The door to the doctor’s office opened just as he was about to respond, and a well-dressed man in his early sixties walked into the office. His cologne permeated the room, giving it a foreign air.
“Doctor, he's awake now—what do we need? He wants to get out of here already,” the man said.
“Oh, okay. I'll go check on him, but I’m advising him to have a home nurse assigned to him to help speed the recovery process,” Dr. Burns said. I realized he wanted me to work for the man who had just walked in. The man looked rich and all, but I didn't want to work at another person’s house. I'd just had a bad experience, and I was terrified of the very idea.
“Like a stay-at-home nurse?” the man asked.
“She'll visit daily, returning each day at a designated time. It'll help us keep a close eye on his leg as it heals,” Burns responded. “Okay, sounds great. As long as it helps him get back up and around as soon as possible,” the man said.
“I can't do it, doctor. I don't want to be in that situation again. They’ll have me do more than I should, and—”
The man interrupted, “Oh, my goodness, no. Miss, I am willing
to pay you five thousand dollars monthly until he's recovered.”
I mentally picked my jaw up off the floor. It was a lot of money, but rather than dampen my fears, it made me even more scared. As far as I was concerned, the more they paid, the greater the insanity.
“We have several staff members that will be at your beck and call. They can even administer the treatments per your orders while you supervise. It's really quite convenient,” the man said. There was a deafening silence after he spoke while everyone awaited my response.
“Look, Ariana, you can work there for a week. If you don't like it, you can stop,” Dr. Burns said.
“Okay, let's start with that,” I responded reluctantly.
“Great! I'll be in Brian’s room, Doctor. When does she start?”
“On Wednesday,” Dr. Burns said.
“Fantastic!” the man said as he left.
When he was gone, the doctor promised me I would like my new job, but I was still apprehensive. Claudia and I left the office with the doctor promising to send an email with the location and standing orders of my new assignment.
Everything had happened so quickly that I forgot to askfor any information on my new patient. I guess it didn't matter because I’d find out soon enough.
Chapter Four
Stimulated Differently
Brian
I woke up at 10:15 AM. It was pretty late, but I loved sleeping in. For the first time in a long time, I was able to wake up when I wanted to, and it felt great. I didn't have to set my alarm to get readyfor work because I was incapacitated.
I sat up in the bed and looked at my heavily casted leg, knowing it wasn’t as serious as it looked. If it were, the doctor wouldn’t have released me so soon.
“Brain Peterson Rodericks, you crashed into a fucking pole and got discharged in less than two days. That's some alpha male stuff,” I told myself, reaching for my crutches to help me stand.
“Can I come in?” Chris said from outside my room. “Yeah, sure,” I responded, struggling to move around with the crutches.
You're up. Just in time. Your home nurse will be here soon,” Chris said.
“Nurse? Like a stay-at-home nurse?”
“Well, kinda. She comes in the morning and goes home in the evening,” Chris responded.
“What? I'm not a baby, and I don't need a nurse. The doctor said it wasn’t serious.” I was livid. I didn't want a nurse coming into my home, trying to boss me around, telling me what to do. I just figured I’d have to go to the hospital a few times until I was fully recovered.
“That’s exactly how Dad said you would react. That’s why he said no one should tell you until today, including the doctor,” Chris said.
“Where's Mom? She can stay here and take care of me instead.”