Chapter 1 - Autumn hired!
Apollo asked them, “I don’t know what Doc needs in an assistant so you’ll need to talk to him. Do you guys have time to talk to him now?”
Atlas looked at her, “I say, go ahead and talk to him so at least that’s one thing off your mind. Then we can move forward from there.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. If things work out, I’d really like to give my notice tomorrow. I’ve been wanting out of that office since the first week I started there but nursing jobs are not easy to come by.”
Apollo texted Doc and asked him to come down to his office. The 3 of them sat and chatted for a few minutes until Doc knocked on his door. “Come on in, Doc.” Apollo called out.
Doc entered his office and was surprised to see Atlas and Autumn sitting with Apollo. “What’s up?”
“Doc, you have been saying for a long time that you want a nurse to help you in the infirmary, well Autumn here is a nurse and is interested in working with you. Why don’t you two talk and see if it will be a compatible arrangement for both of you? Come on Atlas, let’s go get some coffee and let them talk.” Apollo said as he stood up and Atlas joined him.
Doc sat down across from Autumn with a surprised look on his face. “Well, goodness, this is a surprise, I must say. A happy one for sure but definitely a surprise. I take it Apollo and Atlas have described what we do here at the AAMC but I think the best place for us to start with is what your nursing experience is?” Doc said, starting the interview.
Autumn explained that she has only been a registered nurse for two years but she had worked in a hospital while she had been training to be a nurse. Once she had her credentials, she had been working as a “temporary replacement” or “fill-in nurse”, meaning that she filled in while other nurses took leave for a variety of reasons and in many different departments.
Doing that meant that she had not limited herself to one field the way some nurses do so she had worked in every department in the hospital. She had preferred the ER, except that the hospital where she had worked had been in a rather run down area and the pay had been crap considering what she’d had to do.
She had actually relocated to Portland from Seattle about a year ago for another “fill in position” to cover for a nurse who had to have an operation. Then she had gotten a position covering for a nurse who went on maternity leave that actually worked as a delivery room nurse. But once that nurse came back, there were no more positions available at the hospital.
She had begun to think she was going to have to leave Portland when she managed to find the job she had now. A job she hates! For the past few months she had been working in a doctor’s office but didn’t like it and told him why.
“Well, here we have the normal day to day things like colds, of course, but we also have a lot of injuries to treat. Unfortunately a lot of them are kids and young adults. Did Atlas tell you about the two boys who were in the infirmary with you last night?” Doc asked.
“Yes. He told me that their step father had beaten them and their mother, killing the mom. He told me about how she looked and it must have been horrific for those boys. I know you may see a lot of that but I’ve seen things like that too, in the ER.
When I was going through training, I wanted to stay in the ER but the first hospital where I worked after I got my credentials was not in a good area of town and the rate of pay they were offering wasn’t worth what you had to deal with. Lousy hours. Poor working conditions.
But I think what bothered me the most was the conveyor belt attitude they had. Minimal basic treatment then “NEXT”! I only got a job there to begin with because another nurse went on maternity leave.” Autumn stated just a few of the reasons she had not stayed there.
“Was this in a hospital in Portland?” Doc asked, curious to know since they worked with several hospitals in the area and he had never encountered anything like that before.
“No, not here. I can’t seem to get into a hospital here on a full time basis. That was in Seattle right after I graduated. I only moved to Portland about a year ago. I had worked hard to get my nursing credentials but I couldn’t find a permanent position so I was waiting tables in Seattle to keep my rent paid and to be able to eat while I was trying to find a job. I do have letters of recommendation, if you would like to have copies.” Autumn said.
“Yes, please! Here you would be on call 24/7 but except for certain times of the year, you would rarely have to work at all but you will be expected to be available at all times, especially if we have victims in the house. That said, you would be required to live on property.
Down time can be boring but I really don’t get much down time, mainly because it’s currently only me here and I try to keep the infirmary clean and well stocked. I warn you now that I’m OCD about the infirmary including the adjoining bathroom being kept clean and sanitary and don’t want to see anything left dirty, “to be cleaned up later”. You will treat and do follow up with all kinds of injuries when we have a rescue come in or one of the guys get hurt at work, which thankfully is rare.
I’ve done everything here from setting broken bones, mostly noses, treating burns to removing bullets, which I don’t expect you to do that but it would be nice to have someone who knows what a surgical instrument is when I call for it and not have a prospect who’s about to puke or pass out hand me a whole tray of instruments because they don’t know what the instruments are.
I’ve wiped people’s butts and I’ve even removed soiled tampons. I do pelvic exams on rape victims, both male and female but if they are bleeding anally, I have to send them to the hospital because I don’t have the equipment here to operate on them. The same is true when they are small children that need to be examined vaginally or anally.
The only thing I’ve never done is deliver a baby so your time in a delivery room will be invaluable since at least one of the women here is pregnant now. Thankfully we’ve never had a woman who was close to her delivery time come in as a rescue before. However, FYI, I do keep birth control supplies on hand but really prefer you go to an OBGYN in town for your lady issues.
That said, I think it would be best if I do the men’s physicals, well at least the “turn your head and cough” part.” Doc grinned at her and enjoyed her laugh.
“You would also be expected to go with me when we answer rescue calls. That’s one of the big reasons I wanted a female nurse. A lot of the time the victims are terrified, especially when they are very young children or battered women. The men scare them because they are so big.
I find some of the hardest cases to deal with are the rape victims, especially when it has happened to a child. Sometimes they just need to be held and comforted, to just cry it out of their system but I have to be very careful for many reasons.
Sometimes you have to be able to shut off your emotions and just deal with what is in front of you while at the same time be compassionate for what they are feeling. Patient confidentiality is very important. You can’t talk to the other women or the men in the club and tell them what a patient has told you. The only exception to that rule is Apollo and me. Especially if it has to do with a child. He has to report to CPS all injuries to a child or we could lose our funding plus it’s required by law. For me, it’s so that I don’t miss something they might need to be treated for.
Sometimes a victim will share what has happened to them, but not always. Don’t push the issue unless you need to know in order to treat them. We have a psychiatrist that comes in to hear their stories, to help them work through it in their minds.
This is a salary position so it won’t matter how many hours you put in, you will be guaranteed a paycheck every week. Free room and board, free auto insurance, free medical insurance and the club pays for all medical expenses for when you have to be treated away from here.
Like I said before, I would prefer you see a doctor in town about your feminine issues because I like breathing and Atlas might have an issue with me doing things like your pap smear and a pelvic exam but I can give you the birth control shot. Now, do you have any questions for me so far?” Doc asked.
“When do you need someone to start?” Autumn asked. She was very intrigued. Last night may have been horrible but today was starting out fantastic. She had woken up to not only the man of her dreams but the kind of job she had always wanted! That thought made her mind race and she had to force herself to focus on what Doc was saying.
“As soon as you can. I’ve been asking for an assistant for a long time but we have to know that whoever we hire is going to be able to keep their mouths shut about what goes on around here.” Doc said.
“I’ve already signed the NDA but more importantly, when I give my word, it takes a lot for me to even consider breaking it and, so far, I have never broken a promise or a confidence. What happens if Atlas and I don’t work out?” Autumn asked.
“Then you would change where you sleep, not where you work, I hope.” Doc said.
“What is the salary?” Autumn asked.
“You’re going to have to talk to Apollo about that. I don’t get involved in the finances of the club. And that is something you should keep confidential. That is strictly between you and him.” Doc said.
“Well, if the money is right, I’d very much like to work with you, Doc. I do feel like I should know at least your last name though.” Autumn said.
“My name is Byron Bradley. What is your last name?” Doc smiled at her. He tried to remember if she had mentioned it last night or this morning.
“It’s Morris.” Autumn smiled back at him but thought to herself, “hopefully soon to be Branson” and that thought surprised her. She may be sure this was a good career move for her but why was she hesitating on Atlas? He was everything she had always dreamed of and more, at least what she knew of him so far.
Then she realized that that was the problem. She didn’t know him well enough. She realized that they just needed to spend some time together, really get to know each other before she jumped into anything with him, especially his bed.
“I think you will work out well, Autumn. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders and don’t get upset easily or seem to be opposed to some of the situations we deal with. Let’s get Apollo in here and you can discuss your salary. How much notice do you need to give your current job?” Doc asked.
“Normally I would give at least 2 weeks notice but I’ve been so fed up with the unprofessionalism of that place that I really don’t care about giving any notice. He’s grossly overstaffed because he’s lazy and wants everyone else to do his work for him, even though he knows that none of us are qualified or licensed to do it. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll go in tomorrow, turn in my notice and at most work the week and then be ready to go here. Does that sound good?” Autumn asked.
Her mind was going a mile a minute, thinking about all the things that would need to be done in the next week. If she was going to be not only working but living here, then she needs to give notice on her apartment as well. She dreaded having to pack up again but there was no way she was going to pass up on this great opportunity.
“Fine by me.” Doc said and texted Apollo to let him know to come back to his office.
As soon as Apollo and Atlas returned, Autumn could tell that Atlas was very hopeful that she had accepted the position as he looked between her and Doc. She smiled at him, gave him a slight nod and he got a huge smile on his face, one that warmed her heart.
Doc told Apollo, “All that is in question now is her salary. We’ll leave you two alone to discuss that, then Autumn, if you find that acceptable, come down to the infirmary and I’ll show you what I have and we’ll get online and order you a lab coat. You’ll need one to protect your everyday clothes because there is no uniform. Okay?” Doc told her and she nodded in reply.
“Come on, Atlas. You can wait with me if you like.” Doc said and could tell that he didn’t want to leave her but Atlas followed him out of the room.
“So I take it you feel that you and Doc can work together?” Apollo asked as he waited for her to sit back down before returning to his seat.
“Yes. He seems like a good man, I know he treated me very well as a patient. And the job sounds like it’s never going to be boring and will offer a challenge, which is one of the things I hate about my current position is that it is so mundane and incredibly boring! The only questions I have left are, number one, what is the salary being offered?” Autumn asked.
She hated to admit it but this was one of her biggest pet peeves with her current job was that besides being incredibly boring was that the pay was lousy but she had been getting desperate to find work. If she had not taken it, she would have had to give up her apartment and while she had to scrape and do without a lot of things to keep the one she had, she liked where she lived because it was safe as well as close to work.
“Well, you have to consider that we will be supplying your room and board and all of your insurances including your car insurance plus we pay any outside doctor’s visits, like for your lady issues, and all hospital expenses, prescriptions, etc. We also provide maintenance for your vehicle. That’s in addition to your yearly salary which would be thirty thousand to start.” Apollo said.
He watched her reaction closely and could tell that she had been hoping for more. “Please consider, Autumn, that that is a start. We know absolutely nothing about you or your credentials or your work performance, hell, I haven’t even asked you to fill out an application or to submit a resumé. If you do well, and Doc says you deserve a raise, then I’ll put it in our next grant and you will receive one but right now that is the best I can do.” Apollo said.
Knowing that everything he had said was true, Autumn took a deep breath and said “Before I say anything more, I have one more question. Atlas and I have just met and while I do hope that things will work out for both of us, I don’t know for sure that it will yet. I don’t hop into bed with just anyone so does my room and board include my own room or is that figure based on me sharing a room with him?” Autumn’s cheeks were bright pink by the time she finished speaking but as far as she was concerned, her acceptance to this position had to include her own room. She would not be forced into bed with Atlas just so that she could work here.
Apollo did his best to hide his reaction of surprise and his urge to laugh as he said “Of course you can have your own room. I don’t know if you have seen any of them or not but each room here is a large bedroom with a luxury bathroom, a large walk-in closet and a small seating area. If you would like to see one before you make a decision, I could show you one.” Apollo offered.
“Yes, please.” Autumn said and then stood up when he did.
“Come on. I’ll show you the one that I think will work best for your position with us.” Apollo led the way out of his office and down the hall to the room that he thought would work best.
Autumn was pleasantly surprised by not only the size of the room but by how nicely it was furnished. She was shocked when Apollo told her “These rooms are usually used for rescues to stay in while they recover. If they become prospects, they move up to the top floor. Female rescue victims have the choice of going to family or if their attacker has been eliminated, they are free to go back to their lives before they were attacked. Some find love matches with members or, if they are of legal age, they have the option of becoming a clubwhore.”
“What about young children?” Autumn asked.
“Well, normally we turn them over to CPS and they don’t stay with us at all unless they are injured or come in with a parent. If they are injured but not badly enough to require hospitalization, we have rooms set up to accommodate them as well here on the ground floor, at least overnight or until they are healed. Members’ rooms are upstairs on the second floor and you need an invitation to go up there, and must be escorted by a patched member or his other half.” Apollo said.
“Is this the only room available?” Autumn asked.
“No but other than how they are decorated, the rooms are all the same except one or two but those are reserved for rescues who need help in the bathroom because they have a bidet. I just thought this would work the best for you because it’s close to the infirmary. Doc’s room is across the hall. You are welcome to choose any of the rooms on this floor.
Until you get together with Atlas, I would prefer that you stay down here because all of the upper rooms are either couples or single men.” Apollo said. He knew that if she were allowed to stay up there without being claimed, Atlas would set up camp outside her door or never sleep. He may do that no matter where she stays, if not in his room.
He did not want to even consider that Autumn was not going to accept his claim because he knew that Atlas would leave and become nomad and it might be the thing that drove Atlas over the edge of his sanity.
“If you do not like the furnishings, you are welcome to change anything you want. Some of the rooms have different furnishings or have different paint colors, but I have to say, in my opinion, this is one of the nicer rooms down here. You can paint your room any color and decorate it any way you want.” Apollo told her as he watched her walk around the room.
“Oh, you are so right. This is very nice and except that I have a kitchen in my apartment and a dedicated separate living room, this is almost as big as my apartment and will be more than sufficient for my needs.” Autumn said as she stopped by the french doors and saw that she would even have her own private patio outside as well as a lovely view of the back yard and the woods beyond.
“Do you ever have issues with wildlife coming up into the yard?” Autumn asked, turning to look at Apollo and he knew she had decided.
“Once we had a bear come into the yard after a BBQ party when some food got left out but we scared him off and I’ve never seen him come back. There are squirrels, rabbits and sometimes some deer will come down to drink from a small stream that runs along the edge of the trees or into the yard to feed off the grass but other than that, it’s safe to sit out there. Just keep an eye and ear out for snakes. Don’t leave the door open even when you are sitting right there.” Apollo said. “So what do you think?”
“I think you have just hired a nurse!” Autumn said, walking towards him holding out her hand.
“Great! Will you need help moving?” Apollo asked as he shook her hand, sealing the deal.
“YES! I just wonder what I’m going to do with my furniture. I’m currently on a month to month lease with my apartment so I’ll just have to let my landlord know I’m moving out but with the demand for apartments in my building, it shouldn’t be a problem.” Autumn said.
“Well, I would suggest a storage unit for stuff you won’t need here and maybe have a unit sale later on. Or save it for if you and Atlas decide you want your own place away from the clubhouse.
However, I do want to warn you now that if you marry and decide you want your own house, it has to be within 5 minutes of the clubhouse. All members are required to stay close by in case we get a call for a rescue and since you will be medical personnel it will be even more important that you are close by.” Apollo told her.
“Well, that’s a worry for another day. Now, what do I need to do to get any paperwork filled out?” Autumn asked.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get that all together and give it to you before you start. When did you tell Doc you would be available to start?” He asked.
“I’m going to give my notice when I go in tomorrow and give them a week but if they give me any guff, I’m going to quit on the spot. That place is a circus of gossiping women, which is something I detest, and disorganization, which is something else I hate. I’ve been there for 3 months now and have hated every second of it. To say I can’t get out of there fast enough is a gross understatement!” Autumn said with passion.
Atlas followed Doc down the hall to the infirmary and tried to be patient but kept standing up and going to the door or walking a rut across the room until Doc got irritated and said “Atlas, if you don’t sit down and be still, I’m going to sedate you again. This has to be Autumn’s decision and it really shouldn’t have anything to do with you!
Granted it would be a plus if you two get together but she will be here to work as my nurse, not because she’s one of the ole ladies who just happens to have nursing skills! What are you so nervous about? I can tell she already has feelings for you. Stop worrying. If it’s meant to be then it will be. You wearing a rut on my floor is not going to change her mind.” Doc said.
“I know, Doc. I’m just nervous. I’ve never had a girlfriend before, at least not one I want to marry.” Atlas said and Doc got a shocked expression on his face. Was it possible that Atlas was a virgin? Doc knew how well endowed Atlas was because he gave all of the men yearly physicals so he had seen them all naked. None of them could be considered small but Atlas is impressive by anyone’s standards!
“Um, Atlas? Have you ever been with a woman before?” Doc asked.
“Yeah. Why?” Atlas asked, a bit shocked that Doc had asked.
“Oh! Good. I was just a bit concerned. I mean, I’ve never seen you mess with the clubwhores and you’ve never mentioned seeing a woman.” Doc trailed off, not sure what else to say. It would be rather unprofessional of him to mention that he knew how big Atlas’ “junk” was.
“Yeah, I know. Granted it’s been a while but there was a woman that I used to see in town. We dated for a while but then I found out I wasn’t the only man she was seeing and I broke it off. I mean, I knew she wasn’t a virgin the first time we were together but if I’m going to be with anyone, I want it to be exclusive because I don’t share.” Atlas said.
Then he got to thinking about it and realized that Doc would be the best person to answer the questions he had. “Doc, can a man feel a woman’s barrier with a condom on?”
“If he goes slow and really pays attention. It’s only a thin membrane and it usually only offers a slight resistance when you break through. If you go slow and take your time, but when you break through it, it will sting quite a bit, similar to a bee sting but it should only hurt for a minute or so and there will be a small amount of blood sometimes, but not always.
But if you just rush and push through and keep going it will hurt her because she will more than likely tense up. She’ll have to work through the pain and concentrate to relax again. If you don’t stop and just continue, you could cause some serious damage and there will be a lot of blood afterwards.” Doc explained then he realized that maybe he needed to advise Atlas and even though it made him slightly uncomfortable about asking,
“Has Autumn admitted that she’s still a virgin?” Doc asked and Atlas just nodded.
“Atlas, I hope you don’t think I’m being rude but you have to realize that you will be a lot for any woman to take but for a woman who is inexperienced, you will need to go very slow. Just a little at a time, give her a chance to get used to your size before you go in farther. Give her a chance to relax her muscles and warn her when you feel her barrier before you break through it. A woman can’t feel it until you break through so she can’t warn you when you get close. When you do break through, freeze and let her work through the pain before you start to move again. ”
Atlas was paying close attention and if Doc was anyone else, Atlas would never admit this but he finally nearly whispered, “I’m scared Doc. I definitely don’t want to hurt her but at the same time, I want to be with her so badly. Hell, I’ve had at least a partial hard on since I first saw her this morning.” Atlas admitted.
Then he realized that he had only met her that morning. Not even one full day had gone by yet! That realization made him aware that he needed to slow down. He had told Autumn he would not rush or push her but that’s exactly what he had been doing.
