POV Jess
It's 6:17, and I pass Charlotte's car before finding a spot for myself. I'm here a little early so what better idea than to go bother her before our shifts.
I enter through the lobby, get into the elevator, and press the button for the fourth floor. When the doors open I waltz to their nurses' station, Charlotte is head down in her laptop.
"What's up loser?" I tease and she puts her head up to stick her tongue out at me.
The ICU is so much more strict than our floor so sitting at the nurses' station if you don't actually work on the floor is prohibited. She gets up and rounds the corner to meet me on the other side.
"Well…since you're here and asking I was just finishing up some last-minute things for the bachelorette party this weekend." She undoes her hair, shakes it out, and redoes it back up into a loose-fitting bun atop her head.
"Don't you have a maid of honor for that?" I ask biting my lip.
"You'd think," she rolls her eyes. Char's sister Callie is her maid of honor and has done next to nothing to help. Callie is only twenty-one so I guess it's expected that she'd have no interest or knowledge of what a maid of honor's duties are.
Last month some of us girls here at work threw Charlotte a surprise bridal shower, unfortunately it was downstairs in the cafeteria but it was the only way all of us could make an appearance. We try to help in any way that we can but Charlotte is so type A that when she has a vision in mind she has to see it through and usually on her own. God bless Matt, he's in for a lifetime of submission.
"So you were able to switch your night shift to day with Nancy for Saturday right?" Charlotte asks and she already knows the answer because we've talked about it more than once.
"Yes Char," I monotonically answer. My plan to bother Charlotte has failed because she's the one bothering me.
"I was also working on seating arrangements for the wedding and I'm trying to figure out where to put Nicole and Dylan. Do you remember my cousin Millie? The one from California? She's coming with her fiancé Xavier so I figured I'd put them all together along with my two other cousins." Charlotte explains. I met Millie and Xavier only a few times, Millie was nice and Xavier was scary like he was always on guard whenever Millie even went to the bathroom. Weird couple but to each its own I guess.
"That'll work," I confirm.
"Cool so just remember nine o'clock Saturday we're all meeting at Sarajevo nightclub, take an Uber so you don't have any excuses to not drink," she winks and already has a phantom hangover arising from the thought.
"Oh and guess who RSVPed today?" she waggles her eyebrows.
"Who?" I ask uninterested.
"Roman," she states with a wide smile.
Roman had mentioned previously that there was a slim chance he'd be able to go to the wedding because it was the same weekend his family was getting together in Tacoma for an early Thanksgiving. My nerves are expeditiously heightened with the revelation that Roman will be at Charlotte's wedding now.
I snap back into reality when Charlotte starts talking again, "You okay girl?"
"Does he have a plus one?" I ask eagerly without shame.
She shakes her head, "he only responded for himself."
The smile that spreads across my face is apparent. Maybe this can be the start of something a whole lot more.
…
Twenty-five minutes later and my shift has officially started. I haven't seen Roman as yet, he got caught in a meeting so the other girls and I had our shift change meeting without him. I feel that the next time I lay eyes on him I will be so obviously nervous around him. I know Roman doesn't have a girlfriend but on the flip side, I also don't know he's even into me.
Ellanor was discharged this morning and will continue on the rest of her life in hospice care hopefully in minimal pain and living life to the absolute fullest. Unfortunately and fortunately I don't have a doubt in my mind that I'll see Ellanor again soon. This far advance with cancer usually warrants many hospital visits that a hospice nurse can't accommodate per se.
Unfortunately tonight I cannot avoid Cole. On top of that mess, I have yet another fentanyl overdose patient and post op for a broken tibia. What's with all these broken legs lately? As of yet my patient with the broken tibia, Lydia, a forty-six-year-old female with no serious prior medical history and is expected to be here for a couple of days as long as no complications arise. I try to put off going into Cole's room for as long as possible because I'm embarrassed about trauma dumping last night.
I manage to avoid room 312 until nine o'clock because he needed the antibiotic, no getting out of that one. I still haven't come across Roman yet but he is expected to see Cole at some point to take a look at the infection on his leg whether it's getting better or worse.
I hold my breath and psych myself up for this. I'm about to knock on the door when I feel my phone buzz in my pants pocket. I take any opportunity to delay this encounter so I pull it out to read the text.
Mom: Jessica, I talked to dad and we would be more than happy to pay for your schooling and well, financially support you while you're there. We have done so much for you it's the least you can do for this family.
Is she fucking with me right now?! How dare she throw that in my face again. I am unable to be my own person. I was forced into this line of work because of their guilt tripping, I will not fall victim to their manipulative tactics ever again. If that means cutting them off then so fucking be it.