Family Ties (Rewritten)

The New Nurse (Part One)

-Seven Years Later-

The Painted Sentiments Hospital loomed over her like a tower, a tower full of people ranging from those who suffered from mental breakdowns, to those who were so deranged that they murdered people just to satisfy their violent urges. Newly graduated nurse Stella Bennett was no stranger to dealing with people on the brink.  She spent many nights watching her own parents fight each other while they were in alcohol induced stupors.

That was part of the reason she decided to take the night nurse position at the hospital.  She wanted to help those who couldn't help themselves, so that there would be less sadness in the world.

She didn't want any more children to have to grow up in the loveless homes that mental illness often caused.  She wanted to make a difference.

Walking through the automatic glass doors, she sucked in a deep breath and prepared to meet the people she would be working with. The first person she saw was a young receptionist who had her nose buried in a brainless pop culture magazine. The plaque on her desk revealed her name to be Megan.

Stella cleared her throat as she approached the girl's desk.  "Good evening, ma'am," She waited for the receptionist to respond, but she was met with an uninterested stare.  "I'm new here, and I'm not sure where I'm supposed to go. Do you know?"

"Are you a cleaning lady?"

"No. I'm a nurse."

"Name?"

"Stella Bennett."

She typed something on her computer, then looked back up at her. "You will be working under Doctor Greer. His office is on the tenth floor. You'll find the elevators right around that corner."

"Thank you."

Stella started to walk away, until the receptionist said, "Wait a minute."

"Yes?"

"Can I give you a piece of advice?"

"Ummm....sure."

Megan cupped one of her hands around the side of her mouth and whispered, "Do yourself a favor and keep your distance from Doctor Greer as much as humanly possible. Trust me on this."

Stella was taken aback. "Why?"

"Because you're a pretty girl, and Doctor Greer has a tendency of being overly affectionate with pretty girls. But that's just between you and me, okay."

"O-Okay."  She walked away from the receptionist with a whole other level of uncertainty dancing inside of her stomach, though she tried to assure herself that Megan was most likely exaggerating.

This was the twenty first century.  People could not get away with harassing their coworkers this day in age, especially not men. 

Besides, Stella hardly thought of herself as a pretty girl.  She had never even had a boyfriend because of her severe anxiety and antisocial tendencies.

"Ugh, don't think of that shit." She mumbled to herself as she stepped into the elevator. Her mind needed to be focused on the job, not her hang ups.