House Call (Wattys 2015) - Excerpt

HC 1 - Nurse Rhymes

>>>THE BEAUTIFUL NICOLE ANDERSON AS BEVERLY RHYMES

I almost cried when the alarm went off.

Almost.

Now, I may sound like a cry baby, but I am justified in wanting to cry. I'd finished a double shift at the hospital and I got home at 5am, only for the alarm to go off an hour later. Unfortunately I couldn't sleep in. I needed to actually head back to the hospital for my monthly review.

Why they couldn't do it while I was there for my shifts is beyond me.

Despite my grogginess, I managed to get up and out of bed without a hassle. I dragged myself around, and I could almost hear my late mother shouting at me for dragging my feet. I smiled to myself at the thought while picking out a clean set of scrubs.

I quickly showered and got ready to leave. With my hair in its signature messy ponytail, I headed to my kitchenette without bothering with makeup. I'm naturally tanned, so makeup isn't always a necessity for me.

My apartment is small. It's got one bedroom and one bathroom, but that's only because I don't need the space. I'm barely home, and it's not like I can afford a bigger place anyway. Before my mum died, she had to have numerous operations that I ended up having to pay for. I'm actually still paying for them, and it's quite the dig into my finances, so I keep spending to a minimum.

My cupboards and fridge were an indication of my point as I searched for something to eat. Finding food that's gone bad is always wonderful; note the sarcasm. Annoyed with myself, I gave up on looking and just took my stuff, promising myself to get food either on the way to or at the hospital.

The sun was surprisingly bright, but then again, it is summer. It's just kicked in fully, and judging from the lack of clothing I'd seen from a group of teenagers (despite it being 7am), it's safe to say that this would be one hell of a hot summer.

Since I'd sold my car for what I didn't know was my mum's last operation, I was stuck either taking a cab or the bus to the hospital. I'd gotten used to the change pretty quickly, even though it was quite the adjustment. Going from driving yourself at any time that you want, to being restricted to scheduled bus times and cabs that don't appear sometimes, can be quite stressful.

It was a cab day apparently as I was lucky enough to catch a cab just outside the apartment building. The driver even took the shortest route to the hospital. He said something about getting me there to save lives in time. I tipped him generously before heading into the building.

My first stop was the canteen, despite the sometimes suckish food that they sell. I settled for a fruit salad and yoghurt. One can never go wrong with such a booster. I added a granola bar and an energy drink, just to look like I was someone who was serious about my health.

That couldn't be any more of a lie.

People tend to have this notion that nurses are healthy twenty four seven because they deal with sick people, so they know what to eat and what not to, but they also forget that we are just as human as anyone else.

I, for one, have an obsession with junk food. I also have an obsession with keeping fit, but that's beside the point. My point here is that I like to eat whatever the hell my body feels like eating at that time. I just refuse to be stuck eating healthily because of what people perceive as my 'responsibility'.

With my breakfast in hand, I headed to the nurse's station, where the morning shift nurses looked like they were comfortably settled in. They looked surprised when I passed by them to head to the staff room. I needed to eat first before dealing with anything else.