Medical Opinion #Wattys2017

5

Georgia walked into her apartment at 8 the next morning and checked her voice messages. One from her mom, another from her sister, and one from Dr. Clark asking her to call him.  Whatever it was could wait. She had just finished her twelve hour shift and she wanted to take a badly needed shower.

Once she made sure Timothy was fed and had enough water, Georgia stripped and stepped into her tiled shower, sighing when the hot water hit her back. The muscles in her body started to unwind and she felt herself relax. Work seemed to last forever this time and she was glad to be home. She lathered her tangerine scented shampoo in her hair and massaged her scalp, scrubbing away the hospital grime that she felt in her hair.

After she finished washing and brushed her hair out, she walked to her kitchen in her robe and toasted a blueberry English muffin, which was her typical breakfast. Georgia turned on some music and danced around her kitchen to Billie Holiday. Her coffee maker brewed a cup of caffeinated heaven and she smiled when it finished filling her coffee mug. She reached out and wrapped her palms around the warm ceramic cup and took a slow sip. The hot coffee seemed to warm her soul and she shivered with happiness.

With her coffee in hand, Georgia placed her English muffin on a plate and walked out to her living room and sat on her couch. Timothy instantly walked over to her and laid down on her thighs, giving her the cutest look he could muster in hopes of getting a share of her food. He had learned that his cute face could get Georgia to do almost anything. Almost. Georgia laughed lightly and nudged him with her knuckles.

"No, Timmy. Today, I am being stingy. You get no human food." She took a bite out of her muffin and watched as her cat mewed loudly and watched her every movement. "Timothy, you go right into that kitchen and eat your own food. I fed you before I got into the shower and I know you haven't eaten any of it."

Timothy lifted his head and watched her for a minute, staring deeply into her eyes. When he realized that she was firm in her decision, he blinked and flicked his tail, then sashayed off to his favorite windowsill and curled up in a patch of sunlight.

Georgia rolled her eyes and polished off the rest of her breakfast. She needed a nap and some badly needed rest. The blinking red light from her voice mail machine caught her attention as she walked to the kitchen and she remembered Dr. Clark's phone call. Just in case it was indeed important, she decided to call him back before she went to bed.

She picked up the receiver and hit redial. As the phone rang, Georgia secretly wished that he wouldn't answer and that she could go straight to bed. Right before the very last ring, he picked up the phone.

"Yeah, this is Jeremy."

"Hi, Dr. Clark, this is Georgia. I got your message. What did you need to talk about?" Georgia placed her plate in the dishwasher and turned off her Keurig.

"Georgia, thanks for returning my call. I was wondering if you would be able to take up a few extra shifts this week."

Although he couldn't see it, Georgia closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, I am afraid I can't. I have been working long shifts as is and I don't think I can take on the extras and still remain functional. I think you could ask Derek Montgomery, though. He is a great nurse and they gave him short shifts to see how he would work out. I'm sure he would like the longer hours. He truly loves what he does."

Dr. Clark sighed heavily. "No, that's no good. I don't think he is up to par yet. New nurse and all. I wouldn't trust him with the responsibility. You, on the other hand, are an experienced nurse and I know you well enough to believe that you would manage just fine with the extra work."