She grunts. “You mean the guy you were telling me about with the shitty personality?”
“Yeah, that’s him, but his personality disorder might have been just a rumor because I met him this morning. He was actually a family member of the couple in the elevator, and he seemed so thrilled with how I handled myself that he asked me to be on his services for a little while.”
“Wow, Autumn, that’s incredible,” she says as I turn around and shut off the shower.
“Yeah, I’m really excited,” I say, reaching for my towel and drying off as quickly as I can. “I feel like this is going to be a great thing. I mean, what better way to start this training program? Dr. Mayson is seriously the best the state has to offer.”
Grabbing my phone off the little ledge, I dump my towel into the hamper and find a new pair of scrubs before quickly getting dressed. “That’s amazing news. Why don’t you come over tonight after your shift? We could have dinner and a movie to celebrate. I’m sure Tiger would love to hear all about it,” she says, referring to her seven-year-old daughter, Aalia, who is more intrigued with babies and birth than any kid should have the right to be.
“Sounds great, but I’ll have to let you know. I have a feeling today is going to be exhausting.”
“Okay, sure. Just text me when you can.”
“Alright, girl. I have to run. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure thing,” she says and just like that, she ends the call and I get back to racing through my after-shower procedure. My long hair is twisted up into a bun and my scrubs are pulled down into place. I slip my shoes back on, and in the space of three minutes, I’ve showered, dressed, and calmed the fuck down.
I have no idea which locker is available for me, so I shove my bag under the bench and try my best to keep it hidden before racing out the door in search of my supervisor. I have no idea who I’m looking for. Her name was scrawled over my paperwork in ten different places just so I wouldn’t forget it, but here we are.
I’m sure she’s going to be pissed. She would have had a whole induction prepared for all the new students starting today and I completely missed it. Great. Though maybe once she hears about my morning, it’ll be alright.
I hurry through the maternity ward and come to a screeching halt when I finally find the nurses' station. There’s an older, greying woman standing behind the desk who looks as though she’s just suffered through a painful double shift and wants nothing more but to take her frustrations out on me. “Umm, hi,” I say, trying to come across as extremely likable so she doesn’t take my head off. “It’s my first day here. I’m Autumn, one of the students in the midwifery program. I’m just wondering if you could help me pinpoint my supervisor. I’m sorry, I can’t quite recall her name.”
Her glare seems to harden and has me shrinking back, wishing I could run. “Your supervisor’s name is Patricia Langham, and she is me. You’re over an hour late for your shift. This is not a good start to your training, Autumn.”
Oh, fuck.
My eyes widen, and I’m sure that she sees the horror written all over my face. “I’m sorry, I was actually here right on time, if not a little bit early. But when I got here, there was a pregnant woman who I was helping to get up here. Then the power went out on the elevator and I had to deliver the baby while Dr. Mayson talked me through it. It’s been a crazy morning.”
Her eyes narrow as she walks around the front of her desk, leaning against it and crossing her arms over her chest. “So, you’re the student who got stuck in the elevator? You’ve been here less than two hours and already have stories circling about you.”
“I … shit. Really?”
She nods. “Let’s get one thing straight. I run a tight ship around here. There’s a reason we have the best maternity ward in the state. I do not tolerate tardiness, and I certainly do not tolerate drama, and you, Autumn Mathers have drama written all over you.”
I shake my head. “I swear, I’m anything but drama. You can count on me.”
“You broke countless health and safety rules this morning. I should have you fired on the spot.”
My eyes bug out of my head, horror taking over me. “Excuse me? What do you mean?” I panic, going back over every little thing that happened this morning and coming up blank. “I did the very best I could in a difficult situation. You can hardly punish me for that.”
“I can and I will. Your actions this morning put one of our patients in danger. Did you use gloves?”
“I … well, no. I had none on me. I hadn’t started my shift yet.”
“Then you sanitized first?”
I shake my head, dread sinking into my stomach. “I had none in my bag. I … I didn’t even think about that. The baby was already coming. It was either catch it or let it fall to the ground. I did what I had to do in a horrible situation.”
Patricia studies me for a moment before turning back to her desk and rifling through some papers. She grabs a thick stack before shoving them into my hands. “I expect a full, detailed report of this morning’s incident on my desk by lunchtime. I’m going to be hearing about this from my superiors for weeks to come, and I swear, you better prove your worth and show me that you deserve to be here. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to show you the door.”
I nod, holding the papers close to my chest as I feel doom creeping up on me. “I promise. I’ll be the best midwife you’ve ever seen. I swear you won’t have any trouble with me from now on. I’ll have these papers back on your desk in no time.”
Her eyes narrow, not trusting my word one bit. “Right,” she says. “Now, you’ve missed your orientation. The rest of the students have already been broken up and given their assignments for the day.”
“Oh, Dr. Mayson has already requested that I be on his service.”
Her eyes somehow narrow further. “He has, has he?” I nod and a suspicious smirk pulls at her lips. “I guess I won’t need to find a punishment for you after all. It seems that’s already been taken care of.”
“I’m sorry?” I ask, confusion bubbling inside of me. “Dr. Mayson seemed very impressed with my efforts. I understood it as a reward for delivering the baby safely.”
Patricia chokes back a laugh, the amusement in her eyes nearly insulting, but I get the impression that she’s laughing at the situation, not at my idiocy. “Oh, honey. You have a lot to learn about the doctors of this hospital, and I suggest you learn it fast.”
Just great.
I let out a heavy sigh and go to leave before stopping myself. “Do you know where I can find him?”
“He should be just down the hall in one of the birthing suites. Either room four or five.”
I nod, pressing my lips together and starting to doubt myself about everything that went down this morning. “Thanks.”
Patricia gives me a tight smile. “Be sure to check in with me regularly, and if you’re unsure of something, always, always check with me first. We are not in the habit of making errors around here, especially when we are dealing with tiny humans. Is that understood?”