Jake's Shorts
Working Beth
She'd been called the Local Playboy since she was in sixth grade. The boys always told her God had blessed her at an early age. At that time, Beth considered her "blessing" added baggage she had to tote around in soccer.
In the sixth grade Beth was twelve, and that was a decade ago. She no longer considered her two blessings baggage, but she'd learned to live with them. Beth had a mechanism to keep the "boys" away. Her mother called it ambition. Her preacher called it faith. And her father called it opinionated. Whichever it was, she prided herself on it.
She had time for little boys, but only if they were under the age of twelve. She had time for men, but only if they could see around her two blessings.
At five-feet four-inches, she was short. Her green eyes had a resilience in them that spoke a truthful language. No one had ever been able to lie to her while staring into them. Her mother said it was a gift from the All Mighty. Maybe that was her true blessing.
She pulled her light frames off her nose and rubbed away a spec on her glasses with her shirt while paused at red light. Beth grinned to herself remembering how her little brother always called them goggles. In truth, the glasses were little more than a thin strand of silver decorating two glass lenses, but the young had a vision all their own. She placed the glasses back on as the light turned green.
Five minutes later she pulled into the office of Dr. Stanson, one of the town's optometrists. She parked the car and entered the office.
"Morning, Beth."
"Good morning, Sally. Did you have a good weekend?"
Sally smiled, "An interesting weekend if nothing else. David decided it was time we take at look at the famous Karma Sutra book."
Beth couldn't stop the sly grin that brightened her face. A small giggle came from her, "Oh really?"
Sally's face lit up, too, "Oh yeah." She scratched her inner ear with a finger, "It was most definitely an interesting couple of days."
"Days?"
The blush came in full force to Sally's face, "Yeah…"
Beth cleared her throat and walked around to the other side of the bar, "So how was it for you?"
"Well… I'll tell you this, it's not called the 'Splitting Bamboo' position for nothing."
Beth lost herself in laughter for a moment. Sally didn't hold back either.
Jill came around from a corner holding a folder and looked up at the two of them.
"It's not even 8:30 yet and the two of you are all ready rolling. What did I miss?"
Sally fanned herself, "I don't know if it's something I should repeat."
Jill rolled her eyes, "You're no help. Beth?"
"I'll say two words, and then no more."
Jill waited patiently for them.
"Karma. Sutra."
Sally and Beth started rolling in laughter again.
"You two are dangerous. I'm going to get to work. You two let me know when you've settled down enough to join me. Dr. Stanson said he'd be a little late this morning. So we're to 'take our time' with the first patient."
"He's always late," Beth said.
"Yeah, but he's also like a hundred and ninety-seven. He's allowed to be late," Sally smiled.
"That's true. Plus he's a real sweetheart."
Jill closed the folder and pointed it at Beth, "You just remember those words the next time he tries to peek down your scrubs at the beginning of the next operation."
Beth smiled, "That's why I wear an extra shirt underneath, dear."
Jill looked defeated," Oh… uh- I'll be in there."
Jill left the other two women.
Sally turned on all the lights, unlocked the front door, and booted up the computers while Beth readied the paper work for the oncoming day.
The first patient came through the door promptly at 9:05. Beth signed her in and told her to have a seat.
"The doctor will be with you shortly."
"I should hope so! It's 9:05 and I'm the first patient in. Really! I don't understand why you people are so rude as to schedule me at 9:05 if you can't get me in until 10:00."
"Ma'am, I'm sure it won't be more than ten minutes."
"What do you people do from eight to nine? Look out the windows?"
Beth maintained her smiled, "No ma'am, we prep the offices for the patients and the doctor-" she glanced down suddenly at Ms. Sampson's feet, "My, those are beautiful shoes. Don't tell me you were able to find those at a store in town?"
Ms. Sampson, distracted from her anger, followed Beth's gaze down to her apparel. "No, actually, I didn't. My late husband bought them for me in France a year ago for our 45th wedding anniversary."
Rising, Beth took one last look at the shoes, "Well, your husband was surely a man of good taste."
Ms. Sampson beamed, "And a good man surely."
"I don't quite understand how you can manage her like that, Beth." Sally started as Beth came to their side of the bar, "Every time Ms. Sampson comes in, I fell like there's acid in my veins. She gives me a headache."
Beth smiled in return, "Well, I tell you what, you tell me all about the 'Splitting Bamboo' and I'll try to enlighten you about patience."
Sally only shook her head and let out a single laugh. She busied herself with her work.
Jill came out a few minutes later and called for Ms. Sampson. It turned out that Dr. Stanson wasn't as late as he'd though he'd be.
"Ms. Sampson," Dr. Stanson was saying, "If you could have a seat right here. Now, the OR is prepped, but I just want to take one more look at that eye before we start." The doctor took an old, gentle hand and helped to ease Ms. Sampson's head into position behind the lenses.
"How's it looking?" she asked.
"Hmm, well. It's not better, but I didn't expect it to be." He leaned back from his chair, "You do have someone else coming in to drive you, don't you?"
"Oh, yes. My daughter should be here-"
A knock came at the door.
Beth peeked her beautiful face into the room, "Dr. Stanson, Ms. Sampson's daughter is here."
Ms. Sampsom smiled. The Doctor did, too.
"Beth, would you please take Ms. Sampson to see her daughter and then ready her for the OR?"
"Yes, Doctor," Beth came and gently escorted Ms. Sampson back to the waiting room.
"It nice to have some one with you through these things."
"My daughter is a good woman."
Beth looked up to a woman in her middle thirties, "Would you follow me, please?"
She lead them both to the perop room. Ms. Sampson's daughter followed Beth out the door.
"Is there anything special I need to do while she recovers?"
"Not really. Make sure you're with her whenever she walks. But other than that, just be her daughter."
The woman smiled.
Still trying to ease the worry on the woman's face, Beth placed a hand on her shoulder, "You don't need to worry. This is a fairly simple procedure and we do them all the time."
The woman smiled, "Thank you," and reentered the room.
Beth walked down a short corridor of sorts and game to OR1. She entered. Dr. Stanson and Jill were already busy with prepping machines and other such things. Beth walked up to the metal table and threw over a green cloth.
Dr. Stanson and Jill eye her suspiciously. After a few moments, Beth notices the looks out of the corner of her eyes.
"What!?"
Jill smiles and points to Dr. Stanson.
The doc smiles and pulls out a beautifully wrapped gift as Sally walks in, "Surprise! Today you've officially been here one year!"
Beth's face brighten even more, "If this is lingerie of any sort, I'm going to punch you."
Dr. Stanson only smiled and proffered her the gift.
She quickly tore into, but being sure not to litter the OR with paper. Within she found a plaque. As she looked over its reflective surface, she suddenly realized that it was a poem she'd written a year ago. She looked up to Jill in confusion.
"We sent it off to a contest sponsored by USA Today. It's being publish in next Sunday's paper as the First Place Winner!"
Beth cupped a hand to her mouth, "Oh my!"
"And!" Sally added, "You've won $2,500 as a prize."
"Wow! Oh, this is great!" she took the time to hug each one personally, "Thank you, so much. I'm taking you all out to lunch!"
"Hell yeah!" Dr. Stanson almost shouted.
The female eyes fell on him.
"I mean… that's good. You pay for our lunches tomorrow. Today's is on me. But first, let's help Ms. Sampson see better."
Beth nodded. She walked out of the OR eyeing her plaque. She placed it on the reception desk. After one last loving look at what her friends had done for her, she walked back to Ms. Sampson's waiting room.
"Are you ready, Ms. Sampson?"
The old woman smiled.
"You'll have to wait at the reception area until the surgery is over."
"All right," the daughter said, "I'll be right outside waiting for you, Mom."
The two women squeezed hands.
With a smile, Beth pushed the wheel chair out of a corner and stopped it before the older woman.
"I'm not that brittle, dear."
"I realize that, but it's the rules. And if you give me any lip about it, I have doctor's orders to sedate you first…"
Ms. Sampson posed not further objections and sat in the chair.
Beth wheeled her the short distance to the OR.
Upon entering the room Dr. Sampson greated the elderly lady, "Ms. Samspon! Are you ready to throw away those spectacles?"
The lady smiled, "I'd be happy to be able distinguish between my brother's face and a prune.
The doctor smiled, "Are you sure there's enough of a difference to notice?"
Ms. Sampson, who was only slightly older than the doctor, laughed.
"All right, dear. I need you to get up on this big, cold table."
Beth and Jill each took a side of Ms. Sampson and helped her to the table.
An IV had already been plugged into her arm by Sally several minutes ago. The doctor attached the plug to the anesthesia.
"Ms. Sampson, in about twenty seconds you're going to fill sleepy. Just go with the flow."
"Will I be awake during… during… during the operation…"
"Not really. I can't fully sedate you, otherwise the oxygen flow to the eyes is to low, but you won't be awake enough to know what's going on."
Finally, the nervousness that was present in Ms. Sampson's tense muscles was released as she fell to the powers of the anesthesia.
The doctor moved his optical lenses into place over her right eye. Once everything was positioned properly, he turned and looked up, "Jill? Would you get us started?"
Jill turned to a radio at a nearby shelf and hit the on switch.
"Hey, Taco, today's Thursday. Do you know what that means?" came an announcer.
"It's Stripper Thursday!" came the reply
"Woo hoo!" said the doc and the other DJ simultaneously.
"But find us something more… soothing, Jill."
"Gladly!"
Jill found a soft rock station and adjusted the volume.
The doc called Beth over, "Do you want to come watch this first insission? You may be doing this yourself some day."
"Oh, sure."
"Right here, just above the pupil. Do you see that grayish spec that almost looks like a small crumb?"
"Yeah."
"Normally, if a patient is diagnosed early enough prescription eye drops can take care of it. But in Ms. Sampson's case, it's been a rapid growth and immediate surgery is needed to prevent it from taking away her vision."
As the doctor started making his first cut, Beth stepped back with her face in consternation.
"Mmm…"
"Are you okay, Beth?"
"Yeah. I think I'm fine. I just got this sudden headache," she cupped a hand to her head. "I'm going to sit down for a minute."
Jill and Dr. Sampson eyed one another.
"Sure, sure. Do you want to sit this one out?"
"No, no. I'll be fine," a sudden wave of nausea swept Beth down to her feet. Her body went rigged and straight. Her head and neck began pounding against the cold marble floor of the OR. He scalp started bleeding. One of her wrists fractured itself as it impacted again, and again, and again on the hard floor. Her eyes were white, having rolled into the back of her head.
The doctor and Jill didn't breath for an instant, not knowing what to do. Then, suddenly, there was an audible snap, and Beth moved no more. A slight lump pushed out from the smooth skin at her seventh vertebrae.
The doctor's hand, still holding his incision device, shook so badly it freed itself from his hands and feel to the floor, bringing a painful ringing to the otherwise still operating room.
"Call an ambulance, Jill, now."
With dread in her eyes Jill flew out of the OR shouting for Sally to pick up the phone.
The doctor stepped down to her body, and with a shaking hand, felt for her pulse. He checked her neck. He checked her wrist. And with one last prayer, he checked her other wrist… nothing.
More so to himself than anyone else, he said, "Call her mother instead…"
In loving memory of Carrie Parker