I verify Frank’s name and date of birth and place ID stickers on each of the glass vials for the blood draw and then proceed to tie a tourniquet on his arm.
“Frank, I’m going to be teaching Thomas a little bit about the placement of the IV. Let me know if you have any questions.”
“I’m glad someone is getting something out of this,” Frank chuckles, while his wife rolls her eyes.
I turn to Thomas, who has already put on gloves in anticipation of the blood collection. “In the ER, we usually use the antecubital vein in the crease at the elbow to draw blood and start IVs. This vein is large enough to accommodate contrast for CTs,” I say.
“I've always wondered why IVs were placed there,” says Frank.
“Yup, that’s why. But you’ll need to keep your arm straight for this IV to prevent it from kinking or falling out; I’ll wrap your arm on a board to help stabilize it.”
I give him a countdown before pricking his arm with the IV catheter.
Frank looks surprised. “Wow, I barely felt that!”
“Imighthave done this a couple of times before.” As I flash Frank a wry grin, I pull the tourniquet loose with my left hand and push a button to retract the needle. Twisting the first tube onto the IV catheter, I watch the vial quickly fill with blood. After I unscrew the vial from the catheter, I hand it to Thomas.
“Some of these vials have additives for processing. Gently invert the tube back and forth several times before you put it down,” I instruct Thomas. “It has to be done right after blood collection.”
He tilts the tube with a back-and-forth flick of his wrist. “Like this?”
“Exactly.”
Soon, all the vials are filled. I twist a ten-ml syringe containing normal saline onto the catheter and tape it to Frank’s arm. Then I add a small white armboard underneath his elbow and secure it with tape. “All done.”
“Seriously, I’m impressed. I’ve had enough blood draws to appreciate how easy that was. Thank you,” Frank says.
Even as I smile at my patient, I’m unable to enjoy his compliment. Starting an IV is hardly rocket science; it just takes practice. And then I wonder if that’s my father’s voice or mine. Maybe somewhere along the way, they’ve blurred together.
But the truth is, I love what I do. I’m a damned good nurse. That should be enough. Some days, it almost is.
“Do you know how much longer it will be?” his wife asks, clearly eager to get the ball rolling.
I try to regain my bearings. “I’m pretty sure the docs want to see Frank’s labs before deciding next steps. And that will take an hour or so. I’d get settled in—this won’t be a brief visit.”
Frank gives his wife an apologetic look.
“Thanks,” she says and pats his hand.
After cleaning up, I toss my gloves into the trash. “Do you guys need anything else? Unfortunately, you can’t eat or drink right now, but I can see about a warm blanket?”
Frank shakes his head. “Not me, but maybe for her.”
“Sounds like a plan. Use the call button here for anything else,” I gesture to the remote on the bed.
Then I follow Thomas out of the room, sliding the glass door shut behind me.
“I’m going to the doctor’s station to search for the medical student,” I say to him. “Why don’t you grab a blanket for Frank’s wife and then start writing up a list of things you are interested in seeing today? We’ll see how much of it we can cross off.”
Thomas grins. “Wow, this is great. I totally didn’t expect to actually get some hands-on experience. Yeah, I’ll do that, thanks.” His words catch me off guard; I’m surprised to feel an unfamiliar surge of pride rising in my chest.
Leaving Thomas at the nurse’s station, I head to where the doctors congregate. My gait slows to a halt when I catch sight of a stunning woman twisting a lock of black hair around her finger while staring intently at the computer.
Momentarily frozen, I slowly detect creamy skin with a hint of rose and the delicate curve of one ear, slender legs tucked under the chair crossed at the ankle. And then more details: the smell of lavender, the waves of dark hair down her back, the gentle slope of her nose.
I try to remember if I ever felt this way with Sam but merely end up feeling even more scrambled. I wipe my sweaty palms on my scrubs. Oddly, they weren’t this damp when I was drawing blood.
“Hey, are you Lucy?” I call out before I lose my senses entirely.
