lead people to horrendous circumstances. Unlike many, Paul willingly came in but he was starting to wonder if this was all worth it. He couldn’t stop thinking of the sweet release he experienced when the needle slowly pushed the liquid through his veins.

“You’re going to be okay. We’ll find you a clinic soon more suited to your needs and you’ll be better than ever.” Jorge didn’t even know if he believed himself, though. The man was in such bad shape he seemed catatonic. He was starting to question if he could truly help those their government doesn’t even want to exist. He persisted every day to prevent this worldview from taking over his actions. However, the latter part of the days was what really tested the morals he held.

After everyone else clocked off and the night-shift rolled in, Jorge heads to his other profession; helping women with unwanted babies. While this may seem like an uncomfortable topic to talk about, he knew it was important work to be done. He didn’t personally believe people should do this, but there is always circumstantial evidence saying otherwise. He knew what he was doing was outlawed in their state, but he had to continue doing it. 

This meant working at all hours of the night and to be extremely mindful of the clientele he chose to assist. He had to make sure they actually needed it, but it was hard to collect this information when the victim could barely stand the memory of what happened to them. The trauma you experience when your attacker is on top of you can’t be explained; it’s worse when the person is someone you are supposed to trust. 

Most would instantly break-down into tears and become this goop of unspeakable words. Thankfully, he had a female assistant who could help ease the anxiety this caused. It was understandable for them to be shy about what happened to them to a man, which is why his assistant was here. She played a crucial role in comforting these women during this tough situation.

It isn’t easy to terminate a pregnancy—it takes a toll on the body; mentally, emotionally, and physically. Many of his friends think the same way as him, but they don’t see the pain it causes once it’s done. They only think its life or death, when our existence isn’t this simple. He has tried to discuss the benefits of abortion, but it always fell on closed ears. Nonetheless, he persisted with the work he was doing.

His first patient of the night is a woman named Susie, she seemed confident on the phone about the procedure so he was looking forward to this appointment. His assistant met him at the location and introduced herself to the patient. This allowed her to answer any lingering questions they might have and grab the money needed to perform the surgery. While he’d loved to do this pro-bono, he still needed to make money and get the tools necessary for it; despite there being a lack of them available. 

When he walked in he introduced himself and immediately started prepping her on what needed to be done. Being on a stringent timeline ensured things would run according to plan and lowered the risk of capture. He placed Susie on the makeshift table and had her raise her legs like she was in a normal OBGYN room. Once there he started the work, but without all the tools he would normally have as he would in a surgery room it was tough to work on. This can increase the risk of complications.

As they were getting the baby out, Susie’s body started to shut down. Giving birth was risky enough, and terminating one wasn’t any easier. You need precise equipment; tools you find in a well-regulated and clean hospital. You also need medication to sedate the patient in certain areas so they don’t experience abnormal levels of pain.

Although, it doesn’t matter how skilled the doctor is there is always room for error; causing complications. Susie was another complex circumstance Jorge had to deal with and it didn’t make what happened after any easier. During the procedure, Jorge must have pulled on something too hard and caused it to slice open. Susie started to bleed out like a gutted deer before their very eyes.

“Please. Don’t let… me… die,” Susie painfully asked him. 

People think you start to freak out when under these circumstances, but it always depends on the person. Jorge has heard screamers and he has had fighters, but the worst were the ones who begged. The ones who thought he had the power to fix the problems continuing to cause them harm. When he saw the faith they held in their eyes it slowly chipped away at his soul because he knew he couldn’t always stop the pain.

He and his assistant always tried to stop the bleeding, but it just wouldn’t stop gushing out. Susie slowly started to close her eyes and the last thing she saw was the chandelier hanging above her kitchen table. She didn’t want this to be how she went, but most people won’t have the opportunity to choose how they die. 

Jorge immediately tried resuscitating her, but it wasn’t going to work. She had bled out during the procedure. As he stared at her lifeless body his eyes started to swell up with tears. This wasn’t the first time he cried for a patient nor was it going to be his last. He cared for every one of the people who called him. They all had reasons for what they did.

Susie was a victim of incestual rape. When her parents divorced, her mom moved to another country and let her dad take care of him. She was only 13 when it started. For the longest time, he used protection. However, the abuse worsened when she turned 16. She was starved, she was manipulated and she was horribly damaged. He stopped with any form of protection the day she turned 16. This is what lead Susie to Jorge. Jorge wanted to help this girl. He even had resources and tools for her to use once the procedure was done. 

After 30 minutes of squatting next to her corpse, his assistant said we need to start the clean-up; and so they did. They took a couple of hours to get everything cleaned and brought the body to a mortician who believed in Jorge’s cause. He knew her family was non-existent or just didn’t care so he didn’t bother notifying them. To everyone else, she just disappeared, but to Jorge, she died begging for her life.

Jorge went back to the tattoo shop he was at a few weeks ago and asked the artist to do the same thing. As he sat in the chair with his back faced toward the artist he thought of Susie. She was a pleasant woman when they talked. He had wished she had gone on to big things. 138.