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pine cleaner. It was completely furnished with sturdy—though not particularly aesthetic—furniture. The small living room included a navy blue sofa and arm chair, a set of oak end tables with a matching coffee table, and a metal TV stand, which was missing a TV.
     
    “Wow, they couldn’t include a TV?” Carla asked.
     
    I shrugged. “I guess they don’t consider a TV furniture.”
     
    I stepped into the kitchen to find that it was fully equipped—including a microwave oven. There was even a compact washer and dryer set.
     
    “At least we won’t have to go to the laundromat,” I said.
     
    Carla rolled her eyes. “Yay.”
     
    I sighed. “Carla, what did you expect? A penthouse?”
     
    “No, just not thi s.”
     
    “Well, we can make it feel like home. I’m gonna go and pick out my bedroom.”
     
    “Yeah, sure. Doesn’t matter to me,” she muttered.
     
    I shook my head and continued through the apartment. I checked out both bedrooms and settled on the smaller of the two since it included a window that overlooked the pool.
     
    I took a seat on the bed and checked my phone. No missed calls. Tiff must be staying pretty busy , I thought. I hadn’t heard from her in a couple of days, but I didn’t want to bother her. I sat there for a moment and caught my breath. The next day would be my first day of work at St. Louis’s University Hospital.
     
     
     
    ~*~
     
     
     
    I stifled a yawn as I sat in one of the conference rooms within University Hospital. It was 8:00 A.M., I hadn’t slept well in my new, temporary home, and I had the bags under my eyes to prove it. I brought a Styrofoam cup of stale coffee to my lips and took a sip, hoping it would jolt me out of my drowsy state. Next to me sat Carla, who’d evidently slept well and was wide awake.
     
    The room was full of a variety of scrub-clad men and women, some permanent employees and others temporary help like Carla and me. We were all waiting for the orientation session to begin.
     
    The 356-bed hospital employed hundreds of healthcare professionals and, like many other facilities of its kind across the nation, it was experiencing a nursing shortage on top of a strike. Evidently, they were in need of other staff as well, which explained the presence of Carla and several other respiratory therapists and ancillary staff members.
     
    Carla leaned over and whispered, “How you holding up, Marli? You gonna make it?”
     
    I nodded. “Yeah, you know I specialize in functioning on minimal sleep.”
     
    “Yeah, me, too.”
     
    Our conversation was halted by a loud voice coming from the front of the room. Speaking was a petite woman who wore a bright smile and a stark white shirt. An ID badge hung from the left side of the shirt’s stiff collar.
     
    “Good morning. I know all of you are anxious to get started and to be dismissed. I’m April Hence, the training coordinator here at the hospital, and I wanna first thank you for choosing to work here at University Hospital, and I also wanna extend a warm welcome on behalf of the CEO,” she said. And with that, orientation began.
     
    Three hours later, we were handed our floor assignments.
     
    Carla nudged me. “Ha! ICU! I’m so happy.”
     
    Carla had always loved working in the critical care areas of the hospital. She was a true adrenaline junkie.  I really didn’t care where I worked.
     
    “Well, good for you.” I unfolded my own slip of paper. “ER,” I read aloud.
     
    I wasn’t surprised about the assignment. I’d worked in so many areas at the hospital back home, I figured they’d want me in a critical area.
     
    “Wow, that should be interesting. This is like the trauma hospital for this area,” Carla said.
     
    I nodded. “Yeah, shouldn’t be a dull moment, huh?”
     
    After we were dismissed, we went to check out our work areas and meet our new supervisors. Then we went home to rest up. Both Carla and I were scheduled to begin working our regular shifts the