Chapter 16 – Holding The Needle, Not The Fear

7:45, Demonstration room Dana walks into the room. Aurélia is already there clean uniform, notebook in hand, determined look, but still a bit tense.

"Did you sleep?"

"Yes, Doctor Noctielle. 5:34 with a nightmare."

Dana raises an eyebrow, amused.

"That’s almost a full night in this job congratulations let’s go."

She places a case on the table inside basic medical equipment gloves, stethoscope, tourniquet, syringe, bandages, strips, portable defibrillator first step: the needle Dana pulls out a silicone skin model and marks a vein with a violet marker.

"You’re going to learn to insert a line. You won’t inject anything today. Just learn to aim."

Aurélia looks at the needle, then at Dana, then back at the needle.

"It’s a needle and I have to poke?"

— "Yes and not like a blind mole breathe align your wrist and most importantly, look at the skin, not the needle."

She inhales tries her first move trembles misses.

"I... I think i almost pierced the table."

Dana gently corrects her gesture.

"Your elbow’s too high and you’re breathing like you’re taking an exorcism exam. try again."

Two tries three a soft click.

"Did I do it?"

"You did."

Aurélia looks at her hands, surprised.

"That was... almost calming this time."

"It often is, when you accept to act without trying to impress the vein doesn’t need brilliance. Just stability."

Second step: the dressings Dana takes out a mannequin with fake wounds.

"Now, dress a wound clean it, compress it, cover it neatly and don’t stick the bandage to the wound unless you want eternal hatred from your patient."

Aurélia takes a swab some saline.

"Doctor, can I ask a dumb question?"

"All good questions are dumb go ahead."

"Why do we learn this here, and not directly on real patients?"

"Because plastic doesn’t hold grudges and mostly, because urgency must first become a habit."

Aurélia cleans, dabs, applies still trembles a bit, but less her breathing is stable Dana watches silently then nods.

"Not perfect but good enough not to make a real patient scream."

"I almost feel useful."

"You’re becoming someone useful big difference."

Dana unfolds a training defibrillator.

"And this... this can save a life in ten seconds you might never see it used for real but you must know it like your own pocket even if it’s full."

Aurélia chuckles a bit then focuses again.

Dana demonstrates.

"Pads here automatic analysis no shock without a critical signal but if it beeps, don’t wait for the patient to beg. You act."

Aurélia follows, places, presses, a green beep flashes.

"Simulation successful," says the device’s voice.
Dana crosses her arms.

"You just revived a machine that’s a good start but remember: in real life, it’s noisy messy emotional."

"And I’ll still have to do it."

"Exactly."

End of the session Aurélia sits, exhausted but proud Dana hands her a water bottle.

"You’ve sweat more than a marathon runner totally normal. Stress has a metabolism."

"I don’t feel perfect. but I feel... less useless."

"And tomorrow, you’ll be better than many but above all, you’ll make fewer mistakes than the overconfident."

"Does that mean i can insert a real line in a real emergency now?"

Dana looks at her for a second.

— "No but you’ll stay calm when a real nurse does it and soon you’ll be the real one."

Aurélia stands salutes.

"Thank you, Doctor Dana."

"It’s nothing tomorrow we learn how to make a medical file talk better than a novel you’ll see it’s bloody."

"I already love it."

Dana smiles for real, this time.

End of Chapter 16 – Holding The Needle, Not The Fear