by K. Darblyne
"Garrett," she said grasping the nurse’s hand and giving it a firm shake. "Garrett Trivoli, I’m one of the new Trauma Fellows."
The nurse was dumbfounded, "You…you’re the Garrett Trivoli that has everyone shaking in their boots and waiting for the lightning bolt to strike them dead if they don’t obey your decree within a millisecond."
Wincing with embarrassment, the surgeon answered, "I’m afraid so." Then just as quickly, as if to justify her actions, the look on her face hardened. "Why? Do you have a problem with that?"
"No, no problem. She…I mean, Danni knows who you are?"
"No, she didn’t let me get a word in edgewise let alone introduce myself. Is she always that talkative?" Secretively the surgeon thought to herself. ‘I didn’t have the heart to tell her. She was being so nice and polite. I think she was actually trying to help me feel comfortable.’ The surgeon scolded herself for even considering the feelings of the nurse. ‘When did they ever play a part in my considerations?’ Then as if to admonish herself, the stoic looking surgeon spit out. "I don’t like a lot of unnecessary talking in my trauma rooms." Her eyebrow rose with the statement.
The two looked down the hallway watching the young blonde nurse. As if on cue, she turned, giving a smile and a little hand wave. Garrett returned the wave as did the charge nurse but at a much slower speed. There was something that made you just want to give in to this imp of a woman, even though it conflicted with your own order of the world. Sensing that she was waving back, the surgeon quickly stopped and shoved her hand deep into the pocket of her starched white jacket.
"Boy is she going to be surprised." Suddenly Karen’s eyes popped wide open, and she began to laugh uncontrollably, "Rosie’s really going to be pissed."
The surgeon looked at the nurse unsure of what she was laughing at. "Is there a problem?"
"No…no…trust me…she’ll get over it." The nurse was still chuckling to herself, "Doc, if it took you almost running me down to save that patient’s life, you go right ahead and do it anytime. We thought that you were some med student or first year intern." Tears were now rolling down the nurse’s cheeks; "I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when they find out who you are."
************
Danni was proud of herself; she had started to help the new woman without making her embarrassed. ‘Who knows, she may even turn out as good a surgeon as David. She seems awfully nice.’ The young nurse sat absent mindedly at the desk. She pondered the thought of having a new friend and considered asking her to join in one of the group activities, which was part of the E.R. family outings.
"Well, how do I look?" Rosie was still primping herself as she walked across the room to where Danni was seated.
"I guess, alright. You know scrubs just aren’t all that alluring."
"Okay, enough with the smart ass comments." The nurse took the seat next to Danni.
The young nurse sniffed, then sniffed again closer this time to Rosie. "What is that? It is disgusting."
"You don’t like my new perfume? That’s okay, it’s specially formulated for a man’s nose. It’s supposed to drive a man wild with passion."
"I can’t imagine this making anyone passionate." Danni was wrinkling her nose at the stench.
"Just wait and see." Rosie was confident in her ability to turn the head of the new trauma surgeon.
"See what?" Karen’s face became twisted with the awful smell. "God, can’t you people smell that? It’s worse than a cheap hooker at the end of a three day convention."
Danni started to giggle, while Rosie let the comment drift by, oblivious to those around her. The only thought in her mind was of Garrett Trivoli.
Then, without warning, the sound of the trauma pager brought everyone to the same mental alertness. Each beep shattering their individual thoughts and turning the attention of all to the needs of the next patient being placed within their care.
"Trauma Team Page…Trauma Team Page. Twenty-eight year old male fell from second floor window. Multiple orthopedic injuries and paradoxical breathing noted. ETA five minutes. Level One Trauma Page."
Each member of the team went into action. Danni and Rosie scurried to get back to the trauma room while the charge nurse grabbed the recording flow sheet before making her way to the trauma area. Quickly both nurses dressed in the customary leaded aprons and fluid restrictive gowns, gloves, and masks.
Danni retrieved a drug pack from the medication safe in the room, examining the contents carefully. ‘Paradoxical breathing…huh…chest tube for sure.’ She looked over to see her co-worker already setting up a chest tube tray. ‘Way to go Rosie!’ The rest of the team was now assembling in the outer hall. Each scurrying into the position appointed by their medical ranking while desperately trying to finish dressing. Out of the corner of her eye, Danni could see her new friend standing in the hallway finishing the tying of her mask. ‘I guess I slowed her down a little too much. I’ll have to work on that.’
"Trauma is in the Department; Trauma is in the Department," the loud speaker blared.
Last minute details now complete, everyone’s eyes were on the corridor leading to the trauma room. There stood the tall dark haired woman, mesmerized by the moment. The Paramedics wheeled in the patient on the stretcher. A condensed report of the patient’s condition was exchanged while the patient was transferred to the hospital stretcher. The Medic crew now retreated from the room with their equipment. Rosie filled in the empty space on the left side of the patient as she attempted to find a pulse in the deformed arm. The tall dark haired woman now stood at her side, examining the unclad chest of the patient. The labored breathing was evident in both sight and sound.
"Chest X-ray NOW!"
Danni looked up to see her ‘amazon’ in the position of Trauma Surgeon. A troubled look came over her as she quickly glanced at Karen and then back at the dark haired woman. It unsettled her to see the charge nurse start to chuckle.
The Trauma Surgeon examined the patient for any other injuries while the required X-rays of chest, abdomen, and cervical spine were completed.
"The chest is out," relayed the X-ray Tech.
The surgeon stepped out of the room and viewed the patient’s chest X-ray.
There, as plain as anything was a large pneumothorax on the left side, the pressure of the escaped air trapped inside the chest area was collapsing the lung.
"Alright, let’s prep for a chest tube on the left."
Rosie pulled the stand over into position with the necessary equipment already available.
"Give me a size 8 sterile glove," the surgeon commanded.
Turning with the gloves to see the tall dark haired woman waiting to receive them, Rosie blinked in disbelief, then shot a questioning glance across the patient at Danni. The look on Danni’s face was one of innocence. Rosie was dumbfounded. Where was her Trauma Surgeon, Garrett Trivoli? Karen caught the exchange and had to keep herself from laughing out loud.
The surgeon glared at the nurse and repeated, "Gloves, please. We don’t have all day here, nurse."
Fumbling to get a grip on her emotions Rosie offered, "Yeah, doc, size 8."
The surgeon smoothly took the gloves and proceeded to check the assembled equipment as the chief resident prepped the patient’s chest.
"Sir, you have a few badly broken ribs that are making it very hard for you to breathe right now. I’m going to insert a tube into your chest that will make it easier for you to breathe. It’s going to hurt a little while I put it in place, but I promise you, it will feel better, eventually." The surgeon’s voice was full of confidence.
The patient grasped Danni’s hand in anticipation of the pain to come. She looked into his terror-filled eyes and softly spoke words of reassurance to calm him. She knew the routine of the procedure well. She had assisted with chest tube insertions hundreds of times over her years as a trauma nurse. First they would find the level for insertion and then with a blade, make a small shallow laceration in the skin. The surgeon wo
uld probe the opening with a fingertip to make sure it was indeed into the chest cavity. The site would then be widened using small forceps so that the skin would form a tight seal around tube when inserted. This part was what nearly all patients complained of as the most painful.
Looking across her patient, Danni could see the dark haired surgeon standing with the Trocar clenched in both hands. Danni’s mind thought back to her dream, startling the young nurse. Her eyes opened wider as she looked at the surgeon poised, ready to send the long blunt tipped rod into the patient’s side. The physician looked at the young nurse for approval. Danni took a breath and gave a slight nod to her head. The surgeon began the insertion of the chest tube, her face taut with concentration; the confident blue eyes focused on the job at hand. All of a sudden there was a feeling of déjà vu, as a chill run down the young nurse’s spine. It was an all too familiar scene but something was missing. Everything seemed so mechanical and devoid of emotion that it reminded Danni of a cyberspace movie. Her attention turned again to her patient. The chest tube was doing its job. The patient was having an easier time breathing.
The Trauma surgeon expertly stitched the tube in place and assisted Rosie with the dressing of the site. "Karen, can you notify Orthopedics to come down to see this patient, please?"
The charge nurse’s voice was loud and clear, "Yes, ma’am!"
"Then secure a C.T. Scan for head and abdomen immediately to follow."
Karen watched her two nurses as she answered the demand, "Yes, Doctor Trivoli."
Both pairs of eyes flashed wildly at the tall dark haired surgeon then on to each other, then finally coming to rest on the charge nurse herself. Rosie’s mind registered sheer disbelief at the thought of HER Trauma Fellow being a woman. Her hopes of marrying a famous surgeon dashed on the rocks, again. Danni shook her head, letting her eyes close and wondered, ‘What kind of idiot does this doctor think I am? UGH!’
The older nurse just watched the expressions on their faces and knew what each one was thinking.
Chapter 5
The atmosphere in the CT Scanner was quieting compared to the din of the emergency room area. The low lighting gave the room a more casual appearance than the high intensity lighting of the Trauma Suite. The soft melodic hum of the computers after a few minutes was hardly noticeable and became more of a background noise that was very soothing on the nerves. The coolness of the air-conditioning was something that always stood out in Garrett’s mind as a reason to linger in Radiology. No, it was nothing like the surgical theater where life and death drama was played out on a minute by minute basis, but the surgeon enjoyed it just the same. It was a chance to not only look deep within your patient but also yourself. There you had the time to think about what you had done and properly evaluate the effect that it had on your patient. The surgeon was not as concerned about the patient this time as she was about the events that had taken place in the last hour or so.
Doctor Trivoli rested comfortably in the high-backed chair, letting her long tapered fingers drape over the arms. Her legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles kept the subtle swaying motion of the swiveled chair from stopping. The back was just high enough to allow the resting of Garrett’s head against the very top of it. It could have been a great time for a few moments of stolen shuteye but the woman was too emotionally charged to allow sleep to overtake her. In this position, she could study the young blonde without the effect of staring. Her head raced with thoughts of what Karen had said to her before the trauma beeper had gone off. Trying as she might she wanted to put some kind of answer to the question she was now plagued with. ‘Why the disappointment at who I am? My surgical skills are perfect, without a doubt. What more could they ask for?’ Finally she disregarded it all with the thought that there was nothing she could do about it, so why let it bother her.
The surgeon studied the young nurse as she monitored the patient’s vital signs during the imaging procedure. Her poise demonstrated confidence in both herself and her professional ability. Occasionally, Garrett noticed that a side ways glance was thrown in her direction, as if the nurse wanted to ask a question but then changed her mind. This intrigued and at the same time unnerved the tall woman who prided herself on being totally in control of her emotions at all times. In fact, she was used to being in control period. What was it about this small slip of a woman that made her want to lose all control and just scream out to ask the damn question? She was nothing out of the ordinary two legs, two arms, two eyes, two ears, and one head. She was not drop dead gorgeous but at the same time she possessed an inner beauty that would rival most. Perhaps it was the charisma that surrounded the small nurse that made her irresistible to those who came in contact with her. Perchance this was why Garrett needed to know more about this young woman.
Danni was biting on the end of her pen, her nose wrinkled up the harder she thought. Finally, she could wait no longer. The question was out before she could stop it. "Did Karen know who you were before I called her back for your apology?" Almost as a reflex when she heard the words coming from her own mouth, the blonde brought her small hand up in a feeble attempt to halt them.
The words got Garrett’s attention. Her head slowly rose off the back of the chair as she watched the stunned blonde try to regain her composure. ‘So, I’m not the only one trying to figure things out, eh…?’ "Ah…no," she glared at the petite woman. "Why do you ask?"
The nurse was caught in the middle now. "I was just wondering how Mom was able to call you by name." She swore at herself and how she must look to the Trauma Fellow.
"Oh, is that all." Garrett decided to add a little fuel to the fire and see if she could get the nurse to really ask what was on her mind. "You know, it is customary for people to introduce themselves if they are allowed to, that is."
"Well, I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable, like I was making a big issue out of the run-in this morning." Danni was getting a little defensive. "Gods! We thought you were…"
"Some wet behind the ears med student. Right?" Garrett finished the sentence for her. Her voice was tense; "Did it ever occur to you to find out just who you were talking to before jumping to conclusions?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Her voice trailed off. She thought for a moment then raised her head and looked over at the seated surgeon. "Do you think we could start over?"
An eyebrow raised high on Trivoli’s forehead almost hidden entirely by the dark hair that swept across it. "I guess it could make the year a little easier," a tight-lipped smile on her face, "if that’s what you mean. But I would have thought that you would known who I was before I even arrived."
"You’re expecting too much. The photo identification sheets for all of the new house staff won’t be out for at least another week or two. So until then…" the young nurse traveled the short distance over to the surgeon and held out her hand in friendship. "Hi, I’m Danni and you are?"
"Garrett Trivoli, one of the new Trauma Fellows." The handshake was returned and the two women began to eye one another up.
"Isn’t Garrett a man’s name?" Danni asked. "We thought the female fellow would be Rene."
The light was now coming on. Garrett realized what all the looks and stares were for during the trauma room episode. "You and the other nurse thought I was a man. Or at least supposed to be by name, right?"
Danni looked down at the floor a little embarrassed. "I guess so. I know that Rosie’s more disappointed than me."
"Well, next time maybe you should get all of your facts straight, or do you two just assume everything?" The surgeon eyed the nurse, trying to find her answer from the visibly shaken manner she was witnessing.
"Excuse me, are you implying that Rosie and I…"
"Ah, Rosie, is she the one that smelled like a cheap…I mean, had that terrible perfume on. You know, she should really be more sensitive to the people that she subjects to her aroma."
"Yeah, well, she said that it was specially formulated for a man’s nose." Danni was chuckling at the
thought. Then eyeing the tall surgeon she muttered under her breath, "and we sure know that’s not your gender."
"I sure hope she didn’t spend too much on that. I’d hate to be the cause of her bankruptcy." There, the ice was broken and Garrett was feeling that McMurray would be pleased by her attempt. Her soul contact with the E.R. staff was enjoying her. She could tell by the way that the young nurse was looking at her, green eyes twinkling in laughter. She never had a problem, winning people over always came easy to her, as long as they did things her way.
"Doc, don’t worry about Rosie, she’ll get over it. She always does."
"Gee, that’s what Karen said when I introduced myself to her."
The nurse shook her head in disbelief. Mom had set both of them up.
‘Rosie will be fit to be tied.’ "So, tell me Doctor Trivoli, how did you get the name Garrett?"
The surgeon eyed the young woman. She didn’t like talking about herself, at least not in context to her family life. She never enjoyed bringing up her past. "Why? Does it make a difference in how we treat the patient?"
