Jackie Dennegin
Jan 28th, 2003, 01:43:56 PM
”Jackie? Jackie?”
“Mmmf… Go ‘way.”
Jackie!
A tousled head lifted from the crudely sewn pillow that it had been resting on and turned to the doorway, illuminated by fluorescent light. Ruth Miller, head of nurses at Coruscant Third Level General, stood with her arms crossed over her chest. The woman in the bed squinted in confusion.
“Ruth? What time is it?”
She fumbled for her watch on the plastic food tray next to the bed.
”It’s four in the AM kiddo. Rachel went home early so we need you.”
Jackie groaned and flopped back down. She’d just gotten off an hour ago and had been catching up on some much needed slumber.
“Ruth, where does she get off leaving early? I’ve worked every night this week, deadmans shift, and—“
”And subbed twice for Rachel, I know Jackie. But her boyfriend came home a few hours ago.”
She sighed and tossed out an excuse that would hopefully keep her between blanket and bed a bit longer.
“Well, people come home from business trips all the time, it’s not so special.”
”Jackie, he came home in a box.”
Silence. Ruth smiled sadly and turned to leave.
”Ten minutes Jackie,”
“Yeah.”
When the door shut she rolled over onto her back, stared at the stoarage room that doubled as nap quarters. A loud sigh escaped her lips. As much as she disliked the haughty Rachel, she knew how much her boyfriend, and rumored fiancé, had meant to her. It wasn’t anything she would have wished on anyone.
Pushing herself into a sitting position, the dark haired nurse sighed again and kicked off the blanket. She stood, uncertainly for a moment, and then grabbed her pink work shirt. She slipped it on over the white t-shirt and, not bothering with buttons, shuffled out.
The hallway lights were harsh on her eyes and already the headache she had hoped to avoid was coming. Jackie made a stop at the main desk, checking the board behind the catalogue nurse.
“Lupes, did Ruth say where I was needed?”
He nodded from behind a paperback.
”Uh… Yeeeeah… OR, number three, I think.”
“Thanks. Don’t work too hard now Lupes.”
She shook her head and broke into a jog, down the tiled hallway.
********
“Corben, what are we dealing with?”
”Jesus Dennegin, took you long enough. Cancer patient from room 411. You talked to her right?”
Jackie nodded slowly, cautiously looking at her chart. Kathleen Bakenau. She had talked to the woman all right.
“Corben, why does her chart say DNR?”
”Because she signed a DNR.
“When?”
Dr. Corben shrugged.
”When she was admitted.”
Jackie shook her head.
“No, Corben, no, I talked to her. I talked to her when I was on duty, she said she didn’t want to die.”
”She already signed it.”
“She still has rights!”
Just then the assisting doctor looked up from the monitors.
”Corben, patient’s throwing PVCs.”
”How many?”
”Ten to twelve.”
Jackie interrupted them.
“Did you give her litocane?”
”No… I thought she was a DNR?”
“She’s not.”
Corben glared at her.
”Yes, she is.”
The second doctor looked confused.
”What do I do if she codes?”
“Resuscitate her.”
”No, you do nothing!”
Corben grabbed Jackie’s arm and pulled her away to a corner of the room.
”Listen Dennegin, you are out of line. You are not going to ignore a standing DNR.”
Jackie shook her head, frustrated and close to tears.
“She revoked her DNR!”
”She can’t”
“What?”
Corben shook his head.
”Not with her mental status. Did you bother to look at her CT? She’s got mets all over her brain, she’s on morphine, probably hypoxic…”
Jackie shook her head again.
“No, she was clear and alert!”
Corben shrugged.
”Well I didn’t see that.”
He was met with an open mouthed stare. Jackie clenched her teeth and pointed at Kathleen.
“Damn you! Damn you, you arrogant little SOB! She has a son, a five year old son! She doesn’t want to die and you’re going to kill her!”
Corben stepped forward angrily.
”You crossed the line Dennegin, get out. You’re a threat to my patient’s health.”
Jackie pushed a finger into his chest.
“The only danger in this room is you.”
And then she was gone.
*******
”Jackie!”
She ignored the cal and grabbed her purse, heading for the doors. As soon as she stepped out into the cool early morning air, Jackie started to lose it. She took deep breaths and leaned back against the building. A few minutes later Ruth spilled out.
”Jackie?”
“Shut up Ruth, I’m not… I’m not going back in there.”
”Jackie we need you.”
The woman shook her head.
“No, you need someone who’s willing to stand back and let people die.”
”That’s no—“
“Not true?”
Jackie looked up sadly.
“It is Ruth. That’s the horrible thing about it.”
They stayed silent for a moment and then Ruth opened her mouth. She didn’t say anything though. Just closed her mouth again and walked back inside. Jackie stayed seated on the ground. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Sniffling she wiped it away.
“Dammit.”
“Mmmf… Go ‘way.”
Jackie!
A tousled head lifted from the crudely sewn pillow that it had been resting on and turned to the doorway, illuminated by fluorescent light. Ruth Miller, head of nurses at Coruscant Third Level General, stood with her arms crossed over her chest. The woman in the bed squinted in confusion.
“Ruth? What time is it?”
She fumbled for her watch on the plastic food tray next to the bed.
”It’s four in the AM kiddo. Rachel went home early so we need you.”
Jackie groaned and flopped back down. She’d just gotten off an hour ago and had been catching up on some much needed slumber.
“Ruth, where does she get off leaving early? I’ve worked every night this week, deadmans shift, and—“
”And subbed twice for Rachel, I know Jackie. But her boyfriend came home a few hours ago.”
She sighed and tossed out an excuse that would hopefully keep her between blanket and bed a bit longer.
“Well, people come home from business trips all the time, it’s not so special.”
”Jackie, he came home in a box.”
Silence. Ruth smiled sadly and turned to leave.
”Ten minutes Jackie,”
“Yeah.”
When the door shut she rolled over onto her back, stared at the stoarage room that doubled as nap quarters. A loud sigh escaped her lips. As much as she disliked the haughty Rachel, she knew how much her boyfriend, and rumored fiancé, had meant to her. It wasn’t anything she would have wished on anyone.
Pushing herself into a sitting position, the dark haired nurse sighed again and kicked off the blanket. She stood, uncertainly for a moment, and then grabbed her pink work shirt. She slipped it on over the white t-shirt and, not bothering with buttons, shuffled out.
The hallway lights were harsh on her eyes and already the headache she had hoped to avoid was coming. Jackie made a stop at the main desk, checking the board behind the catalogue nurse.
“Lupes, did Ruth say where I was needed?”
He nodded from behind a paperback.
”Uh… Yeeeeah… OR, number three, I think.”
“Thanks. Don’t work too hard now Lupes.”
She shook her head and broke into a jog, down the tiled hallway.
********
“Corben, what are we dealing with?”
”Jesus Dennegin, took you long enough. Cancer patient from room 411. You talked to her right?”
Jackie nodded slowly, cautiously looking at her chart. Kathleen Bakenau. She had talked to the woman all right.
“Corben, why does her chart say DNR?”
”Because she signed a DNR.
“When?”
Dr. Corben shrugged.
”When she was admitted.”
Jackie shook her head.
“No, Corben, no, I talked to her. I talked to her when I was on duty, she said she didn’t want to die.”
”She already signed it.”
“She still has rights!”
Just then the assisting doctor looked up from the monitors.
”Corben, patient’s throwing PVCs.”
”How many?”
”Ten to twelve.”
Jackie interrupted them.
“Did you give her litocane?”
”No… I thought she was a DNR?”
“She’s not.”
Corben glared at her.
”Yes, she is.”
The second doctor looked confused.
”What do I do if she codes?”
“Resuscitate her.”
”No, you do nothing!”
Corben grabbed Jackie’s arm and pulled her away to a corner of the room.
”Listen Dennegin, you are out of line. You are not going to ignore a standing DNR.”
Jackie shook her head, frustrated and close to tears.
“She revoked her DNR!”
”She can’t”
“What?”
Corben shook his head.
”Not with her mental status. Did you bother to look at her CT? She’s got mets all over her brain, she’s on morphine, probably hypoxic…”
Jackie shook her head again.
“No, she was clear and alert!”
Corben shrugged.
”Well I didn’t see that.”
He was met with an open mouthed stare. Jackie clenched her teeth and pointed at Kathleen.
“Damn you! Damn you, you arrogant little SOB! She has a son, a five year old son! She doesn’t want to die and you’re going to kill her!”
Corben stepped forward angrily.
”You crossed the line Dennegin, get out. You’re a threat to my patient’s health.”
Jackie pushed a finger into his chest.
“The only danger in this room is you.”
And then she was gone.
*******
”Jackie!”
She ignored the cal and grabbed her purse, heading for the doors. As soon as she stepped out into the cool early morning air, Jackie started to lose it. She took deep breaths and leaned back against the building. A few minutes later Ruth spilled out.
”Jackie?”
“Shut up Ruth, I’m not… I’m not going back in there.”
”Jackie we need you.”
The woman shook her head.
“No, you need someone who’s willing to stand back and let people die.”
”That’s no—“
“Not true?”
Jackie looked up sadly.
“It is Ruth. That’s the horrible thing about it.”
They stayed silent for a moment and then Ruth opened her mouth. She didn’t say anything though. Just closed her mouth again and walked back inside. Jackie stayed seated on the ground. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Sniffling she wiped it away.
“Dammit.”