Our Duty

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A couple of days after her patriotic exhibition, Polly, dressed in white surgical scrubs, stomped from the operating room. She threw a handful of instruments into the enamel sink and gripped the sides. Her shoulders shook as she tried to stifle angry sobs. She fought for control as she heard someone enter.

“Polly, are you crying?”

She looked over her shoulder as another young nurse pulled off her mask. “Don’t let that pompous ass Jackson get to you.” Agnes Beat wrapped her arms around her friend but was met with a marble statue. “Polly, try to relax.”

Pushing away, Polly said, “Aggie, you’re right. I think I’ll call him Dr. Jackass from now on. Bet he thought it was real funny when I contaminated myself and had to leave.” She mimicked the surgeon, “What the hell! Don’t you know the difference between a retractor and a clamp?” Then she flung her hands in the air as if throwing instruments at

the wall.

“Don’t think about that. I don’t know if Jackson thought your frustration was funny, but his and Sister Gregory’s eyebrows almost hit the ceiling when we heard those instruments banging. D’ja chip the sink?” Aggie tried to lighten the air, as she pretended to examine the enamel.

“Why couldn’t he just ask for a different instrument if I made a mistake?” Polly ranted. “This is my first week on surgical rotation, and I’m scared to death. That prick just makes it worse. Doesn’t he know we’re student nurses?” She brushed at hot tears. “He was lucky that you or McHugh had another full set of instruments ready, or we’d be waiting for the autoclave to sterilize those he threw!”

Running water, Aggie replied, “Mary helped me adjust to surgical rotation and warned me about Jackson’s tantrums. She also told me to always prepare at least two surgical trays for him.” She handed instruments to Polly to dry. “You’re right, though; he’s a real ass in surgery but even worse out on the floor—gives me the willies.”

“I know exactly what you mean!” Polly gasped. “The first time he put his arm around my shoulder while giving post-op orders, I thought I’d puke! My sister Helen had warned me about him, but I couldn’t believe her stories until I saw him in action.” She furiously dried and polished instruments. “He is such a lech! I’d like to do a little snip, snip surgery between his legs!”

They immediately squelched giggles, becoming as quiet as soldiers at inspection when the door opened and a nun in surgical attire entered.

“Young ladies, is there any reason people who caused problems in surgery are laughing? Miss Garrity, I do not ever want to hear you throwing instruments and having a temper tantrum like a two-year-old! Do you understand?”

Aggie and Polly’s eyes met as Polly’s mouth flew open as though jerked by a marionette string. “But, Sister --”

“But what?Are you so impertinent to argue with your superior? You are a student nurse! Will we need to cancel your next weekend pass so you learn your place, Miss Garrity?”

“No, Sister, I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

Turning to Aggie, the nun continued, “Miss Beat, before finishing your surgical rotation, will you please attempt to teach your friend some proper operating room protocol?”

Aggie’s embarrassed, “Yes, ma’am,” was swallowed by the sound of a hollow, tinny voice grating through the intercom.

“Sister Gregory—Sister Gregory, are you out of surgery?”

Sister finished pulling off her cover as she jabbed the answer button.

“Sister Gregory here.”

“Sister, is Mary McHugh still assisting in surgery?”

“We’re finished, and she’s cleaning the O.R.”

“Can you spare her right away down here in emergency? We just received several patients from a head-on crash.”

“I’ll send her down.” Sister turned to the student nurses. “You two get that O.R. spotless before coming to class, and you’d better not be late.” She called into the surgical room, “Miss McHugh, you’re needed down in emergency. Bad car accident. It’ll be good practice for the gore you’ll be seeing in the Army.” At those words, Polly jerked a glance toward Sister.

“Well, Miss Garrity, stop dawdling and get out of the way so Mary can wash up and get to emergency and I can get ready to check on our surgery patient before class.”

Polly and Aggie were puzzled about leaving the instruments unfinished but moved toward the inner room where they passed a young nurse coming out of O.R.

“Sorry, ladies,” she whispered.

Before the door closed completely, Sister Gregory called to Polly, “One more thing, Miss Garrity…” Polly cringed and looked back. “I’ve heard some very nasty rumors about you up on the roof! I pray to our dear Lord they are just vicious chitchat. Do we need to have a private conversation about morals and the sixth commandment?”

Polly’s mouth gaped, and her eyes popped wide open before she gasped, “There’s no need, Sister. Whatever you heard must have been nasty gossip!”

“Well, I’d better not hear about any more deleterious behavior from you, Miss Garrity!” The tall, austere nun glanced back as she reached for the door handle. “I will see you ladies in class, and you had better be ready to explain in detail the new research about the heart. Now get that room cleaned!”

Aggie ran steaming water into a small sink in the operating room. She poured in carbolic detergent, tossed Polly a pair of surgical gloves, and whispered, “Put them on, even though they’re supposed to be

for surgery only. Our hands look and feel like tumble weeds. Patients probably sometimes wonder if we’re using sandpaper when we give them back rubs. Sure wish the nuns could find something easier to sterilize our hands and wash instruments.” She scrubbed the countertops as

Polly ripped soiled sheets from the surgical table.

A minute later, as she was gathering blood-soiled bandages from the floor, Polly hissed, “‘I had better not hear about any more deleterious behavior from you!’ What in the hell does ‘deleterious’ mean? Why doesn’t that old coot talk like normal people?”

“Shh, Polly, she’s probably listening.”

As though on cue, Mary McHugh poked her head in. “Sorry to leave you with the mess, but we can’t argue with Sister Gregory, or is it Gorgon?” She winked at Polly. “Don’t let her get to you, Garrity; you’re doing great for your first week. Gotta run. Bye, Aggie.”

She started to close the door, but Polly called, “Wait! Thanks, Mary, that means a lot. But, what did Sister mean about the Army. You aren’t really joining, are you?”

“Already have. Just hanging around here waiting for orders. We’ll talk later.”

“Whew! That was close!” Aggie said slumping against the wall.

“Yea, I almost peed my pants when that door opened.” Polly giggled then was serious. “Did you know Mary had joined the Army?” Aggie nodded. “Why in the world would she do that? She’s so pretty and a great nurse.”

“Polly, have you forgotten? There is a war going on. Men are being shot and killed, and Uncle Sam needs good nurses. Mary’s brother’s in the Air Corps some place in Europe, and she said she felt it was her duty. If he ever got wounded, she hoped there’d be good nurses to help.”

“Well, that’s just nuts. When Uncle Sam starts drafting nurses, I’m going kicking and screaming.”

“You talk so tough.” She asked quietly, “Polly, have you really been calling Sister Gregory, Sister Gorgon?”

“No,” Polly smirked, “I call her just plain Gorgon.”

“Polly, she’s a nun. You shouldn’t be so disrespectful. What if she hears you!”

“I don’t care. If she’s a nun, she’s supposed to be a good, holy person. Instead, she’s horrible and more like a devil. She and Jackass make a great pair.” Sarcasm grated her voice as she attacked the black and white tile floor with steaming water from the mop bucket she had just filled. “Can you believe her telling me that I was acting like a child for throwing instruments in the sink after Jackass threw them at the wall!When he did that, I was shaking so hard I couldn’t even remember what I was supposed to hand him.”

“Polly, you’re doing fine. Jackson is young and arrogant, the worst of the surgeons. Maybe tonight I can fill you in on the way he likes some things done.”

“Humph!” Polly took the dirty linens into the scrub room, tossed them along with Aggie’s and her surgical coverings down a chute, and dumped the scrub water.

As she placed the instruments into a large autoclave, Aggie remembered, “Oh, what happened on the roof? I’ve heard whispering and now Sister—”

“Not now, Aggie, look at the time! We’ll be late for class, and I’ll be in more trouble.”

“Polly, you gotta tell me,” Aggie begged.

“Some other time; we have to go!” Polly dried her hands while making a final inspection of the operating room then flicked off the light. She looked at Aggie, devilment twinkling in her eyes. “By the way, what is the sixth commandment?If I’m going to fry in hell, I’d like to know what for!”