The Inmates Mate

Chapter Four

The Inmates Mate

Chapter Four

Ebony

I returned to the floor after passing the medications while having to just immediately turn into my patients room for help. The COPD exacerbation patient, I could tell, wanted to stay in the infirmary at all costs. Those costs being, lying about symptoms of another exacerbation when he only needed to be discharged back into his cell.

My tuberculosis patient was still very sick, but the medication has helped him feel better one day at a time. I could tell by his tone with me he was very eager to get better and out of isolation. When patients with TB get first diagnosed, human contact with them cease to exist by fear and the strict isolation precautions we must follow to take care of them. Making him very irritable towards me.

By late afternoon I was finally able to take a lunch break. I brought a salad from home with some chips and candy to get through the day. Something healthy for my main meal then junk for the rest, this is how I compromise with losing weight. I don't lose any weight in the end.

It didn't take me long to eat leaving me ten minutes to sit down in a chair. My back and feet were already aching since I have to walk on hard uneven flooring all day, screwing up with my lumbar area naturally.

When I exited the breakroom I relieved myself before returning to the floor. Another patient was admitted to my coworker, a reported manic episode. I almost smiled at myself for dodging that big of a bullet, I had had the inmate before and in his manic stages, he gets weird.

Like most patients with schizophrenia disorder, all logic flies out the window when in their deepest manic phases. That including taking the biohazard bag full of blood soaked gauze bandages that was in his room last time, and taking them and sucking out the blood from the material. He claimed he was a vampire at the time and needed blood to survive.

I was shocked and disgusted but tried using my 'therapeutic communication' to try and get him away from the hazardous materials to only have it all thrown at me. We ended up having to have the guards lay him onto his bed where I had to put padded restraints on him.

"Hey Lisa, be careful with that patient, he can get violent in his manic episodes," I warned her as she stood outside his door looking through his past medical history before entering the room.

She turned to me with a worried look on her face, "Fuck ok, thanks for the warning Ebony. I just hope he doesn't throw anything at me, I can't handle that shit today."

I shook my head with a small smile, "No you cannot handle it, trust me."

She nervously chuckled before knocking on the door three times and entering. I waited outside the door just in case I could hear him getting violent with her. One guard was standing beside the room as well, peeking inside to see if Lisa was alright.

The patient seemed to be having one of his good manic episodes that included just speed talking about gibberish you couldn't understand. You could never ask him any questions and he truly did not answer you with any reliable answer.

I walked away from the room towards the nurses station. The COPD patient was already back inside his cell while my TB patient was isolated and still sleeping. I was finally able to take a breather after such a busy day.

I sat down on one of the chairs, my head resting against the back almost making me fall asleep instantly. I was hearing the other girls talk before I heard my name being called causing me to wake up.

"Hey Ebony, I have a favor to ask," my head nurse Beth, who I actually liked but not vice versa, asked me. "I was wondering if you would be willing to come in tomorrow to pass meds again. You would be on overtime, if that helps any."