As Kline sat two cups on the counter at the nurse’s station, and poured coffee in them, Samantha walked over to the large nursery window and looked at her baby sleeping in the isolette. The hospital would usually have the lights dimmed at that hour, and the babies hidden behind a curtain. But the unit was shorthanded with some of the staff having been pulled to other areas of the hospital, so if it wasn’t a priority, such as dimming the lights, it didn’t get done. And although the tornado caused a lot of babies to choose that moment to come out into the world, there were only a few severe cases that needed to be in the neonatal intensive care unit, with Samantha’s baby.
“Samantha, what will you do once the baby is released from the hospital?” Kline asked, as he handed her a cup of coffee.
“I don’t know. Whatever the Army tells me to do I guess, or maybe I’ll just go live with my parents.” Neither option would have been preferred, but there didn’t seem to be a third alternative for her since Aidan broke their engagement.
“Will you keep up your therapy sessions?”
“Probably not.”
Kline appreciated her honest answer. They had a connection finally based in trust, albeit very fragile trust, but once that connection is severed, she would have to start over and he was pretty sure that she most likely wouldn’t do that. His intuition was telling him to keep her in therapy, no matter where she was, so he suggested, “I know the psychiatrist at the VA in Miami, and I could speak to him about your case if you’d like?”
Samantha shook her head, “It isn’t going to happen, Doctor.”
Kline thought Samantha was afraid, simple as that. And he was afraid for her. If she didn’t keep talking she would lose what little ground she’d gained, and could end up with PTSD so severe that she loses herself entirely. He also really wanted to see this case to its conclusion, so he offered, “Samantha, you know there’s a third option. You could stay here for as long as you want. You have friends here who would support you. And you could continue our sessions with me. We’re making great progress, and I’d like to see that continue.”
Samantha gave it some thought as she sipped her coffee, and she realized that was exactly what she wanted. Though seeing Aidan with Vicky hurt deeply each time, it also relieved her anxiety somewhat, to know that Aidan was close by. “I’d like that actually. I really don’t want my parents to see me like this. I need to get my head on straight first.”
“Very good. I will talk with the Commander of the Medical Facility, and ask for an extended medical leave for you.”
*
“Is it them?” Joyce asked again, exasperated at the uncertainty.
“I can’t tell for sure!” Jerry exclaimed.
“Then let’s get in there, damn it!” Joyce began to frantically dig at the rubble, but Jerry stopped her.
“Stop! You’ll bring the whole building down! You have to start at the top of the pile and work your way down. Remove bricks one at a time, like this,” Jerry started removing brick and concrete and handed the pieces to Joyce, who threw them to the side.
Joyce did not have much patience when it came to things like this, but she fought her desire to rush in and save her friend, and offered her help in any form they would allow it, even if it meant tossing one brick at a time.
USAR was stretched thin on manpower, so Jerry, Yvonne, and Joyce, along with the team from St. Frances, who had gathered nearby to prepare to leave, tore down the rubble, brick by brick, screaming for Aidan and Vicky to answer them. Jerry was finally able to crawl inside and shined his flashlight around, until he found them huddled in the corner under a slab of concrete.
Aidan yelled at him, “Turn that damn light off, can’t you see that I’m trying to make love to my wife!”
Vicky giggled and poked Aidan in the ribs, because she knew they had only been kissing.
Jerry quipped, “Good God, you two would do it in the gutter if you had to.”
Chapter 11
One of the most heartwarming examples of human nature at its best is the renewal of hope after a tragedy. Total strangers come together, roll up their sleeves and work side-by-side to rebuild what was lost. And it isn’t just the buildings they were restoring, they were reestablishing confidence and faith and a sense of purpose again. These strangers, from different races and cultures, from different beliefs and faiths, are the rainbow at the end of the tragic storm, and their colors fill the sky with hope again.
The crew from St. Frances finally made it back to the hospital just as the sun came up. Aidan and Vicky, banged up and bruised, with the kitten asleep in Vicky’s arm, led the way as they walked arm and arm into the front lobby. They were greeted and applauded by family and friends, and then almost immediately, Vicky was hit with a barrage of questions about supplies, patients, and needing more help.
The hospital had been inundated with victims from the tragedy, and employees were stretched thin trying to help them. Supplies were running short, along with people’s tempers.
Dakota Lewis, the new administrator of the hospital, had to literally hit the ground running. The hospital was bulging at the seams and there was still so much that needed to be done. There was nowhere to send the influx of patients because all the hospitals in the area were over capacity already, so Dakota was at a loss as to what to do with everyone, short of stacking them up in the hallways, which was what was happening. She ran over to Vicky and gave a quick report, and Vicky was impressed with all that she had accomplished in the midst of such a tragedy. But Dakota was thinking to clinically.
Vicky immediately turned to her crew and asked for more help. “I know you’re tired, some of you have probably worked a 48 hour shift by now, maybe even longer. But we’re not done yet, and I’m asking you to find the strength to help for just a little bit longer, because our patients need you.”
She led them over to the Education building, which is adjacent to the main lobby, on the opposite end from the patient care rooms. The Education building consisted of twenty small meeting and class rooms, with an auditorium and a small lobby. It had just recently been rebuilt after being bombed by terrorist in an attempt to destroy the hospital.
“Fill them up,” Vicky waved her hand toward the rooms, “Convert them into non-critical patient rooms and get the supplies, personnel, whatever we need, down here. Let’s start moving them in. Use the auditorium as a waiting room for family and stragglers, and use the Education lobby as an extended lunch room. We need to feed these people and see to their needs as well.” The staff immediately got to work moving out the tables and chairs, to make room for a hospital bed to fit inside. “And could someone get me some food for this poor little kitten, please.”
“Dakota, wait a minute please.” Vicky called to her as everyone else rushed down the hallway.
Dakota turned her head to the side and muttered to herself, Oh shit, ca ota kici mitawa wowasi. Dakota was sure she was about to be fired on her first day on the job, and it sounded less painful to her to say it in her native language, even when she was only thinking it. With high cheek bones, long silky black hair, and large round chocolate eyes, Dakota was the same height as Vicky, though her long legs made her body seem shorter. Born in South Dakota, on the Cheyenne River reservation, Dakota was driven to learn, and majored in several fields in college, including healthcare. As insecure as she felt, Dakota was actually very sure of what she wanted in life, she just lacked the confidence to find it. That was until she read about Vicky in a magazine.
“You showed great wacintaka today, don’t underestimate yourself.” Vicky said.
“You know the Lakota word for fortitude?” Dakota asked disbelievingly. She had only mentioned in passing, back when Vicky interviewed her, that she was Lakota Sioux, having a mistrusted belief that it might get her fired. Everything she had heard about southern people was that they were bias against anyone who wasn’t white. A perception based on ignorance that had been handed down to her since she was a child. With the gradual understanding of her prefer
ences, she realized that she needed to go out into the world and see for herself, what the different cultures were really like. She hoped to bring that knowledge back to her tribe to help strengthen it.
Vicky looked at Dakota and smiled. She knew that under that kind of pressure, a person can’t always think of every possibility, especially when they’re new to the job and don’t know the lay of the land yet. “I looked up a few words after I hired you. I was hoping it would make you feel welcome.”
That was really nice of her. “It does, thank you.”
“Listen, there’s a contact file on my desk with a list of companies that are outside the state. We use them in extreme circumstances when supplies aren’t available in-state for whatever reason. I’m sure our supplies are already drying up, and with the other three hospitals in the city using the same vendors that we do, our vendors will run out soon as well. We need to go outside the state for probably the next few weeks. If you would work with materials management in getting us the supplies we’ll need for the next two months, I’ll concentrate on getting to my honeymoon.”
Aidan walked over to Vicky and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Did someone say honeymoon?” She asked, as she ran her hand across Vicky’s shoulders.
“Sweetheart, you remember Dakota? Dakota, this is my wife, Aidan Montgomery-Cassidy.”
“Nice to meet you again, Dakota.” Aidan said as she extended her hand.
“You two are married? In Arkansas?” Dakota asked in shock, forgetting her manners.
Aidan retracted her hand, somewhat perturbed by the snub. “Yes,” she challenged her, “do you have a problem with that?”
“Oh dear. No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, I um, I always wondered about, I mean I always wanted…” Dakota just could not find her way out of the mire she was slowly sinking herself into. She wanted almost desperately to connect to them on what it was like to be married, but she was too unsure of herself to ask.
“It’s all right, Dakota. Perhaps you’ve never met a married same sex couple before?”
“Oh no ma’am, I mean yes ma’am, I mean no,” Dakota took an exasperated breath and finally said something intelligible, “I’ve never met a married couple before that were of the same sex, but that’s not it at all.”
Aidan’s patience was about to run out, but Vicky squeezed her arm.
“What is it then, Dakota? Are you uncomfortable with us?” Vicky asked her employee.
Dakota turned her head to the side and whispered to herself, “Fuck me!”
Aidan chuckled before she could stop herself. What is it with her? If she’s not afraid of lesbian’s, than what is she afraid of? It’s almost as if she was afraid of Vicky, but someone in her position wouldn’t act like a star struck teenager, unless…
Swallowing hard, Dakota tried again, “Victoria, Aidan, I am so sorry that I gave you the wrong impression. Especially after the disaster my last first impression must have given you.”
“Dakota, dear, you’re rambling. Please just get to the point.” Vicky said as kindly as she could convey, considering how exhausted she was.
“I’m a lesbian too!” Dakota didn’t mean to blurt it out for the whole world to hear. It’s just that she was so relieved to learn that her boss really was gay. She knew Vicky was a lesbian in so far as she had read her book, My Life as a CEO, and seen her and Aidan on the Maggie O’Hare Show. But she naively thought of that as more Hollywood, then a real working class woman in charge of a multi-million dollar health system, and the fact that this was their second encounter outside of the interviews, only made Dakota feel worse. She was trying so hard to be the best in her field, just as her hero, Victoria Montgomery, had done, because Vicky was taking a chance on her as a first time administrator. She had worked in other fields, but only as a manager in the healthcare industry. In the line of succession, it was managers, directors and vice presidents.
Dakota knew she was given a free pass to jump to the head of the line, and though she wasn’t sure why, she was grateful and determined. All she was trying to do was impress her boss, so that she would know that her trust wasn’t misguided. Unfortunately, just being in the same room as her idol, made her nerves twitch and her tongue say stupid things.
Vicky had no concept of such adoration, and was beginning to question her decision to hire her. When she interviewed Dakota, she saw herself in the woman’s eagerness, although she was four years younger than Dakota was at the time. And it was Dakota’s eagerness to learn that won her the job. Vicky liked to surround herself with people who were educated beyond their chosen field, so they would have a broader range of life.
“Well, that’s nice. Shall we get back to work now?” Vicky said, as she turned and walked down the hallway, a smirk on her face.
Aidan put her hand on Dakota’s elbow, holding her back. She asked her in a non-accusing voice, “What is it with you and my wife?”
“What? Nothing, nothing at all, ma’am.” It seemed to Dakota that Aidan was towering over her, “It’s just that, well, she’s sort of my hero.”
“I see. Well you picked a good one to be your hero, trust me, I know. However.., and I’m going to butt in here with some advice, something I detest doing, but when it comes to my wife, I’ll make the exception. However, I know that Vicky doesn’t go in for those kinds of things, so if you want to impress her, try to do it without gawking at her all the time.” Aidan patted Dakota on the shoulder and walked away.
Dakota’s surprised eyes followed Aidan down the hall, and then she realized her mouth was hanging open.
Finally, after forty-eight straight hours of strenuous continuous work, all the patients, their families and the visitors, were taken care of, and most of the non-essential staff was able to go home once the influx had dissipated. During a crisis like this, all clinical personnel are called in regardless of whether they’re part-time, traveling or vacationing nurses; they must meet the needs of the patient during a disaster, no matter the circumstances. And thanks to them, the core staff was also finally able to take some time off. After seventy-two hours, operations at the hospital returned to normal and Vicky and Aidan were finally able to relax.
*
“So, you’re taking your baby home tomorrow, that’s wonderful news, Samantha.”
“Yes, I’m so relieved that he’s finally strong enough, he’s been in here for so long. But I’m also a little nervous. I’ve never taken care of a baby before, what if…,” Samantha couldn’t voice her concerns, but Kline knew what she wanted to say.
“Samantha, you’re a very capable woman. You survived capture and torture where most people would have given up. Use your instincts, and when that isn’t enough, call someone. It is too soon to know for sure if you have PTSD, or if that PTSD is of a violent nature, but you are showing the classic signs. If you would feel more comfortable, I can place the baby in foster care until you’re sure you can handle both the baby and the flashbacks?”
“God no! Please don’t take my baby away from me. He’s… he’s all I’ve got.”
Speaking in a soothing tone, Kline responded, “Samantha, you can’t use him as a crutch. For your sake and for your baby’s, you’ve got to stand on your own two feet again, and face the past so that you can look to the future.”
Samantha shook her head and said with ridicule, “No offense doctor, but where’d you get that from, a hallmark card or something? Of course I’m looking to the future. My boy will play sports, go to the best college and grow up to be healthy and happy. He will know I love him no matter what.”
“I’m very glad to hear you say that, Samantha. But will he be happy if you black out again and hold him so tight he can’t breathe, like you did earlier today?”
“Damn it, I would never hurt my baby!” From the moment Samantha gave birth to Cassidy, out in the barren desert of Syria, she willed herself to live for his sake. She knew in her heart, even if she had a flashback, she could never hurt her baby.
“Not intentionally, no,
” Kline said flatly. He was trying to lead her to the point that she could recognized the potential for doing harm without realizing that’s what she was doing.
“What do you want from me?”
“I want you to give the baby up for a couple of months until, as you said before; you can get your head screwed on right.” Kline didn’t like asking her to do this but he felt strongly that it was safest for the baby, and without the stress of caring for a newborn, Samantha could concentrate on her own needs first.
“No,” Samantha almost whispered. She’d been through so much and this was the last straw. Without her baby what does she have to live for? There was no hope on the horizon, no reason to get up in the morning. There would be nothing left but the memories of pain and abuse. How could she face that without her child to come home to?
But that was exactly what Dr. Kline needed her to face, “Samantha, it would just be for a couple of months. Perhaps your parents could take him for that time? Or if you want him closer to you, then let’s put him in foster care right here in the city?”
Samantha’s face grew pale as her eyes grew large. She bolted from the room and went straight to her baby. Though the sight of her baby melted her heart, this time it did not calm her shredded nerves. Looking at him sleeping peacefully in the basinet, Samantha frantically tried to think of some way to stop Kline from taking her baby from her. Aidan, she had to find Aidan.
*
Joyce and Ellen flew back to New York, Jerry took Yvonne and her son home, but Vicky still had several people in her office. She was about to send her parent’s home when she was interrupted by a distraught Samantha, who barged into the office.
Samantha stopped cold when she saw all those people, but then she saw Aidan walking towards her and her courage returned.
“Sam, what’s wrong?” Aidan asked, concerned when she saw the fear on Samantha’s face.
Remember This Day Page 17