Page 8 of Her Heart's Desire

Nodding my head along, I pause enough to ask, "Does she have any family?"

"No. Or at least none that have visited."

"Lastly, Mr. Reynolds should be discharged today. We're just waiting for Dr. Bryan to give the go ahead. The last bed was discharged last night. I'm sure someone else will come in soon. That's all I have for you."

"Awesome. Thank you, Angel. Your attention to the details always make my shifts easier."

"Well, now, it's time for me to go home, take a bubble bath and pass the hell out. Besides, my feet will be thankful not to be on them anymore. See you tonight," she says as she pushes off the desk and walks toward the locker room.

"See ya!" I yell after her.

I make my way to each patient's room, making sure I introduce myself to everyone, along with taking their vitals. After I finish up, I sit down to put all the vital signs into the computer. Honestly, sometimes it feels like I spend more time on my computer than I do with my patients.

"Hey Kimberly." Dr. Bryan says as he walks up, interrupting my flow.

"Hey, Dr. Bryan. Are you here for that discharge?"

"I am. Are you ready?"

"Yes, let me finish putting this in and I'll be right there."

"Sounds good," he says as he goes to Mr. Reynolds' room.

Taking just five more minutes, I make sure I have everything together and make my way to the patient's room. When I enter, Mr. Reynolds is sitting on the bed, his wife standing next to him, both of them smiling at Dr. Bryan. A warm feeling in my chest spreads. This is the reason I got into nursing, helping patients.

When Dr. Bryan notices I'm in the room, he turns toward me. "Kimberly. Mr. Reynolds here is ready for discharge. I've given him instructions for when he gets home."

"Will do, Dr. Bryan." He nods at my acknowledgement and returns his smile back to the couple. Pulling out my nurse's phone, I step to the side of the room to call down to set up transportation. I keep my other ear on Dr. Bryan and the patients, that way, I know what is going on.

"Now remember you have a follow up appointment next week. I'll see you then."

"Thank you so much for all your help, Dr. Bryan," Mrs. Reynolds says with unshed tears in her eyes, not wanting to voice that her husband could've died if we didn't do the surgery. Gulping, I try to keep my own emotions at bay. It's the hardest part of the job sometimes.

Dr. Bryan's eyes soften with her words. I know, just like me, he's trying to keep his emotions back. As medical professionals, we learn to deal with them later. "You're welcome. I'm glad I could help. Now let's get you out of here."

Everyone chuckles at the way he says it lifting the heavy feeling in the room. "Kimberly, did you get transport?"

"Yes, they should be here in a few minutes." Before I can finish, there is a knock on the door and Mandy, from transport, is standing there with a wheelchair. "Wow, that was quick."

"I didn't have anyone else for another hour, so I came immediately," she says, shrugging her shoulders.

"Alright. Mr. Reynolds, Kimberly will get your IV and everything out. Then Mandy will take you down to the front door." Dr. Bryan explains to him, then turns toward Mrs. Reynolds. "Do you want to pull the car around front?"

"Yes." She then leans down and kisses her husband on the cheek. "I'll meet you down there," she whispers to him, before quickly grabbing her stuff and heading out the door.

Tears threaten to spill over, but I'm able to sniffle them back. That's what I want some day. Dr. Bryan continues saying his goodbyes to Mr. Reynolds, leaving shortly after. Leaving me and Mandy behind to finish the discharge.

"Okay, let's get those heart monitors off first." I say as I pull them from his chest, trying not to pull his hair too much. When I'm done, I move to get his IV out. "How come you're not married yet, Kimberly?" Mr. Reynolds asks.

Giving him a soft smile, I pull out the needle, placing some gauze on the spot to stop the bleeding. "I guess I haven't found the right person yet." Or maybe I have. Grabbing a Band-Aid, I place it on top of the gauze.

"Well, you'll find them soon. I can feel it."

"Thank you. Now let's get you out of the bed so you can change."

Mr. Reynolds heads into the bathroom and changes out of his hospital gown into his regular clothes. When he comes out, I help him into the wheelchair but can't help think about his comment, about finding them soon. What if I already found him? Maybe Silas buying the hospital is fate. Are we meant to be together?

Shaking the thoughts away, I focus back on the task at hand getting Mr. Reynolds out of here. Once he's settled into the chair, I, kneel down to his level, smiling. "Alright. Mandy here is going to take you down to your wife. I enjoyed having you here."

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