Page 70 of Scrubbing In
“I’m sorry, but you have to understand why we try to avoid that if at all possible. We want to prevent contamination risks with unnecessary staffing changes during cases.”
“But—”
“Dr. Jacobs, I understand you want your normal crew for this case, but in a bid to limit room traffic, we try not to change staff if at all possible. And right now, we have a crew for you. Devin and Myles are already pulling the case and setting up the room.”
This is fucking bullshit.
Yes, it's imperative we take all reasonable actions to prevent contamination and unnecessary breaks in sterility. But what I’m asking for right now was exactly what happened to me this weekend. Tasha was scrubbed into a case with me when Devin came in to relieve her, all so Tasha could scrub a case for Diego. I know they are involved and work seamlessly together, and if it had been anyone else but Devin coming in to take over, I would have been fine.
Ordinarily, Devin fumbles around in cases, almost as if she’s clueless about what she’s doing, more often than not. However, this weekend she was more interested in flirting with me than actually pretending to know what she is doing and scrubbing the case she came in for, or the one that followed.
She started off subtly, and by the end of the day, she had come right out and asked if I wanted to go home with her. It pissed me off because with her initial flirty innuendo, I told her I had a girlfriend.
My mind is still boggling over her response.
So, no, I don’t want to fucking work with Devin today.
“Call Leena up here, now. I need my crew.” I know I sound like an asshole, but I don’t care.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Leena
Joanne: Can you please come to the desk? Dr. Jacobs is throwing a man-child tantrum and is “requesting” you.
What?
Staringdown at my phone with a frown, I scratch at my eyebrow, at a loss for what I’m reading.
Julian doesn’t throw tantrums of any kind, much less a ‘man-child’ fit. Other doctors? Yes, unfortunately, some do. But Julian is calm and easy-going, so I’m worried something is really wrong.
Excusing myself from a huddle with the recovery room charge nurse and AIC, I make my way to the front desk. As I come around the corner, Julian’s ramrod straight back is the first thing I see. With hands on hips, I can see the tendons on his forearm flexing in obvious agitation. Joanne is focusing on the monitor in front of her, studiously ignoring my boyfriend.
The sound of my footsteps must alert him to my approach because Julian turns his head to look—make that glare—at me over his shoulder
Already being on constant edge from the secret I’ve been keeping from him, I feel alarm bells ringing in my head. I consciously work to keep my face even and calm. “Hey, guys. Jo, what’s going on?”
Coming to a stop in front of the desk next to Julian and facing Joanne, I make sure there is a decent amount of distance between us. She opens her mouth, but Julian’s sharp tone beats her to the punch.
“I have a case that needs to come back as soon as possible, an open tibia fracture. I asked for Charlie and Sarina because this is going to be a pretty big case and I need the most capable staff in the room.”
Turning back to Joanne, I ask, “Where are Charlie and Sarina now?”
“They picked up Merritt’s abdominal washout. I called in and they may end up doing a bowel resection. I let Dr. Jacobs know they weren’t available, but Myles and Devin can do his case. Anesthesia agreed to hold whichever room comes out next to ensure we have a team available for lunches, or in case another STAT case needs to come back.”
I appreciate the full picture she gives, but I will need to find out why Sarina and Charlie picked up the Merritt case instead of Myles and Devin. I had made those assignments this morning, specifically to have the former pair be the second add-on room crew and available for Julian if needed.
“Oh, okay. Well . . . Then what’s the issue?”
“As I’ve already said, I need Charlie and Sarina. They are my team, and I don’t need anyone who will dick around for this case.”
Shocked, I recoil. “I can assure you, our staff will not ‘dick around.’” I’m unable tonotfinger-quote the last part.
Julian turns his entire body toward me, leaning forward imploringly. “Leena, please. I need Charlie and Sarina.”
This is the hardest part of my job, but now with Julian, it is almost unbearable. Swallowing, I force myself to give our usual spiel in this situation. “As a Level III trauma hospital, we ensure all our staff are trained and capable of working any case they may encounter, both during normal scheduled hours and on call. That includes the crew available to you right now—Myles and Devin. When the next room comes down, we can have that crew support your case in any way possible.”
Hyper-aware of Joanne watching our exchange, I shuffle back a few inches. Then, as if in slow motion, Julian follows, his hand reaching out for mine—thankfully hidden by the chest-high counter—and starts to say, “Pretty g—” At the almost use of his nickname for me, my eyes go wide, and I clench my jaw, but force it to relax and act as if my heart didn’t just feel like it stopped. “Pretty goddamn sure Devin doesn’t have a fucking clue what this case is going to entail. She can barely handle a simple soft tissue debridement.”
