d59KNYm

264 SNAKES IN SUITS
the instructor, “but years of making life-and-death decisions hardens
them, and their only outlet is to act out in the OR.” Nancy accepted
this explanation for a while, and it helped her deal with her frustration,
but then she learned about traveling nurses and saw an opportunity
to work at her craft knowing that she would be on the road in
a few months. She knew she couldn’t change who the doctors were,
and it appealed to her that she could change the working relationship
between her and them, so she made the switch.
Then one day she met Marshall. They happened to sit next to
each other on a plane as Nancy was moving to a new job in the Midwest,
and they struck up a conversation. As often happens when we
find ourselves locked into a seat next to a stranger for a few hours,
Nancy started to talk about herself to Marshall. Normally not very
talkative, Nancy found herself captivated by this handsome man in a
dark gray suit who seemed to take an interest in her. When she found
out that he was a physician, she got nervous. Oh, jeez, not a doctor,
she thought, but his calm demeanor and friendly smile eased her
concerns.
“My career choice came late in life,” he admitted. “It was difficult
juggling my schedule to attend classes, particularly the labs, but
my boss at the time understood, probably because he was a veteran,
too.”
“You were in the war?” asked Nancy, beginning to wonder
whether Marshall was much older than she had surmised.
“Well, for a short while, but then I got shot down.”
“Oh, my God,” she said, gasping.
“Yes, well, that’s the nature of war—it truly is hell. I couldn’t
just leave my guys there; I had to save them,” he added casually.
“My dad got a Purple Heart in Vietnam; did you get one?”
Nancy interrupted excitedly.
Marshall turned toward her, smiled briefly, and then stared
coldly. “Medal of Honor,” he said so seriously that Nancy feared that
she might have offended him.
“Oh, that’s really impressive,” she said meekly, worrying even