Read Online Acoustic Shadows by Patrick Kendrick - Free Book Online
Authors: Patrick Kendrick
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while to take a quick glance.
Erica stepped into the supply closet and looked around. She noted the narcotics were locked in a refrigerated glass case, as they should be, but most of the non-narcotic drugs were on the shelves. She threw a bag of normal saline into her purse, some bandaging and IV materials, and was just reaching for the Amoxicillin when the door opened behind her. She turned to find a young doctor standing there, fumbling with his keys, trying to find the one that opened the narcotics cabinet. He looked up at her.
He frowned, obviously not recognizing her. She hoped that the hospital had enough part-time nurses that her being there wouldn’t draw curiosity. The doctor smiled and held the bunch of keys in his hand.
‘I can never find the right key to open this thing.’
Erica smiled back and nodded, but her heart was racing now. She felt sweat forming on her upper lip and swallowed dryly. Then, she felt something move down her arm. She glanced down and saw blood beginning to seep through the lab coat where the IV had been.
‘Haven’t seen you around here before,’ he said, as he fumbled with the keys.
Erica swallowed dryly. ‘I’m … I work
per diem
… you know, with a registry. I … uh, usually do private duty but the registry called me today and said the hospital needed more staff, so … ’
The doctor stared at her for a moment, his eyes meeting hers, as if contemplating what she told him. He turned his attention back to the keys and finally found the right one that opened the cabinet. He withdrew a vial of morphine, jotted his initials on a form attached to a clipboard inside the cabinet and was about to close it when he turned back to her.
‘Need anything out of here before I close it?’
‘Uh, no,’ she managed, trying to keep her voice from breaking. ‘No, thank you. I was just getting some Amoxicillin.’
‘Oh,’ he said. ‘For the patient in 309?’ His eyes went to her sleeve and saw the spot of blood. She could see him staring at it.
Erica’s mind began to race. She thought she might lose it, but managed to hold herself together.
‘The teacher with the gunshot wound?’ he added, his eyes now locking with hers. ‘Not too many other trauma patients here right now.’
Erica stared at him for a moment thinking she’d been discovered, then nodded slowly.
‘She’s some lady, huh?’ the doctor continued. ‘Poor thing, they had to take some shotgun pellets out of her abdomen. A few nicked her spleen, but they managed to save it. She’s got some healing to do, but I heard she is going to be fine. Good thing that she had that gun. Probably saved every kid in that school. That’s a hero in my book. Take good care of her, eh?’ He turned to go out the door, then stopped and turned back to her. ‘Grab a coffee later on?’
‘Uh … okay,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, coming back into the room. ‘I’m Doctor Spirazza. Todd,’ he said, extending his hand. ‘And you are …?’
Erica couldn’t look down at the name tag on her coat without giving herself away.
‘Susan,’ she said, smiling broadly.
The doctor frowned. ‘Nice to meet you … Susan.’ He stood there for a minute as if he were waiting for her to say something. ‘It says “Melissa” on your name tag.’
Erica looked down at it, feeling her face flush. ‘Oh, shoot. Mel and I came on the same time tonight. We were so busy gabbing that we must’ve accidentally grabbed each other’s coats.’
The doctor stood gazing at her for another moment, then smiled. ‘I’ve got to finish my rounds, but I’ll be looking for that coffee in about an hour, or so. Think you can break away then?’
Erica licked her lips, trying to be a little sexy, but her tongue was as dry as her lips, and it was like licking flypaper. ‘An hour, sure,’ she gulped. ‘Meet you at the nurses’ station then?’
He winked at her as he left the room, then hesitated again. ‘You’ve got some blood on your
Erica stepped into the supply closet and looked around. She noted the narcotics were locked in a refrigerated glass case, as they should be, but most of the non-narcotic drugs were on the shelves. She threw a bag of normal saline into her purse, some bandaging and IV materials, and was just reaching for the Amoxicillin when the door opened behind her. She turned to find a young doctor standing there, fumbling with his keys, trying to find the one that opened the narcotics cabinet. He looked up at her.
He frowned, obviously not recognizing her. She hoped that the hospital had enough part-time nurses that her being there wouldn’t draw curiosity. The doctor smiled and held the bunch of keys in his hand.
‘I can never find the right key to open this thing.’
Erica smiled back and nodded, but her heart was racing now. She felt sweat forming on her upper lip and swallowed dryly. Then, she felt something move down her arm. She glanced down and saw blood beginning to seep through the lab coat where the IV had been.
‘Haven’t seen you around here before,’ he said, as he fumbled with the keys.
Erica swallowed dryly. ‘I’m … I work
per diem
… you know, with a registry. I … uh, usually do private duty but the registry called me today and said the hospital needed more staff, so … ’
The doctor stared at her for a moment, his eyes meeting hers, as if contemplating what she told him. He turned his attention back to the keys and finally found the right one that opened the cabinet. He withdrew a vial of morphine, jotted his initials on a form attached to a clipboard inside the cabinet and was about to close it when he turned back to her.
‘Need anything out of here before I close it?’
‘Uh, no,’ she managed, trying to keep her voice from breaking. ‘No, thank you. I was just getting some Amoxicillin.’
‘Oh,’ he said. ‘For the patient in 309?’ His eyes went to her sleeve and saw the spot of blood. She could see him staring at it.
Erica’s mind began to race. She thought she might lose it, but managed to hold herself together.
‘The teacher with the gunshot wound?’ he added, his eyes now locking with hers. ‘Not too many other trauma patients here right now.’
Erica stared at him for a moment thinking she’d been discovered, then nodded slowly.
‘She’s some lady, huh?’ the doctor continued. ‘Poor thing, they had to take some shotgun pellets out of her abdomen. A few nicked her spleen, but they managed to save it. She’s got some healing to do, but I heard she is going to be fine. Good thing that she had that gun. Probably saved every kid in that school. That’s a hero in my book. Take good care of her, eh?’ He turned to go out the door, then stopped and turned back to her. ‘Grab a coffee later on?’
‘Uh … okay,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, coming back into the room. ‘I’m Doctor Spirazza. Todd,’ he said, extending his hand. ‘And you are …?’
Erica couldn’t look down at the name tag on her coat without giving herself away.
‘Susan,’ she said, smiling broadly.
The doctor frowned. ‘Nice to meet you … Susan.’ He stood there for a minute as if he were waiting for her to say something. ‘It says “Melissa” on your name tag.’
Erica looked down at it, feeling her face flush. ‘Oh, shoot. Mel and I came on the same time tonight. We were so busy gabbing that we must’ve accidentally grabbed each other’s coats.’
The doctor stood gazing at her for another moment, then smiled. ‘I’ve got to finish my rounds, but I’ll be looking for that coffee in about an hour, or so. Think you can break away then?’
Erica licked her lips, trying to be a little sexy, but her tongue was as dry as her lips, and it was like licking flypaper. ‘An hour, sure,’ she gulped. ‘Meet you at the nurses’ station then?’
He winked at her as he left the room, then hesitated again. ‘You’ve got some blood on your
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