Sex & Scrubs

It had been ten long hours since she had clocked in for work. Upon sitting down next to the large office printer, Nakota stretched out her legs and leaned her head back as she waited for her patient's results. Her eyes wandered toward the exit doors, watching the janitor clean up the last little bit of Valentine's decorations that were put up the day before.

Her floor was busier than usual. Mostly everyone kept their heads down and focused on their work. Nakota had walked so much that she could feel a tingling sensation in her feet. After looking at her smartwatch, she breathed a sigh of relief knowing that her shift was almost over.

Pulling out her iPhone, Nakota checked her email for the umpteenth time hoping to receive good news from the realtor. She had been living with her parents for a while and after months of searching, a cozy 2-bedroom cottage-style home was just listed on the market. Nakota saw it and fell in love instantly.

Nested on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, this house had a nice stone exterior with a newly rebuilt patio that was just minutes away from the hospital where she worked. The price wasn’t bad and it even had a newly built fence around the property. This cottage was perfect for her.

She had made an offer last week and had been eagerly waiting to hear back ever since. While swiping through the photo gallery of her dream home, the printer automatically began printing out her patient’s results.

Setting her phone back in her pocket, she grabbed the papers along with her iPad and proceeded down the hall. Looking over the results, Nakota smiled as her patient’s injuries were very minor. Upon walking next to the receptionist's desk, she saw Jane discreetly reading the latest Harlan Coben book from behind the counter.

“How is it?” Nakota smiled.

“Hmm?” Jane hummed while looking up at Nakota. “Oh, it’s good…his cliffhangers get me every damn time,” she chuckled.

Giggling at her response, Nakota’s attention quickly turned to the two men at the far end of the hallway. Both were fumbling through a bunch of wires and were setting up their laptops as the other nurses and doctors walked past them.

“What's up with those two?” Nakota asked.

“Those are the tech guys,” Jane answered. “They’re here to finally upgrade our security cameras.”

“Oh, nice…”

“Yeah. So for the next few hours, the cameras will be offline,” added Jane. “Just try your best not to rob this place,” she teased.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Nakota smiled before nodding to her co-worker.

Walking closer to her patient’s room, Nakota fanned through the paperwork one more time before knocking on their door. Putting a warm/welcoming smile on her face, Nakota stepped in and closed the door behind her.

“So Jamal…I got the results back,” Nakota began. “It looks like you have pulled a muscle and you have a minor sprain on your right ankle. It’s not fun, but if you keep your foot elevated and get plenty of rest, you should start healing rather quickly.”

“Oh sweet Jesus. That’s so good to hear,” praised Jamal’s mother.

“Well, that's good. How…how long will it be before I can go back to my training?” Jamal nervously asked.

“Baby! You haven’t left the hospital yet,” his mother rebutted. “You need to rest. I don’t want you to end up back here. You can’t play if you’re glued to this hospital bed.”

“Oh, you play sports?” Nakota inquired.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jamal nodded. “I play football.”

“Oh, awesome!” Nakota smiled. “What team do you play for?”

There was a slight pause in his response. Noticing the subtle slouch in his shoulders, Jamal took a few seconds to think before answering.

“Well…I’m not on the team yet, but the next round of tryouts is going to be sometime in the Summer,” Jamal said before turning to his mother. “I know that’s a few months away, but I really want to make the team. Coach Roderick said that if you put in the hard work and discipline yourself, anyone can achieve their goals.”

Watching his mother shaking her head at her son’s stubbornness, Nakota couldn’t help but chuckle before handing over Jamal’s results.

“Jamal, I really do admire your determination,” Nakota responded. “However, your mother is right. I do suggest you rest for a few weeks first before you go back to training. I promise…you will thank us later.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Jamal and his mother gathered their things as Nakota brought in a wheelchair. After assisting the young athlete into the seat, Nakota escorted Jamal and his mother to check out of the hospital before helping them to their vehicle.

Upon closing the passenger-side door, Nakota rolled back the wheelchair and waved as Jamal and his mother pulled out of their parking spot. After they exited the premises, Nakota turned around and slowly headed back toward the main entrance of the hospital.

A cool gentle breeze soon touched the warmth of Nakota’s cheeks. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and taking in the silence as the cold fresh air made her feel more relaxed. After enjoying a moment to herself, she continued to the main building where a staff member was seen pacing nervously next to the front double doors.

Noticing the nurse’s look of exhaustion, Nakota walked up to see what was the matter.

“Everything alright, Anne?” Nakota greeted.

Taking a sip from her thermos, the nurse turned to Nakota and sighed. There were deep circles around her eyes and Nakota could see that the stress was weighing Anne down.

“It’s…been a day,” she huffed.

“You’ve been busy as well?”

“Oh yeah. All eighteen hours worth,” smiled the nurse as she took another sip.

“Eighteen!?” Nakota flinched. “Here I am pushing a measly eleven.”

“Ahh…I remember when I first worked part-time here,” Anne teased.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence as Nakota smirked at Anne’s remark. Both women shook their heads and continued their conversation.

“Sorry. My sense of humor isn’t what it used to be,” Anne continued. “Plus I have a pounding headache.”

“No worries, how long do you have left on your shift?”

“Well…after I deliver the bad news to this patient, I’ll be heading out right after that,” Anne confessed.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Nakota consoled. “Terminal illness?”

“No. I have to tell this wife that she’s unable to have children,” Anne sighed. “She’s already given me an earful, insisting that she is perfectly fine. I mean…I am a certified nurse with 20 years under my belt, but what the fuck do I know, right?” she sarcastically added.

“Is her husband with her?”

“Yeah, but he’s no help.” Anne continued. “Between you and me, he’s nice to look at…but behind that clueless expression on his face, you can tell the lights are on but nobody's home.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah…poor guy. The wife strongly thinks he’s the one that is having troubles,” Anne added, glancing down at the papers in her hand. “She’s made him take all sorts of supplements, diets…whatever she can think of to try to fix him…even though he’s perfectly fine. Poor man. His testosterone levels are about the same as a viciously horny high schooler. I am just trying to muster up the courage to kindly and professionally tell her that she’s in denial.”

“Mind if I take a look?” Nakota offered, pointing to the reports in Anne’s hand.

Handing over the papers, Nakota began looking at the stats on Anne’s patient. Upon confirming the lab results, her eyes shifted toward the top of the paper. Her lips slightly parted as she read the name of the patient.

“Oh boy…” she whispered.

“What’s wrong?” Anne said as she leaned over towards Nakota.

“I know her,” Nakota sighed. “We went to school together and sort of went our separate ways during college.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know she was a friend of yours.”

“I…would call it that,” Nakota said, taking a deep breath. “We were friends at one point but she…changed.”

“How so?”

“It’s a long story but ever since she became a born-again Christian, she just wasn’t the same,” Nakota explained. “Bethany had screwed over plenty of people in the past and it’s safe to say religion was her way to redeem herself…I guess.”

“Well, given the fact that she brought up Jesus multiple times, I can't say I’m surprised,” Anne chuckled.

“Sounds like she’s still as stubborn as she was back then,” Nakota added.

Nodding her head, Anne took another sip of her drink before glancing over at Nakota. Watching her fumble through the pages of Bethany’s lab results, Anne turned to the evening sky. While watching the sun setting upon the horizon, Nakota proceeded to nudge the nurse with her elbow.

“If it makes it easier for you…I can talk to her for you,” Nakota offered.

“Hmm?”

“Yeah. You’ve been here a lot longer and plus, she knows me,” Nakota suggested. “She might take the news a little better if I was there.”

Anne smiled and paused for a few seconds. After closing the lid to her thermos, she turned and gently placed her hand on Nakota’s shoulder.

“I know we are bending the rules here, but if you are fine with it…I’ll be happy to take you up on your offer.”

“It’s all good,” Nakota smiled. “All I will essentially be doing is talking to an old friend…sorta.”

After thanking Nakota for volunteering, Anne proceeded to head inside the building and clock out of her shift. Spending just a few more minutes outside, Nakota closed her eyes once more and mentally prepared herself as she was about to pay Bethany a visit.