mean? He called the staffing office and was informed that his unit manager had changed his assignment. Perplexed, he hung up the telephone and walked back to the assignment board.
He didn’t know what to do with himself until the manager arrived. He kept busy by helping some of the night-shift nurses finish up their work. At 7:45 p.m., Connie, the charge nurse, said he needed to go back to the manager’s office.
Helen Thornberry had been the unit manager for many years. Mark remembered first meeting her when he rotated through the unit as a nursing student. She had been the one who hired him after graduation. He knocked on her door and stopped in the entryway to stare. She was an attractive black woman in her late fifties. She always kept her hair, now liberally peppered with gray, tightly pulled back into a bun. She never wore makeup, and her starched scrub uniform never seemed to wrinkle. Until today. Today, she wore a smart red business suit. Her hair was beautifully curled and styled.
“Who are you?” Mark asked in astonishment.
“Come in here and be quiet,” she said, laughing and waving a hand to shush him.
“You look amazing,” Mark said as he followed to sit in a chair beside her desk. “I’ve never seen you wear anything but scrubs before.”
“Yeah, well, I’m trying out a new look.” She chuckled. She laced her fingers together and extended her hands, cracking the knuckles. “So here’s the thing,” she continued. “I have a new job.”
“I can’t believe it!” Mark exclaimed in astonishment.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Helen continued. “I’m not leaving Atlanta General. They wouldn’t know what to do without me showing up here every day. I’ve accepted a new position as the Director of Ambulatory Nursing. I move over to my new department next week.”
“Wow! You take two days off and the whole world changes.” He smiled and stood, extending his hand to Helen. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you,” she said, warmly squeezing his hand. “But I called you in here to talk about you.”
“What about me?” he asked, wondering what could top her news.
“I’ve recommended that you be promoted to Acting Nurse Manager to cover until a permanent manager is hired. I’ve cleared it with the front office and you start right now. You’ll be the acting unit manager for at least three months, even if you don’t apply for the permanent position. Of course, I’m hoping you will apply. I think it would suit you and the staff well.”
“I don’t know anything about management,” Mark said quickly. His face turned bright red.
“You know more than you give yourself credit for.” Helen stopped his further protests with a wave of her hand. “I know you very well professionally. The staff respects you; they will follow your lead.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Mark admitted shyly. “Except thank you.”
“It’s a great opportunity, and you deserve it,” Helen said with a smile. She walked around the desk and gave him a brief hug. “Now sit here for five minutes and then come to the conference room for coffee and cake. Your new staff want to welcome you.”
“Everyone already knows?” Mark asked incredulously. “How come no one told me?”
“I threatened to fire anyone who said a word,” Helen said jokingly as she walked out the door and down the hall. She turned back toward him with a grin. “Remember, I said five minutes. I’m ready for some cake!”
“C ONGRATULATIONS , handsome,” someone said, breaking through Mark’s concentration. He had been reviewing the schedule. He looked up to see Trevor standing in the doorway, smiling brightly.
“You knew?” Mark asked, returning the smile.
“Of course.” Trevor shrugged. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, practically filling the space.
Mark glared at him in mock annoyance. “And at no time did you feel it was necessary to give me a clue?”
“Not a chance.” Trevor shook his
He didn’t know what to do with himself until the manager arrived. He kept busy by helping some of the night-shift nurses finish up their work. At 7:45 p.m., Connie, the charge nurse, said he needed to go back to the manager’s office.
Helen Thornberry had been the unit manager for many years. Mark remembered first meeting her when he rotated through the unit as a nursing student. She had been the one who hired him after graduation. He knocked on her door and stopped in the entryway to stare. She was an attractive black woman in her late fifties. She always kept her hair, now liberally peppered with gray, tightly pulled back into a bun. She never wore makeup, and her starched scrub uniform never seemed to wrinkle. Until today. Today, she wore a smart red business suit. Her hair was beautifully curled and styled.
“Who are you?” Mark asked in astonishment.
“Come in here and be quiet,” she said, laughing and waving a hand to shush him.
“You look amazing,” Mark said as he followed to sit in a chair beside her desk. “I’ve never seen you wear anything but scrubs before.”
“Yeah, well, I’m trying out a new look.” She chuckled. She laced her fingers together and extended her hands, cracking the knuckles. “So here’s the thing,” she continued. “I have a new job.”
“I can’t believe it!” Mark exclaimed in astonishment.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Helen continued. “I’m not leaving Atlanta General. They wouldn’t know what to do without me showing up here every day. I’ve accepted a new position as the Director of Ambulatory Nursing. I move over to my new department next week.”
“Wow! You take two days off and the whole world changes.” He smiled and stood, extending his hand to Helen. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you,” she said, warmly squeezing his hand. “But I called you in here to talk about you.”
“What about me?” he asked, wondering what could top her news.
“I’ve recommended that you be promoted to Acting Nurse Manager to cover until a permanent manager is hired. I’ve cleared it with the front office and you start right now. You’ll be the acting unit manager for at least three months, even if you don’t apply for the permanent position. Of course, I’m hoping you will apply. I think it would suit you and the staff well.”
“I don’t know anything about management,” Mark said quickly. His face turned bright red.
“You know more than you give yourself credit for.” Helen stopped his further protests with a wave of her hand. “I know you very well professionally. The staff respects you; they will follow your lead.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Mark admitted shyly. “Except thank you.”
“It’s a great opportunity, and you deserve it,” Helen said with a smile. She walked around the desk and gave him a brief hug. “Now sit here for five minutes and then come to the conference room for coffee and cake. Your new staff want to welcome you.”
“Everyone already knows?” Mark asked incredulously. “How come no one told me?”
“I threatened to fire anyone who said a word,” Helen said jokingly as she walked out the door and down the hall. She turned back toward him with a grin. “Remember, I said five minutes. I’m ready for some cake!”
“C ONGRATULATIONS , handsome,” someone said, breaking through Mark’s concentration. He had been reviewing the schedule. He looked up to see Trevor standing in the doorway, smiling brightly.
“You knew?” Mark asked, returning the smile.
“Of course.” Trevor shrugged. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, practically filling the space.
Mark glared at him in mock annoyance. “And at no time did you feel it was necessary to give me a clue?”
“Not a chance.” Trevor shook his
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