4. A Long Day

Johanna

J ohanna entered the training room the next day. It was easier today because she knew where she was going, but once she entered, she quickly glanced around. She groaned and went to the table where she and May had sat the previous day. She had hoped May would already be there. After the first day, she hadn’t really gotten introduced to anyone else. But she felt like May and she had really connected. Hopefully, they could become friends. Feeling self-conscious about sitting alone, she reached into her purse, took out a pen, and leaned into her notepad as if studying very intently.

The door slammed shut, and Johanna looked up to see where the sound came from. A woman she didn’t recognize entered the room after having shut the doors and went straight to the front of the training space. Johanna glanced at her watch and then shot a look at the door. Surely, May didn’t choose to drop out of the program already? Johanna frowned, mentally willing the door to suddenly open.

The woman cleared her throat, drawing Johanna’s eyes back to the front of the room. “Hello, my name is Francesca, but you all can call me Frannie.” Frannie smiled easily, and Johanna felt a little more at ease. “I work in Human Resources. We will start with a PowerPoint presentation about the most important rules and procedures. And, with any luck, you won’t all fall asleep.” She gave a deep laugh, and some others joined in. “Let’s begin, shall we?”

Johanna casually glanced down at her watch again. The time ticked by, but May wasn’t there. She wanted to shrug it off, but it bothered her that her only friend in the class had suddenly bailed.

“I’m passing out the employee handbook. You can also go online and find all this info. The handbook isn’t a suggestion, but it’s to be read like the Bible. Every one of you should ensure you know it front to back. And trust me, you will. I have a whole slide presentation on it. It’s less than an hour, but, be warned, there will be pop quizzes during your training. We use them to make sure you’re fully prepared before we put you into the world alone. Do you have any questions?”

Johanna looked down at the handbook that lay in front of her. She opened it up and stared, her eyes bugging out, as pages upon pages of legal jargon stared her in the face. It’s all so overwhelming. How can I do this alone?

As the thought escaped her, there was a slight tap on the door, and it swung open. May appeared at the door. She looked over to Frannie and grimaced. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.

“Take a seat,” Frannie remarked. “But that’s rule number one here, folks. Punctuality is key, and we at CAPMed expect everyone to come to work prepared and on time. If you don’t, we know there are people out there wanting to take your place. We’re not trying to be rude, but the nurse on the shift before you can’t leave until you show up. You rely on each other. Remember that.”

May sunk into the seat next to Jo, and Jo furrowed her brow. May shrugged and then turned toward the front of the class. Frannie brought her over a book, then returned to her position at the front.

“As new employees come in, we like to discuss things that occur daily in the hospital. This is both with the patients and with the staff. We do have rules to be followed to ensure the safety of all our staff members. A screen flipped on in the front of the room, and the PowerPoint slides appeared. “Please hold all questions until the end.”

Jo leaned back in her seat and stared up at the slides, but from the corner of her eye, she watched May. She knew she would eventually discover what caused her to be late, but she hoped it wasn’t something major. She was relieved she had arrived when she had because she wouldn’t want to do this alone.

The PowerPoint drained on and, in Jo’s opinion, felt like it had already lasted longer than an hour. She didn’t want to check her watch because it would appear like she was bored or disinterested. She knew the answer, but she still felt that it was stupid that they couldn’t just read the handbook from cover to cover. All the people in the room had already succeeded in school. They should be able to read a handbook. She felt like they could gather more information from reading it than from having an hour or more of slides read to them.

Frannie cleared her throat, and Johanna shook her head to focus once again. “Sexual or romantic relationships between CAPMed Staff are frowned upon. Don’t do it. That should be a general rule you follow. Friendships are fine, but nothing beyond a friendship. If you find yourself in a relationship with another employee, you must notify your supervisor. They will then determine the best way to handle the situation to maintain professionalism and avoid any conflicts of interest.”

Jo looked around the room and saw many others doing the same. There were a few giggles, which wasn’t unusual when you were put in a room with people straight out of college. But Jo knew it was best to barely acknowledge the words.

“And under no circumstances should you be involved in intimate relations with your supervisors or any of the senior staff. It’s against all policies and will be handled with nothing short of termination.” Again, there were a few bouts of laughter, and Frannie sighed. “You may think it isn’t serious business, but I can assure you that we have had to deal with the matter. It’s not worth the consequences.” That was the last time anyone dared laugh for the rest of the presentation.

When she was finished, there was a knock at the door. All eyes went to the door, and Ali came strutting in. Again, she had these march-like movements that demanded to be the center of attention. Johanna didn’t want to notice, but it was clear she knew who was in charge.

“I am going to leave you with Ali today. She will get you started on your next round of training. Before I go, though, does anyone have any questions?” Jo figured that everyone had fallen asleep with their eyes wide open. Or they would just reference the handbook because no one raised their hand. “Alrighty then.” She gave a soft smile. “Since Ali is ready for you, I’ll hold onto the quizzes, and we’ll get that taken care of by the end of the day. She gave a wave and left the room.

Jo turned her attention back to Ali. Ali’s eyes were on her, or at least that’s how it felt, as there was a lapse in time where no words were spoken. Jo looked down at her empty notebook and hoped that no one saw how red her cheeks were.

“I find that the best course of action when it comes to training is to start off by doing it. So, I will match you all up with a preceptor, and you can get your first bouts of hands-on training. She looked down at a notebook and started rattling off names and who they would be paired with. “Johanna Vialdi…” Johanna looked up, and Ali’s eyes were directed right at her. “You will be paired with Georgette Taylor.” She then looked down and continued the names until she had reached the last one. “I will get you all introduced to your new preceptors, so follow me.”

Jo reached for May’s hand as they headed out of the classroom. “Is everything alright?” she whispered.

May gave a weak smile, then nodded. “Catch up with you at lunch?” she asked.

“I’d like that.” May was then pulled away when Ali called out her name, and there was a moment of sadness. Her comfort net was gone; she hoped she wouldn’t crash and burn.

The cafeteria was crowded once they could get away to take their lunch. Ali had dismissed them, just like a drill sergeant would do, demanding them back within an hour. Jo realized it was her job, but it didn’t make it any more surprising. This was not the woman she had met at the conference. Part of her wondered if somehow aliens had come down to Earth and snatched her away. If she believed in crazy nonsense like that.

She glanced around, searching for May. She finally found her in a corner, talking to the woman she recognized as May’s preceptor. She looked over and waved to Jo, which gave Jo the insight to grab her food and meet up with her new friend. At least that would allow them to wrap up their conversation so she wouldn’t interrupt them.

Jo grabbed a banana, ham sandwich, and milk, a balanced meal. She paid at the cashier, then looked over to where May had been moments ago. To her relief, May was alone. She hurried over as May took a bite of her sandwich.

“No tables?” Jo asked.

May shrugged. “I’m exhausted. Really didn’t want to walk anywhere.”

Jo laughed. “I hear ya.” She then pointed to the door. “Looks like there’s a table outside. Let’s go snatch it before someone beats us to it.” May followed behind, and they went outside to where several tables lined the pathway. Jo sighed as she took a seat. “It’s been a crazy day.” She tilted her head. “What do you think of your preceptor?”

“I really like her. She seems to know her stuff. But she’s not really given me much time with the patients. I feel like I’ve seen charts and plenty of computer time.” She shrugged. “I guess I was hoping for a little more time actually caring for the patients.”

Jo snickered. “It’s only our first day on the floor. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I totally feel the same. I imagine they’ll leave that for tomorrow or the next day. You have to deal with the basics, too, I suppose.”

“That’s true,” May smirked. “Guess I like to feel like I’m actually accomplishing something, and today, I already feel like I’m starting ten steps behind.”

Jo dropped her gaze and opened her drink. “Now that you mention…everything is alright, right?”

May’s eyes widened. “Of course.” She then rolled her eyes. “Truth is, I was up all night talking to my ex. He’s trying to get back with me, and it’s rather exhausting. He just doesn’t know why we broke up. So forth and so on.” She heaved a groan, downing some of her water. “My alarm clock didn’t go off. I missed the train. Had to call an Uber, and then he didn’t show up until I was already late.” She shrugged. “Let’s just say it was an eventful morning.”

“Geez. Sounds like it. I don’t envy that morning at all.” Jo laughed, taking a sip of her milk.

The conversation died as they worked on eating their lunches. After all, Jo didn’t want to risk getting back late to work. She was taking a bite of her sandwich when May spoke.

“What do you think about Ali? She seems like a tyrant, don’t you think?”

Jo looked down at her milk bottle. Way more of a tyrant than the first night they met. It still didn’t sit right with her. Why would Ali feel like she could swoop in and treat everyone like they were nothing more than dirt on the ground she walks?

“Something wrong? I mean, it’s not like we really have gotten a chance to get to know her. I’m sure she’s perfectly normal. I shouldn’t do much judging. Not like my own life has been perfect.”

“Nothing is wrong.” Jo shrugged. “I actually met her last week.”

May widened her stare. “When? Where? And more importantly, you lived to tell the tale.” May laughed, sipping on her water.

Jo gave a light-hearted giggle. “It’s not like she even remembers. It was at a medical conference. Very chill and all. Thought we might even have a connection.” Jo snickered. “Now I see how that’s a laugh. She barely gave two looks in my direction. But she seemed like a genuine person who wouldn’t know how to bark out orders.” Jo scrunched up her nose. “Baffles me, I must admit.”

“Perhaps she’s one of those people that feel when you’re at work, you must be all business. Maybe she feels if she eases up, people will walk all over her.”

“I suppose. It wasn’t like we spent much time talking last week. I just hoped my direct supervisor wouldn’t be such an over-bearing pain in the…”

“Hey Ali!” May quickly spoke up. Jo turned her attention to Ali, who had stopped at their table. Ali did provide a smile, however weak.

“Wanted to give everyone my cell.” She handed over a business card to each of them. Jo stared at it and inwardly smiled. Maybe Ali wasn’t so bad after all. “Emergencies do happen, and you need to be prepared, but don’t use it unless you’re actively bleeding.” Jo looked up and met Ali’s gaze. There wasn’t one ounce that showed she recognized her. She didn’t even laugh at the remark she had made. Her gaze appeared cold. “And Jo, before you return from lunch, I must talk to you. Meet you in room 311.” Then, without a goodbye, she was off to torture the next person.

Jo released a breath that she had held and glanced back down at the card. “What do you suppose she wants to see you for?” May asked.

Jo snickered. “Who knows, but it’s not like I could be in trouble for doing something wrong. I haven’t had that much room to move on my own.” She gave a nonchalant hug. “I’m going to head back so I’m not late getting back to Georgette. I’ll see you later when we meet back up for the pop quiz.” Jo waved and then hurried off to the trash to dump her items.

Her heart raced as she approached the elevator. Maybe she should be worried about meeting up with Ali. This could go terribly wrong. She desperately pushed the thought out of her mind but kept rushing back in. As she exited the elevator, she caught a glimpse of room 311. The door was tightly shut, and she approached it and knocked. No one responded, so she tried the door, but it was locked. In her hurry to get the conversation over, she hadn’t thought about how she would have beaten Ali back to the room.

Jo leaned back against the wall and waited for Ali to show up. She saw the elevator door open ten minutes later, and Ali got off the elevator and headed straight to her. “Have you waited long?’ she asked.

There was a brief moment when she didn’t seem like the tyrant Jo had encountered the past two days. Jo shook her head, and Ali unlocked the door and opened it up, allowing Jo to follow her.

Ali didn’t move to close the door, although Jo figured if she were about to get reprimanded, she would have preferred to have it done when no one could hear it. Her brows furrowed, but she tried to calm herself with the reminder that she hadn’t done anything wrong. What could she have possibly done that merited a talking-to on the second day?

“I won’t keep you long,” Ali began. “I know you have training to get back to.”

Jo gave a slight nod. She watched as Ali rifled through a desk and then withdrew a folder. She held it up, and Jo stared. It had her name on it and appeared to be some sort of file. Perhaps her employment file? Now she was worried that maybe this wouldn’t be such an easy talk.