9. Rohit
“ R ohit, the floor nurse is on the phone to give you report,” the unit receptionist calls out to me.
I take a seat next to the phone, with my signout ready to jot down notes.
“ICU, Rohit speaking,” I say into the receiver.
“Rohit, it’s Andie. It’s been a while since our last happy hour,” a familiar voice comes over the line.
“Andie! It has been a while. How are you? How’s the fiancé?” I can feel myself smiling as I picture Andie’s red hair and blue eyes. We went to nursing school together and still get together occasionally for happy hour.
“He’s good, traveling for work right now as per usual,” Andie replies. “Listen, I have a bounce back. You probably know her. Rhonda Smith, DKA. We just can’t seem to control her here on the floor. Her gap opened up again and she needs an insulin drip.”
“Oh, that’s weird. But she’s a nice lady and I’m happy to take care of her again,” I answer, rubbing my hand over my beard. I’ve seen patients with DKA before, but once they leave the unit, they rarely come back.
“Thanks. She’ll be right over,” Andie says, then the line disconnects.
A few minutes later, Rhonda is wheeled into the ICU with her insulin drip hanging. She is all smiles when she sees me.
“Rohit! My angel! Are you going to be my nurse again?” She pats my hand as I help her get settled in ICU Bed 2.
“I sure am,” I reply with a nod and a smile.
“The only bad thing about you being my nurse is that I get a crick in my neck looking up at you,” she complains with an exaggerated, sarcastic eye roll. “How tall are you, anyway?”
“Uh, I’m six-four, I think. I haven’t been measured in a long time,” I answer honestly. I know how unusual my height is, especially for someone of Indian descent. But, it really helps with the power of my tennis serve, so I’m happy about it.
“The ladies must love that. Tall, dark, and handsome.” Rhonda wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.
“I do alright, Rhonda, but I’m not looking for anything serious right now,” I tease back, shaking my head. I’m not looking for anything at all right now. It’s why I didn’t respond to Jenni’s text that night after the bar.
In fact, I had pushed her out of my mind until David asked if I wanted to go on a double date. He was meeting up with her sister and thought we could use a good time out.
I declined right away. She was definitely my type, but I’m just not feeling a hookup right now. Is this what aging feels like?
After bringing her up, I realized it was a dick move to not answer her, so I sent a quick “sorry really busy with work” reply and hopefully she got the message.
Winston is still the ICU fellow this week. He walks in, shaking me from my thoughts and undoubtedly saving me from Rhonda trying to set me up with her younger daughter again. I listen from the corner while Winston explains to Rhonda about her insulin drip and monitoring her labs, which she remembers from her recent stint in the ICU. He also mentions that he’s going to send her for a CT scan of the abdomen to look for any reasons why it may be so hard to keep her diabetes well controlled. When he assures her he’ll be back later and exits, I follow him out and go to check on my other patients.
The next few hours pass quickly, juggling between Rhonda and my other patient. At about two PM, I ask one of the other nurses to cover me so that I can take a break to eat. I get on an empty elevator and space out for a few floors until it slows approaching the fourth floor.
A ping jolts my attention to the opening doors where Miley stands on the other side wearing green hospital-issued scrubs. Her eyes register surprise as she notices me.
“Hey Miley,” I greet. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Uh, this is the OR floor. I live here,” Miley retorts, giving me the once over as she steps inside, oblivious to my obviously charming joke. “I saw Quinn yesterday,” she says abruptly. It’s not like Miley to be awkward, but I imagine she’s worried I’d bring up seeing her crying before. Fortunately, I’m great at small talk.
“Lucky you!” I say, keeping our conversation to safe topics. “I haven’t caught up with him in a while. I need to see his new place.” I make a mental note to make more of an effort to see Quinn. I know he’s probably wrapped up being a first-year cardiology fellow, working on his research, and being overall obsessed with his fiancé.
“Yeah, their new place is nice. And I’ll admit he’s good people.”
“Still good enough for your best friend?” I tease, watching her lips curl into a smile.
She shrugs. “I suppose.”
Silence fills the small elevator and I wonder if I should ask how she is, but before I can decide, Miley inhales sharply through her nose, as if readying to speak.
“So… Quinn mentioned you love a good party,” Miley says, head cocked to one side while she studies my face.
“Ha, that’s random, but true. I do love a good party,” I reply, raising one eyebrow. “One of the best parts of being an ICU nurse is that my schedule is flexible and I can do other things I love, like party,” I say as I run my hand through my hair under Miley’s watchful gaze.
The elevator doors open on the ground floor and I put my hand out to keep the doors open as I motion for Miley to get off the elevator first. She steps out and pauses. After I exit the elevator, we both take a few steps to the side to continue our conversation.
“It’s not that random, actually. I was over at their place to invite Dylan to a gala. We go together every year. Only, this year, she can’t come with me because she and Quinn are going to be in Chicago,” she laments, putting her hands in her scrub pockets.
“Oh, that Young Investigator award thing, right? Man, who knew that knucklehead I grew up with would turn into such a big deal,” I say wistfully. I love my life, but I know I’m never going to be like Quinn. He’s going to change the world of medicine in a big way.
“Uh yeah.” Miley’s voice brings me out of my own head and back to the present. “So anyway,” she continues. “I was just teasing him and telling him, since he was taking my usual date away, that it was now his job to find a replacement.” She pauses, the side of her mouth quirking upward. “He said I should take you because you love a good party. Crazy, right?” Miley says, with both disbelief and maybe some hope in her voice.
I scoff a laugh. “Oh, Quinn is so dumb sometimes. I’m sure you have a real date lined up, right? Another friend or someone–” I’m cut off, having to step aside to let someone push the elevator button.
Miley follows my steps. “Yeah, no, I don’t have any real dates. I don’t date, I mean. It’s not my thing.” Her cheeks flush a little. “There’s no one else.”
“Do you really not have anyone to go with?” I can feel the disbelief on my face. The girl is gorgeous. She has long, sleek black hair and beautiful almond-shaped eyes that can look right through you. She’s also incredibly smart, having graduated from all the top schools and landed a coveted spot in one of the most competitive residencies. She works incredibly hard, but she can also party hard. I know that from the few times our friend group has hung out together.
“Uh, there will be an open bar, if that interests you,” Miley deflects.
I rub my chin, considering. “Open bar, huh?” With a glance, I see she’s impatiently waiting, chewing on her bottom lip so hard I’m afraid she’s about to draw blood. I didn’t really need her to mention the open bar to entice me to go, but it’s kind of fun seeing her squirm. I draw out the silence a second longer before finally answering.“Done. Text me the details,” I say, and see her finally release her lower lip from between her teeth. The relief is short lived, however.
“I don’t have your number!” Miley calls with a pitch of anxiety as I walk backward toward the cafeteria. My break will be over soon and my growling stomach reminds me I haven’t eaten all day.
“I’ll text you then!” I say as I turn and walk away, lifting my hand in a wave.
“You don’t have my number, either!” she shouts back at me from the elevator bank.
I just smile and shrug my shoulders. “I’m resourceful,” I remark loudly, and then I disappear around the corner. A grin I can only imagine looks as goofy as it feels settles on my lips because I know I can get her number. And I have a feeling it will be worth it.