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Not only every night, every few hours of a certain day, she would keep ringing the bell in her cell. Demanding to send her down to the Infirmary because of her abdominal pain.
“You don’t understand,” as she tried to do different contortions with her body, “I have gallstones. It hurts! You guys need to send me to the hospital.” She knelt on the blue seat, only to get up and go into the bathroom and made sure she was heard throwing up.
“Listen,” the nurse seeing her said, “You have been using drugs for so long. You don’t have any gallstones. The doctor did send you to the hospital and your ultrasound didn’t show anything. We have been giving you meds to help you with upset stomach. But we can‘t send you to the hospital. All of your vital signs are within normal range.”
She didn’t know, the entire time she was in the waiting area, we noticed that she wasn’t throwing up. When no one was looking around, she appeared calm. But when she felt there was a shadow observing, she would twist her body and showed she was in agony.
The clock slowly ticked by with no change in her behavior and complaints. 1:00 in the morning became 2:00. At half an hour past that time, she got up and called me. Her nurse was on her break.
“Ma’am, though I’m still having this pain [as she held her right hand over her stomach area, changing her voice to one who sounded like in severe pain], I would rather go back to my unit now,” she requested.
“Are you sure?” I asked but deep inside I knew she wasn’t having any pain but wanted some drugs.
“Yes,” she replied, moaning a bit.
I gave her yellow pass and let her out, slowly walking as she was rubbing her stomach. Her head stooped low and she seemed to be dragging her legs. She wasn’t aware that there was a camera that covered that hallway where she was supposed to walk out. As I intently observed her, I started yelling to my other co-workers who immediately got up and observed her with me:
As soon as she emerged in the camera’s view, without her knowledge, we saw her pulled her pants up and started walking straight. Her legs becoming faster with her strides. Her arms flung to her sides, swinging as she trotted with a normal gait.
“Huh! Got ya! We see you...” one of the co-workers yelled. We just knew…she wanted to manipulate the system so she could be sent to the hospital and be given stronger medications like Morphine or Demerol. It was sad.
How many of us wear a mask sometimes at workplace or other places, even at church because we don’t want others to discover things about us? But God knows everything about us, even the number of hairs on our heads [Matthew 10:30]. Unlike no other, He accepts and loves us. He is with us through every trial we go through, protecting us, guiding us and loving us along the way.
“I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” - Psalm 139:7
He is indeed present everywhere. This is not an intimidating thing to know. For those who loves Him, this is great news! Because no matter what we do or where we go, it’s great to know that we can never be far from His comforting presence! To God be the glory!
Oh Lord, I come before You and ask that You do a heart surgery on me. You know everything about me. I have nothing to hide from You. Search me Oh God and remove those things that hinder my walk with You. Forgive me Oh Lord for all of my sins. Help me get back on that path that leads to everlasting life. Thank You Lord for creating me [us]. Thank You for being there even before I was born. Everyday of my life is recorded in Your book. Thank You Lord for loving me [us] unconditionally. Thank You for accepting me and loving me just the way I am. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
