Dead Pretty by Joy Wood

Author:Joy Wood [Wood, Joy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-16T16:00:00+00:00

26. Louise

Louise was on her second shift on Ward 7. Making her way to the ward that morning for the early start was a poignant reminder of the week earlier when she’d walked with Vanya to their adjacent wards. There still wasn’t any news about how she’d mysteriously disappeared and since that day, everything had changed. The shine seemed to have gone off Harlow Wood. Mrs McGee probably felt the need to step up by her constant presence in and around North House. Possibly she felt that being visible offered reassurance, but most of them, certainly in Louise’s group, didn’t appreciate it and gave her a wide berth. But anxiety was running high amongst them all and they travelled around the hospital in no less than pairs.

That morning, after arriving on shift, the early staff had congregated in the office for the report from the night staff. Louise was sat quite a distance from Mr Feeney at his desk, but she could smell him. It was a delicious blend of lemon and lime. All clean and invigorating.

After they’d listened to an assessment of each patient and made notes accordingly in their pocket notebooks, Mr Feeney looked directly at her.

“Nurse Allard,” he said, “if you could shadow Nurse Gibson today for your shift. She’s coming to the end of her training here at Harlow Wood, so is quite experienced. I’ve got to do a ward round this morning with the consultant, Mr Stevens at nine, but after that, I’d like to show you how to do a dressing using aseptic technique.”

Relief gushed through her. When he said shadow Jackie Gibson for the shift, she thought that meant she wasn’t going to spend any time with him. The previous day in school, he’d been engaging and animated teaching them about the digestive system, but she hadn’t got any special smiles from him. Maybe it was wishful thinking he singled her out and didn’t smile at everyone else the same way. But she liked to think he did. Yet yesterday, he’d seemed slightly more formal.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile.

She headed off with Jackie to the linen cupboard and her colleague grabbed a stainless steel trolley to stack the linen on for bed making. “What’s he like?” Jackie rolled her eyes, “I can quite easily show you how to do aseptic technique. Why he has to show you personally, I don’t know.” She handed her a pile of folded white sheets and pale blue counterpanes which Louise duly stacked on the top and bottom of the trolley. “There’s nothing to it anyway,” she passed a handful of pillowcases, “they make out in school it’s a huge thing, but it’s dead easy.”

“Is it? We’ve been shown it and we practiced on each other, but I guess it’s much more difficult on a real patient?” Louise followed Jackie as she walked towards the first female bay.

“Not that much different, honestly. Morning, ladies,” Jackie greeted as they entered the bay of six female patients, “I’ve got a new nurse working with me this morning.

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