On the designated day, she followed her normal routine. The CEO was a bit peeved at her for wearing scrubs when he had specifically asked for her to wear “business casual” for the week. Marina knew he’d be mad, but she really didn’t care. She was going to be comfortable. No one wants to walk all over a hospital in dress shoes.
She was quite taken aback when she met her VIP. He still had a scrape on his head from his accident. She had been the on-call nurse in Interventional Radiology when he had come in over a weekend to have a procedure after a car accident while he was in town for a concert. Donnie Wahlberg had made her night that night and she made sure she treated him the same as any other patient and acted as if she didn’t know who he was. He had been listed as an unknown trauma number. When he said his name was Donnie, she just went with his first name.
He smiled when he realized she remembered him and that she obviously had known who he was that night. They shook hands and reintroduced themselves to each other. Marina smiled. Maybe this week wouldn’t be so horrible after all.
Marina wasn’t sure how knowledgeable Donnie was about healthcare in general, but quickly learned that he was either already informed or a really quick study. He wasn’t squeamish. He was genuinely interested. The neonatal intensive care unit was lots of fun. Donnie got to help feed one of the premies. Marina had arranged for their time in the NICU to be at a feeding time. The trauma intensive care unit was a little different. The nurses recognized him. She ended up taking him to the smaller TICU area that was a little more private and letting him talk with some of the nurses there. From TICU, they walked over to the Critical Care Assessment area, also known as CCA. Nurses and doctors there were busy, busy, busy. The charge nurse took a few minutes to stop and give a brief update on what was going on. They were working a ‘shock-trauma’ in one of the other rooms and 3 other patients in the area were critical and waiting for available ICU beds. Marina and Donnie spent about half a day in the CCA watching and talking. They made a trip up to the general ICU and the stepdown areas the next day. The regular lower acuity areas were also visited over a day. Donnie was fascinated by the Med-Plex Clinic area that they visited on the 4th day. Med-Plex was basically a clinic for those without insurance and very little way to pay for services they desperately needed. The trauma patients also were seen in the clinics for follow up treatment.
Donnie insisted that for his last day to be spent in Interventional Radiology watching Marina do what she normally does. She only agreed because she knew that it would be half a day… The administrators would be meeting with him on Friday afternoon to see if he was going to donate money to the hospital’s foundation.
Donnie wore scrubs that last day and worked pretty much as a nurse’s assistant or tech for the day. He helped move patients back and forth mostly. He managed to convince Marina to let him have lunch with her. She took him to her usual lunch spot on the patio outside the gift shop where picnic tables were set up. She was shocked that he was just as nice in person as she had always heard that he was. He had managed to pry some personal information out of her as well. Like the fact that she was previously married, but “not anymore.“ She refused to elaborate. He didn’t push. When he asked her to have dinner with him after she got off from work, she was conflicted.
Not only had he been a patient, but he was someone she was sort of working with on something. But he made her laugh…and he was hot. That hot thing he had going for him had a lot of pull. It wasn’t every day that a woman got to spend an evening with someone like Donnie Wahlberg. So she threw caution to the wind and said yes.
She let him meet her at her townhouse by the river and they walked over to Beale St. With a hat and sunglasses, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, Donnie blended right in. They walked and talked, drank and he tried to get her to dance. She made him eat at The Pig where he got to have a real barbecue sandwich…Memphis style. He walked her back home. He managed to kiss her goodnight on the cheek. He looked in her eyes and she could tell he wanted more from her, but just when he thought she was going to let him really kiss her, or at least be invited inside for coffee, she stopped him.
“Donnie, you are an wonderful man, and I‘m sure we‘d have a great time if you came inside, but this,” she said pointing back and forth between the two of them, “is not a good idea. I’m not the kind of girl that can bring a man home after one date. I can‘t believe I even let you know where I live. That‘s so not like me.” She took a deep breath. “You’re just so nice and cute, and I’ve known who you are for so many years…I think that I feel like I sort of know you better than I do. But you really are a stranger to me. I just don’t know you well enough to know if this is real. I’m not the kind of girl you’re known for being with. I’m a workaholic and have little time for this kind of thing. “ She looked at him and he was smiling. “What are you smiling about?”
“I knew I should have made you drink more alcohol. I’m pretty sure I could have seduced you with one more margarita,” he said and grabbed her for a hug. “I really like you Marina. Enough to know I want to know you more. What’s the harm in getting to know someone? Spending time with them?“
“You’re not coming inside Donnie.” She smiled at him to let him know she didn’t have any bad feelings about him. “Goodnight Mr. Wahlberg.” She kissed him on the cheek and sent him on his way. She had very vivid dreams of being seduced by one Donnie Wahlberg that night.
When Marina woke up the next morning, she had a text message from Donnie. ‘I’m gonna find a way for u to get to know me. If nothing else, friends?’ She had to laugh. She sucked at being a friend. She worked way too much. ‘I’ll do the best I can. You work more than I do, so I’ll be impressed if we get to know each other any better than we already do.’
She was shocked when she got an almost immediate response. ‘Be prepared for a little surprise at work on Monday.’ She laughed and put her phone down shaking her head. There was a pile of laundry in the floor of her closet that couldn’t be put off any longer. Life and laundry took up most of the weekend. Plus she was always studying something to stay current at work.
She had almost forgotten about it while busy at work that Monday when her boss called her to his office. “It appears that Mr. Wahlberg wants to donate more money to the hospital, specifically our department, if we can spare you for 15 days. You must have made quite an impression on him.” He was signing some paperwork and sat it in front of her to sign as well. “They’ve arranged to pay your base salary while you’re gone and the hospital hopes to use some part of this as publicity.” She was not looking excited. “Now Marina, we’re counting on you for this.”
“But Tony, I don’t do well with crowds and such. I’ll have to take extra nerve pills just to…”
“Marina, you’re going. In two weeks. We’re gonna bring Sarah in to help cover your shifts.”
“So I guess I don’t really have a choice, huh?” He just stared at her with his boss-look. “When am I expected to leave?”
“Two weeks from yesterday. That should give you enough time to rearrange things for home and it’s the soonest Sarah is available. You should have a great time. This is a good thing Marina. Really it is.”
“If you say so…” she said tucking papers into her pocket and heading back down to the holding area. Her coworkers were teasing her about the whole thing, but even they knew that she was not looking forward to it. Being in front of small groups of people never bothered her, but big crowds…that was murder. She got her doctor to call in extra anxiety pills just in case.
In the meantime, Donnie kept texting her mulitple times a day. She tried to be mad at him, but it was impossible. What he was doing was a really good thing. The hospital really needed extra funding. And his text messages made her laugh. There were pictures and video texts. She looked forward to meeting his “Lumpy Dog” face to snout. She missed having a dog, but there just wasn’t room for a pet in her life anymore.
Donnie was very adamant that she only come with a few of her things. He said the less she had to pack, the better, and assured her that she would have everything she needed. She brought pajamas, some things to loaf around in, and 2 pair of jeans with t shirts to wear to shows. She got everything caught up at work and still felt totally panicked about leaving for so long. But they all assured her that they would call if they needed her.