Warm infusion bottles

Fiona Chen was a nurse at a hospital, routinely administering injections and medications to patients. Despite the hard work and occasional grievances from patients, she carried on with her duties.

One day, as Fiona was preparing medication carts for IV infusions, the door suddenly swung open with a bang. She looked up to see a middle-aged man with a fierce expression on his face. Without asking any questions, the man began to berate her: "What are you doctors even good for? We've been waiting forever for an IV, and no one's shown up. Are you trying to kill us?"

Fiona couldn't help but retort, "There's an order to these things. We schedule IVs in sequence."

The man glared at her, "Who knows how you sort out that order?"

Fiona ignored him, tidied up her supplies, and stood up. The man, seeing her silence, pressed on, "Can you do the IV now?"

Fiona asked, "Which room and bed number?"

"Room 308, bed 3," the man replied. That was precisely where Fiona was headed next. She coolly told the man, "I'm on my way there now."

Taken aback, a flicker of remorse crossed the man's face, but he said nothing and hurried out the door, which bounced back a few times before coming to a rest. Fiona shook her head, her heart filled with disdain.

Upon reaching room 308, Fiona saw that the patient in bed 3 was an elderly woman, presumably the middle-aged man's mother. The man, who seemed impatient, said, "What took you so long?"

The old lady, lying in bed, scolded, "George, how can you speak like that?"

George, the middle-aged man, adopted a smile and leaned in, saying soothingly, "Mom, I just wanted you to start feeling better sooner."

The old lady replied, "That doesn't mean you can talk to the doctor that way!" George nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, I understand."

Fiona hung the IV bag, inserted the needle for the old lady, and adjusted the drip rate, "If there's any issue, just ring the bell, and I'll come right away."

The old lady thanked her, while George merely glanced at Fiona without any expression.

A while later, the bell rang. Fiona answered the call and heard George's voice immediately, "What have you done? We've never had any problems with IVs elsewhere, but here, my mom's in pain after just a short while. Get over here and check; if there’s any trouble, I'll hold you accountable!"

Fiona rushed over. Upon entering the room, she found the old lady sweating profusely, shivering in bed. The IV had been stopped, turned off by George, who looked frantic. Upon seeing Fiona, he barked, "What did you do?"

After examining the situation, Fiona explained, "The IV fluid might be too cold, irritating the veins. The elderly can't always tolerate that."

George anxiously suggested, "Should I warm it with a hot water bottle?"

Fiona shook her head, "No, that's too hot and could affect the medication. I'll slow down the IV rate." After adjusting the flow and observing the old lady for a bit, Fiona returned to the office.

Later, as night fell and it was time for rounds, Fiona arrived at room 308. She was stunned by the sight that greeted her—George was seated on a stool atop a cabinet next to the bed, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, dozing off.

Fiona, irritated, scolded, "What are you doing up there? Isn't the floor good enough for you?"

George startled awake and, seeing Fiona's angry face, offered a sheepish smile but didn't budge.

Fiona demanded, "Come down from there! What does that look like?"

George replied, "Just a little longer, it's almost done."

Confused, Fiona asked, "What's almost done?" As she approached to pull him down, she noticed the long IV tube leading up to George's armpit. She turned to the IV stand and realized it was empty.

Sensing Fiona's confusion, George chuckled and explained, "I was worried about my mom having another reaction to the IV. She doesn't sleep well, and if she wakes up in discomfort, she'll struggle to fall asleep again."

Fiona seemed to understand and asked, "So you…"

"I've been holding the IV bag under my arm to keep it from getting too cold. This stuff is chilly; no wonder my mom couldn't handle it at first." After a pause, George added, "I was worried about my mom earlier and wasn't nice to you. I apologize, don't take it to heart…"

Watching George, who had initially seemed so intimidating, through softened eyes, Fiona's perspective began to change.