Page 6 of The Exception

“When I got there, he was going to just give her orange juice. I mean, really? OJ is a last resort if you don’t have anything else, but we had glucose tablets. Thank God he realized I could end his whole career before it even starts by calling the certification board, and he backed down, but then he found me after the plane landed and argued me down about why his approach was just as good as mine.”

“You should report him anyway just for that,” Emma grumbled, and Sonya nodded her agreement.

“Right? But even if I wanted to, I only remember his first name. I think the last got caught up with everything else about that flight that I’m trying to forget.”

“Well,” Emma began, raising her glass of straight OJ in the air. “As of right now, we’re forgetting all about Marcus, the poser paramedic, and middle seats on cross country flights, and focusing on moving forward.”

Sonya grinned and lifted her glass to clink against Emma’s. “Damn right.”

Four

Afew hours into Sonya’s first day back at work, she was feeling better than she had in days. Besides the fact that it kept her so busy that she didn’t have time to dwell on the recent changes in her life, she genuinely loved her job. It could be both mentally and physically exhausting at times, but being a part of the healing process so people could reclaim their lives fulfilled her to an overwhelming degree. As a nurse manager, she didn’t get to see patients as much as she did when she’d been a charge nurse, but whenever they were a little shorthanded, she jumped in without hesitation. Such was the case that day because one of the other nurses had called in sick.

She was in the middle of going over a patient’s chart when she noticed her boss walking back into her office. She’d planned to have a conversation with Abigail about taking on more responsibility, and it looked like she was finally getting her chance. Just because her personal life goals were in the process of being rewritten, it didn’t mean she had to put the brakes on her professional goals. She was already the youngest nurse manager the facility had ever seen, and without anything else on her plate to distract her, she could work on becoming the youngest Chief Nursing Officer.

She replaced the chart she was reviewing in the holder and moved to stand in Abigail’s doorway. “Nurse Chen? Do you have a minute to talk?”

The older woman looked up from the papers on her desk and smiled.

“I always have time for you, Nurse Pope. Come in and have a seat.”

Sonya sat in the chair facing the desk, and knowing that Abi had never appreciated anyone beating around the bush, she immediately launched into the reason why she was there.

“I want to take on more of a leadership role here,” she said. “And if there are any opportunities currently available, I’d like to put my name in the hat.”

Abi sighed and adjusted her glasses. “You’re already the busiest nurse on this ward and you and I both know if I don’t watch my back, you’ll have my job next.”

Grateful that she didn’t have to go into any more detail, Sonya smiled. “I’ll get your job when they finally make you head nurse”.

“From your lips to God’s ears,” Abi mumbled. “I don’t have nurses asking me for more work too often. Am I not giving you enough to do?”

“I do have a lot on my plate, but there's no reason to wait for my workload to somehow free up because that’s not going to happen. So if not now, when, right?”

“All right, then. An opportunity landed on my desk this morning.”

“Great! I can handle it, so sign me up.”

Abi shook her head with a laugh and pulled a file from the bottom of the stack on her desk, handing it to Sonya. “There’s a student coming in for an emergency internship but the ED is overwhelmed.”

Sonya’s hand froze in midair and the groan was out before she could stop it. “Babysitting wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” she grumbled.

The grin on Abi’s face spread even wider. “This is how you get that leadership experience you mentioned. Besides, you’re a fantastic nurse and I know you can help this student be just as fantastic.”

Nurses had to learn how to do their jobs in a real world setting at some point, but it was always hard on the people teaching them. There were the ones who came in day one thinking they already knew everything, the ones who were too terrified of messing up to do anything, the ones who questioned everything because it wasn’t being done exactly the way they’d learned in class; it was exhausting and Sonya had found ways to avoid it. But Abi was right. There was no other way for the intern to learn, and no other way for her to advance.

Sonya sighed. “Fine. When do they start?”

Abi made a dramatic show of looking at her watch. “Five minutes ago. He’s probably waiting at the nurse’s station.”

Eyes widening at that piece of information, Sonya rose from her seat and tucked the file under her arm. Even though it wasn’t what she’d had in mind, Abi was right. The only way to get the experience she needed was by doing something exactly like this.

“Thank you, Nurse Chen. I appreciate this opportunity.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You and I both know how interns can be. Your patience will most certainly be tested, but it’ll be worth it,” Abi said.

Sonya nodded and turned to leave but Abi’s voice stopped her.

“And, Sonya? Don’t scare him off on his first day.”

---