by Rachel Hanna
Bennett chuckled. “Eat your salad. I have a video meeting in an hour.”
“Oh poo! You’re no fun.”
Danielle stretched her arms high above her head and let out the groan that she had been holding in all morning. Seeing patients this way was a lot more tiring than she thought it would be. ICU life had been much more fast-paced, but taking time to sit and listen to each of her patients, for sometimes a half an hour or more, was proving to be exhausting.
She’d been at it since eight o'clock this morning, only taking time for a quick snack around eleven when she’d scarfed down an apple and string cheese. Each of her patients had been difficult, as usual.
One woman had gout and argued with her about taking medication. Another woman couldn't understand why she needed to stop her rollerskating lessons given that she had pretty severe osteoporosis.
There was just something about the people on this island that made Danielle want to pull her hair out by the roots. Each one of them had their own quirky nature, almost like Bennett had somehow pulled together the most stubborn old people he could find across the globe.
She had one more patient before lunch, and then she was going to take a leisurely stroll down to the beach and eat the chicken salad croissant she’d picked up from the sandwich shop across the street. She had found that the food on Wisteria Island was actually very good.
"Hello?" she heard an older man call from the waiting room. The door had just chimed, so she knew he hadn't been waiting more than maybe three seconds before he started calling out. That was never a good sign. Impatient patients were the worst.
"Just a moment. I'm coming," Danielle said, taking a deep breath and blowing it out before she rounded the corner. She’d been doing a lot more breathing techniques and meditation lately just trying to keep her wits about her.
It was strange because she should've been a lot more stressed out working at a hospital, but that felt more natural to her than working individually with patients who only wanted to argue with her. Plus, there was the fact that when she was at the hospital, she worked with patients from all age ranges. On Wisteria Island, she wondered just how much good she could possibly do in a population of older people. How could she keep them healthier? How could she keep them alive longer? These were questions she never really had to ask herself when she was dealing with a thirty-year-old in the ICU after a biking accident. Her job was to keep them alive and send them home, of course, but then her job was over. Wisteria Island felt like a long-term responsibility that she wasn't sure she was cut out for even now.
As she rounded the corner, she saw an older gentleman standing there, his arms crossed. He was tall and thin with perfectly styled gray hair and completely clean shaven. If she hadn’t known better, she would've thought he was a Wall Street stockbroker or perhaps an attorney.
"I assume you're the new nurse?" he said, his tone short and snippy.
"That's me. I'm Danielle. And you are?"
"Theodore Donovan."
He said it with such authority, like she should’ve been impressed. She searched her brain to think whether she'd ever heard his name before.
"It's nice to meet you, Theodore."
He glared at her. "You know, my mother taught me to call my elders Mr. or Mrs. I guess today's generation is a little different."
"I'm happy to call you Mr. Donovan, if that makes you feel more comfortable," she said with a forced smile. "Why don't you follow me to the exam room?"
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked through the doorway, listening to the click of his expensive dress shoes on the floor as they walked.
She flipped the light on in room three and waited for him inside. He walked in, making no eye contact, and sat down in a chair rather than on the table. She sat on her wheeled stool and looked at him.
"So, what can I help you with, Mr. Donovan?"
"My wife sent me here. I've been having some issues in a particular area."
"Care to elaborate on what area that is?"
He stared at her. She could tell he was growing irritated already, but she had no idea why.
"Do I really have to go into detail?"
"I'm afraid so. I don't really know what you're talking about."
He let out a loud sigh and leaned in closer. "The flagpole isn't going up anymore, if you get my drift."
Suddenly, Danielle was faced with something she hadn't been faced with in her entire career. Nobody talked about erectile dysfunction in the ICU. It was typically the last thing on anyone's mind. Here sat this very frustrated and irritated man, staring at her as she made the mental connection between a flagpole and a male body part.
"Oh. I'm sorry. That took me a minute to understand," she said, stumbling over her words as she looked down at her clipboard. At the hospital, she would've been using an electronic tablet, but Wisteria Island wasn't exactly a mecca of technology.
"Look, I don't want anybody on this island knowing I’ve got this issue. I just want you to give me some of those pills I see on the TV late at night so I can move on with my life. It's almost our sixtieth wedding anniversary, and I'm tired of hearing my wife nag me about it."
"Mr. Donovan, I can't just write you a prescription for pills. First of all, I'm a nurse. So I would have to clear it with the doctor when he comes to the island. Second of all, I think you need to be evaluated."
He tilted his head to the side. “Evaluated? Exactly how do they evaluate you for something like that?"
"Well, it might be a good idea for you to see a urologist…"
"Negative. Nobody is poking around down there except for my wife."
Danielle struggled not to laugh. "I'm more concerned that you see a cardiologist. Have you seen one before?"
“My heart is fine. I saw one probably ten years ago, and this ticker works just great. Besides, what does that have to do with… well, you know."
"The blood vessels in the male genitalia region are some of the tiniest in the body. When men have issues down there, it’s often the first sign of hardening of the arteries in the heart and other parts of the body."
He sat there quietly for a moment. "Nobody has ever told me that before."
"Well, it's true, and I would really feel better about getting you on medication if we got your heart checked out first. I just want to make sure there's nothing going on there that we are ignoring."
She saw his face change slightly, almost a look of gratitude washing across it. “You seem pretty smart."
"Thank you."
"So how do I go see this heart doctor?"
“I can give you a referral to someone on the mainland. I'm not sure how long it will take you to get an appointment, so why don't I try to make a call today and I’ll get back to you. Sound good?"
He nodded his head before standing up. "Thanks."
She followed him back up front. "I'll call you a little later today."
He reached for the door, but then turned around. “You know, we've had a lot of nurses here in the last couple of years. I've given them all a run for their money, but I think you might be the best one we've had."
Danielle smiled. "Well, I think that might be a high praise coming from you, Mr. Donovan."
He chuckled under his breath and nodded. "You can call me Ted."
She laughed as she watched him walk down the sidewalk toward his house. Why did everybody give her such a hard time? Bennett hadn't been kidding when he said she'd have to prove herself to everybody on that island.
Danielle was glad that her workday was done. She was tired, hungry and ready to pile into her bed, watch a pointless television show and eat ice cream until her stomach hurt. That had become her new normal, and it wasn't something she ever expected. If her yoga pants started getting tight, she'd have to make different nutritional decisions.
She locked the door to her office and stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was another beautiful day on Wisteria Island; the blue sky didn't have a cloud in it.
"How was
your day?" Bennett always seemed to be hiding around the corner from wherever she was.
"I'm not sure of the word I would use to describe it, but I'm going to say it was taxing."
He frowned. "I had hoped that today would be easier for you. Who did you see?"
"Too many to count. But I think it was Mr. Theodore Donovan that really threw me for a loop."
"Good old Ted. He likes to really test out the nurses. He used to be a trial attorney back in his younger days. I heard he's having some issues that might have been hard to discuss?"
"Patient confidentiality, Bennett."
She started walking towards her house, the whole time thinking that she needed to get an electric bike or a golf cart of her own. After a long day, it was exhausting to walk back to the cottage.
Bennett walked alongside her, although she really wanted him to leave her alone so she could get home as quickly as possible. She enjoyed his company, and he wasn’t bad to look at, but right now she was focused on just doing her job, getting a paycheck and trying to figure out her next move.
"Have you made any decisions about staying?"
She looked over at him. "No, I haven't. I don't know when I will. I didn't sign a contract for a particular period of time."
"I know. I'm not trying to pressure you. You've already stayed longer than ninety percent of the other nurses, so I was hoping it was good news."
"It's just a different type of lifestyle than I'm used to. I work with all different age ranges at the hospital, and here I'm not sure how much good I can do. I mean I can only prolong people’s lives to a certain extent, and that's only if they want to do the work."
"I'm not sure it's about prolonging anybody's life. It's just about making sure these people have good medical care and the support of somebody who listens to them. Many of them come to you because they don't have anyone else to talk to."
"They seem to talk to you just fine," she said with a laugh.
"Well, I've always been the patient kind. My mom used to say that I was too patient."
"I guess there are things that are worse than being too patient," she said, slowing down a bit so he could catch up.
"I think you're doing a great job. I've heard some talk on the island, and people are getting comfortable with you."
“They sure don't show it when they come for a visit," she said, smiling.
"Listen, these people appreciate you a lot more than you realize. You just have to know they all have interesting personalities."
Danielle stopped and sat down on one of the benches dotting the sidewalk. "Interesting is one way to describe it."
He sat down beside her. "I think it will help you to know more about them when you come to the ice cream social."
She craned her neck and looked at him. "Ice cream social? What is that?"
"Naomi didn't give you the information? I'll have to talk to her about that. The ice cream social is next week on Wednesday. It's family visit day."
"Wait. Family is coming?"
"Yes, but don't worry. There's not much you have to do. All the medical testing to make sure we're only bringing healthy people onto the island is done on the mainland. The doctor has a staff of people who handle that."
“How long will they be here?"
"They typically stay from Wednesday until Saturday. That gives everybody plenty of time to spend with their loved ones, and they get to have some fun. The beaches get a lot more crowded, so I will warn you about that."
"So I'm going to get to meet the family members of these people?"
"Some of them. There are those who can't make it, and there are some who don't have any family members. It can be a little sad for those people."
"I bet. Maybe you should consider bringing in a counselor who can work with some of the residents when they are struggling with feelings of abandonment."
Bennett smiled. "See? You're starting to care about these people."
"I care about all people. Don't read too much into it."
He shrugged his shoulders just as her phone started ringing. "You take that in private. See you at dinner tonight?"
Dinner. She got really tired of having to go to dinner every single night, but it was part of her job description. She nodded and waved as he walked down the sidewalk. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she pressed answer before even looking down to see who it was.
“Hello?"
"Danielle? It's your mother."
Dang, she should have looked at the caller ID.
"Hi, Mom. What can I do for you?"
"Well, I’ve got the most exciting news!”
"And what is that?"
"They have fired Richard from the hospital. That means you can go back now!"
She sat there for a moment, her stomach churning just hearing his name. A part of her was happy that he had finally gotten fired. Long-awaited justice was better than no justice at all.
"Danielle? Are you still there?"
"Yes. I'm still here."
She knew her mother was asking if she was still on the other end of the phone, but she was looking around at Wisteria Island and noting that she was still there.
"So? Do you want me to call the hospital and let them know that you're coming back?"
"No! Why on earth would I want my mother to call the hospital about my previous job when I'm a grown woman?"
"Fine. You can call them. I'm sure they'll be delighted to hear that you're coming back."
She sat there for a moment and noticed Gladys toddling down the sidewalk with her little white dog. Always smiling and happy, Gladys waved at her and then turned down a side street, probably heading towards the beauty salon.
"Danielle?"
"I'm not calling them."
"What?"
"Look, I have a job. I took this job in good faith, and I am going to give it my best."
"Danielle, you can't be serious. You have a fantastic education and all of this work experience. You cannot be serious that you're going to stay on a little island of old people. How are you ever going to find a husband?"
"What if I don't need a husband? What if that's not the first thing on my mind? What if I just want to be happy?"
Her mother laughed under her breath. "Happiness is overrated, dear."
"Mom, I have to go. I need to take a shower before I go eat dinner with my residents.”
"Danielle, don't make a big mistake. Go take back what's yours!"
"We'll talk later, Mom." Of course. Next time she planned to pay much closer attention to her caller ID before she answered the phone.
Chapter 7
Danielle stood outside with the rest of the staff, wearing the purple Wisteria Island T-shirt they had all been given. It was important for the family members to know who was staff and who was a resident, although most of the residents outpaced her by at least thirty or forty years.
It was a hotter than a typical day, the wind not whipping around as it normally did, so she was feeling the effects of the heat as she waited for the ferry to pull up. Bennett had rented a ferry instead of using the smaller boat just because of the sheer number of people coming to the island for a visit.
Eddie said that he used a bigger boat every year so that they could pick up all the family members in one trip rather than going back-and-forth all day long. Eager residents stood beside the staff members, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their family members.
Danielle assumed it had to be quite difficult for them to only see their family members a couple of times a year, although some of them used video chats frequently. Still, she guessed that there would be many joyous reunions happening in front of her in the next few minutes.
"Excited?" Bennett asked as he walked up beside her.
"Breathless with anticipation," she said dryly, before laughing. "Does this usually go pretty well?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Not always. Some of these people don't really want to visit, but they feel guilty. Other residents don't get any visitors at all. I
try to give them more attention during this time."
She nodded her head. "I'll do the same. It always makes me so mad when families dump their parents or grandparents somewhere and don't come back. It's the same way I feel when somebody drops their dog off at the shelter just because they don't want to be bothered with them anymore."
"Yeah, it's very sad."
A few moments later, the ferry arrived at the small dock. Staff members who were familiar with the process walked toward it and started helping people off one by one.
As anticipated, Danielle watched some people rejoice in their reunion, hugging and laughing. Others were much quieter in their approach to their loved one, simply walking up and saying hello with little contact. And then there were the residents who stood there, hoping someone was coming, and then no one appeared.
This seemed to be the case for Morty. Bennett had worried about that and had relayed those fears to Danielle a couple of days before. Morty had family, but they often forgot about him and rarely video chatted. Morty always got his hopes up and stood by the dock on the slight chance that someone would show.
"Are you okay, Morty?" Danielle asked as she walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. They had mended fences from the last time he was mad at her, and she had learned how to deal with his quirky personality. In fact, he was one of her favorites on the island, although she’d never tell anyone that.
He smiled sadly and looked up at her. "I don't know why I ever think my family might change. They've never been accepting of me. They are all quite prim and proper, and I'm a little colorful for their taste."
"Well, I think you're amazing!"
He cocked his head to the side. "You do?"
"Of course! Your fashion sense alone is something to behold. Plus, you're one of the funniest people I've ever met. So, if your family can't see that, it's really their loss."
He reached over and squeezed both of her hands."Thank you for that. I really do appreciate it. I think I'm going to head home and take a nice long bubble bath. I'll see you at the ice cream social. I never miss a chance to have a nice ice cream cone!"