Chapter 2
The Doctor 'is in'
Monday
The clinic
As the elevator continued to whisk them ever upward in the building, Adriana thought about how little she actually knew about Elite Brokerage. Her current position with Chicago Title And Trust gave her the opportunity to work with the Senior Brokers, buyers, sellers and investors, so she knew what the markets were. What she didn't know precisely was what markets Elite, dealt with. Not being able to ask questions during the interview with Mr. Adams left her at a complete loss. Helen was no help either; being the 'harpy' that she is about rules and regulations.
Helen was still droning on about the damned rules. "Once we arrive at the clinic you will find the same rules from the interview apply. No questions! No hesitation! You will do everything to the letter; immediately! Some of the medical practices, will seem... 'Unconventional' however each procedure has an exact purpose to benefit the company in providing the most accurate results." Helen told Adriana in her 'no nonsense' tone of voice.
Finally the elevator slowed to a stop, the door sliding open. Adriana was instantly astounded by what she saw. She thought the clinic would be similar to a Doctor's office. What she saw before her could only be described as a state-of-the-art emergency room to be envied by Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Wooden cupboards and glass-fronted cabinets filled with medicines, linens, and various pieces of medical equipment, lined the walls on two sides of the room. To the far side, in front of her, five gurneys were lined up against a floor to ceiling glass window that overlooked the city. She felt like a goldfish in a bowl. Dominating the center of the room was an open circular Nurse's desk, where a man and woman in scrubs busily worked at computer monitors, that occupied almost every square inch of the counter. Adriana swallowed hard! "What in hell have I gotten myself into?" she asked herself. Looking to Helen for emotional support, she found none in the woman's hard eyes.
Stepping further into the clinic Helen said, "Good morning Doctor Manning. This is Adriana Manarro." Turning to Adriana, she said, "The Doctor and his Nurse Suzanne will be conducting your physical."
Doctor Manning looked Adriana over. He gave her a warm smile, extending his hand to shake hers. Without releasing her hand, he said, "So you are the new recruit. I've been looking forward to meeting you, Ms. Manarro. Or may I call you Adriana?"
"Adriana will be fine, Doctor Manning," she murmured nervously. Her nervous tremble was quickly becoming a case of the full body shakes
Doctor Manning did not release his grasp on Adriana's hand. Her skin became clammy as he watched her closely, the color draining from her lovely heart-shaped face. Beads of perspiration formed on her brow. "Let's have you sit down, all right Adriana?" he said to her, as he led her to the exam table. Getting her comfortable, he supported her shoulders with both of his large warm hands. Looking to Helen, he told her "We'll take it from here. Please tell Mr. Adams we will be finished in a few hours." Helen nodded at the Doctor, then left the clinic.
In a moment of sheer panic, Adriana thought, "A few hours?" She felt herself become lightheaded. The bright light in the room seemed to dim, the room tilted. "Or is it me," she thought fuzzily. Her breathing became erratic and she began to hyperventilate.
"Suzanne, I'm losing her here!" Doctor Manning called out to his Nurse in an urgent and commanding voice. Those were the last words Adriana heard before she faded into darkness.
Doctor Manning and Suzanne moved Adriana's limp body to one of the gurneys. "I want an EKG reading on her, then let's start an IV." He told Suzanne.
They worked together in well-practiced movements. Suzanne was already applying a blood pressure cuff, setting the machine to take readings every fifteen minutes. She grabbed a pair of surgical scissors, swiftly cut the material of Adriana's blouse, then snipped the center portion of Adriana's bra, revealing the young woman's small, firm breasts. Wheeling the EKG monitor to the gurney, Suzanne began applying the electrode pads while Doctor Manning attached the wires. Within a few minutes they had the first reading. Doctor Manning looked at the paper read-out; concern for his patient showed on his face.
Suzanne, having prepared the supplies for the IV, was already looking for a good vein in Adriana's left hand. Finding one, she quickly inserted the catheter, taped it down securely and set the drip rate.
"I would also like a Pulse Ox reading. Get four vials of blood, run the samples for CBC, lipids, Hemoglobin, A1c. I want a full Metabolic panel too Suzanne."
"Yes Doctor," she said in acknowledgment. Already in motion, Suzanne placed a small black clip with a wire, on Adriana's right index finger then tied a rubber tourniquet on Adriana's right arm. Finding another good vein, she inserted the needle of the Vacutainer, drawing the rich red blood into four vials. Once everything was completed, Suzanne took a blanket out of the warmer, covered her patient and went to the desk to monitor Adriana's vitals.
Beep...beep...beep... Adriana stirred awake slowly. Beep...beep...beep... "God! I hate that alarm," she thought. Beep...beep...beep... "Okay, okay! I'm up, I'm up!" she muttered, but as she reached to her nightstand to shut off the damn alarm clock, she encountered the metal bars of the gurney and saw a strange man smiling down at her.
"Hi! You're finally awake. Enjoy your nap?" the Doctor asked. "I was beginning to get concerned. You passed out cold a little over an hour ago Adriana. Do you remember what happened?"
Confused she said, "I passed out? I've never fainted in my life."
"Well dear there is a first time for everything. While you were 'out', we took some blood samples. Your blood sugar levels were well below normal. What did you eat for breakfast this morning young lady?" the Doctor asked her.
Adriana felt as if she were being scolded. "Nothing. I was too nervous to eat before the interview," she said contritely.
