Until Autumn

Her eyes narrow as she walks around the front of her desk, leaning against it and crossing her arms over her chest. “So, you’re the student who got stuck in the elevator? You’ve been here less than two hours and already have stories circling about you.”

“I … shit. Really?”

She nods. “Let’s get one thing straight. I run a tight ship around here. There’s a reason we have the best maternity ward in the state. I do not tolerate tardiness, and I certainly do not tolerate drama, and you, Autumn Mathers have drama written all over you.”

I shake my head. “I swear, I’m anything but drama. You can count on me.”

“You broke countless health and safety rules this morning. I should have you fired on the spot.”

My eyes bug out of my head, horror taking over me. “Excuse me? What do you mean?” I panic, going back over every little thing that happened this morning and coming up blank. “I did the very best I could in a difficult situation. You can hardly punish me for that.”

“I can and I will. Your actions this morning put one of our patients in danger. Did you use gloves?”

“I … well, no. I had none on me. I hadn’t started my shift yet.”

“Then you sanitized first?”

I shake my head, dread sinking into my stomach. “I had none in my bag. I … I didn’t even think about that. The baby was already coming. It was either catch it or let it fall to the ground. I did what I had to do in a horrible situation.”

Patricia studies me for a moment before turning back to her desk and rifling through some papers. She grabs a thick stack before shoving them into my hands. “I expect a full, detailed report of this morning’s incident on my desk by lunchtime. I’m going to be hearing about this from my superiors for weeks to come, and I swear, you better prove your worth and show me that you deserve to be here. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to show you the door.”

I nod, holding the papers close to my chest as I feel doom creeping up on me. “I promise. I’ll be the best midwife you’ve ever seen. I swear you won’t have any trouble with me from now on. I’ll have these papers back on your desk in no time.”

Her eyes narrow, not trusting my word one bit. “Right,” she says. “Now, you’ve missed your orientation. The rest of the students have already been broken up and given their assignments for the day.”

“Oh, Dr. Mayson has already requested that I be on his service.”

Her eyes somehow narrow further. “He has, has he?” I nod and a suspicious smirk pulls at her lips. “I guess I won’t need to find a punishment for you after all. It seems that’s already been taken care of.”

“I’m sorry?” I ask, confusion bubbling inside of me. “Dr. Mayson seemed very impressed with my efforts. I understood it as a reward for delivering the baby safely.”

Patricia chokes back a laugh, the amusement in her eyes nearly insulting, but I get the impression that she’s laughing at the situation, not at my idiocy. “Oh, honey. You have a lot to learn about the doctors of this hospital, and I suggest you learn it fast.”

Just great.

I let out a heavy sigh and go to leave before stopping myself. “Do you know where I can find him?”

“He should be just down the hall in one of the birthing suites. Either room four or five.”

I nod, pressing my lips together and starting to doubt myself about everything that went down this morning. “Thanks.”

Patricia gives me a tight smile. “Be sure to check in with me regularly, and if you’re unsure of something, always, always check with me first. We are not in the habit of making errors around here, especially when we are dealing with tiny humans. Is that understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Don’t call me ma’am.”

“Got it.”

Patricia pushes off her desk and grabs a stack of papers before handing them over too. “You’re going to have to fill out all of this before you meet with Dr. Mayson, and at some point today, introduce yourself to Dr. Harding. Both he and Dr. Mayson will be your assessing doctors throughout your training program, and it is best to keep in their good graces. But a word of warning, they will be hard on you. They each only accept perfection, so that is what you will strive for.”

I nod, feeling an equal mix of nerves and excitement beginning to build within me. This training program is going to be a wild, thrilling adventure, and I can’t wait to get started. This right here is the beginning of the rest of my life. I can feel it right down in my bones. “Paperwork, report, always check first, meet Dr. Harding, and strive for perfection. Did I forget anything?”