Doctor's Orders

Holy Shit, Indeed

Mrs.Green doesn't lose her arm, but it was a close call. They had to cut away over half the muscle tissue and she's expected to endure months of rehab. Even then, she's not predicted to regain full function.

A catheter was placed in her chest for dialysis and she was sent to ICU after her surgery, where they've monitored her all week. I saw her husband in the cafeteria and he update me on her progress, as well as his intentions to sue Dr.Biers. Jeremy is in the clear, however, since he ended up coming in when he wasn't on-call.

I tell Joanna this over coffee.

"Could they have sued him anyway?" she wonders around a mouthful of scone. "He wasn't on-call, so technically it wasn't his responsibility."

I shake my head. "The hell if I know. The law acts all wonky about our duties sometimes. Either way, I deserve a thank you," I declare indignantly.

"I wouldn't hold your breath," Joanna says. "Not after the dinner episode the two of you had. Just be grateful he stood up for you to Dr.Biers."

"He didn't really stand up for me. He was just putting Dr.Biers down the only way he knew how. I was like... a pawn. I just happened to be there."

She sighs wistfully. "Gosh, why did I have to be off that day? I always miss the best stuff."

"I don't know, but I'm starting to think I don't get paid enough for the crap I put up with."

"You're starting to think that?"

"Touche. I should have been like... a florist or something."

She looks surprised. "A florist?Really?"

"Sure. It's just flowers. No one really cares if a flower dies. We expect it, actually. And they don't put you down or talk back to you. If you get stuck by a thorn, you don't have to take prophylactic meds for HIV. Oh, and it smells good all the time! No dookie or rotten wound stench. Can't you imagine how relaxing that job would be?"

"Good point. It's not too late to switch," she says knowingly.

I give her a very serious look. "Don't tempt me."

A few moments of silence pass in which we both sip our coffee. Joanna stares out the window and taps the side of her cup with her finger.

She says, "Did you hear that he called in Dr.Evans to do the surgery with him?"

"No," I answer, surprised. "It seems like Dr.Sanders would have done that since he was already there."

"Well, apparently she agreed to do it and Dr.Bieber trusts her."

"That's weird," I muse. "Their whole thing is... it's just weird." I shake my head and then lean closer to Joanna. I lower my voice even though no one I recognize is present and the baristas probably don't even give two shits about our workplace gossip. "You don't think he's having an affair with her, do you?"

Joanna crinkles her nose in distaste. "You think he'd push her to marry Justin if they were sleeping together?"

"Stranger things have happened," I assure, although that does sound a little sickening. It doesn't make a lot of sense. If Jeremy liked her that way, then surely he wouldn't be pressing his son to marry her. And anyway, Jeremy's old enough to be her father. What kind of man would he have to be to sleep with a much younger woman and then pawn her off on his own son?

"I'd hope not that strange," Joanna says, shaking her head. But I'm not convinced. What if they started sleeping together after she and Justin broke up? That's highly plausible, however disgusting it may be.