Three weeks have passed since Maggie's wedding and Tessa has slowly found the hospital endearing. The nurses are cool but cliquish, the residents are somewhat competent enough but could use more work, and the attendings seem to let their personal life affect their jobs. All except a few doctors Tessa has come in contact with.
Nameless Doctor errr or, Nina Valencia MD, has become a close friend in the last 2 months of being in this hospital. A New Jersey native with model looks and sharp to match Tessa's personality. Their similar backgrounds and both being from New Jersey and York made both doctors get along easy as if they knew each other forever. Tessa also learned her new friend was recently hired as a plastic surgeon attending while Tessa had a few more months left in her fellowship in Fetal and Neonatal Surgery. And on days like this, they barely got to see or 'hang' with each other.
It was a slow day in the NICU, of course, Tessa dared didn't say it out loud as it was bad luck. She leaned on the desk of the nurse's station, back against the desk. They checked their pager just in case they were needed for a consult. Then check their phone for any text messages but once again there were none as most of Tessa's friends are on the East Coast (time differences).
"Nurse Gladys, when is my next surgery?" The doctor asked the nurse behind the desk, Nurse Gladys Jackson.
"In 2 hours Doctor, you might want to do something productive before Dr. Bailey sees you." The nurse lightly chides Tessa who rolls her eyes.
"What else can I do? I already went over the charts, practiced in the labs, studied, and had an early lunch. I'm kinda bored." Tessa said with a slight whine. Nurse Gladys gave her a look that made the fellow stop the whining.
"Alright, I guess I'll go to the third floor, and see what's poppin down there," Tessa told Nurse Gladys who hummed in acknowledgment as she watch the tiny doctor go to the floor below them. Nurse Gladys shook her head, hoping Dr. Bailey doesn't find the poor doctor wandering.
Tessa enter the elevator ('Seems like the only damn elevator in this place') which had another person on it. An average-height Caucasian woman with short badly dyed blonde hair looked distressed with a toddler crying in her arms. Tessa tried to recall this woman as she wore pink resident scrubs and looked familiar.
"Luna please stop crying for mommy please." Luna's mother begged the child who cried even more. Tessa sighed as the woman almost ran out of the elevator with the child in tow, forgetting her stroller. The doors closed before Tessa could yell out her name as the elevator went down to the surgical floor. The doctor shook her head and pushed the stroller as she got out on the third floor with those around giving her strange looks.
"Tessa, what are you doing with Jo's stroller?" a familiar voice called out to her. Walking near her, Link gave her a confused smile as he greeted his friend.
"Jo! Damn that was her name! She seems more like an Amy but anyways, she was dealing with her kid she kinda forgot the stroller in the elevator." Tessa explained to him as he chuckled at the Amy comment.
"Yeah, Luna's been keeping her up at night. Luckily me and Scout can almost through anything." He said to her as he took over the stroller from her hands. "So, what brings you down here?" He asked his fellow doctor as they both walk towards the doctor's lounge.
"Eh, wanting to kill time before my surgery and exploring this place. It's like Caesar's Palace but in hospital form." Tessa joked, picking a seat at the table in the corner of the lounge. It was a few doctors eating, resting, or talking to others quietly among them.
"Are you even old enough to go to casinos?" Link asked teasingly Tessa laughed, which causes the doctors around them to look at the pair. But Tessa didn't focus on the stares and instead continued to joke with the ortho head.
An hour passed between the two as Jo came back down and retrieve her lost stroller thanking Tessa and giving Link a look of love Tessa noticed.
Luck ran out as Dr. Bailey walked in, setting her sights on the new neonatal fellow. Both doctors saw the Chief of Staff heading towards them, Link hastily leaving while shooting Tessa an apologetic look before he fled. Tessa sighed, bracing herself for Dr. Bailey's lecture.
"Doctor Johnson, how lovely it is to see you sitting here as if you don't have surgery in the next hour. Or not answer your pages from Nurse Gladys as well hmm?" Dr. Bailey sharply spoke to the fellow, glaring down at her sitting.
Tessa stammer out an excuse to the Chief but it was no use. Usually, Tessa could talk her way out of this but Dr. Bailey has an aura about her that Tessa just couldn't escape.
"Aight Dr. Bailey you got me." Dr. Johnson said in defeat, throwing her hands in defeat as well.
"Since you're down here, you might as well get ready for your surgery. And I'll be watching. So move it!" she commanded the New York native and almost everyone in the lounge scramble on not wanting to face her wrath.
Tessa paged her residents for the case, Dr. Helm and Dr. Ortiz as she changed into her scrubs and began to scrub. Since this case is a Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation, Tessa went over again the plan with the scrub nurses and anesthesiologist until both residents appeared in the room.
'God let this surgery go smoothly for the patient and fetus, let the residents not fail me now.' Tessa thought to herself, saying a quick prayer.
Dr. Bailey and a few higher-ups sat in the gallery, pens, and notebooks taken out. An older black man briefly nodded at Dr. Johnson as she asked for a ten-blade from Nurse Logan.
For the next two hours, Dr. Johnson taught the residents what to do, letting them take the lead on some of the surgery while coaching them on what to do. She let Helm take out the mass, reassuring her when she senses the panic coming from the resident.
"Helm, smooth and steady is the key. You got this." Dr. Johnson spoke to the 5th-year doctor as she removed the mass from the patient. Once the mass was removed, the fetus went back into the patient, barring any accidents and Ortiz did the closing, which shocked the second-year resident. Both residents felt shocked at the treatment of Doctor Johnson as they were used to more harshness from other attendings and occasional words of encouragement.
As the doctors went to scrub out, Dr. Bailey appeared again wanting to speak with Tessa with Dr. Webber and Dr. Fox joined in the scrub room.
Suddenly Tessa felt nervous being cornered but masked it on her face as a face of indifference. Hands crossed over her chest and hip sticking out, she looked at the three senior doctors around her.
"Well Dr. Johnson, we were impressed with what we saw in there. Especially you letting the residents take more lead with the surgery." Dr. Fox spoke with high regard. She nodded towards Dr. Webber to speak.
"You seem to have a great rep with the residents and they respond well to you. We wanted to ask if you would like to become Assistant Director of Residency if you accept," he added, giving a brief smile to the fellow. And lastly, Dr. Bailey spoke to her.
"Of course, this will be addition work, a slight bump of pay and responsibility," she said, with her signature Dr. Bailey look.
Overcome with excitement and thoughts, Tessa blurted out: "Do I get my own office? Parking spot? Assistant?" Tessa questioned excitedly towards her superiors, a large beam of a smile on her face. Dr. Bailey rolled her eyes as Dr. Webber chuckled at the excitement.
"We'll see what we can do but I take it as a yes, so congrats. Richard will teach you what to you and you two can collab in the meantime." Dr. Fox said, saying her goodbyes as she left the duo.
Tessa left the surgical room, happy about the good news, and texted Nina and her daughter about it.
The entire day went by in a breeze with Tessa doing consults, having a small hang session on the roof with Nina, checking in on her family, and having another lunch before going home at the end of the night.
8 pm finally arrives for the fellow, happiness still on her face but tiredness starting to kick in. Saying goodbye to Nurse Gladys and the other nurses, she made her way towards the elevators, as Nina should be waiting for her to give her a ride home and spend the night again.
Before the doors closed, a familiar stroller appeared with a sleeping child and an exhausted Jo Wilson leaning on the way for support.
She thank Tessa once again for her stroller and began to ramble about why she left it.
"Wilson, relax. I remember those days, especially during medical school. You should hire a nanny or something." Tessa said to the resident who look ready to collapse. Before she spoke, the elevator dinged opened to the third floor with Link holding a sleeping toddler of his own.
"Tess, I tell her the same thing. Usually one of us has enough time to watch the both of them but as doctors, we work these hectic hours." Link chimed in, standing in the middle of the two doctors.
"And," Jo added, "I don't wanna be one of those moms who doesn't parent their child, especially at this age." She spoke while glancing lovingly at her child.
"She can't remember Wilson," deadpanned Tessa, who sent a text to Nina. The trio made conversation until it reached the lobby floor. Both said goodnight to Tessa as she lingered on her phone as she waited for Nina to finish her phone conversation.
Link paused, asking Jo to hold Scout for a second as he forgot to ask Tessa something. Jo had a bad feeling and knew what her best friend was going to ask.
And she was right as she saw Link pick Tessa up, spinning her around slightly, and giggling came out of the fellow's mouth.
Jo saw Dr. Johnson's tall friend approaching them with arms out to transfer the doctor as if she was a child. It was a sight to see for those leaving and entering the hospital, as the two doctors gossip about what just happened while walking past Jo, with Link rejoining her.
While Jo wanted to be happy for her friend, she got a sinking feeling this wouldn't be the last time she'll see Dr. Johnson around.