Page 14 of Property of Mongrel

Doc quickly glances at me then says, “It’s possible that you ruptured a blood vessel or something as violently as you’re throwing up. We’ll get you sorted out, just hold on, Mongrel.”

Like I have a choice at this point since my body has taken on a life of its own. We pull into the parking lot at the emergency room entrance, and Gretchen slips out to get a wheelchair for me since there’s no fucking way I can possibly walk. Doc and Gretchen push me inside and I see that Rio as well as Issy are now there as they slip into the SUV and move it into a parking spot.

A nurse sees us walking in and says, “Dr. Brooks, come this way. Dr. Albertson is already here and is set up in Room Four.” She buzzes us through to the back where the treatment rooms are located and before I can blink, I find myself in a hospital bed with no idea on how I managed to get there.

“Dr. Albertson,” I slur out. I’m so weak at this point that everything is an effort. “Why?”

“Occasionally, a patient will have a reaction like yours. There’s no rhyme or reason for it at all,” Dr. Albertson replies as he slips on some nitrile gloves. “I’m going to go ahead and remove all this bluster and check the incision sites since we’re only a few hours away from when it would be taken off anyhow. Then, we’ll get you hooked up with an IV so I can give you some anti-nausea meds as well as fluids.”

“But I took… took the pill like Doc said,” I manage to relay.

“He explained that to me, and normally that would have done the trick. It could be that you reacted to the anesthesia, but we’ll likely never know. You could also be having an allergic reaction to the pain medication, so I’ll be changing that as well. I will say that the injury you had was badly inflamed, so it’s possible that the surgery ramped that up as well.”

“Used… ice cooler,” I mumble as he quickly unwraps all the bandages until there’s nothing left except the gauze over the three keyholes. Turning my head, I can see the swelling as well as Dr. Albertson’s concerned expression.

“What’s wrong?” I manage to ask through my stammer.

“I expected some swelling due to how it looked when I operated, but this seems to be more than usual,” he replies, gently cleaning the incision sites. He then looks at Doc and says, “Go ahead and get his IV started, I’m going to put in orders for a broad-spectrum antibiotic, the anti-nausea meds, and fluids, just to be on the safe side.”

“Maybe Gretchen should do the IV,” Doc teases. “You know us doctors don’t have the gentlest touch.”

“Move outta my way, Doc,” Gretchen snaps, slipping a pair of nitrile gloves on as she approaches me. She looks down at the table and turns my right arm over to check my veins. “God, it’s like arm porn,” she murmurs, gently thumping a vein on the inside of my elbow. “Even though you’re dehydrated as hell, they’re showing up loud and proud.”

I honestly don’t care as long as they make it all stop. Groaning, I watch as she deftly inserts the needle and before I know it, the IV is waiting for everything that Dr. Albertson has ordered and the nurse has gone to get. It feels like it takes her forever to come back, but right now, time is somewhat fluid. While Gretchen gets everything attached, I pay attention to what Dr. Albertson and Doc are now doing, since they’ve got another rolling tray with surgical stuff on it.

“What now?” I question as coolness pumps into my right arm. It feels odd to say, but the nausea is already backing off.

“Now, I’ll do another nerve block,” Dr. Albertson advises as he slips a fresh pair of gloves on. “I’m not going to admit you… yet… but you’ll be hanging out here until I’m confident that you’re rehydrated, the nausea is gone, and we’ve got your pain under control.”

“Okay. I’m putty in your hands, doc,” I manage to quip.

I mean, what else can I say? No? Not likely since it’s the first time in what feels like hours that I’m not throwing up. My throat is still on fire, and I must grimace because Doc suddenly says, “We need to look at his throat, Mark, because he started bleeding the last time he threw up. Wanna make sure it’s nothing serious.”

“I’ll get Dr. Barlowe to come in and examine him since he’s a GI doc. It’s probably due to the violence of the vomiting, but while he’s here, we might as well confirm my theory. Mr. Shepherd, you’ll be going home with stronger pain medication so that we get ahead of the pain, then it’ll be titrated down to a normal dose.”

He gives me a shot of something before he does the nerve block, and it’s lights out for me.

CHAPTER

EIGHT

Addy

“Do you have a few minutes, Addy?” Mrs. Rockmartin asks, standing at the door to mine and Kara’s office.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m between patients right now,” I reply. I quickly lock the patient record I was updating and stand, before following her to her office.

“Go ahead and close the door,” she instructs as she settles behind her desk. I do so then take a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

“Is everything okay?” I question, suddenly nervous. I don’t know why; every one of my yearly evaluations has been good, and I’ve gotten consistent raises as well as solid feedback about my performance.

She pulls a sheaf of papers from a file and smiles. “Based on what you shared in the meeting a week or so ago, I pulled everyone’s timesheets. We have no plan to lose any of the wonderful therapists we’ve added to the Rockmartin family, but until you spoke up, we had no idea that things were not as they seemed. What we found is that there are five of you who have been double-booked, and while there might be times when y’all are all busier than normal, it shouldn’t be a regular thing. Specifically, in your case, you’ve been handling a monthly workload every single week for the past three months, Addy. In an effort to compensate you fairly, we’ve decided to pay you for those nine weeks that you were overworked. Not only that, but we’ve added two weeks to your vacation time, and we’re giving you a five-thousand-dollar bonus.”

I sit back, stunned. My monthly salary is nothing to sneeze at to begin with, and getting nine months’ worth at once, plus a bonus on top of it, means that the last little bit of my outstanding debt is about to be paid off. The extra vacation time isn’t going to hurt, either, especially since Betty and I want to go to the Bahamas for our vacation this year.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” I reply, my voice wavering with emotion.

“There’s nothing to say, Addy. I’m appalled at what Janice was doing to you and the others right beneath our noses. We know that there are times that our patient load increases, usually around the start of the various sporting seasons, of course, but making it so that the five of you bore the brunt of the patient load is reprehensible. This is our way of making sure you know you’re a valued member of the team,” she says. “Now, I’m not sure what the rest of your schedule has on it today, but I’d love to take you to lunch if you have time.”