by Javin Strome
The hospital was, after all, a place for sick people and the last thing they wanted was to get sicker from the staff. It had been an honest mistake. Candice had mistakenly worn a perfumed sweater, one that she had worn the previous night to a party. It had been raining outside when she woke up and she had been late. In her hurry, she had carried that particular sweater to work. Bob had not been happy about it, especially because the smell on it was strong. He thought she had tried to drown herself in a bottle of it, something which everyone apart from her found amusing.
Candice had not been happy about it. As a matter of fact, she had not let that incident go. The man had disrespected her and humiliated her in front of twenty other new and old nurses. It had been within his rights to call her to his office and explain to her that she was not allowed to wear perfume and she would have explained that she had not actually worn perfume. She had worn, by mistake, a sweater laced in it.
That was where the bad blood had started, but it was not where it had ended. It would not, it would seem, end that fast or ever at all. Candice was among the best nurses they had at the hospital. Everything she did was top notch; she had a professional’s hand. Yet nothing she did ever seem to please the man. He would even scold her in front of patients which was in bad form.
Candice never said anything when she had to but there were times she decided to hell with it and called him out for being an ass. This would only make things worse. Bob had also realized something else. She had caught onto a weakness that he wished to exploit to the fullest. He had realized that Candice was never really functional on Mondays. As a matter of fact, he had been the one who had discovered that. The hospital, thanks to Bob, had crafted a graph that showed them how well the personnel performed on various days of the week.
This graph would be used to decide whether they would keep their nurses after the three month probation period. Suffice to say Bob had realized that Candice hated Mondays. To start with, she never came on time. She never handled any patients during those days and her paper work was always faulty. She was also slower and more reluctant to work.
But the administration would not let such a fine nurse go. During the rest of the days, Candice was like wonder woman. There was not a feat she could not perform. Her charts on the rest of the days were simply phenomenal. It was why even after three months, they had not let her go, and because she made the hospital look good and losing her would be the most stupid mistake.
This did not seem to make Bob happy. As a matter of fact, it only made him more determined to make her life harder. Mondays were his field days. He would push her and nag her. Her would make her angry ten times in a day and scold her. He would go to such great lengths such that Candice had one or two times thought of quitting. She could not, however, because she was looking forward to go back to school to further her dreams. It was a tough situation, one she had promised herself to get used to in time.
It was hard, though. It was hard looking at Bob’s face and not wanting to crush it under her foot. It was hard not hearing him laughing down the hall and not wanting to scream at him and call him an ass that he was. Because he was indeed, an ass. And the worst part was that all his energy was vested on her. He never yelled at anyone else, he never even seemed to talk to anyone else other than Candice and Candice hated that.
Her friends had suggested that maybe Bob liked her and did not know how to express it but Candice had refused that explanation. It did not even seem likely. Not that she would ever like him back, the man was a tool. He was handsome, yes, and everything else nice. He was tall, just the kind of height that she liked. In short, Bob had all the right qualities she would ever want in a man, but the one thing that turned Candice off was the fact that he had to be an asshole to her.
A friend of hers had once suggested that she find the man and talk about their differences. It was the best way to find the balance between them and allow them to work together in harmony. Bob was not only known for his looks or hot temper, he was also known for his good work. He had not made chief nurse because there was a shortage of nurses. He had made that position because he was the best at it. The man was almost a doctor. There was no doubt that he knew more than a number of doctors in the hospital.
His brain, like Candice’s was what made him so damn valuable. And it was why the administration had Candice in the office in the first place. Both their brains were the best in the hospital. The two were so knowledgeable in medicine that they were able to even point mistakes that were made in by inexperienced doctors. It was a funny combination and situation to think that such people could not breathe the same hospital air without wanting to come to each other’s throats.
And it was not secret that they both hated each other. It was a question of who would stay longer than the other if they both failed to come into an amicable solution on how to work together. That was why, in good faith, a friend had suggested that Candice and Bob meet somewhere silent and discuss their differences. It was, after all, the only way they were ever going to come clean to each other and decide who the problem was.
Candice had laughed upon hearing that suggestion. She had made a point of walking out of a room every time Bob walked in. Bob had been ticked at first, but he went on to always act like he did not care. It was evident that he cared because he only made Candice’s work harder. Candice, on the other hand, worked toward showing the world that there was nothing Bob could throw at her that she could not handle. From the most menial of tasks to the most complicated, Candice was like a talent kid whenever it came to the hospital. It all worked out for her, six days a week. Well, that was except on Mondays when her brain did not work.
Candice was seated on a bench as she thought about all this. She kept asking herself how long these conditions were going to go on. The hospital would not even think of letting her go unless she was on a stretcher and that was not what Candice was looking for. She knew that once they found what made them different, they would learn how to work together. It was absurd to think that Bob was acting the way he was because he was afraid of competition.
If anything, Bob had always been a right-minded man. He had made nurses great, tens of them. He was known all over for his exemplary work so having someone like Candice was actually a blessing in disguise. At that particular moment, Bob was in his office, thinking about the same exact thing. The only difference was that the man thought about their enmity using a different angle.
There was one thing about her that made Bob angry for nothing. It was probably t eh way she looked at him. It was not because she was good at her work. As a matter of fact, it was the only thing that made Bob appreciate her peers. The woman was good at her work, all right. She was the one person he could trust with a crisis when he was otherwise tied up.
There was no competition between them, just a mutual dislike that he was getting tired of. As a matter of fact, Bob had avoided confronting the woman on two separate occasions. He was sure that she had not noticed because she was always on the defensive when she saw him. It was like an instant transformation every time they met. She would be smiling one moment and then he would appear and the smile would dry up in an instant.
Bob knew that if they were going to bridge their differences then they were going to work together toward that goal; otherwise they would fight until one of them left the hospital. The problem with that was that the hospital was not ready to let either of them go. They were not ready to let their best brains go to another hospital. It was why the issue had been mentioned to hindering an administrative meeting. He was not supposed to fight with a nurse who was below him.
Bob had agreed to try and bridge their differences, but it made him angry that he was going to have to make the first move. Well, he was the one who had started the fight from day one and was the one who worked toward making her life at the hospital hell. He was also her boss so it was within his responsibilities to make sure that he not only made the first move, but also worked toward a harmonious working environment betwee
n the two. It was at times like this that Bob hated is responsibilities. If he had been a lower nurse, he would not have been tasked with this. Someone else would be working toward making them mend their relationship.
Relationship, Bob chuckled at the thought. They did not have a relationship of any kind. They were not even colleagues. Well with the way they treated each other, they were more of enemies than colleagues. Maybe that was the only relationship they shared. While he was friends with most of the nurses, he did not consider her a friend, not even remotely. The same case applied to her, he was sure.
His phone rang and he looked at it. It was his boss. She was checking to see whether he had made the first move.
“I am a little busy at my office, Madeline,” the man said.
“No, you are not. I have given you very clear instructions to make sure that you work out your differences,” Madeline said.
“Yes, and I am going to find the best time to do that. You don’t know her like I do. If I walk up to her right now and start this conversation, she is going to get her guard up and I will not be able to get to her,” Bob said.
“You actually know her pretty well, don’t you?”
“I know the people who work for me,” Bob said.
Madeline laughed. “No, Michael. You don’t. You are a smart nurse and one of the best we have. You are also a good leader, but you never really know your nurses that well. You can’t tell me that you know when to approach a particular person unless you have actually taken time to study her. This implies two things,” Madeline said.
“There you go Madeline, what does it imply?”
“That one, you are in competition with her…”
“Come on Madeline. Should I recommend a doctor to you? We have hundreds in this hospital.”
“I am not finished. I know you are not in competition with her. You are never in competition with anyone. Which leaves me with one other option, and you can ask around if my prognosis is not fit enough for you,” Madeline said.
“Are you going to make me beg you to say it out loud?” Bob asked.
“You like her. You are madly in love with her and are misrepresenting such strong feelings of love with. Hatred,” Madeline said. Bob wanted to counter her with something funny like a prescription to some brain medicine but he suddenly found his lounge tied. He could not say a word to dispute what the woman had said. He could hear her laughing from the other end of the line so Bob did the only thing he could. He hung up.
His phone rang again and he picked it up. “Madeline, I am going to send you to a doctor,” Bob said. Madeline was laughing too hard to hear him.
“You know, here’s a funny thing that happened a few weeks ago. I was with Candice in my office the other day and I hinted that we were going to let you go. I am saying this to show you that I actually have basis for my argument,” Madeline said.
“You want to let me go?”
“No, but Candice does not know that. She thought we would really let you go, and she offered to go instead. She said you have worked too hard and for too long for you to be uprooted and sent on a job hunting spree,” Madeline said.
Bob laughed. “Are you on any prescription drugs, Madeline? Or am I? Because it feels as if one of us is hallucinating,” Bob said. He could not believe what the woman was saying. The funny thing was that with a man of his temper, it was easy to make him angry, yet this information or insight did not make him angry at all. As a matter of fact, it made him feel a little more excited than usual at the prospect of what his boss was saying.
“Do this for me, Bob. I know you don’t like the girl, but there are too many questions being asked and I don’t want to have to take action. You two are adults so handle it. There will be a nurse union party next Saturday. It is an in-house thing and most nurses will be around. Make your move then, and make sure that by Monday, you two will be on the same page,” the woman said before hanging up.
Bob thought about it for a moment. He was not sure what he was going to say to her. Maybe apologize for all the hell he had put her through all those months? It was hard for him to ask for forgiveness but right now it seemed like the best option. His boss had made it sound like a friendly request but he knew better than anyone else that it was a threat. If they were not friends by the said Monday, she would be forced to take action. Being that she was not the kind of woman to take sides, he knew she would let the both of them go. That was not a very god thing to think about.
Suddenly Bob had a problem on his hands. He needed to find a way to approach the woman in a way that would not spook her into rising her guard and being rude to him, but also enough words to make her a friend. It was hard to imagine himself doing such because he had never been in such a situation.
Meanwhile, Candice was talking to Madeline, who asked her to join her for the party. She was under the instructions to try and find balance between her and Bob because if she failed, she was going to be let go. Madeline promised her that if they failed to find balance, they would have to worry about their jobs. Finding balance and being friends was the only thing that was going to help them retain their jobs and a good report from her. Of course, Candice did not like the idea but she did not have a choice. The enmity was toxic; it was not good to have such bad blood in front of patients because a hospital was where patients were supposed to go find solace from their illnesses.
Saturday came faster than they had anticipated. Candice had noted that along the week, the man had eased up on her. As a matter of fact, she realized that Bob always made a point of walking away when she approached. It was not the best of things, but at least he did not have to deal with him. He did not shout at her and did not even give his usual looks. That was all a little surprising and maybe a little intriguing as well.
What was more surprising that most was the dink that he placed before her once the party was over. She and some of her friends decided to walk to a nearby bar and have some fun. The hospital never really allowed them time for themselves. One moment her friends were with her and the next, they were gone and Bob was placing an opened beer in front of her.
“I am not taking it until you take a sip and let it rest in you for a number of hours, just to be sure,” Candice said.
“Be nice, Candice, I am already going out of my way spending money on you,” Bob said.
“Spending money on me by buying me a single beer?” Candice asked.
“And the poison that I have laced it with,” Bob said.
“I knew it.”
Bob took a sip from the beer and looked at her before pushing it toward her. He smiled to show her that he did not mean her any harm. Candice look at him, then the beer before taking a sip herself.
“I guess you are here under orders, we need to mend out relationship,” Candice said.
“Orders, interesting choice of words.”
“As if you would come here for anything else. You hate me, everyone knows that. I am pretty sure this meeting is making sound waves. I mean, I don’t even need to look behind me to tell that people are staring at us,” Candice said.
“I came here because I wanted to. I could simply have ignored you and our feud would have died with that. But I appreciate that you are good at your work and I wanted to start by saying that I am sorry for what I have been doing to you,” Bob said.
“Sounds genuine too, I am sorry, I guess,” the woman said.
“You don’t look comfortable here,” Bob said.
Candice looked around. It had been her idea to come to the bar, but the truth was that she just wanted to feel like a normal human being. She wanted to go to a place where there weren’t any sic people, somewhere with music and fun. But this was not really her world.
“Why is that any of your concern?” Candice asked.
“You and I are the best in our field and we are always fighting. I mean we hit the ground running with this fight. We both seem to think the same. It is normal for me to think that you are not comfortable around here and it is only because
I am also not comfortable in a bar,” the man said.
“So, what does the boss suggest?”
“What boss?”
“You, of course.”
“I say we take a walk. I think we can talk about why we hate each other so much,” the man said.
Candice did not say no, she simply downed her beer, or whatever amount she could before pushing it toward Bob. Bob finished it off and paid the tab before they stepped outside. This was a new experience, one she had never anticipated before. This was not what she had thought of the man when she woke up that morning. Yet here she was, trying to be nice to a man how she had hated her whole life.
“So, remind me again why we were fighting so much?” Candice asked.
“I wish I could tell you that. All I know is that you did not like me and I made your life hell. But that is going to stop. I have made efforts to stop it and I hope you have noticed,” Bob said.
“Plus, our careers depend on us getting along.”
“Exactly.”
“My mom had a routine that allowed members of the family to get over their differences. She would make some tea and have some cookies then we would all sit down and talk about the issues around us until morning,” Candice said.
“I don’t know how to make tea.”
“I do, come on. I am going to make us some, we are going to buy some cookies and talk about it,” Candice said leading the man to her house.
It was not long before they were seated on the couch talking. They soon realized that they had more in common than they ever realized. Bob deiced to do something he had been thinking of doing over the last few hours. He took both their cups and placed them on the table before he turned toward the woman so he could look at her. Candice did not waste a moment; she simply leaned over and kissed him on the lips. Candice suddenly had an idea. She needed both of them to clean up so they could enjoy the night. When she mentioned it to the man, Bob simply got to his feet and led her to the shower. No one would have thought that something like this would ever happen.