"Oh, our usual seats are taken," Lily said while holding her lunch tray.
"Let's sit over there," Joan pointed towards a table in the left corner near the entrance. Though it was already occupied, a few seats were still free.
As they sat down, the two nurses at the far end of the table—who had been talking animatedly–paused briefly. They glanced at the newcomers before resuming their conversation.
The dining hall served chicken soup, fresh bread, and a small helping of apple pie. Helen looked pleased with the menu, while Lily immediately reached for the pie before finishing her soup.
"So, you are not changing hospitals?" Joan asked after taking a sip of chicken soap.
"Of course not," Lily replied casually. "I already have good friends, colleagues and our superiors are not bad. Why would I leave all of that behind?"
"Why does she want you to change hospitals now?" Helen asked, chewing on her bread.
Lily's mother hopes she will transfer to a hospital near home or that is what she explicitly conveyed on Lily's last visit.
"My father had a colleague here at the hospital, so they thought it would be safer for me to train here, now I have graduated and I'm engaged they think I should move nearer to them"
"They are just worried about you," Helen said gently.
"I know they care," Lily sighed. "It's just…sometimes I feel a little trapped with their expectations and the plans they have already drawn for me,"
"There is no reason to be upset if you are not changing hospitals" Joan said softly "and didn't you say Harry might be transferring to a school not far from here?" Joan soothed her .
Helen suddenly changed the subject. "By the way, when and where are you planning the engagement party?"
"In about a month," Lily replied, resting her chin on the back of her hand. " As soon as his brother returns from studying abroad, probably at his parents house or in a renting a hall, we haven't decided yet,"
"Of course I'll let you know in advance," she added. "So you can all take half a day off. Hopefully, no emergencies happen then."
"Good day, Mrs fin. Could you tell me where I can find some medical books or records?"
"Good day, Miss Joan. Walk to the back of that section, then turn right. You will find them there"
"Thank you,"
By 1900, not everyone supported traditional practices, as strongly as in the nineteenth century, but some older doctors still defended them, Dr. Morton, for example, insisted that excessive congestion remained dangerous and that careful bloodletting still had its place.
Joan noted a few doctors' names with differing reputations and studied them carefully, trying to understand how medical thought had evolved. She knew it would take decades before true progress fully reshaped the field—not only because of limited diagnostic understanding, but also because of how slowly new treatments were adopted.
Joan was not a doctor, but her nursing education and the wide range of information she had gathered through study and the internet were enough to shorten the learning curve by a few steps.
After two hours, Joan returned to the hospital carrying two books in her right hand—Annual Hospital Reports and Gray's Anatomy. In her left, she held weekly groceries and her mail.
That same day, the magazine requested revisions to her last article before publication. After editing it, she will resubmit it, considering whether she should ask Lily or Helen to send it when the time comes.
What kind of Change will Joan cause in her field? Share your thoughts on the comments💭