24. An Even Balance

Johanna

J o got to work, an extra pep in her step. As part of the residency program, Jo had to assist in so many surgeries, with Ali overseeing them. The last one Jo had was when Vincent was being worked on. And that was a bit uncertain. Plus, it wasn’t really even something that was planned. It just happened. For that surgery, she felt there was more at stake, and she wasn’t as accomplished at CAPMed, as she felt now. She looked forward to being in the thick of the situation and felt confident that this surgery was going to be a great success.

The case? Four-year-old little Mary had swallowed a penny, and it was lodged in her esophagus. It could be a dangerous surgery from everything that she heard, but one that often had very little complications. Jo didn’t have a relationship with Mary, that she had garnered with Vincent, so there was no reason to believe her anxiety would work against her. For that, Jo was relieved.

As she entered the elevator, she smirked when she saw Ali about ready to ride it up to their floor. “Are you nervous?” Ali asked.

“For what? I have the best teacher training me for this surgery. I’m excited.” Ali grinned. This was going to be a surgery where Jo would have to take the lead, with Ali being there as her guide when she felt the need to start to worry. Ali leaned in and gave Jo a soft kiss. It was warm and welcoming, just like every sexual encounter between them was.

“I missed you last night,” Ali whispered.

Jo winked. Truth was, they had decided it was best if they spent the night apart. Jo needed her rest, and she relinquished that Ali would only be her distraction. The elevator doors opened, and Ali went one way, with Jo heading to the nurse’s station.

May sat behind the desk and looked up when Jo approached. “Are you nervous?” May asked.

Jo laughed. “Everyone keeps asking that. I have nothing to be nervous for, right?”

May shrugged. “I’m a little nervous and I don’t do mine until tomorrow.” May laughed and that caused Jo to giggle, lightly. Maybe she was at peace because Ali would be there. If she had to think about it, the fact that Julia would be watching them from the observation area did get a little tingling, but she had to remind herself not to look at Julia. If her eyes remained on Ali, she would be filled with confidence.

The surgery was set for nine o’clock, but she had to get to Mary’s room and prep her. She held her head up with confidence as she went to her room to greet her parents and the little girl. She typically was on Shana’s rotation, so it meant she had no attachment to her. It also meant that it would be hard to know how strong the little girl was .

She was whimpering when Jo got into her room. Jo first smiled at her and then turned her attention to the man and woman at her side. “My name is Jo, and I’ll be one of the nurse’s assisting with the surgery today. Just verifying that your daughter has no allergies, is that correct?”

The two shared a look before the man spoke. “Not that we know of. We just got her into our care a couple of months ago. She’s our foster child and we know this doesn’t look very good on our part.”

Jo gave them a reassuring smile. “Kids put things in their mouths. That just what they do. The surgery is pretty routine. Many times, we could wait for them to get rid of it naturally, but in Mary’s case it had become lodged. If it stays in there for too long, it could do real damage, but I assure you that her surgeon is one of the best Pediatric Surgeons the hospital has to offer. She’s in good hands.”

The woman heaved a sigh. “That’s great news,” she said.

Her husband put his arm around her, and they both reached out and touched Mary. Mary stopped whimpering, and Jo smiled. “I have to take her vitals. If she fidgets, I might need one of you to hold her, so I get the correct readings.” But Mary didn’t fidget, which was surprising to Jo. She got her vitals and once she was done, she was ready to move her to the OR.

“Do you want to come with me. You can say your goodbyes at the OR?”

“Can we?” The woman asked. “I thought we’d have to leave her here.” She wiped away a tear and Jo reached out and touched her arm. “It’s hard to believe we’ve already gotten this attached.”

“I can’t even imagine. But yes, you can come with me, and I’ll show you where to wait while we’re in surgery.” She turned to Mary. “Are you ready little one?” Mary smiled, which warmed Jo’s heart. She didn’t know what was about to happen. She looked over to the man and woman. “After the surgery, I suggest lots of ice cream.”

The man laughed. “Already in the freezer.”

Jo turned and pushed the cart towards the door and to the elevator, with her foster parents close behind. May gave a slight wave, which boosted Jo’s confidence. She entered the elevator and pressed the button, then they took the ride to their floor.

“Did they already tell you how long she’ll need to stay in the hospital?” Jo asked.

“Just overnight,” the man commented.

“Unless complications arise.” The woman brought a tissue up to her nose and shook her head. “There won’t be right?”

Jo smiled. “The risk of complications are minimal.” They got off the elevator and Jo stopped at a waiting room. “You can wait in here. If you want to change the channel, the remote is over on that table. Surgery will run about an hour, then the surgeon will come out and give you the update.”

The man and woman both kissed the top of her head and then glanced at Jo and said their thanks before taking their places in the waiting room. Jo continued to push the bed towards the OR.

“Hold on,” she teased, pretending to go fast and Mary laughed. Jo pressed the button and the doors opened. The anesthesiologist was already there when they arrived. “Here’s the patient,” she said.

“Alright. We’ll get her started.”

Jo dismissed herself into the back room and watched him taking care of her while she ran the water. “Are you nervous now?” She glanced over her shoulder when Ali entered.

Jo grinned, any nerves she had fully dissipating. “Why be nervous? You’ve got me. ”

Ali grinned and nodded. “That’s my girl.” She gave her a wink and Jo grinned and looked down at her hands. They were a tad shaky as she worked to scrub in, but all-in-all she was looking forward to the surgery and showing everyone that she could do it. Everyone, especially herself.