Julia Epstein was ready for another day healing the sick...or mopping the floors and making the beds in the hospital: The trouble was she didn't know which it would be when she stepped through the doors every morning.
"We're at 3/4s capacity today" said Nurse Harper Newell to Julia. "Plenty to keep you busy"
Julia grabbed a patient chart and headed off to see her first call of the day.
"Ah, Mr Copley...those are very interesting.....erm....stripes...you have there" said Julia upon entering the room.
"People at work have been referring to me as 'Tigger'" said the man, with a heavy sigh.
"Well you've come to the right place...no need to feel tigerish *chuckle*...I can see you're a cool cat...*snort* but you'll certainly get the lion's share of my attention *chortle*" said Julia, trying to lighten the situation.
"That doesn't really help, Doc" said Mr Copley.
"No, of course not" replied a chastened Julia. "Right, let's perform a few tests to see how we can cure your stripes"
"Oh man....I feel really bad...like I'm going to be sick!" said Mr Copley.
"NURSE!" cried Julia.
Once the vomit had been cleared up, Julia was able to get on with taking swabs, temperature and blood samples from the patient and getting them analysed. He had a rare condition, but fortunately the right treatment was easily found especially when the specialist doctor was called in to help. Mr Copley could be discharged that very day.
Her day was getting better when she was called in by her supervisor, the fierce taskmaster Dr Murakami, to observe a paediatrics case: Murakami knew that was an area of medicine Julia was interested in and it was a rare act of generosity to invite the young doctor to observe and make notes.
"And that, young lady, is why you shouldn't eat crayons" said Dr Murakami, sternly.
The little girl looked contrite and Julia finished making notes on the case before her, and Dr Murakami, stepped outside and retired to the staff room.
"I trust that case was of some interest to you" said Murakami.
"It was...gastric problems in children. I've made some useful notes." Julia replied.
"All part of the learning process, Dr Epstein. And well done on diagnosing that case this morning. We don't often see that condition but given the patient's medical history and the part of the world he was returning from it was a most logical diagnosis and you should be pleased...but not too pleased...that you caught it"
"Thank you, Doctor. Yes, when he said he'd returned from a walking vacation to that particular country it began to make more sense"
"You are making most excellent progress, Dr Epstein...most excellent"
Julia could be forgiven for feeling smug about her work day, given that Dr Murakami was stingy with praise most of the time. When she got home, she whipped up a light dinner and sighed with happiness about all that was good in her life right now. Her mood was interrupted when the telephone rang.
"Hello...Julia Epstein speaking" she said in a formal tone which she reserved for answering the phone.
"Hi, it's Jolene...is it convenient to stop by for a chat? I've got some things on my mind and I'd dearly value your opinion"
Jolene Scholl was a friend of Julia's. The fact they were friends would appear unusual to an onlooker. Jolene was a blonde, blue eyed beauty with a curvaceous figure and legs that went on forever. Julia was a gawky brunette with brown eyes covered by large spectacles, had skinny legs and her hair in pigtails. But the differences weren't just physical: Jolene was a nightclub singer, Julia a doctor. Jolene was of Scandinavian, Lutheran stock whereas Julia was Jewish whose ancestors were from somewhere in Central Europe. But the biggest difference between the two young women was that Jolene was a member of the libertine Kitten Club...she had appeared as Miss April in a recent issue of 'Lothario' magazine as the centrefold whereas Julia was a member of the ultra-conservative League of Decency. The two groups being sworn enemies of each other and yet, across the divide, Julia and Jolene had formed a friendship. But Julia was happy to see Jolene again as it'd been a few weeks since their last get together; life was very busy for both of them.
When Jolene arrived, Julia greeted her enthusiastically.
"Jolene...it's been ages since we last got together" she said.
"I know...when we went to Skye Fitness and performed that duet down at the Blue Velvet" replied Jolene.
"That long ago? Golly. Well then come inside and tell me what's going on with you?" said Julia, ushering her friend indoors.
"Julia, I want to share some of my thoughts that have been troubling me of late...I know you to be a trustworthy and discrete person and someone who's opinions I value" said Jolene after sitting down on Julia's couch.
"Wow, this sounds serious" said Julia, sitting down next to her.
"It is. Julia, I'm thinking of quitting The Kitten Club"
Julia sat stunned in silence for a few seconds.
"I don't think it's working out for me anymore." Jolene continued.
"Why is that? I thought you liked being a Lothario Kitten: You talked about how empowering it is, how much fun you have" said Julia.
"And it was. When I joined I was shy, awkward and coming out of a bad relationship. I wanted to be a professional singer but I had no contacts. When I met Alan Cuffe he saw my potential...he changed my image, introduced me to people in the music industry and I was sold on the free, liberated and playful lifestyle the Kitten Club presented."
"So what went wrong?" asked Julia.
"I reached a point where it wasn't fun anymore. The parties and events....well, it was exciting at first but I was beginning to find them too wild, too excessive. I had a relationship with Alan...relationship? Is that the right word? Well, we had...have...a friendship but we also had sex. Quite a lot of sex."
Julia squirmed at this bit of information. She found Cuffe repulsive as a human being and couldn't even imagine why anyone would have sex with him...but she was here for her friend and kept quiet at that point.
"The thing is, Alan has a lot of sex with other women as well. He's slept with all the Kittens and a few more besides. His little black book is actually four volumes. But that's not all...I began to have sex with other club members"
Again, Julia kept quiet.
"At one Lothario party I lost control of myself. I was feeling giddy and heady with excitement, I felt so sexy in my kitten costume and...well...I was with this other member and we were both feeling hot and spicy at that point and...and this is the part I struggle with...we threw caution to the wind and snuck off to one of the spare bedrooms to WooHoo. I liked this person, and they're very, very good looking but I'd not had sexual thoughts about them before...it was spontaneous and out of character of me to just have random sex without building a relationship first."
"And did he feel the same way about you?" Julia asked at last.
"That's just it...it wasn't a he, it was a she! Another Kitten!"
Julia's jaw hit the floor. She did not expect that revelation.
"I...see...." she stumbled.
"But I'm not a lesbian though...although I've now ventured into that territory. She's openly bisexual and has had WooHoo with another one of the Kittens as well as Alan and..."
"OK, I get the picture" said Julia, interrupting Jolene before she could hear any more. "And now you're regretting it?" she asked.
"Yes and no. It was fun...and exciting at the time but is that where I want my life to go? I do think about men and families and finding a one, true love. But what I truly want is incompatible with being in The Kitten Club."
"So you think you should resign? Well, I would agree and not because I hate Cuffe and the club, but because if you stay you'll find yourself more miserable trying to reconcile what you want with what it provides and the longer you stay, the more difficult it will be to leave as you get involved in....let's just say you'll be involved in more things you really don't want to do."
Jolene nodded. "That's very wise. Thank you for listening, Jules. I know all this talk of WooHoo with men and women is uncomfortable for you..."
"I think I should make some coffee..." said Julia, sitting up straight. "No, wine, I should open a bottle of wine....I know I need a drink right now!"
Julia got up and went to the kitchen to open a bottle of wine and get a couple of wine glasses. She was glad her friend was sorting her life out but those tales of the Kitten Club? How shocking! Without mentioning any names she might raise the issue of what goes on at their meetings at the next League of Decency event.
As Julia opened the wine, Jolene noticed something out the window and called to her. "Jules...there's a cute guy at the front door" she said.
"What? Who on Earth could that be?" she said, putting down the bottle and walking to the door.
When she opened it she saw that Jolene was right...there was a guy at the door and even Julia had to concede that he was, by the standards of the day, 'cute'.
"Oh hello, I'm looking for a Doctor Julia Epstein?" said the man.
"I am she" replied Julia, haughtily.
"Oh...I didn't expect you to....erm....be...."
"A woman? So young? I get that a lot" she said, unimpressed at this man so far.
"I guess I got off on the wrong foot there...I don't want to insult your credentials, Doctor. My name is Cole Michaels and I'm a police officer over at the 13th Precinct. We have a friend in common; John Action, he told me you could help me with some medical knowledge."
Julia paused while she looked at his warrant badge. So this was a professional call? She could handle that. "Do come in...let me introduce you to my friend, Jolene."
"Well hello there..." said Cole, who couldn't believe his luck meeting two cute women at once. "I hope I'm not disturbing...I could come back another time"
"Not at all, Officer Michaels is it?" she said, very enthusiastically. "We're always happy to help our boys in blue"
"Are we?" asked Julia.
"Yes we are, Jules" replied Jolene, hoping Julia would get the hint that Cole was most welcome here.
"And this medical knowledge that you seek, what is it specifically?" asked Julia.
"Well, it's about blood stains...I'm working on a case where there's four different blood types at the crime scene and I'm trying to learn more about the forensic side of investigation."
"I have some books here you can borrow" said Julia. "And I can answer any questions you may have"
"Blood stains?" asked Jolene, shocked at the sound of this case. "What happened, Officer?"
"Call me Cole; I'm off duty...well, it's not a murder but instead a violent gang fight" he explained.
"Is that something you deal with often?" asked Jolene, intrigued whilst Julia went off to check the bookshelf for books on blood.
"Quite often: I'm part of a police group called the Youth Crime Task Force. We investigate crimes committed by teenagers and students or those of student age. We're quite a young task force because we've been selected for our ability to be young, hip and in touch with the Now Generation."
"So a kind of Mod Squad then?" said Jolene.
"Yeah...I guess you could call us that...The Mod Squad" he said, liking the idea.
"I remember there's a book in the other room that you'd be interested in" said Julia, getting up and walking to her bedroom...leaving Cole and Jolene alone in the living room.
"Jolene...you seem familiar. Where would I know you from?" he asked.
"I sing at the Blue Velvet nightclub in Willow Creek" she replied.
"I've not heard of it. Hmmm, someplace else?"
"I'm also April's Miss Kitten in Lothario"
The penny dropped but Cole looked embarrassed. "Of course, I only read it for the articles" he said, nervously.
"That's what they all say" she replied.
"Here we go..." said Julia on entering the room. "Principles of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis" she said, brandishing a book.
"Oh...yes...thank you" said Cole, gathering his practical thoughts again. "That seems ideal"
"Jolene is very talented you know" said Julia, making conversation.
"So I've noticed" said Cole. "I'm grateful for your help but I don't want to take up any more of your time"
"Nonsense, we like having interesting people around here, don't we Julia?" said Jolene, trying to encourage Julia to loosen up and not be so business like.
"We do? Oh yes, we do" Julia replied as she started to guess what Jolene was up to.
