Not even the pleasant surroundings of the Bayou down at Crawdad Quarter could alleviate the sheer boredom of running to keep fit. It wasn't Julia's favourite form of exercise but instead she treated it as a discipline and that word was one of the central foundations of her ethos. Keep calm, stay disciplined, do not shirk. They became like a small mantra she could chant as she did her fitness run.
She finished off her run by taking a shower and getting changed at the Movers n' Shakers gymnasium and then getting breakfast at the Blue Velvet. There was a lot to do today: Her normal shift in her new, improved position at the hospital plus...if she got the time and no one paid scrupulous attention to her...analysing those samples Suzy gave to her.
When she arrived at the hospital, the scene was chaotic. Dr Murakami was manning the front desk, dealing with phone calls and a growing queue of patients.
"Where's Nurse Griffiths? Or Nurse Newell?" asked Julia.
"Stomach bugs...there's a lot of it going around right now. I've had to call in some locum doctors and nursing staff to join us today and we got lucky" said a terse Dr Murakami.
"Lucky? How?" asked Julia.
"One of our locums for today is top drawer: Harvard, Heidelberg and has just finished a 12 month stint at Guy's Hospital in London. Dr Bledsoe; keep a look out for him and help him navigate his way around here but with his credentials you'd be wise to learn what you can off him whilst he's still with us"
"Wow, he sounds impressive" said Julia.
"Yes, he is...and don't let his boyish good looks distract you either: We're all medical professionals here!" said Murakami, sounding a warning tone.
"Believe me, Dr Murakami, I do NOT let my head get turned by good looks; boyish or otherwise" replied Julia, rolling her eyes in annoyance at yet more yucky lovey-dovey talk she had to endure from others on a daily basis.
Julia grabbed the notes of her first patient today: Lucas Munch. As she was starting to specialise in Paediatrics Julia was assigned mostly children's cases today. Lucas was a very nervous little boy with shaggy, floppy hair and cherubic cheeks. She thought he looked like a scruffy little angel but her bedside manner with children was one of her specialties and she soon had him a lot calmer.
"So where's it hurting, young man?" asked Julia.
"Ugh, my head, doctor" replied Lucas.
"Not your stomach then?"
"No, Ma'am...erm, I mean, Doc...erm, I mean Doctor. It's my head. It hurts, kind of like an ache, and I feel hot and, well, icky"
"Well then, let's do some tests and I'll find out what's going on with you, OK? Now this next part feels a bit uncomfortable but I promise you it won't hurt"
Julia pulled out a swab kit and held it so that Lucas could see it and understand more about what was going on. He seemed more relaxed in Julia's care.
She did ears, nose and throat examinations of Lucas and then headed off to the laboratory to analyse the samples. She processed them quickly enough: She had a hunch the little boy had the 'flu and that was a pretty common illness. She had some time left over to surreptitiously begin analysing some of the plant specimens Suzy had given her.
She became engrossed in this side project so much she didn't notice the door to the lab open nor who entered through it. It was only when she heard a deep voice saying "hello" that she noticed she wasn't alone. At the adjacent chemical analyser was a fair haired man wearing a doctor's coat, he briefly nodded to Julia and she said a faint "hello" back to him.
She continued with her work, figuring that she mustn't look suspicious or shifty doing this analysis otherwise this new person, whether he be one of the locum doctors or lab technicians, might cotton on that she was working on something she shouldn't be doing. As she performed test after test, she gave furtive glances over to the man just in case he was paying a little too much unwanted attention to her work. For his part, he gave furtive glances in her direction every so often.
Once the test results came in, Julia looked at them with surprise: They were very unusual, to say the least. She did a doubletake as she wasn't sure she saw correctly the first time but, however, she had. These results were crazy!
The young man looked at her in a quizzical way but when he noticed that she was looking at him and that her face looked concerned he quickly snapped his gaze back onto his work. Julia smiled, weakly, and shuffled out of the lab. "Oh that guy is going to think either I'm sort of weirdo or else a criminal or spy? Could I have been any more conspicuous?" she said to herself. Normally she'd seek out Francesca for advice or solace but she wasn't in work today.
She put that little incident out of her mind for a moment and concentrated on Lucas' test results which confirmed her suspicion: He had the 'flu. That was easily treated and he could be discharged today so that was one thing off her to-do list. Next, she had to attend to her next patient, Kacie Roche. Miss Roche suffered from a chronic condition which meant that she was a regular patient of Julia.
"There you go, Miss Roche, if you have any discomfort in that area before your next appointment then go and see your local doctor"
"Thank you, Dr Epstein, as ever." replied Miss Roche.
Julia left the room and walked back to the laboratory to see what the results of the tests on the samples Suzy had given her were. No one was there and Julia went over to the printed results to read them. Perusing through the documents she was surprised and even did a doubletake: Suzy said the samples were freshly gathered only the day before but....
She was puzzled, that result normally wouldn't be possible so she went to the hospital medical library to check a biology textbook she had read at medical school to see whether the lab report's conclusion was actually scientifically possible.
"Well that doesn't tell me anything!" she said in frustration. "What am I going to tell Suzy?" She put the book back on the shelf and headed to the bathroom before seeing her next patient. However, when she got there, the sight was beyond horrific.
The toilet was clogged, filthy, infested with flies and broken all at the same time. And this was the staff toilet as well so goodness knows who did this...maybe one of the locums. Julia tried to do some cleaning but it was so gross she baulked at the prospect. Instead she headed straight to the staff room to find someone who could fix it but on arriving there, she couldn't find anyone. She checked one of the clinics to see if she could get an orderly or janitor or anyone prepared to get their hands really dirty.
The only person she could find was the man she saw in the lab earlier. He was sitting at a desk, going over some files when she walked in. He calmly looked up, saw her and smiled.
"You wouldn't be Dr Julia Epstein, would you?" he said in a deep, warm voice that immediately started to charm her. She figured he must be the new, locum doctor given what Murakami said about him.
"I am...and are you Doctor Bluddiblub?" she said, stumbling to remember and say his name correctly
"Bledsoe"
"Bledsoe! Of course! Sorry, sorry...*snort*" she said with her trademark, nervous laugh. "So...how are you finding it here?" she added, rocking back on her heels and feeling awkward with small talk.
"Well...there's a lot of work to be done here and I don't just mean with the patients" he said.
"Oh yes, that's why I'm here actually; the staff bathroom..." she said with a shudder.
"Don't worry, I've got Gandhi working on clearing and fixing that" said Dr Bledsoe.
"Gandhi?"
"Yes, Mr Gandhi the new maintenance man."
"Oh yes! Obvious now you mention it...I thought you might have meant, you know...*snort*...but he's dead" Julia was dying inside just trying to talk to Dr Bledsoe: She just couldn't string a sensible sentence together.
"Well, our Mr Gandhi is in rude health. So I hear a lot of good things about you, Dr Epstein"
"You do? In what regard Dr Bedsore?"
"Bledsoe"
"BLEDSOE! Sorry, sorry, I did it again! I'm not usually this terrible at remembering names"
"Please, call me Vincent"
"Why?"
"That's my name"
"OF COURSE! Sorry, once again! Tsch, what's with me today? Maybe I have that bug that's been going down and why you're here with us today? *snort* Only that affects the stomach so if I start puking up we'll know what's wrong with me! *CHUCKLE*...so....I'm sorry, what were we talking about again?"
"That I've heard lots of good things about you" he said, calmly. Julia was practically cringing at her gaucheness, babbling and poor attempts at humour in front of this man. She thought she might be coming down with something as she felt her mind was all over the place.
"And I've heard some good things about you too...Harvard medical school, Guy's hospital in London...I mean, that's impressive for around here" she said.
"Thank you, although you finished top of your class, I managed only 12th" he replied, smiling.
"Gosh, gee, well *snort* yeah but it was still Harvard after all and 12th there is worth a great deal." She was looking down at her feet now. "Anyway, I'm glad Gandhi's fixing the toilet and...erm...well I'd better get back to my patients, you know"
"Nice to meet you, Julia" said Vincent.
"And you too...Victor" she replied with a little wave. She left the room and shut the door behind her.
"It's Vincent" he said, quietly to himself before shaking his head and smiling.
Julia finished her shift without any further incident. She changed out of her scrubs and into her everyday clothes before heading into town to meet with Suzy. They met up at the Blue Velvet bar and grabbed a table far away from the crowds at the bar itself. Julia didn't quite know what to tell Suzy as the analysis results posed more questions than giving answers.
"So...I analysed those samples you gave me" said Julia
"Oh yes, and did you find out anything interesting?" asked an expectant Suzy.
"Now you said those samples you gave me you gathered from the glade were from yesterday?" said Julia.
"They were" replied Suzy.
"Well...tests reveal that they're at a state of decomposition equivalent to six months"
"Wait, you mean those mushrooms and flowers I picked yesterday are already in a state of decomposition? Equivalent to six month's worth?" said Suzy, puzzled.
"That's correct"
"But...how?"
"I have no idea, but those are the results" said Julia with a shrug.
"The more I discover, the less I know it seems..." mused Suzy.
"That's science in general, I'm afraid" said Julia, trying to reassure her friend.
"Hey, look over there...it's Barbara and she's giving it her all on the dancefloor!" said Suzy, suddenly changing the subject.
Their neighbour, Barbara, was indeed dancing like there was no tomorrow and didn't care who was looking on. However, Julia noticed someone sitting right next to where Barbara was dancing and couldn't believe who it was.
"Wow, Babs is on fire tonight! I wonder if she's celebrating something?" said Suzy.
"Oh boy..." said Julia, with a heavy sigh.
"What's up? Is there something wrong?" asked Suzy.
"The man with the blonde hair sitting right over there, looking at Barbara." said Julia.
"Hmmm, I noticed him earlier. Quite the dish, isn't he? If I weren't already engaged....you know?" Suzy said with a smile and a wink but then she had another thought. "Oh Jules! Do you fancy him?"
"Oh, pshaw! Nonsense! *snort*...no, I mean, you know me: I'm above such things as mere physical attraction in selecting a mate!" replied Julia, haughtily. "It's just...well, I know him. Actually I met him this morning: He's a doctor on temporary assignment to my hospital. I'm just surprised to see him here, that's all."
"He's a doctor AND he looks like that?" said Suzy, wide eyed. "Let's invite him over to join us!"
"NO! No, let's not put him out! I mean, what if he's got a girlfriend already?" said Julia, defensively.
"Do you see him with anyone?" said Suzy. "What's the worst that could happen if we invited him to join us at our table?"
"Multiple and painful deaths...that's always the worst that can happen in any situation" replied Julia.
"You're being melodramatic...let's attract his attention and you can wave at him. Let him know you're here too"
"What if he says no or completely ignores me?" asked Julia.
"You said it yourself; he's only at your hospital temporarily, so if he blanks you then you'll know he's a stuck up jerk and in a few days you won't see him again. But....if he does say hello back, well, that would be nice. Now I'm going to get some more drinks, same again?"
"Erm, yes please" Julia said, hesitantly and she gulped nervously as she looked over to Dr Bledsoe again. At that moment he turned his head and their eyes met. Bledsoe's face broke out into a smile and Julia did a little wave at him. He tried to say something to her but it was drowned out by the music. Julia shrugged and shook her head. Dr Bledsoe cleared his throat and said, loudly.
"I SAID, NICE TO SEE YOU HERE! Oh, the music's stopped" and indeed it had leaving him yelling across an almost silent dance floor. He smiled again at the silliness, rolled his eyes and looked back at Julia. "Would you like to join me here?" he added, more quietly.
"Who me?" said Julia, looking around the room.
"I'm new in town and you're the only other person here I know." replied Bledsoe.
"O....K...." replied a nervous Julia. She stood up, pulled the hem of her skirt down a little and gingerly made her way to his table. She sat down and tugged her skirt hem a little more.
"So nice to see you again" said Bledsoe.
"Yes...it's a surprise...co-incidence; you and me both here at the same time" said Julia.
"Well, lucky me...I take it this place is the hot spot in this area?" he said.
"Yes. Do you...erm...live nearby?" said Julia.
"Not too far. Just a stone's throw away from here; I've rented a small house until I get myself fixed up with a permanent job." he said. "And you?"
"Me what?" asked Julia, puzzled by the question.
"Do you live around here?" he asked.
"Yes, a few streets away but in this general neighbourhood." she replied. There was a pause. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at small talk today...I...well...you know...social situations and all that *snort*"
She looked away and noticed Barbara sitting nearby. Her neighbour saw her talking with Bledsoe and mouthed silently "Oh my gosh!" and tilted her head towards him. Julia smiled weakly and looked back at Vincent.
"Well, today's been unusual with the sudden stomach bug and all these new doctors and nurses coming in, doing things their own way and not knowing the ins and outs of the hospital so I'm not surprised there's a bit of confusion going around" he said to Julia. "And to be frank with you; I'm nervous too"
"You?" said Julia, surprised.
"Well, a new city, a new job, new colleagues. And when I saw yours and Dr Murakami's resumes I was a bit intimidated at first. I know you're still an intern but what you've accomplished already and that paper you wrote on Paediatric medicine for the Sim City Medical Association was very impressive. I learned a lot from it."
"You...read...my...paper?" said Julia in disbelief.
"I did. And when I saw that you worked at the same hospital I was being seconded to, well, I was looking forward to meeting you. Shame the first topic of conversation we had was about broken bathrooms though!"
Julia let out another of her snorting mini-laughs and Suzy had returned from the bar to see her in conversation with this dishy doctor. Suzy smiled and indicated she'd bought the drinks back.
"Oh, that's my friend, Suzy" said Julia.
"Sorry to disturb you two but I've just bought my friend here a drink...I'm sorry I didn't get you one Mr?" said Suzy to Bledsoe.
Julia spoke up "Oh this is a new work colleague of mine: Doctor Bloodbath"
"Bledsoe" he replied.
"BLEDSOE!" exclaimed Julia. "Sorry, sorry again"
"That's alright; call me Vincent" he said, acknowledging Suzy. "I say, did you get that dress from Carnaby Street? The only reason I ask is that I saw one just like it when I was in London a couple of weeks ago"
"Yes it is from Carnaby Street" replied Suzy, impressed by his observation. "I had it shipped over though; it's an original Mary Quant, as are the boots. You were in London recently? What's it like over there?"
"As they say, a real 'swinging scene' right now" replied Vincent. "I got this shirt from Pink's the shirt makers in London."
"I can tell! I really want to buy one for my fiancé." Suzy replied. "But I'm distracting your conversation so I'm just going to chat with Barbara for a bit"
"Your friend know a lot about fashion" said Vincent.
"She works for a fashion magazine and I've got another friend over there who runs a clothing boutique. I don't know much about that kind of thing" replied Julia.
"They're certainly with it!" said Vincent but as soon as those words left his mouth he realised that he'd said the wrong thing. "I mean, that's not to say you're...not....I mean, I like your look as well.... look at that: I guess I can get all tongue tied as well."
"You'll be calling me 'Doctor Epidural' next" joked Julia.
"Doctor Bloodbath...I think that's my favourite malapropism of the day" he said, smiling.
He uses words like 'malapropism'! Thought Julia, for no particular reason.
"Well, now that we've both put our feet in our mouths I guess we can start afresh and talk about many things" he continued.
"I agree; cheers" she said, raising her glass. I wonder if he's Jewish? She thought, again for no particular reason.
They talked more, mostly about work, but the awkwardness was dissipating rapidly. He got up to buy the next round of drinks and Suzy quickly came over to talk with Julia.
"I like him! And I can see you like him too!" said Suzy.
"He's pleasant company" said Julia, rather haughtily.
"Oh I've seen you looking all goo-goo eyes at him...'oh tell me more, Dr Vincent!'"
"I do not do 'goo-goo' eyes at anyone" replied Julia, indignantly.
"Must be my imagination then" said Suzy, with a wink.
"Oh hello again, Suzy, I've brought us all drinks" said Vincent.
"Thank you...so...Julia. Will you be doing a piano set tonight?" said Suzy, setting her friend up.
"You play the piano?" asked Vincent.
"Erm...just a bit" replied a shy Julia.
"Oh don't be so modest! Julia has a regular set down here and she's really good" said Suzy.
"Tonight's not my night to play" said Julia.
"The music's stopped, there's no one else at the piano so why not play a couple of tunes? I know you love your music." said Suzy.
"I'd very much like to hear you play" said Vincent.
Julia thought about it, wiggled her head from side to side as she pondered the request and finally relented and got up to go to the piano. She sat there, thinking about what to play, before asking for any requests. Vincent said "I like Schubert, if you know any"
"I know a bit of Schubert" replied Julia. She waggled her fingers and began to play. Vincent nodded in appreciation and Suzy smiled to herself: No doubt about it, this man was ringing her friend's bell!
"Good morning....Jarrod, I'm Dr Julia Epstein and I believe you're going home today?" said Julia, checking the patient's notes.
"Uh, yeah, I've got to get a shot before I do" said the boy, looking nervous. "Will it hurt?"
Julia looked at the notes again and saw that Dr Murakami was Jarrod's consultant. "Well, the needles and techniques are getting better all the time. Whatever you feel will soon wear off. The important thing is getting you all better and then you can go home and have lots of playtime" she said, trying to reassure the boy.
Julia checked the boy's temperature and blood pressure, updated the chart and moved on. She was determined to clear her case load and bag that long awaited promotion. Her next stop was Miss Kacie Roche who had a curious case of blotches and rashes all over her skin.
"Good morning, Miss Roche, I'm Dr Epstein and I'm here to do a few tests."
"Yeah....just do what you have to do, Doctor" said a weary sounding Miss Roche.
Julia checked her eyes with her pen torch but that seemed to disorient the patient. Checking her temperature she found that it was just over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, she took an oral swab for testing.
If there was one area Julia could improve her medical skills, it was analysing patient samples. She'd been studying hard and observing the other, more experienced doctors to improve her skills and she wanted to get a good result this time so she could make progress in clearing cases instead of spending a whole day doing test after test because she'd read the data incorrectly the first or second time. Taking extra care with the patient sample, she put the saliva swab in the chemical analyser and meticulously followed the procedure to get the best results.
Once she had the lab report, she was intercepted by Dr Murakami. "Ah, Dr Epstein...what have we here? This is Miss Roche's sample report, if I'm not mistaken" she said, gently snatching the report from Julia's hand.
"Looking at these results, what do you think is the most likely diagnosis of Miss Roche's illness?" said Dr Murakami.
Julia thought hard: She had only seen the results of the test for a moment but....the swirling rash, the disorientation....she remembered something from a lecture at medical school. "Triple Threat, Dr Murakami!" she blurted out.
"Indeed. Triple Threat. Well spotted, Dr Epstein. Of course a doctor as young as yourself won't have the experience to treat Triple Threat properly so I'll be taking over the case" said the senior doctor.
"But...will I get credit for making the diagnosis?" asked Julia, nervously.
"I will be sure to mention you in my notes" replied a calm Dr Murakami.
Julia was worried that Dr Murakami would go back on her word; she'd done that before. She rarely gave credit or even shared it. Julia walked to the hospital lobby to check on who had been admitted and needed an examination.
"We have this little lady, Kristy St Clair" said Francesca, the senior nurse who was on the admissions desk today. She pointed to a very dainty and prim little black girl who was standing bravely with her father at the desk.
"She doesn't think there isn't anything wrong with her, Doctor" said Mr St Clair. "but she's been off her food and been very lethargic at home"
"Well, let's see if we can get to the bottom of this, eh Kristy?" said Julia, in a friendly and reassuring voice.
Julia took Kristy to a hospital bed and did her checks on the child from asking about why she'd gone off her food to taking her temperature and looking into her ears and throat. Things were progressing well when Julia felt she was getting unnaturally hot and flushed. Unless someone had ramped up the heating in the hospital she was starting to come down with something!
"Ugh....must....get....to....pharmacy...." said Julia to herself. She knew she'd caught Triple Threat and wanted to stop it before she came down fully with it. Treating it very early, if you knew the symptoms, was crucial.
She staggered down the corridor to Pharmacy, where she slumped up against the counter there. The pharmacist on duty looked shocked.
"Dr Ephraim!"
"It's...Epstein"
"Sorry, Dr Epstein....what's the matter?"
"Triple Threat....need....medicine...now"
"For you? Sure....let's see. That's for bloated head....no, that's for torpid liver....hmmm....coated tongue..."
"TRIPLE THREAT! NOW!" said Julia, raising her voice.
"Ah, got it! Here we go and if you'll sign right here..."
But Julia didn't wait. She glugged the whole bottle down in one go.
The effects were almost instantaneous and soon she was standing upright, able to see properly and get on with her shift. She went back to check on Kristy St Clair.
"How are you settling in, Kristy, are you comfortable?" she asked.
"I want to go home, really there's....nothing....wrong....oh I feel sleepy all of a sudden" said the little girl.
"I'll go and chase up that lab report" said Julia.
Back at the lab, Julia encountered Dr Murakami again. "Looking for this?" said the Chief Surgeon, holding Kristy's medical notes. "Your diagnosis, Dr Epstein"
"Erm....my initial thoughts were Bloated Head, judging on my initial examination" Julia replied.
"And you'd be correct. I must say you're on fire today" said Murakami, unaware that not half an hour ago Julia had a raging temperature.
"Thank you, Dr Murakami" said a humble Julia.
"Actually, you've done well these last couple of weeks....how about we move you up one level? It'll mean extra work, lots of study and more responsibility"
"I'll take it!" said Julia, standing straight and smiling.
"Good, that's what I like to hear from a young doctor on my team"
The long awaited promotion at last! Julia left the lab and punched the air in triumph when no one was looking. She finished her paperwork and ended her shift with a spring in her step....time to unwind!
One of the surprising things about her social life right now is that she'd become friendly with a young woman she should, on the surface, despise. Jolene Scholl was an attractive swinging chick and a Lothario Kitten; the epitome of the permissive and sexed society. Julia was none of those things and she even downplayed her own attractiveness as a reaction against the mod culture. However the two women had struck up an unlikely friendship because they had many things in common: They loved music and the arts and had similar senses of humour. Now they had arranged to meet up at the Harbor Quarter Gym to exercise and hang out.
They changed into their exercise leotards and began to work out running on treadmills and doing calisthenics.
"So....phew....I got a promotion today" said Julia.
"Congratulations, you were wondering if your boss had it in for you if I remember" replied Jolene.
"I know, but I think she's warming up to me now. How about your work?"
"I've been doing photoshoots for the forthcoming Lothario book. Modelling is new to me and there's a lot of posing and pouting involved. A far cry from medicine!"
"I hope it's not....well....too shocking. Your photo shoot I mean"
"It's mainly fashion although I did have to lie across one of those Ford racing cars in my Kitten outfit. But I don't want to shock you!"
"I like you too much to judge" said Julia. "Phew! That run was exhausting...how about a swim in the pool downstairs?"
"Now we're talking!" replied Jolene.
"Now this is exercise I really like!" said Julia.
"Hmmm, I agree" replied Jolene. "Don't look now, Julia but I think that guy is checking you out" she said, nodding towards a well muscled young man with longish hair and a neatly trimmed beard.
"No...he must be checking you out" replied Julia. "You're the one who gets into the magazines"
"Nah-ah....it's definitely you he's interested in. What do you think of your admirer?"
"Hmmm, I'm not sure. I don't have a type, really. I suppose I'm more drawn to personality and intellect than chiselled biceps, strong chests and pert....calves". Julia shook herself out of looking at the man and focussed once again.
"Anyway this was great and we must do it again some time soon" said Julia, hopping out of the pool.
"I enjoyed it too" said Jolene. "I was only gently teasing you about that guy...but don't sell yourself short in that department; you're cuter than you think."
"I'm just holding out for Mr Right when...and if...he comes along" said Julia.
She said her goodbyes to Jolene and headed home, still feeling light headed and happy about her promotion. As she got to her house, she saw the local pizza guy returning home from a delivery.
"Hello!" said Julia, enthusiastically. "A lovely evening, isn't it?"
"Erm...I guess. I made more than usual in tips this evening" said the pizza guy, not sure what to make of this overenthusiastic woman on his route.
"That's wonderful...from small acorns grow mighty oaks!" said Julia. "I got promoted today"
"Cool" said the guy, looking around him to see if she was perhaps talking to someone else.
"And you should always be grateful...promotions, extra tips, being admired from afar...."
"Admired from afar?" said the guy, confused.
"Yes. I'm saying that tonight you are the local pizza delivery guy but tomorrow...."
"It's my day off...I thought I'd go bowling"
"Make the most of it!" said Julia.
"Yeah, well, thanks....I guess. I gotta go" said the pizza guy.
"Bon chance!" said Julia, looking up at the night sky and smiling that....finally....she was moving up in the world.
