Page 14 of Wrecked
And then, everything goes black.
CHAPTER 7
JASMINE
I let out a soft sigh after taking a long sip of my store-bought coffee as I wait for the elevator. Two other nurses who I've seen but haven't spoken to before who work in the ER come and stand near me, waiting as well.
“It was a weird night last night,” the red-headed one says, picking at the hair tie on her wrist.
“What was so weird about it?” her dark-haired friend asks.
The redhead piles her hair up onto her head and wraps the hair tie around it while she answers, “I don't know. It just seemed like there were a lot of random people that came in.”
Her friend,Maxine, I see on her name tag, laughs,and I smile to myself. “Aren't they always random people?” Maxine asks in an amused tone.
I see the other one roll her eyes out of the corner of my eye. “Shut up, I'm tired. What I meant was, two separate people were brought in and dumped at ER by others that took off.Two.”
“No shit.”
“Yeah. One was a guy brought in around one-thirty, but he's already been moved to step-down. The other was a woman, and it's not looking good for her.”
The elevator arrives, and we all pile in. I stand off to the side, trying not to look like I'm eavesdropping by pulling my phone out and scrolling through old pictures.
“What'd the people who brought them in say?” Maxine asks, while pushing the level they want.
“The two guys who brought in the guy said that he fell down the stairs, but I seriously doubt that. And the guy who brought in the woman said nothing, then left immediately. He looked suspicious, though.”
“Shit. Domestic abuse?”
“That's my guess.”
The girls get out on their stop, and the doors close behind them as their conversation continues. I put my phone away and think of the poor woman they were just talking about. Unfortunately, that happens more often than I had originally thought before I started working here; partners bringing in the people they abuse. But usually, they stick around to make sure they don't talk. I hope she's okay. The other guy brought in will probably be one of my patients if he's already in step-down. That's the department I work in. After patients are moved out of the emergency or ICU, they come to my unit.
After reaching my level, I catch myself up on the information for the new patient, Campbell Baxter, and any other new information for the other patients. Then, I check over the medication and start my rounds.
A smile hits my lips as I walk into one of my favorite patient's room. “Well, hello, Mr. Robertson.”
He was my very first patient when I started working here, having just had a heart attack. And now he's back after having a second one. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to pinpoint what exactly is causing them. His wife died a few years back, and his only son and his family haven't been able to make it here since the wife is due to have another baby in a week, and they live over in Texas. I feel bad for him, so I find myself giving him extra attention. Not that it's hard to do with him.
He stops humming. “There she is. I was wondering when you'd be coming in. And what's with this Mr. Robertson nonsense?”
I smile warmly at him as I step closer. “Later start for me today,Walter.” I check over his IV and start replacing his bag. “How are you feeling?”
“Better now that you're here,” he says, patting my hand with his cooler, slim one.
I rest my other hand on top of his. “You're too sweet to me. Did you sleep okay last night?”
“Could have been worse,” he answers like he always does. “What about you?”
“Oh, the same as usual, not enough.” Before he tries to give me heck like my brother would, I speak again. “Are you ready for your weather report?” He's a major outdoors person and hates being stuck inside, so after the first couple of days that he was in here the first time, he started asking me to tell him what the weather was like, and it's something that we've continued on this time as well.
Leaning back into his bed, he closes his eyes and gets comfortable like he's preparing himself to imagine it. Then he rests his hands on his stomach and gives me a nod. “Okay, give it to me.”
“Well, the sun is shining brightly,” I start. “Enough that after a few minutes in the sun, you can feel your skin start to prickle from the heat. The sky is clear with only a few scattering clouds about in the distance.” He hums and sighs as he listens to me. “There's a slight breeze that would probably feel coolish in the shade, but when you're in the sun, it feels pleasant and fresh.”
“Mm, that sounds nice.”
“It may shower this evening, but for now, the birds are singing.”
