Chapter 2 Transformation

When I woke, the first thing I did was look outside to see if it was still snowing.  It wasn't snowing anymore, however, it must have been windy because I could see the snow whirling around making snow tornadoes.  I jumped into the shower and and then put on my favorite black Reebok jogging pants with pink strips on the outer leg and I throw on a pink Reebok sweatshirt.  I put on my black coat, mittens and hat on and headed out to my car.  I was thankful that Gary had came but, there was still many snow drifts that I had to shovel before I left for work. It was very cold outside, but it felt fantastic on my exposed skin.  
While shoveling I seen some long floppy eared gray  rabbits playing in the snow and a couple of elk kissing right in my front yard.  I also heard wolves howling in the distant mountain background.  I was hoping that they would not come and get me but it sounded so peaceful.  I wanted to stay home and watch these animals; for one I was extremely tired and two I did not want to drive in this white satin fluffy glittery stuff they called snow.   
Before I jumped into the car I placed my shovel and scrapper in the trunk, just in case I needed them both. Which I would definitely need them both, how my new life was going up to this point.  I drove out the driveway and drove twenty miles per hour to the hospital.  I think it might have been a little too fast in places for my car fish tailed a few times.  I was relieved when I got to the hospital.  
The first person I saw when I got to the hospital was a red long haired woman, with freckles covering her face.  She introduced herself to me as Nancy Bloomdale, Emergency Department RN.   She seemed like she would be a nice person to work with and then she introduced me to all the staff that worked in the Emergency department on the night shift.  It was pleasant, it was nice to know every ones names before I begun my first night, but I would definitely forget everyones names because I was more of  a put face with name kind of a person.
There was Molly Severson who introduced herself as a respiratory therapist.  Marge Lutz who was a registered nurse with short grayish silverfish hair, who looked like she was not ready for change.  She had a smug look on her face as she spoke to me.  She introduced herself to me as Ms. Lutz Elder RN.  I exchanged a few words with her until there he was tall, handsome, dark haired man leaning in the doorway, he made me totally lose my concentration and connection with Marge.  He totally had my attention as he stood there.  He was more attractive now than he was this morning when I saw him in orientation.  I had to get my self under control if I had to work every day with this gracefully looking man.  
Marge then took me to the locker room and showed me where the scrubs were kept, she said, "I don't think we have any in your size, we will need to order some for you, we didn't expect to get someone so petite as you are.  I looked through the sizes to see if they had anything close to my size, I realize quickly that there was only large and extra large sizes.  I usually wore size small in everything, but I guess I had to deal with what was provided for me to wear. I held up a pair of large blue surgical scrubs, they were huge, they looked like I was in one of those weight lose commercials holding up my old clothes next to my new and improved body figure.  I however, didn't care, I hurried got dressed and went out to the floor.  It didn't matter that the clothes were three sizes too big for me, I just felt confident and in control, nothing at this point would bother me. 
When I got out to the floor they introduced me to Blake Rodgers, he was my assistant.  Blake was a blonde haired, young looking, short figured kid.  He had a scar on the right side of his face that looked as if he was malled by a bear or another animal.   He had four deep reddened in tone scars that cover the entire right side of his face, his eye figure was deformed and his lip on the right side was unable to move when he talked.  The other side of his face was very young looking and attractive.  He must have been a womanizer, before the accident. 
Then Blake said, "You are probably wondering what the hell happened to my face?"  I didn't know what to say, then he went on about him and his dad went on a five day mountain lion hunting trip together and that is when my new improved look took place." He was sixteen and his dad thought it was a good idea to go on a nice hunt together for his sixteenth birthday, little did he know that he would not be making the journey back with Blake and Blake's face would be deranged for the rest of my life. The next thing Blake said was,"It gives me character, don't ya think?"  I agree with him and then my first real patient came through the door.  
She was a eighty four year old woman that went out to get her mail and slipped on the ice.  She had broke her left hip and bruised her whole left side of her body.  We did x-rays to confirm the fracture, it came back a complete fracture, she needed a total hip replacement, so I decided to call the surgeon who was on call to see if he/she could operate on the fracture tonight.  He answered the phone and I said, "Hello this is Natalie physician from the ED and I have a patient here who needs a surgeon tonight for a total hip replacement and um she...."   He completely cut me off and asked me about her labs, and if she was in pain.  I explained that she was in extreme pain, and screaming from the top of her lungs and that her....  Then he cut me off again and said in a sleepy, husky, low mono tone voice, "Hello Natalie, I am Doc Wyatt,  it is finally nice to meet you, but never call me at this hour again, only call on emergency basis only."  I was thinking this is an emergency but I listened to the rest of what he had to say,  "I will be in, in the morning, just admit her for pain control, I will deal with the situation in the morning."  I was completely flabbergasted, I didn't know what to do, I just knew this lady had a bone sticking out of her skin on her left side of her body and the surgeon just totally blew me off.  I called him back, to realize he took his phone off the hook.  He probably knew I would try to call him again.  I ordered three different intravenous pain medications- Morphine, Dilaudid, and Toradol.  Put her on nothing by mouth (NPO) status.  
I covered the wound with a a few moist sterile four by fours gauze pads and an large ABD pad and admitted her to surgical unit.  I didn't feel good about this situation but what else was I supposed to do, the argent surgeon didn't want to come and witness this for himself and maybe help in the situation.  Roland then came up to me with a puzzled look on his face and said, "You know that she needed a surgeon,  right?" I explained that I understood that she was surgical material, and I got a hold of the surgeon and he will see her first thing in the morning.  He then said,"you need to call him back and explain the situation a little more through."  I told Blake "I did but his phone is off the hook."  Blake then insisted that he will try, he walked out of the room and tried his phone, it rang and rang and rang, no one picked it up.  Blake came back and said, "You were right he surely did take his phone off the hook, I guess we will see how she does until morning."  I smiled and he smiled and I saw that absolutely gorgeous face glow under the ultraviolet lighting, his eyes glittered like the rain and it made me feel all warm and cozy inside.  
There was a thirty minute wait before the next patient came through the double revolving doors.  It was a young teenage girl, petite, cute, brunette long hair, with a scar on her left temple and wearing all black, her fingernails were even painted black.  She was caring a car seat, she was only maybe sixteen and she had a baby.  She said, "I am leaving Stephanie White, a one day old baby with you for the night, I have no heat in my cabin, I can freeze, but I will not allow her too.  She is my gorgeous, precious baby girl,  she has a long life a head of her, I can not let her die this way."  I was thrown for a loop, how could she just leave her baby girl here, yes she was safe but, to  leave her and just walk back out the double revolving doors.  I yelled at her to come back, she did not come back, then I ran out to the parking lot, I noticed it was snowing again, only this time in huge clusters, I have never seen such big snowflakes in all my life and it was cold.  I think it was twelve below zero outside.  You couldn't even see two feet in front of your face and then I saw taillights leaving the parking light.  It was Stephanie's mom leaving her here at the hospital  for me to care for her. I was dumbfounded, who could leave there little one here, who would be that cruel.   
I got back into the emergency room and yelled for Nancy, to realize she did not answer me when I was saying, "Nancy, Nancy" then, I spotted her next to the one day old baby.  Molly who was still at the nurses station said, "You must call her Ms. Lutz Elder RN or she will not answer, she is usually offended when people in our profession use her first name."   I looked at Molly told her thank you for explaining that to me for it was only my first night, I had so much to learn and so much has already happened in the first night.   I then walked up to Ms Lutz Elder RN, and said "I am sorry I called you by your first name, it will never happen again."  She explained to me that she doesn't care what the doctors call her just the other staff members, she wanted to be superior to them or something.  I then explained to her that I would assess Stephanie for any frost bite or abuse and then admit her to the pediatric unit.  I assessed her tiny finger, toes, back,  legs, arms, and her head.  She had some reddened areas on her skin but washed off during a warm tap water bath.  While assessing her I noticed however, she was small for her age.  Vitals signs were all stable for her age, but her oxygen was a little low so I applied one liter of oxygen on her by nasal canal.  She was a darling little thing all wrapped up in a blanket.  Ms. Lutz Elder RN was bottle feeding her at this point, and while she bottle fed the baby I if this happens a lot?  Nancy said, "Some kids, just want to be kids, and others are ready for the responsibility to care for such a fragile creature. That girl that dropped off Stephanie, I think is from the city, some girls from the city bring there kids to this hospital because we are a no questions asked facility.  They can drop off there kids and we will find living arrangements for them with out questions.  She was one of the smart ones, on a  cold and crazy night like tonight, I am just glad she didn't leave Stephanie in a dumpster somewhere to freeze to death.  At least this one had a little common sense."  
I could not believe my ears, this is happening way out in the middle of no mans land.  I thought that only happened in the big cities.  I just realized I have a lot to learn.  I finished my assessment on the Stephanie which she was health and then I called up to the pediatric unit to see if there was a bed available, the woman who answered the phone asked how long she would need to stay at the hospital.  I explained to her that we are unsure, she was dropped off at the door  and she is a very young.  Then the woman on the phone yells through the nurses station, "we need crib 4-A set up for a baby Jane doe."  I explained she has a name, Stephanie White, the lady on the other end of the phone line said, I am truly sorry, didn't realize you were attached to the child so quickly that you named her.  I....I didn't name this child she had a name since admission her mother actually brought her to the nurses station here in the emergency department.  I thought to  my self why am I explaining all of this to the pediatric floor, it shouldn't matter why she is here, she just needs our help and I was going to give this little girl anything she needed, in the moment she was in my care.  
Then, I let Ms Lutz Elder RN take the child up to her crib on the second floor.  I think she was proud I called up on her to have the responsibility for the job to take her  up to the floor.  She acted like that has never happened to her.  I was also amazed at how motherly she was with this child and I could help to wonder why she didn't work in pediatrics or obstetrics. Then she left the floor with the new born, and I watched as she walked with the newborn all bundled up in a blanket.
Right away I had a new patient, it was a couple of teenage boys who looked like they got into a fight, we stitched them up and sent them on there way.  I looked at my clock and it was quarter to seven in the morning, and I was charting my last final things that needed to be charted before Dr. Falk would come and take my position.  But, then I felt his presents staring at me from the other side of the nurses station.  Roland, he asked if I needed a ride home, but I refused thinking it wasn't going to be too bad to drive home.  Roland stated, "Well, you know last night it snowed another seven inches and today it is supposed to snow another eight, I don't think that little thing that you drive is going to make it all winter. It may be nice for your southern style driving but over here, you need something a little more manly. I will wait just in case you decide to change your mind when you leave the hospital."  I thought that was a nice gesture but, I am not going to ask him to take me home for I live way up in the sticks.  I love where I live but it is a long way out of  town,  I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to take me home way out there, and then my thoughts were interrupted by Dr. Wyatt, that arrogant doctor I talked to on the phone that hung up on me and then had the nerve to take his phone off the hook.  "Dr. Copperhead, why didn't you tell me it was an emergency last night?  I came in half past four this morning because the nurse on the surgical unit stated she really needed me to come and check this patient out, I immediately took her to surgery, I made it just in time, she is doing much better now that I dealt with the issue."  I explained to him that I tried to explain everything but he cut me off and hung up on me, I also explained to him that I tried to call him back but the phone was busy.  He said, "I finally get to met you in person.  My name is Dr. Daniel Wyatt.  I have been a resident here for five years now.  Just a couple quick notes for you is the Next time you call me at one thirty in the morning please learn my cue for  emergency is to say STAT.  Then at least I will be more willing to come in at one thirty in the morning.  Anyways, who is training you they should have told you that it is essential information to know mostly on the night shift?"  I said in a very polite tone, even if I was emotionally irritated at this point, "I am sorry Dr. Wyatt, but I did not know, and I am not having any orientation, I have been released on my own after just four hour orientation yesterday morning with administration.  So, yes I do not know all the rope, but hope to learn them as soon as possible so thank you."  As I said thank you he was off his chair and already out the emergency department and I was relieved almost blessed he was gone and I didn't have to talk to him anymore.  I was also thankful when I met Dr. Falk because that was my cue that I could get my things, change, and head home.  
I walked slowly to the locker room, changed out of the blue large scrubs that felt like I was drowning all night in.  Put back on my comfortable clothes and headed out the revolving doors out to my black Mazda that laid under at least seven inches of snow.  To my surprise there he was leaning against my car, Roland, more attractive now then ever with his face glowing off the snow. His black leather coat, and cowboy hat on.  It was like  a movie and he was the main character. and then he said, "Doc, please allow me to take you home, it's not that far out of my way, I live on the other side of Hoback.  I just want to make sure you make it safely home, for we need our doc tonight."  I had almost for got I have to come back again to night and work another night shift for I was on a ten day stretch.  
I asked him, how I would get my car so I could drive myself into to work tonight and he said, "I will pick you up, you don't have to worry about anything, you are in my hands now."  This perfectly good stranger was going to give me a ride home and then pick me up for work, how could this be happening?  This never happens where I lived previously. He was such a tall, handsome fella and  I wasn't sure how to respond or what to say when he asked.  I just asked where his car was, and he pointed to a big white Chevrolet pickup truck that was parked in the parking lot.  I had an extremely hard time jumping into this extremely big truck.  When we pulled out of the parking lot I realized that I was very grateful that Roland offered me a ride home, because I really doubt if my Mazda would have even made it out of the parking lot with all that snow.  Roland and I exchanged a few words and drove the forty some miles to my house and stopped the pick up in the middle of my drive way.  He said, "You know doc, I really live back in Jackson, but I knew that little sports car you drive would never  make it way up in the mountains so yes I lied and told you I lived close to you so you would allow me to drive you home.  I am truly sorry I lied to you.  I just...I guess I just wanted to see where an attractive doctor like your self lives here in Wyoming way up in the mountains."  
I couldn't believe that he lied to me.  But I was grateful, I told him it didn't matter, just next time tell the truth.  I offered him into my home for a cup of coffee and he took the offer.  Shut off his big white truck and we both  walked inside my home.  He asked if I wanted him to shovel my driveway and I told him no, for I had Gary coming this morning to plow out my drive way again. We drank coffee and chatted some more, then I looked out the window, and sure enough the snow had started up again.  I didn't want him to drive all the way back into town and and then have to drive back out to get me so I offered him to stay in my house for the day.
He was uncertain about staying with me and I wasn't sure either, we both doubted the situation and then I explained in very little detail and he agreed to stay.  We both got done with our coffee and I offered my bed to him so he could get a good days rest.  But, he refused and said, "I will sleep on your log couch, right here in front of the fire place if you don't mind.  The fire place wasn't even burning.  Then he got up from his chair went out side, walked out to the woods picked up some old timbers, and brought them back to the house.   I was watching him closely out my bow window.  He now was a very strong attractive man and he was going to stay in my house, why in the world could I let this happen?  
He got back to the house brought in some of the wood that he collected and started up the fireplace.  The fire was red, hot, blazing, and had a big flame, I could feel the heat penetrating out of the fireplace. It was calming and perfect.  He was a man of many wonders, as we sat on the couch close together watching the fire burn in the fireplace, we both slowly drifted off to sleep.