out with no explanation is rude, frankly.” I wasn't someone they could just push around.
“I'm the administrator here. That means, while you are here, you follow my rules. Now, go see if the girls need help.” She dismissed me without so much as a reason why. I wanted to cry, but I was too angry to cry.
She grabbed Milton's chart out of my hands and opened the door for me. “Give me your keys.”
“My keys? What's going on here? You can't just throw me out. I'm calling my agency. I'm being paid to be a nurse, not an aide. You can't treat me this way.” I grabbed my purse to get my cell phone out and call my supervisor.
Carol slammed the door shut behind me, leaving me in the dining room, shaking because I was so angry.
It was the end of the workday in California, but I knew the answering service would have someone available.
“Hi, this is Mercedes Mares calling from Nebraska. I have a problem here. Which supervisor is on call tonight?” I asked, watching Carol settle into what was supposed to be my office.
Behind me, Tina asked, “What's going on?”
Tears were burning my eyes, but I refused to cry. “I have no idea. She is taking over, I guess.”
“Carol is? Are you kidding me? Carol has no clue what goes on around here. She was a dialysis nurse for crying out loud. Before that, she was a school nurse. She doesn't know how to do anything here. She's afraid of our residents. This can't be good. Are you sick or something?” Tina looked me over, assessing my well-being.
“No, but I feel an illness coming on real soon.” I didn't want to tell her that this place was beginning to make me sick, but that was the truth. I felt more and more nauseous with every passing second.
“Are you calling your agency?” Tina whispered, pulling me out of Carol's line of vision.
I nodded. “I'm on hold.”
“Don't let her see you talking on your cell phone. They fire people for that. Come, help me do the rounds. Sarah is on her break.”
I realized that Tina was just trying to help, but I'm afraid, I couldn't ignore this passive-aggressive behavior any longer. I needed my job. I had a house and my daughter's education to think about.
The girl from the answering service finally answered my question. “Ruby's the on call supervisor tonight. I asked her to give you a call.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, someone who would be willing to listen to me.
I looked up at Tina. “Do you mind if I step off the unit for a few minutes? I need to talk to my supervisor.”
Tina waved me off. “Go. No problem. Use that door, so you won't have to pass the office.” She pointed to the doors that led to the other side of the dementia unit. I hadn't spent too much time over there. Most of those patients were bedridden and relatively quiet, the complete opposite of the more active bunch I had on this side.
“Good idea, thanks.” I rushed off the unit, virtually undetected. It didn't occur to me that there were cameras installed everywhere and the monitors were directly in front of Carol's face.
“Hi, Toots! Are you okay? I don't need to come bail you out of jail, do I?” Ruby teased.
The sound of her comforting voice brought me to tears immediately. I cried like a baby, telling her all that had happened since the last time we spoke.
“So, she just threw you out with no explanation as to why? Doesn't she know that death is a natural part of life in a nursing home? What planet are these people from again?” Ruby asked, feeling just as annoyed as I did.
“I never wanted to go home so badly in all my life. My divorce proceedings were more pleasant than this place.” I wasn't kidding either. At this point, I would have rather been hog tied and rolled down a hill stark naked.
Ruby has always been my voice of reason, in life and in work. She said, “Mercy, where is the administrator now? Let me speak to
“I'm the administrator here. That means, while you are here, you follow my rules. Now, go see if the girls need help.” She dismissed me without so much as a reason why. I wanted to cry, but I was too angry to cry.
She grabbed Milton's chart out of my hands and opened the door for me. “Give me your keys.”
“My keys? What's going on here? You can't just throw me out. I'm calling my agency. I'm being paid to be a nurse, not an aide. You can't treat me this way.” I grabbed my purse to get my cell phone out and call my supervisor.
Carol slammed the door shut behind me, leaving me in the dining room, shaking because I was so angry.
It was the end of the workday in California, but I knew the answering service would have someone available.
“Hi, this is Mercedes Mares calling from Nebraska. I have a problem here. Which supervisor is on call tonight?” I asked, watching Carol settle into what was supposed to be my office.
Behind me, Tina asked, “What's going on?”
Tears were burning my eyes, but I refused to cry. “I have no idea. She is taking over, I guess.”
“Carol is? Are you kidding me? Carol has no clue what goes on around here. She was a dialysis nurse for crying out loud. Before that, she was a school nurse. She doesn't know how to do anything here. She's afraid of our residents. This can't be good. Are you sick or something?” Tina looked me over, assessing my well-being.
“No, but I feel an illness coming on real soon.” I didn't want to tell her that this place was beginning to make me sick, but that was the truth. I felt more and more nauseous with every passing second.
“Are you calling your agency?” Tina whispered, pulling me out of Carol's line of vision.
I nodded. “I'm on hold.”
“Don't let her see you talking on your cell phone. They fire people for that. Come, help me do the rounds. Sarah is on her break.”
I realized that Tina was just trying to help, but I'm afraid, I couldn't ignore this passive-aggressive behavior any longer. I needed my job. I had a house and my daughter's education to think about.
The girl from the answering service finally answered my question. “Ruby's the on call supervisor tonight. I asked her to give you a call.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, someone who would be willing to listen to me.
I looked up at Tina. “Do you mind if I step off the unit for a few minutes? I need to talk to my supervisor.”
Tina waved me off. “Go. No problem. Use that door, so you won't have to pass the office.” She pointed to the doors that led to the other side of the dementia unit. I hadn't spent too much time over there. Most of those patients were bedridden and relatively quiet, the complete opposite of the more active bunch I had on this side.
“Good idea, thanks.” I rushed off the unit, virtually undetected. It didn't occur to me that there were cameras installed everywhere and the monitors were directly in front of Carol's face.
“Hi, Toots! Are you okay? I don't need to come bail you out of jail, do I?” Ruby teased.
The sound of her comforting voice brought me to tears immediately. I cried like a baby, telling her all that had happened since the last time we spoke.
“So, she just threw you out with no explanation as to why? Doesn't she know that death is a natural part of life in a nursing home? What planet are these people from again?” Ruby asked, feeling just as annoyed as I did.
“I never wanted to go home so badly in all my life. My divorce proceedings were more pleasant than this place.” I wasn't kidding either. At this point, I would have rather been hog tied and rolled down a hill stark naked.
Ruby has always been my voice of reason, in life and in work. She said, “Mercy, where is the administrator now? Let me speak to
Similar Books
