Nerds on Fire (6 page)

“
Congrats Trixi.” He exited
with a wave and a congratulatory smile.

“
Thank you.” A zing of
anticipation surprised her. It shouldn’t have as it was exciting to
be back on this unit.

When she had last worked here, she was
a registered nurse, but now she returned as a nurse practitioner.
The difference between those two levels was more than a simple
salary increase. If there was a doctor on duty, she would work in
conjunction with the doctor, but chances were good she’d see
patients on her own, as a doctor would, and make doctor-like
decisions.

It was both thrilling and
terrifying.

Trixi rode to the next floor where she
exited, a little early, but she wanted to check out the lay of the
land, so to speak, before she was thrown into the chaos that was a
neonatal unit.

A few minutes later Trixi must have
cast a shadow across the computer screen because Dr. Louisa
Forrester transferred her frown from the screen to her. Louisa’s
expression cleared the moment she recognized Trixi. “Trixi Duvall,”
she exclaimed and in her exuberant manner, jumped from her stool to
grab Trixi in a tight hug. “Please tell me you’re here to help
us.”

Louisa’s hair held a few streaks of
gray, but the brown spiral curls, pulled back today in a low
ponytail, were the same. She was about the best neonatal doctor, or
neonatologist, Trixi had ever worked with and she was relieved to
see the good doc here this morning.

Laughing, Trixi returned the hug,
thankful that some things didn’t change. “I’m here permanently to
help you,” Trixi obediently stated.

Holding her at arm’s length, Louisa
looked her over. “Are you just saying that because I’m desperate
for help or are you saying that because it’s true?”

“
It’s true. I was hired for
this job, but got placed temporarily in other departments due to
stalled paperwork.”

With a squeal of happiness, Louisa
hugged her again. “I’m so happy to hear you’re permanent
now.”

Louisa gave her a lab coat before
dragging her back into the cubicle where the computer screen showed
a patient chart.

They discussed the various patients
before Louisa rummaged through the paperwork at her elbow. “Staff
changes. Mary, do you remember her?”

Trixi smiled. “Of course I do.” Mary
had earned her nurse practitioner degree right as Trixi began
hers.

“
She moved to second shift,
but wants back on first, so she’s applied for the Level Two
opening. Mary is very capable at Level Two so the job is hers. What
we’ve found is very few excel at Level Three.” Level Three was
neonatal intensive care. It consisted of babies who required a high
level of nursing, and these premature patients fought odds that
were not in their favor.

“
Level Three is where most
of my training has been.” Trixi preferred it.

“
And where you shine. There
are two positions available for first shift, because Karl, do you
remember him?”

“
Yes, his wife was pregnant
when I left.”

“
Right, well, she had the
baby and it works better for him to be on second shift now. Same
with Becky who rounds out second shift. Then for third shift, Leona
is our star there.” The three Louisa mentioned were highly trained
medical personnel
—
Becky and Leona were nurse practitioners, while Karl was a
physician assistant, all with experience and a high degree of
competence.

The money was better on those shifts
but the hours were tough. However, Leona was in charge on her shift
and that worked best with her personality. There was a doctor on
call, but Leona was as knowledgeable as any doctor and her staff
were so in sync with each other, there was little turnover and no
complaints.

“
So you have coverage for
second and third shifts, but not first for Level Three?” That was
amazing to her. Wonderful, but weird.

“
Correct. We’ve been able
to make it RN heavy right now, but that means I can’t leave because
there’s no doctor or nurse practitioner or physician assistant who
they can call for emergencies. Not until Karl or Becky come
on.”

Trixi’s mouth dropped. “That’s a lot
of responsibility.”

“
Yes, why do you think I’ve
taken up begging?” Louisa leveled a look on her. “As of today the
Level Three job is yours. As a nurse practitioner.”

All of the blood rushed to her head so
that Trixi was certain she could float. “Thank you.” Starting out
on first shift boggled her mind. This was a dream come true. Since
someone was looking out for her, there was also a certain doctor
she’d like...

“
The day goes by really
fast here.” Louisa’s comment shattered her newest
fantasy.

“
I remember.” They dove
right into the hands-on patient care then, she met them all, since
it sounded like she would be overseeing all of them whenever Louisa
wasn’t on the floor, which was often since she also taught seminars
to colleagues and lectured medical students around the globe. The
poor woman had to be ready to fall over.

“
Now wait, are you the only
neonatologist on the floor?”

“
Nate Bechtel was given the
head at a hospital in Harrisburg. He would have been crazy to turn
it down.”

Trixi grimaced. That was true. “What
about that student, what was her name?”

“
Carrie Bollinger. She went
home for a weekend and ran into an old family friend who offered
her a job in Pittsburgh, where she wanted to be.”

There were student doctors on all
shifts, but they required direction, as did some of the new
residents.

“
So you’ve been working
nonstop?” At her nod, Trixi exhaled loudly. “Louisa, you need a
break.”

“
I know. It’s only been a
week or so that Nate left and three since Carrie moved away, but I
am called for everything. Fortunately some of the older residents
are competent.”

“
Do you have any
neonatologist replacements in mind?”

“
I have a pile of resumes,
but no time to look at them.”

“
Great, so I’ll be helping
with that,” Trixi joked.

Louisa eyed her again. “Yes, since
you’re a nurse practitioner, you’re now a lead.”

This statement slammed into Trixi so
hard she jerked. “Oh my goodness.”

“
Welcome to leadership,
kid,” Louisa said kindly, patting her. “Fortunately there are a
couple of fellowship doctors who we can hire now, they’re so good.”
That meant they could slide right into authority like Trixi, once
they finished their training.

As she hurried about the day, the
feeling that she was right where she was supposed to be grew larger
and stronger. It was a heady feeling as she was run off her feet,
pushed to the maximum of her patience capacity, and adapted to the
high stress of a neonatal Level Three unit.

Trixi couldn’t imagine doing anything
else. Yet the uncomfortable feeling of unsettledness lurked in the
darkest reaches of her mind. Like something was still
missing...

“
Rylan, we have to discover
some way to convince Trixi she needs to switch houses with us,”
Chrissy said for what had to be the fourth time this evening. She
hadn’t said much last evening, but tonight was all together
different.

Setting his fork beside his plate, he
pondered the stunning woman across the table. When he first met her
he had been so shocked by her beauty his brain turned to mush. A
few minutes into the conversation with her, and it became apparent
Chrissy wasn’t immune to him, either.

Now as he gazed at her he didn’t find
her as appealing as he had. In the flickering candlelight of the
expensive restaurant she favored, her pout, combined with the
poorly disguised disgust just beneath the surface, robbed her of
all initial loveliness.

How often would he have to
deal with this? With her trying her best to wheedle her own way
even though he had thoroughly explained the situation.
Multiple
times over a two
day period.

He waited until she looked
up before he said in the same no-nonsense voice he used for unruly
management, “The house
belongs
to Trixi. She will remain in it, as per her
inheritance. I have no rights to the place, other than I may live
there until my death.”

Chrissy’s eyes widened at his tone.
She had never heard it before but right now she sounded like a
spoiled rotten child so there was need.

“
There’s no need to use
that tone with me.”

“
Obviously there is when
you’re so persistent on a non-issue. There is no way Trixi will
move out of
her
house.” He made certain to stress who owned the residence in
question. “There is no reason why she
should
.”

“
That house is big. Perhaps
we can just live there with her.” Chrissy didn’t sound enamored
with her own idea.

“
If I remarry, I am
permitted to live in the guest cottage, or I’m required to find
another place.”

She brightened. “We can buy our own
house then.”

“
I don’t understand why we
can’t just move into the guest cottage. It’s perfect.”

Lips drawn into a grimace of distaste,
Chrissy shook her head. “We’ll have to buy our own
home.”

Right then Chrissy was ugly in the
candlelight. He gaped. Did he really know this woman?

“
I don’t have any intention
of buying something else. You’re going to have to figure out how to
make the guest cottage work for the time being.”

“
Does Trixi have a
boyfriend?” She must have realized she wouldn’t sway his mind so
Chrissy abruptly changed the subject.

Something in her tone set his teeth on
edge. “Trixi doesn’t talk about anyone. That doesn’t mean there
isn’t someone special.” He smiled as he thought of his daughter.
“She’s never been one to talk about her love life.”

“
I see,” Chrissy
said.

Somehow, he doubted it.

He picked up his fork and resumed
eating. When he eventually looked up, Chrissy was all charming and
bewitching again, as she had been when they first met. But that one
moment when he had seen something else made him wonder.

After helping her into the
car later, he questioned whether marrying Chrissy was the right
thing to do. He had been so dazzled by her when they met, but now
he wasn’t so sure. As Rylan strode around the front of the car a
nasty little question popped into his head.
What is a woman as young as Chrissy doing with a man your
age?
He was reminded he wasn’t in his
thirties or forties any longer.

As he slid into the car and started
the engine he speculated on how many of his colleagues asked this
exact same question, only behind his back.

Now that he was questioning it, he
also reflected on the other women in his life. What did they
actually think of Chrissy? Trixi tended to be warm toward his
girlfriends, the very few he had. With Chrissy she had closed up
like she did when she was unsure how to handle a
situation.

His mother, other daughter,
daughter-in-law, and sister all usually offered an opinion. None of
them had weighed in and this was odd. Strange in fact. The light in
front of them turned red, so he stopped.

Chrissy pointed out the window.
“That’s what I had in mind.”

Her finger aimed at a large, sprawling
estate with lights aglow in the darkness. It was evident the people
were entertaining as luxury vehicles lined the long driveway and
there was enough illumination to land a jet. His mouth
firmed.

“
I have no intention of
buying another estate.”

“
Why ever not? Rylan, you
know this is exactly the kind of home we need.”

The light changed as her tone turned
cajoling.

“
My daughter and my mother
both have homes to maintain. I don’t have the money to buy
another.” He used his head to indicate the estate she
coveted.

“
Surely you have all the
money you need.” She sounded hesitant now.

“
Of course I do. But I’m
already helping with two older homes, and I don’t want a
third.”

Her mouth stretched into a
discontented line. The air around her remained cold for the rest of
the evening. The thought of marrying Chrissy ceased to be so
compelling. Perhaps she was having a difficult week and that
accounted for her poor attitude?

He decided to give it a few days. Use
the time to scrutinize his nuptials over the upcoming weekend, and
determine if marriage was the right decision after all.

Chapter 7

When she awoke Monday
morning, Trixi wondered why a sense of unease or restlessness or
some emotion she couldn’t define, awoke with her. Maybe it had
something to do with the odd behavior of her outside trash can. The
heavy duty, wheeled green container seemed to have taken to moving
itself. The wind was blowing hard these days so maybe it was
responsible for the can’s sporadic locations.