S2W23: “Vital Information”

© 2022 Phylicia Joannis

Zinnia hooked up the bag of solution to Miracle’s IV and checked her vitals again. It wasn’t clear what had caused her to be in the state she was in, but her body was severely dehydrated, her vitals dangerously low, and she was unresponsive to verbal commands.

“What am I gonna tell Chase?” Whatever happened to Miracle, Zinnia was convinced it had something to do with Donna Ellison. Zinnia checked Miracle’s vitals one more time before leaving the room to make her rounds. Miracle was stable for now, though the doctor was waiting on a few test results to figure out just what was wrong with her.

She glanced out at the waiting room a few times to make sure that the boy who brought her in was still there. He was. There was a woman sitting next to him, talking to him as she filled out forms. Zinnia sighed. He seemed genuinely concerned about her, and other than the dried blood under her nose, there were no other signs of external trauma.

“Zinnia, you got a minute?” Rima called her over to the nurse’s station.

“I’m making my rounds.” Zinnia made a beeline for the next room, but Rima beat her to the door.

“This will only take a second.” Rima blocked the door. “So about that extra shift?”

“Are you kidding me right now?” Zinnia glared at her. “You know what? No, Rima. I don’t want the extra shift.”

Rima’s face fell in disappointment. “Oh, but do you think Barb will be mad if you don’t take it? I mean, you haven’t taken a double shift in weeks.”

“I’ve been in recovery, and I thought you said you wanted it.” Zinnia crossed her arms.

“Yeah. I understand that was scary for you, but how long are you gonna milk that whole train thing?” Rima gave her a cryptic look. “Between you and me, some of the other nurses think you’ve been getting a pass, and they don’t think it’s fair.”

“Which nurses?” Zinnia’s face flushed red.

Rima’s hands shot up in defense. “Not me, Zinnia. You know I love you. I just thought you should take that into consideration. But of course, I’ll take the extra shift if you’re not going to take it. I mean, sure, I’d like a night out with my boyfriend. There’s this sweet little Italian restaurant I’ve been dying to try, and reservations are impossible, but Nick has connections, you know, and he got us reservations for Friday at 6.”

Zinnia glowered at Rima, her patience thinning.

Rima shrugged. “But if you’re not taking the shift, obviously, I’ll tell him no. Though I don’t know why you wouldn’t. I mean, what do you do at home, exactly? Talk to your cats?”

“Don’t have cats.” Zinnia’s patience was out. She pushed past Rima into the room to check on her patient. Rima followed her in.

“Really? I always took you as a cat person.” Rima continued. “You sure you don’t have a cat? I feel like I remember you mentioning you had a cat.”

“Oh, thank you, Rima, now I remember! I do have a cat or two.” Zinnia’s words were low, but they dripped with sarcasm. She checked the sleeping patient’s vitals and began redressing the bandaging covering the gash on his right arm. “Gosh I guess I forgot, but now that you mention it, I may even have three cats. Which is strange, because, last time I checked, I hate cats. Now what were their names? Oh! I remember, I named all of them after you. One of them I call Rima, one of them I call Rima’s shadow, and the third I named Rima’s mouth. But they all answer to bi–”

“No need to be rude.” Rima huffed. “Look, are you gonna take the shift or not?”

“Not.”

Rima rolled her eyes. “You’re such a drama queen, Zinnia.” Rima stormed out, and Zinnia finished the bandaging and continued with her rounds. She spotted the floor doctor on her way and stopped him to find out about Miracle.

“Any new information?” Zinnia asked.

“Hang on.” The doctor walked with her to the nurse’s station and pulled Miracle’s chart. “My initial diagnosis was cardiac arrest, but there are almost no signs of cell death. According to the statement the triage nurse received, the girl was found unconscious. Faint pulse, light breathing, gray pallor. Her condition may have been caused by some type of arrhythmia, or bradycardia, but nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s not common for the heart to slow down to the point of cell death, then restart itself. Her vitals are improving, though. We’ll know more in time.”

“Thanks.” Zinnia let out a breath.

“She’s a friend of yours, right?” the doctor asked.

“More than that. She saved my life.”

“I’ll be sure to keep you posted.”

Zinnia nodded her thanks and continued with her rounds. Miracle would pull through. She just knew it.