Jac sat nervously awaiting Mr Hanssen's reaction to her medical records. He sat there scrolling for five minutes before looking at a pale, nervous Jac.
"Now, Miss Naylor, as you well know, records don't always give us the full picture. So, I wish for you to tell me everything, that you think I should know. And how it affects you."
Jac sat there in silence. She began contemplating what she should say, she couldn't lie because the facts were in front of him. Realising that she had been silent for quite some time, Jac began.
"Well, I'm pregnant which affects me both emotionally and physically. Physically, I have had morning sickness but I think that's stopped now."
"How far gone are you?" He asked confidently.
"Nearly 5 months."
"Really?" Jac nodded. "And when were you planning on telling me about your need for maternity leave?" Jac shrugged her shoulders. "Right well, we can sort that out another time, but carry on... What else should I know?"
"Um, because of the pregnancy, I'm anaemic which im taking iron supplements for. It's made me feel tired on top of the pregnancy but that wasn't the cause of my fainting... The cause of my fainting was abdo- severe, abdominal pains caused by endometriosis. But you don't have to worry about that now. The painkillers I was on before weren't working but I've just been put on goserelin this morning and I feel fine now."
"Right, is there anything else I should know?"
"Um, you said about maternity leave."
"Indeed I did."
"Well, nurse Maconie, will be needing... paternity leave."
"Right, okay well. Come and see me tomorrow morning at 9am and we'll discuss if your fit to operate. In the meantime, I don't want you operating or treating patients for now okay?" Jac remained silent. "Miss Naylor." Mr Hanssen asked.
"Yes, of course. Can I go now?"
"Of course," he replied. Just as Jac reached he door, Hanssen stopped her. "Oh and Miss Naylor, congratulations. Off you go."
The next morning, Jac walked in with Jonny and onto Darwin. She had 30 minutes before her meeting with Mr Hanssen. But the painkillers weren't working, not in the mornings because she threw them back up. But she hadn't told Jonny and she certainly couldn't tell Hanssen, otherwise she wouldn't be allowed to operate. Jac got changed into her scrubs and after giving a quick smile to Jonny she walked to her office where she made a phone call to Mr T. After being told what she already knew and nothing could be done, Jac made her way to the ladies toilets. She stopped in the locker room on the way and got her make up bag out.
In the toilets, Jac put on a layer of foundation to cover her paleness. But realising she looked nearly orange compared to her pale neck and hands, Jac sighed before splashing water in her face over the sink. Mo walked in to find her like that. "You been sick again?" Mo asked kindly.
"This morning, yes, at work, no."
"Well, why are you, oh." Mo said as she saw the orange marks in the sink. "Why are you so fussed, you were fine with being pale yesterday?"
"I've got a meeting with Mr Hanssen this morning. Yesterday, he decided to humiliate me by going through my medical records and now he's deciding if I'm fit to operate." Jac explained as she dried her face with a few paper towels.
"Did he ask you, because you could report him for-"
"Yes, he asked me. But it's a ridiculous position they put you in. You can refuse and they know something's up. Or you say fine and they still find out what's wrong." Jac said angrily as she leant against the sink putting her make up back in the bag.
"I take it the new painkillers aren't working?"
"No, they are. When I don't throw them up that is. I spoke to Mr T this morning, he said I can't retake them because he couldn't tell how much had come back up so I'm going to have to have painful mornings for the next few weeks."
"Have you told Jonny?"
"No."
"Do you want me to?"
"No. Do not tell him okay?"
"Okay fine." Mo replied. Jac looked at her watch.
"I'd better get going." Jac said as she picked her make up bag up.
"Good luck." Mo said as she walked into a cubicle.
Jac walked into Mr Hanssen's office and he nodded at the seat for her to sit down.
"So, Miss Naylor, how are you feeling?"
"Fine." She lied.
"Right, and is the goserelin having the desired effect?"
"Yes, I'm fine now."
"Are you sure? Because you look a little pale."
"Yes well, as a medical professional, I'm sure you know that anaemia can cause someone to be pale because of the lack if oxy-"
"Yes, I am well aware of that Miss Naylor. Right, I'm happy to sign you off as fit to operate. However, for the foreseeable future, I would like you to have another consultant or registrar assisting you. Therefore, anytime you operate today or onwards, you need to have Miss Effanga or Professor Hope assisting you.
"But-" Jac tried to interrupt.
"Miss Naylor, you must understand that if you don't want that then you cannot operate. Understood?"
"Yes Mr Hanssen," Jac reluctantly agreed.
"Now then, I will email Miss Effange and Professor Hope immediately, you can go." He said. Jac rolled her eyes before removing her hands from her hips - which she hadn't realised were there - and walked out.
"How'd you get on? Can you operate?" Mo asked as soon as Jac arrived at the nurses station. Elliot and Jonny both looked up and waited for an answer.
"Um, just check your emails."
"What? why?" Mo asked as she opened an Internet browser. Elliot and Jonny both looked confused and they looked at the screen too. Mo opened her emails and opened the top one from Mr Hanssen that was marked as high priority. Mo finished reading first and she burst out laughing, then Jonny giggled but Elliot looked confused. Jac gave both Jonny and Mo the death stare and Jonny shut up, Mo however continued in her hysterics.
"I don't understand, why?" Elliot asked.
"Because Mr Hanssen decided to check my medical records and after an... incident, in theatre, I now have to be supervised."
"What was the incident? If you don't mind me asking." Elliot asked. Jac looked at the floor. Mo had now composed herself and answered for Jac.
"She had a referral yesterday to AAU and she had to go into theatre with Miss Campbell, she passed out in theatre and she was unconscious for twenty minutes."
"Right, well um let me know when you're ready to-" Elliot stopped as Jac walked round to the whiteboard to look at theatre times. She saw that Elliot was due in theatre in ten minutes.
"I'll take your pneumonectomy at 9:30am."
"Jac you-"
"Really, I feel fine and besides, I owe you a favour for doing my mitral valve replacement the other day."
"Yes but Jac, you still need either me or Mo to assist." Jac rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry but it's Hanssen's orders." Elliot said holding is hands up.
"I'll assist, I'm free all morning." Mo offered as she walked behind Jac who was clenching her fist behind her back. Mo sensed that Jac couldn't talk at the moment so she tried to help Jac escape.
"There we go sorted, I'll assist and Elliot, you get a break. Miss Naylor, can I talk to you in your office please?" Jac nodded and silently followed Mo to her office.
"What?" Jac muttered after Mo shut the door.
"Nothing. I just wanted to get you away from Elliot and Jonny because if they saw you in pain, they wouldn't let you operate."
"Who said I'm in pain?" Jac demanded.
"Oh come on I'm not stupid. I saw your fist. Now listen, I'm happy to let you lead, but if you get a pain, or you feel the slightest bit dizzy, you give me the tools. Agreed?"
Jac stood slightly more relaxed as the pain passed. She knew that there was no point in arguing, otherwise Mo would just threaten to tell Elliot and Jonny, or even Hanssen.
"Fine."
"When can you take the painkillers next?"
"Mr T said I can take them at 11 instead of twelve because there's no way that all of it got in my system."
"Right... Listen, you said you're going to have to be in pain in the mornings yeah?"
"Yes." Jac replied bluntly.
"How often can you take them?"
"Every 6 hours. Is this going somewhere?" Jac asked angrily.
"Well, if you start taking them as soon as the morning sickness has stopped, say 8? Then, you can take the at 2pm , then one at 8pm evening, then 2am and star all over again. That way you wouldn't be in pain at work an the only time you might be in pain is when you feel sick in the mornings and you would be at home then so you could use a hot water bottle... And Jonny." She muttered at the end. Jac gave Mo another death stare however, she was beginning to realise that they didn't work on her.
"There's just one flaw in your plan Maureen, I'd still have to wait another 4 and a half hours until I can take them." Jac stated. Mo began to think before she came up with another idea.
"Alright then, take some at 11am today, then wait until 8pm tonight. It'll hurt this evening but it'll only be tonight and then you can get into a routine. Sorted yeah?" Jac didn't reply. "Jac, for once just please, listen to me and try it yeah? You've got nothing to lose."
"Fine, if it'll shut you up. Now if you don't mind, I'm due in theatre."
"So am I Jac."
"Ugh, don't remind me."
Jac slammed the door open, Mo let it bounce back open and followed after her.
Will Jac be okay in theatre?
Thank you for reading, pretty please review and let me know your thoughts :)