Can't Run Away

part 2 chapter 7

Selina sat in the break room crying.  The one person she had grown close to is dying.  She was the one who had to break the news.  Oh, yeah!  Not to mention, she was beat out of the job as head nurse, by someone she trained.  "What did I do wrong???!!!" Selina exclaimed.  She was the cause of all of this.  Everything was her fault.  She couldn't do anything right, she was sitting around, while another of her patients was dying.  She was lost in thought again.  It was going horribly.  She was supposed to make everything better, but she couldn't; nobody could.

            Selina went into Jasmine's room again.  Jasmine sat on bed crying.  Selina instantly teared up.  She wiped away her tears before making her presence known.  Jasmine looked up and she quickly stopped crying.  Selina sat down beside her.  Jasmine couldn't control her feelings any longer.  She started to cry again.  Selina handed her a tissue.  "At least, you will see your mom and dad soon.  That is what you should focus on, not on how much you don't want to die." Selina said.  She was used to taking away everyone's pain.  In this instance, she was wrong!  Jasmine didn't notice what she said.  She was too deep in her own pain and depression.    Selina put her arm around Jasmine.  Jasmine leaned against her.  A pager went off and Selina left immediately.  Jasmine fell on her bed.  She wasn't depressed anymore.  She was angry.  "How could Selina do that to me?  Her pager going off is more important than me!!?  I'm dying and she had to answer a page that probably isn't worth ten minutes of her time!" Jasmine thought spitefully.

Selina's POV

     Selina looked at her pager.  "Penelope!  I knew she couldn't handle this." Selina thought.  She went into Penelope's office.  She sat at the desk looking frustrated and stressed; like Selina did after a hard day.  "You can't handle this job, can you?  You know you aren't cut out for a high stress job.  You can barely handle nursing by itself.  Just go back to you being you, and give me my position back!" Selina said to Penelope.  Penelope finally spoke.  "No.  I just need some advice.  I'll adjust to this position eventually.  You probably had to call on your mentor when you became head nurse.  Help me, just for one week!" she begged.  Selina decided to help her for a few days.  "I will help you for four days.  Then you are on your own, be glad I still have a shred of sympathy for you.  I will not help you after Thursday.  You will be on your own from that point on, and save me the trouble of you trying to order trying to order me around, please.  The first time you give me an order; I am done helping you!  If you actually treat like your partner, I will help you after the four days.  Be glad I like you!!" Selina finally said.  Penelope smiled and nodded.  Penelope got up and went out the office holding the door for Selina.  "What did you need help with?" Selina asked.  Penelope just motioned for Selina to follow her.  They went into a new patient's room.  Outside the room, Penelope said "She won't let me start her chemo.  You have experience in this, so I knew you were the one to ask?"  Selina walked in and Penelope followed her.  Selina naturally took the lead.  "Hi, I'm Selina.  I'm one of the nurses on this floor.  Chemo can take some getting used to, but everything will be ok." she said.  The young girl spoke softly "I'm Nicole, from what I heard chemo is awful.  I don't want to lose my hair and I don't want to die." she said.  Selina still had a hard time responding to these things.  "Everything will work out, Nicole.  Trust me.  I have to start an IV.  I won't do anything, yet.  I'll just get you ready.  Penelope will take your parents to sign some papers." she said.  With that Penelope and the girl's parents got up and left the room.  Selina picked up an IV bag, alcohol pads, torniquet, and the four injections that have to go in the girl's legs.  She set them within arm's reach and she took the girl's arm.  Selina smiled at her.  Nicole looked away.  Selina began to clean her arm.  The tourniquet was placed tightly immediately.  Nicole pulled away and she started to cry.  Selina sat down on a chair beside the bed.  Nicole spoke up immediately.  "I don't trust you.  You aren't on my side.  You're just in this for the money." she said accusingly.  Selina looked hurt.  "I would work 16 hour shifts, five days a week spending time stressed out at home.  My work is my life!  If I couldn't do this I wouldn't do anything else!" Selina said.  Nicole finally nodded.  "Can you just put that stupid medicine in my body, so it can ruin my life?" She said with tears in her eyes.

                Selina took Nicole's arm gently.  She stuck the needle in Nicole's arm and hit the small vein the first time she tried.  Nicole jerked, but she smiled at Selina.  The medicine was needed, but Selina didn't want to be the one to blame when the side effects started.  "Four more shots to go, Nicole.  Sit over here, so I can give you the shots in your legs." she said calming her voice.  Nicole sat and Selina cleaned her legs quickly.  The shots were over before Nicole had time to speak.  Selina smiled and walked out.  She met Penelope outside the door.  "Done!  How about I deal with Nicole and Jasmine, and you take over my easier patients and I deal with the more difficult patients?" Selina said with a smile lighting up her face.  This is why she loved her job.  It was challenging, but the rewards made it worth it!  Penelope nodded.