Lani's Blog

Scenes from Work

Prompt: Write a piece narrating a typical day for you. If you want create a fictional character and allow him/her to experience your day.





I wrote this piece a few years ago for a class. The prompt was to be a camera and write what you see. Because I had to work that day, it seemed a natural fit. And this is a typical day for me.

Scenes from Work

The whoosh of the automatic doors notify the nightshift that the day team has arrived.





The bright lights and conversation at the nurses’ station wars with the dimness and quiet of the babies’ alcoves.





Tendrils of Starbuck’s coffee waft from the break room.





Terri’s low voice and efficient reporting of the night’s event’s contrast with her rumpled scrubs.





The baby is wrapped with a fuzzy pink blanket and given a sugar sweetened paci. Taking the prepped area in his hand, Ross pricks the heel and waits for the blood to form.





As rich red blood flowed into the vial, Ross hears an “Aaahh” coming from behind him.





Pale and shaken, the baby’s dad sits in a recliner with his hands covering his bowed head.





The telephone’s shrill ring demands an answer even though all hands were busy.





The delicious aromas of roast beef and clam chowder coming from the cafeteria belie the cardboard meat and salty soup that awaited us.





Gack! The housekeeping crew has used too much bleach in the dirty utility room as Kathy can hardly breathe.





The tiny naked baby is lifted from his Isolette and placed onto his mom’s bare chest. He quickly nuzzles between her breasts as Heather covers him with a warm blanket and hat.





Lunch in the break room is controlled chaos. The TV is blaring the afternoon weather report. The crowd is mostly women talking a mile a minute to be heard over the newscaster and over each other.





The conversation ranges from spouses and kids to the latest medical advances to locker room talk that would make NFL players blush. Food is scarfed down in 30 minutes along with what relaxation that can be found in such a place.





Heather, back from lunch, is reviewing the criteria with a mom for a baby’s discharge.





Ross assisting a first time dad with bottle feeding his infant.





The telephone continues its shrill tyranny of noise.





The charge nurse is here asking for report for next shift.





Last rounds of feeds and meds for all babies





Everyone is tucked in. Rumpled scrubs greet the night shift as the doors whoosh open.














Lani