The Fellowship Read online

  "Alright, but why the change?"

  "This way I’ll be standing next to that dreamy god of a trauma surgeon. Who knows, a little bump here," she demonstrated a seductive hip rotation, "and a little whiff of perfume there," she bent over to show a gaping opening of her V-neck top and the cleavage contained within, "I could be a doctor’s wife in no time at all."

  Danni gently laughed. "Sure, this should be something to watch and I’ll be the one with the front row seat. So…what does this god of yours look like?"

  Rosie stopped short turning to her co-worker with a deadly serious expression on her face, "Tall, dark and gorgeous, of course."

  Both burst into laughter as they made their way through the locker room door.

  ************

  Karen was rounding the corner of the desk as the two giddy nurses entered the E.R. triage station. With a look of a mother about to scold her children, the charge nurse began to address the unprofessional behavior of the duo.

  "You girls need to get to work," then with the wink of one eye, "people will think that this is a fun place to be."

  "Yeah, Mom!" The young nurses said in unison as they quickly turned the smiles into frowns.

  The three seriously studied each other for a moment and slowly let smiles shine across their faces.

  "Are you alright, Mom? I mean after this morning’s near collision on the way out I thought you might call off," Rosie queried.

  "No little intern or med school student gets me rattled." A look of determination was on her face. She was a seasoned veteran and not about to let them get to her.

  "That one sure wasn’t little, looked more like an ‘amazon’ to me. A giant amazon at that," Rosie remarked. "I still think I’m going to give her a piece of my mind the next time I see her."

  Always being the one to seek out peaceful alternatives to a situation, Danni offered, "Why not let me show her the ropes. You know, sort of take her under my wing. Hey, look how David turned out."

  "Oh yeah! David was so shy that after all these years he still couldn’t get the courage to ask you out." Rosie shook her head, "I don’t think this is the cuddly teddy bear type, not that kind of personality at all."

  Danni resented the implied comment. "You don’t think I can do it, do you?"

  "Now girls," Mom jumped in, "let’s give Danni’s way a try first. If it doesn’t change the behavior pattern for the better we can always do something else."

  "Yeah, I’ll crucify her good."

  "My way first, right?" The blonde looked straight into Rosie’s eyes. It was a look that meant business.

  Slowly the nurse conceded in her posturing. With her eyes closed and her head minutely shaking approval she voiced, "Right."

  "Okay then, it’s over. Danni, you have one month to get some work in on that med student." Karen looked at Rosie. "Agreed?"

  "Agreed. You better work fast, Danni. This special project of yours, she is gonna need a lot of work."

  "Let me worry about that," her tone was reassuring.

  "I bet you brought home strays of all kinds when you were growing up." Karen was chuckling to herself at the thought.

  "Well, mostly birds…kittens…puppies," the small blonde winced at the thought of being busted, "and a turtle once."

  "Well, now you’ll be able to add an ‘amazon’ to that menagerie," the charge nurse laughed. "Now, time to get to work," she said making an effort to shoo them on their way.

  The two co-workers walked over to the nurses’ station and checked the assignment board for their names. As Rosie had predicted, she was assigned the Trauma R.N. position and Danni as her Butt nurse. She looked over at the blonde nurse with a pouting expression on her face.

  "I said I would switch with you," Danni reassured her as she reached up and erased their names only to write them back in the reverse position.

  "Ooh! I’ll name our first kid after you," she said rubbing her hands together.

  "Thanks!" Rosie reached out and gave her co-worker a quick hug.

  "Don’t mention it. You know that you owe me, don’t you?" The blonde shook her head disgustedly, "Now, I have to get report from John." Her face twisted up and a chill went over her body at the thought. "Well, better to get it over with quickly." The blonde looked around trying to find the disgusting man but he was nowhere in sight.

  ***********

  It was another busy day in the emergency room; the hallways were lined with patients on carriages waiting to be transported to various destinations within the medical center. The nurse could hear muffled sounds coming form each doorway she passed on her way to the trauma suites. Years of

  experience gave her an idea of the ailments or injuries of each patient. Subconsciously, her brain began to register and categorize each one.

  Soft rhythmic wheezes…’Room 8: Asthmatic.’

  Dimmed lighting and snoring sounds…’Room 9: Post Ictal Seizure.’

  Bubbly sounding short breathes…’Room 10: Congestive Heart Failure.’

  Soft groans mixed with angered muttering…’Room 10: Orthopedic injury, probably broken.’

  It was the usual gamut of complaints typical for July with its mixture of sunshine and oppressing heat and humidity at times. It was no different than any other year. The only thing that ever seemed to change was the cast of characters, both patients and staff.

  ‘Its like that movie "Ground Hog Day",’ Danni mused, ‘we just keep doing it over and over again until we get it right…until it becomes the perfect day.’

  The young nurse turned at the end of the hall into the trauma area. The area was quiet and had an almost eerie feeling to it. She began to check each room for readiness and also the nurse she was to receive report from, John.

  Danni was thankful that it was not busy in her domain, it meant that she would not have to jump right into the middle of a life or death situation without knowing the whole story. It was her belief that each patient treated was not just an injury but rather a story in itself. In order to heal the wound it was often necessary to reach out to the soul. Her patients always appreciated this effort. It made them feel like they were being treated as a person and not some anatomical practice dummy, who was there only for the benefit of the medical community.

  Leaving the last of the four trauma rooms, the nurse spied John seated in the conference room sitting intently in front of the television that was used for video taped inservices and the reviewing of taped procedures. She could see his moon-pied facial expression, his eyes riveted to the screen and shook her head in disgust. ‘Good gods, he’s got to be watching a porno tape or worse yet, maybe one of his own escapades with some unsuspecting young girl. Ugh!’

  Swallowing hard, she walked into the conference room trying not to look at the screen. "Are you ready to give me report, John?" Her tone was very professional. Seeing that he could not tear his eyes off of the action on the screen, she asked, "Can’t you watch this stuff in the privacy of your own home instead of here?"

  "Yeah! Maybe I can make a copy of this. Thanks for the idea." He looked quickly up at Danni and then right back to the screen. "It will be over in a minute, you just got to see the raw beauty, the magnificent orchestration of the action with only minimal direction. It’s literally poetry in motion."

  Danni rolled her eyes. ‘I don’t want to see this!’ Her mind cringed at the thought. ‘Why did I agree to switch? Rosie, you really owe me big time.’

  Static now filled the room as John hit the rewind button on the controls. He slowly inhaled and allowed the trapped breath to emerge as a long drawn out sigh. He was trying desperately to savor the moment. He closed his eyes, a

  smile appearing on his face. It was as if he was reviewing it all over again on the back of his eyelids.

  "John!"

  "Shhh…!" He drew his finger up to his pursed lips. "Please, it’s not often that there is so perfect a moment."

  "Just what is on that tape?"

  The male nurse opened his eyes. "You want report, right?
"

  "Well, yes!"

  "Then you need to see this video of the first Level One of the new staff year. It’s simply breathtaking." John winked at her, "I know you will enjoy it."

  Danni’s mind raced, trying to figure out what could it possibly be that was so delightful that John would enjoy in this trauma scenario. ‘It was probably a big bosom…no, let’s not go there,’ she immediately halted that train of thought.

  ‘I’ll hate myself for this, but…’ "Okay, show it to me."

  Eagerly he pointed the control to the TV and tapped the play button. The clip of video began to play. The patient was hurriedly wheeled into the room and quickly transferred to the trauma stretcher. A commanding voice was snapping out snippets of phrases, directing the flurry of activity for all those in the room. The action was simultaneous and as John had called it, well orchestrated. Danni’s mind was distracted when she caught the appearance of the tall dark haired figure at the bottom of the screen. It was her ‘amazon.’ She was going to have a lot of work to do with her, she wasn’t even were she should have been stationed around the trauma patient. She made a mental note to go over the correct stations for each rank of medical personnel in the trauma setting with her new project. Before she knew it, the patient was being wheeled briskly out of the room. The tape was finished, static noise again filling the air.

  "Isn’t that voice like a god’s?" he said awestruck. "And that, is what trauma is all about. Yes, sir, I’ll work with that Trauma Fellow Garrett Trivoli any day. I might get to like it even better than sex…well, at least here at work."

  Danni was shocked that she had been wrong about John. He was always so predictable. No one would believe this; she still didn’t herself.

  John got up from his chair and handed the trauma pager over to his relief. "If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get to see a master in action."

  "Yeah, maybe." Danni asked pensively, "Say, John, what does this Trivoli look like?"

  "I don’t really know, everything happened so fast. But that voice, I would know it in my sleep." John turned to leave, "In fact, I think I’d follow it anywhere. Have a good night."

  Danni ejected the tape from the VCR player thinking about her special project for the month. She did not want to belittle the student but she could definitely see the need for some guidance. A little attention now and she might just become a half-decent doctor or surgeon in the future. ‘And if done in the proper manner, maybe even someone that she could think of as a friend.’ The nurse turned off the TV and headed towards the door.

  *************

  The regular emergency room patients kept the staff busy. It was a full house. As quickly as a room emptied out, it was made ready and the next patient was brought in. Since there were no traumas to worry about, Danni and Rosie helped out wherever they could, answering the nurse calls, starting difficult I.V.’s, discharging patients, and assisting with minor procedures. The evening passed quickly. The flood of patients waiting to be seen had dwindled down to only a handful. The hectic pace began to slow down.

  "Hey, Danni, I’m going to freshen up a bit." Rosie was motioning towards the locker room. "I want to look nice when those traumas start rolling in. I’ve got a doctor to impress."

  The blonde nurse shook her head and waved her to go on. "I’m going to double check the rooms."

  It was almost 11P.M., the time when the hot humid air kept people awake and irritable. The cycle of trauma would start to be put in motion. It was inevitable. She could just feel the vibes in the air.

  Danni did a fast run through of all the rooms in the trauma suite, satisfied that they were all ready for the barrage of traumas that would likely come their way. She turned out of the last room at the end of the hall only to see a tall dark haired form emerge from the stairway at the opposite end. The size, the color, the build were all right; it was her ‘amazon’. ‘Perfect!’ she thought. ‘I’ll start teaching her without anyone else around.’ The nurse waited patiently for her student to come within talking distance.

  "Hi, my name is Danni, and I’m the trauma nurse for tonight." She held out her hand in friendship, which was returned with a gentle nod and a skeptically raised brow. The handshake was firm and to the point. The tall woman started to introduce herself, when Danni held up her hand in a halting motion for the woman to stop. The figure complied looking puzzled.

  "Please, no names. I saw the video of the Level One Trauma from this morning, I thought that I might be able to help you feel a little more comfortable when the next trauma comes in." The nurse took the woman’s hand and slowly brought her over to the diagram on the wall. "Here, let me show you the proper placement of the medical personnel in the trauma rooms. Each of these positions has a specific duty to perform without hesitation. In this manner the least amount of time is used to get the most information and procedures done." Danni looked up at the tall woman’s face to make sure that everything she was saying was understood. ‘By the gods, she is beautiful!’ Her mouth was agape.

  The woman watched in amazement at the expression on the nurse’s face. She was taken aback by the friendliness of the young woman, the kindness shown earnestly in her sea green eyes. She had no wish to make the blonde feel embarrassed or uncomfortable, even without McMurray’s directive but she just wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take. McMurray’s directive came running headlong through her mind. Garrett drew in a breath, trying not to sound annoyed. There was just something about those eyes, perhaps it would come to her later. "So what and where am I?"

  "Well, that all depends on what level of training you possess. Every level is important, but some more than others." Danni was in her reassurance mode, "You don’t have to tell me, just go to that spot when the trauma comes in and I’m sure that you will do perfectly fine. Okay?" Her head was nodding in the affirmative manner, hoping for some sign of understanding.

  "Yeah, I think that I can follow that pretty well." Her lopsided grin appeared again as she thought about McMurray’s talk. She just wanted to tell this impertinent little nurse who she was and be done with it. Resigning herself to her delegated state, she added dryly, "Thanks for the help."

  "You’re welcome, anytime," was the eager response. Danni thought momentarily and decided to venture into the near collision episode of earlier that morning. "You know, you really have to be a little more careful when responding to the trauma page. You nearly ran a few of us over." She was trying to make a point without causing the obviously over zealous woman any embarrassment.

  ‘This nurse doesn’t know who I am.’ The woman cleared her throat. It was a stalling technique she had learned long ago to keep her anger in check. "Ah…sorry about that." She hedged a little and then asked, "Nobody was injured, I hope." ‘There, take that. See, McMurray, I can play nice.’

  "No, but you did put the fear of God into Karen, the charge nurse. She was pretty shaken up."

  "Is she here now? I’d like to give her a piece of my…" she stuttered as a visual image of McMurray crossed her mind, "My apology for any scare that I may have caused." The tall woman was trying to sound sincere but to her own ear it wasn’t very convincing.

  "I could point her out to you, she is here now." Danni was surprised. This was going all too well. It seemed just too easy. "Or better yet, let me call her back here instead of out in view of everyone."

  The nurse picked up the phone, punched in a few numbers and announced over the loud speaker system, "Karen, will you please come to Trauma Room One?" She hung up the phone, turning to smile politely at her new friend. "She’ll be back in a moment."

  Karen came quickly down the hall. She was aware that the trauma pagers had not gone off, and she was clueless as to why she was being requested. The older nurse stopped abruptly when she caught sight of the tall, athletic woman that only this morning appeared as a train at full speed coming right for her. ‘How does she do it? She could have the worst patients eating right out of her hand.’ Karen was amazed at how quick Danni could tame any wild
human, even this one. "So Danni, what can I do for you?"

  The young nurse motioned her to come closer. "This nice young lady would like to talk to you about this morning." She looked over at the tall woman only to see her eyebrow raised and contempt seething from her stance. "Go ahead," she encouraged the woman, "I’ll just finish up back here a little later." She then proceeded down the hall to the front of the E.R. with a huge grin splashed across her face.

  There was a moment of silence before the tall woman spoke. "I truly am sorry for doing that this morning. I’m just not familiar with all of the ways to get to the trauma area yet. I know I had to be there quickly. Again, I am sorry."

  "Well, thank you. Apology accepted, I mean since it is your first day and all." The nurse was shocked; this was no ‘amazon’ at all. "So, ah…my name is Karen, but a lot of the staff call me "Mom" and you are?" She offered her hand to the tall woman.