Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
He shrugged. “Guess so. They barely touch the pain most days.” He waved off my concern, tuning me out now that he knew for certain I wasn’t the one who could get his dose increased. Or guarantee Dr. Martinez would keep him on the same medicine at all.
That’s pretty much how the rest of the morning went. I tried to always be respectful of the prisoners, addressing them by their last names, being courteous without being friendly. No matter how sweet the little old men were, or how charming some of the younger men were, they were predators. Every one of them. They weren’t my friends and didn’t want to be, except where it benefited them. There was a reason the inmates were never allowed outside their cells or general population areas without a minimum of two guards. Some of them, depending on how far they were being moved, required four guards. I’d seen more than one staff member let their guard down at the wrong moment and it never ended well.
It didn’t take the day long to get busy. My height made some inmates think they could intimidate me, but I’d learned to ignore their remarks and never get in their personal space unless they were restrained. My only goal was to make it out of this place in one piece. Every. Single. Day.
I’d thought about quitting more than once, but despite the obvious issues I actually loved my job. Corny as it sounded, I became a nurse to make a difference in people’s lives. I wished I could say I chose the population I thought was the most underserved or that no one wanted to serve, but the fact was, I had student loan debt and a federal job paid damned good, and the benefits were top of the line. While I doubted I’d make it the twenty years I’d need to retire, the job had grown on me.
I leaned against a counter, stretching my tight muscles in an effort to work out the stiffness. There was a mountain of work left yet, but it was time for a break.
“You okay?” Dr. Martinez asked, concern etching her features.
I nodded, straightening. “Just tired. Nothing a cup of coffee and a hot lunch won’t fix.”
“I hear you there.” She squeezed my shoulder as she passed. “Want me to bring you a burger from the café?”
“God, yes.” I laughed as I pulled out a couple of bills from my name badge holder.
Dr. Martinez stayed my hand. “Nope. I’ve got it. You paid last time and I’m not a freeloader.” We shared a laugh as she walked out the door and I went to my desk to work on my charting.
My computer dinged with a new email. As expected, it was the new transfer list. One thing I could say about management here was they ran the place like a well-oiled machine. Considering the innate chaos of the place, I thought it was commendable and likely the result of sheer stubbornness.
I liked to look over the files before we saw the new inmates so I knew what kinds of unique medical issues to expect. There were always the usual things -- congestive heart failure, diabetes, hypertension -- but occasionally I’d run into something like sickle cell anemia or different types of cancer.
“Anything interesting?” I turned as Dr. Martinez entered with our meal. She nodded at my computer. “It’s time for the incoming inmate list. Right?”
“Yes.” I grinned as I stood, taking my food from her and handing her a drink from the mini fridge on my desk. “I just pulled it up. Haven’t had a chance to look yet. Thought I’d try to catch up while I ate.”
“Good idea. Give me the rundown when you’re done, if you don’t mind. I’m not sure I’m up to studying today.”
“You still having a rough time of it?”
Dr. Martinez rubbed her slightly protruding belly. The baby bump had become more prominent the last couple of months. “It’s not so bad. I’m forty-two years old. I didn’t expect having my first child at this age was going to be easy.”
“Go sit in your office for a while. I’ll get you if you’re needed. Take a long lunch.”
“I really want to tell you I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be fine. Instead, I’m simply going to say a grateful thank-you, and really hope your offer wasn’t just lip service.”
I reached for the other woman and gave her a quick hug. “Not lip service. Go take care of little Didi.”
“I’m not calling my kid Didi, Nadine.”
I shrugged. “I mean, you could just call her Nadine. I can keep it simple.”
Dr. Martinez snorted with laughter. “Yeah. Just for that, I might take two lunches.” She closed the door to her office and I went back to work still smiling. Fine. Time to get this over with.