“Two meters? What’s that, like six feet? I think you want him to touch you. Actually, I think you want it really, really bad!”
She gets up, throws the popcorn at me, and starts going toward the door.
“No, I do not!” I yell at her back.
Before leaving the room, she looks at me over her shoulders and says“Yes, you do, otherwise you’d have chosen a ten-meter stick.”
“That’s not relevant. Paris, come back here and let me convince you I don’t wanna screw my ignorant boss!”
He is a god when he’s working, inside and outside the operating room. Looking at him giving a consult is like watching porno ballet.
Me and Tatiana are standing at the end of the bed contemplating his moves. Once, when I was little, Papa took me to the Paris Zoo during spring break. I remember how fascinated I was with every single animal we stopped to admire. For half a day I made papa’s ear fall off talking about the pink flamingos. That was until I’ve sawthe lion. It was majestic with its golden fur and powerful paws, it made me feel like I could feel the roar in his chest even when he was silent. It’s the first time I thought an animal was handsome. It seems like twenty years later that majestic lion, King of the Jungle, got a medical degree and it was my direct supervisor. That’s Zachary Ford, a gigantic, elegant feline who can make me squeak with his roar. He’s trying to determine why this patient that showed up an hour ago has chest pains but clear labs. It seems the white lab coat is restricting his movements because Dr. Ford stops and throws it off his shoulders remaining in the short sleeved scrubs. This makes Tati pinch me and raise her eyebrows. I roll my eyes in response. Whatever.
“I think I had a heart attack, doc.”
“You didn’t have a heart attack; your EKG looks good. It’s probably a muscle problem.”
Which is unusual. The guy is in his prime, only twenty-four years old, so it’s either congenital or some kind of anomaly.
“I got really scared yesterday when my brother brought home a big stray dog. I don’t like animals you know...that’s when the pain started. Also, I’ve had palpitations. All three of my brothers make my life a living hell, and I believe that weakened my heart.”
Dr. Ford nods but it’s obvious he doesn’t pay him much attention. Not liking your roommates doesn’t send you to the emergency room. We went like this for hours, asking about medical history, redoing the blood work but nothing popped up.
“Mr. Argosa, I’m sorry but I’ll have to keep you overnight to figure out what’s wrong with your heart.”
“Oh, man...”
“I know, but don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you. Another doctor is gonna pay you a visit later tonight, one of my residents, and we’ll order some advanced tests.”
“This sucks. I should have never moved in with those two idiots. It’s their fault. Living with two people who hate you is crap.” Working with one is crap too.
Wait for a second, something doesn’t add up.
“Nurse, take Mr. Argosa to a private unit and start his overnight admission paperwork.”
Of course, it would kill him to say please.
“Can I see you outside for a second, Dr. Ford?”
He snaps his neck in my direction like I’ve just burned him with something.
“Why, Sidney?”
Jackass.
“Work issue, sir?”
I go out in the hallway and have to wait a few seconds for him to follow, hands crossed at his chest and sulking face, his usual uniform.
“Did I stutter? I told you to get him admitted, so why are you still here, Alberta?”
“That’s not my name. I think...” He cuts me off before I got to say anything more.
“And what the hell was that? Walking out and expecting me to follow like a puppy? In front of my patient? In front of another staff member?”
God forbid someone thinks he’s not in charge for a second. I wanna scream, I really do. This guy has a way of getting under my skin. It’s not even what he says, it’s how he says it. Like I should know my place. Like I owe him obedience.
“It is important, Dr. Ford.”
“Then spit it out and then go do your job.”
“He just said he lives with his two brothers.”
He looks at me like I just went crazy than shifts into his usual ”I hate London” face.
“Do I look like a fucking real estate agent to you? We’re not here to be concerned about his living situation, Toronto, we’re here to make his chest stop hurting. Stop wasting my time and go do his papers. Some of us have more important things to do than filling out charts and doing injections all day.”
If he would spit in my face, I wouldn’t be more humiliated than I am right now. With the corner of my eye, I can see people stop to watch Ford's mission of destruction.
“Sir...”
“Should I explain it in French? Vous les Vous go and do les admission of le patient, s’il vous plant?”
Someone starts laughing at his pathetic attempt to mimic the French language. I could teach him some lessons starting with Je suis le plus gros connard de la planète. He really is the biggest douche on the planet. Biting my cheek, I force the stinging tears to stay where they are and take a deep breath. I’m not done. If I turn around and leave now it means I just let myself dragged through the mud for nothing.
“I will, Dr. Ford, but you should ask for a neurological consult. He mentioned three brothers then he switched to two. For someone who is so caught in his family problems, he has an inconsistency in his story. You should have that checked.”
Dr. Ford steps closer to me. So close his breath is sliding down my face and into my blouse, making me shiver.
I want to punch me for actually feeling intimidated by him.
“Stop playing doctor, nurse. I better find Mr. Argosa in a private unit comfortable and ready for tests when I come back.” His voice is low, like an animal growl, threatening me and showing me who’s the alfa.
He straightens his posture and walks past me to the elevators without another word.
He didn’t even bother to tell me if he’d get a consult or not. I was just sent packing.
After I watch him leave, I shake my head and go back into the room. It’s time to do my fucking nurse job...
Who the fuck does she think she is?
I punch the wall of the boiler room and curse out loud. Fucking annoying woman!
Punch!
She comes here with her stupid accent and fairy blond hair and starts walking around like she just bought the fucking hospital.
Punch!
She works for me. She should do what I say.
Punch!
The wall paint cracks, and a few patches fall down on the floor. I stop to catch my breath, both my hands against the wall and breathing hard.
What is that witch doing to me?
Usually, butting heads with London is an entertaining way to distract myself from London, but today everything escalated. I was one step away from snapping her neck or ripping all her clothes.
When I heard her questioning my diagnosis... questioning me? My blood went straight to my brain.
I’m a good doctor. A good doctor knows when to speak and when to listen. I have a patient with no fucking signs for his symptoms and a valid suggestion from a nurse. I should have taken her concern into consideration but instead, I choose to act like a dickhead and stomped my foot on the floor to get things done my way.