Doctors Orders (Book#1 Hope Ridge)

Chapter Eight- Summertime Blues

It's July and Ellie has abandoned me yet again. I hated that I couldn't even be upset by it because I knew they were doing great things for kids who wouldn't have had this opportunity otherwise. It was only a month that they'd be gone, but I was only six days in and already I was missing them both. Ellie was my routine normality outside of work. She kept matchmaking vultures away and enjoyed our hikes when I wanted to take more pictures with my fancy camera. Many of my pictures have been blown up and framed around not only my house but also Ellies, and even Mayor Richards asked for a few done around his property and family portraits.

I never charged any fees, I just had fun doing it. It was relaxing outside of work to just take pictures of the natural beauty around us.

I was starting to get requests from a few locals and was considering taking an offer for a wedding photographer gig.

If this medical career thing didn't pan out, I was building quite a portfolio for my work.

Without Ellie, I was less eager to wander and take pictures around town or in the forest. I was less and less eager to even leave the house.

Dr. Payne was an absolute tyrant and I wasn't sure I would be able to handle much more of his workplace bullying. I wasn't sure what it was that Dr. Payne had against me, but whenever he had the chance to humiliate or call me out in front of patients, he never hesitated.

It was becoming so much that a few patients spoke up for me. I really didn't want to consider leaving, but it was only six days and I was already contemplating how long I would be able to survive without my salary.

With smart spending, I could maybe do six-seven months on my savings.

If I did the wedding photographer gig, that would cover even more of my expenses. It was all looking very appealing. I didn't want Dr. Bergs to come back to that kind of mess, however. It wouldn't be very fair to them if I just quit without at least trying.

I just had to keep focused. Just three more weeks.

Three more long grueling weeks, but there was still light at the end of the tunnel.

With my work life in chaos and depressing, and I have not been going out much lately, I was definitely feeling the summertime blues starting. My parents and Tom were both starting to pick up on it when we talked on the phone. Sometimes I would be too sad or emotional to face time and I'd have to fib and make up some dumb story, but I knew neither believed it. They let it be for now, but the longer I went like that, the more they'd press on me to tell them what was going on. I wasn't best at hiding my emotions, especially when I was sad, so this was hard for them as much as it was for me.

Another week went by and it was scary how much I had changed. I was a walking shell of who I was in the spring. I hated that I felt trapped. It felt oddly familiar to how things were with Nate, though. The strange part was, I was fighting back. Well, sort of.

With Nate, I would have quivered and, "Yes Sir," my way through this hell.

Instead, I tuned him out. His baiting. His jabs, all of them I would just ignore. It bothered him, but I didn’t care to respond.

I wondered if I was becoming emotionally stronger or if Nate had truly damaged me to the point where this is considered mere child’s play?

My escape was daydreaming whenever I could find a moment just to get away from my depressing reality. Two more weeks. I just needed to make it another two more weeks.

In two more weeks, Dr. Bergs and Ellie would return and everything would go back to normal again. Ellie would come back with dozens of funny or cute stories about the kids or counselors at their camp. Dr. Bergs would return with harmony and patience at work and Dr. Payne's negativity would fade away into the background until he was able to bring it back out again next summer.

Maybe I could go on vacation next summer and not have to bother with it at all. I could spend the month visiting my parents and Tom. That sounded incredible, actually. How could I swindle a month though?

"Are you trying to anger me or are you just that stupid?" Dr. Payne's voice brought me out of my daydream of being anywhere else but here. "Well? Answer me."

Sighing, I accepted that I was back within my hellish reality with Dr. Payne-in-my-ass literally inches from where I sat and stared down at me as though I were the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen.

"Dr. Payne, I highly doubt..." Mrs. Pope voiced from where she sat in the small waiting room with her granddaughter who had just turned nine and, for her birthday, caught a summer cold. Dr. Payne's softened slightly as he raised his hand to stop Mrs. Pope from finishing.

"Mrs. Pope, although I appreciate your compassion for your fellow woman, Nurse Collins messed up the appointment log and double booked both you and Mr. Filps for the same time. This is unacceptable. There were no mistakes before this moron was transferred here. No wonder the other clinic was relieved to be rid of her."

"Dr. Payne, with all due respect, I never booked Mr. Filps. You did. Mrs. Pope and her granddaughter have been booked for a few days now. You booked your personal friend Mr. Filps late last night. When I mentioned you overlapped, you said you make the calls here and I should mind my own business. As for my transfer, I came highly referred by a doctor a lot more qualified than you. I ask that you keep your personal opinions of my position here to yourself and not with patients. It’s highly unprofessional."

Dr. Payne didn't like that I had corrected him and told the patients waiting that it was him who made the oversight, not myself. As well as calling his inappropriateness out, calmly. I wasn’t going to feed into this aggression.

His face turned red, as did his neck. "How dare you try and humiliate me in front of my patients. Do you have... "

I stood up from where I sat on my chair calmly and turned to meet him head on. He was trying to intimidate me based on his physical size and gender, but he has never met my father. Harold "Harry" Collins is one of the largest men I have ever met. He stands six foot three and is built like a brick wall from all the heavy mechanics. No one will ever intimidate me with a beast of a man for a dad. This paper-pusher throwing a tantrum because of his mess-up sure isn't going to.

"Dr. Payne, I have tolerated quite enough of your temper and outbursts through no fault of my own. I do not need to work for a clinic that is okay with the idea of bullying or patronizing of staff. Consider this my resignation effective immediately and I look forward to explaining to Dr. Bergs exactly why I left his clinic after he actively recruited me from across the country. Good luck running this clinic without a trained nurse, Dr. Payne because I won't return under your supervision again."

I turned to Mrs. Popes, who sat there with her jaw dropped and smiled. "Mrs. Popes, I hope you understand my stance and I hope that little Sandy gets in to get checked out... as I scheduled her to be yesterday."

With that, I grabbed my leather messenger bag and travel coffee mug and left with a big smile on my face. For the first time in what felt like years, I was out from underneath Dr. Payne's thumb. I was free to enjoy my summer and beat away this summertime blues, otherwise known as, The Reign of Payne.

I just hoped that Ellie and Dr. Bergs understood why I couldn't do it any longer. The old Ruby would've just stuck it out and accepted her place. Not the new Ruby. The new Ruby was putting herself first, as she should've done a long time ago.

Better late than never, right?

Time to break the news to my parents. Time to break the news to Tom. I hoped he wouldn't be upset with me. He worked hard to get me this position and I didn't want him to think that I was in any way ungrateful. I wasn't. Everything Tom has done for me will always make me smile. I was very grateful to Tom. I just hoped he respected my decision and supported it.