I stepped out of my taxi and onto the sidewalk. I looked up to the huge white and tan, ultra modern building looming in front of me. The sign was blue in big neon letters with a red cross next to it. New York Valley Hospital. I paid the driver some cash, told him to keep the change then walked into the hospital lobby. There was a woman at the desk, bright and cheery, clearly enjoying her day on the job. I walked up to the desk and she looked up to me.
"How can I help you?" she said smiling.
"My name's Kennedy Woods. I'm beginning my internship here today." I said, not being able to help a smile myself.
"Oh! Of course, here let me give you some instructions."
She turns to her computer and begins to look through charts and documents. She quickly reads over some data, then turns to me.
"You're going to need a hospital I.D. Come with me." she stands up and heads into the room behind the front desk, I follow her.
She sits down behind a camera and I sit on the stool in front of it. She preps the camera, then aims it at me.
"Say cheese!" she says, cheerfully.
I smile and look into the camera. The shutters click and the flash went off. She tapped some buttons, then went back out to the desk. I followed her. I saw my face appear on the monitor as she sat down. I went back to the other side of the desk. She tapped a few buttons and gathered some of my information, then the machine in the backroom began to make noise.
"My name's Isabella Rhodes, by the way. You can call me Bella."
"Nice to meet you, Bella."
She smiles, then turns back to the monitor.
"Okay...Dr. Woods, it looks like your senior attending will be Dr. Reina Normandy. Good luck."
She disappeared into the backroom then reappeared waving my I.D. in the air, to help it dry. She handed it to me and smiled. I stuffed it into my pocket for the time being.
"Take the elevator to the fifth floor, then take a right and follow the hallway almost to the end, there's only one door all the way down there. That'll take you to the locker room. Your locker number is 47. And your combination is...right here." She slid a piece of paper across the desk. I picked it up. "I'm all over the place, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of me. Have a great first day, Dr. Woods."
"Thanks."
I went over to the elevator and pressed the button.
I opened the door to the locker room to find new interns all over the place. Some were exposing their skin as they got changed, others were stretching and reading over charts. I read the locker numbers until I found mine. There was someone in front of it, putting on their scrub pants. I cleared my throat.
"Excuse me."
The man stood and turned to me. He had a good four inches on me and was very tan. His hair was thick, and wavy. His eyes were chocolate brown. His chest was exposed and I saw that he was very muscular.
Let's just hope he doesn't want to pick a fight.
"Yes?" he said, agitated.
"I need to get to my locker."
He looked behind him, realising he wasn't in front of his own locker anymore, then took a step to the side. I walked up to my locker and began putting in the combination. He finished pulling on his pants, then tied the string at the waist. I looked over as he rested his arm on the lockers next to me and looked down at me. I met his eyes.
He smiled.
"Like what you see?" he said, smugly.
"We've shared no more than 14 words, haven't even properly introduced ourselves to each other, and I can already tell you're an ass, that's not good, Doctor...York." I said looking at the ID resting inside his locker.
His smile didn't drop.
"Just trying to have some friendly small talk...Dr. Woods."
I chuckled and turned to my locker.
I grabbed a pair of scrubs and set them on the bench behind me. I began to undress, first with my shirt.
Kylen whistled.
"What? We've only been talking for five minutes and you're already eager to take your clothes off for me?" He said, taunting me.
I blushed. There was some chuckles from the people around us. One of the girls in the room stepped forward.
"Just because you have absolutely nothing better to do in life, than be disrespectful and rude, doesn't mean it's going to impress anybody but you."
Voices spread throughout the room. Kylen turned to the girl. He scoffed.
"I don't think you know what you're talking about."
"Oh, I think I do. You've had everything laid out for you since day one. Nice parents. Good education. Food on the table. Milk in the fridge. You knew you'd be in this locker room since you were nine years old and you have the arrogance to assume that everyone else in here did too. Some of us worked to get where we are, and just because you're jealous or xenophobic about it, doesn't give you the right to be an ass."
Something she said managed to shut him up. His smile dropped and his smug composure managed to melt away.
I had pulled on the rest of my scrubs and my white coat while they were arguing. The girl's blonde wavy hair bounced just above her shoulders, as her blue eyes tore holes in Kylen. He turned around and closed his locker. There was a voice from the doorway.
"Well, isn't everybody getting along just fine. Now that that whole mess is sorted out it's time to meet your attendings. There aren't as many of you as there typically are, so you will be assigned in pairs. If you haven't already found out your attendings from the front desk, listen up, I'll be giving them out again right now."
It must have been Dr. Normandy. She was a short, slightly chubby woman with tan skin and and short brown hair with blonde highlights in it. Her eyes were chocolate brown.
The girl who helped me leaned over.
"My name's Summer." We met eyes. Hers were bright blue, gleaming with mischief.
"Kennedy." I said.
"Sorry about him. I guess it's just who he is. Least you won't have to deal with him for a little while."
I smiled and nodded, "Thanks to you."
"Don't mention it."
"Summer Scott and Rhonda O'Gallagher you will be with Dr. Parks. And lastly, Kennedy Woods and Kylen York you two will be with me."
Summer snorted.
I elbowed her.
"Not. Funny."
She was giggling, "Yeah it is."
I clipped my ID to my coat, then grabbed my pager and walked over to Dr. Normandy. Kylen followed. I saw a woman fall into step behind Summer, she was a little taller than me with tan skin and long, black, curly hair. Her eyes seemed almost black.
"Before one of you asks, no there is no switching. You're stuck with me, and you're stuck with each other. I saw what went on in here, and let me tell you now, if I have to deal with you three fighting all the damn time, on my time, you are in for two years of hell, understand me? Good. That being said, here's your first assignment." She handed me a chart. I began to scan over it. "Assess, diagnose, report, treat. That's your order. Got it? York, what does that mean?"
He froze for a second then pulled himself together.
"Assess; I'll talk to the pa-"
Normandy cut him off by making an incorrect buzzer sound. "Err."
He looked confused.
"YOU will do nothing. It is not YOU anymore. It is Dr. Woods and I. You are partners now and you are in this together. Every assignment you have will be partnered. Try again."
He sighed.
"Dr. Woods and I will read through the patients charts and history. Then talk to the patient to fully assess the situation. Then, we'll diagnose. Find the best treatment option for the patient. Report, come to you with our diagnoses and get either the go-ahead or the shutdown. Treat; if we get the go-ahead we take the course of action we've already planned."
"Good job, York. You fully understand my rules. I hope you caught all that, Woods. Now go. I expect a report before the end of the day. Go."
She turned around and walked off. I turned to Kylen. He smiled, that smug smiled again. I rolled my eyes, then headed into the hallway, checking the room number as I walked. I grabbed an elevator and clicked the floor I wanted to go to. Kylen slipped inside before the doors shut, and leaned against the wall.
"Listen, I get we got off on the wrong foot," I scoffed. "but we are stuck together, whether we like it or not. So we might as well get used to it, and make the most of it, okay?"
I remained silent, then sighed.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's just start over, okay?"
"Deal. I'm Dr. Kylen York, nice to meet you." he said and he shoved out his hand.
I smiled and shook my head.
"Dr. Kennedy Woods. Nice to meet you, Kylen." I shook his hand. "Just try not to be an ass, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I get told I'm as ass a lot, I'm used to it. But all my good friends always say you have to get to know me to know who I really am. So, how bout the long game?"
I sighed.
"The long game. Just dial it down a little, okay?"
"What, you don't like when I act like this?"
He took a breath and then put on the Kylen Smile again. He walked towards me.
"Hey baby, how bout a drink after this shift. Or we could do something now...a little fun in the elevator...?"
I laughed and snorted, then quickly covered my mouth.(That's something I tend to do unintentionally, snort, when I laugh...) I lightly pushed him away from me.
"Shut up." I said.
He made the push dramatic as he fell backwards and pretended to flail. I watched as he tripped over his own feet and fall towards the doors. He reached out an arm and swiped as if to grab something that wasn't there. I watched as his hand slid down the control panel clicking several buttons. Now highlighting several other floors. I burst out laughing at him on the floor, rubbing his head.
He got up and pushed my shoulder a little.
"Not funny."
"You just made my day a whole lot better, Kylen."
He smiled.
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. We stood there as people walked by giving us odd looks. Then the doors closed and we moved a few floors up, then the doors slid open. We looked into the hallway.
Normandy was standing in it. She looked down to us and realized who we were. She began walking toward us quickly.
"Shit!"
Kylen leaped for the buttons. I followed after him he was mashing the close button, as I repeatedly beat on his shoulder to tell him to press it faster. I looked down the hallway as she drew closer and smiled. Then the doors shut. We broke apart, laughing.
"See? I'm fun." he said.
"Fun and nice are two totally different things." I responded.
He rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"One's better than none."
I smiled, and so did he.
The elevator stopped a few more times before finally clicking into place at our floor. I watched as the doors slid open. Normandy was standing right there. She was looking at the floor indicator above the doors and was tapping her foot. She flicked her eyes down to us.
"What in the devil's name are you two doing? Messin' around on your first day as an intern?"
"It was an accident. We accidentally hit a few buttons." I said, pleading with my eyes.
"How'd you get up here so fast?"
She whirled on Kylen, "I hauled my ass up them stairs. Which is more than can be said for you bums."
She turned back to me.
"You're lucky you got them big grey eyes, Woods. But they won't get you everywhere. Rule Number One of Normandy: Take the stairs. If you use them correctly you'll go faster than an elevator...I better not catch you on here again."
I looked to Kylen and we looked shocked.
"You heard me. Now move. Rule Number Two: When I tell you to move, move. Now go!"
We stepped out of the elevator and headed down the hallway to the patient's room.
Kylen stepped around me and opened the door, he held it open. I stopped before going in.
"I expected you to cut in front of me."
"People change."
"Uh huh." I said walking into the room.
He followed in behind me.
"Hello, Mrs. Newberry. I'm Dr. Woods, and this is Dr. York, we'll be treating you today."
"Hello, ma'am." Kylen said.
"Oh my, two doctors. Is that a bad thing?" the woman said.
I began to read her chart.
She was forty-three years old coming in complaining of abdominal pain.
"No, ma'am not at all." Kylen said.
"It sure seems like it would be."
"Dr. York and I are part of Valley's surgical intern program. We've been assigned partners today. You're not in any extra trouble or anything, we're just two doctors doing the job of one."
"Oh, well, that's a relief."
I handed the chart to Kylen and made my way over to the woman.
"Can you show me where your pain is coming from?"
She shifted slightly in bed and pulled the covers down. She pointed to a point on her lower abdomen.
"Do you mind if I feel around?"
"No, not at all."
I began to feel around her site of pain, I retracted my hands as she winced and seethed through her teeth.
"Has anyone talked to you about getting any scans?"
"No, I don't think so."
I went over to her chart and began to scribble some things down. Kylen came over to me once he was done feeling around the woman's abdomen.
"You think we should order a CT?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Okay, Mrs. Newberry. We're going to order a CT scan so we can get a better look at what's going on, and we'll be back to see you soon, okay?"
"Okay, thank you." she said falling back into her comfortable position.
Kylen and I walked out of her room and over to the desk with nurses at the desk.
"Hey, we need a CT." Kylen said to the nurse behind the desk.
"Kylen!" I smacked his arm. "I'm sorry, we just wanted to order a CT for the woman in Room 415, Mrs. Newberry?"
The nurse smiled at me.
"Sure, let me see what I can do." he began to type away at the computer. "You guys new here?"
"Yeah, we just started our internships. My name's Kennedy, Kennedy Woods."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Casey. Casey Martinez."
"The name's Kylen."
The nurse didn't respond to him.
"This is for you." he slid a paper across the long desk to me, then printed a few others, stapled them, and set them next to the first paper. "And those are for Mrs. Newberry."
"Thank you."
"I have a slot open at 10:30, will that work?"
I shook my wrist and glanced at my watch.
"Yeah, that'd be great."
"I'll put you down for it."
I finished filling out the paper and slid it back to him, then grabbed the stack of papers and handed them to Kylen.
"Go give these to her, would you?" I said.
"Why do I have to do it?"
"Because while you were busy staring at me in there, I was doing all the work."
He blushed slightly, his brown eyes glancing to the side. Then he sighed and he walked towards her room.
"You're feisty. You've got some fire. You'll fit in great here, I have no doubt in my mind."
"Thanks, Casey."
"No problem, Dr. Woods."
"You can call me Kennedy, you know?"
"I have a thing, I only address doctors formally."
I chuckled, "Okay, then."
I caught him watching Kylen through the window into the room.
"What's your take on him?" he asked.
"Kylen? He seems like an ass, I won't lie. But I think there's more to him than meets the eye."
"Hm. Well, I guess time will tell."
I heard the sound of wheels rushing down the hallway. I turned to see a team of nurses and doctors rushing a patient to the elevators, Summer was among them.
"Oh my god! Kennedy!" she said excited. "An hour into this job and I already get to scrub in on a surgery, can you believe it?"
They were gone before I could respond.
"Not. At. All."
YOU ARE READING
Steady Hands
RomanceDr. Kennedy Wood is just beginning his medical intersnship at New York Valley Hospital. Although it turns out to not be everything he dreamed of. In this medical drama and romance show-novel, he will attempt to balance the ups and downs of his newfo...
