“Your brother sees her as an asset to this floor. She is a good nurse,” King answered.
“Jim may see her that way, but I see her as an ass.”
“Calling her out because she has no respect for a doctor in his late thirties?”
“Isn’t that what it’s all about?” I shook my head. “I need to call up to CICU. They might be a little shocked to see a CCU charge nurse doing a transport.” I laughed at how stupid the woman was, yet she was so damn smart at the same time. King was right, though. The nurses didn’t work for me, but I intentionally gave her an order to see how she would respond. Her response to following my request as if I were her boss only told me she was guilty of screwing the ER Doc last night and didn’t want any further questioning.
Dr. King left with the rest of the nurses who were starting their shifts, and I had to handle the BS of Jackie doing a transport now. I exhaled my frustration as I reached for the phone, sincerely concerned about my patient, who was left on the floor that I’d cleared her to leave.
“Yeah,” I said when the nurse answered, “this is Doctor Mitchell. I have a charge nurse heading up to retrieve Ms. Davis. The patient has been cleared on my orders to be in CCU.”
“A charge nurse?” she asked in confusion.
“Jackie?”
“Got it,” the lady answered. “and yes, we received your orders last night and expected transport hours ago. Jackie declined our transfer, but we’ll sort it out now. I’ll have Ms. Davis ready.”
“Also, along with Jackie, there are also four interns with her. Please ensure that Ms. Davis is informed that I’ll be sure to visit her after-hours today personally.”
“Doctor Mitchell,” the woman said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “It’s Jai,” she chuckled. “You sound pretty upset.”
Jai floated to the SICU?
“Hey, Jai,” I relaxed some. The only woman to have ever tempted me in this place was this brunette with bright green eyes when she was floated to work my floor a couple of times. The poor nurse still didn’t have a job in the hospital yet. I should look into that to help her. “Yeah, I’m a bit upset that my patient was left on that floor. I want her in CCU so she can at least see one family member. Jesus.”
“Jackie was on one last night,” Jai said. “As I said, she refused the transfer. Said it could wait until the next shift. She stated that CCU was full and understaffed last night.”
Goddammit, you old fucking hag.
Jai laughed at my silence, probably well aware that I was internally cursing out the old bat.
My thoughts diverted to Jai’s appearance that matched her contagious laugh. Why? Most likely because my brain was melting down at this point and short-circuiting because I couldn’t throw something. The thought of Jai’s hair color did a brain switch on me right then and there. And now I was thinking about Ash—again. Fuck me, Ash, you will be the death of me! I thought, pissed at the girl who haunted me and turned me into some desperate fool, wishing I’d never lost her. How could I not shake this chick after a solid year already? Goddammit! I had to stay focused and steer clear of thinking about the best sex I’d ever had over a year ago.
“You there?” Jai asked. “Oh, hey, Jackie’s here—and pissed off.” She laughed again. “I’ll make sure we get your patient ready to be transported down. Jackie might have to help if she doesn’t want to be here for an hour, though.”
“The whole point I sent her up. And thank you,” I managed and hung up.
I proceeded through the rooms, checking in on my patients, and ensuring they were recovering well or answering and post-op questions. I slid the curtain back and nodded to the respiratory therapist, who was fighting with Gilbert Jefferson. I smirked at the seventy-year-old whose last words as he was going under anesthesia were, “You’d better not kill me, you son of a bitch!” I looked at the veteran’s Navy tattoo and had nothing but respect for this man. But he was as salty as hell, and I wasn’t surprised he was giving Jenny a hard time over not wanting to do his breathing exercises.
“Doc,” he said in his raspy voice, “tell her to get on out of here.”
I smiled at Jenny, then looked at Gilbert, “If I tell her to leave you alone, then your last words before I put you to sleep might just come true.”
He squinted and grumbled, mustering the most dangerous glare he could at me, “You’re an asshole, Doc.”
“I’ve been called worse,” I countered. “You need to do the breathing exercises, or those strong lungs won’t be able to cuss any of us out anymore. You and I discussed this.”
He waved me off, “You can go.”
“I’m not leaving until you take a few puffs off that machine.” I arched a brow at him.
“Good grief,” he said, looking at Jenny for help.
“Doctor’s orders,” she smiled at him.
“He’s too young to be a doctor anyway,” the old sailor started in with his insults on me.
“Tell that to your heart that’s thanking me for the quadruple bypass.” I looked at Jenny, “Jackie will be down with a new patient, Ms. Davis. I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave until she confirms that Gilbert here is properly doing his breathing work for you.”
I finished with my rounds and called Jackie out and away from the patients and the interns. “If you ever speak to me or call me out in front of patients, nurses, interns, or even the fucking janitor, you will be working another floor. Am I clear?” I should call her ass out on why exactly she refused the transfer after learning we were overstaffed, and Ms. Davis’s room was left empty all night. I didn’t have time for this petty shit. King was right. She was Jim’s problem once I had my forty-eight off.
“That wasn’t my intent, Jake,” she stammered.
“Well, it most definitely made me look like an ass on the first day for these interns. You need to stay in your lane. Don’t treat me like the piece of shit you believe me to be.”
“I have nothing but respect for you, Doctor Mitchell.”
“Yeah,” I shook my head in disgust, “right.”
“You’re the best—”
“Just stop,” I held my hand up. “Consider this our talk that I was going to waste in my office with you today. When I send a patient down to my floor or give orders to move them to another, do your goddamn job. I don’t act like an egotistical dick of a doctor, but I can make sure you’re sent to the floor where one is.”
She sighed, “It won’t happen again. I’m sorry.”
“You have four or five interns to get introduced to the CCU, and it’s probably going to hold you over until noon.”
“Heather is on now as the charge nurse. She can take over.” Her eyes grew severe.
“True,” I said, eying the day-shift charge. “She can do rounds with them, and you can leave after you find a way to apologize to Ms. Davis for not bringing her down. I need to go. My patients are already in the office. I’m stacked in after two surgeries yesterday.”
“Thank you, Jake,” she said and then stormed off to make sure Ms. Davis’s room was ready.