Читать книгу: «Ночное дежурство», страница 6

While Clare went to make tea, Nancy decided to tell her the whole story. “I met him,” she blurted out, “he came back, I know I should have told you before what happened and what had scared me, but he has come back; he is in reception; what can I do?” “Who came back? What are you talking about? Clare asked her with a perplexed look on her face.”

“My patient whom I was caring for during my last duty,” announced Nancy.

“I didn’t mention anything to you, Nancy, because I thought you were overworked and needed care yourself, but your last patient, John Merchant, died one hour after our doctor discovered you on the floor next. To his bed.”

“What did you say?” demanded Nancy, who was starting to cry. “Nancy, Oh dear, please do not worry, you have done nothing wrong. Mr Merchant was very critical; we are all knew that and so did you, and in fact, the doctor was going to tell his relatives that there was no hope for any recovery. He was brain dead, Nancy. Think about it, Nancy, you are a very experienced Nurse, and you have seen a lot in your job. This is not your first patient who has died.”

“But he held my wrist so hard I felt it for days afterwards, and I had a sore on my right wrist. He was breathing so loud behind my ear, and not only that, but someone was sitting in the corner of the room, looking at me constantly. Please, Clare, believe me, and now he has come back, and he is sitting at the corner of the reception and looking at me with the same cold smile. I remember what he looked like very well, and he is here again.”

“Nancy, please finish your tea and try to eat a biscuit and then we will talk this through and try to find out what has been happening to you.”

Clare was disturbed by what Nancy had been telling her, and she was starting to worry about Nancy’s state of mind. Then someone knocked on the door.

“Yes, come in, please,” Clare shouted. She looked at the door to see who had entered and smiled at nurse Liz. “What is it, Liz?”

Liz started to tell Clare that John Merchant's brother had arrived to collect some documentation about John’s death and collect John's personal belongings. Michael Merchant was John’s twin brother. She asked Clare where she would like to meet Michael. While Liz was finishing asking Clare, the door of Clare’s office opened wide, and Nancy could see Him again so clearly and so close and with the same cold smile and with those piercing blue eyes. She immediately felt strange and afraid again and gave a scream, and then rushed behind Clare for protection.

Clare did not feel comfortable meeting patients or relatives in her office, so she asked Liz to take him to the visitor’s room.

“Now tell me what is disturbing you and what you are afraid of?” Clare demanded.

Liz sat with Nancy and tried to calm her down whilst Clare went out to see Michael. Nancy just sat silently and stared into space, seeing nothing, and appeared in a trance. Liz was quite worried for her. After a while, the door opened, and Clare, and the same man, Michael, was entering and walking toward Nancy. “Nancy, this is the twin brother of our patient John Merchant who sadly died on you last night duty here; he wants to meet you.”

“I am immensely grateful to you for what you did to help my brother in his last hours of life, and I am so glad that you were with him and he did not die alone. Thank you for all the care and dedication you gave to him.” Michael said this in a low voice and looked at Nancy with piercingly blue eyes. He leaned over and squeezed her right hand, and one finger gently touched her wrist, which she suddenly realised had magically just recovered from that night of horror.