An Ocean Apart by Sarah Lee

Author:Sarah Lee [Lee, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2022-07-01T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Ruby

‘Wait, did anybody see Billie? I ain’t seen that girl for the whole day, you’d think we’d done something to her,’ said Ruby, leading the charge as the girls returned from the dining room.

‘Now, Ruby Haynes, why would you say such a thing?’ Billie replied, forcing a smile.

‘There you are! Why didn’t you come to dinner?’ Ruby asked.

‘I didn’t feel like it at all. I had a horrible day. A little girl died on the ward,’ Billie explained.

‘Oh, Billie, no!’ Ruby exclaimed as Connie and all the other trainees looked horrified.

‘Yes, it was that ten-year-old I’ve mentioned before, Mandy. She was so sick, but it was still a shock. Seems as though the brain damage was so severe that her heart packed in,’ Billie said sadly, as Ruby hugged her.

‘That’s terrible,’ Ruby said. ‘I guess I could expect it – I have a few geriatrics on the men’s general where I am. But you just don’t imagine that little children will die like that.’

‘Maybe not, but I think we’ll have to get used to this – people die at any age,’ Connie said dolefully.

The incident cast a shadow over the evening, but it also made the girls even more committed to their work. It was as though their role suddenly had greater significance. They couldn’t help everyone, and some people would die, even little girls. But they could get some people fit and well again. It was this fervour that Ruby took onto Oak Ward at eight o’clock the next evening.

‘Good evening, Sister Davenport,’ she said.

‘Good evening, Nurse,’ the night sister replied. ‘I understand this is your first night shift. We have breaks at midnight and at four o’clock in the morning. It is a longer shift, but it should be fairly quiet, of course, as we try to ensure the patients have a full night’s sleep, even with vital signs checks and any drugs that need to be administered. The doctor will complete his ward round shortly, then it will be over to all of you nurses here for the night. I am on call, and I’ll come by again before morning handover.’

‘Oh OK, thank you, Sister,’ Ruby replied, then retreated to help a staff nurse with the drugs round.

She’d been enjoying her time on the ward, despite the fact that Margaret had been allotted Oak Ward for her first rotation too. Their paths had crossed a little in the preceding weeks, but Grace and Jean were also on the ward and did their best to keep the two girls as far apart as possible. And now that Ruby would be working nights for the next few weeks, she was able to avoid her as Margaret was still on days.

‘Good evening, Mr Bailey, you ready for your medication?’ Ruby smiled.

‘Hello, love, you’re back here already, are you? I was just saying to old Bert over there how hard you girls all work. You can’t get much time to yourselves,’ said Fred Bailey, who was in hospital to have kidney stones removed.

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