Helping People

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.”

           She listened to the words of her best friend with her head down. Elizabeth had just attended yet another interview for yet another job. In this day and age, it was hard to find work, hard to find someone that would accept her with her lack of experience. There seemed to be nothing else she could do but move back home with her parents and give up on trying to live on her own. With a degree in health information, what little hope she had starting out had faded to no hope at all. But she had been stubborn.

“Melisa, I have been trying for months to find work and I haven’t yet. I can’t keep living off of you!” Elizabeth stated sighing as she threw herself down on the sofa in a huff. “I just can’t. That wouldn’t be fair!”

“What, so it would be better for you to live off your overbearing, annoying, pushy parents?” Melisa questioned, her eyebrow raising into her hairline. “Lizzy, you can’t just give up and go crawling back to them. So, what if they’re rich, big-shot business people. You wanted to work in the health field. Don’t give up without even trying!”

           Elizabeth’s parents worked in the big world of business, her father a CEO of a major realty corporation and her mother his co-founder. They had built it from scratch and practically lived in their jobs, focusing little if any of their actual effort on their daughter. She sighed as her head sank down to look at the floor. There was nothing to working in business, as she had done it as a part of her parents request when she was a fledging just starting college, but the second she had changed from a business degree? Her parents had lost it.

           They did not seem to understand her desire to help people and wanted her to focus on the family business. To be honest, her brother had that under control, so she did not understand the reason why she needed to focus on it as well. Jacob had that well within his grasps too, as the board of directors working under her father only saw Jacob as the future CEO. A phone call interrupted her thoughts, causing her to jump slightly and stare at her phone in shock. There were not many people that called her, despite the fact that she had a phone.

“Hello?” She answered, realizing she did not know the caller. “This is Elizabeth Matthews, what can I do for you?”

“Miss Matthews, this is Doctor Aaron Abernathy with the Medical Center.” His voice was as smooth as silk in her ear, causing her to shiver slightly. “My coworker was the one that performed your interview today, and I happened to overhear. I hope you’ll accept my apologies. As of right now, the hospital has no openings in the field you are qualified for…”

“Oh…” She sighed softly hoping he did not hear. “I thank you for taking the time to let me know.”

“Oh, it was no trouble. But please don’t misunderstand. I just so happen to run a clinic of my own just off the highway.” He mentioned, offhandedly. “And I find myself in need of a receptionist.”

“AH! Ah, I’m sorry, I did not mean to yell.” Elizabeth said her face brightening slightly. “So, you are in need of a receptionist?”

“Quite right. I should like to interview you myself at the clinic, but I borrowed your resume from my coworker and took a look.” Doctor Abernathy continued, his voice sounding amused. “Though you have little experience medically, you are a graduate and you have experience in business. Would you be available this evening for another interview?”

“Oh, absolutely.” She stated, grabbing a pen and some paper from Melisa. “What time works best for you, Doctor?”

“Please, just call me Aaron.” He replied laughing. “And how does five this evening sound? At the Clinic?”

           So, after writing down a few more details, including the address to the clinic, Elizabeth smiled. An interview with a small clinic seemed better than working at a large hospital. At the very least, it would involve a smaller number of patients, so she could have time adjusting to the workflow. Turning to look at Melisa, who had long since started smiling, she nodded. Excited and happy, she stood and walked over to the kitchen to grab a quick snack so she could start getting ready. She HAD to make a good impression on this interview.

           A short while later, Elizabeth found herself standing just outside the Abernathy Medical Clinic in a quiet part of town. It was a little larger than she had expected, but she was not disappointed. Walking up to the door, she noticed the flowerpots along the sides and the clear glass showing the waiting room inside. The lobby was dark, but she could see a light in the back through the window of the receptionist desk. The small building was made out of red brick and actually looked cute surrounded by its greenery. Walking closer to the door, she smoothed her shirt before raising her hand.

She knocked lightly on the door and froze when a man, who was at least six foot four, appeared from the back wearing a white doctor’s coat and a friendly smile. He was HUGE! She noted immediately as he unlocked the door and pulled it open for her. On his face was an affable smile and he motioned through the lobby to the back. Elizabeth felt nervous to start with but as the man led her through the building, she noticed he had a calming aura about him that had her relaxing slightly. As the tension in her body uncurled, she smiled when he brought her to an office room with a desk.

“Have a seat Miss Matthews.” He stated, taking the office chair behind the desk before crossing his arms in front of him. “Thank you for coming.”

           Not only was he extremely tall, he was extremely handsome and she could feel herself swooning slightly under the gaze of his pretty brown eyes. His black hair, which he seemingly kept short, was styled in a way to keep his hair out of his eyes. Under the lighting in the room, she could clearly see the details of his face and that made Elizabeth shift nervously under his gaze. He chuckled lightly before picking up one of the pens on his desk and leaning back in the chair. Clearly, this man knew of the effect he had on people.

“Thank you for inviting me.” She returned, clearing her throat slightly. “And please, call me Elizabeth or Lizzy.”

“Very good. Well, Lizzy, would you like to work for me?” He asked, his gaze sweeping over her slightly before returning to her eyes. “I think you would be an excellent fit as a receptionist working here would have a lot of duties that you would already be familiar with coming from a business background.”

“I would love the opportunity, Doctor…Aaron.” Elizabeth corrected when he glared slightly. “So, what would my duties entail?”

“Ah, mostly, you would have the standard receptionist duties such as receiving and directing patients, answering questions, managing appointments, taking care of mail, bookkeeping, and keeping the waiting room nice and tidy.” Aaron replied with a wave of his hands. “We have a small clinic here, so I may ask that you occasionally help me in the patient rooms, but for the most part, you will be the face of our clinic.”

“That sounds accomplishable. I’m looking forward to starting!” She countered clenching her fist in front of her. “What about hours of operation? Or I suppose a better question would be, what hours do you need me to work?”

“Ahaha. I was wondering when that question would come up. I like that you’re on the ball with this.” He chuckled lightly before leaning forward, interlocking his fingers as he planted his elbows on the desk. “Our hours are nine in the morning to five in the evening Monday through Friday, except for all national holidays. On weekends, we are an on-call basis, but usually you would have the weekends off.”

           It sounded almost too good to be true. How could she possibly refuse such a golden opportunity when a lot of her fellow former classmates had to work at all kinds of odd hours?! As she stared at him in somewhat a small amount of disbelief, he stood and came around the desk to lean against the front of it, his gaze locked on her. While she contemplated her future at this job, a serious expression on her face, he crossed his arms and waited. Throwing a price, per hour, out there, her eyes rounded even more.

“This seems almost too good to be true!” Elizabeth shouted before covering her mouth when he laughed. “Sorry, I got a little excited there. Yes, that works well for me.”

“Then, can you start Monday?” Aaron questioned with a smile as his hands dropped to his sides. “Because that is the day, we open for the first time.”

           It had been two weeks since then and Elizabeth could not be happier with her work. Since it was, just as he said, a small new clinic, he did not have many patients just yet and there was only one nurse on duty. A male nurse who was just as friendly as Aaron was. Brandon was the nurse on duty and he was making his rounds and checking on patients. Elizabeth stood from her desk and stretched lightly, before walking out to check on the state of the waiting room. For the most part, it was a laid back, slow-paced position that did not require too much effort just yet.

“Lizzy, the patient in room two, could you enlighten them with your presence?” Aaron asked, walking up with a clipboard in hand. “It seems the little boy has a crush and refuses to take a needle unless you hold his hand.”

“Haha, sure.” She replied, walking towards that room. “Good morning, Timothy! Is it time for your shots again?”

“Yes, Miss Lizzy! I’ll show you how much of a man I am this time!” Little Timothy stated, making his mother cringe slightly but laugh none-the-less. “I’m ready, Doctor Aaron!”

           Timothy was a sickly little boy that had to come in twice a week for shots. One would assume the kiddo would be used to getting shots every week, but little Timothy did not like them. Elizabeth went to sit next to him with a comforting smile on her face. True, she hated needles herself, but not enough to discourage her from helping him through it. Aaron brought the needle over with carefully gloved hands and a smile on his face. From what she could tell, he loved his job and that made her love working for him. He helped anyone that showed up, regardless of income or status.

“Alright, Tim, hold onto Lizzy real tight.” He said soothingly, as he cleaned the area, he was going to insert the needle into. “You’ll feel a slight prick then I need you to smile really big.”

“Okay!” Timothy replied then smiled really big, just as Aaron said, when the needle went in. “See, I can do it too, Miss Lizzy!”

“I see. That’s a nice smile you have there, Tim!” Elizabeth encouraged, as he gripped her hand tighter. “You’re doing such a good job!”

           Soon, Aaron finished up and applied a cool character band aid to Timothy’s arm before presenting him with a sucker. At first, the little boy shook his head saying that men did not like rewards, but when he saw Elizabeth grab one, he lunged for them, saying if she liked them, he did too. This was the part of the job she loved the most. Helping children feel better while the doctor saw them. Encouraging them that they could do it and praising them when they did. A while later, as she cleaned up the waiting room, she felt eyes on her.

“You really do work hard. I have to say, I’m glad I hired you.” It was Aaron, leaning on the doorframe leading into the patient rooms. “I can tell you love helping the patients feel better. What made you decide on Health Information instead of your parent’s business?”

           Of course, he knew. She sighed as she put the broom away, and moved to sit in one of the waiting room chairs. How could he not know? After all, her parent’s faces were posted on bulletin boards and buses throughout the city announcing who they are and the business they were in. A quick search of the name would easily reveal that she was the heiress everyone in the business industry made fun of for choosing a career that involved helping people. Turning her gaze back up to where Aaron stood, she sighed lightly, bringing her hand to her head.

“To be honest, my parents asked the same question. I never felt right in the family business, especially when I got older. Then one day, I was out and about in the city with my friend Melisa and I got really sick.” Elizabeth said, looking back at the ground. “I was so sick, I could not walk anymore and fainted right there. A doctor happened to be in the crowd and saved my life…and I never got to thank him. Part of me hoped to find him one day and thank him, and then when I started taking the coursework, I found out how much I loved it.”

“Just helping people?” He questioned, walking over to take a seat next to her. “Or was there something more to it?”

“Well, I realized it more when I started working for you. I really love helping people. Like little Tim today, and Mister George who always grumbles but does anything we ask of him.” She replied, tilting her head as she looked up at him next to her. “Seeing them walk out with a smile on their face makes me so happy. I just want to help people feel better, even if it’s only slight. And I want to find that doctor that saved my life and thank him for giving me my dream.”

           At this, Aaron turned his gaze away, his hand covering his mouth. Elizabeth did not know what to make of his expression and for a while they remained sitting there quietly. When she went to stand to finish cleaning up the waiting room, she again felt his eyes on her. Ignoring it this time, she swept around the room, under the chairs, before grabbing the dustpan and leaning down. After this, she needed to empty all of the trash cans and file the prescription copies in patient folders for future reference. She had hoped to create a locked file on their computer but had not had the time yet.

“I was that doctor.” Aaron said causing her to freeze, and turn to look at him, shock painting her features. “Imagine my surprise…to see a young woman faint in the middle of traffic. Then a few years later, to see that same woman walking out of an interview at the hospital.”

“That was you?” Elizabeth had to sit back down, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. “W-why?”

“I am a doctor. That is my job.” He replied, flicking the question away. “As for why I hired you? I could tell you were a hard worker. That and I knew your parents were putting pressure on the others not to.”

“What?!”

“The Matthew’s Family Heiress turns her back on the Family Business. Seeks low-income medical position instead. You made quite the headline with that decision, Lizzy.” Aaron stated on a chuckle before turning to look out the door to the ever-darkening sky. “I saw a lot of me in you. I wanted to help you and I knew you would be good at it. You just needed a chance, and I just opened this clinic. So, I practically hired you on the spot.”