Enthralled

capitulo quince.

The day had finally come for me to return to work and as much as I'd enjoyed the calming comfort of being surrounded by family, I was excited to get back to the chaos. Director Tyler had sent me an itinerary for my first few shifts back, she'd said that she didn't want me to "rush into things". So, like the diligent worker that I always strived to be, I found myself sitting across from Director Tyler first thing in the morning for a post-leave check in. I felt nervous while sitting there with her, suddenly being catapulted back in time to when I would be sent to the principal's office. Director Tyler's facial expressions gave nothing away as she took a sip of her tea and looked at me.

"Welcome back Arinze! How was your leave?" The question felt more loaded than she probably intended it to be, do you still want to be a nurse Arinze? Have you given up?

I shifted in my seat, "It was nice, I enjoyed it but I'm ready to get back to the job." I answered plainly, just outside her door I could hear the busy shuffling of feet and announcements sounding over the speakers.

"That's good to hear, I'd love to be able to ease you into things but unfortunately that's not how the emergency department works." Tyler took another short sip of tea; my body had already started zinging with the anticipation of being on the floor again. "However, we've asked your temporary cover to stick around for the remainder of the week so that you'll have someone to catch you up to speed on the changes that have been made in your absence."

Her words made my heart skip a beat, "Temporary cover? You replaced me?"

Tyler chuckled softly while shaking her head at me, then shot me an incredulous glance. "Arinze, the emergency department's charge nurse took a month's long sabbatical. Of course, I needed to temporarily replace you. His name is Nurse Rósales and he's done a wonderful job looking after your beloved department." I nodded, internally chastising myself for coming off as a whiny child. It made sense that someone would need to fill in for me while I reconnected with my life but I supposed that it wasn't something that I'd given much thought to.

"Alright, well I guess I should get down there. Is there anything else that you needed from me?" I asked her, my leg bobbing up and down rapidly as I waited for Director Tyler's response.

She shook her head and smiled. "The place wasn't the same without you Nurse Santos, have a good shift."

I smiled at her, genuinely happy to hear those words from her then took my leave from her office. On my way back down to the Emergency Department, I was met with smiles and well wishes from my coworkers. My body was flooded with endorphins as I entered my domain, the sounds of orders being shouted across the room, the beeping of equipment and the sound of feet shuffling against the linoleum floor made me feel right at home.

And then I saw him. The man who had replaced me; he was tall and slender with dark hair that had been slicked back, giving him a polished look. He wasn't shouting or ordering anyone around but it was clear as day that he was in charge. I cleared my throat as I approached him and offered my hand for him to shake.

"I hear you've been running my department for the last month." I said as we shook hands. "Arinze Santos."

Nurse Rósales chuckled softly, "I've been trying my best- I'm Alejandro Rósales and your reputation precedes you, Nurse Santos." He held onto my hand for a few seconds longer which led to me politely reclaiming ownership of it.

I cocked an eyebrow inquisitively, "All good things, I hope." I looked around at the busy area. "Well, I'm going to reacquaint myself with my department." Turning on my heel before Nurse Rósales could respond, I did what I did best and ran towards the chaos of the emergency department.

That first rush of adrenaline embraced me like an old friend and within the first hour of my shift, it was like I'd never left. Before I knew it, I was commanding the department again though there were several moments when my temporary replacement had forgotten himself. It might have been petty and childish, but I didn't like him and I wanted him gone as soon as possible. Why did they have to hire a male to be my fill in? The job was difficult enough with patients defaulting to doctors eighty percent of the time; the other twenty percent of the time they'd settle for the nearest male. I believed that I'd earned my position and could admit that I was feeling threatened by Nurse Rósales's presence.