Academy Snippet 4

Sitrep:  Goodlifeguide stated they'll try to get the manuscript back to me by this weekend. We'll see.

Rea also dropped a broad hint for me to write a Christmas story and post it here or in another book. I'm thinking about it but it isn't a priority. Right now it seems like I'm being pulled in a half a dozen directions all at once. (multitasking!)

Anyway, the next story snippet:

 

“Why not?” a voice asked behind her.

Dorothy Gayle twitched her ears as she finishedreading the chart of the patient and then turned to the lead nurse.

“Okay, I’ll bite,” the small Neodog asked. “Whynot what?”

“Why not go for it?”

“Go for what?” she asked, this time in a testiertone of voice. She had to scramble down the steps behind the nursing stationuntil she hit the floor. Sometimes it really sucked to be only a meter tall.

At least she wasn’t an elf. They really had itbad.

“Go all in. You have the education, right?”

“I’m still not following.”

“ET.”

“What about it?” she asked.

“Your training.”

“I was an AN there,” she said patiently.“Assistant Nurse, remember? They yanked me out of training and threw me intothe trenches,” she said.

Raina nodded. “I know that. But when the plagueswere over, you were an RN,” she said.

“Yeah, and they saddled that damn ensign rank onme too. So what?” Dorothy asked.

“So, you want to be a surgical nurse still,right?”

“It is a thought,” Dorothy said with a sniff. Shewas actually considering resigning her commission in order to go into civilianpractice. Only the regular work, good pay, and free education kept her fromdoing that. That and she was supposed to have some retirement in the pipelinewhenever she did retire.

If she resigned before a set period, she wouldn’tget much at all or so the scuttlebutt experts insisted.

“Why not go for the full experience?” Rainainsisted as she crossed her arms.

“And that is?” Dorothy asked as she checked themedical cart. It was robotic; all she had to do was follow it and make sure itadministered the right medication to the right patient. Some of the patientswere a bit wary of having a robot mist them or give them a small paper cup withpills in it.

“Go full medical. Become a surgeon,” Raina said.

Dorothy paused and turned to her. “Are youserious?”

Raina studied her. “As a heart attack. You’ve gotthe grades, right?”

“Sure.”

“And you’ve got the background. Your family eatsand breathes medicine.”

“That’s the family. And that doesn’t exactlytranslate over,” the Neodog said. She was a mutt, a small Neodog that had somany mixed breeds in her ancestry they all sort of blended together. She hadfloppy ears that still bothered her. Her friend Katya had saddled her with Totoon her for a nickname. Only when she’d found the reference had she been readyto strangle the pilot.

Katya of course had loved it. She shook her headslightly.

“I’m serious. I’ve seen your bedside manner. I’veseen you close wounds and you caught a few things that the doctors miss. Youcould do it,” Raina insisted.

“That eager to get rid of me?” Dorothy asked asthe cart began to move out.

“No, but I want you to live up to your potential.Right now you are just filling a slot. I know you can do better.”

Dorothy blinked, looked back to the senior nursebut another had distracted the woman. Instead, she sniffed and went on herrounds. It did stick a bone in her mind to gnaw on for a few days though.

<<<*>>>

Raina thought about it and then checked Dorothy’scredentials. The Neodog had an ensign rank but had been stuck in that rank for threeyears. She finally realized why when she noted that the Neodog had nevercompleted the officer training courses mandatory for nurses.

She knew the hospital administrator was a prickabout such things. She decided to get on Dorothy’s case and get her to at leastget that squared away by the end of the fiscal year.

<<<*>>>

When Dorothy woke the following morning, she hadan email in her work inbox. She grimaced and checked it and then her grimaceturned into a ferocious scowl as she noted the heading. Apparently, someone hadnoticed she hadn’t taken the courses for the navy and were now requiring it.Damn.

Like she needed the distraction.

She was still fuming at the injustice in theuniverse when she got to work. She checked in and got another email with a textto report to the educational administrator’s office. She sighed and handed herduties off to her partner and took off to find out what the problem was.

“Ah, Nurse Gayle. Interesting name,” the Veraxinstated when she knocked on the office door. He scuttled and tilted his odd headuntil all four eyestalks looked at her. “Ah, there you are.”

“You wanted to see me, Director?”

“Yes. It has come to my attention that you havebeen remiss in updating your credentials.”

“Sir? I am up to date on all certifications.”

“Except your naval career.”

“I’m in a navy hospital, sir,” she reminded him.The director was a civilian contractor, one of the rare civilians in thehospital. He was so good at his job that the navy had accepted his services andhad not forced him to become an officer.

“I understand that. But the navy wants all of theI’s dotted and T’s crossed as the metaphor goes. Which means we need to carveout some time for you to get that sorted out. And I understand you applied tobecome a surgical nurse?”

“I was undergoing classes for the upgrade before Iwas reassigned to Antigua,” she said stiffly.

“Well, that is on hold until the military gets itsway. Unless you are considering resigning?”

“I did think about it,” she admitted.

“Well, if you did, you would be missed here,” hesaid offhand.

Her eyes narrowed. “And what is that supposed tomean?”

“It means you would be unqualified to work in thishospital. You would no longer be a naval officer. You would have effectivelyquit your job. Of course with the capital expanding so explosively, you wouldfind work elsewhere in our industry. The resignation might serve as a cloudover any prospective employers though,” he warned.

She frowned, clearly unhappy. She hadn’t quitegotten that far into gaming out her possible life paths. Now that he mentionedit, the idea of a resignation in her record would not look good. There would bequestions as to why. Her answer of not wanting to get qualified to be anofficer would make them wonder if she tended to skip over critical details,which would mean some juicy jobs might pass her over for patient safety.

Which wouldn’t be good on her record either. Wordlike that got around.

“I can take the online courses,” she sighed.

“I’m afraid it is a bit more involved than that,”he said.

“Excuse me?” she asked as she blinked.

“You are an officer who never attended theacademy. You have served in that capacity for some time. Makeup classes can betaken but you also are required to attend in person classes.”

She frowned. “I took a few basic courses on ET.The mandatory ones.”

“Which are in your record. But to be an officer,especially a medical officer, there is a lot more involved I’m afraid.”

She growled softly and wondered if Raina had sether up. She wouldn’t put it past the senior nurse to try to push her out of thenest just when she was getting comfortable.

“What are we talking about here? I’m not willingto run around a track or play soldier,” she growled.

“Your ignorance of your naval career is one reasonyou need this educational experience. I suggest you take a tour of the academyand look into your future more deeply. To that end you’ll be reassigned to half-dayshifts three days a week. The rest of the time you are to get your credentialsup to date. If you need to adjust that schedule, let me know.”

She opened her mouth to protest and then closed itslowly. Half-day shifts were nothing. Nurses worked full twelve- or twenty-four-hourshifts. Being on half day would make her a fill-in. She didn’t like it.

“I realize it is not optimal to your currentschedule. But this must be rectified,” the Veraxin said sternly. “I suggest youconsider your options carefully.”

“Am I still going to be paid to train?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“Fine, I’ll look into it,” she growled, clearlyunhappy.

“Excellent. This is, after all, a teachinghospital, so we encourage all of our staff to continue to better themselves.Please avail yourself of the educational opportunity here.”

She sniffed and then left. It wasn’t quite a stormout but it was as close as the diminutive nurse could get to it.

<<<*>>>