"Asshole." Jami muttered to herself again. "And, freakishly large."
She exhaled, before pushing the door open to her next patient. For being a 32-year-old nurse, studying to become a doctor, she had come a long way in her life. Over the course of the past few years, the cards dealt to her wasn't very fair. She found out that her husband was having an affair, which promptly led to a divorce. A divorce she didn't initiate, and frankly hadn't wanted at the time, but after a year of reflection, she had finally realized her worth and even if it made her a little rough around the edges, deep down, she was still the same small-town girl making it in a big city for not only herself, but her three children as well.
She had just one more case to be briefed on before her shift was over with and she couldn't be more ready to take her scrubs off, get into some shorts and take her kids to the beach, as she had promised. She waited patiently for the doctor to enter, wondering why she had been selected for a "special" case, she had been told.
Not that she was complaining. She had been wanting to be selected for the higher level, more challenging cases. She had been with the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa for 8 years now and she loved her job. At times it could become monotonous, day after day doing the same thing for hours on end. She finally could sink her teeth into something different and make a difference, something she was very passionate about.
"Jami! Hello, how are you?" Dr. Smith exclaimed, entering the room.
"Hello, doctor. I'm excited to be working on something new. Thank you for this opportunity." Jami said with enthusiasm.
"Well, let's get right to it. This case is a little different from what you may be use to. For one, our patient is a high-profile athlete, so privacy is top priority here." Dr. Smith began pulling papers and scans from his briefcase and displaying them on the table for Jami to look through.
"Now, this is his second bout of leukemia. He was in remission for 11 years before it came back this time. His first was in 2007 and he was able to enter remission in 2008, with the cancer being non-existent until now. He was a former pro football player for the NFL and the CFL before retiring and changing career paths. He is now a professional wrestler working for a company known as the WWE. Are you familiar with them at all?" he continued pulling more papers out, as he looked up, waiting for her answer.
"I am not, actually." Jami answered with a small chuckle. "Is that a problem?"
"No, not at all. Probably better that way anyhow. So, here is a picture of our patient." he said, handing her a portrait. "His name is Joe Anoa'i, he's 33 years old and he lives here in Tampa. Um, why does it look like you just seen a ghost?" Doctor Smith said, his voice filled with concern.
"Oh, um. No reason. It's just, he's um, very large." she managed to answer with a small smile.
Truth was, she knew exactly who the man was in the picture. The asshole who bumped into her in the hallway earlier that day. She was so excited for the chance to begin working on something different. But of course, at the snap of a finger, the wind was taken out of her sails and she was faced with what potentially could be the end of a big opportunity and a change in her career.
"Well, his first appointment with us will be on Tuesday. He has to travel out of town over the weekend and he has obligations with his employer and what not. We will see him…" he said, thumbing through planner. He grabbed a pencil and begin writing before continuing the conversation. "…I'm hopeful, on Tuesday morning. I guess, depending on his obligations and his travel schedule, but this is what we are banking on for right now. He has several appointments coming up so we can evaluate his status and see how aggressive his cancer is and what our options are. I'm telling you all of this because I want you to be head nurse on this case. You will be working side by side with me, but mainly you will be with Joe, working the medication regimen and his tests he may have. Is this something you would be interested in?"
"Well, when you put it like that, I can't really turn this opportunity down. This will also give me further experience in my career and I really do appreciate this opportunity. Thank you." she said, giving a weak smile.
"Okay, well, we are hopeful with this case but we have to wait for further testing next week, but I think you will provide keen insight on this." he said, standing up and collecting the pile of documents and scans from the table. "I will get copies of everything for a record for yourself. I'll have that ready for you Monday morning."
"Thank you, sir. Again, I appreciate this." Jami said, making her way to the door, her mind reeling. She had to admit, karma has a great way of coming back around to bite you. She wasn't sure if karma was coming for her for the way she talked to Joe or if karma was coming after him for whatever reason. Either way, this was going to be interesting. But, she had a job to do and she would do nothing else but make sure her job was completed to the best of her abilities, no matter what the outcome may be.