Scars Of A Phoenix

Chapter 1: Turbulence

Three weeks into the job at Rose Hill Hospital, things were already off to a rocky start. I was so excited and terrified at the prospect of having my first "grown up job" that I had forgotten the fact that success did not stop at landing that first interview or signing off on the documents establishing a new employment status. Good performance and position maintenance were an ongoing goal, very different from the demands of college. In college, there were term papers to write or projects to complete, followed by a grade from the professor either denoting success or failure. Then, after a boozy celebration of a semester of A's or a tear-filled bubble bath routine following the occasional sad F on an exam, the matter would be quickly forgotten and it was on to the next paper or project.

"Ms. Erikkson", barked a harsh voice that jolted me from my revelry. A rotund, fat-faced nurse with curly salt and pepper hair stood before me scowling.

"Ms. Erikkson, I have to be frank with you, I'm more than a little concerned about your performance so far. "

"Oh, Nurse Henderson, I'm terribly sorry. I have your donuts here. And I've been hard at work on the patient database and-"

"Nevermind all of that, Ms. Erikkson. The reason I came to talk to you was about Doctor Jennings' appointment with Ms. SeClair."

"Ah yes, Ms. SeClair. Yes I have her scheduled and ready to go."

"Ms. Erikkson, the appointment was supposed to happen 3 hours ago! Ms. SeClair has long since left. Doctor Jennings reprimanded me, demanding to know why his patient hadn't come in and poor Ms. SeClair was left stood up and angry. These kinds of scheduling oopsies are what makes us lose patients, Ms. Erikkson. So I highly suggest you straighten up and clean up your act. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," I answered turning beat red, before returning to my computer screen to find a host of irate emails from patients, rudely pointing out several other scheduling and billing errors.

This was the fourth time I had been corrected by Nurse Henderson on a scheduling matter and I wouldn't dream of going near Doctor Jennings with a ten foot pole. Frankly, I couldn't understand how patients managed to tolerate the beady-eyed, mustached physician with abominable bedside manner.

I'd overhear Doctor Jennings demeaning his nurses almost every day. He'd refer to the young and pretty ones as "brainless bimbos", sneering as they teared up but tried to remain strong.

The worst thing I overheard Doctor Jennings say was to an older patient with lung cancer.

"Well sir, your left lung is a total white out. Just look at that X Ray. Now, maybe if we had made better choices in our youth and ditched those cigarettes, we might stand a chance at making it to our daughter's wedding, huh? First chemotherapy appointment scheduled for the 5th of September."

What met my ears after the fire-breathing doctor exited the room were the heartbreaking sobs of the old man. Why the Hell do some people bother entering the medical field? I thought the point of doctors were to help people, not torture them. That poor man.

I packed my bag for the day and strolled over to Ms. Mueller's desk. She was a plump, blonde cheerful woman of around 50 years, always with a smile on her face and ready to lend a helping hand to anyone, even Doctor Jennings.

"Oh, done for the day, Sarah-Mae?", she asked, looking up from her computer.

"I think so. I've done what I could for today."

"Listen, between you and me, I personally think Nurse Henderson was a bit too harsh. I understand her pressure as she works directly for Doctor Dingbat in there", Ms. Mueller commented, wagging her head in the direction of the physician's office.