About the Book

A career woman, proud and successful, a Nursing supervisor, wants things her way. She gets life on her terms until she deals with AIDS in her professional and personal life.

Emergency Department Challenges

Emergency Department supervisor, Mary, fights a budget and changing health care finances. She deals with an employee's alcoholic wife; a nurse with a needle stick exposure to AIDS; and a challenging black orderly. "Only in the Emergency Room" incidents fill her days.

The Impact of AIDS

AIDS patients are causing the hospital to lose money. The crusty mouth sores, diarrhea, fevers, dementia, and suffering take an emotional as well as financial toll on the nurses. Mary and another RN Manager overcome local resistance and seek support to open a halfway house for persons with AIDS in the capitol city of Sacramento, California.

Mary’s Personal Life

Nights are lonely for Mary. Are there any decent men out there? She meets and falls in love with an Engineer. Is AIDS in his background? Are marriage to this man and childbirth a realistic choice for a smugly independent business woman? Is a career-focused life what she wants? Will she run away from AIDS? Can she? And, who's gonna notice anyway?