My Fake Lieutenant Boyfriend

Chapter 10: Katie

I gasped when I heard the news about Officer Barks being escorted out of the prison. I never thought I would be here for something like that, but sure enough, I was.

I shake my head as I continue the sick call that this inmate placed last night. He is claiming that his head is pounding and in turn he is demanding that I give him something other than Tylenol or Ibuprofen. I shake my head as he starts to blab about how I don’t care about him or his pain and I just fold my arms over my chest and sit back in my chair as he continues to run off at the mouth.

“How could you be a nurse if you don’t care about your patients?! You won’t give me what I want and need! Tylenol and Ibuprofen don’t touch this pain in my head! You don’t even care!” He slams his hands on his thighs as a sign of aggression.

I sigh and shake my head. “Well, have you fallen or hit your head on something?”

“No, you stupid b***h, I haven’t!” The inmate caused a significant chain reaction with his words.

The officer who was with me during the encounter grabbed him by the back of his jumpsuit. I sat forward and slammed my hand on the desk. The inmate paled a little as the fire lit behind my eyes and I knew I was getting pissed. I do have to say, I am my father’s daughter after all.

“Don’t you ever call me that again. I’m not a stupid b***h… I am the mother f*****g queen b***h and I will be recognized as such. YOU do not get to call me that though and you have done messed up… This encounter is over. If you need us don’t hesitate to come see us, but we are done. Good day.”

“What the f**k!” The inmate starts to try and fight the officer as he drags him out of the health care unit and literally throws him into the hallway.

The older officer sighs and walks over and sits down across from me. “I’m getting too old for this, little lady. I don’t know what it is, but since you came along, these inmates have started to show out more and more.”

I smirk and shake my head. “If I had to guess, it is because I am new blood here. They are doing their best to put me through my paces and I won’t give them the satisfaction of demanding what they want from me.” I shake my head and sigh. “I’m so sorry, but I don’t think I ever caught your name.”

The older officer smirks and nods his head. “I’m officer Tomlin. I’ve been a corrections officer for about twenty years and before that I was a sheriff down in South Alabama.”

I smile and nod my head. “I think I remember Officer Parks saying something about that. He told me that you were an awesome choice to have stationed here in the medical unit.”

He smirks and nods his head. “I just hope that whatever goes on, we can handle it.” He sighs and smacks the top of his thighs as he rocks to stand up. “Oh… Well, I guess I need to figure out what else I need to do today since we are a man short. I know they are going to be pulling us all over the place to try and cover everything.”

I smile and nod my head as he leaves the health care unit and heads on to his next assignment. I sigh and turn towards one of my licensed practical nurses and shake my head slowly. “Do you think that inmate is going to make an issue over what just happened?”

The older nurse shrugs her shoulders and smirks as she sits down next to me. “He is going to try, but he won’t succeed. You did your job, baby girl. There is nothing more you could have done. Our standing orders don’t offer narcotics and they barely offer over the counter drugs. He better be happy that you didn’t kick him in the teeth after what he said to you.”

I giggle and nod my head. “Yeah… my mama didn’t raise a little b***h, and if she did, it was my brother.”

The nurse starts to laugh. “I have to say, I like the queen b***h line too. Where did you get that line from?”

I giggle and shake my head. “One of my friend’s older sisters. She used that line to a guy who called her a dumb b***h because she wouldn’t let him grope her ass when she was about seventeen. Needless to say, that encounter I witnessed stayed with me and I am not about to let it go.” I sigh and stretch my body to help loosen my muscles. “What time is it?”

The older nurse, Nurse Cole, sighed and shook her head. “It is going on eight o’clock. They should start count in the next five minutes and then we have to get through our nine o’clock pill call and then we get to go home. I have to say, it has been a long shift, but I know it could have been so much worse.”

I giggle and nod my head. “You are absolutely correct. I do have to say, I enjoy working with you. You seem to be more willing to help me out when I need it than some of the others. It is sad, but it is true.”

She smiles and shakes her head. “You know what they say about nurses, baby. We eat our young. I think what is making it so much easier for me to help you out is the fact you don’t care that I am an LPN. You just see me as a nurse.”

I shake my head and smile, “Well, you are a nurse. God knows you have been a nurse longer than me.”

Nurse Cole laughs and shakes her head. “Honey, I have been a nurse longer than you have been alive. I’ve been nursing for over thirty years and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.”

I giggle and nod my head. “Then I hope you will teach me everything you know and then some… How long have you been working in the corrections part of nursing?”

She smirks and starts to think. “I started working in corrections about ten years after I got my license. So, it's been about twenty-five years or so. I do have to say, I love being here compared to the hospital setting.”

I sigh and nod my head. “I have to agree. I knew I would never work well in a hospital. I have to smile and pretend that I love being there every second of every day and I can already tell you, I am not cut out for that. I can’t pretend to care about every patient who walks through the door when I know they don’t even care about themselves. I also can’t commit to making them happy when what they are wanting isn’t what is safe for them.”

Nurse Cole nods her head. “You’re right… I started off in the hospital and I have to say, I always hated giving pain meds, especially when the patient’s blood pressure was eighties over nothing and they were asleep when I walked through the door to give it to them. That always seemed so stupid to me. If you can rest like that, you aren’t in any pain whatsoever.”

I giggle and nod my head as we finish off our shift together and we get ready to go home. As I was walking out of the prison with Josh and Nick hot on my heels, I said goodbye to them and headed to my car. When I climbed in, something felt a bit off, but I wasn’t sure what it was. Could it be that the steering wheel was turned a bit differently?

I shook my head as I went to crank my car and when it turned over, finally, the check engine light came on. f**k. I sigh as I start to think about what all it could be, but I don’t dwell on the thought since I know everything is going to be fine. It has to be fine. I’ve had this car since I was in high school. Nothing is wrong with it, so I must just need an oil change or something. I smile as I make the plan to take the car in after my first paycheck to get it looked at. I know I could just take it to my dad, but I don’t want to rely on him so heavily right now. I wave to Josh as I drive past him head home for the night.