8. Helping Words

Sage

S age refiled the chart and walked back to the receptionist’s desk. She heard the frustration in Stassi’s tone, and she knew that Stassi was struggling. Starting a new job was difficult, but when you’re frustrated right out of the gate, you’re left believing everything is against you. Sage totally understood the pain. But Stassi had to learn to chill, or she’d be out of there before she had gotten her first paycheck.

Stassi sat at her desk, unaware that Sage was watching her. Her eyes were zoned in on the computer, and the waiting room was bare. Sage cleared her throat so as not to frighten the young woman. Stassi looked up, and her eyes were red. She quickly looked away, her face flushed.

“I must look awful,” she muttered.

Sage shook her head. She still looked beautiful, a startling revelation. “Just thought I’d come out here and see how you’re doing.” Sage leaned against the counter and turned to Stassi. She eventually looked up, but there was obvious reluctance. She gave a slight shrug. “I can assure you that we all have rough days. Heck, we all have rough weeks. Is there anything I can assist you with?”

“I just feel like the system is broken. Patients need money, and there is none. Insurance companies don’t want to pay because they’re cheap. There’s nothing truly out there to benefit the patient.” She groaned. “And I’m rambling. Just please don’t tell my boss. She’ll probably get snippy with me about that, too.” Sage arched an eyebrow. “She was upset that I wore, in her words, gawdy jewelry. “She shook her head. “That’s a whole other issue. I’m just frustrated all around.” She dropped her gaze to the computer.

“Believe me; I’ve been there.” Sage wasn’t quite sure, but something about Stassi caused her to want to console her. “It was my first week, and I had this patient that had a massive stroke. They came in wanting my help, and because they didn’t have insurance, the hospital said that I couldn’t do anything for them.”

Stassi frowned. “What’d you do?”

“I was ready to throw in the towel. I thought it was crazy that anyone would want to let this patient suffer just because they didn’t have insurance to prove that they would somehow get paid. So, I fought through a lot of red tape and eventually found a program that assisted the patient in getting the help they needed. The patient came under my care, and a year later, they were succeeding. It was a great accomplishment, I felt.”

Stassi nodded. “I imagine it was.” She furrowed her brows. “I shouldn’t give up.” Sage smiled at her as the elevator door opened. “Hello, I can get you checked in,” she said. She was in better spirits as Sage walked away from the desk. She grabbed a chart and checked it over as the other elevator opened, and Lena stepped off onto the floor.

“You’re smiling,” Lena replied in greeting.

Sage snickered. “You’re delusional.”

Lena shrugged. “Looks like a smile. Ready for lunch?”

“I can’t. I have a full load this afternoon. Shayla is off for an appointment and is unsure if she’ll be back, and I’m the only OT this afternoon. I have a protein bar in my bag; I’ll grab it when I’m starving. You go on without me.”

Lena made a face. “Won’t be nearly as much fun. Just don’t get burnt out like others have.”

Sage smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t. Enjoy your lunch.” Lena walked away, and Sage yawned. She covered her mouth to stifle it. She was tired, but she had to push through it. She had too many patients that relied on her.

“Hello, Fran. How are you doing today?” She entered the room to one of her familiar faces. Fran, a forty-eight-year-old, sat in a chair. Her nod was a bit jagged, but she had come far since they began therapy two months earlier. “How’s the weakness in your arm.”

“Getting less,” she said, holding up her arm. She could only hold it up briefly, but it was longer than when she first began. She was back to driving herself, so that was a plus that you didn’t find in many patients. There was a knock on the door, and Sage turned to the door. She opened it ajar and found Stassi fidgeting in the hall.

“Yeah?” she asked.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but Mitch Grey just walked in. He thought he had an appointment. It’s supposed to be tomorrow, and he is going out of town tomorrow.”

Sage sighed. “Put him in after Betty. I’ll make the schedule work.”

“Thank you, Sage.” Stassi rushed off, and Sage watched her for a minute. This job was liable to be Stassi’s demise. Working at the hospital wasn’t something everyone could thrive in. She just hoped it wouldn’t break the young woman. She closed the door and turned back to her patient. With another patient on the books of an already busy day, she would be forced to work unpaid overtime, and she wasn’t looking forward to that, but it was all a part of her responsibility, and she would make the best of it. It wasn’t as nearly as bad as others were facing. That was what she had to hold onto. Hopefully, she would have that appointment the following month, and they could finally get some resolution to everyone’s problems.