Intensive Care: Escape to the Country

by Nicki Edwards

  “Sure, Kate. That’s fine.” There was total understanding and acceptance in Belinda’s voice. “Come up to my office first thing on Monday morning and I’ll take you up to the unit and introduce you to everyone and give you a quick tour of the hospital. We might rush through some of the orientation program so we can get you started in the unit on Tuesday.”

  Kate was familiar with orientation programs that lasted two to three days followed by a week of working as a supernumerary staff member, but clearly this wasn’t going to be a luxury she would be afforded.

  “I’ll come in and find you at seven o’clock on Monday morning then.”

  “That’s too early. Make it closer to nine. And bring coffee!”

  Kate decided at that moment she and Belinda could get along very well.

  “Absolutely! I’ve already found somewhere that makes awesome coffee.”

  “Ah, I take it you’ve found the Bean Counter. I told you Kate, you might think you’ve arrived in a little backwater town in the middle of nowhere, but let me assure you, there’s plenty of culture here in Birrangulla. Lots of people just like you have made the move from Sydney and as you know, city people like good food and good coffee. We have both here. Plus great art galleries and excellent theater.”

  “I must admit, I was pretty surprised to find such a great coffee place.”

  “I take it you’ve also met the town’s best barista?”

  “You mean Joel?”

  “Yes. Isn’t he gorgeous?”

  “Um. Yes. He seems like a lovely guy.” She felt herself blushing.

  “You could say that again!” Belinda laughed. “He’s also the town’s most eligible bachelor – unfortunately he’s not looking for anyone to share his life with at the moment. Such a shame – he’s perfect husband material.” Belinda giggled like a schoolgirl. “Here I am, probably fifteen years older than him, and happily married, and I still swoon at that accent.”

  Kate wasn’t sure how to reply so she chose not to answer, silently wondering if Melissa had said something to Belinda about her broken relationship with Marcus.

  “Anyway Kate, enjoy the next couple of days looking around and getting settled in and I’ll see you Monday. Of course if you need me before then, don’t hesitate to call. You’ve got my number haven’t you?”

  “I do. Yes. Thanks Belinda. And thanks for calling. I really appreciate it.”

  Chapter 10

  The following Monday came around quickly and Kate pulled on a pair of brand new scrubs. She had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep with nervousness. Her usual confidence seemed to have evaporated after Marcus had cheated on her and she found herself over-analyzing everything. All night she had mentally carried out conversations with her new staff members in her head and she knew that if she didn’t stop soon, she was going to give herself an ulcer with worry. She knew that first impressions always counted and she wanted to make a great first impression on the staff in the unit. For the first time in many years, she actually felt anxious about going to work.

  Dragging her fingers through her thick blonde mane, she scraped it up and pulled the elastic band from her wrist, drawing it across her hand and around her hair in a fluid, well-practiced move.

  Matilda rubbed her body up against Kate and her tail wrapped itself around her legs.

  “Well, Till. This is it. Wish me luck!”

  The cat looked up at her and meowed, and Kate laughed at herself for expecting a reply. She bent down and stroked Matilda’s smooth coat before straightening up, grabbing her handbag and heading out the door to her car.

  On the way to the hospital she swung past the Bean Counter and felt a twinge of disappointment when Joel wasn’t behind the register. She had been to the café for coffee every day since arriving in town and Joel had served her each time. She tried to convince herself it was just her daily dose of caffeine that she was craving, but even she had to admit, she always looked forward to their conversations. He was probably friendly toward everyone, but she liked to think he had a special smile just for her whenever she came in. In her mind, she was starting to think he might become a real friend.

  Today a young woman in her early twenties was standing behind the coffee machine. Even without a stick of makeup she was as pretty as any magazine cover model, and had a figure that Kate would have killed for at that age. Her long blonde hair was tied in a loose braid that hung almost to her waist. It looked natural, with no sign that she was wearing hair extensions or that it had been colored. Kate could see that the coffee she was making was going to be every bit as good as the ones Joel made, but her demeanor lacked the vibrancy that Joel’s personality exuded as he served his customers. Kate wondered who she was, but there was no time to dwell on it. She had a new job to start.

  *

  The morning passed quickly as Kate filled in the required paperwork with Belinda and went through a brief orientation program. She felt completely unprepared but Belinda assured her she was only a phone call away at all times. After lunch the two women headed to the unit to meet with the staff.

  Even after all the years of working in ICU, the same familiar thrill began to rise within her as she waited in front of the closed doors. Pausing to flash her new swipe card on the security pad under the sign that read “Intensive Care Unit,” Kate waited for the small beep that indicated the doors were now unlocked, giving her access.

  She often wondered if the way she was feeling was the same sensation actors experienced as they waited in the wings for the noise of the audience to quieten down just before the curtains began to rise and they stepped onto the stage. Unlike an actor though, it didn’t matter whether she knew the script and had memorized all her lines; she never really knew what was going to happen once the doors were opened.

  The staff on the morning shift had been asked to stay back, and those coming on for the afternoon shift had arrived early to meet Kate. Once everyone was seated around the large table in the tea room the introductions began.

  “Steph.”

  “Amanda.”

  “Greg.”

  “Laura.”

  “Mitch.”

  The rapid-fire introduction of names had her head spinning and she lost track of who was who after the first few people had offered their names. Most were seated around the long table beside Belinda and Kate, and one girl was perched on the arm of the couch. The two guys stood, their backs leaning against the lockers that lined one wall of the room. Each person said their name quickly and smiled politely, yet Kate didn’t get a sense that anyone was being overly friendly or welcoming.

  Is it just my imagination?

  Her mouth was dry, making it difficult to smile. She took a deep breath and licked her lips, trying to calm her nerves.

  “Don’t worry, Kate,” Belinda said, sensing Kate’s apprehension. “There won’t be a test on their names for a while!” She laughed out loud but no one joined her.

  “It’s so nice to meet you all.” Kate hoped she didn’t sound like she was being insincere. She smiled and glanced around the crowd of faces, hoping that some of them would, in time, become her new friends.

  The door opened and two other men walked into the room.

  “Ah, great, thanks for popping in,” Belinda greeted them both. “Kate, this is Dr. Powell.” She indicated an older man with a thick mustache and unkempt hair that needed a good cut. He had tried to comb part of his hair over his bald spot but it was standing upright and the effect was of a man who had just come inside after being out in gale-force winds. His shirt was at least fifteen years out of fashion and his cargo pants and old tan-colored lace-up shoes looked strangely out of place on an ICU doctor. “Dr. Powell is one of the consultants here,” Belinda explained.

  “Welcome, Kate. Looking forward to working with you.” His voice was gravelly with age.

  “Nice to meet you too, Dr. Powell.” Kate used his formal title out of respect.

  The younger man removed his glasses, folding them and tucking the
m in the pocket of his shirt before extending his hand toward Kate and introducing himself.

  “Ewan. Ewan McGregor. I’m one of the Residents. Welcome to Birrangulla Base.”

  His grip was firm and the brown eyes that met hers were friendly. Even his smile seemed genuine and welcoming and Kate instantly relaxed, liking him immediately. His completely shaved head and immaculate attire of dress pants and a pale blue business shirt with rolled-up sleeves were in stark contrast to the casually, almost scruffily dressed older doctor. Everything about him reminded Kate of the doctors she had worked with in the city.

  “Hi Ewan. Great to meet you too. Do I detect an accent?” Kate said.

  “Yes. Scottish,” he replied.

  “Ah, the same as the actor.”

  “He wishes,” a young male nurse commented. What was his name? Matt? Mark? Kate couldn’t remember.

  “I think my namesake bears quite a resemblance to me, don’t you think?” Ewan struck a pose and everyone laughed at him.

  Kate decided she would look forward to getting to know him better. A few more in-house jokes were made, but Kate didn’t feel free to join in the laughter. After the doctors left, Belinda spent a few more minutes introducing Kate to the rest of the staff and giving them a rundown of her nursing background.

  “Is that all then, Belinda? It’s actually past time for handover.”

  The woman who spoke addressed her question to Belinda and Kate’s mouth almost dropped open in surprise at the rude tone. Belinda chose to ignore it. Kate couldn’t recall her name from the round table introductions.

  “Of course. Thank you, Laura.” Belinda’s reply was abrupt. “Okay everyone, thanks for staying back. Kate will be starting here first thing tomorrow morning. I know you will make her feel very welcome. Have a good shift everyone.”

  Chairs were noisily pushed back without as much as a glance in Kate’s direction. Some staff left the room and headed to their patients while others grabbed bags and backpacks from lockers and headed out the door for home, their shifts ended.

  As the room emptied Kate found herself mentally replaying the scene. She knew she was probably second-guessing everyone’s reaction to her, but she gave Belinda a questioning look and asked, “Did I just imagine that cold greeting or am I being overly sensitive?” She knew her fear of what they thought of her was irrational but she had a sinking feeling in her stomach that things weren’t going to go as smoothly as she had hoped.

  “They’ll get used to you, Kate. Just be yourself. They’ve had a long succession of unit managers over the past two years and they don’t like change. They probably think you’ll be gone again before the three-month probation period is over. The past twelve months has brought a lot of instability to the unit with the hospital building renovations and they just need to get their feet back under them and get used to the new way of doing things. The unit has changed a lot since many of them started here – some have been here for up to twenty-five years!” Belinda stood up and Kate followed her lead. “I know you’re the right person for the job, Kate.”

  With forced enthusiasm Kate said, “I hope so. Right now I feel like I’ve walked into the proverbial lion’s den.”

  “Just give it time, okay? Come on, I’ll show you around a bit more then you can head home for the day ready to get started tomorrow.”

  As they walked through the unit Kate tried to ignore the curious glances she imagined were being cast her way. They passed large, tidy storage rooms with equipment stacked neatly on shelves. There were specific places for the storage of the ventilators, IV pumps and spare poles, the balloon pump and the hemofilter. All these machines were lined up and covered in clear plastic bags, making them seem ghostly in appearance as they waited their turn to be used. The equipment looked new and Kate was pleased they were models she had used previously and was familiar operating. The pan room was tidy and linen skips had been emptied by staff on the previous shift. All around her was a sense of order and it was clear the staff were taking great pride in their new unit.

  Belinda pressed the large green button on the wall and they waited for the double doors to slide open. Behind them the doors quietly closed and as they did, Kate took a deep breath and silently wondered what she had let herself in for.

  Chapter 11

  Three weeks later, Kate rushed to the staff room for afternoon handover, her stomach churning. She hated running late. Conscious of half a dozen sets of eyes on her, she pasted a bright smile on her face in an attempt to stop herself from biting her lips.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she apologized.

  She was greeted by silence as she took her seat at the head of the table.

  Kate was generally an optimist and hadn’t expected to find the tree change so difficult. Instead, since arriving in Birrangulla, she felt like she had moved to another country. Everything seemed foreign and she constantly felt lost. She was painfully aware that she was still the new girl from the city. Had she known it was going to be so challenging to be accepted, she might have thought a little harder and longer before making the decision to move as impulsively as she had. She often recalled her father’s words of warning and hated to admit it, but he was right. It was hard to fit in when you were an outsider. If everyone continued ignoring her, she didn’t know how long she could stay.

  The first few weeks had passed in a blur of activity as Kate tried to get her head around her new job. She felt like a duck, all calm on the exterior, her feet madly paddling beneath the surface, trying to stay afloat. She had a greater appreciation for Melissa and dearly missed her work colleagues at the Royal Sydney.

  She’d hardly had any time to find her feet out on the farm she was so busy at work. The workload was bigger than she had anticipated and there were some days she struggled to keep her head above water. Thankfully she didn’t miss the city lifestyle or her apartment in Sydney. She loved living in her little farmhouse. Although the nights were too quiet and she wished for a friend to share them with, so far she was coping. At least she no longer dreamed of Marcus.

  As she gave the brief handover to the afternoon staff she filed the negative thoughts in the back of her mind, slamming the drawer closed on them.

  Things will get better, she promised herself.

  *

  “How’s the new job going then?”

  Kate was perched on her favorite stool at the Bean Counter later that afternoon. She needed a friendly face and Joel’s was the only one that came to mind.

  She sighed and looked down at her lap. “Not as easy as I’d hoped. It’s busier than I expected and well, to be honest, I’m actually really struggling to make any friends.”

  She felt the familiar warmth rise to her cheeks. Why did her words come out so easily whenever she spoke to this man?

  “That’s no good, love. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “You’re so sweet, Joel. Thank you. I don’t think so though.”

  Kate took a sip of her coffee and tried to stop the feelings bubbling up inside her. She’d promised herself she wasn’t walking out of one relationship and straight into another, but she’d never warmed to anyone so quickly. It was as though Joel just “got” her.

  “It takes time you know. You can’t just move into town and be accepted straight away. A lot of people have lived here for generations. They’ve seen city people come and go. What you’ve got to do is throw yourself into some sort of community project. Do that and you’re halfway to becoming a local.”

  “Only halfway? What do I have to do then to actually be a local?”

  “Live here for the rest of your life!” Joel chuckled, but Kate could tell he wasn’t joking.

  She sighed.

  “So are you taking time out to look after yourself? What do you do to relax?”

  “I run.” Kate smiled up at him. “And thanks for the reminder. I haven’t been running in ages. Thank goodness it’s Saturday tomorrow and I have the day off. I think it’s time for me to find a good running track around he
re.”

  “Why don’t I join you? We can meet tomorrow at the river. There are a couple of different tracks you can take. There’s a six k or a twelve k loop. I’d be happy to show you.”

  Before Kate had time to reconsider, they made plans to meet the following Saturday at the river. As she left the café and headed home, she realized she was thoroughly looking forward to spending time with him.

  *

  The sun hadn’t even risen when Kate’s alarm woke her the next morning. A magpie warbled right outside her bedroom window and she heard the sound of its mate singing in reply in the distance. It made her smile. She pictured the chilly dawn beginning to push back the darkness and it caused her to move slowly, hesitating before sliding her legs out of bed. She knew the floorboards were going to feel icy beneath her bare feet. While she loved everything about her little farmhouse, there were a few essential things missing – central heating and carpet in the bedroom were two important ones that Kate could immediately think of. She made a mental note to buy a rug for the bedroom. And maybe even a little heater to take the chill off the morning air.

  She opened the heavy curtains and peered out her bedroom window but all she could see was the thick fog that so often enveloped the farmhouse on these winter mornings. She shivered. It was always hard to find the motivation to get moving when it was so cold. She was glad she had made the arrangements to run with Joel or she would probably have rolled over and curled up with Matilda beside her for warmth and company and fallen back to sleep. She was more exhausted than she had been for a long time and didn’t know whether it was the fresh country air or the combined stress of the move and her new job.

  Kate dressed in the usual layers she wore when running in winter and laced her shoes firmly. She made a last-minute decision to grab her beanie. Drawing her hair up into a knot on the top of her head she pulled the beanie over her hair and brought it down to cover her ears. She knew without looking in the mirror that it looked ridiculous, but she decided that warmth was far more important than glamor.