The Doctor's Last Day

I never felt this way before.

I work as a part-time union steward and a part-time nurse. I'm paid, however, as a full-time employee. By coincidence, I was assigned to work in the clinic of the union president. The president is a doctor. Doctors have come and gone in our clinic. Some have even left without a party or a card.
My doctor and I have developed an understanding with each other over the years. She is demanding about wanting to know things before she approaches a client or a chart. So one day, I sat down with her and developed a set of protocols; every question that I should think of asking before I give her the chart. It turned into a checklist. It was rudimentary, but it made sure that everyone was asked the same question regardless to whether or not I knew who the person was.
Things are tight where I work. When a doctor leaves, he/she isn't replaced. The workload gets spread out. This makes work difficult for everyone.
...
It's been a week into the month. The doctor was planning on remaining active in the union, however when she retired, all of her employee privileges went bye-bye. That included her access-driving ID card which meant she could not get on the agency computer or use any of its MICROSOFT programs. Now I have to send copies of everything to her YAHOO! account; I feel as if I were back in the Neanderthal era when 45 was at the helm of his reign of terror.
My relationship with the doctor is one of the most impersonal long-term relationships I have ever had in my life. All I know about her is that she has a son whom--presumably--she raised as a single mom. There was a man (obviously) at one time, but I don't know if they had ever tied the knot or if they simply shacked-up together in the beginning. She has some biological family in the state, but I have no idea if any had moved out of state or if she is even in close contact with them.
<SHRUG> ... The same could be said about me. My human sexuality is a don't ask/don't tell subject. At my age, most folks don't even ask. I've never even been asked if I have children, if I had ever been in an LTR with a 'lover', or even where I am originally from. This actually gives me comfort. Most folks I know would think I would be lonely.
One thing I did learn about the good doctor was that she didn't have a locker in the staff bathroom. I seldom use mine (it's a repository for some textbooks). I had thought I would keep a change of clothes in it, but that thought came and went. She had an office that was always locked and to which no one was invited entrance. Who needs a locker room when one has an office, I guess.
Still... I will miss her. Few people liked her personally as, well, she wasn't warm, fuzzy, or particularly personal. For me, she provided clarity and set of rules to follow that allowed workflow to move with little question. Here and there something might pop up; like if a person should have been scheduled for a 30-minute session instead of a 60-minute one. I'd ask if she still wanted to keep the appointment or reschedule. Such things were few and far between and I found them easy to work with.
If I have anything more to say about the doctor, I will probably start a new entry.