Fifteen years as an ER nurse. Collapsed at work Tuesday. The medic who climbed in – I hadn’t seen him in eleven years.
Derek. I trained him. He trusted me completely.
We worked together at St. Anthony’s. He was twenty-seven, new, eager. I was his preceptor.
There was a med error on a pediatric case. Eight-year-old kid. He was fine – caught it in time. But the hospital launched an investigation.
I’d drawn up the syringe. Derek administered it because I told him the dose. When the charge nurse asked who was responsible, I said DEREK drew it up.
He got suspended. I got promoted. He left St. Anthony’s six months later and I NEVER said a word.
Told myself for ELEVEN YEARS it was his job to verify. That I hadn’t technically lied. That he should have checked.
Tuesday, Derek knelt next to me in the ambulance. Took my vitals. Steady hands. He read my wristband, then looked at me.
“Hey, Nicole.”
I pulled my arm away. Told him I wanted a different medic. The other EMT in the back stared at me like I’d lost my mind.
Derek said, “That’s fine.” Then he looked at the other EMT. “She doesn’t like when people check her work. RIGHT, Nicole?”
My whole face went hot.
Nobody said anything. The monitor beeped. The young EMT looked between us like he was watching something detonate.
Derek finished his report in silence. Professional the WHOLE time. When they rolled my stretcher up to the ER bay, he handed off to the attending like I was any other patient. My friends are split – one says I was in shock, another says I made it worse by refusing care from someone I wronged and never owned it.
Then Derek leaned down. Close enough that only I could hear.
“I forgave you a long time ago, Nicole. But you need to know what happened to that kid after you – “
For more wild stories, check out There Was a Second Chart at the Foot of My Patient’s Bed, or read about when She Called Me a Threat for Identifying a Duck and My Seven-Year-Old Asked Me One Question and I Haven’t Recovered Since.
