Chapter 5 FIVE

Seb Coleman, One Year Later

I found myself positioned in the bustling nurses' station, discreetly listening to patient updates while simultaneously perusing their medical records to ensure their post-surgical progress was satisfactory. Amidst the commotion, I made an effort to filter out the laughter and unprofessional banter emanating from Alondra, the competent yet grating nurse who seemed to revel in ruffling feathers whenever newbies were present. Unfortunately, I found myself flanked by interns on both sides, rendering me unable to request that Alondra rein in her antics. This was certainly not the appropriate time for frivolity. The interns needed to approach this phase of their training with utmost seriousness. They would have abundant opportunities to observe and learn about my role as the chief of the cardiovascular unit at St. John's Hospital on a more suitable occasion. Moreover, most of them would likely not endure the rigors of this demanding field.

"Dr. Coleman, do you have anything to contribute, or are you too preoccupied to grace us with your presence this morning?" the RN queried, her words dripping with sarcasm, while my focus remained fixed on Mr. Jackson's medical record. Did this woman genuinely have the audacity to single me out as if I were a distracted first-grader in her classroom? There were four other doctors right here, engaging in the exact same activity-reviewing their patients' records, for heaven's sake.

Arching an eyebrow, I met her gaze, taking note of the impassive expressions adorning the faces of the surrounding nurses. "Indeed," I responded, my tone resolute, as I leaned against the counter. Under the unforgiving fluorescent lights of the nurses' station, her silver, cropped curls shimmered. "If memory serves me right, you managed the night shift as the charge nurse, correct?"

She paused momentarily, her hand resting on the counter, before replying, "Yes, that is accurate," her voice tinged with a touch of defensiveness. "Is there an issue?"

"I explicitly gave the order for Ms. Davis to be transferred to this CCU floor from the SICU before I left last evening. So, why am I not seeing her charts here?" I demanded, frustration evident in my voice. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut when I heard the nurse's response.

"Her charts aren't with us."

Are you kidding me? I thought, clenching my teeth in anger. It was clear that this nurse had dropped the ball, leaving herself with one less patient to care for. Well, the interns were about to learn that I didn't tolerate any nonsense on my ward.

"And where is she?" I questioned, struggling to control my mounting frustration. "Nurse O'Brien informed me that she had contacted you to have Ms. Davis transferred to this floor for monitoring. She was supposed to be here so I could check on her this morning. Care to explain why you thought it was acceptable to leave my patient in the hands of the SICU staff?" I could feel my anger intensifying, but I refrained from slamming the patient charts onto the desk before me.

"Dr. Coleman," the nurse stammered, her eyes wide under my glare. "I just... it wasn't like... we were full and understaffed last night."

I narrowed my eyes, recognizing her lie, and glanced at Glen and Rose, the two RNs, who were clearly rolling their eyes in response to her excuse.

"Is this true? Were all of you understaffed, and room 394 couldn't accommodate a new patient?" Glen shot me a look that conveyed his agreement with my suspicions - that Alondra, the charge nurse, had not only lied but also disregarded my orders so she could avoid doing any work.

"She was Alondra's responsibility. We were busy, but not necessarily understaffed, of course, Dr. Coleman," Rose chimed in, her voice tinged with annoyance, mirroring my own frustration. It seemed like another night filled with Alondra's antics, as if she owned the place.

"We'll address this formally later," I declared firmly. "Head to my office after the shift change, and Sandy will reschedule my first patient this morning."

Alondra tried to interject, but I silenced her with a deep breath. "Disregarding a doctor's orders is negligence on your part, and nothing grates on my nerves more than insubordination," I scolded, my tone stern. "Whether you've been with our medical group for twenty-five years or not, I won't tolerate it. When I issue a command, I expect it to be executed by the next morning, unless there's a valid reason why it can't be done. I refuse to put my patients' lives at risk because you think you know better than everyone else."

Her cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson, a reaction that might have garnered sympathy from me in different circumstances. Unfortunately for Nurse Test-My-Patience, I was in no mood.

"Now, since we're discussing the matter of providing optimal care for our patients, I want you to personally escort Ms. Davis here and assist in preparing her room," I commanded, my voice unwavering. "And while you finally carry out my instructions, I'll concoct some excuse for why I'm running an hour behind with my office appointments today."

"Yes, Doctor," she replied, straightening her scrubs and holding her head high.

She may have been a cantankerous old woman, but deep down, she knew I was in the right. And she knew that remaining silent was her best course of action, unless she wanted me to continue humiliating her in front of the interns.

"The interns will accompany you," I stated flatly. "Explain to them that I do not tolerate laziness from my nurses, and apologize for the delay in bringing Ms. Davis to her new room for care."

She stormed off, leaving the young interns looking unsure of how to proceed after witnessing my outburst. Damn this. I had zero tolerance for laziness or power plays from nurses. Now, a charge nurse who acted as if it was her family, rather than mine, who had funded the entire cardiac wing of this hospital had the audacity to call me out, maybe because three of the interns were attractive, and she wanted to flex her authority? I wasn't having any of that bullshit.

"Yeah, a charge nurse," I replied, my frustration seeping into my voice. "Alondra messed up and didn't transfer Ms. Davis to the CCU like I instructed. So now, I'm sending her to retrieve the patient herself." The nurse on the other end of the line seemed taken aback by my statement. I could almost picture the puzzled look on her face.

"But Dr. Coleman, Alondra isn't a CCU nurse," she stammered, clearly confused by the situation.

I let out an exasperated sigh, running a hand through my hair. "I'm well aware of that," I responded, my tone tinged with annoyance. "But since she failed to follow my orders, she will take responsibility for her mistake and personally bring Ms. Davis to the CCU. I'll be waiting here to ensure everything goes smoothly."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before the nurse finally spoke again. "Understood, Dr. Coleman. I'll inform the CCU staff to expect them," she said, her voice filled with a mix of understanding and curiosity. I thanked her and hung up the phone, feeling a mix of relief and frustration coursing through me."The interns will accompany you," I stated flatly. "Explain to them that I do not tolerate laziness from my nurses, and apologize for the delay in bringing Ms. Davis to her new room for care."

She stormed off, leaving the young interns looking unsure of how to proceed after witnessing my outburst. Damn this. I had zero tolerance for laziness or power plays from nurses. Now, a charge nurse who acted as if it was her family, rather than mine, who had funded the entire cardiac wing of this hospital had the audacity to call me out, maybe because three of the interns were attractive, and she wanted to flex her authority? I wasn't having any of that bullshit.

"Yeah, a charge nurse," I replied, my frustration seeping into my voice. "Alondra messed up and didn't transfer Ms. Davis to the CCU like I instructed. So now, I'm sending her to retrieve the patient herself." The nurse on the other end of the line seemed taken aback by my statement. I could almost picture the puzzled look on her face.

"But Dr. Coleman, Alondra isn't a CCU nurse," she stammered, clearly confused by the situation.

I let out an exasperated sigh, running a hand through my hair. "I'm well aware of that," I responded, my tone tinged with annoyance. "But since she failed to follow my orders, she will take responsibility for her mistake and personally bring Ms. Davis to the CCU. I'll be waiting here to ensure everything goes smoothly."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before the nurse finally spoke again. "Understood, Dr. Coleman. I'll inform the CCU staff to expect them," she said, her voice filled with a mix of understanding and curiosity. I thanked her and hung up the phone, feeling a mix of relief and frustration coursing through me.

As I made my way back to the CCU, my mind was filled with a mix of frustration and determination. Nurse Alondra's actions had disrupted the smooth flow of patient care, and it had become clear that there were deeper issues within the hospital that needed to be addressed. Rumors of her questionable behavior and inappropriate relationships were swirling around, and it seemed that my brother, Dr. King, was turning a blind eye to it all.

But I refused to let this continue. I believed in holding everyone accountable, regardless of their position or connections. Nurse Alondra may have had her supporters who touted her nursing skills, but her lack of respect for doctors, particularly me, was unacceptable. It was time to put an end to her power plays and make it abundantly clear that I would not tolerate such behavior.

As I entered the CCU, the air was filled with a sense of urgency. The nurses were bustling about, preparing for the arrival of Ms. Davis. Their dedication and professionalism were evident, and I appreciated their commitment to providing the best care possible. But my focus was on Nurse Alondra, who stood amidst the commotion, her demeanor revealing her unease and anxiety.

I locked eyes with her, my expression stern and unyielding. It was time to confront her and ensure that justice was served. The minutes stretched on, and finally, Nurse Alondra appeared, pushing Ms. Davis in a wheelchair. The tension in the room was palpable as they approached, their faces betraying a mixture of apprehension and resignation.

I stepped forward, my gaze unwavering. "You may leave now," I stated coldly, my voice cutting through the charged atmosphere. "But let it be known that this is not the end of the matter. Your negligence and insubordination will be addressed."

Nurse Alondra nodded silently, her eyes cast downward, and swiftly made her exit from the CCU. As she disappeared from sight, a sense of satisfaction washed over me. The message had been delivered – I was not a force to be trifled with.

Turning my attention back to Ms. Davis, I approached her with a genuine smile, ready to provide the care and attention she deserved. Despite the setback caused by Nurse Alondra, I was determined to ensure that her stay in the CCU would be nothing short of exceptional.

"Alondra?" I inquired, my voice tinged with annoyance.

"Got it," the lady promptly responded. "Yes, we received your orders last night, and we expected transport hours ago. Alondra declined our transfer, but we'll sort it out now. I'll have Ms. Davis ready."

"There are four interns with Alondra. Please ensure that Ms. Davis is informed that I'll personally visit her after-hours today," I instructed.

"Dr. Coleman," the woman acknowledged, her voice carrying a hint of amusement. "It's Jai," she chuckled. "You sound pretty upset."

As I made my way to the SICU, a sense of relaxation washed over me. The only woman who had ever tempted me in this place was a brunette with bright green eyes who occasionally worked on my floor. It was a fleeting thought, quickly pushed aside by the frustration at hand.

"Yeah, I'm a bit upset that my patient was left on that floor," I admitted, my voice filled with exasperation. "I want her in the CCU so she can at least have a family member by her side. Jesus," I vented.

"Alondra was on one last night," Jai explained. "As I said, she refused the transfer. Said it could wait until the next shift. She claimed that CCU was full and understaffed last night."

Goddammit, you old hag, I thought to myself, though I kept my silence. Jai seemed to find my silence amusing, likely aware of the internal curses I was hurling at the stubborn woman. My thoughts momentarily drifted to Jai's appearance, her contagious laugh, and the color of her hair. But I quickly snapped back to reality, realizing that my brain was simply short-circuiting under the weight of my frustration. And now, Rory's name had somehow managed to sneak its way into my thoughts again.

"Fuck me, Rory, you will be the death of me," I muttered inwardly, frustrated with the girl who had a way of haunting me and turning me into a desperate fool. I wished I'd never lost her. How could I not shake this obsession after a solid year already?

Goddammit! I had to stay focused and steer clear of thoughts about the best sex I'd ever had over a year ago.

"You there?" Jai's voice brought me back to reality.

"Oh, hey, Alondra's here-and pissed off," she informed me, her laughter filling the line. "I'll make sure we get your patient ready to be transported down. Alondra might have to help if she doesn't want to be here for an hour, though."

"That's the whole reason I sent her up. And thank you," I managed before hanging up.

I proceeded through the rooms, checking on my patients, ensuring they were recovering well, and answering any post-op questions. Sliding the curtain back, I nodded to the respiratory therapist, who was engaged in a heated discussion with Gilbert Jefferson.

I couldn't help but smirk at the seventy-year-old veteran, whose last words as he was about to go under anesthesia were, "You'd better not kill me, you son of a bitch!" The guy had a Navy tattoo, and I couldn't help but feel immense respect for him, even though he was as salty as the sea. I wasn't surprised that he was giving Jenny a hard time about not wanting to do his breathing exercises.

"Doc," he rasped, addressing me, "tell her to get on out of here."

I smiled at Jenny, then turned my attention back to Gilbert. "If I tell her to leave you alone, then your last words before I put you to sleep might just come true."

He squinted and grumbled, mustering the most dangerous glare he could at me. "You're an asshole, Doc."

"I've been called worse," I retorted. "You need to do the breathing exercises, or those strong lungs won't be able to cuss any of us out anymore. You and I discussed this."

He waved me off. "You can go."

"I'm not leaving until you take a few puffs off that machine." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Good grief," he said, seeking help from Jenny.

"Doctor's orders," she chimed in with a smile.

"He's too young to be a doctor anyway," the old sailor started in with his insults aimed at me.

"Tell that to your heart that's thanking me for the quadruple bypass," I quipped. I then turned to Jenny. "Alondra will be down with a new patient, Ms. Davis. I'll make sure she doesn't leave until she confirms that Gilbert here is properly doing his breathing work for you."

After finishing my rounds, I called Alondra aside, away from the patients and the interns. "If you ever speak to me or call me out in front of patients, nurses, interns, or even the janitor again, you will be working on another floor. Am I clear?"

I should have called her out on why she refused the transfer after learning we were overstaffed, leaving Ms. Davis's room empty all night. But I didn't have time for this petty drama. King was right. She was Theo's problem once I had my forty-eight off.

"That wasn't my intent, Seb," she stammered.

"Well, it most definitely made me look like an ass on the first day for these interns. You need to stay in your lane. Don't treat me like the piece of shit you believe me to be."

"I have nothing but respect for you, Dr. Coleman."

"Yeah." I shook my head in disgust. "Right."

"You're the best-"

"Just stop." I held my hand up, cutting her off.

"Consider yourself scolded. When I send a patient down to my floor or give orders to move them to another, do your goddamn job. I don't act like an egotistical dick of a doctor, but I can make sure you're sent to the floor where one is," I asserted firmly.

She sighed. "It won't happen again. I'm sorry."

"You have four or five interns to get introduced to the CCU, and it's probably going to hold you over until noon."

"Heather is on now as the charge nurse. She can take over." Her eyes grew severe.

"True," I said, eying the day-shift charge. "She can do rounds with them, and you can leave after you find a way to apologize to Ms. Davis for not bringing her down. I need to go. My patients are already in the office. I'm stacked in after two surgeries yesterday."

"Thank you, Seb," she said and then stormed off to make sure Ms. Davis's room was ready. What a way to start the morning. I had to shake all of this off. Tomorrow, I was on call all day, and if I was going to be dealing with any nonsense, the old bat was going to be on call with me. I needed to be in a good working mood with the woman, or I'd strangle her before the twenty-four-hour on-call was over.

The next day allowed me to catch up on a mountain of backed-up work. I sat in the nurses' station, sipping on my coffee while going through the evening shift-change paperwork. The interns were a handful, but I remembered what it was like to be in their shoes. Truth be told, it was a slow day, so they roamed the floor like lost souls, trying to find tasks to occupy themselves.

I should have known that as soon as I took a bite of the sandwich that Alondra had taken an hour to bring me, the call that the interns had been eagerly anticipating all day would come in. I quickly reviewed the medical history of the man being rushed into my OR. CPR was keeping the sixty-five-year-old alive, and now it was my responsibility to work my magic. With the skill of my staff, all hands were on deck as I set to work, rescuing the man from the heart attack that threatened to claim him.

I performed the bypass with the ease most people tie their shoes. Three of his arteries were blocked, but one was entirely obstructed by plaque. After bypassing that, his heart and body settled into a steady rhythm. However, after three hours with this patient, I knew blocked arteries weren't his primary concern.

"Well done, Dr. Coleman," my attending physician acknowledged as we worked to close up the chest wound.

"I will take it from here." I stepped back, knowing the patient was in capable hands with Dr. Sy.

"I'll inform the family of his stability and what the future holds for the patient," I told the interns. "Two of you may join me. As you already know, his family is in the waiting room, and they are quite distressed. They don't need too many interns crowding them."

I shed my gloves, mask, glasses, and the rest of my protective gear, tossing them into the hazmat can, and walked out with two interns following closely behind.

Greeting patients in my sterile scrubs and scrub hat always felt wrong, especially when they were waiting anxiously to hear if their loved one was alive or dead. There was no appropriate attire for such news, though. I pressed the auto-open button with my elbow, allowing the doors to swing open to the visitors' waiting room in the ER wing of the hospital. The family stood, and my eyes widened when I could have sworn I saw the ghost of Rory among the two older men and a woman in the room. I blinked a few times, but it was indeed her, in the flesh.

"Good evening," I greeted, tearing my gaze away from Rory and focusing on the man who appeared to be in charge. "I assume you're the family of Mark Taylor?"

"He's my dad, yes," the man confirmed. Rory managed to squeeze between the two men who seemed like bodyguards, her face etched with worry.

"Please, God," she whispered, her hands covering her mouth as tears streamed down her puffy eyes. If only I could embrace her and assure her that he would be okay, at least for now.

"The surgery went well. He's in recovery now," I stated, shifting my mental gears from Seb-Cole mode to surgeon mode, the mode I was in before I saw Rory's captivating bronze eyes. "He's going to be fine. A nurse will be out shortly to discuss the details with all of you. Can any of you tell me who his current cardiologist is? There was nothing filled in on his charts or paperwork," I said, thumbing through the papers in my hand before looking up at the family again.

"He hasn't seen a doctor since before my mother-" Rory's voice trembled, and she sought comfort in the strong man beside her.

I turned my attention to the man with red-rimmed eyes, which were both glassy and hardened from holding back tears of fear. "The nurse will arrange an appointment with a cardiologist if he doesn't have one. She'll explain why it's essential that he be seen soon after he's released and in the recovery phase."

"What does that mean, Dr. Coleman?" the man inquired.

"He'll need further evaluation. He's stable for now, but it's crucial that he sees a cardiologist much sooner than most of our patients after being released to recover at home."

Rory needed to be informed about her father's critical situation with his enlarged heart, and the only solution would be a transplant. I knew I had to inform Alondra that Mark Taylor must be my future patient. Given that Mark Taylor was Rory's father, I didn't trust anyone else with his care. Seeing Rory's reaction to almost losing her dad made me internally pray that I could convince both of them about the necessity of a heart transplant as soon as a donor became available. I had the best transplant record in the nation, and the media was set to interview me about it next week.

Rory's father was in dire need of a new heart, and without it, he faced a grim future. Among his multiple issues, the main concern I observed, even without the machines, was his malfunctioning tricuspid valve, also known as Epstein's anomaly. I knew I would learn more once he became my patient. Right now, my hope rested on him accepting me as his doctor, embracing the idea of a transplant, and, ultimately, finding a suitable donor heart.

Leaving the room, I could feel Rory's tearful gaze on me, and it tore at my heart that I couldn't do anything to comfort her. I was the same idiot who had flirted with her and spent an unforgettable night together a year ago. How the hell was she supposed to take me seriously now, as I walked into the room in scrubs, announced her dad was fine, and left the rest to the nurse to discuss with the family?

I made my way back to where Mr. Taylor was being transported out of the OR and up to the SICU wing of the hospital, where he would recover before being admitted to my floor. I ran my hand over my scrub hat, pulling the navy-blue fabric from my head and wiping the back of my hand across my forehead. I had to see Rory again. I had to help her and her dad. Call it doctor's instincts or just a part of this crazy world, but I wished I'd never let her walk out of that room that morning.

I had forgotten how beautiful she was, how she had a mysterious way of captivating my attention like no one else could. It felt as if we were meant for something more, and these unexpected reunions had to hold a deeper significance than I knew.