“I’ve got an upcoming board meeting. It’s my first since I joined the district. I’m not sure what to expect from the parents.”
“This is Monroe Hills,” Derrick said. “Ain’t nothing change since forever. You know the folks that’s gonna be there and they’re still the same as they always have been. They still gon’ love you like they always did.”
Emotion welled up in him at Derrick’s words. That was his boy, always having a positive upbeat word to make you feel like you can tackle anything. As Adam looked back, it seemed that had alwaysbeen the case. Derrick’s boisterous voice rising above the crowd to shout his excitement for Adam on the court, Adam in school, Adam in his first NBA game. Here he was again, ole tried and true, making Adam remember he was capable of great things.
Adam cleared his throat, focusing on the now to keep his composure. If Derrick was right, and he usually was when it came to things like this, that eased some of the pressure he was feeling about his situation at work. Even if that hadn’t been what was on his mind when he was binged against the head with a fly ball, it definitely did help to think this meeting might be as benign as Derrick said it would be.
“Do either of you wanna grab dinner tonight? Between working like crazy for the last week, and dealing with my dad’s medical appointments, I’m in need of some time with my boys.”
Michael shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t. Vanessa was supposed to hang out with Janae and Cree, but Janae got stuck with an extra shift when someone called out.”
“Does that happen to her frequently?”
Michael shrugged. “It’s always a possibility when you do shift work. I don’t think Janae was expecting it this time, so she sounded a little peeved when she was on the phone canceling with Vanessa. Anyway,” Michael continued, “I decided to take my girl out instead.”
Adam couldn’t blame Michael for that. Vanessa was gorgeous, and she only had eyes for his boy, and if Adam was in his shoes, he’d ditch the Messiah himself to have his woman look at him the way Vanessa did Michael.
“What about you, D? You game for dinner or has Cree roped you into one of her chick-flick marathons?”
“Bruh,” Derrick countered. “Don’t knock ’em till you try ’em. Those movies are both entertaining and heartfelt. Maybe if you watched a few, you’d learn how to get a woman of your own.”
“D, Cree is not your woman.”
“No,” Derrick answered with a bright smile. “She’s my best friend, and that’s ten times better.”
His friends left him standing there on the court, wondering what his next move was going to be. It didn’t take him long to figure it out. But a quick whiff of sweaty B.O. from his pickup game with his boys told him a hot shower was the first thing on his agenda, before he could set his plans for the evening in motion.
Chapter 7
Janae stood in the anesthesia department’s med room, making sure all the anesthesia boxes were appropriately stocked with medication vials, syringes, and intubation equipment. This prep work was essential so that nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists could grab a box and head to a patient at a moment’s notice.
This part of the job wasn’t as glamorous or exciting as medical procedural shows made it seem, but it was vital to patient safety outcomes. The last thing you needed in an emergency was a missing Macintosh or Miller laryngoscope blade when you were at the head of a bed during a tricky intubation.
Next, she’d go upstairs to the ORs and make sure the anesthesia carts were appropriately stocked too. Again, it wasn’t the sexy part of the job, but it was definitely necessary to save lives.
“Hey, Sanders.”
Janae looked up at the sound of her last name. First names weren’t used commonly at her job, so when she saw Jessica Dennis, one of her fellow nurse anesthetists peeking into the room from the doorway, Janae answered immediately.
“Hey, Dennis, what’s up.”
“The security desk in the main lobby says there’s some sort of food delivery waiting for you.”
“You sure they meant me?” Janae pointed to herself.
“Yeah,” Dennis said. “They gave your full name and department.”
Janae pursed her lips as she tried to figure out what was going on.
“I haven’t ordered anything yet. Did y’all order as a group?”
“Not yet,” Dennis replied.
Janae locked the box she’d just finished stocking, signed off on the stocking tag attached to it, and turned to the woman standing at the door. “I’m not sure what this is about, but I’ll go check it out. Page me if you need me.”
The woman nodded, making room for Janae as she stepped through the doorway and out into the hall.
Janae was puzzled. Food deliveries got misdirected all the time in a hospital. But knowing her full name and department was a sure way to make sure the right delivery reached her.
