FIRST SHIFT, FIRST MISTAKE
720 Words
Ella Morgan had a small problem.
Actually, it was a big problem.
She was starting to enjoy nursing school.
And that scared her.
Because when she first arrived in London, everything felt like a disaster waiting to happen. The weather was rude, the transport system confused her, and her accommodation situation had nearly broken her confidence.
But now?
She had a routine.
Wake up.
Rush.
Attend lectures.
Try not to embarrass herself.
Fail at the last part.
Somehow, she was beginning to feel like she belonged.
Almost.
Ella stood in front of the mirror, fixing her hair before her first hospital placement.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Professional. Calm. Mature.”
She paused.
Then looked at herself.
“Definitely not the girl who fought a pen in class.”
She smiled.
“Progress.”
The hospital was bigger than she expected.
The moment she walked inside, everything changed.
The sound of footsteps.
The smell of disinfectant.
The quiet urgency of healthcare workers moving from one place to another.
This wasn’t just a classroom anymore.
These were real patients.
Real responsibilities.
Ella took a deep breath.
“This is what I came here for.”
Her classmates gathered near the ward entrance.
Some looked excited.
Others looked terrified.
One student whispered:
“I heard a patient shouted at a nurse yesterday.”
Another replied:
“I would cry.”
Ella raised an eyebrow.
“Why are we discussing crying before we even enter?”
The girls laughed.
A student named Sophie smiled at her.
“You’re funny. I like you.”
Ella smiled back.
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or a warning.”
Then a familiar voice interrupted.
“Good morning.”
Everyone became quiet.
Ella didn’t need to turn around.
She already knew.
Daniel Scott.
He stood with a folder in his hand, looking more serious than usual.
Today wasn’t a classroom.
Today was the hospital.
“Your first placement is not about proving you know everything,” he said.
“It’s about learning how to care.”
Ella listened carefully.
For once, she wasn’t distracted.
Daniel looked around.
“Remember something important. Patients are not assignments. They are people.”
The words stayed with Ella.
She understood why he was respected.
He wasn’t just teaching skills.
He was teaching responsibility.
Ella was assigned to help an elderly patient.
She walked in confidently.
“Good morning, I’m Ella. I’ll be assisting today.”
The elderly woman smiled.
“Lovely. Are you new?”
Ella nodded.
“Yes, very new.”
The woman laughed.
“I can tell.”
Ella blinked.
“Is it that obvious?”
The woman looked at her name tag.
“You’re holding it upside down.”
Ella froze.
She looked down.
The woman was right.
“Oh.”
A pause.
Then Ella smiled.
“First lesson of the day: always check your own name.”
The woman laughed.
Unfortunately…
Daniel walked past at that exact moment.
And heard everything.
Ella noticed him.
Her face immediately changed.
Of course.
Of course he saw.
Later, as she walked out of the room, Daniel approached.
“Miss Morgan.”
She stopped.
“Yes sir?”
He glanced at her name tag.
“Improvement.”
Ella looked confused.
“What?”
“The other day your pen attacked you.”
A small pause.
“Today, your name tag did.”
She stared at him.
Was Daniel Scott making jokes?
Actually making jokes?
Ella tried not to smile.
“I’m improving slowly.”
“I noticed,” he replied.
The words were simple.
But something about the way he said them made her pause.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then Daniel cleared his throat.
“Continue your rounds.”
“Yes sir.”
He walked away.
Ella watched him leave.
Then shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed at herself.
“Absolutely not.”
A nurse passing by looked at her strangely.
Ella smiled awkwardly.
“Talking to myself. Normal.”
The nurse nodded slowly.
“Sure.”
That evening, Ella returned to her room exhausted.
But for the first time since arriving in London…
she wasn’t thinking about what could go wrong.
She was thinking about what could go right.
And maybe…
just maybe…
Daniel Scott wasn’t as intimidating as she first thought.
- Writer
