Mind the Bleep

3 | Have Some Decorum

"So, you're telling me that on your literal first day, you helped manage a cardiac arrest?" Dawn's mouth fanned open as she wolfed down the crumbs remaining in her salt and vinegar packet of crisps; the metallic sound of the aluminium foiled bag crinkling. "You lucky bitch!"

"I don't know if I'd call myself lucky," Caliana despondently snivelled. "I don't even know if I'd even say I actually helped. I mean, Doctor Rhys didn't seem to think so."

Roscoe rocked his hand back and forth erratically in the air, waving her concerns away. "Don't worry about him, he's just a Capullo. If it weren't for you, the cardiac arrest team wouldn't have gotten there so quickly – you helped put out the call."

"Roscoe's right." Dawn agreed unhurriedly. "But you do have to work with Dr Rhys pretty much every day for a year. And he does hold the most control over you passing at the end of the year, so you should start to think about how you're going to put things right." She licked her index finger, before swiping it along the empty foil bag, ensuring not a single granule of the savoury snack escaped her salivary glands. "Especially since you're not even in the medical directors good books after the late start and all."

Dawn, Roscoe, Caliana and Amari currently resided on a semi-circular, food-stained table in the hospital's canteen. It was little more than a sensory explosion; plastic trays clangoring against the tables, knives and forks screeching against plates and teeth, with the occasional belch echoing from across the commodious room. But more than that, it seemed to be today's cosseted location for all things hospital gossip.

"How do I fix this? I didn't actually do anything wrong, and it feels like everyone's already made their minds up about me!"

"Look, from where I'm standing you have two options here." Roscoe swivelled toward Caliana, but she didn't overlook how his eyes frequently deviated away from her. Turned out, Roscoe had a serious case of wandering eye syndrome. Every time a girl strutted past their table — it didn't seem to matter what she looked like —Roscoe offered them a smouldering gaze. Now, he held his index and middle finger up to demonstrate his point. First, he pushed his index finger down. "Option one, you could fake your own death. I hear it's really not that hard to do, get yourself a new identify and move to another hospital, or —"

"Or?!" Caliana gasped. "I'll take option two, whatever it is it's got to be better than option one."

"Or you could just accept that you're going to fail the year."

"Listen, maybe this is a silly suggestion." Amari let out a hesitant laugh. "But why not just speak to Dr Rhys again? Explain to him how nervous you were; like you said it's our first day, it's understandable. And you couldn't have possibly known where things were located in a hospital you've never even set foot in? If he's got any sense, he'll understand and maybe, you could both just start again?"

Dawn shook her head in response. "Amari, that definitely won't work. Callie, why don't you try getting in with the nurses, instead? You could convince the nurse in charge you're their long-lost daughter and that way you'll least have the nurses on your side even though the doctors might not like you?"

"This really isn't helping!" Caliana massaged the pulps of her fingers to her temples in small circular motions. "Amari's right. I'm just going to talk to him. I mean, how bad could it possibly be?"

"Wow." Dawn feigned wiping a tear from beneath her eyes. "You'll be remembered for your bravery."

"Oh, man!" Roscoe threw his hands up. "I was kind of hoping I'd at least get the chance to sleep with you before the end of the year. I'm going to need to think up a new New Year's resolution now."

"How is that your News Years' resolution? It's August!" Caliana quizzed, and then held a hand out in objection before he could offer an explanation. "Actually, don't even answer that. Just know, it's not going to happen." She swerved back towards Amari who was spooning his Shepherd's pie into his mouth with a rather disgusted appearance curved onto his lips — whether that was from the conversation or the displeasing contents of the pie was yet to be determined. "Tell me I'm doing the right thing, Amari."