Doctor's Orders

Bonus Chapter: Justin's Outtakes

Chapter 1 Justin's Point of View Outtake

Gosh, I'm fucking tired.

Only two hours left. Two hours and then I have the day off tomorrow. It's my fifth fourteen-hour shift in a row, and my back aches, my legs are tired, and thinking is almost painful. I can't wait to go home and sleep for an entire day straight.

I only have one more patient to see before I'm done with all my work. Then, as long as there are no codes, I can grab a cup of coffee and focus on staying awake for the remainder of my shift. Not that a code wouldn't wake me up, but I fucking pray there won't be one.

On the floor, I search for the patient's chart. They're always so goddamn hard to find - never in the rack, that's for fucking sure. The secretary throws herself at me while I'm looking, which isn't unusual. She's cute in a Mary-Kate and Ashley kind of way. She's still too young and she giggles too much, but she always helps me find the charts I need, so I'm grateful.

I ask for the nurse to make rounds with me; this makes for smoother patient care, as the nurse gets the information she needs to care for the patient and isn't calling me an hour later to clarify an order. I head for the room and hope that she'll follow soon. I'm too tired to wait around - I just want this day to be over.

Mrs.Benson is a sweet patient who's suffering from the first stage of dementia. She has a severe case of osteoporosis and can't get around well and yet, no matter how many times she's told, she constantly tries to walk around her home without a walker or any other form of assistance. She's fallen twice, and the last fall fractured her spine.

The nurse is in the room now. I glance at her. She must be new, because yesterday was the first day I saw her. And I usually remember faces well, so I'm sure my memory isn't to blame.

She stands watching me, arms crossed, and patiently waits.

Mrs.Benson clasps my hand, pleading for something stronger for pain. The Darvocet just isn't cutting it.

"I'll change your pain medicine to Vicodin," I say. "You can have one to two tablets every four to six hours if you need it, okay? Just ask your nurse. Do you need something for pain now?"

She nods. I turn to the nurse. I've forgotten her name and her name tag is twisted around, the back side facing out. "Miss, umm..."

"It's Aspen," she says pleasantly. But the sweetness of her voice is false, as is her smile.

I frown. "Aspen, will you get Mrs.Benson something for pain, please?"

"I actually don't think your choice of pain medicine is a good idea."

Surprised, I pause,turning to look at her, and I see that she's completely serious. I can already feel my irritation building. Fuck - is she going to be one of those nurses? The ones who think they know goddamn everything and want to question every fucking order?

An hour and twenty-six minutes left. An hour and twenty-six minutes...

My next statement probably comes out harsher than it needs to be. At the moment, I don't care. "Oh? Well unfortunately for you, you're just the nurse, Aspen. You don't get to make that call."

Her eyes narrow. She'd normally be pretty, but right now she's standing firmly between me and my sanity. On the bright side, I'm suddenly much more alert.

"I'm just looking out for the interest of my patient, Dr.Bieber." She turns to Mrs.Benson. "Isn't that what you'd like for us to do, Mrs.Benson?"

And what the hell is wrong with my order? I prescribe it all the time. It's common.