”How mean they were to me today. Even though I asked them to please leave the care of the patients to me while they both went to get the missing supplies, they sent me alone to get them instead”
In a small room with gray walls and floor, illuminated by a spotlight that radiated white light as it hung from the ceiling, aluminum shelves painted in a soft pastel green color were arranged.
They were loaded with numerous cardboard boxes of various sizes, some liter or gallon bottles, and plastic organizers at their feet. All of these were kept in a cold environment due to the air conditioning working at full power at the back of the place.
Inside was also a young woman with short brown hair gathered in a small semi-transparent cap, with white skin and average height. Also, she suffered from poor vision since she needed glasses with thick lenses and silver frames that assisted her black eyes to see.
She, dressed in a light blue nurse’s outfit that covered her from neck to toe, made a reluctant grimace after closing the door behind her and seeing everything in front of her.
”Huff… Well, never mind. So, according to the list they gave me, what is needed is…”
Drawing a heavy sigh, she spoke aloud as, with one hand, she pulled from a pocket on the left side of her trench coat a small green paper note, which, once it was level with her face, she began to read.
”Let’s see, does it take a box of latex gloves… or two? Hmm… I don’t understand it. This is indecipherable. I can’t read it. Seriously, this is unbelievable. So many years of study, but they can’t write properly… Anyway, I’ll take two, just in case. Now, syringes are also scarce, eh? But which ones should I take, the normal ones or the insulin ones?”
Leaning against the door frame, she acted exaggeratedly for each issue, zooming in, zooming out, or turning the paper in her hands as she tried to decipher the scribbles written on it, and when in a dilemma, she held her chin in search of answers in her memory.
”No… I don’t remember, and they didn’t tell me before coming here either, so… I’ll bring one of each. Next up is a box of face masks… what a waste”
Slowly shaking her head from side to side, her lips pursed, and her eyes closed, she gestured reproachfully.
”They need to face life, as they don’t know how important it is to save. If they cleaned them with alcohol and put them in the sun, they could use them for several days instead of throwing them away after a single time. They need to change that thinking if they want to be good mothers like Mrs. Mary… The other thing is two liters of serum, argh!”
A fake groan of pain came out of his mouth upon seeing that last sentence.
”Too much weight. Do they plan for me to make several trips back and forth to carry everything? No way. That would be a huge waste of time. What’s more, who came up with the brilliant idea of locating the warehouse this far away from the infirmary? That’s why no one wants to do this task because it’s too exhausting. No, no, no- no-… oh!”
Caused by her excited denial movement, the cap fell off her head, and the same would have happened to her glasses had they not been fastened to her ears with a thin string. Thus, after picking up the fallen garment, she continued reading amidst complaints.
”I won’t allow it. I have to carry everything in one run. After all, even though I got the candy Mr. Rob loves so much, they wouldn’t let me see him all night. So, at the very least, I must give it to him before shift change… Gauze and a bag of cotton balls?”
With her eyes gradually opening wider and wider, she stared dazedly at the paper in her hands for a few seconds before raising her gaze to where the items on the list were kept.
”This is… Too much!”
Starting with a whisper, she ended up letting out a reserved shout, not wanting people who might be outside to hear her.
”This is really mean of them. No doubt they did their best to waste my time. I only have an hour to see Don Rob, but they don’t want me to”
Stomping the ground repeatedly, she spoke in a tone that revealed her annoyance.
”This is not fair. I will accuse them to Mrs. Gilva when she comes. I will tell her they exclude me because they think they are superior to me for having studied. Ha! I have been at the hospital for more years than they have been at the university. Yes, I don’t have a degree, but I have plenty of experience. Besides, I’m sure that if I asked Doctor Noah, he could help me get one…”
After laughing for a moment with her mouth hidden behind one hand, she lowered it to place it on her chest, and after taking ample breaths, she continued.
”Calm down, Clara. Don’t get carried away by emotions. Don’t think about trivialities that are not worth it. Don’t forget that you are not here for recognition. Remember that you decided to live this life to help others just like those who helped you. Breathe, sigh. Always keep that in mind. Breathe, sigh…”
Recovering from the outburst of anger, she went on to fold the paper she was holding, then put it away from where she had taken it, but as she did so, she discovered something she had hitherto ignored.
”Well, it’s time to get to wor-… Huh? There’s more?”
Surprised, she discovered that there were still unread words on the back.
”Okay, it’s only two things, so it should be easy. One box of catheters, which is small, and one of sample tubes…”
Moving mechanically, she put the note in her pocket, then, moving her hands to her cheeks, she slapped them a couple of times to wake herself up.
”Anyway, I just have to do what I must do. Besides, if I run into the cleaning mister, I can ask him to help me”
That said, she stood up properly and began to move to proceed with her task.
Searching through the shelves, she picked up several boxes to find what was listed, looking at what they contained and comparing it to what she had read. If what she had grabbed was the right one, she put it in the corner of the room, but if it wasn’t, she returned it to its original place.
This process took too long because she was unfamiliar with this type of work. After all, she was usually spoiled with everything she wanted. Even so, because she did not have a bad personality, she was loved by her colleagues and patients, despite being a bit whimsical and childish.
After a while, once she verified that she had found everything she needed, she removed the cap from her head and used it to wipe the sweat from her neck and forehead, for although the site was cool, the labor had caused her to perspire.
While she was at it, she settled into thinking about what she would need to do to carry everything in one go, unaware that her hesitant actions were causing her to fall further behind schedule than she should have.
After much contemplation, she remembered seeing some large cardboard boxes folded in a corner. Thus, upon taking them and opening them, she put them on the floor to put the supplies inside. However, when he tried to lift them, they fell due to their excessive weight.
When she encountered a problem that stopped her, she became depressed that her plan had failed, but with no desire to give up, after sorting out everything that had been thrown down, she rushed out of the room only to return minutes later gasping for breath and with a tape.
With this in her possession, she put the things back inside, but this time, learning from her mistake, she used several boxes overlapping each other and taped them to the bottom so that they would not open again after lifting them.
”Yaaawn”
Tired and sleepy, she yawned happily since her effort, although unnecessary, obtained what she was looking for, as when she loaded the items, it did not cause any major problems, so with it in her arms, she left the hold.
”Umph”
With staggering steps and groans from the effort, she advanced through the isolated and silent corridor. She did so dangerously, for she walked with her eyes closed and wandering in her head, distracting herself from the distance she had to cover.
She thought about what her friends had told her yesterday afternoon. She remembered the stories the elders she had cared for had shared with her. She imagined being at the wedding that Mrs. Mary never tired of describing to her. So many things were on her mind that she did not notice the change in her surroundings, nor could she protect herself when her feet tripped.
”Ah!”
She fell to the floor with a scream, but fortunately, she did not suffer much damage, as the box she was carrying cushioned the blow. However, the contents of it ended up being crushed.
”Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”
While standing up, she expressed her pain noisily, for although she did not hit hard, her body ached, but as she was used to this, she soon overcame it.
”This is bad, I hope they don’t get mad”
She felt frustrated and worried. So, she couldn’t stop many sighs from escaping her pink lips.
”God willing, this rain won’t delay Doña Gilva because if she is here, maybe I could escape their scolding. I just hope her husband has agreed to bring her in his car, or else… huff”
After that, she resumed her way.
