Miss Josefina: Nobody's Princess

Lena's voice was laced with bitterness as she began, "There was this competition, you see, and I didn't make the cut. Then, I got the boot from the hospital. I went to ask Ellory what the deal was, and saw Josie coming from the direction of Ellory's office. Mom, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to stress you out, and I was worried it might rock the boat with you and Josie."

Josefina nearly burst into applause - Lena was something else. With just a few words, Lena tried to stir the pot, but it wouldn't be that easy.

"What? Really? How come I never heard about this?" Josefina gawked at her, genuinely puzzled. "You rocked that competition, didn't you? Why wouldn't they keep you on? What place did you come in?" Hattie chimed in, "Lena, what was your rank? If you were in the running, you should've stayed. If Ellory dropped the ball, I'll have the firm's legal eagles take a look for you."

Lena was speechless. Why had the spotlight suddenly shifted to her competition results? It was another classic case of shooting herself in the foot, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

Josefina pressed on, "Lena, why aren't you saying anything? Spill the beans if you've been dealt a bad hand. Mom and I are here to back you up."

Lena clenched her jaw in frustration. "Ah, it's no biggie," Lena waved it off, hoping to breeze past the moment.

Josefina, however, wouldn't let it go. "Lena, you really should lay it out. Lucky it's just family here, or someone might get the wrong end of the stick, thinking I've been bad-mouthing you behind your back, causing Ellory to nix your internship at the hospital."

Lena wasn't exactly a shrinking violet, and here she was, being treated like an amateur.

Bring on the drama!

Hattie sat there, listening to the exchange between her daughters. She wasn't born yesterday. It was clear as day that Lena was taking jabs at Josefina.

Hattie didn't like Lena's behavior, and after Josefina returned, Hattie was already very concerned about Lena's feelings.

With a stern look, Hattie addressed Lena, "From what you're implying, it sounds like Josie had a hand in tweaking the competition results. I'll touch base with Ellory about it. We go way back, you know." Lena was taken aback. She hadn't expected Hattie to actually know Ellory.

"Mom, it's not necessary. It was just a bad day for me, and I didn't perform well. But you know, one competition doesn't define a person's abilities. I'll double down on my efforts from here on out."

As Lena hung her head, Hattie was already dialing Ellory's number. Lena was tempted to snatch away the phone, but she didn't dare.

Ellory's deep voice came through the line, and Hattie politely inquired, "Ellory, I heard Lena's internship is up in the air? Did she drop the ball somewhere?"

Ellory, ever the professional, sighed with a mix of frustration and resignation. "Hattie, Lena's still rough around the edges with her medical foundations. She didn't land in the top three in the recent contest. She's young and has time to learn. That said, I'd suggest you have a heart-to-heart with her about not biting off more than she can chew. Word from the department head is that Lena's a bit of a wild card, not entirely cut out for the medical field."

Hattie glanced at Lena's pale face, then reassured Ellory with a smile, "Ellory, I appreciate the heads-up. I'll have a chat with Lena later on."