Bradley bay, p.1
Bradley Bay, page 1
Bradley Bay
Ana Corman
Bradley Bay, a contemporary lesbian romance novel, tells the fiery story of two dynamic women who make a commitment to keep a dream alive and travel a road wrought with challenges that test their love.
Bradley Bay
© 2001 by Ana P. Corman
1st Book Library
Publication Date: September 1, 2001
ISBN-10: 0759650926
ISBN-13: 978-0759650923
1
Sierra punched in her four-digit security code then pushed through the large double doors labeled Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit. She was just about to step into the staff lounge when she saw the flurry of activity in room number five. The night nurse flipped through several pages of admission orders and blew a strand of hair away from her face in frustration. She stood up straight and rubbed her dry eyes as she saw Sierra watching her. She motioned her hand towards the bustling activity behind her and gave Sierra a weary smile.
"Good morning, Sierra. Have I got a patient for you!"
Sierra leaned back against the doorframe as she watched the nurse pick up the phone and talk to a pharmacist about the patient's medications. Sierra passed her lunch bag from one hand to the other and watched the residents hovering around the patient, competing for space with the lab tech, X-ray tech, and EKG tech.
Sierra could feel the headache pulsating at her temples as she closed her eyes and willed it to stop vibrating like a crazed tuning fork. She massaged her left temple with her free hand as her thoughts raced through her mind. I'm in no mood for a crash and burn patient today. Please Lord, not today of all days. I slept for four hours and cried for another four. My patience is thin, and I don't have the energy to be sharp this morning.
Several other day nurses greeted Sierra in the doorway and stepped past her into the staff lounge. Sierra was about to follow them in when she saw her dear friend, Sydney, approach with a huge smile that took a slight chill off Sierra's icy mood. Sydney walked with the sleek movements of a predator seeking out its prey as her short, dark brown hair bounced in intentional disarray around her pretty face. Her chocolate brown eyes always shone with mischief; Sierra had learned early in their friendship that Sydney enjoyed being the class clown. Sierra wasn't sure if that was to hide from past pains or to cover up the insecurities that Sydney refused to believe she had.
"Good morning, Sierra."
"Hi, Syd. I'm not so sure it's a good morning." Sierra stretched her slender five-foot-four-inch frame and gave Sydney a warm hug.
Sydney released Sierra and noticed the bedlam unfolding in room five. They exchanged a frown, knowing the kind of day that awaited them. Sydney placed her hand on Sierra's shoulder. "Think of the bright side, Sierra. After today you're on vacation for two weeks, you lucky dog you."
Sierra smiled and shook her head as they both headed into the staff lounge. "Some vacation. My relationship ended three months ago. My ex-lover is coming over today to move the last of her things out of my house and our long-awaited trip to the Cayman Islands has been cancelled! I'm going to spend the next two weeks sulking, depressed, and driving everyone around me nuts. I plan on bingeing on ice cream and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Sydney, so don't try to talk me out of my dietary suicidal ideation's."
Sydney laughed as she watched Sierra slip her lunch into the fridge and lean back against the closed door, closing her brilliant blue-gray eyes and massaging her temples.
Sydney had met Sierra five years before when she first started working in the neurosurgical intensive care unit. They instantly connected and became close friends, a friendship that Sydney cherished. Sydney realized early that she was very attracted to Sierra. Her smooth, olive complexion enhanced the depth of her unique teardrop, blue-gray eyes. Her chestnut brown hair feathered lightly around her face and tumbled onto her slender shoulders. Sydney always admired her professional, no nonsense attitude and strove to make Sierra laugh. Sydney was well aware of Sierra's troubled relationship as they spent hours sharing their innermost feelings.
It was one of those heartfelt talks that floated into Sydney's mind as she watched Sierra. "She is so inattentive to you and your needs, Sierra! She takes you and your relationship for granted. She has no idea what a good thing she has. You deserve better, Sierra. You deserve someone that realizes what a fabulous woman you are," Sydney stated firmly, shocking herself with the intensity of her words.
Sydney bounded from the couch and stood staring out of Sierra's living room bay window. She sensed Sierra even before she touched her shoulder.
"Sydney, I'm sorry. I had no idea you felt that way."
Sydney laughed halfheartedly as she turned to see the tears in Sierra's glimmering eyes.
"The whole time I've been leaning on you as a friend and telling you all about my empty relationship and I had no idea you had feelings for me."
"I didn't want you to know, Sierra. I've been trying hard just to be your friend and respect the fact that you belong to someone else even though that someone else is not worthy of you." Sydney slowly touched her thumb to the warm tear slipping down Sierra's cheek. "I also realized that you had no idea how I felt because you don't feel the same way about me as I feel about you."
Sierra dropped her face and struggled to find the right words.
Sydney touched her thumb to Sierra's chin and raised her friend's face to meet her eyes. "It's not something to feel bad about, Sierra. I believe we have no control over who we are and are not attracted to. It just happens. Chemistry is a strange thing. Especially when it's one sided."
"I never meant to hurt you, Sydney. Your friendship has always been near and dear to me. I would never want to lose that."
Sydney gently guided Sierra into her arms and held her tight. "You're never going to lose me, Sierra. If all you can give me is your friendship, then I feel blessed for that gift from you. I would never do anything to jeopardize that."
Sierra nodded her head slowly as Sydney felt her warm tears against her neck. Sydney tilted Sierra's head and kissed her forehead. "Just give me time to get over you, Sierra. It may take the rest of my sorry life, but I vow someday to tell you that you mean nothing to me."
Sierra leaned back and looked into Sydney's sensitive, chocolate brown eyes. "Gee, don't go that far! I like knowing that you're smitten with me."
Sydney laughed as she hugged Sierra close. "Smitten, what the hell kind of word is that? Lady, I'm nuts about you and that's one of the reasons it infuriates me to hear about your lousy relationship with Linda. Dump the bitch, Sierra, and then give me ten years before I have to see you with another woman."
Sierra laughed as she held Sydney tight. "Regardless of the women that come and go in my life, Sydney, I cherish the thought that you will always be here to stay."
Sydney shook off the memory as she set her leather bag and jacket down on the nearest chair and faced Sierra. "Sierra, listen, I have a great idea. Do you remember my friend the E.R. doc I told you about that owns and operates that resort for spinal cord-injured adults up in Springfield, Ontario?"
Sierra gave Sydney a suspicious look and crossed her arms across her chest. "Yes. What about her?"
Sydney shook her head and leaned back against the pine table. "Don't give me such a skeptical look, Sierra. I'm trying to help you out here."
Sierra inhaled deeply and placed her hand on the arm of her dear friend. "I'm sorry, Syd. Now, what about your friend the selfless, heroic doc that dedicates her life to lifting the spirits of spinal cord-injured adults?"
Sydney squeezed Sierra's hand. "Now, that's a better attitude." They both smiled as they moved out of the way of another nurse trying to get to the fridge.
They gathered their things as Sydney guided Sierra to a quiet corner in the lounge. "My friend, the selfless, heroic doc, also known as Dr. Kaitlin Bradley, runs that resort like a well oiled clock. She's very involved in the day-to-day activities of the resort and has made it a priority to staff the place with experienced professionals. She inherited the resort from her grandparents three years ago and with it a huge inheritance. When she first converted the resort to a getaway for spinal cord-injured adults she had lots of nurses that had worked with her in the past offering to come up for short periods of time to help out. Since then Kaitlin has welcomed any nurses who wanted to come up and volunteer their time at her resort. With more help around she feels the guests get more attention and the nurses get a working vacation.
"It's a gorgeous place right on Sturgeon Lake and it's open all year round. I love going up there in the winter to cross country ski. It's only three hours north of Toronto, and she gives you a free room and feeds you three delicious, warm meals a day for helping her out."
Sierra studied Sydney carefully as she slipped into her lab coat and hung her black Littmann stethoscope around her neck. "How is that different from prison, Syd?"
Sydney burst into laughter and gently smacked Sierra's arm with the bell of her stethoscope. "Get serious, Sierra!"
Sierra playfully rubbed her arm and grimaced at Sydney. "I am serious, Sydney. I need a vacation, not another job!"
Sydney smiled and reached inside her brown leather bag for her pocket protector full of pens, pencils and a pair of bandage scissors. "Wake up, Sierra. You just said you're going to spend two weeks mourning your relationship with Linda that should have ended a long time ago. What a waste of precious vacation time."
Sierra gave Sydney a disapproving frown as she slumped into the nearest chair. She wasn't in the mood to tell Sydney that she was right. She'd rather wallow in the despair of her shattered relationship and cancelled vacation.
Sydney knelt before Sierra and rested her hands on her knees. "I'm sorry, Sierra, but you know I'm so grateful that you finally dumped Linda three months ago. Now it's time for you to get on with your life. I'm sure Kaitlin could really use your help and expertise and it would be the much needed break you deserve from Toronto and from Linda, the good for nothing wench."
Sierra's blood instantly boiled as she sat bolt upright in the chair and leaned menacingly close to Sydney as she whispered, "Stop it, Sydney! I won't have you talk about Linda like that. I spent three years of my life with her and whatever your opinion is of her you fail to remember that I did love her." Tears welled in Sierra's beautiful blue-gray eyes as she shot Sydney an icy stare.
Sydney dropped her head and felt consumed by prickly remorse. She took a deep breath and looked back into Sierra's teary eyes. "I'm sorry, Sierra. I don't think too kindly of a woman that lies and cheats on my best friend."
Sierra wiped at her tears as the night charge nurse, Joan, stormed into the room. "All right ladies and gents, let's get shift report started so I can escape the nightmare happening out there and hand it over to you lovely, highly skilled individuals." Everyone groaned and slipped into chairs as Joan gave Sierra and Sydney an are you guys okay look. They both gave her a reassuring smile as Sydney sat down beside Sierra and nudged her shoulder affectionately.
"Think about my offer and let me know by the end of the day. If you decide to go, I'll call Kaitlin and tell her to expect you tomorrow, bright and early."
Sierra reached for a tissue in her pocket and dried her eyes. "I'll think about it, Sydney, but don't get your hopes up that you might be able to get rid of me for two weeks. The way this day is looking we probably won't even have time to use the rest room."
Sydney beamed her a bright smile and whispered, "Do you think that my urinary retention is a hereditary gift? No, ma'am. I have spent my entire nursing career working on seeing how long I can go without emptying my bladder before I find it resting on my sneakers." They both burst into a fit of giggles as Joan turned and gave them a look.
Joan rambled through her report and looked over her bifocals at Sierra as she came to the patient in room five. "Sierra, I've assigned you the new admission. Twenty-seven-year-old male broke into a residence last night, not expecting the owner to be asleep in his reclining chair with his shotgun at his side." They all groaned as they could see the picture run through their minds like an old movie. "The owner was awakened by the sound of breaking glass. Our patient tiptoed into the living room and was about to pick up the TV when the owner swung around in his chair and fired twice." Joan waited till the groans subsided and continued.
"Our patient was shot in the left buttocks and left lower quadrant of his abdomen. We have two entrance wounds and no exit wounds. Those bullets careened through his abdomen like a roller coaster hell-bent on derailing. One bullet completely severed his spinal cord at L-l L-2 leaving our young burglar a complete paraplegic at the scene. We just received him from the O.R. He is intubated, ventilated and heavily sedated on morphine and ativan. They fused his spine from T-12 to L-3. They repaired a laceration on his liver, removed his ruptured spleen, removed a long section of his perforated large bowel and gave him a colostomy and last but not least, repaired a nick in his bladder. Unfortunately he continues to hemorrhage and the doc's are having a hard time finding the source of the bleeding."
She took a deep breath, carefully removed her bifocals from her face and looked at Sierra. "It doesn't look good, Sierra. His prognosis is poor, and the family is hysterical. They're all wondering how this could have happened to their lovely son." Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes as Joan mindlessly chewed on the arm of her glasses. "I've given him to you as a one-to-one. I know you will be run off your feet with him today."
Sierra headed for the door. "Like today is going to be any different than every other day in this zoo."
The remaining staff laughed as they watched Sierra head out the door to get the report from the exhausted night nurse.
· · ·
Sierra silently prayed for this unfortunate young man as she threw herself into her work, moving with the high level of intelligence and dedication often years of intensive care nursing. She worked closely with the surgical residents as she bolused the patient with ten liters of lactated ringers intravenously. The hours continued to speed by as she gave him eight units of packed red blood cells, five units of fresh frozen plasma, two hundred grams of albumin, and ten units of single-donor platelets. She pumped all these blood products into him one after the other and watched in frustration as he slowly poured out five liters of his own precious blood from the thin rubber drains poking through his abdominal wall like tentacles. She worked feverishly as her twenty-seven-year-old patient continued to hemorrhage and the residents tried mercilessly to stabilize the patient so they could get him back to the O.R and find the source of his bleeding. The intensity in the room was palpable as his vital signs continually deteriorated with each liter of blood Sierra emptied from his drainage canister.
Eight hours into Sierra's struggling shift, the cardiac monitor alarm went off with a shrill continuous ring. Sierra looked up at the screen and shouted, "V-TACH! Sydney, call a code and bring the crash cart in here now!"
Within seconds the room was filled with residents and nursing staff. Sierra confirmed that her patient had no pulse. A male nurse started chest compressions. The respiratory therapist disconnected the ventilator and connected an ambu bag to the patient's endotracheal tube and began to bag him with one hundred percent oxygen.
Sydney handed Sierra the defibrillator pads and watched as she slapped the two oval-shaped pads on the patient's chest. Sydney charged the defibrillator to two hundred joules. Sierra looked up at the cardiac monitor and saw that the patient's rhythm had deteriorated into an even more ominous rhythm of ventricular fibrillation.
Sydney announced, "Charged at two-hundred joules. Everyone clear? Everyone clear? Shocking at two hundred joules!" Sydney hit two buttons simultaneously on the defibrillator as everyone watched the young patient's lifeless body lurch off the bed as if he'd just landed from a fall off a tall building.
Sierra injected the patient with one milligram of epinephrine intravenously as Sydney charged the defibrillator to three hundred joules.
Sydney made sure everyone was clear as she announced, "Shocking at three hundred joules." The patient's limbs jerked off the bed and slammed down hard as the jolt of electricity raced through his body in a futile attempt to shock his erratic heart to a standstill and allow his own natural rhythm to resume. Sydney repeated the same procedure at three hundred and sixty joules.
Sierra administered another milligram of epinephrine and 120mg of lidocaine as chest compressions resumed and the cardiac monitor showed no signs of spontaneous life. The residents stuck their gloved hands on the patient's neck and groin in a desperate attempt to find a pulse.
After thirty minutes of intense effort to resuscitate the patient, the senior resident looked at his watch, then over at the cardiac monitor. "Stop compressions and let's see what we have."
Everyone turned to the monitor and watched the undulating waves of chest compressions turn into a horizontal flat line with no signs of any electrical activity. The residents confirmed that they had no palpable pulse.
The senior resident snapped his gloves off his hands and threw them on the bed in frustration. "It's been thirty-two minutes without a pulse. We've done everything we can do. Let's call it." He looked down at his watch one final time and wiped his damp forehead on the sleeve of his lab coat. "Time of death: three-thirty. Cause of death: full cardiac and respiratory arrest secondary to massive, uncontrollable hemorrhaging."
Everyone breathed a sigh of defeat as the young resident ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Sierra, I'll go talk to the family. I'll fill out the death certificate and call the coroner when I come back."
Sierra watched him head out of the room as Sydney reached up and turned off the cardiac monitor.
