Call of the Alpha - Part 1
By Lia Manning
Chapter 1
In Jessica’s eyes, there were three simple pleasures in life that were unchanging and faithful. A long hot bath, popping the cork on a new bottle of wine, and stripping out of her scrubs after a sixteen-hour shift. She did the latter shortly after nine o’ clock on a Tuesday night, after a dizzying shift where she had changed out three bed pans, put in two IVs, cleaned up a pool of vomit, and had to stand next to a doctor, and be there for their patient in the aftermath, as they were told that the cancer had spread.
She was pretty sure that there were professional athletes that weren’t this tired after their job was over. Jessica was drained as she slid out of her scrub pants. She ambled naked to the small shower in the changing room, pulled the curtain closed, and let the hot water sink into her. As she washed, she felt like she had to check herself over to make sure all of her was still there. It was almost like running through a checklist.
Yes, her shoulder-length brown hair was still all there and properly affixed to her scalp. Her face was also still intact, even though her skull felt like jelly, right down to the sharp chin and high nose she had gotten from her mother. Her slightly above-average breasts were still there, relatively perky. Although that might change any day now, she thought wryly to herself. Thirty is still right around the corner. Lathering the washcloth, Jessica’s fingers traced along her full hips, skimming across her curves and down to her legs. Her knees were also still there, in the center of a set of legs that looked their best in plain old jeans.
It was hard to believe that she was still all in one piece after such a hellacious shift. But as she stepped out of the shower and dried off, she started to feel whole again. This was amplified when she dressed in a plain top and a pair of her favorite jeans. With the steam of the shower still invigorating her, Jessica exited the changing room, passing the newly-arrived nurses that would carry out the next shift.
She’d been working here at Greenview General for five years now. She rarely missed a shift, never called in sick, and had great relationships with the doctors and the rest of the staff, right down to the admin desk ladies in the front of the hospital. She enjoyed their daily chats, as she didn’t have much of a life outside the hospital. Her parents were both dead and while she did have a brother, he was living somewhere in Norway and her communications with him were reduced to a quick call on her birthday and a generic Christmas card near the middle of December. She had no real friends outside of the other hospital staff, but she had promised herself that she’d at least consider a love life once she turned thirty and had gotten the work bug out of her. After all the years she’d put into her degree and then professional development, her career was important to her.
Because that was the thing…she loved to work. She loved her job and even though the bedpans and puke got tedious, she adored helping people. And, truth be known, she was good at it. Even as she walked the halls and headed for the elevator so she could go home and relax for a few hours in front of the TV with a glass of wine, she was thinking about the things she would have to do for her next shift.
She was deep in the middle of these thoughts when she rounded the corner for the elevators and saw Dr. Belland speaking with a colleague. Dr. Belland was more than just a doctor, though. He was the head of her department and, essentially, her boss. She had a soft spot for him in her heart as his personality reminded her of her father. His voice had a tenor that even sounded a little like him. Even now, as he waved at her and the other doctor left his side, there was something in his gait that was very father-like.
“Hey, Dr. Belland,” she said.
“Hi, Jessica. Nice to see you heading out for once. I always seem to catch you coming in.”
She shrugged. “I guess we’re just both busy here.”
“You know,” he said, gently scratching at his finely trimmed white beard, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”
“About what, sir?”
“Your schedule. I feel like I see you here far too often.”
She frowned, not understanding what the doctor was thinking. She loved coming to work, and was never late for her shifts.
“I don’t get you.”
He smiled at her and patted her shoulder. “I’m sure you don’t. And that’s one of the reasons you’re one of my favorite employees. Tell me, Jessica…when was the last time you had a vacation?”
She took a moment to think about it and then shrugged. “Two years ago, I guess. I went to Chicago for the weekend.”
“And what did you do?”
“Saw a friend from college and took in a game at Wrigley Field.”
“And then you were back to work as usual on Monday, right?”
“Of course.”
“I want you to listen closely, Jessica,” he said. “I know how much you work. I am, after all, the one who sets your schedule. You’re the best nurse I have and I respect and admire you. But I am officially ordering you to take a week off. Paid, of course.”
“But, Dr. Belland—”
“No point in arguing,” he said. “I set this up two days ago. Your shifts are covered and we even have back-ups in place. You will take a week off. Re-charge. Relax. Get away.”
Jessica felt insulted for just a moment, but then she understood where the demand was coming from. Dr. Belland was acknowledging her hard work and noticing she needed some downtime. Heck, hadn’t she just been thinking how tired she was a few moments ago in the shower? There hadn’t been anyone to look out for her after her parents had died ten years ago, and so his attention meant a great deal to her.