Serana (Delicate Flowers #2)
PROLOGUE
ELEVEN YEARS AGO
SERANA
“Hello, beautiful people!”
The reaction was choreographed. Every time I walked into the ER with my cheerful greeting, the veteran nurses looked up from their computers in unison, their expressions varying from mild disgust to vehement disdain.
That didn’t deter me, though, because I loved my job and couldn’t wait to walk into the chaos.
Even though Labor and Delivery was my passion and the reason I’d gone into nursing, I enjoyed learning new things, and the emergency room was a terrific classroom.
When Sharon used her middle finger to scratch her nose, I giggled and said, “There are only three days until the next full moon! Isn’t that exciting?”
“And now, I have to kill her,” Tannah muttered as she stood slowly, bracing her hand against the familiar ache in her lower back, that rite of passage every floor nurse eventually earned.
“Reminding us that it’s so close is probably the meanest thing a person can do.
Just for that, you’re stuck in triage today. ”
“On a Tuesday night? That sounds exciting!”
“Oh, to have just a portion of a newbie’s cheer and joy,” Cheryl, another veteran ER nurse said as she leaned back in her chair and looked past me out into the waiting area.
“We’ve got four patients waiting for test results, one waiting for radiology, two waiting on orders for transfer, and another who swears they have a stomach bug and are not detoxing.
I think Little Miss Sunshine should have to deal with her too. ”
“How long will I be considered a rookie?” I asked before I pointed out, “I’ve been a nurse here for six months already.”
“Six months? That’s laughable to veterans like these,” an X-ray tech I recognized said as she pushed her portable machine past me.
“I remember when I was young and happy,” Cassia, an RN who was just a year or two from retirement, said as she walked past the desk. “Man, those were the days.”
“She may sound like she misses the good ol’ days, but my guess is she doesn’t miss riding her dinosaur to work,” Tannah teased.
“Do you miss yours?” Cassia asked.
“What are you talking about? I am a dinosaur!”
Since it was decided that I didn’t have to work triage after all, something I was secretly happy about, I scanned over the chart of my latest patient and saw that her symptoms were just as Cheryl had described.
She didn’t present with a stomach ailment, although what she was likely feeling right now could make her nauseous.
When I walked into her room, I smiled and introduced myself before I pulled her sheet up and tucked it in at her hips. As I wrapped the blood pressure cuff around her arm, I asked, “Can I get anything for you while you wait?”
“I have a really bad headache.”
“I’ll get you some water.”
“What the fuck is that gonna do?” the patient snapped.
I glanced over and saw that she was sweating while her entire body trembled with chills. “Your headache may be caused by dehydration.”
“Listen, lady. I don’t need water; I need something for the pain.”
“I’ll talk to the attending and see about getting a pain reliever,” I assured her.
“Dilaudid works best,” the woman said eagerly.
“That’s a bit aggressive for a headache,” I said, ignoring her pleading look. “I’m sure he won’t mind putting in an order for Tylenol.”
“You and I both know that’s not going to help.”
“That may very well be, but that’s all you’re going to get.”
◆◆◆
ROSCOE
“I’m not going to be gone forever, Tati,” I reassured my sister as she cried on my shoulder.
“He’s not going off to war, honey. Although I’m not a fan of Chicago, I think he’ll be okay,” Papa assured her, his hands steady as he eased her out of my embraces.
The second Dad saw an opening, he threw his strong arms around me and whispered, “Your mom would be so proud of you, Ros.”
“I know, right?” I sniffed back tears at the thought of how happy my mom would be if she could be here now. “I’m glad you’re proud of me too.”
Dad leaned back and smiled at me, and I wondered if I might be lucky enough to look like him one day. I probably would, considering he was my biological uncle, and I was a dead ringer for him in the pictures I’d seen of him in his younger days.
“I am the proudest dad in the world right now, son. I’m so glad you’re realizing your dream of becoming a doctor.”
“Prouder than you are of Ranger?” I asked. Our sibling rivalry was alive and well, even though we were both adults supposedly old enough to know better.
“I have to admit that our family could probably use another lawyer, but having another doctor in the family will come in just as handy, I’m sure.”
“Always the peacemaker,” I teased as I let go of Dad so I could hug Papa.
As soon as his arms went around me, I squeezed him as tight as I could, something I’d been doing since the first time we hugged when I was just a boy, terrified of living in a world without my mom around to protect me.
Luckily, she had chosen her brother and his partner to raise us.
I still thanked her for that decision when I reflected on the wonderful life they’d created for us even though they hadn’t been expecting a ready-made family.
As I looked into Papa’s brown eyes, I said, “Dad’s gotta be the peacemaker because you’re nothing but trouble. ”
“I’m innocent of all charges,” Papa replied with a grin. He suddenly got serious and said, “You just call me if you need anything, son. I don’t give a shit if it’s three in the morning, and you just need someone to yell at for a while, you call me, okay?”
“I promise.”
“Be safe. Your dad is gonna drive me fucking crazy worrying since you’ll be so far away.”
I knew Papa would worry just as much, but I didn’t point that out. Instead, I said, “Well, I can almost guarantee I won’t get a vacation anytime soon. You’ll have to bring him up to visit, so he doesn’t worry himself into a tizzy.”
“A tizzy? Really?” Dad asked in mock outrage.
“You know how he gets,” I said under my breath, knowing that Dad could hear me too.
“No matter how old you get or how far away you go, you’ll always be our son, and we’ll always worry about you.”
“That’s why you’re the best fathers any kid could ever have.”
◆◆◆
SEVEN YEARS AGO
SERANA
“I’m sure it’s just a pulled muscle,” I told the tech as I laid down on the table for X-rays.
Dr. Morrison, the ER doctor who had witnessed my fall, had assured me he’d figure out the best course of treatment once we got the imaging results back.
I glanced at the clock on the wall and grimaced. “Can we wrap this up quickly? My lunch break ended fifteen minutes ago.”
“They can manage without you for a little while longer. You’re not going to be any help to the patients if you’re in pain anyway.”
“I’ll take some Tylenol and walk it off. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“We all do that, and that’s why we are all limping by the end of our shifts,” Dr. Morrison said as he started typing on his phone.
The tech was finished adjusting the machine, so she gently ushered the doctor out ahead of her.
A second after I heard the machine whir to life, he called out, “As soon as you’re finished here, come find me downstairs, and I’ll give you something for the pain, okay? ”
“Okay,” I said as the tech instructed me to stay still. “I’ll come find you.”
◆◆◆
SIX YEARS AGO
SERANA
“Thank you so much for volunteering today!” Dr. Amal said as she hurried down the hall ahead of me. She pointed toward the med cabinet and said, “We don’t have the budget for a Pyxis, so we still use the honor system here.”
“That’s refreshing. The automated med dispenser in the ER is always breaking down.”
“I know. In a way, I’m almost glad that we don’t have to deal with that technology in the clinic yet,” Dr. Amal said as I followed her to her office.
She put a code into the panel next to the doorknob, and I heard a click before she opened the door and walked inside.
As she handed me a plastic card from her desk, she said, “All the codes and information you’ll need to call in prescriptions are listed on the back, so don’t misplace that. ”
“I won’t,” I assured her as I slipped it into the badge holder clipped to my scrub top.
It was so hard not to fidget at the thought of calling in what I needed to help stop the tremor in my hands and the cramps in my legs, but I managed to stay still as I smiled and said, “I’m all yours whenever you need me, so put me to work! ”
“Since it’s a free program and open to the public, we are almost always full and could always use more help. We’ll welcome you with open arms anytime you show up.”
I thought about the med cabinet I’d seen, and my mind went in nine directions at once, trying to figure out how I might be able to keep myself supplied while also making sure that patients didn’t go without.
I decided that was something I would deal with later.
Right now, I needed a foolproof plan to make sure I didn’t get caught.
“What’s security like here?” I asked.
“It’s almost as high-tech as our med distribution system,” Dr. Amal explained with a bitter laugh. “Luckily, we don’t take walk-in emergencies other than expectant mothers, so we don’t have the same problems as the regular ER.”
“That’s good. I’ve worked there enough to know that security is only one of the issues in that place.”
“Here, we like to focus on happy things,” Dr. Amal said cheerfully.
She wasn’t like any of the other doctors I knew, and I wondered how she maintained such a bright demeanor.
It must be because she didn’t work at the hospital - that and the fact that she wasn’t on her feet for sixteen-hour shifts since the clinic was only open for ten hours a day.
“I’m so glad you’re going to be joining our team, Serana! I’ve heard wonderful things about you.”
“You have no idea how happy I am to be here.”
◆◆◆
ROSCOE