In Case of Heartbreak

01 | shake

C H A P T E R 1 | K A T I E

"Reynolds, Murphy."

Our supervisor pushed through the door of the break room, eyeing the two of us before he looked down at his clipboard. "Can you two stay for a bit and make sure that everyone in hallway D is taken care of?" he asked. "Check their vitals, make sure they don't need anything, and deliver the left over meal orders to the front desk."

Glancing at my watch, I tapped my leg anxiously, hoping that this extra work wouldn't cause me to miss visiting hours. It was already closing in on seven 'o'clock, and having missed the visiting hours the previous night due to my orientation, I didn't want to have to go another night without talking to my mom.

"Sure," Claudia said, dropping her bag back into her locker as I nodded in agreement, "We'll head over there now."

He dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you," he said, waving as he turned his back on us, "Have a good weekend."

"You too," Claudia returned before the door shut completely. When it did, she sighed, looking over to me while rolling her eyes. "Come on. The faster we get this done, the faster we'll be able to leave."

Having told me that she had two young sons at home, I'm sure she wanted our shift to be over just as much as I did.

Grabbing my stethoscope, I stood and plucked a new pair of gloves from the bin at the door before following behind her.

Luckily, none of the patients had any major issues, and we weren't held back too long. Claudia checked everyone's IVs and administered pills to the patients that needed them, while I recorded the data that was flashing on the monitors in each room.

When all of the patients were checked, we'd made sure to notify them that a new nurse would be around shortly to check in with them. Claudia handed me the small pile of meal cards for the patients who had yet to be fed, asking me to submit them before calling it a day. The nurse at reception wasn't extremely busy, so after handing them off to her, I headed back to the break room, ready for my first shift to end.

I'd been hired by the local hospital as a nursing assistant, and I was extremely grateful for the opportunity. Having another year left of school, I'd been worried that I wouldn't be qualified to fit the role. However, since a lot of the staff had become familiar with me because of my mother, they'd given me a shot, and I didn't intend on wasting it.

"You did good today," Claudia smiled, turning my way as I pushed through the door. She'd already changed out of her work clothes, and was shutting her locker as I entered. "I was worried this morning. I could see that you were nervous, but you seemed to fall into a routine as the day went on."

The corners of my lips tilted upwards as I smiled nervously. "Yeah – first day jitters you know."

She nodded. "I get it. This job can be stressful, but I think you'll fit in here just fine," she said, giving me the impression that, while it was only my first day, I hadn't done all that bad of a job. "Just remember that there's always more to learn, and don't ever hesitate to ask me something if you're unsure of what the proper procedure is."

"Thanks," I said genuinely, "I'll remember that."

She smiled, her lips crinkling at the sides. "Have a good night," she said.

"You too."

When I was alone, I quickly stripped off my scrubs, ignoring the way the sheen of sweat on my skin caused them to stick to some areas, and pulled on my clothes in a rush. Glancing at the time on my phone, I breathed out a sigh of relief.