Audrey was finishing up her work and preparing to leave when a nurse poked her head into her office. It had been a busy evening and Audrey was anxious to get home. She'd already had to ask a friend to stay with Alexis, and she wanted to let her get home. So it wasn't exactly the best timing when the young nurse said, in a sort of squeaky, scared voice, "Er, I'm sorry, Audrey, but do you think you could see a patient really quick?"
Inwardly Audrey groaned. The thought of leaving her daughter alone any more than she had to really bothered her. But generally Alexis understood that her mom had to help people, so she pulled her white jacket off the wall. "Sure," she said, following the nurse.
"Thanks so much," said the younger woman, breathing an audible sigh of relief.
"I think I'm going to hire a few more nurses. Put the word out for me, okay?" Audrey offered the young nurse a smile. "Who's the patient?"
"Here's the chart. He just got mugged. I'll have a tech bring him back and take his vitals for you. It looked like he got smacked around pretty bad. I don't want to leave him out there for long."
"Good call," said Audrey. "Let me know when he's ready." She flipped open the chart, hoping it would help her make the visit as painless as possible.