Chapter 1
Life consists of defining moments. These are points in time when everything changes for the better or worse. I had never thought much of the idea and generally went with the flow of life. Now, looking back, I can see those defining moments for what they were. Moments that forced me to make choices and change. In my twenty-eight years, most of the defining moments have been good ones. Graduating from nursing school was the best. I grew up wanting to be a nurse, taking care of people when they were sick. I would practice with my older brother who would get roughed up playing football. My parents would always laugh at the sight of this little girl working on a hulking young man.
Now I could help save his life if I needed to, and it was the best feeling in the world. I wanted nothing more than to make those in bad health feel better. Sometimes all it took was a smile. Other times, it took more medical intervention than personal. Either way, I was going to be someone that they could count on to be there.
“Annaleigh, you’re going to have three rooms today. Maggie is out sick,” Erin said.
My boss was Erin Reece. She was fair and always stood up for us nurses. There were a few doctors who operated here that were far from nice to us. To those people we were nothing more than peons that listened to their every word like it was gospel. Erin had stood up to most of them more than once and it gained my respect. She cared for the patients and for us, not the doctor’s ego.
“Also, a word of warning. Dr. Adams has two procedures down for the day. Annaleigh, you will have one, and Thomas will have the other. Be extra careful with his people, and inform him of anything that may happen. I don’t want to face him today with one of his tantrums.” Erin said with a smile.
It was six in the morning and the first patients were being pulled back to get ready for surgery. It wouldn’t be long before we had someone coming back to recovery. I moved quickly, prepping my rooms and making sure they were stocked. I tried to make the turnover of the rooms go quickly and smoothly.
Glancing over my schedule, I saw I had mostly routine surgeries for the same day. Those people could go home barring any complications, Then I saw that Dr. Adams was doing a bronchoscopy to place a pulmonary stent. I’ve dealt with plenty of these recoveries before and I shouldn’t have any problems on my end.
The door to recovery opens, and my first patient has arrived. A young man had a kidney stone removed. Although he was pale, his numbers looked good.
“Everything went as planned. He’ll have to pass the pieces and have a stent, but shouldn’t have any complications. The doctor put in the orders for the pain meds and something for nausea. Call if you need anything.” The surgical tech says on her way out the door.
This is how it always is for us here in surgery. Monday through Friday is hectic and weekends are full of emergencies. I take care of my patients and the days fly by. I enjoy the interaction I get with my patients and want to talk with them. I have always felt a kind voice and someone to listen to helps in recovery.
Dr. Adams’ patient was to be my last of the day. He hadn’t given Thomas any trouble, so I hoped that I too would get lucky. Sometimes when this doctor was working here we joked about how quickly he would blow his top over something. The man had no patience and made it abundantly clear to everyone that worked around him. It wasn’t something that had just started either. He had been like this for as long as anyone here could remember, and some people here had been here a long time.
There had been many recovery room nurses who had quit over the years because of the man. Some of them were excellent nurses, but they couldn’t handle the pressure of dealing with Dr. Adams. It was a sad situation, but the hospital wasn’t about to do anything about it.
People considered Dr. Adams one of the top surgeons in his field. That, along with his record of successful procedures, was what kept him here. The hospital would never get rid of someone who brought money into its pockets.
My last patient was wheeled in and set up in the room. I looked over the surgical notes as the surgical tech and nurse set up the IVs in the room. Everything seemed to go perfectly in the operating room.
“It seems like the procedure went well,” I say to the two women who were in the room with me.
“It did. Adams was on point today and seemed to be in a good mood. The patient should be free to go home once they have recovered. Dr. Adams wants you to make sure you go over the side effects and when they should come back carefully. It seems this lady and her husband didn’t want to pay attention during their consultation.” the nurse says.
“No problem. I’ll make sure I prepare them before they leave. Thanks for all your hard work today.” I say to them as they leave.
I’m rewarded with a smile from each of them. Over the years of working here, I have learned that more than anything the workers here need to know that we appreciate them. We aren’t told that often enough, and I make it my mission to tell everyone as much as possible.
I head into my patient’s room and start looking over the vitals she has. Everything seems to go well. I see that she still seems to sleep well, but unfortunately she has to wake up. We usually let the family come back once the patient is awake.
“Mrs. Jackson, I need you to wake up. You’re out of surgery.” I say as I gently touch her hand.
I always try waking my patients gently unless there is an emergency. I notice her coming around. Her eyes open slightly and I give her a smile. Her eyes open a little more.
“Hi there. Mrs. Jackson, you’re out of surgery. How are you feeling?” I ask softly.
“Tired. Can I have some water? she asks.
“Sure. I’ll get that for you. Do you want your husband to come back?” I ask.
“Not yet. I want to wake up first.”
“No problem.”
I leave the room and get her some ice chips and water. I can see the end of the day is near and I’m excited to be done. The weekend is here and I’m going to spend part of the time volunteering at the local animal shelter. Doing that each weekend is the best part of my week. I love the animals and the people that run the shelter are great as well.
If I didn’t love working with my patients so much, I would consider switching careers. Caring for animals is a passion, just like caring for people. Maybe someday I’ll take the plunge, but not yet.
As I turn the corner headed back to Mrs. Jackson’s room, I hear alarms going off. One of the other nurses is running into the room and I follow her. The patient’s vitals are dropping quickly and she isn’t breathing.
“Code Blue! Starting CPR.” I yell.
My adrenaline kicks in as I work to save this patient. This patient was absolutely fine until just seconds ago. I do chest compressions until a doctor I don’t recognize rushes into the room pulling up the crash cart.
I step back as he works and gets the patient’s heartbeat back. She still appears to not be breathing. He quickly intubates her to ensure we have a clear airway. I bag her and start to breathe for her..
“What happened here?” I hear a voice scream out.
Dr. Adams comes into the room, and he is angrier than I have ever seen him. My heart sinks at the thoughts that this could have turned out worse. I’m so thankful we were able to save this woman.
I continue to pump the bag, breathing for her while I wait for him to get closer. I know I’m in for it, but my mind can’t wrap around what could have happened with Mrs. Jackson that quickly. I’ve never had a stent patient do anything like this regardless of what type of stent it was.
“Are you deaf as well as dumb as you cow? I said, “What happened here to my patient?” Dr. Adams yells in my face.
