This sentence is a classic example of an ambiguous pronoun, where "she" could refer to either the doctor or the nurse. The continuation of the sentence is what provides the necessary context.

Here are a few possibilities, depending on who was late:

### **If 'she' refers to the NURSE:**
*   "...and he needed her to start the morning rounds immediately."
*   "...and he was worried, as it was very unlike her to not show up on time."
*   "...and the entire surgical team was waiting for her in the operating room."
*   "...because her shift had started twenty minutes ago and the ward was short-staffed."

### **If 'she' refers to the DOCTOR:**
*   "...to let the nurse know that she was stuck in traffic and would need her first appointment rescheduled."
*   "...to ask the nurse to prep the first patient and apologize for the delay."
*   "...because her car had broken down and she needed the nurse to triage the waiting room until she could find a cab."
*   "...because she had an urgent call from the lab and needed the nurse to pull a patient's file immediately."

### **A version that plays with the ambiguity:**
*   "...a fact that caused a great deal of confusion at the front desk, as both of them had failed to arrive on time."
