CHAPTER 164: The Professional

Summer Holiday had come calling to Julia one morning.  This didn't usually happen; the two of them were friends and neighbours but not especially close.  The Foundry Cove community had two tight social circles.  There were "the guys": Jeremy, Action and Travis and the "fashionable girls"; Suzy, Barbara and Summer.  Julia felt she didn't fit that mould and Liberty was someone she knew even less as between her work and her boyfriend she was the one who hung around the Cove the least.  

But they were all good neighbours, a cosy, friendly bunch and Julia liked the equilibrium of the little community and depended on the solidity, dependability and stability of it.

"Did you hear the news?" said Summer, excitedly.  "Suzy and Neil are moving to Courtyard Lane!"

"What?  No!  They can't!" exclaimed Julia.  "I mean...things are perfect as they are!  Why move?"

"They need a bigger place, that's all.  They're getting very busy with work and Neil needs a studio." explained Summer.

Julia sighed and her shoulders drooped.  "Oh well, it makes sense but still....I mean, what will happen to their old place?  Someone's going to buy it and move and goodness knows who THAT'LL be!"

"Someone exciting, hopefully.  Did you know, Julia, that I've been living in Foundry Cove the longest and I've watched all of you move in and now you're all my friends!  That's what's exciting about this place.  We've got Jeremy, the sweetest guy in the world except for Travis.  And he found Barbara who is just adorable.  Then we've got Suzy, the most beautiful and vibrant person and Neil who is a dish and so talented!  Action...well, I mean, he's is just the most virile man I've ever met and then there's you...our own genius and moral compass."

"I sound dull compared with the rest of you" said Julia.

Summer touched Julia's arm "Oh no, don't think like that!" she said.  "You're a doctor, a healer and a superb pianist.  We all dig you, Jules.  A party isn't a party if you're not there.  You've got a mischievous sense of humour, a sweet charm and..."

"...not 'with it' like you, Barbara, Suzy and Liberty.  I mean, that outfit you're wearing...I see it EVERYWHERE!  But I don't see the appeal"

"Well, it's the in-thing right now.  Jules, are you OK?  You seem down"

"I don't like change and disruption, that's all. Fashion's like that, isn't it?  Constant change."

"I guess.  But that's why you're important to us:  You keep us on the level, Jules.  You're invaluable."

"Invaluable" That was a reassuring word for Julia.  She might not have been the prettiest, or most glamourous or even the most sociable of the gang but she was invaluable to it.  She had a double life as well; she was considered invaluable to The League of Decency as well for her research skills.  It certainly meant a lot to her as she went to work that morning.  There was another word she liked to use...professional.

"Doctor Epstein, may I have a word with you for one moment?" came the voice of Chief Surgeon, Dr Murakami.  Normally a formal request by her made Julia's heart sink...she was a cruel taskmaster who often took credit for Julia's hard work.  What did she want this time?

"Dr Epstein, I am very busy with casework and I have to prepare a presentation for the State College of Surgeons so I am entrusting you with the ward work today.  I won't be supervising you today.  Do you feel up to the task?"

"Oh yes, Doctor Murakami" said Julia, beaming, although she soon reverted to a more serious...professional...tone.

"Good.  I'll leave everything in your capable hands." said Murakami before she went off to her office.

With the ward all to herself, Julia approached the task at hand with a sense of relief.  There would be no Murakami to look over her shoulder and take the credit.  Today, Julia was in charge.

She was a more wise and worldly doctor these days with a number of cases seen and cured over the last few months.  Her first patient was a typical sort; coming in to sort out some mysterious problem that the patient didn't really want to talk about.  Just a slight pain, Doc, nothing serious. Just give me some pills and I'll be OK was what they usually said.  Always downplaying the problem...

But pretty soon the symptoms would get worse and that initial denial of the seriousness of the problem would come back to bite them on the butt.

The more symptoms the better it was to make a successful diagnosis.  As long as it wasn't life threatening and time critical observing the patient for that just little bit longer could pay great dividends.  It could mean ordering a range of tests to help reach a diagnosis and tests meant complex scientific analysis...Julia's favourite.  Swab, examine, test, and write it all up using highly technical jargon.

And from there it was back to the patient to decipher that jargon back into understandable English and write out a prescription...along with advice not to do the very thing that landed them in hospital in the first place.  Yes, this was the life of the medical professional and Julia was becoming very adept at it.

It wasn't a difficult shift today.  No one needed surgery although some patients required more advanced tests than others...

She pushed on through her work day...missing the conventional lunch hour and finally sitting down to eat at the canteen at 3pm.  Everyone else had eaten and got back to work so Julia sat there alone.  Yes, she was a model professional.  She had accomplished her goals and without having to seek help or advice from anyone.  Yes, she was on top of her game.

But she also felt lonely.  She was usually so self contained and didn't get lonely but today she felt the feeling of needing some company, having someone to have deep conversations with but there was no one.  Harper and Francesca had eaten their lunches together and were now back at work.  Murakami wasn't anywhere to be seen and Mr Ghandi was finishing his shift.  And there was one person noticeable by his absence:  Vincent.  Julia was aware of a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach:  When she desired some deep conversation and company, she thought of him first.

After she'd eaten she returned to one of the examination bays to check on one of the patients that she had been treating but once she got there, the room was empty.  She checked the notes at the foot of the bed...the patient had responded well to treatment and had already been discharged....Julia had signed off on the paperwork but had forgotten to file it.  She was too distracted now as she had thought about her own loneliness.

The shift was nearing its end as as Julia went to the front desk to see if there were any late admissions she bumped into her friend and colleague, Harper.  

"Hello, Harper...did you have a busy shift as well?" asked Julia.

"Yeah, it was administrative hell; just pure paperwork and rotas that needed sorting out.  Listen, Julia, I have some bad news for you." said Harper in a tone of voice that sounded like the news was going to hurt Julia in some way.

"What is it?" said Julia, maintaining her professional facade.

"I looked at the work rotas for next month and noticed that Dr Bledsoe's name was nowhere to be seen" replied Harper, in a sympathetic voice as she knew...heck, all of Julia's closest friends knew...that Julia was keen on Dr Bledsoe.

"Vincent!" gasped Julia.

"So I checked to see what was going on and discovered that he has been seconded to a hospital in....The Congo."

"The Congo!" said Julia, with incredulity.

Harper looked downwards and nodded.  "Yes.  Apparently the situation out there is still bad:  Katanga's launched another offensive at the mines out there in order to try and force the government to agree to their demands but in the meantime there are mounting civilian casualties and our government has agreed to send doctors, nurses and medical supplies to the region.  Vincent, I mean, Dr Bledsoe used to work for the United Nations and they've called him up.  Dr Murakami co-signed the papers releasing him.  I'm sorry, Julia."

Julia said nothing but nodded at Harper as a thank you.  She then clocked off, waved goodbye to her friend and then went straight home.

The Congo...a brush fire war that had been raging for six years now.  It was in Central Africa where newly independent nations turned on one another over old tribal disputes; made more acute by the discovery of rare minerals, gold, diamonds and uranium there.  There were factions, propped up by the use of mercenary units and the war there had already cost the life of Dag Hammarskjold, the UN Secretary General at the time.  Julia was well read about world events and was now worried sick that something bad would happen to Vincent out there and she would never see him again.  Heck, he could have been reassigned to a hospital in Cleveland and she might not see him again but the risks out in The Congo were terrifying.

When she got home she found Suzy waiting on the porch for her.

"Hey, Suzy, I hope you haven't been waiting for me long" Julia said.

"Only moments.  Say, I have some important news for you...and for everyone and you're one of the few I haven't told yet."

"Come inside and tell me" said Julia, opening the door and ushering her friend in.

"Summer told me you and Neil are moving house." said Julia as they sat down together.

"Oh, that was the news I was going share with you.  Are you OK with it?  You seem a little down." Suzy replied.

"Well...I don't like change, that's all.  No, I'm not upset; you have to move up and on and the new place sounds nice.  I worry about who will move in next door though."

"Whoever it is, you've got a tight little community here.  Is there something else on your mind?  Work, perhaps?"

Julia drew a deep breath and sighed.  "Yes...well, someone at work.  This guy..."

"The locum doctor, Vincent?  What's happened to him?"

"He's been sent to The Congo" said Julia, sadly.

"Wow, that's rough.  I'm sorry, Jules, just as you were getting to know him well.  I've not seen you broken hearted before."

"I'm not...broken....oh who am I kidding?  He's the first man I've ever had...erm...you know..."

"Feelings for?" added Suzy, kindly, not wanting to embarrass her friend.

"Yes.  Ugh, is this what love is like?  I hate it!" said Julia.

"I'm afraid so.  We've all had heartbreaks, kid."

"Not you, surely!"

"Yep...my heart's been broken many times; unrequited feelings for a guy, let down by others, two timed by a couple of real rats and not forgetting the time I spent months single without even being able to get a date!  But..."

"Yeah, I know, you met Neil." said Julia.

"Yes I did...but even then I had to fight to win him over.  He was a challenge at first but I got my man"

"So should I fly off to The Congo?  Is that what you're saying?"

"Maybe nothing so drastic.  I tell you what we can do right now:  Let's go down to the Blue Velvet" said Suzy, standing up suddenly and grabbing Julia by the hand.  "Let's go now"

Well, hanging out with a friend and dancing sure was a temporary solution.  Julia thought she couldn't really miss something she never had and Vincent was a possibility, a fascinating man, but other than feelings she never knew she had being stirred, they were never a couple and he might not have even felt the same way about her.

Julia went to get some drinks for her and Suzy.  Her friend had bumped into some old acquaintances and was chatting to them but when Suzy came and stood next to her at the bar she had a quiet word with her.

"Suz...was it the same for you, you know, the first time you ever liked a man?" asked Julia.

"Yes.  His name was Derren and he was a year ahead of me at High School.  He was everything I thought a guy should be and I savoured every moment he paid attention to this scrawny little 14 year old version of me.  And then, the next year he moved state and that was that.  It took me about 3 months to get over him...by then I was 15 and another guy popped up to take his place but you don't forget that first guy.  I wonder if I ever cross his mind."

Julia nodded but Suzy waved the memory away with her hand.  "Oh let's stop this!  I want to introduce you to a great guy called Joachin...."