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Showing posts from May, 2024

The Night Shift: A Story of Finding Independence

Amelia stared at her reflection in the break room mirror, adjusting her nurse's badge for the third time. First night shift. Solo. No preceptor watching over her shoulder. The fluorescent lights made her complexion look almost as pale as her scrubs, and the coffee in her thermos (her fourth cup today) wasn't helping the slight tremor in her hands. Her phone buzzed - her mother, again. The text read: "It's not too late to transfer to day shift. Night shift is dangerous for young women. Dad knows someone who can help." Amelia closed her eyes, counted to three, and didn't respond. Her parents meant well, but they'd been "meaning well" for twenty-six years, orchestrating everything from her choice of college to her apartment location. Taking the night shift position had been her first real act of rebellion - if you could call career advancement rebellion. "Hey, new girl!" Nurse Rodriguez popped his head in. "Ready? We've got incomi...