A Face and Name from the Past

Laura realizes who she has hired.

 

Face and Name from the Past

 

 

 

 

Laura returned to her office to look up Amanda Price's application and resume’. She was sure there was something she had missed when she conducted the interview. There were a couple of coincidences about her background that she could not dismiss. As she thumbed through the file, she found what she was looking for. The resume picture certainly surprised Laura just a little. It was surprising how little Amanda had changed since she had last seen her. Laura turned the picture over a time or two and then once again read the title page to her resume’. 

           In bold black letters there was no mistaking the name:

 

AMANDA MICHELLE COLINA PRICE

RN; CCRN; CEN; NREMT-P

 

            Laura could not believe her eyes. So, she was using her first name instead of the middle name as she had in high school, but Laura was sure she was the same person Kevin had dated several years ago.

            She remembered those events as if they were yesterday. None of Kevin's friends could understand why he would date someone with a background like hers. Laura had trouble with the relationship until she realized that her older brother was indeed very happy and quite possibly in love for the first time in his life.

            Laura faced her dilemma with a great deal of confusion. She knew the circumstances her brother was currently in and she also remembered his past feelings toward his high school sweetheart, Michelle. As much trouble she had with his relationship with Michelle, at least she had been a very loving person who did care for Kevin.

            Laura knew that Helen did not care for Kevin or his profession at all. The idea that he would risk his life for someone else was totally foreign to her, but she had allowed herself to live with the idea until Kevin had left HFD and the big salary for a lower paying position. This was a point she had made crystal clear at the last company Christmas party. Laura’s blood boiled as she remembered the dress Helen had worn that day. It was very plain, designed to embarrass Kevin in front of his peers and her plan had almost worked. She made the claim that she had nothing decent to wear because Kevin could no longer afford to support her in the style to which she was accustomed. Her claim fell on ears that were hardly sympathetic and that made her try all the much harder to cause more grief for Kevin.

            The final blow came when she told the owner that she had made arrangements for Kevin to get his old job at HFD back and Kevin would be turning in his notice shortly after Christmas holidays. Laura had heard this and immediately went to her brother's aid. Laura could still hear the words she used that had cut Helen to the core.

            "You think you are so much better than the rest of us", she accused. "You are nothing but a high class prostitute. You'll give it up to whoever drives the fancy cars and wears the tailored suits. All you ever cared about my brother was my family’s name and money."

            "Laura, please", Kevin broke in. "This isn't the time or the place."

            "I can handle your sister", Helen said coldly.

            "And I can handle my wife", Kevin told Laura. And then to Helen, "Maybe you should get your coat and go on home. You spoke out of turn here and I don’t appreciate it."

            "I'm sorry you feel that way", she replied. "Don't wait up for me."

            Helen walked away from Kevin that night the same way she had many times before, but there seemed to be finality in her tone and step as she left the party.

            "Are you okay?”

            "I'm fine.”

            "Sure?” she insisted.

            "Yeah", he said unconvincingly. "Where are the girls?"

            "They're playing video games in the day room" Joyce told him.

             "Good, they did not hear any of this then. This is something they really did not need to witness."

            "I know", Joyce replied. "All too well I know. Listen, if you need to talk, I'm ready to listen."

            "He'll keep this inside of himself", Laura said. "Just like everything else, he'll keep this to himself until it tears his heart out."

            "I'm okay, really", Kevin protested. "There's no sense dwelling on it right now. This is a party, okay, so let's have a little fun."

            Kevin excused himself to do his yearly Santa Claus impression. It was a sight that had to be seen to be believed. Kevin was in on way a stunt double for Santa, but with Stacy’s help in makeup and his disposition, the younger children never doubted they actually sat in Santa’s lap that night.

            Laura relished the look on Helen's face when she had made her accusations. Like she had said many times before, the shoe must have fit very well or she would not have struck such a deep nerve. Laura also thought she noticed a look in Joyce's eye as she tried to talk to her brother, but she dismissed the thought. 

Laura couldn't help but wonder why Michelle had begun using Amanda. She didn't want to think that there may be a hidden past, but she would have to check this out anyway just to be sure. However, the disgrace under which had forced Michelle and her mother to leave town would indeed be enough for a young girl to want to hide and forget if possible.

            She knew that a lot of her nurses wore nametags that bore their second names for personal reasons. It helped them when a former patient would meet them on the street or out in public. That could be Michelle's reason for using her first name on the nametag, but it did not explain her introducing herself as Amanda.   She sighed to herself as she tried to figure this out, but she decided she would have to do some checking and later ask her if she could not find any good explanation.

            Telling Kevin who she was would be a different matter. As much as she had not wanted Kevin to have anything to do with her earlier, she now wished she had felt differently. Everything was beginning to look a little complicated to her at the moment. She could only imagine how Kevin was going to feel once he found out this bit of information. She put the file in her active basket and took a quick look around her office before she left. She was looking forward to a quiet night at home to think these events through.

            Kevin finished his paperwork and went to the TV room. The rest of the crew was there with the exception of the crew from 11-A-3. They were off on a possible stabbing and were still busy at the scene.

 

            "Looks like they're making you look like a hero", Reggie said as Kevin walked into the room.

            "Has it already been on?” he asked.

            "Not yet", Mike said. "The lead in showed you at the scene. Pretty awesome stuff."

           "It was that. Is everything okay with 11A-3? We haven’t heard from them in a while.”

            “Double stabbing” Randy offered. “Want us to roll?”

            “Take 11A-4 and back them up” Kevin suggested. “They’ve been out too long.”

            “We’re gone Boss!”

            Kevin hated Randy’s use of that term. He viewed this as a team. A team had leaders, not bosses. The rest of the crew turned their attention to the television as the story of the wreck aired. The interview with Kevin was interjected throughout the scenes of the footage and at times cut back to Kevin and the reporter at the station. The story lasted about four minutes and closed with the reporter at the hospital waiting area.

            Her closing comments were an admonition for all viewers to give their support to the EMS and Rescue workers who risk their lives to save lives of their fellow citizens.

            "Looks like you really impressed her", Reggie drawled. "She couldn't say enough good stuff about you or EMS."

            "At least she did us justice", was all Kevin would reply.

            "Anyone for supper?" Mike asked.

            "Let's get some steaks and grill out", Reggie suggested. “It’s been a while since we did anything like that and I know the crews are getting tired of take out.”

            Kevin was glad that they had turned their attention to other matters. He really was pleased with the news story, the reporter’s attitude and the present outcome of the situation.   Randy and Mike took Reggie to pick up some steaks and other trimmings while Kevin filled the grill with charcoal and got it lighted to cook the steaks. A telephone call interrupted Kevin's activities at the grill.

            "I think its one of your daughters", Marie said. Marie was a pretty rugged lady with years of mountain medicine behind her. She handled most of Kevin’s incoming calls if Reggie did not screen them first. Together, they watched Kevin’s back like hawks.

            "Transfer it to my office." 

            The phone was ringing by the time Kevin opened the door.

            "This is Kevin.”

            "I know that, Dad", Kimberly answered.

            "Hi Kimberly! What's on your mind, sweetie?” Kevin asked.

            "Dad, Mom's not home yet and Stacy wants to order pizza. Can we?"

            Kevin looked at his watch and noted the time. It was after six, but it had become a custom of Helen's to show up just after seven. The girls usually spent afternoons such as this at a neighbor's, but Stacy had a key to the house and would go home whenever their teen-age son tried to flirt with her.

            "Go ahead, but just get what you can eat tonight and I don't want leftover pizza for lunch tomorrow."

            "Okay Dad", Kimberly promised. "Stacy wants to talk to you."

             Before Kevin could ask about the cheerleader tryouts, Stacy was on the phone and talking a mile a minute. Kevin laughed to himself as he tried to get her to slow down enough for him to understand her. Finally, he was able to get her attention.

            "Stacy, Stacy", he pleaded. "Please try to tell me all of this a little slower."

            "Kimberly made her cheerleading squad and now she has made my gymnastics team and there's a competition this weekend and I wanted to go, but now she wants to go and you know that Mom said that she wouldn't let both of us compete at the same time and this is my sub-regional meet and I have to compete if I have any chance of placing in the Regionals or Junior Olympics. Dad, this is not fair. This is the sub-regional and I’ve worked too hard to make the Junior Olympic team. I know I’m back to full speed; I’m at 100% right now. I know I can do it, but if Mom will let just one of us compete, we both know it will be Kimberly. It’s been that way since my ankle injury. Mom hasn’t let me do anything like this because she doesn’t believe I’ve healed up completely.”

            "Stacy, Stacy, slow down. I get the picture", Kevin was finally able to say. "I'll handle Mom, but I want the two of you get all your homework done before Mom gets home and everything else will get worked out, okay?"

            "Thanks, Dad. There is something else I want to ask you and I know that you'll probably say no."

            "Try me. You’ll never know unless you ask and you already know the worst than can happen.”

            "Okay, you’re right again. Here goes. There's a boy at school who wants to go to the gymnastics meet with me", she said. "Would it be okay?"

            "Do you want him to go with you and will you be able to keep focused with him there?” He had known this day would come and had mixed emotions about his older daughter dating at this age.

            "Well, he is kinda cute, and he asked me first. As far as focused, he’s not that cute, not like Jessie McCartney or anything like that, so I can stay focused.”

            "Have him come by tomorrow and we'll talk about this when I'm home", Kevin promised. He felt that meeting this young man prior to Saturday would not hurt anything.

            "You'll have to pick us all up at school and take him home later", Stacy explained. "He lives by the bayou in that new subdivision."

            "That's fine. Just ask him to stay for dinner, okay?"

            "I'll call him as soon as I order pizza.”

            "Good, call me if Mom doesn't get home in the next few minutes. I'll see if Laura can come by to sit with the two of you for a while."

            "Okay, Dad. We’ll see ya, later, bye."

             Kevin could hear the excitement in her voice as she said bye to him. He was proud of his two girls in many ways and Stacy had just made him that much more proud of her.   He had just hung up from speaking with his daughter when the crew returned with steaks and salad fixings. They were able to have a quiet dinner without any interruptions, but the rest of the night was spent running various calls throughout their zone 

            One call made sure no one on shift got more than four hours rest before shift’s end.