Chapter 5

“It’s all right, dear. He’s usually good. Today seems to be a bad day for him. I’ve never seen him like this before. I’ve known him for quite some time,” Mrs. Jane says, trying to reassure me.

Again!

‘He’s usually good…Today is a bad day…’

I don’t understand why people fail to see his true colours when they seem so obvious to me.

“Seems so,” I reply, straightening Mrs. Jane’s covers. “We can’t use the same supplies. They’re contaminated. I’ll be back.”

I gather everything and step out from behind the curtain.

That’s when I run into Ivy, one of the nurses. I was introduced to her yesterday, but she hasn’t spoken to me since. She gives off the impression of someone who isn’t welcoming to new staff. All morning, she avoided conversation, offering only a few judgmental looks, especially during the morning meeting when I was formally introduced and answered questions in front of the team.

“What was all that about?” she asks, her eyes rolling slightly.

I know how to keep my distance from people like her. The kind I quietly label as mean girls - young, confident, and convinced everyone else is beneath them.

“What?” I ask, pretending not to understand.

“The shouting.”

“Who?”

“Dr. Keller.” Her voice lifts with mild surprise.

“Oh. That,” I say slowly. “Mrs. Jane’s catheter is blocked. I was attempting to insert a new one. He doesn’t want that done.”

“I’ve never seen him like that before.”

“Like what?” I ask, still playing along.

She catches on, and her cheeks colour. “That much angry.”

“Maybe you should ask him,” I snap. “I hardly know him.”

She studies me for a moment. “It feels like you two knew each other before.”

“No, I met him for the first time yesterday,” I say, letting out a short laugh. “Excuse me. I need to discard this,” I add, lifting the waste bag before walking away.

After disposing of the supplies, I turn and nearly collide with Marty. Her hands are empty, and there is no catheter, the one she stepped out to retrieve, leaving me to face Dr. Keller alone.

“Dr. Keller wants to see you before we insert the catheter,” I say.

“I just saw him,” she replies. “We’re not doing it.”

I look at her, surprised. “You saw Dr. Keller?”

“Yes.”

Her voice is steady, her expression unchanged. If Dr. Keller had reprimanded her as he did me for attempting catheterization without his permission, there would have been signs.

“What did he say?” I ask.

“He wants us to wait and see if she voids on her own. Give her some time before inserting a new one.”

“Wasn’t he upset?”

Now she looks genuinely confused. “Why would he be?”

“For attempting catheterization without his permission.”

She waves it off. “He kind of knew.”

“He knew we were going to change Mrs. Jane’s catheter,” I repeat, stressing each word.

“Yeah… Her urine output was low this morning. During the morning round, I mentioned it, and he agreed to change it if needed. He’s changed his mind now. He wants to wait a few hours.”

“He knew,” I murmur to myself.

She frowns. “Why all the questions?”

“Nothing,” I say. “He questioned me about why we were changing it.”

“Oh,” she says after a pause. “Maybe he was feeling you out. That’s something he tends to do with new staff.” After a moment, she asks, “You haven’t taken your break, have you?”

“No.”

“Go take it. I need to finish something, and I’ll join you shortly.”

“All right. Please let Mrs. Jane know we’re not inserting a new catheter. She’s waiting for us.”

“I will,” she says, then walks away.

As I approach the break room, I hear voices. I pause, trying to steady myself and leave what happened with Dr. Keller behind. A small smile settles on my face. Then I hear it.

“I don’t want that girl anywhere near my patients.”

“That’s not possible, Daniel. Your patients are spread across the floor. We can’t guarantee she won’t be assigned to one of yours. That would disrupt the order.”

“I don’t care. You need to find a way.”

“She’s good. She’s new and still learning. She’s in orientation. You’re being unreasonable.”

“If that’s how you see it, fine. But to me, she’s an idiot. Some people are born to ruin everything. No amount of education or practice fixes that.”

He laughs. A few others laugh with him. That’s when I realize it isn’t only him. Others are there too. Whatever this issue is between him and me, it isn’t a secret anymore. He doesn’t want it to be.

I don’t want to walk into that. I turn away, only to stop when a woman in scrubs stands in my way, arms folded, watching me. Her badge reads Dr. Brooks. She looks beautiful, and I notice it immediately.

She raises her eyebrows in silent question.

I shrug, feeling like a child caught doing something wrong.

“What’s going on?” she asks lightly. “Were you listening?”

“Nothing,” I say, trying to move past her.

At that moment, Kim and Dr. Keller step out. He passes me and pulls Dr. Brooks into a loose hug.

“You missed my calls,” she says, gesturing towards his phone, her tone leaving no room for excuses.

“I was dealing with something that needed immediate attention,” he replies, throwing a sharp glance in my direction.

She turns to Kim and grabs her arm. “Daniel told me what happened yesterday. I hope you’re doing better.”

“I’m okay,” Kim says.

I try to step away, but they block the path. I turn back toward the break room when Kim pulls me in.

“Meet our new nurse, Amelia. She’s wonderful.”

Dr. Brooks extends her hand. “I’m Dr. Brooks. Nice to meet you, Amelia.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I say, forcing a polite smile.

She looks between Kim and Dr. Keller. “Apparently, Amelia was deciding whether to go inside or walk away. Were you two being kind to her?” she asks gently.

She heard enough to understand I was the subject of the conversation.

“That’s all she does,” Dr. Keller snaps. “Listening, hiding, gossiping. Not behaviour suited to a good nurse.”

He pulls Dr. Brooks along as he turns away. “See you later, Kim.”

Kim winks at me, silently telling me to ignore him, then follows them.

I remain standing there, unsure how any of this can be explained.