And It Begins

         Delia Post, RN walked off the empty elevator onto the third floor lobby of St. Margaret's Hospital Labor and Delivery Department. She clocked in automatically as she did every other day.  No one was around yet; it was still early morning, twenty five minutes before her shift. As she enters the unit she is greeted by a frustrated co-worker, Gabrielle Reyes, also a nurse, who is ranting about her patient in room ten. "Oh my God, Delia, run! There must be a full moon," said Gabby. Delia smiles, knowingly, and throws her purse under the counter of the nurses' station. Looking around to see what was going on, she notices the assignment board, listing the nurses working for the day. None of the other nurses from night shift are in the nurses' station, and looking at the fetal monitoring screen she realizes why. All of the L&D rooms are full and Gabby, who is well named, is giving her a frantic summary of everything that had happened during the night and about the personality, family dynamics, and condition of every single patient on the unit, especially hers. Two thirds of the way into Gabby's rant Delia interrupts to say, "Did you make coffee?" "Like we had time! ", replied Gabby, and the tirade continued. Delia walked to the break room snickering as Gabby continued to narrate the night shift happenings. She cleaned the kitchenette counter and tossed out the old coffee filter and grounds. (Gabby is still talking) Delia laughs at Gabby's persistence, only hearing half what she is saying. "My coffee really has not kicked in yet," said Delia. "Mine sure has," said Gabby. "I haven't stopped running all night!" Delia wonders if she meant physically or verbally. She smiles and proceeds with the coffee ritual. Gabby's hospital cell phone rings, she looks at the caller identification and says, "Not again! She has called me every five minutes all night long! I have to go. I'm telling you Delia, run!" Delia laughs, pours her coffee, and doctors it up with lots of cream and sweet-n-low as usual. Sipping her coffee as she walks back to the nurses' station she thinks to herself, and so it begins.