by J. R. WRIGHT
“Miss Spalding, the best advice I can give you… is to forget everything you know about the workings of a regular hospital. Here we don’t treat many diseases, especially contagious ones. If a patient has pneumonia, for instance, we don’t even want him or her near this place. And emergency surgeries… we don’t do those either. We leave those things to the regular hospitals in the area. Our specialty here is mostly cosmetic. So if it’s a skin blemish removal, reshaping of a nose, or some body part augmentation that excites you, then I sure can schedule you in the OR for that. However, I must warn you, don’t be surprised who you may find there. Last month we had a very recognizable movie star in our presence for two weeks.”
Even though this excited Martina to a point, she was also disappointed. Saving lives was the reason she had chosen this profession in the first place. And why had neither Scott Harris or even Gloria mentioned this to her before? She glanced to Gloria, who seemed not to want to meet her glare. “I see.”
“There are some heart procedures being done here, but generally specialists are flown in for those, along with the surgeon’s own OR nursing staff. What we’re left with then is the recovery period.”
“I see,” Marti said again, becoming even more depressed at what she had heard so far. “Cancer?”
“Yes, of course. But there is so little that can be done for most of those people, they generally come here just to die in style.”
“Okay, well,” Marti said, and looked to Gloria again. This time she met her eyes.
“Thanks Mary.” Gloria stood.
“Yes,” Marti said. “You’ve been very helpful.”
“Sorry,” Mary said. “I can see you’re disappointed. But you must admit, what we do here is important, too.”
At the elevator again Marti said, “Why didn’t you tell me, Gloria?”
“Tell you what? How did I know you were an OR freak?” She was instantly angered at Martina’s accusatory tone. “A patient is a patient. Those getting cosmetic work need nursing as well. I mean, it may not be life or death surgery, but they are extremely technical procedures and a lot can be learned by participating in them.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Marti said, feeling bad for getting angry at Gloria, who had done nothing but try to help her thus far. It wasn’t just anyone who would take a so-called “green horn” under wing like Gloria had, and for that Martina was grateful.
In the elevator, Gloria punched floor three. When they stepped out to the nurse’s station, Marti was pleasantly surprised. Unlike a regular hospital, the only thing sterile looking about this space were the white uniforms worn by the well-groomed young nurses that manned it. Otherwise, the space was luxurious in its decorations. Fine oil paintings adorned the papered walls. Overstuffed chairs, ornate lamps, marble statues, and exotic plants filled the waiting area. And there were velvet drapes covering the windows. This place, she could get used to.
Marching up to the counter, Gloria said, “Ladies, this is Martina. I’ve got to get back to my desk. But I’d appreciate it if you would show her around. Martina is a nurse. She may be joining us.”
“Sure,” one answered, and the three of them smiled broadly.
Gloria then turned to Martina and said, “You okay with this?”
“Yes! Thank you.” Martina beamed, hoping Gloria wasn’t too mad at her.
“Good.” Gloria then whirled and re-entered the elevator.
Returning to the lobby an hour later, all smiles, Martina marched directly up to Gloria. Gloria stood to face her when she heard the familiar sound of Martina’s heels clacking across the marble floor from the elevator.
“Oh, Gloria, I’m so glad I did that. The nurses are super nice — the patients, too. And the spacious rooms are simply divine. I just love it here.”
“Great! Does that mean…?”
“When do I start?”
“There are some papers you’ll need to sign… non-disclosures and such. I can have them ready by four. And once you’ve done that, I’ll get you back with Mary for scheduling. How’s that sound to you?”
“Wonderful! Then I’ll see you at four,” Martina cheerfully said, and headed for the door.
“The offer to move in with me is still open,” Gloria called after her. “We can go there for a look when I’m off at five, if you want.”
“I’d like that. Thanks, Gloria.”
“Afterward we can celebrate! Okay?”
“Okay!” Martina laughed and pushed through the door.
Back in her room after a quick lunch at the diner, Marti sat down at the desk and wrote a long letter to her parents. She told them where she was and of the wonderful job she had landed. Then, as an afterthought, she enclosed the seven hundred dollars they had thoughtfully put in the car. She had five hundred dollars saved from her previous job and certainly didn’t need to be taking their hard-earned money anymore. Especially since the paychecks were about to start rolling in again.
Feeling good about having done that, immediately after sealing the envelope, Marti went to the lobby and posted it. It was then she decided to walk on up to Hannity’s with the idea in mind of doing a little soul searching. This would be her final chance to review her thoughts before taking the next step and signing on with Spencer House. She wanted to be absolutely sure the decision to do so was the right one. Not that she would back out, now that she’d given her word to Gloria. It was the why of the decision that concerned her now. Had she done it in an effort to appease Gloria after making such an ass out of herself in front of Mary Greer? Or was this truly a good fit for her future? No doubt, she’d need to put her dreams of becoming the next Florence Nightingale on hold for now. She’d just traded that away for a smile… if only smiles could heal wounds and save lives? In a way, perhaps they could, she fantasized.
CHAPTER FIVE
At two thirty in the afternoon, Hannity’s wasn’t near as crowded as it had been the previous evening. A quick look around told Martina that Lenny wasn’t around yet, either. Selecting a stool toward the end of the bar, she sat her purse down and sat up. The lone, middle aged, blonde, female bartender came her way once it was certain where she would settle in.
“What can I get ya, honey?”
“Today, I think I’m in the mood for a beer,” Marti said cheerfully.
“Do you have a favorite brand?” the bartender said rather impatiently.
“Actually, no… I’m really not much of a beer drinker.”
Just then, a guy farther up the bar she hadn’t noticed until now began tapping a fingernail on a beer bottle to get her attention. He then cutely pointed at the label on the bottle. “Okay,” Marti laughed. “Budweiser, then!”
The beer came super-fast and she took it immediately for a long pull. It felt crisp and cold going down and Marti nearly belched, just like her father often did after the first swallow. But she caught it in time, letting it fume out gradually through her nose instead. It burned!
“The name’s Parker,” came from behind, and Marti whirled to look up into the brown eyes of the stranger who had recommended the beer. Up close she could see he was a little older than her, rather rugged, with broad shoulders and dusty, dark hair.
“Spalding,” Marti played along, giving her last name as well.
Taken aback by that, Parker wittily asked, “What are you, a football or a catcher’s mitt? What kind of name is that for a girl?”
“You gave me your last name, so I gave you mine.” She turned back to the bar and took another drink of the beer.
Parker laughed and eased up beside her. “Parker Thomas!” He stuck out a strong, but clean hand, unlike his hair.
“Martina,” she said, taking the hand for just a finger touch. “Are you married, Parker?” Maybe that was a little abrupt, but she couldn’t help but ask, not wanting this to go any farther if he was. She was sort of on a mission now and didn’t need to be wasting time on what would never be.
“Yeah,” he returned, “to the St. Louis Power and Ligh
t Company. I just got off a sixteen hour shift. I’m a lineman. Any outage and we’re on, until it’s on.”
“I’m sorry, you must be exhausted.” She looked at him again. His eyes did look tired and stressed. But that was the nurse in her doing a visual examination, she told herself. He was handsome, though, in a rustic sort of way. And, if she was being honest with herself, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t fantasized about his type before.
“Just getting started!” he said sarcastically and smiled broadly, showing near perfect white teeth.
“I have some eye drops in my purse…” she remembered and reached to the bar, putting it on her lap.
“What are you, a nurse?”
“As a matter of fact, I am,” Marti said, then proudly smiled up to him. “Here!” She removed the cap from the Visine and handed it over.
Parker took the bottle, squeezed two drops into each eye, and handed it back. He then wiped each eye with a napkin from the bar. “Thank you.”
“Glad to be of help. How do they feel now?”
“Much better, Doc.” He grabbed his beer and drained it. “Can I buy you another?”
“No, thank you. One beer is my limit.”
“Something else then?”
“You can pass me those peanuts.”
Parker slid the red plastic basket of salted, in the shell peanuts her way and signaled for another round.
When the beers arrived, Marti said, “Is there something about no you don’t understand, Mister Thomas?”
“I like to pay my debts. Good doctoring deserves payment.” He rested his elbows on the bar and tossed a smile her way. Cute. “I’d tell you how much better I look cleaned up, but you probably wouldn’t believe me.”
“Why not?” Marti chuckled. “Just looking, I can see you’d scrub up quite well. My dad owns an auto repair shop. Believe me, I know how transforming a good scrub and a shave can be.”
“You’re not from here are you?”
“Okay, here it comes!” Marti leaned away. “I was told I’d get a lot of that here.”
“A lot of what?”
“Lip, because I’m an outsider.”
“That wasn’t the reason I said it.” He looked genuinely hurt. “Actually, I was thinking you are too nice to be from here.”
“You were?” Marti asked. “I’m sorry I spoiled it for you.”
“You’re pretty, too.”
“Wow, are you the sweet talker!” Marti was flattered, even though she wasn’t sure he meant it. A virgin she may be, but she wasn’t innocent to the things a man would say to lure a lady to come home with him. “So how did you escape marriage for so long, Parker the lineman?”
“Just lucky, I guess.” He laughed.
“I bet you have plenty of girlfriends, though?”
“Oh, yeah! All over town.” He smiled uneasily. “One for every day of the week, ‘cept Sunday.” He knuckled a day’s growth of dark beard.
“What happens Sundays?”
“God rests!” He laughed heartily at his joke.
“I guess I asked for that.” And since he was enjoying it so much, she laughed along with him.
With that, Parker drained the last half of his beer. “I guess I’d better go.” He gave a two finger salute.
“Well, good to have met you, Parker the lineman.”
“We’ll meet up again, Doc. You can count on that.” He then turned and walked away. He gathered his red hardhat down the bar, plopped it on his head, and kept moving.
Marti wondered how he could be so sure of that, and watched him go. He certainly had a nice ass in those Levis, she mused, and she turned back to her beer. One more glance just before he reached the door, confirmed it… Yeah, with his gentle nature and rugged good looks, there was no doubt in her mind now that he was a possible candidate for her first, if the opportunity should present itself. Now that she had that sitting on her mind, how could she ever think of anything else? This prompted her to push the near full beer aside and leave as well.
Back at the hotel, Marti thought of jumping into a hot shower, giving release to the overwhelming desire that had been steadily building in her since Hannity’s, but she resisted. Instead, she let her hair down, changed into a casual beige pleated skirt, white ruffled blouse and blue sport jacket, then left for her appointment with Gloria.
Parker Thomas, the man wouldn’t leave her thoughts. Just for kicks, she mentally undressed him… blushing, she re-clothed him immediately. But at least now he was cleaned up and fresh shaven. He still had on blue jeans, because she liked the way his butt looked in them. And since she couldn’t decide on a shirt that did him justice, at least the way she imagined he looked under that loose fitting work shirt… she left him bare… great abs. She savored that until a horn honked… and she realized where she was… in the middle of an intersection… cars braking to avoid hitting her. “Yikes!” She scurried across, vowing to put the boy doll away for a later time… one less potentially hazardous. That’s why, she figured, people did most of their dreaming while in bed… it didn’t require conscious thought, as well.
CHAPTER SIX
At Spencer House there were three work shifts for nurses, as opposed to most hospitals, that have only two. The morning shift was from 8 am to 4 pm, and that would be Martina’s schedule for the first four weeks, as it was with all new hires for orientation purposes, starting Monday. After that, she was told, anything could happen, depending on the need and shifts available. Marti, however, was okay with that and actually preferred the less desirable swing and graveyard shifts, because things were always less hectic after visitors hours. It was the five day delay before starting that concerned her now. She didn’t handle days off well and actually preferred to be at work. But, as she was told, the signature uniforms she was measured for wouldn’t arrive before then anyway. And it would give her time to see more of St. Louis, and even East St. Louis, across the bridge in case she, by chance, got homesick for Illinois again.
Gloria’s apartment, as it turned out, was only a block from the Spencer House, and they went there right after her shift was up at five. It was an older building without an elevator, however, and she lived on the sixth floor. With five flights of stairs facing her at least twice each day, no wonder Gloria stayed so trim, Marti thought on the way up.
The apartment itself, though small, consisted of two bedrooms and had a second bath on the side Marti would occupy, if she chose to move in.
“Well, what do you think?” Gloria asked, after a quick tour.
“Oh, I just love it! It’s so quaint. And you have it decorated so beautifully.” Martina buzzed about, trying to take it all in. “I won’t move in, though, unless you let me share in the rent while I’m here.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m sure you’ll be tired of me in a month or so and want to find your own place, anyway.”
“I doubt that.” Marti continued to look around. “So how much is the rent?”
“It’s eighty-five a month, all utilities paid. Which I don’t think is so bad, considering it’s close to work.”
“Not at all,” Marti said, looking over the counter at the small, only one person could fit in at a time, kitchen. “Okay, then I’ll pay half.”
“Dinky, isn’t it?” Gloria laughed.
“Quite!” Martina laughed with her. “So what do you say?”
“Look, Martina, I’d be glad to have you just for the company. It gets awful boring here alone, especially on my days off. Why don’t you just try it for a month and see how you like it before taking on half the lease? That way you’ll have received your first paycheck and things will be easier for you.”
“I have plenty saved up to get me by, Gloria. And if I wasn’t here, I’d be paying at the hotel anyway.”
“Well, okay. If you insist.”
“Great!” Marti quickly went to her with a hug. “Here we are roommates, and I don’t even know your last name.”
“Which one?” Gloria smiled. “Don’t forget, I’ve been
married three times. Apparently they’re tired of the name changes over at Spencer House. It’s been a year since my last divorce and they still don’t have my new name tag. That’s why I don’t wear one. My maiden name is Gillen. At least that’s the one they’re putting on my paychecks nowadays.”
“I like it. Good, now I know. Gloria Gillen.”
“Gloria Jane Gillen, if you must know. Growing up my mother drove me nuts with Gloria Jane. Never one name or the other — always together. Gloria Jane, clean up your room! Or, Gloria Jane, do your homework!”
“Better than being called Spider.” Martina laughed. “That was the nickname they pinned on me in high school.”
“Why?”
“Oh, Gloria, I was so gosh awful gangly it was pitiful. I never had one date, all four years. I think my folks were even ashamed of me.”
“Oh, my!” Gloria covered her mouth, astonished. “What happened? I mean you’d never know by looking at you now. You finally filled out, obviously.”
“My mother said it would happen someday, and it did, thank God!”
“Yes. Thank God. Now, looking at yourself, you must feel it was worth the wait.”
“You don’t go through what I did… all the teasing and ridicule… and walk away without some scarring. But I’m better now. My confidence and self-esteem are improving steadily. This move to St. Louis has done wonders already.”
“Well, good for you! You just keep it up, sweetie.” Gloria took her in for a hug. “Now that you’ve decided, let’s go get your things from the hotel. Okay?”
“Okay!” Marti swiped some tears from her eyes. She was paid up for the day and could have stayed again tonight, but figured it just as well she get it over with.
Out in the hall while Gloria locked the door, Martina spotted a small door on the wall. “What’s that?”
“It’s a dumbwaiter.” Gloria opened it to expose the ropes and shaft that went to the bottom floor. “It’s for bringing up groceries. Beats lugging them up the stairs. You have to be careful, though; last week I lost a quart of milk somewhere along the way.”