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'I don't know how in the world I'm going to do this,' Carrie thinks to herself as she steps into the new hospital she was just transferred to. 'New surroundings means new people who will all have new opinions. This should be fun.'
"Watch where you are going!" yelled a middle-aged orderly pushing a cart of what Carrie assumes is dirty linens as she jumps back just in time from getting run over. 'Well, that was a great start. Come on Carrie, you have to face this new world of yours sometime.' Carrie takes a deep breath and steps up to the information desk.
"Hi! My name is Carrie and I have just been transferred here from another hospital. Where am I supposed to go?"
"What department were you directed to?" asks the volunteer.
"ER."
"Well, go down that hall over there, make a right and then a left. The nurse's station will be right there beyond the doors."
"Thanks," Carrie says, starting her journey down the hall. 'Okay Carrie, you have had so much experience working in a hospital, this shouldn't phase you. Don't let them think you are completely untalented on the first day. Please, let there be a wonderful person to talk to at this station,' she thinks as she quickly approaches the ER's nurse's station.
"Hi, can I help you?" a nurse asks with a sour look on her face.
'So much for that,' she thinks as she puts on the best smile she could. "Hello, my name is Carrie and I was told to report here to find out my new list of responsibilities here. I've just been transferred."
"You'll want to talk to Nurse Mary but she is in the surgery room right now. I'm guessing you have some prior experience?"
"Yes, plenty of it actually."
"Good. You can make yourself useful in the meantime and help with these incoming patients. Here in ER, things are at a fast pace and always flowing. There's an ambulance coming in right now with someone in critical condition. Go help them and check back in with me when you are finished there. Here, toss these surgery clothes over the ones you are wearing now. I'll take your stuff," she says as she pulls out familiar green pants and shirt.
Carrie takes them, slips them on with practiced ease, hands the nurse her stuff, and runs off in the direction the nurse indicated. The ambulance is just pulling up as she comes to a screeching halt at the door. The paramedic swings open the doors and jumps out, grabbing on to the end of the gurney. "Nurse! We need your help!" he exclaims, forcing Carrie to snap to it and run over to help.
After a few hours of hustling around her new environment, learning where things are while trying to aid those she could, Carrie finally finds herself relaxing in a chair in the staff lounge.
"Carrie! It's nice to meet you. My name is Mary. I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet with you before but today was an unexpectedly busy day, as you have already experienced I see. All of the nurses tell me that you are exceptionally skilled. I am glad to see that you are on board with us," Nurse Mary says. "How did you feel working in this different situation?"
"I actually felt okay. It seemed like every other hospital situation I have experienced before."
"I'm glad to hear you say that. I'm going to meet with you at the end of today's shift to schedule you in. Would you mind continuing work for the next four hours? We are short on nurses today."
"It's not a problem at all. I'd be glad to help out any way that I could."
"Excellent! When you are done, come back to this lounge and we'll discuss all of the details of what you need to know and set you up on a regular schedule. I think you will really enjoy your time here."
"Yes, I think I will."
Carrie shakes Nurse Mary's hand and walks out of the lounge. "Nurse! Nurse! We need assistance over here!" a male paramedic yells from the entrance. Carrie rushes over and starts the usual jog along the gurney.
"What happened?"
"He evidently was going top speed down the freeway and ran into the cement dividers and ended up on the other side. He has internal bleeding, head wounds, possible fractures to his arms and legs, and most likely a cracked rib."
"Rush him into operating room 1. I'll page the doctor!" Carrie orders as she runs to the nearest phone. "Any available doctor, please report to operating room 1. It's an emergency. Patient with head wounds, internal bleeding, and fractures." After hanging the phone up, Carrie runs down to the operating room and cleans up to put on scrubs. She runs into the room to find only the two paramedics moving the patient from the gurney to the table. "Where is everyone else?"
"They are on their way. You might want to start looking and preparing him."
Carrie rushes over to the table and stops dead in her tracks. An overpowering feeling washes over her. 'Nicholas? It can't be!'
"Nurse! Are you all right? Nurse?" she barely hears a paramedic say. She reaches out her hand to touch his bloodied arm and feels shock waves race up her body. 'How could this happen?' All of a sudden she feels her body being shaken.
"Nurse! Please, he needs help. Are you okay? You look really pale."
Carrie turns to the paramedic and says, "Yes, I'm fine. It just took me by surprise. Don't worry, I know what I am doing." Carrie turns to a side table and picks up scissors. 'Calm down Carrie. You don't know for sure if this is Nicholas and if it is, you definitely need to work fast if you want to save him.' She takes the edge of his shirt and starts cutting it, fighting the overwhelming urge to just cry as she realizes that the man's body does in fact belong to her beloved Nicholas. 'If only I had found you sooner.'