aIt was the start of a new semester and Alison Walkers was excited. This always meant a new fresh start for her, and this was especially important this semester since Alison was starting her nursing clinical. Alison cared tremendously about her school work. She desired to become the best nurse she could be, and this semester was her chance to prove it!
Alison was taught last year about some of the basics of nursing. She already knew how to do practices such as providing hygiene, toileting, patient handling, colostomy care, bed-making, medication administration, basic CPR, aseptic technique, suture removal, patient assessment, urinalysis, taking vital signs, documentation and standard precautions. All of these things though, she learned in a group setting. This was her chance to do some of these things on her own.
Alison had bought pink and green scrubs to wear for her first day. She was assigned to a nursing home. Although the pediatric centers were the favored place among most of the nursing students, Alison was overjoyed when she found out her assignment. She absolutely loved the older people, especially the older men!
Still, she walked into the Durnham Living Center not really knowing what to expect. It was her first day after all, and all she knew was she had to meet a Mrs. O'Ryan at the front office. Alison walked into the sliding doors and found the office right away. On her way in she saw some older women playing cards and an older man reading the newspaper. It was still early. The women looked up and smiled, but the man was busy reading.
Alison walked into the glass office door.
"Um, I'm here to meet Mrs. O'Ryan," she said politely to the homely woman sitting behind the desk.
"Oh, sure. She is right here." The lady led Alison to a small office with big windows.
"Hi, there, you must be Alison Walkers," An older woman said politely when Alison walked in.
"Yes, nice to meet you."
"Well, Alison, we are very happy to have you with us. Now going through your records, I see that you have been through our recommended training. We will just need you to sign a few things and you can get started."
"Okay."
"Oh, one more thing. There has not been a nursing student here in a long time, so the patients here will be very excited to see such a young and pretty face. However, some of the men might get a little too excited, as they haven't seen a young woman in a long while. Just watch yourself and let us know if anything becomes...er...inappropriate."
Alison nodded. Then she filled out the paperwork.
***
About twenty minutes later, Alison was on her own on an assigned floor in Durnham. Her task was to meet the patients and take care of any immediate needs they needed that another nurse couldn't get to right away. And if Alison couldn't take care of that need she was supposed to find another nurse to help out.
The first patient she was to see was a Mr. Smith. Alison knocked on his door, and heard
a "Come in."
Alison stepped inside the bright and relatively spacious room. She saw Mr. Smith, an older man in his late sixties, early seventies, with short dark gray hair and a handlebar mustache. He smiled when he saw her.
"Hi, Mr. Smith, I'm Alison Walkers. I'm a nursing student," Alison said politely, extending her hand, but Mr. Smith grabbed her and pulled her near him.
"Oh, hi, Allie, sweetheart! You don't mind if I call you that, do you? Oh, my wife's name was Allie." He said as he kissed her on the cheek.
"No, Mr. Smith, no, not at all."
"Oh, please call me Jerry, honey."
The two of them talked for some time. As Alison got a closer look at Jerry, she could see that he was still in relatively great shape. His arms still held muscle, and he had broad sculpted shoulders. Alison felt butterflies develop in her stomach as Jerry was telling her about his days in the war and then on the construction site where he used to work. Alison tried to ignore the butterflies and the excitement growing in her. She couldn't fall for one of her patients! Besides, he was pretty old. Alison did have a thing for older men, she knew, but she could NOT fall for a guy in a nursing home!
"Tell me about yourself, Allie," Jerry asked after some time.
Alison told Jerry about college and about her friends. She found Jerry very easy to talk to, and he was a great listener. She told him about how her friends always had boyfriends and about how she felt left out because she didn't have one. She told him about how she never felt attracted to men her age, and how that bothered her.
Jerry listened sympathetically to all of Alison's stories. He admired how beautiful Alison looked, and couldn't help but to think that she looked a lot like his wife many, many long years ago. He couldn't believe that Alison didn't have a boyfriend. In fact he was stunned. The girl should have three or four guys in line to date her, that was how pretty he thought she was. The fact that Alison was attracted to only older men got his attention too. He felt himself stir when she said that. In fact, sitting next to her made him feel a feeling he hadn't felt in a long, long time, maybe twenty years or more. But Alison was way too young, and he quietly cursed himself in his head for even thinking in that way about her. She was simply a very nice and beautiful young woman.
"You are very beautiful, Allie. I am surprised that men are not waiting in line to date you!" He exclaimed after listening to her woes.
"Oh, you are too kind, Jerry! Wow, I am so sorry. I am usually not like this, telling people about all of my problems, especially when I should be concerned about you! You are my patient," Alison said, stepping out of her trance and realizing she was still working.
"Oh, it is quite alright, darling. You are entertaining and confiding in me! And when I needed a friend the most, you became my friend, so you are helping me very much!" Jerry said, trying to calm her down.
"Okay, I feel a little better. Is there anything I can do for you?" Alison asked him.
"Er, well... no it is okay. I will ask Belinda later."
"Oh, what is it?" Alison asked, picking up on Jerry's hesitation.
"Well I just need a...you know, a bath? But I can't do it on my own, I just am not good at it anymore. But I don't want you to worry your pretty head about it. You've done enough for me already!"
"But, it's okay. I mean, I want to help you," Alison said, feeling the butterflies reappear inside her stomach.
