CHAPTER TWO – IN THE THEATRE

They continued their rounds, with Laura guiding Mia through various procedures. When it came time for Mia to insert her first IV, Laura could see the young nurse's hands shaking. "It's okay to be nervous," Laura reassured her. "Take a deep breath. I'll talk you through it." Mia nodded, her face pale. "Okay. I can do this." As Mia prepared to insert the IV, Laura gently coached her. "Remember, find the vein first. Good. Now, insert the needle at a 15-degree angle. That's it. You're doing great." With Laura's guidance, Mia successfully inserted the IV. Her face lit up with pride. "I did it!" she exclaimed. Laura beamed. "See? I told you you could do it. How do you feel?" Mia's eyes shone. "Amazing. Is this how you felt when you first started?" Laura nodded. "Exactly like this. It's why I became a nurse. There's nothing quite like knowing you're making a difference in someone's life." As they continued their shift, Laura and Mia fell into a comfortable rhythm. During a rare quiet moment, they grabbed coffee in the break room. "So, what made you want to become a nurse?" Laura asked. Mia's eyes lit up. "My grandmother. She was a nurse for forty years. The way she talked about her job... it just inspired me, you know?" Laura nodded. "I get it. For me, it was my mom. She was always taking care of everyone in the neighborhood. I guess it rubbed off on me." Their conversation was interrupted by a commotion in the hallway. They rushed out to find Mr. Wilkins attempting to leave his room, IV pole in tow. "Mr. Wilkins!" Laura called out. "What are you doing?" "I'm getting out of this godforsaken place!" he declared. "The food is terrible, the TV only has three channels, and I haven't seen a doctor in hours!" Laura approached him calmly. "Mr. Wilkins, I understand you're frustrated. But you're not well enough to leave yet. Let's go back to your room and talk about this, okay?" Mr. Wilkins wavered, then grudgingly allowed Laura to guide him back to his bed. "Now," Laura said, once he was settled. "Tell me what's really bothering you." Mr. Wilkins' gruff exterior cracked slightly. "I... I miss my wife. She always took care of me when I was sick." Laura's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wilkins. I know it's hard being here alone. Is there someone we can call for you?" As Laura worked to comfort Mr. Wilkins, Mia watched in awe. Once they left the room, she turned to Laura. "That was amazing," Mia said. "How did you know what to say?" Laura smiled. "Experience, mostly. And remembering that under all that grumpiness, there's usually someone who's scared and needs compassion." As their shift neared its end, Laura's phone buzzed. It was a text from Mark. Mark: Surprise! I'm in the hospital parking lot with lunch. Meet me? Laura's face lit up. She turned to Mia. "Hey, my boyfriend's here with lunch. Do you mind if I take a quick break?" Mia grinned. "Of course not! Go, enjoy." Laura hurried to the parking lot, where Mark was waiting with a picnic basket. "Mark!" she exclaimed, giving him a quick kiss. "What's all this?" He smiled. "I thought you could use a pick-me-up. How's your shift been?" Laura sighed. "Busy, as usual. But not too bad. I've been mentoring a new nurse, Mia. She's doing great." As they settled on a nearby bench to eat, Mark listened attentively to Laura's stories about her day. "You're amazing, you know that?" he said, looking at her with admiration. "The way you care for your patients, mentor new nurses... I'm in awe of you." Laura blushed. "I'm just doing my job." Mark shook his head. "It's more than that, and you know it. You make a real difference in people's lives." As they were about to dig into their sandwiches, Laura's pager went off. She checked it and groaned. "I'm so sorry," she said, standing up. "There's an emergency. I have to go." Mark nodded understandingly. "Go. Save lives. I'll be here when you're done." Laura gave him a quick kiss and rushed back into the hospital, ready to face whatever challenge awaited her. Laura burst through the emergency room doors, her heart racing. The scene before her was chaos – nurses rushing back and forth, doctors barking orders, and patients crying out in pain. "What's the situation?" Laura called out to the charge nurse, Sarah. Sarah's face was grim. "Multi-car pileup on the highway. We've got at least a dozen incoming traumas." Laura took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Alright, where do you need me?" "Bay 3," Sarah replied. "We've got a male, mid-30s, with severe chest trauma. Dr. Patel is there now." Laura nodded and rushed to Bay 3. As she entered, she saw Dr. Patel bent over a patient whose chest was a mess of blood and torn flesh. "Nurse Jay," Dr. Patel said without looking up. "I need an chest tube, stat." Laura moved quickly, gathering the necessary supplies. As she assisted Dr. Patel, she spoke softly to the patient, who was drifting in and out of consciousness. "Sir, can you hear me? You're in the hospital. We're taking care of you. Just try to stay calm." The man's eyes flickered open, filled with fear. "My... my wife... she was in the car..." Laura exchanged a glance with Dr. Patel. "We'll find out about your wife as soon as we can," she assured him. "Right now, we need to focus on you." As they worked to stabilize the patient, Laura heard more commotion in the hallway. More victims were arriving. "Nurse Jay," Dr. Patel said, "I've got this under control. They need you out there." Laura nodded and rushed back out into the ER. She saw Mia looking overwhelmed, trying to manage multiple patients at once. "Mia," Laura called out. "Focus on one patient at a time. What do you need?" Mia's relief was palpable. "Bay 5 needs sutures, Bay 6 needs pain meds, and Bay 7 needs a CT scan ordered." Laura nodded. "Okay, you handle the sutures. I'll take care of the rest." As Laura moved from patient to patient, she felt the familiar rush of adrenaline that came with emergency situations. This was what she was trained for – to remain calm in the face of chaos, to make quick decisions that could mean the difference between life and death. Hours passed in a blur of activity. Laura lost track of how many patients she had treated, how many lives she had touched. Finally, as the last of the accident victims were stabilized or transferred to other departments, she allowed herself to take a breath. She found Mia slumped against a wall, looking exhausted but exhilarated. "You did great," Laura told her, squeezing her shoulder. Mia looked up at her with tired eyes. "Really? I felt so overwhelmed." Laura smiled. "That's normal. But you kept your cool and did your job. That's what matters." As they were talking, Dr. Carter approached them, his usual smug expression replaced by one of grudging respect.