One Shots 'The nursery nurse'

A Day in the Hospital Part III

It was lunchtime at the Knight Hospital, and the corridors were filled with the typical noise from the canteen, populated by hungry doctors, nurses and other staff. In the HR department, however, it was quiet, almost empty. The only one still sitting at her desk was Siobhan.

Her eyes were fixed on the screen, but her mind was elsewhere. It was one of those breaks in which she almost completely withdrew, routinely completed her tasks and waited for the end of the lunch break. To see as few of her colleagues as possible.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Vivian entered without waiting for an answer. The lunch break was the only time of the day when she could clear her head. She closed the door behind her and sat down on the chair in front of Siobhan's desk with a slight smile.

"So, what's new in the office?" Vivian asked, leaning back comfortably as if she were a regular visitor. In truth, she was here far more often than she would admit.

Siobhan, who was trapped in a relationship with the director of the hospital, was the reason. And although Siobhan kept trying to hide it, Vivian could see the unhappiness in her eyes. It was a relationship that wasn't what it should have been.

"Oh, nothing special," Siobhan replied in a tone that sounded a little too indifferent. She printed out some documents and tried not to let Vivian disturb her own thoughts too much. She knew why the nurse had come to see her again today.

Vivian leant forward and looked at the screen without really reading anything. "So, how are things going with the new surgeon?" Siobhan deliberately deflected the conversation, she didn't want to talk to Vivian about the obvious again. " Do you have an impression of her yet?"

Vivian sighed and let her eyes slide from the screen to Siobhan. " She's nice, competent, seems very focussed. But what has really surprised me is how quickly she has integrated into the team. She's very likeable.... so likeable that she's already caught Dr Knight's eye."

" Mhm." Siobhan said thoughtfully and pushed herself back to lean back in the chair. " That sounds promising. Maybe she'll be a real asset to the house."

"Maybe," Vivian murmured. Her lips curled into a thin smile, " Siobhan," she finally began in a quiet but firm tone. "We need to talk. Really talk."

Siobhan shook her head almost imperceptibly. She knew what would come next. It was always the same. Vivian just couldn't stop trying to convince her of something she already knew deep down but never wanted to talk about.

"You know what you have to do," Vivian said softly. Her voice carried a mixture of understanding and urgency. " You deserve so much more than what you're enduring right now. It's not healthy for you to be with him. I can see it in your eyes. You are not happy. You deserve a someone who really wants you, not one who just has you as a... status symbol."

Siobhan took a deep breath and then leaned back in her chair. Her hands tightened for a moment around the pen she was still holding. " Viv, you know how complicated this all is. You know I can't just walk away from this relationship. Roger is director....."

"You're still worried he'll sack you, aren't you?", Vivian asked directly, but her voice was soft, almost tender. "But you know what I think? You should take the risk. Or do you want to continue to be so unhappy?"

Siobhan closed her eyes for a moment, as if she was weighing up the words Vivian had spoken. She knew she was right, she knew deep down that it was time to make a decision. But the director wasn't just her partner, he was also her boss, the man who kept pulling her into his clutches with a kind of power play. And that made it so much harder to let go.

" Viv... I... I don't want to get your hopes up... what happened at the Christmas party... was... it didn't matter..." Siobhan said quietly, her voice trembling slightly. "I know you want me to end it with him. But it's not that simple. It's not just the director, it's everything he promises me, all the opportunities he gives me..."