“Z McCartney Pleads “No Contest” to Indecent Exposure Charges!”
~The Inquisitor~
Chapter Three
Aubrey
“Ow! Dammit!” Tears welled in my eyes as I popped my thumb in my mouth, sucking on it briefly before removing and examining it. There was a nasty blood blister forming and the pressure under the nail was incredible.
Glancing at my watch, I realized I was going to be late for the morning staff meeting, but the pain was so bad I couldn’t help my tears.
“Aubrey? Are you okay?” Doctor Wilson’s voice interrupted my painful musings and I glanced over to where the older gentleman was crossing the employee parking lot, concern written on his features.
“I’ll be fine,” I managed to mutter through gritted teeth. “I smashed my thumb in the car door.” The throbbing was reaching excruciating levels now.
“Let me check it,” he said, coming and taking my hand without hesitation, and even that simple gesture made the pain increase. “Oh, that doesn’t look good at all. Why don’t you come to my office with me and we will see about removing the pressure for you.”
“I’ll be fine,” I lied, squaring my shoulders and attempting to suck it up. “I’m already running late. Traffic on the 405 was hell this morning, and I need to get to the morning staff meeting.” Shifting my bag higher onto my shoulder, I moved toward the sidewalk that led to the employee entrance at Sunnybrook Haven.
“I’ll vouch for you. I’m late because I was stuck on the 405 as well. Please let me help your finger. You’ll feel much better if we can relieve the pressure for you. I’m sure we can both get a quick briefing from someone who was at the meeting later.”
I wasn’t about to argue. Though I wasn’t fond of having a needle stuck through my nail to relieve said pressure, I was more than willing to have it done. The pain was now at an epic throbbing level.
“Thank you. I appreciate your help. It hurts a lot.”
“I’ll get you an over the counter pain reliever, too. Hopefully that will help ease it some for your shift.”
“Thank you,” I said, again, completely grateful. It wasn’t easy to take over the counter medication at this job.
Being an employee of an addiction recovery service, staff members were not allowed to bring outside medications into the facility, unless they were personal prescriptions. Even then, those medications had to be locked in a special cabinet while we were at work, and any opening of the cabinet had to be supervised. The managers of Sunnybrook Haven went to every precaution to make sure patients staying here were never compromised, or able to receive drugs, illegal or not, from any outside source. As a result, I’d gotten in the habit of never carrying pain relievers around with me. It was easier that way.
Dr. Wilson opened the door for me.
“Thanks,” I said softly, stepping inside and being immediately greeted by the security guard, Skip.
Smiling, he stepped forward, holding out his hand. “Good morning, Miss Aubrey,” he said as I gave him my belongings. “How are you today?”
Sighing, I patted my hair, making sure my ponytail was still straight, while I watched him empty the contents of my purse onto the long table in front of him and checked through them. “Honestly, I’ve had better mornings. It seems everything that could go wrong today, has.”
“Well, I hope you’ll have a better day, now that you’re here.” Taking his arm, he swiped my items to the side of the table. “You’re free to go through. Dr. Wilson,” he said, turning to greet the doctor with a smile as he took his briefcase.
“If you’re free for lunch later, maybe we can eat together again today,” I suggested, quickly scooping my personal items back into my bag without any order.
Glancing up at the handsome, slightly overweight man, I couldn’t help smiling. His amazing positive personality always cheered me up. Plus, I loved staring at his bright white smile that was dazzling against his very dark, mocha colored skin. The two of us had formed a fast friendship, bonding over similar interests, like gardening, and we enjoyed visiting with one another whenever the chance arose. His wife was wonderful, too, and they’d even had me over for dinner on a couple occasions.
“I’m down for that. Just let me know when you go on break.”
“Okay, I’ll call you on the house line.”
“Great. See you later. Hope your day is better.”
“Thanks. I need it.” I was blinking back tears now; the throbbing in my thumb had increased drastically. What the hell was going on in there?
Patiently, I waited for Dr. Wilson to be cleared and then waved at Skip as he buzzed us through the door.
Working at Sunnybrook was a dream come true for me. I’d had the opportunity to do some of my clinical hours at this facility while I was getting my degree. I’d fallen in love with the people who worked here, and apparently they liked me as well, because as soon as I graduated, they offered me a job. I’d worked here ever since.
It was a fulfilling thing for me. In a way, it seemed as if I was giving back to the world and helping it to become a better place. Patient confidentiality was a number one priority, especially since we often had celebrities who didn’t want the general public to know they were here. As a result, I sometimes felt sad when my patients left, because I knew there was a good chance I’d never see them again. But I still felt the positives of the job way outweighed the negatives. Over the years I’d received several pay raises, so it was a very good income. I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.
Opening the door to his office, Dr. Wilson rushed inside and placed his briefcase on his desk. “Have a seat and let me run and get some supplies real quick. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay. Thanks.” I slid into the chair in front of his desk, normally used by patients or family members who were there to see him, since he was one of the facility's therapists.
Barely two minutes passed before he returned. “All right. Let’s get this taken care of.”
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” I teased, feeling my nerves get the better of me. “Maybe you can talk the blood blister out.”
Chuckling, he smiled. “Have no fear. I was a regular MD before I decided to go into therapy. I promise I won’t destroy your digit.”
I snickered at his choice of words. True, I wasn’t eager for him to do this, but I trusted him. There was just something about the silver haired man that made me want to tell all to him. I guess his switch into the therapy field was a good choice.
“Okay, depending on whether or not you are squeamish, you may want to look away.”
I wasn’t squeamish, normally, but since it was my own hand being treated this time, I looked away anyway.
“Take a deep breath and relax,” he coached and I tried to do what he asked. “Here we go.”
I couldn’t help the loud wince that escaped me, which was immediately followed by a sigh of relief. Glancing back at my thumb, I was surprised by how much blood was welling out of the small hole, and dismayed to notice it seemed to have had enough force behind it that it had shot up on the doctor’s sleeve.
“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry about your shirt. I can buy you a new one.”
“Nonsense. It’s fine. I keep an extra set of clothes here in case I ever need to change for any reason. Plus, I can also round up some scrubs. It’s all good.”
“Well, I’m happy to do it. You’ve been such a help to me.”
“Give me a ring when you and Skip have lunch and we’ll call it even.” He winked at me as he finished placing a nice Band-Aid around my finger. “There you go. You’re all set. If you need any more pain medicine just give me a holler.” He slipped a small foil package in my hand with ibuprofen in it. “This should help the inflammation. Let me grab you some water.”
I felt bad, watching as he hurried to the water cooler and filled a small cup, bringing it back to me. “Thank you. You don’t have to wait on me,” I said with a laugh. “I’m sure you have better things to do.”
“What can be better than helping out the sweetest nurse on the planet?” He smiled again as I opened the packet and downed the meds.
“I doubt you’d find me sweet if you’d been with me on the 405 this morning,” I said when I’d finished. “I’m pretty sure my mom would’ve washed my mouth out with soap if she’d heard me.”
Laughing heartily, he nodded. “Anyone who drives that road on a regular basis probably has the same vocabulary you do. It’s a nightmare.”
“I agree.” I glanced at my watch again. “Damn. It’s already time to start my rounds. I better get going.”
“Good luck! I hope you have a better day. Don’t forget to call me for lunch.” He held the door open for me.
“I will. Have a good morning.”
Rushing down the hall, I hurried into the women’s locker room, finding it empty. Quickly, I threw my items into my locker, grabbed my stethoscope, and slipped it around my neck before punching in my time card. Making my way back out, I practically ran to the staffing office, bursting through the doorway.
“I’m so sorry I’m late, Angie. It’s been a killer morning. I slammed my thumb in the car door when I got here and Dr. Wilson had to help me with it.” I held up my injured hand as proof.
“No worries. I just barely passed out charts in the staffing meeting. You aren’t that late. Here’s your charts for the day, and you have a new patient on your list, too.”
Quickly, I scanned the names she’d given me, noting that a John Carpenter had been added at the bottom in room twelve. “I see he’s an inpatient who needs medication doses this morning. I guess I’ll start with him first, since he will be the one who probably needs me the most.”
“You should know that—”
“Aubrey! Oh good, you’re here.” Another nurse, and good friend, Chelle, stuck her head in the door. “I need to ask you a question about your patient that was shifted to my roster last week.”
“Okay,” I said, quickly waving at Angie as I exited the room. “Thanks for you help. See you later!”
“Have a good day,” she called after me as I made my way out into the corridor.
“I’m on my way to the pharmacy,” I told Chelle. “Wanna walk with me?”
“Perfect. That’s where I need to go, as well.”
“What’s your question?”
“Nothing too big. I just noticed you never signed off on the transfer papers for Melinda Barker when I took over her care after you had to leave early last week.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I swear I’ve been so scatterbrained lately. Do you have the paperwork with you right now? I can sign it.”
“Yeah.” She handed me her clipboard and shuffled a few things, pointing to the line I needed to sign. Checking to make sure it was the right document, I quickly penned my name, followed by my RN title and employee ID number, and handed it back. “Thanks a bunch.”
“Sorry. Next time just smack me upside the head.”
“Whatever. I think with all the crazy going on in your life lately, I can look past you being scatterbrained. It happens to the best of us.”
“Well, I’ve had enough surprises in my life of late. I’m ready to buckle down and get back to normal . . . whatever that is.” I laughed and she joined me.
“How can I help you pretty ladies this morning?” Mitch, the pharmacist, said as we approached his window, and the two of us slid our medication orders to him under the Plexiglas protection.
“Same old stuff, I’m afraid,” Chelle said, tossing her long, blonde ponytail over her shoulder.
“Well, seeing your faces is a pleasure at least.” He gave a quick smile and disappeared into the rows of shelves behind him.
“So how’d your date with Colton go this weekend?” I asked, making small talk while the meds we needed were filled. Basically, my love life and desires were all lived vicariously through Chelle. I lived to hear about the dates she went on because often times her stories were hilarious.
A dreamy look settled across her features, and she sighed. “It was incredible. Want to hear about it over lunch?”
“I’d love to, but I promised to eat with Skip and Dr. Wilson.”
She waved a hand, nonchalantly. “They can hear about it, too. I swear the man is a stallion. I can’t wait to fill you in.”
A stallion. “It must be nice,” I replied, my thoughts absently drifting to my own sex life—or rather lack of one. “I’m officially listed as celibate. I just can’t seem to find the right guy.” That was putting it mildly. My dating life was a mess. Truth be told, I was ready to swear off dating completely. The only good guys out there were already taken and the rest were pure scum.
“Keep the faith, girlfriend. You never know when Mr. Right is going to be standing around the next corner. I know he’s out there. You’re too good to pass up.”
Laughing, I shook my head and peeked around the corner. “Nope, he’s not there.” Sighing, I shrugged.
“Maybe it will be the next one,” she teased.
“I hope so. I need a man in a big way. I have parts that are drying up and shriveling to nothingness.”
She snorted. “Whatever. You’re a catch and if a guy can’t see that, then he’s too dumb to live. You’re smart, and you look like a walking supermodel.”
“Ha, ha, ha!” I enunciated, trying to resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Maybe I should just start dating you,” I joked back.
“We’d be too explosive,” she replied without missing a beat. “Besides, I don’t swing that way. I need certain appendages to be long, hard, and stiff.”
I snorted. Chelle wasn’t ever afraid to say what she was thinking. I found it kind of refreshing. Everyone knew exactly where they stood with her. There was never any second-guessing or weird drama with her. It was nice.
Mitch returned to the window at that moment, sliding my meds along with the orders to me on a tray. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” I lifted the tray and glanced at Chelle. “Unfortunately, no one seems to swing my way.”
“I do,” Mitch promptly added with a grin.
Smiling back at him, I shook my head at the short, balding man. “I wouldn’t be able to handle you, Mitch. You’re too much man for me.” I winked and he flushed, clearly pleased with the boost to his ego. “See you both later,” I added and hurried off to start my rounds.