5. Under Fire

Ali

“ D o you know what this is?” Ali asked.

Johanna shrugged and then glanced back down to the folder. “I mean, it looks like an employment file, but I’ve been here two days; surely nothing negative has found its way in there already. Right?” Ali watched as she shifted from one foot to the other.

“Well, you’re right in one part. It is your employment file. But all sorts of things are in here, from your application to your resume. So basically, your file starts the minute you apply for a job. Since I’m your direct supervisor and helping with the training process, I have the ability to read through them. That helps me get an idea of who’s in the program. I like knowing where everyone is coming from, and it helps me decide who will work best with whom.”

“That makes sense. I-I still don’t understand. There shouldn’t be anything in the file that I’ve done something wrong. Right?”

Ali snickered and leaned back against the desk. She opened it up, rifling through it, while Johanna just stared in her direction. Ali looked down at Jo’s resume and then closed the file. “I’ll admit your file has me a bit worried.”

Johanna frowned. “How so?”

Ali saw Johanna’s defenses go up, and she mentally noted that that didn’t do anything to squash her nerves. If she couldn’t trust all the staff, then that made everyone look bad. She needed to ensure that no one bolted. If she was working to get this promotion, she didn’t want anyone to say she wasn’t a great leader.

“It shows that you left your previous job rather abruptly.” Ali shrugged. “This is a rather fast-paced environment. If you can’t handle it, then you need to be honest with yourself. It won’t help anyone if you keep those thoughts bottled up. So, I wanted to make sure you were doing alright. If you need extra time, I could work with that, but if you aren’t honest with me, we will have real problems. Besides, you need to know what you’ve gotten yourself into. CAPMed isn’t a hospital for the weak.”

“I can promise you that I’m not weak,” Johanna spoke the words between clenched teeth, and her cheeks were a fiery red. Ali had clearly struck a nerve. “People leave jobs for a variety of reasons. I can handle fast-paced just fine.”

“I can tell that you’re offended,” Ali began.

Jo turned and looked away from her for a moment. Ali waited, questioning if maybe Jo was tearing up. When Jo resumed her position, there weren’t tears, but her cheeks were still that same shade of red.

“I don’t appreciate that someone who doesn’t know me would question my work ethic and abilities to handle this job. You haven’t even given me a shot.”

Her voice raised a couple of notches, and Ali stared. Johanna’s eyes turned to a darker shade, and there was a split moment where Ali allowed herself to get lost in her blue eyes. She looked down, her heart on the cusp of being pushed over a ledge she didn’t want to get too close to. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

“Listen, I don’t want to have to worry that you’re going to slow yourself down. Or, even worse, this is a group effort. I also don’t want you to slow any of the other nurses down. We all need to do our part. And if you can’t handle it…”

“I can handle it.” Johanna’s tone moved up a couple more notches. “But if I’m being honest, maybe you should learn to deal with your students more. You’re a leader and should act like it and not like a bully.”

Ali’s jaw dropped. “Well, as a student, I don’t know that that’s a way to get your point across, do you?” Ali tilted her head, and Johanna dropped her gaze but didn’t say another word. “Just thought I would connect. You should get back to work.” Ali walked around the desk and took a seat. When Johanna reached the door, Ali opened her mouth. “Johanna?” She slowly turned around to acknowledge her but didn’t reply. “It really was good to see you in the class. Surprising, but good.”

Johanna stared at her, and their eyes met in this heated exchange. Neither one broke contact, but it was clear that they were in this competition with one another. If Ali once thought that the beautiful woman from the bar could be a healthy distraction, she was wrong. Johanna didn’t respond, eventually turned around and left the room, leaving Ali alone. Ali opened the folder and looked back over Jo’s resume. Only time will tell if Johanna Vialdi can handle the stress that comes with CAPMed.