The Institution by Helen Fields

Author:Helen Fields [Fields, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2022-12-12T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

WEDNESDAY

Connie left Baarda and headed for the Tower 2 stairs to go first to her room, then to Director Le Fay’s office. Passing the staffroom, she could hear sobs followed by the sound of a nose being blown. Someone was crying. She couldn’t help but look to see who it was.

‘Hey, you okay?’ Connie asked Nurse Madani.

The nurse crumpled up a tissue, tossed it in the waste bin and shook her head. Connie gently closed the staffroom door and went to sit next to her.

‘It’s a difficult thing when a patient dies in a place like this. When you’re around someone all day, all week, whatever they’ve done, you’re bound to form a sort of bond with them. You’re allowed to feel conflicted,’ Connie said.

Madani gave Connie the sort of look usually reserved for waiting staff to throw at a table of twelve who each want to pay only their portion of the bill down to the last penny.

‘We’re back down to five patients, and if Patient B leaves that’s only four,’ she said, the tears starting again. ‘I need those overtime shifts. It’s not as if I’ll get a promotion on this ward. Dawn Lightfoot is senior to me, and she’s already saying she wants a pay rise. I have a big family to support, and my sister’s sick.’

‘It’s a lot of pressure, supporting your family,’ Connie said.

‘It’s bad enough that I have to live and work in this horrible place,’ Nurse Madani said. ‘But my younger brother was encouraged to become a doctor because he’s male. My father said nursing was a more appropriate job for a woman because sooner or later I’d leave and have babies. Now my brother is going to be studying for years while I pay for everything.’

‘What’s wrong with your sister?’

‘Does it matter? They just send me the medical bills and expect me to pay them. Never a thank you. They don’t even really want me to visit. My mother says it’s a waste of money paying for me to travel, and then they’ll have to cook for me when I get home. Might as well stay here with the free food.’

‘Have you tried explaining that you can’t afford it? Surely your brother can get a loan to help with his studies?’

She glared at Connie. ‘I have a responsibility. Family is family. And what do you care? It’s not your problem.’

‘Well, I’d like to think the staff treating Patient B are content, and doing a job they’re genuinely invested in,’ Connie began, buying time with the soft-soaping as she figured out the best way to get Madani to confide in her without sounding too desperate for information. Sidorov had already come way too close to tripping her up. She had to be more mindful of the role she was supposed to be playing. ‘But also, this place is dangerous. You need to be focused on what’s happening around you. If you’re busy worrying about money, that’s when something is likely to go wrong.

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