Letitia Friendly sits at the breakfast table, sipping coffee and staring at the television, without really watching it. She’s bone tired. She’s worked eight days straight, twelve-hour shifts for most of them, sixteen hours for one and twenty hours for two others. She tries to calculate in her head the average amount of sleep she’s managed after coming home, but she’s too addled without it to count it. This is her third cup of coffee this morning, and she knows she’s going to guzzle Starbucks mochas all night just to hang on. She’s had ten patients every night. <
> are the worst. Nancy, the charge nurse has always been pretty decent to her, but hasn’t been around much lately. This young prick named Andrew has been charge nurse the last two nights, and if she has to hear that snotty little rich kid voice of his one more time she’s going to punch him. Fucker never does a damn thing and gets praised for it when the big wigs come through, because he’s clean cut and white. Even some of the younger nurses fall for it, calling him “cute”, knowing full well that he’s not but that he drives an Audi and wears expensive clothes when he’s not working. Tonya bounces in, and Letitia smiles brightly, even if the tiredness in her eyes shows a bit.
“Hey mom. Workin’ again tonight?”
“Yep. Gotta keep up the car note.”
“I know, mom. It sucks I haven’t gotten to see you much though.” Tonya flops onto a chair beside her mother.
“I know, baby.” She puts her arm around Tonya, looking over the top of her head at the clock. “I promise I’ll take a few days off, maybe even a week, once everyone at the hospital gets better. Had another two girls call out last night. Or night before, I can’t remember. You’d think hospital folks would be the healthiest.”
“It’s okay, mom, I understand. I just want you to know how much I love you, and how I know how hard you have to work to keep us going. I promise I’m gonna get a job as soon as I’m old enough.” Tonya snuggles in for a hug.
Letitia kisses the top of her head, squeezing her tightly. “You’re a good kid. Focus on school, and make me proud with your grades. Let me worry about the money.”
They sit in silence for a moment, listening to the drone of passing cars and playing kids.
