Day 25: Overwhelm. @kingdonmicrofic
Mel snaps. Robby and Santos don't come out well.
Today was a day that Mel was being pulled in all directions. Robby yanking her one way, Santos trying to con her into taking on more work. Every five minutes someone else was at her to do something on top of everything else.
It didn’t matter where she went. Someone was calling for her. Dana, Princess, Perlah, Robby, Santos, Robby, Santos. Nearly everyone just all day. Break room, patient rooms, the bay, the fucking bathroom.
She was getting sick of her name.
‘What???’ Both doctors stared at her in disbelief. It wasn’t like her to snap. Mel could admit to that. But she was really just getting annoyed. Santos and Robby stared at each other with comically stunned looks. Dr Langdon smothered a grin behind them. Always close to the drama. Doing his best to avoid being in it. At least for a year. So he claimed.
‘Could you take Santos’s autistic patient?’
‘Yeah you really have the knack for them.’
Both of them looked at her with encouraging faces. Mel could feel more than see Dr Langdon’s eyeroll behind their backs. Mel felt a similar impulse. This had been a recurring habit since Robby’s return. Any hint of neurodivergence: get Mel.
Mel signed off on labs and several discharge orders. Resolutely ignoring the stunned looks she was getting.
‘Excuse me Doctor King?’ Robby’s tone sharpened a little. Santos’s head bounced back and forth.
‘I have a full complement of patients.’ Mel stood up, tall and stared him unblinking in the eye. ‘May I be frank?’
The snort was loud. ‘Work work work.’ Langdon skipped, actually skipped off. She wasn’t sure but she was positive he just flashed her a wink. A flash of heat was to be examined later. Unexpected.
‘Of course Mel.’ The tone indicated absolutely not but she needed to stand firm.
‘Is this not a teaching hospital?’
Robby recoiled. His eyes betraying a deep annoyance. And glancing at Doctor Langdon. Eyes hard. His voice was tight as he answered her. ‘Yes.’
‘So why am I the only one who is assigned the neurodivergent patients?’
‘It’s easier!’ Santos protested.
Mel for once didn’t mask herself, hide her irritation or annoyance. ‘Oh yes because medicine should be easy Dr Santos.’ Mel squared her shoulders just as Robby stooped. Oh how she hated that. ‘I am going to stop you before you start Robby. I have skills I need to work on. And being the default neurodivergent isn’t just insulting, it’s wrong. So no. You need to start developing those skills not just in your residents, but yourself.’ Mel picked up her tablet and marched off. She paused seeing him watching them.
‘For the record Dr Langdon is the only doctor my- Becca has ever liked. Something to consider.’
Dr Langdon looked touched. Deeply touched.
Mel turned to Santos’s sneering face. ‘Yeah neurodivergent people are used to being the punching bag of bitches.’
