𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙩 - 𝙔𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍𝙀 𝙓 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙍 ✓

22.

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The staff room is filled seat by seat, with staff members aligned across each table with the head Nurse standing up front. I sit beside Dr Diaz and a female doctor, Nurse Bridget's eyes glaring into my back. I can only ignore her; I know her enough to know her thoughts. I don't want to start anything right now. 

"I know this meeting isn't exactly planned, but this is important enough to form now. I'm stepping down." 

The head nurse states with formality and in a clean-cut expression, straight to the facts. Gazes and whispers of confusion pass through the tables, questioning what she means by this. Clusters of conversations form as we bombard her with questions, but she clears her throat to silence the room. 

"Alright, alright! Everyone! calm down. I've been working here for over 30 years, and I've appreciated my time here. But I need to step down, because I don't have the health to keep coming into work." 

She states smoothly as we hush, and we glance at her with confusion and worry over her health. "I've started chemotherapy very recently, and I really can't physically handle working, especially as head nurse. Which is why I am stepping down, and another nurse will take my place." She states, and we all stare with shock and genuine worry for her condition. Smaller conversations bustle in the atmosphere over the whole situation, and I glance around the tables.

I ponder on who the head nurse will be. It could very easily make or break this workplace; due to the power the head nurse has. They have access to everything, schedules, plans, keys, patient's files, everything. Even so, I have hope in her judgement and her choice. She's not a stupid woman, she's worked in that position for years. She knows what will be good for us and the patients. 

"I based my choice off of judgement, and who I believe has the most capability to hold my position, and hold it well. Someone who has benefited this workplace while working here, and has supported everyone around them no matter what."

She continues, and I glance around the room for nurses who fit that description. There are plenty, everyone has helped this facility in one way or another, so I can only imagine how generally difficult it'd be to make that choice. Because you're passing down heavy work on another person, and you have to trust yourself that that decision is best. 

I watch the head nurse slip her large key ring from the side of her uniforms belt, the keys on the ring shuttering against each other as she approaches me, stopping and holding the large key ring before me. 

"Nurse Y/N. You've done more for us in your time working here then many know, and I know you can be entrusted with them."

My heart pounds with confused joy, finding this new role to be honourable to take. Whispers and claps of celebration fill the room, and I take the keys gently from her grasp. But there is always someone who ruins things for others.

"Why her!? what has she done that makes her so honourable!? I've been here way longer then her!" I hear nurse Bridget's screech echo across the room as she stands from her seat, yelling across the room. The staff members stare with shock and confusion, The head nurse turning and grimacing in anger.

"Whether you respect my choice or not, I don't care, but you have no right to yell like that! I made my choice because I know what nurse Y/N is capable of and her skills are admirable, you have no right to act like this during this meeting!" The head nurse exclaims with authoritarian anger, the rooms eyes moving from each woman with taken aback by the current drama. 

"Of course, I don't respect your choice, it's a bad one! She's going to ruin this workplace the second you leave! She doesn't give a shit about the patients here; she only gives a shit about her patient Stanislav!" She screams further, and I watch in disgust and worry, it's clear that nurse Bridget doesn't care about the head nurse and how this meeting was meant to be a farewell meeting for her. She just had to ruin it, and the anger courses through my chest like burning acid. 

"He's my assigned patient, of course I'm going to care about him! that doesn't mean I don't care about my other patients Bridget, I spend a lot more time with them then you think!" I exclaim with anger, and nurse Bridget turns to me. All eyes are on us, witnessing our drama, and the reasoning as to why I left for that week and a half and our friendships fallout. 

"Oh please, you'd fuck the man if you were given the chance, Y/N. A whore's a whore at the end of the day." 

The room fills with exclaimed gasps and shocked yells, staff members dismissing Nurse Bridget's horrible words with yells of defence and disgust. My jaw hangs in anger, my jaw tightening and my eye's wide in built anger. 

"Weren't you the one that fucked Cal Murphy's family member at the Christmas celebration!?" I've never seen someone's face drop so quickly in my life. Her anger immediately disappears and guilty panic paints her face. The room lifts in even more gasps and confused conversations, all eyes on her now. She's now the face of everyone else's judgement.

"How can you even prove that? you could be making shit up, you know?" She instantly fronts to a forced, condescending smile. I shake my head, sighing in disgust. "Just because the cameras aren't constantly checked doesn't mean it's past footage isn't saved." I state, her gaze widening. She knows it's too late to defend herself, she's been outed and the fact that I know the footage will still be there scares her to death. 

"Is this true...?" The head nurse grimaces in disgust and disappointment, and I nod. "I saw it." I state firmly. "So, there's camera footage, and a witness." The head nurse straightens herself, shaking her head towards nurse Bridget. "And you thought I would make you head nurse? do you know how many rules you've broken? do you know how genuinely horrible it was to do that!? to a patient's family member!?"

The head nurse's anger becomes evident, the whole room is against nurse Bridget now. She has nothing to defend herself. 

"I don't want to see your face anywhere near this building, ever. You can either leave yourself, or you are fired. Make your choice." The room gasps, and whispers are running wild. I stare at nurse Bridget, who as soon as she's caught, she retracts into her immature anger. I watch her sigh in annoyance, grabbing her bag and stopping before the door. 

"I don't need to deal with this anyways. And I meant what I said Y/N." She hisses, slamming the door as she leaves. Shes gone. She's actually gone. Forever. I feel a heavy weight lift from my shoulders, and the silence of the room is deafening. Nobody knows how to act, or what to say.

"Everyone! it's alright, let's move past this. Y/N, I do have hopes that you'll do well as the head nurse, I really do. Don't listen to Bridget, she was never up for the task anyways." The head nurse assures, placing a hand on my shoulder and rubbing it in comfort. I smile, the room slowly returning to its regular chatter.

"Thank you for the opportunity," I thank her, standing, and embracing her for a moment, she rubs my back as she hugs me back, and within the minutes, it's as if nothing had happened. It shows that nurse Bridget really didn't bring much to this place, by how little her leaving has actually affected people.

I glance down at the keys, taking in a deep breath. It's a lot of extra work, but I'm more than willing to learn.

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