Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything from Joan of Arcadia. Just me having fun and passing the time.
Summary: Two jobs, summer vacation and a new boyfriend… How can one girl cope?
Author's Note: Joan's first day at the Home. Please Read and Review. You know I love it
WARNING: If you're easily offended or upset at the mention of neglect, abuse, etc found in some Nursing Homes, then don't read my story further. Although this chapter isn't bad or graphic, there may be chapters that will contain such material. Thank you.
Joan slowly sat up in bed, glaring at the high-pitched beeping eminating from the alarm clock on her nightstand. She hoped Luke appreciated the sacrifices she was making for him when she agreed to give him a ride to the mall before she was due for her first day at the nursing home. She dragged herself out of her soft, comforting bed and walked over to her closet. She couldn't figure out what an appropriate outfit would be for her new job, so she settled on something safe – a pair of khaki shorts and a sleeveless cream blouse with tiny rosebuds sporadically decorating the shirt. She grabbing the clothes in a heap, she scurried into the bathroom for an invigorating shower to wake her up and energize her. She had a feeling she would need it.
Joan emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later, mumbling a quiet good morning to her equally slumberous looking brother. She went into her bedroom and began pulling a comb through her wet, tangled hair as she stepped into her open-toed sandals with ankle straps. Staring at her reflection, she almost didn't recognize the tired face looking back. 'Great, I've got bags under my eyes. That should make a good impression.' She shook her head, not really caring to apply some sort of remedy to fix the problem. She was as she was, a girl who was missing her boyfriend and wasn't getting sleep due to the fact. He was only gone two days, but to Joan it felt like a lifetime.
She opened her door when she heard a knock to reveal Luke standing there already dressed and waiting. She waved at him to preceed her down the stairs, and then followed behind, grabbing the keys and her purse along the way. She debated whether she should leave a note for her family or not, but then opted not to. She didn't want to waste time, and she was pretty sure she told her father about her plans for the day. Besides, she should be home long before he was due off his own work shift.
They drove in silence most of the way towards Arcadia mall, the only thing breaking through was the over-played songs on the radio. When Dream's 'Miss You' came on the radio, Joan reached over and turned the dial forcefully to the next station to some boring talk show. Luke gave her a questioning look out of the corner of her eyes to which she ignored. It was pretty much easy to guess what was on Joan's mind at this point, and she wouldn't get a break until she could at least talk to him.
"Still haven't talked to him?"
"No… Everytime I call, I get the concierge. We're getting to be on first name basis, now."
"Well, they're on a limited schedule. Mom probably doesn't want to waste so much as a minute on pointless things like – eating, sleeping and talking on the phone to family and friends."
Joan just tightened her hands on the steering wheel, maneuvering her car into a parking spot by the food court. She unbuckled her seat belt and slid the strap of her purse up her shoulder as she opened her door. She locked her door and closed it and then looked at Luke over the hood of the car. "Listen, Luke, we're on our own tight schedule. In and out, okay. I have about an hour to look around before I have to drop you off at home and then get over to the Home for some recreational work." She rolled her eyes at that.
"Yeah, yeah. I already know what I need to get, and besides, I'm not the one that likes to shop."
"What are you getting, anyways?" She ignored the pointed comment at her shopping habits, choosing to indulge her curiosity. He never told her the reason he needed to go to the mall, just that he had to go. She stared at him as they walked into the mall entrance, watching him fidget a moment.
"I uh… just some stuff for my plan. You know… with Grace."
Joan hid a small smile at his nervousness, wondering what he had in mind and whether he would succeed or not. She would really pity the poor kid if it didn't, and Grace got annoyed, but deep down she had a feeling that Grace was interested in her brother more than she let on. Joan just couldn't figure out why Grace was repressing it and acting like she felt the opposite. Interesting.
Joan pulled up against the curb in front of her house, sitting idle while her brother gathered up his mound of bags and then made a quick retreat before he got caught. She watched until he disappeared into the house, then she pulled away and did a u-turn and traveled on her way towards the nursing home with fifteen minutes to spare. She breathed a sigh of relief as she parked her vehicle and walked at a fast pace inside just as the clock hand switched over to indicate eleven-thirty. She gave Samantha a smile, nodding when the secretary indicated that she should proceed on through to Mrs. Johanon's office.
She made her way down the hall as she did days before, stopping in front of the office to compose herself before reaching up to knock on the door. She opened the door and entered at the terse command and sat down on the seat across from the austere woman and waited for her to look up from the paperwork. When she only shoved another stack of papers Joan's way without so much as a glance, Joan gathered the sheets to her to glance over. Most of them were finalization forms to indicate that she was indeed an employee, the rest were forms for the government. She began filling them out, chewing on the pen at some of the difficult questions. When she was satisfied that they were filled out as best as she could, she set her pen down and waited once more for acknowledgment. Finally Betsy met her gaze, arching a brow before speaking.
"You will be meeting with Christine Mayers. She's the Activities Director, and ultimately your boss. You will answer to her with any questions and concerns you have with this job." As she finished her sentence, there was a knock at the door a split second before it opened to reveal a short, pleasant looking brunette. She smiled courteously at the two women before nodding her head in indication to Joan to follow her. Joan stood up from her seat and exited without a goodbye to the older woman, not that she noticed considering she went back to working on the paperwork. Joan was glad she wouldn't have to deal with this woman on a daily basis, it'd drive her crazy to not say something sarcastic back to the woman in frustration.
"Now, Joan… It is Joan, correct?" Joan opened her mouth to reply but the woman went right on, "Today, we're going to do a bit of an indoor activity just so their food settles before we do anything more energetic. Afterwards, we'll be taking a select few outdoors to walk the grounds and tend to the small garden located in the back of the facility. What you'll be doing is help transporting people to the main room where we'll play a few games of Bingo, then you'll help assist people who are unsteady on their feet with the small walk. Any questions?"
Joan shook her head and followed the shorter woman through the double doors that lead to the unit where the elderly men and women lived. She watched the hustle and bustle as three aides went in and out of rooms getting people cleaned up after lunch. A registered nurse stood at the nurse's station talking on the phone to someone, while the head nurse was busy looking through some of the resident's charts. Joan cringed at the sight and sounds that assailed her eyes and ears, hoping it was something she would get used to. She looked at the various residents in the visiting room, all of different race, gender, religious background, etc. Some were talking in small groups, others were watching a television program and discussing how it was when they were younger. Hearing that brought a small smile to her lips as she remembered her own grandparents and their conversations that had ran the same vein.
"Okay, Joan. Mitzi here will introduce you to the residents that are joining us for the Bingo games. I want you to help her bring them to the table if they are unable to walk themselves. Good." With a clap to her hands, she walked off to a group of ladies and bent down to talk to them so they could hear. They nodded their heads at her words and she began assisting one of them who needed the use of a walker, while the other struggled to her feet and followed at a slow pace with the aid of her cane. Joan turned to the aide that stood beside her waiting for her to instruct her.
"Hi, Joan. It's really great that you've volunteered. We really need some help." Mitzi smiled at the other girl who couldn't have been more than four years younger than she was. "I'll introduce you to some of the folks that have shown interest in participating, and then I'll show you where we'll be escorting them."
"Thanks…"
Mitzi showed her around the visiting room to some of the residents and shared their names to Joan, but there were so many at once that she wasn't able to remember half of them. She just smiled at each of them and said hello, before helping them to the table in the main room that was used for dining and recreation. When it was nearly full, she went back to the visitor's area and saw a lone woman off to a corner by herself. Joan looked around her, but everyone was busy doing their daily tasks to take notice of Joan or the woman. Joan walked over to the woman in the wheel chair and leaned down so that she was eye-level to the still-beautiful, older, colored woman. She waited for the woman to turn towards her, and when she did, Joan realized that the woman was blind.
"Yes…?" Her soft, southern-accented voice asked in inquiry searching by her other senses to figure out who had paused by her chair.
"Um… excuse me. My name is Joan Girardi. I'm the new activities coordinator. I was… wondering if you'd like to join us at Bingo? We have a spot for one more person, if you'd care to… join." Joan trailed off lamely, wondering if she offended the woman by suggesting she join a game that utilized sight.
"Why, dear! I'd be delighted to join y'all. I haven't played Bingo in years. Why, the last time I played it was when my dear Benjamin was alive and living." The woman smiled at the memory.
"Great. Do you need any help getting there?" She thought it polite to ask, instead of just reaching for the handles of the wheel-chair. She learned that lesson from her brother when she mistakenly grabbed a hold and pushed him out of her room. She knew it made him feel inferior, as if he had no control over his life. She never made that mistake again.
"Why sure, dear. Lead a way. My name is Phyllis, by the way. Phyllis Banner."
Joan wheeled her into the other room, listening to the woman's humorous stories of her life in the nursing home. Joan couldn't describe it, but she felt a connection with this woman. She looked up when the people seated turned to watch her and Phyllis enter, different emotions crossing each of their faces – surprise, sympathy, skepticism, and anger… Anger coming from the Activities Director herself. She smiled at the residents before asking to speak to Joan privately. She brought the woman outside of the room and shut the door, then she spoke.
"Now, Joan… I'm sure you meant well, but doing this without first clearing it with me is inappropriate-"
"Inappropriate to ask a resident if she'd want to join fellow residents in having a bit of fun? How is that inappropriate?"
"Well, as lovely as the woman is… This game requires sight, and I'm sure you realize that she's-"
"What? Blind? What does that matter? I can help her with her cards if she'd like me to. Isn't that part of my job description? To help out the resident when they need it in regards to recreation?"
"Yes, well…"
"Do you schedule kickball as an activity? Baseball or softball?"
"Of course not! These people are elderly. We can't expect them to do high-energy games that could leave them exhausted, overtaxed, or injured…"
"Then you shouldn't have activities that could exclude a resident from participating. It's one of their rights here, isn't it?"
The woman frowned down at the young girl before her, making a note to speak with Betsy Johanon when she got a chance. Without a word to the opinionated girl, she turned and entered the room with a fake smile on her face, pretending as if nothing bad happened. She began handing out scorecards, not glancing at either Phyllis or Joan as she took a seat next to the elderly lady.
"I heard what you said to the woman."
Joan turned to Phyllis when she whispered at her as she sat down. She grimaced, still angry over her boss's attitude and how she ran things. "I'm sorry…"
"For what, child?"
"For what you had to hear."
"Oooh, that. Goodness, I've been on this earth long enough not to let the opinions of some bigoted windbag upset me." Phyllis laughed, shaking her head. "I appreciate you asking me and offering to help. It was mighty nice of you to treat me as an equal, rather than the doddering, aged woman that most people see in this building. You remind me of my Angie. What a mouth and mind she had on her. She never held her opinions back." She smiled in remembrance, then turned her attention to the numbers being called. Joan marked off the numbers that matched to the card, her mind still turning over her argument with Christine. Was this an everyday thing? Joan wished for once that her mother was there to help her sort things out…