All That's Good

Mila

“She’s perfectly fine,” I said. “She’s stable and out of danger.”

“This is ridiculous,” Mrs. Wright said, shaking her head. She was even more worked up than before. Mr. Wright looked like he had withdrawn into himself. I understood it; he couldn’t run on the adrenaline or fear for very long. Everyone had a different way to cope with stress. I understood what Mr. Wright was doing, but it left Mrs. Wright untethered, and she needed that anchor. If not to reality, then to hope.

“It will take time, ma’am,” I said. “I consulted one of my colleagues, and she assured me that this isn’t unheard of.”

“Is your colleague another nurse?” Mrs. Wright asked.

I nodded. “She has more experience with trauma patients than I do.”

“But you’re still just a nurse!” Mrs. Wright shouted. “What do you know? Maybe, if you want to stand there and offer medical advice to patients, you should go back to medical school and get the degree to back up your information.”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly