“Yes, ma’am.” Gripping her jacket tighter, she tried to keep her tone without revealing her nervousness. Eight more hours and her sentence would be complete—unless Miranda decided to dock her some time. She wouldn’t do that, would she?
“You’re going to be dealing with the brute in five-ten. He’s in a mood this morning.”
Oh, joy. The brute in five-ten arrived at the hospital in bad shape, then lapsed into a coma. When he woke, in a bear of a mood, he actually growled at the nurses. Colby almost liked the bastard, since he at least didn’t whine. Course, he hadn’t thrown a tray of food at her. “I’ll run across the street to the burger joint on my break.” She’d found the key to keeping him cooperative—super-sized double cheeseburgers.
“You don’t have to do that,” Miranda said, her distracted tone didn’t offer any confidence. “Though I won’t complain if you do. For some reason, he really likes you.”
“No, just really likes burgers.” She’d discovered his preference rather by accident. She hated hospital food, so a year of eating in the cafeteria had given her a whole new respect for ramen noodles. Once, during a late shift, she’d stopped to get a couple of burgers for herself. Five-ten had been assigned to their floor—two broken legs and a bad concussion. According to his chart, he’d been in a coma, but when he woke they moved him upstairs. Personally, Colby thought the move had more to do with his sour disposition than his actual physical health. “And I don’t mind. Every time I’ve brought him burgers this week, he’s been much more cooperative.”
Miranda gave her a considering look. “Then run across and get them now, before you start your shift. That way you can beard the beast in his den. He thought you were on the night shift, and had no idea it was your day off yesterday. He’s been impossible.”
“It’s not my break.”
“Honey, you don’t have to waste your break on him. Just go get them and come back, then start on the rooms. You’ve got two to clean, and five-ten, and if you could take care of five-twelve, five-fourteen and five-sixteen after you feed him. Then come back here and go over the exit interview with me.”
That was it? Hope kindled inside of her. “I can do the other rooms, too.” She actually liked the patients. It was the only part of her community service she did like. Helping people was kind of cool.
After initialing the date, Miranda smiled. Her expression, so utterly rare and inconsistent with her bossy attitude, floored Colby. “We have a new girl starting today.” She nodded down the hall and Colby twisted to look. A slender waif-like girl with long stringy blonde hair pulled into a nappy looking ponytail grunted as she carried a laundry sack out of one room. Her sullen expression coupled with hostile eyes combined to radiate don’t fuck with me.
“Wow.”
“Oh, she’s got spunk, that one. She reminds me of another handful that was assigned to St. Martha’s a year ago.” The tender, almost nostalgic tone pulled Colby around to stare at the charge nurse. “You’ve really come into your own, Colby, and if you ever decide to complete your RN training, I’ll write you a recommendation.”
Her mouth opened then snapped closed again. How did she respond to that?
“Enough socializing. You have burgers to fetch and work to do.” Miranda thrust the timecard at her. “I’m looking forward to signing and dating it for the last time this afternoon. Don’t worry, I already filed the paperwork with the court. You’ll be free to go when your shift is over.”
Free to go.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked them rapidly. “Thanks. I’ll go get those burgers.” She stuffed the card back into her purse then tugged her jacket on. At the elevator, she paused and glanced back to the nurse’s station, but Miranda had already gone.
The cramp in her gut was back, and her nerves fluttered. She’d been counting down the days forever, or so it seemed. So why was she all of a sudden worried about it being her last day?
Maybe because I have no idea where I’ll be tomorrow…
Twenty minutes later, she returned to the floor with a bag of burgers, fries and even a vanilla shake in hand. Well, one vanilla and one strawberry, because she could drink either and she’d give five-ten the other. At room five-ten, she juggled the tray of shakes with the bag of burgers to raise her hand to knock. Her community service made her a nursing assistant for a year and, while she’d attended nursing school, she’d never completed her degree or licensing. So, she knocked before she entered—she had no desire to see anyone naked and she was pretty sure they didn’t want her to see them that way either.