One more outrageous shift, and I get a day off.A whole twenty-four-hours of not having to work. If she wanted, she could spend it entirely in bed.
Lynnette scoffed at herself as she made her way down the corridor to check in at the desk. Off-days generally meant tackling neglected chores, but even if by some miracle they didn’t, there was a little thing called bodily functions. She very much would not be spending literally every moment in bed, regardless. Though a few hours extra rest to just be lazy did sound wonderful.
If Chandie usually works shifts like these, it’s no wonder she took a ten-day vacation.
“Morning, Lynnette,” Amy said, her voice bright like the sparkle on her still-pink nails.
Lynnette smiled. “Morning. Anything particular for me today?”
“Actually,” Amy said, swiveling her attention back to the computer screen, “I think so. Let’s see—yes. Dr. Garland put a note on Mr. Blackburn’s file; he wants you to keep a close eye onthe patient.” She looked around the monitor to meet Lynnette’s stare. “It seems our resident war-hero is trying to tough out his recovery and refusing more pain medication. He’s not refusing antibiotics, at least, so Dr. Garland’s content to watch and wait.”
Lynnette nodded her understanding. “I’ll keep an eye on him. Francis is being discharged today, so that’ll lighten my patient load and give me a bit more time to spare.”
“I think Dr. Bishop’s doing his final with Francis right now,” Amy confirmed.
Lynnette barely held off the cringe at the man’s name.Start with Mrs. Alvers, then.“Well, I’d better get to work. Thanks for the heads-up.”
Amy gave her a colorful finger-wave and Lynnette strode away.
If Doctor Garland had specifically requested special attention be paid on their arguably highest-profile patient, then maybe she could use that to help avoid Bishop. Bishop couldn’t accuse her of not doing her job, and he couldn’t accost her in front of any patient. Least of all one who was so valuable that even discharged, his medical expenses were being paid by the government.
She was curious about that, but it wasn’t exactly on the list of things that qualified as her business. A good nurse knew where to draw boundaries.
Mrs. Alvers’ voice carried through the room even as Lynnette pushed inside, her tone stronger than the previous day. Which was good as far as her recovery went, though the agitation it also held was less so. “I had hip surgery, Frederick, I’m not dying!”
Lynnette quietly clicked the door shut so as not to unnecessarily disturb her patient’s phone call.
The phone crackled and a disembodied male voice that she presumed to be Frederick replied, “I never said you were dying, Mom.”
Mrs. Alvers lowered the phone to her chest, met Lynnette’s gaze, and rolled her eyes. “No, you only asked if I had my affairs in order.”
Lynnette felt both of her brows lift in a high arch and tried to busy herself with checking readouts, making sure the IV bag didn’t need replacing, and double-checking the log at the foot of the bed for any specific notes that might have been jotted down.
Frederick made a sputtering sound. “I didn’t mean itthatway,” he insisted. “I just meant that I thought this mess with your hip might’ve been eye-opening. None of us are getting any younger. That’s all.”
“Mm-hmm. Oh, sorry, Freddie, the nurse needs me. Too old to multi-task and all that. Talk soon, love you honey, bye now.” She disconnected to the sound of more sputtering, then let out a haggard sigh. “Do you have any children, Nurse Garver?”
Lynnette actually stilled at the unexpected question. Then she kicked herself. She was over thirty, it wasn’t an unreasonable ask. She offered her patient a smile. “No, ma’am. I’ve always been something of a workaholic.”
Mrs. Alvers laughed softly. “Then what you need is a husband who doesn’t mind reversing the traditional roles.”
Lynnette came to stand beside the bed. “I’ll take that under advisement. For now, I need to know how you’re feeling. Did the early shift stretch you at all?”
The elderly woman made another exaggerated sound of discontent. “Yes, and I was feeling all right until then, but now I’m so sore I don’t know how I’ll get to the restroom.”
“Some soreness is good, it means progress,” Lynnette reminded gently. “Did you need to go now? I can help.”
Mrs. Alvers waved her off. “No, no, dear. Send in one of those beefy orderlies. Let me live a little.”
Lynnette tried not to laugh, but she allowed a smile to show on her face.Keep the patients comfortable, right?“I’ll call someoneright over. If that’s the only thing you need for now, I’ll pop back in a bit later, all right?”
“Wonderful. You could teach those kids of mine a thing or two about manners.” She chuckled to herself. “But who has the time for that? Go on, dear. I’ll be fine until the orderly gets here.”
Something told Lynnette that Mrs. Alvers didn’t so much need to use the bathroom as she just wanted to be doted on before her discharge, which would probably be the following day if her recovery stayed on track.If all her children treat her like that Frederick, who can blame her?
Lynnette dropped by Amy’s desk to put in the orderly request, then decided it was time for her first check-in on the potentially hobbled Marine.
She paused at his door and steadied herself. Her entire life, she’d avoided career military men. Not as humans, but as romantic partners. She loved her father dearly, but she’d been old enough when he retired to remember some of her mother’s stress. She remembered wondering where he was and why he wasn’t home. Why he’d missed a birthday, or an event. They were things she understood as an adult, things she’d long forgiven, but they were also things she had no desire to re-live.
