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Chapter Two
Bubbling with excitement and trepidation, Arianna rushed to the second floor and the staff break room to text her friend Claudia Gail.Thanks for the key to the roof. It helped. Can you come to the break room?
The answer came right away.In 10 min.She was probably busy with a patient.
Arianna glanced around the empty room, a typical break room with a table and chairs in the middle. The strong smell of brewing coffee mingled with the appetizing odor of freshly baked pizza, emanating from three boxes sitting on the counter, along the wall, next to the coffee maker and the microwave.
An older nurse entered, poured herself a cup of coffee, and watched her curiously. “Hi, I haven’t seen you before. Are you new here?”
“Hi, I’m Arianna Garcia. I’m an ER nurse at St. Jude Hospital. I’m waiting for Claudia.”
“I’m Linda Hailey. We have coffee, pizza, and cookies. Help yourself.”
“Thank you.” Arianna filled a cup and reached for a couple of chocolate chip cookies.
“Are you applying for a job at Mercy Hospital?” Linda asked as she cut herself a slice of pizza.
Arianna sipped on her coffee. “Actually, my dream is to become a flight nurse.” Chatting with Linda might provide useful information.
The nurse shook her head. “Bad idea, my dear. Dangerous job. If you’d arrived an hour earlier, you could have spoken to a nurse who said her last flight was the worst one she’d ever taken.”
“Oh no. Why?” As she’d assumed, the gossip network at Mercy Hospital was as effective as it was at St. Jude’s.
“I don’t like to gossip, but I’ll tell you this because you want to go in that direction.” Linda swallowed a few bites of pizza and lowered her voice. “From what Martha said, it was so bad she almost threw up.”
“Was the pilot to blame?”Arianna wouldn’t mind learning more about the dashing captain.
“Oh no, Captain Lopez is the best helicopter pilot you’ll find, but...” Linda shook her head. “He often accepts dangerous missions. Around the hospital, we call himCaptain No Fear.”
“Captain No Fear?” Arianna chuckled. A suitable name for the handsome pilot.
“Today he transported a gravely ill patient all the way from Jamaica. Apparently, something went wrong and the copter was bouncing all over. Martha said she’d never been so frightened in her life. She’s on her way to hand in her resignation.”
“Ah that’s too bad.” Arianna forced a commiserating tone. In fact, it was the best piece of information she’d heard today.
No wonder Captain Lopez had been guarded when she’d mentioned she hoped to fly with him. Had he known he would be looking for a replacement nurse?
The door opened, and Claudia walked straight over to hug her. “The keycard?” she whispered against her hair. Arianna dug it from her pocket and slipped it into her friend’s hand while returning the hug. “So how was your day?” Claudia asked as she stepped back and helped herself to pizza.
“Long, boring since I waited two hours upstairs, but eventually fruitful.” She chuckled and turned to Linda who was observing them. “I had the pleasure of meeting Linda. We’ve been chatting.”
“Great. Have a piece of pizza.”
A phone beeped. Linda checked her screen and said, “I have to go.”
When the door closed behind her, Claudia exhaled. “I hoped you didn’t say anything about your escapade on the roof?”
“Of course not, but I’m dying to tell you. And I need to borrow a pair of scrubs and a top if possible.”
“Have another piece of pizza and tell me your story while we walk over to my locker.”
Arianna spilled the details about her exciting conversation with Captain Lopez.
“Which test is he giving you? Written or clinical?”
“Neither. He’s taking me up in the helicopter.”
“Oh. My. God,” Claudia screamed in the restroom where they’d stopped for Arianna to change. “Are you sure you want to go? I heard Martha almost vomited this morning during a rough flight, although he’s supposed to be the best pilot around.”
