The New Job

"Hey there baby girl."

Mindy kept walking. It was her first day the hospital. Her first day anywhere, really. Having spent the last two days reading the massive pile of safety protocol and procedure literature, she wasn't quite ready to have solo interactions with a patient.

"Baaaby giiiirl," the voice called out a little louder, though farther away, Mindy was walking quickly to the medicine locker. She was supposed to meet Dr. Lake there in a few minutes to assist him in handing out the midday doses. She turned the corner, reliever to see the handsome doctor already there.

"You found it," he smiled, causing the slightest crows feet around his dark brown eyes to crinkle.

"I cheated," Mindy laughed nervously, pulling the folded map out of the pocket of her white smock.

"You'll get to know your way around in a few days," he assured her turning to unlock the closet where the medicines for that floor's patients was stored. Already people were beginning to line up on the opposite wall. Procedure was that the nurse on the previous shift would assemble the various doses after distributing that shift's meds. Mindy's job now was to double check the contents and distribute them. Dr. Lake was on hand for a daily check-in with each patient.

It took about 20 minutes to process the patients in line. The doctor still had a few patients waiting to talk to him so Mindy began the process of filling a new set of tiny paper cups with the various pills.


"Before you get started with that, can you please take Mrs. Downy's medicine to her. She had a fall last night and isn't getting around well today. She's in 305."

"Sure," Mindy smiled, looking up Mrs. Downey on her list and gathering the required meds: anti psychotics. Lovely.

"She's a sweetheart, unless she misses a couple doses," he assured her.

Making sure to close and lock the door of the closet, Mindy set off back the way she'd come.

"Baby Girl! You came back to see me," the tiny old woman smiled at Mindy when she entered the room. "I knew you would." According to the chart Mindy had glanced at a few minutes ago Mrs. Helen Downy was 79 years old and had been a patient here for the last 15 years.

"Hello Mrs. Downy, I'm Nurse Holmes. I have your medicine," Mindy held out the little paper cup.

"Oh I know who you are," the old woman said ignoring Mindy's outstretched hand to lean away and rummage through her bedside table. "I have something I want to give you, Mindy."

 ~~~~~

For the Indie Ink Writing Challenge this week Kristen Doyle challenged me with "You're a nurse in a psychiatric hospital. One of the patients, who is known to be delusional, tells you something that could solve a decades-old murder case in your town. Do you believe the patient and investigate? Or do you write the patient off as being an unreliable source of information?" and I challenged Caroline with "You've won!"