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The Reluctant Savior. Krystan
Читать онлайн.Название The Reluctant Savior
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781646542048
Автор произведения Krystan
Жанр Религия: прочее
Издательство Ingram
Gin felt a little guilty with her response. “Piece o’ cake up here, Tom. Sorry you had a bad night. Go ahead and send Mr. Kingsley up. I’m sure he’ll be my patient—I only have two others at the moment. Wouldn’t have a job without you, brother. Go home and get some sleep!”
“Yeah, right. It’s summer, kids are outa school, and Mary’s job starts at nine. Not much rest for this guy!”
“Well, don’t end up like Mr. Kingsley,” Gin cautioned. “Aren’t they old enough for some summer activities?”
“Yeah, Vacation Bible School at the church starts next week. Can’t wait for that! Anyway, he’ll be comin’ up shortly, darlin’. Gotta hit the freeway before the traffic gets any worse!”
“Ok, Tom, thanks,” Gin replied, thinking to herself, Wow, that would really be a bitch—havin’ to work all night and then struggle with traffic just to get to bed. Sure glad I can walk to work!
Since she graduated from OHSU nursing school a couple of years ago now, Gin had decided to hang around Pill Hill, as the medical complex was laughingly referred to there in Portland. She loved the Marquam Hill area, actually, and often went for hikes in the Marquam Nature Preserve, just down the street from her apartment. There were great views from the hill there, looking down at Portland and farther east to the airport and Mt. Hood. Portland was a fun, exciting city—an alternative city, really, where the norm was not the norm, so to speak. Liberal thinkers, punk rockers, cutting-edge science—you could find it all in Portland! She had stayed on in the OHSU hospital system because she loved research, and there were always professors and students of one type or another hanging around the hospital there. And best of all, of course, were all those cute young doctors, one of whom she secretly hoped to snag before too long. She always had her eye out for a good prospect, but so far none had materialized. It seemed like ages since she had a serious relationship—no time in school, and then the stress of a new job. She had settled in now, though, and hopes of storybook hospital romance lingered in the back of her mind.
Not for long, though, as the sound of the elevator doors opening quickly brought her back to her floor and the tasks of the day. “I got Mista Kingsley heah,” the young African American orderly announced as the doors closed. “Which one o’ y’all gonna hep me wid’ ’em—get ’em to ’is room an’ all?”
“Hey, Marcus,” Gin replied, “Mr. Kingsley’ll be my patient. I already got the report from Tom. Just leave the paperwork here at the desk, and I’ll show you to his room—that’ll be 211, I think.”
“Thanks, Ms. Ginny,” Marcus replied. He had only worked there for about four months now, but already Virginia Morrison was his favorite nurse. He always looked forward to visiting her floor just to see her long red hair, cute green eyes, and cheerful smile. “How you doin’ this mornin’?” he asked with a big grin himself.
“Why, much better since I’ve seen you, Marcus!” Gin playfully teased. “You gonna help me get him to his room?”
“Sho am, Ms. Ginny. You jus’ lead on, an’ I’ll be right behind you.” And right behind her was definitely a place Marcus liked to be. For a white girl, she had one fine booty, and he enjoyed watching her hips sway back and forth as she walked down the hall. Got a nice balance on top too, he thought to himself as Gin turned her shoulder back to speak, giving him an enticing view of her profile.
“How’ve you been, Marcus? Haven’t seen much of you around here lately.”
“Well, Ms. Ginny, I been around. ER keeps me goin’ all ova da place, so I doesn’t get up to yo’ flo’ all that much. Always good to see you, tho’!”
“You, too, Marcus,” she grinned. “Ok, let’s get Mr. Kingsley off the gurney and into his bed.” With that, Gin turned to her new patient and announced, “Mr. Kingsley, I’m Virginia Morrison. I’ll be your primary nurse while you’re here on the telemetry floor. That means I’ll be planning and organizing your care while you’re here, and personally caring for you on the day shift when I am on duty.” As Mr. Kingsley slipped off the stretcher and onto his bed, Gin thanked Marcus and continued, “I understand that you have had several bouts of this chest discomfort recently and your physician has admitted you to run some additional tests just to be sure that it isn’t something serious. Is that correct?”
“Yeah, I guess I worried him a bit. Myself, too, for that matter. Several mornings in the past few weeks, I’ve woken up with a strange feeling in my chest. Not pain, really, just not normal. More like a fluttering—like my heart isn’t beating normally. This morning was more so than usual, so my wife brought me in, and here I am. I really can’t afford to lose the time at work. I need to get outa here.”
“Well, I can certainly understand that,” Gin agreed sympathetically. “I wouldn’t be here either if I didn’t work here,” she smiled. “Anyway, I’m just going to attach these leads to your chest so that we can watch the electrical activity of your heart while you’re here. There’s a little pack sort of thing you can wear around your neck that will also record your heart’s activity on a flash drive for your doctor to review later on. Bottom line, we’ll all be keeping a close watch on your heart while you’re here. I’m sure there will also be quite a few other tests that will be done as well. Any questions at the moment?”
“No, not really. I just want to get outa here as soon as possible. I’ve got a big project at work that really needs my full attention.”
“I understand,” Gin concurred. “I’ll be back in shortly to do a nursing history and assessment so that I can best plan your care while you’re here. In the meantime, here’s a call button, which will alert us if you need anything. You can be up and around in your room if you like, and the bath is just behind me. There’s a TV if you’re interested, or there’s Wi-Fi available if you need to do some computer work. I’ll be back soon,” she reassured him as she left the room.
As she opened the door, Gin almost collided with a small herd of what she assumed must be medical students. Their instructor, Dr. Friedman, was filling them in on the telemetry unit, its capabilities, and how it interfaced with both higher and lower levels of care. Upon seeing Gin, he paused for a brief introduction. “And, ladies and gentlemen, this attractive young lady who almost ran into me is Virginia Morrison, who I believe is now the 7–3 charge nurse on this unit. Isn’t that correct, Ms. Morrison?” he queried, looking over at Gin.
“Yes, sir, as of last week,” Gin smiled, “and a warm welcome to all of you!” she quickly added, looking out over the group.
“Students, I’ll just tell you now—if you need anything while you’re here, this is the young lady you’ll want to find. Ms. Morrison knows everything about this unit and all the patients on it, so I’m sure she will be happy to be a resource for you while you’re here.”
“Thank you, Dr. Friedman,” Gin beamed. “I’ve been here for two years,” she added, “and probably learned a few things during that time. Just make yourselves at home, and I’ll be happy to assist you in any way that I can.”
With that, she started to move out of their midst and back toward the nursing station. In doing so, however, she couldn’t help but notice a tall figure at the back of the group, probably at least a head taller than the rest. He was slim, with piercing brown eyes, long black hair, a black mustache, and darkly tanned skin. Wow! Gin thought to herself. That guy is the spitting image of Yanni! (who just happened to be one of her favorite pianists and recording artists.) Unbelievable, and right on my floor too! This is my lucky day! she thought, moving through the group toward him. As she looked up, her eyes locked onto his for a brief moment, but long enough for goose bumps to appear on her arms. “Hello,” she said, almost instinctively, before she had a chance to recover. In another two seconds she knew the encounter would be over,