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She was trying to be polite. Agnes knew that and she knew that she had to be polite back. As much as she wanted to tell Cora off for bothering her, Cora really hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Thank you for checking in, Cora. Has Dr. Stephenson explained everything to you?”
“Oh yes, he’s been great. I think I’m going to like the way things are run around here. Do you have any tips for me? Any inside advice?”
Cora was smiling at her in a way that made Agnes’ insides squirm uncomfortably. She liked that smile a little too much and had to force herself to take a deep, steadying breath before continuing.
“Things are really quite straightforward around here. I mean, we have our share of workplace dramas, like every workplace does, but I do my best to shut that kind of thing down quickly. Just do the job—something I’m sure you’ll excel at—and you’ll be fine.”
“Got it. Thanks, Agnes. I’ll get back to work, then.”
Cora left with a small wave. Her fingers were long and supple looking. Her nails were short and neat. Agnes realized that she was sweating and quickly grabbed a tissue from the box on the table to wipe her forehead. This was going to be harder than she had thought.
Agnes staunchly refused to avoid Cora. She wasn’t going to let her own personal issues stop her from doing her job effectively. So, she went about her usual business in the hospital, doing her job and trying not to dwell too much on Cora and the dangerous feelings she evoked.
Fortunately, Agnes’ work didn’t take her down into the ER much nowadays. She spotted Cora moving through the halls a few times, looking like she might take on a couple of sets of tennis in her lunch break- but they were both busy and didn’t have time to exchange much more than a polite greeting.
She supposed that she should have known that it couldn’t last forever.
“Doctor Frame! Doctor Frame!”
“Doctor Winston, what has your attending told you about running through the halls shouting?”
The intern went red. “Um… not to do it?”
“Exactly. It sets people on edge. We’re professionals here and we need to act like it.”
“But you’re needed in the ER! There’s a patient and he’s furious. He’s demanding to speak to management.”
Agnes sighed, already getting up. This happened about once a month or so. Dealing with irate patients was one of the least fun parts of her job. She had yet to see whether his grievance was real or imagined, but either way, this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.
“Lead the way, then, Doctor Winston.”
He nodded and dashed away at the fastest walk he could muster, which was faster than Agnes could muster in heels, should she try to keep up with him- which she didn’t.
However, she knew the way to the ER and wasn’t going to be seen running after an intern. Interns were erratic by nature and some chaos on their part was to be expected. As the head of the hospital, she was expected to act with more decorum.
It wasn’t difficult to find the source of the disturbance once she got to the ER; she simply followed the sound of shouting.
“This is utterly ridiculous! I’m going to sue you into oblivion! Where is the person in charge here? Get me someone with a brain, and I mean RIGHT NOW!”
“Excuse me.” Agnes stepped decisively forward. “I am Agnes Frame, head of Sweet Hill Hospital. How can I help you?”
The man puffed up like a bird fluffing its feathers, which given how big he already was made him look a bit like a balloon. “Do you realize how long I’ve been waiting in this ER? I could have DIED by now, and your staff sit by and do NOTHING! If you—”
“What are you in for, please, sir?” Agnes had learned that it was best not to let these people get into their stride. If they started in on a long rant, they would go for hours. Interrupting it early on usually yielded better results.
“Look at this! Look at it!”
He brandished a bandaged hand at Agnes. “I was told FIVE HOURS AGO that I need stitches, and then left here to DIE!”
Agnes resisted the urge to roll her eyes with great difficulty. The wound wasn’t even bleeding through the gauze covering it. It couldn’t be that bad. She glanced around; the ER was crazy, full of patients who really could die if left unattended. It was unfortunate that this man had to wait so long, but unavoidable. That was simply how ERs worked. If your case wasn’t urgent, you simply had to wait.
However, explaining that to him wasn’t going to do anything to de-escalate the situation.
“Why don’t you come with me, sir. I’ll be happy to stitch your hand up for you. We can do it right now.”
“I’m not having somemanagerstitch me up! I want a real doctor!”
