Again?
1124 Words
Hilda knew she wasn't going to be able to fill the position overnight. She made the employee schedule to try and cover the empty position. She imagined no one would be happy about it so she made sure she could cover the majority of it herself. Dr. Asklepios told her to do what she could but not over extend herself. He would still need her to manage the office. Once people look past the details of the retirement home, they really become family. There are several on staff that have been there for quite a few years. Some longer. Some oddly enough, longer than normal. When the resident doctor requested she hire for a few new positions as his clientele was growing, she thought it would be easy to find new faces. Bring new, younger people into the manor. They would bring a fresh outlook and she would help them grow to be part of the team. It hasn't worked no matter how she approached it. At first, she'd keep their duties small. Even the higher certified nurses. They would be assigned easy duties on the wings of the manor that didn't need too much attention. They did have clients that lived full lives. It was a retirement center. Most clients were there by choice. Some were there because they had no one else and couldn't safely live alone. But, there were some there that needed to be watched constantly. Those were the ones on the lower floors. Those were the residents that Hilda wouldn't put on the new employees the first month or two, or three. Some, even a year. She had several orderlies and nurses that were very knowledgeable of the individuals that resided in those areas. But, the majority of them come and go as they please and only need minor assistance.
She thought Agnes might be ready soon to meet the residence on the lower floors. She was wrong. Obviously. She couldn't even get Agnes to answer the phone. She attempted to call several times to make sure she was ok. Nothing. Jessy checked on Frank but he was asleep by the time he made it to that floor and looked in on him. She would be sure to check again before her shift was over.
Jessy was right, as much as she hates to admit it and thinking about it, he's been right a lot lately. They have been through several new hires in the past year. She couldn't blame them all on Frank, although he did help the last two leave. The sisters did make "impressions" on several themselves. Her favorite nurse retired last year. Madaline. Once she left, filling the spot was impossible. Then trying to find two more on top of that is about to make her lose her mind.
"I can't lose anymore." She muttered, still staring at her computer screen. "Maybe I introduce them to the special cases too quickly."
But, she thought to herself, she wouldn't make that mistake again. After the sisters chased Ned and Denice off a few months ago, she made adjustments to ensure she wouldn't relive that nightmare. The sisters' schedules were changed and Gert worked the shift so they would be more active. Gert is one of her best nurses and works at the nurses station on the lower floors. She's worked with Dr. Asklepios for a long time, even before he became resident at the manor. She wondered if Gert would ever retire. The woman has to be ancient. But, Gert comes in every day ready to tackle the hard cases from behind her counter station. She keeps her nurses in order, her CNAs in line and the orderlies working efficiently. Hilda wishes she could clone her and put her on each floor. Not that all of her head nurses weren't great in their own way. She just never had to check in on Gert. But, Gert has been doing this job since before Hilda was born. No sense in it. Even the doctors don't mess with Gert. She can be very intimidating. Feisty!
Then there was the incident with Cleo. She wasn't on the lower levels. She is one of the wealthier retirees. She lived on the top most level in an apartment that met her "needs' '. More like her lifestyle. She was still assisted when need be. Hilda was out that evening and Jessy decided he would show their newest member how to "handle" Cleo. Everything was fine until Jessy brought up snakes. Cleo called the orderlies and had both Jessy and Bernice, the new nurse, thrown out. Bernice was so distraught, she didn't come back. Jessy laughed as he explained it to Hilda the next day. Gert was in charge that evening and all she could do was mutter "That boy has got to go." and she left Hilda with the mess. She knew Jessy had a lot of growing up to do, but he did his job and it wasn't necessary to ask him twice to do something. He worked every day he was scheduled and he would volunteer to work if needed. She could rely on him. She could rely on a lot of her staff. Looking back at what she could compare it to, she considered herself blessed with the ones that stuck around. With the exception of Gus.
She's not sure where Gus came from. He's just been here. He was here before Dr. Asklepios and Gert. Before the previous resident doctor. She can remember someone telling her he was here when the building was remodeled for use as a retirement home. Something about him knew the family that donated the manor and land for a retirement home. Almost like Gus had to come with the building or no deal. Gus was an odd man. Tall, skinny. Always wore his blue uniform. Even on days he was off. But, he was always there, working. He lived in a small home on the land. Near the maintenance garage. Again, it was a package deal. Gus was groundskeeper, custodian, maintenance, and all around handyman. Because he knew everything about the building and land, he was also the head of the grounds department. Hilda found it odd, anytime she had a question he would just show up. Seemingly out of nowhere. He did that to everyone. She wouldn't be surprised if he were in two places at one time.
"Creepy". She said as she stood up and headed to the filing cabinet. She really needed to focus on these ads so she could get some help here. So she turned back around and sat to start back on it again. She was determined to find a good fit or maybe even two!
- Writer
