While Liona was off at the beach with her friends, Vivi was hard at work. She was to arrange all the medical needs for the Norman family they were sponsoring under their charity. While she and Leon were talking with Julie and getting her work history to help place her in a better job more suited to her skills, they found she was as knowledgeable as any of the nursing staff in the hospital.
That led to a discussion about why she hadn't trained as a nurse in any official capacity. It had come to light that the poor woman was just so overwhelmed with how many children she had that the time and money needed to attend nursing school was out of her reach. All the knowledge she had was accumulated piecemeal over the years, by reading up on the subject whenever she could.
"Julie, looking at your work history and your skill-set, do you want to be a nurse? Or do you want to work in another field?" Vivi asked while she was taking notes.
This woman's children needed to be placed with the appropriate pediatrician as well, so this brief interview was taking place in her office at the hospital maternity clinic. The children needed a specialized nutritional meal plan suited to each child, so the right doctor was crucial. It was also to get their secondary genders tested again, since none of the information seemed accurate to their pheromones, or lack thereof, should she say.
"I've always wanted to work as a nurse. But as you can see with my job history, that doesn't really mean much. I enjoyed my work at the hospital museum, though! The history of nursing is good enough for me…" Julie mumbled the last part. There was no way on top of everything else that this generous family would pay for her to go to nursing school, too.
"Alright. Then, starting after the holiday, you will report to my office here. You will start working under a doctor that needs more nursing staff. The head nurse under the doctor will help you learn on the job to become a nursing assistant. After you earn your CNA, you can then study further to become an RN, if you wish, after that." Vivi wrote a note to find the doctor that needed the most help.
"What about the cost? As much as your generosity is appreciated, I can't afford to take that exam." Julie was mortified as she realized it sounded like she was whining and begging.
"Not to worry. You'll find the cost covered by your employment benefits working at this hospital." Vivi smiled at the woman. She reminded her of a few of her residents over the years that she had under their women's health rotation.
"Okay. Thank you for this opportunity." Julie smiled weakly since she was still embarrassed.
"As for the children. I have a selection of pediatricians that are accepting new patients. There are currently only two working today, the third is on vacation for the holiday. Do you want to meet the candidates?" Vivi had their information displayed on her desk's HUD as she tapped out more notes.
"You mean I can choose?" Julie just assumed that they would select the cheapest doctor and be done with it.
"Yes. Let me call them one at a time for you to meet. First, we have Dr. Neha. She's a practicing pediatrician who is good with babies and young children. Not that she's bad with older children, but babies and toddlers seem to love her more." Vivi buzzed the lady into her office.
Julie watched a tall woman of ethnic beauty practically float her way into the office. She was stunning with her jet black hair, wearing a long scarf that was draped over her shoulders, tucked under her lab coat. She seemed to have an air of superiority. Julie immediately didn't like the feeling she got from this woman's presence, but she was here to interview her for her children's sake, so as long as the kids liked her, that's what mattered.
"Ah, is that the woman you spoke of? Where are the bacē?" The woman spoke coldly, and Julie got the feeling that she was being looked down on. But she again held her tongue.
"My children are waiting in the waiting room, probably playing with the toys…" Julie answered, recognizing that she was referring to her children.
"I was not speaking to you. I was speaking to Dr. Vivian." The woman looked down her nose at her.
"Dr. Neha, you passed them on the way in…" Vivi sighed. The woman was good at her job, but often appeared standoffish until you got to know her. She was used to being looked down upon for being an omega woman doctor, which is the reason she had employed the woman. That and her outstanding medical prowess and love for small children made her excellent at her job.
"Ah, the cohort. I'm afraid that I don't have the time for that many children. I have room for one or two and could take the two youngest as patients." The woman sounded flippant to Julie.
"I'd prefer if all my children saw the same doctor. It would be easier on them if the oldest of them could reassure my younger ones at their appointments." Julie wanted to be sure her older children were present for and could make sure that the younger ones were understood and heard when talking to a doctor. Her babies all spoke in a way that the older ones knew how to translate.
"Well, this was a waste of my time. Dr. Vivian, next time appraise me of all the details before summoning me." With that, the woman glided out of the office with a look of distaste on her face.
"Well, that was on me. I didn't ask beforehand if you were okay with splitting the children up between doctors. Now that I know that, that only leaves one doctor with enough room for all of them. Before I bring him in, do you have any objection to an alpha male doctor?" Vivi would have to look outside this hospital's pediatric clinic, if that was the case.
Julie didn't want a male doctor for herself, but for the children as long as he was good with the kids and didn't discriminate because of their extremely frugal upbringing or how many she had, it was up to her children to tell her if they were uncomfortable. "No. Not unless my kids tell me they are uncomfortable."
Vivi buzzed in the next candidate. This older, Southern gentleman had worked at the hospital for years. He was well respected and valued for his chivalry and kindness and was a bit of an item amongst the staff. He did his job well and left quite a few mothers leaving his office with high praise for his professionalism and for his good looks.
"Julie, this is Dr. Thornton. He's a pediatrician with a lot of experience. He's been on staff here almost as long as I have."
When the gentleman walked in, Julie could only notice that he had a pep in his step, a smile on his face, slight smile lines that made the corners of his mouth look like he laughed a lot. The crows feet at his aquamarine eyes only reinforced her opinion that this gentleman seemed to enjoy life and his job. He had a bit of a southern accent and when he turned to introduce himself to her; he gave her a slight bow and held out his hand to shake. Grasping his hand, she noticed it was rough with callouses, and was firm, but still gentle.
He had a tanned appearance, as if he spent a lot of time outdoors. When he smiled at her, his eyes were sparkling with joy. He had a strong straight nose and lips upturned in an enchanting smile. Even his dark brown hair that at first glance had looked black was swept to the side in a neat style that reminded her of her great-grandfather's portrait. She honestly had a hard time looking at him. He exuded an air of confidence that was hard to ignore, which is why she averted her eyes.
"It's nice to meet you, young lady. I take it those children playing in the waiting room are your lovely moppets?" Dr. Thorton's southern accent and term was something that shouldn't have charmed her, but it strangely put her at ease.
"Yes. Are you okay with that many and their age range? I also have a nearly eighteen-year-old that's not in the group. Would he still need a pediatrician?" Julie asked.
"Oh, the more the merrier! As for your eldest, I can continue to see him until he finds a doctor to his liking. I won't turn away a family group. After all, older siblings can sometimes help reassure the youngsters at appointments and oftentimes with young kiddos they tend to develop unique patterns of speech that their older siblings oft come in handy to translate if the parents can't decipher."
Julie was unsure what about this doctor that unnerved her, but it was only ever so slight. However, the actual test would be her children and their opinions. "Well, I guess for now, you'll do, but if my children have any complaints, I will take them seriously!" She had to put that out there as a warning to this doctor, despite his charming personality.