AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He was abandoned. No one knows why. He was found dirty on the edge of the street and brought into our facility. Sadly, most places would have probably taken him to the pound, and his outcome would have been far less positive, but we at Hope want to give life to all breathing animals, and we just couldn’t let anything happen to him.”
“He’s darling,” Jo cooed. At that point, she had forgotten that May was standing behind her until she heard May take a deep breath. Jo looked over her shoulder to a disapproving May. “Isn’t he so sweet?”
May smiled slightly, then knelt down next to Jo. May reached out, and Maverick licked her hand. “I must admit, he has a face that’s hard to say no to.”
“Are you a couple?” Cassidy asked.
“What?” May squealed. “Um, no. Just simply a friend that’s helping her friend. That’s all.”
Cassidy nodded. “Just was wondering if you would be adopting together.”
“No,” Jo stood up. “I’ll be adopting him solo.”
Cassidy’s eyes lit up. “So, you’re taking him?”
Jo couldn’t resist him now. In the five minutes that she spent standing at the edge of his pen, she knew that Maverick was the dog for her. “I don’t have any supplies, so I’ll have to run and get some. Will you hold him for me?”
“Absolutely!” Cassidy wrote down her information, and Jo hurried away to grab the supplies she would need.
“You’re sure?” May asked as they drove to the closest pet store.
“I’ve never been more certain. Maverick is my dog. I can just sense it in my being.”
May didn’t say another word in objection. They went to the pet store, bought a collar, leash, some toys, and plenty of food, and then hurried back to pick him up. The adoption process was painless as Jo filled out an application, gave some information about her background, and then paid the adoption fees. She had Maverick leashed up, and they were out of there within fifteen minutes.
“I can see how happy you are,” May replied.
Jo looked over her shoulder to Maverick. He was staring out the window and wagging his tail. “He looks even happier.”
May drove them home to settle in. There wasn’t a moment when Jo thought it would be a mistake to adopt him. It just felt perfect. When she laid down that night to sleep, Maverick jumped up on the foot of her bed and heaved a sigh. This was his home, and truthfully, it was the best night of sleep Jo had had in a long time.
Ali
Ali entered the conference room, where most of the nursing residents had already taken a seat. Jo was in the backroom talking to May, and Ali caught that her gaze lasted a little too long. Jo had exceeded her expectations in the month that they had been working together. But she couldn’t let her guard down. Ali still questioned why she left her previous employer so abruptly. She had to remind herself that sometimes things happened, and it wasn’t necessarily Jo’s fault.
The promotion was still a thought in Ali’s mind, and while she hadn’t heard much about it over the last couple of weeks, she didn’t want to give anyone reason to question whether she would be the right choice. She took her place in front of the room while the rest of the class settled into their seats.
Ali clapped her hands and got them to settle down. “Today, I want to do something a little bit different. By now, you all have been working hands-on with patients and should have developed various connections with them. I want you to present a patient that you have to your fellow nurses. There are no wrong ways to do this presentation, and I know no one likes to go first, but Johanna, will you please take the first slot?”
Jo’s eyes widened. Ali didn’t want to put her on the spot, but she had confidence that Jo had grown leaps since her first day, and she wanted to showcase that. If not to everyone else, to Johanna.
“Um, I suppose,” she began. She got up from her seat and just stood there.
“Please come to the front of the class.” She felt like a teacher in that moment, despite not anticipating that would be where the day led. Jo cautiously walked to the front of the room. “You can start off by describing who the patient is and a little about their background. I’ll ask questions if I have any. Begin when you’re ready.”
“The patient I want to present is a nine-year-old I’ve been working with for the past week. His name is Vincent Alvarez. He presented to the hospital with kidney disease just over five months ago. This last week, he received a kidney transplant. His mother and dad have been by his side to the best of their ability. However, the cost of surgery and treatment medicines has caused great stress on their family. His mother, Flora, is forced to work two jobs. His father has to work the third shift and many weekends, but no one can doubt how much love they have for their child.”
Ali looked down at a notebook and then looked up, her pen poised in her hand. “And how’s he doing? Any complications? What are they monitoring?” She didn’t want to continue to press her to go deeper, but most of what Johanna had shared wasn’t about the patient’s health, and that was what Ali was really looking for.
Jo continued to wring her hands in front of her. “He’s doing well. There’s been some inflammation at the surgical site, but with the treatment drugs, that’s improved. We are continuing to monitor to ensure that his fever doesn’t go too high and that his pain stays at bay. He should be in the hospital for another few weeks, and then, if there are no complications, he’ll be released.”
“Alright,” Ali looked down at her notes. “Anything else you want to add?”
Jo stood there for a moment longer before continuing. “I think that we have this bond because it feels like other staff like to treat him as a kid rather than just another patient.” Ali quirked an eyebrow. “We have a lot in common. I noticed that he had a Marvel blanket, and I love comics, so we’ve discussed that. I want to help him to know he’s not alone, and I feel I’ve done exactly that.” She nodded, grinning. “That should be all.”
“Thank you, Johanna.” Ali watched her walk to her seat, and Jo’s presentation played in her mind. It worried her a bit that maybe Jo was getting too close to the patient. If that was the case, she would have to monitor it and stop it if it became an issue. Nothing positive would come of building a bond with her pediatric patient.
Her mind stayed on Jo the rest of the morning, all throughout the rest of the presentations and up until lunch. It was obvious that she was quiet, as Nolan also seemed to notice it.
