Ada Brooks was not so good on her feet any more but, the frame the hospital had given her since the hip replacement had enabled her to get out and about to a certain extent. Her other hip joint was not good but the Surgeons wanted to let the first op' mend before starting on it. In the meantime she was still just about able to shuffle her way up to the corner shop to fetch the evening paper.
She noted that the skies were getting a wee bit lighter – Spring would be here soon. Her late husband had liked spring, he used to say it made the sap rise; she smiled at the memory. It was he who had always fetched the paper every evening because it had the horse racing results. He had been fond of the occasional flutter on the gee-gees, and old habits had died hard. Now, once a week, she too made the short trip to the bookies to place a few pounds. She rarely won of course, she lacked her husbands knowledge of the horses. Nevertheless it brought him closer for a moment or two and that was something.
She was a little bit later than usual and she tried to hurry herself along. The frame and her hip limited her speed she soon discovered and she had to pause for breath.
She didn’t hear a thing. Not only that, she hardly felt a thing either; All she recalled afterward was a bright light exploding in her head and seeing the ground come up to meet her face. Mercifully she lost consciousness before her nose broke on the pavement.
The Police got to the scene in a very short time as did the Ambulance. A witness had called 999 and was on hand to say what had happened and give a description of the protagonist.
Thieving is bad enough; said the Policeman: Hitting and snatching a bag from a frail old woman was, he said, as low as anyone could get. Everyone within earshot could not disagree. Each of them hoped that the assailant was caught soon. Some voiced the opinion that he should be castrated and made to eat his own testicles… Again, no one could find fault with the idea.
Paramedics had patched her up at the scene. Because she had lost consciousness it was essential that she go to the Hospital to undergo a thorough examination. An X-Ray to her head being most important.
She held my hand tight as we wheeled the trolley into the X-Ray. She clung on to me while the Technician carefully rolled her to take the pictures of her hip and her nose. Both turned out to be broken.
She still held my hand when back in the cubicle and would not let go while the Doctors gave their verdict. I listened with her as they said that her hip was probably now beyond the repair that had been planned. Her nose would remain crooked because the bones had shattered and they could only do so much. My hand felt hers tighten and I watched as the tears rolled down her bruised cheeks.
Eventually the pain-killers they gave her kicked in and she fell into a troubled sleep…
With some difficulty on my part I reluctantly let go of her hand. Hilary, the Department Sister came in and laid a hand on my shoulder; She tried to tell me that it would be ok and Ada would be out of here in no time. She did her best to console me but the truth is, the more she tried the worse it got. I fled. I ran down the corridor and let myself out through the nearest Fire-Exit to take deep breaths of the cool night air and to dry my tears.
Mercifully a bleep saved me from myself. I pulled myself together and answered within a few moments.
For an hour or more I was kept occupied so had no time to dwell. By the time I got back to A&E things had got busy and the first thing Sister asked me was to take a chap in a wheelchair to X-Ray who had managed to spike his leg on a railing. He explained on the way as I pushed the chair; He thought he would show off to his mates in the park and hop over the fence. The fence was higher than he thought and he came down on it and the top of the railing pierced his leg. – It had too, blood soaked his jeans and still dripped. A trail showed the path we had taken. The cleaner shook her head in a very disapproving manner and followed behind with a mop. I wracked my brain, but could think of no park in the town that had railings. I have no idea why, but I smelled a rat…
As luck had it – I say luck, the fact is that it was a death; Whilst I was waiting in Radiology I was bleeped by Switchboard who said that the Police were bringing in a body and could I open the main gates? ETA, about five minutes. The X-Ray Technician handed me the films and I pushed the injured youth back to A&E and left him in a cubicle, searched out Sister, gave her the films and told her I would be back soon.
Death is something that one has to come to terms with. It happens. Part of the job is to deal with the ‘unseen’ part. The moving and handling that goes along with it. Relatives sometimes get to see their loved ones laid out and view the body with a sheet covering all but the face. They say their goodbyes and shed their tears and they leave with their grief often apparent. They do not give a thought to those that handle the body; and indeed why should they. Those that do it are there to do a job and there it ends. It so happens that those people are human just the same. Doing these things does have an effect, it is not always apparent, it is pushed away.
Ada had made a deep impression and I felt sadness rising as I made my way to the front gates. I opened them and gazed up and down the road but nothing could be seen yet so I headed to the Mortuary to prepare a tray from the fridge for the body. Opening up the office I made ready the Log book and pulled the property book from the draw. As soon as the Police and the Undertakers arrived I was ready and waiting and in short time we had done all the required administration and the body was put away in the fridge leaving only farewells to be made.
As the Police were there, I asked; Had they caught the guys who mugged Ada? One of the Policemen knew Ada in person because he had lived next to her as a kid. He immediately got on the radio to enquire how things were going.
The response told us that as yet nothing had been heard. I asked if they had a description and as the reply from Control came through with the details, I began to feel better about Ada. I ushered the Cops out of the Mortuary and requested they meet me in A&E. A few minutes later they drove their car out from the lower ground and I locked the gate and ran around the front of the building to meet them as they came across the car park.
Inside the Department I explained to them my theory which was of course based purely on gut-instinct. They, to their eternal credit went along with it; I took them to see the Sister in Charge. She gave me a hard look that I wasn’t sure how to interpret but was probably to do with Patient Confidentiality. I shrugged and just mentioned Ada. Hils came over all soft again and led the police to the cubicle that housed the rat I had smelled earlier.
They peeked in and conferred quietly. The spoke again with Sister. She spoke with the Doctor. He went and spoke with the youth. He followed this by speaking with Sister who spoke to a nurse who went into the cubicle and patched the guy up. The Doctor waited while this happened then he re-entered the cubicle and told the young man that he was able to go. He handed over a prescription for whatever medication he thought was right and discharged him.
As the youth limped his way out trailing his damaged leg two Policemen fell into step beside him and asked him if he would accompany them to their car as they wished to ask a few questions…. The panic showed in his eyes and he would have probably bolted but he realised that his leg was not going to co-operate.
An hour later I got a call. He had been arrested and charged.
The next call I got was from Hils in A&E – could I come and take Ada to the ward?
The moment I entered Ada smiled and said hello. She looked pale, the bruising on her face was severe and in truth it was awful to look at. She held out her hand and I took it in mine. She squeezed gently and uttered a thank you. She talked to me all the way up to the ward. She continued to chat as we transferred her from the hard trolley onto a comfortable bed. She carried on chatting as I helped push the bed into its place back in the Main Ward area. I held on to her hand throughout much of this time. I lost count of the number of times she said thank you to me. I really did try to explain that she should be thanking the Doctors and, more specifically, the Nurses; but she waved such ideas aside and she just patted my hand and said that I was the one.
Bill had accompanied me said he was going back to the ‘Lodge’ to sort out the rubbish round and would cover for me. He has a good heart has Bill. I gave him my set of keys and he took my bleep as well. I sat down with Ada and let her soft chatting and effusive gratitude wash over me.
It was a few minutes to six when Ada began to doze off. She would start a sentence then trail off for a moment until she woke herself to complete what she had to say. I could see that pain was beginning to get a hold of her. She kept wincing and uttered the occasional groan. It got worse and I pressed the button for assistance. She began to lapse in and out of consciousness, her hand relaxing and then tightening. Staff nurse appeared and took a look at her, she ran off and summoned the Doctor on call.
A moment of clarity for Ada came and she pulled my hand and whispered, Thank you.” Then she began to shake, the colour drained from her face completely and she cried out in pain. I yelled for the Nurse who was in fact already behind me. She threw back the covers and from the trolley she had wheeled up with her she grabbed a couple of paddles….
The voice I heard seemed to come from afar… - YOU HAVE TO LET GO!
The Doctor was prising Adas hand from mine. He shouted in my face. LET GO! Then, as the world came back to me and reality hit me in the eye I stood back and watched at another attempt to save a life.
Seen it all before, me. Been there, done that, I wear the T-Shirt.
But, sometimes; just sometimes there is something that gets caught in all the shrapnel that passes. Just occasionally we stand by as God puts out His hand and takes His own to Him.
Ada was His. She always had been. She had been given 70 something years here, but she was His. She told me that. She told me of her life. In the few short hours I knew Ada – she, a total stranger, touched my heart.
She noted that the skies were getting a wee bit lighter – Spring would be here soon. Her late husband had liked spring, he used to say it made the sap rise; she smiled at the memory. It was he who had always fetched the paper every evening because it had the horse racing results. He had been fond of the occasional flutter on the gee-gees, and old habits had died hard. Now, once a week, she too made the short trip to the bookies to place a few pounds. She rarely won of course, she lacked her husbands knowledge of the horses. Nevertheless it brought him closer for a moment or two and that was something.
She was a little bit later than usual and she tried to hurry herself along. The frame and her hip limited her speed she soon discovered and she had to pause for breath.
She didn’t hear a thing. Not only that, she hardly felt a thing either; All she recalled afterward was a bright light exploding in her head and seeing the ground come up to meet her face. Mercifully she lost consciousness before her nose broke on the pavement.
The Police got to the scene in a very short time as did the Ambulance. A witness had called 999 and was on hand to say what had happened and give a description of the protagonist.
Thieving is bad enough; said the Policeman: Hitting and snatching a bag from a frail old woman was, he said, as low as anyone could get. Everyone within earshot could not disagree. Each of them hoped that the assailant was caught soon. Some voiced the opinion that he should be castrated and made to eat his own testicles… Again, no one could find fault with the idea.
Paramedics had patched her up at the scene. Because she had lost consciousness it was essential that she go to the Hospital to undergo a thorough examination. An X-Ray to her head being most important.
She held my hand tight as we wheeled the trolley into the X-Ray. She clung on to me while the Technician carefully rolled her to take the pictures of her hip and her nose. Both turned out to be broken.
She still held my hand when back in the cubicle and would not let go while the Doctors gave their verdict. I listened with her as they said that her hip was probably now beyond the repair that had been planned. Her nose would remain crooked because the bones had shattered and they could only do so much. My hand felt hers tighten and I watched as the tears rolled down her bruised cheeks.
Eventually the pain-killers they gave her kicked in and she fell into a troubled sleep…
With some difficulty on my part I reluctantly let go of her hand. Hilary, the Department Sister came in and laid a hand on my shoulder; She tried to tell me that it would be ok and Ada would be out of here in no time. She did her best to console me but the truth is, the more she tried the worse it got. I fled. I ran down the corridor and let myself out through the nearest Fire-Exit to take deep breaths of the cool night air and to dry my tears.
Mercifully a bleep saved me from myself. I pulled myself together and answered within a few moments.
For an hour or more I was kept occupied so had no time to dwell. By the time I got back to A&E things had got busy and the first thing Sister asked me was to take a chap in a wheelchair to X-Ray who had managed to spike his leg on a railing. He explained on the way as I pushed the chair; He thought he would show off to his mates in the park and hop over the fence. The fence was higher than he thought and he came down on it and the top of the railing pierced his leg. – It had too, blood soaked his jeans and still dripped. A trail showed the path we had taken. The cleaner shook her head in a very disapproving manner and followed behind with a mop. I wracked my brain, but could think of no park in the town that had railings. I have no idea why, but I smelled a rat…
As luck had it – I say luck, the fact is that it was a death; Whilst I was waiting in Radiology I was bleeped by Switchboard who said that the Police were bringing in a body and could I open the main gates? ETA, about five minutes. The X-Ray Technician handed me the films and I pushed the injured youth back to A&E and left him in a cubicle, searched out Sister, gave her the films and told her I would be back soon.
Death is something that one has to come to terms with. It happens. Part of the job is to deal with the ‘unseen’ part. The moving and handling that goes along with it. Relatives sometimes get to see their loved ones laid out and view the body with a sheet covering all but the face. They say their goodbyes and shed their tears and they leave with their grief often apparent. They do not give a thought to those that handle the body; and indeed why should they. Those that do it are there to do a job and there it ends. It so happens that those people are human just the same. Doing these things does have an effect, it is not always apparent, it is pushed away.
Ada had made a deep impression and I felt sadness rising as I made my way to the front gates. I opened them and gazed up and down the road but nothing could be seen yet so I headed to the Mortuary to prepare a tray from the fridge for the body. Opening up the office I made ready the Log book and pulled the property book from the draw. As soon as the Police and the Undertakers arrived I was ready and waiting and in short time we had done all the required administration and the body was put away in the fridge leaving only farewells to be made.
As the Police were there, I asked; Had they caught the guys who mugged Ada? One of the Policemen knew Ada in person because he had lived next to her as a kid. He immediately got on the radio to enquire how things were going.
The response told us that as yet nothing had been heard. I asked if they had a description and as the reply from Control came through with the details, I began to feel better about Ada. I ushered the Cops out of the Mortuary and requested they meet me in A&E. A few minutes later they drove their car out from the lower ground and I locked the gate and ran around the front of the building to meet them as they came across the car park.
Inside the Department I explained to them my theory which was of course based purely on gut-instinct. They, to their eternal credit went along with it; I took them to see the Sister in Charge. She gave me a hard look that I wasn’t sure how to interpret but was probably to do with Patient Confidentiality. I shrugged and just mentioned Ada. Hils came over all soft again and led the police to the cubicle that housed the rat I had smelled earlier.
They peeked in and conferred quietly. The spoke again with Sister. She spoke with the Doctor. He went and spoke with the youth. He followed this by speaking with Sister who spoke to a nurse who went into the cubicle and patched the guy up. The Doctor waited while this happened then he re-entered the cubicle and told the young man that he was able to go. He handed over a prescription for whatever medication he thought was right and discharged him.
As the youth limped his way out trailing his damaged leg two Policemen fell into step beside him and asked him if he would accompany them to their car as they wished to ask a few questions…. The panic showed in his eyes and he would have probably bolted but he realised that his leg was not going to co-operate.
An hour later I got a call. He had been arrested and charged.
The next call I got was from Hils in A&E – could I come and take Ada to the ward?
The moment I entered Ada smiled and said hello. She looked pale, the bruising on her face was severe and in truth it was awful to look at. She held out her hand and I took it in mine. She squeezed gently and uttered a thank you. She talked to me all the way up to the ward. She continued to chat as we transferred her from the hard trolley onto a comfortable bed. She carried on chatting as I helped push the bed into its place back in the Main Ward area. I held on to her hand throughout much of this time. I lost count of the number of times she said thank you to me. I really did try to explain that she should be thanking the Doctors and, more specifically, the Nurses; but she waved such ideas aside and she just patted my hand and said that I was the one.
Bill had accompanied me said he was going back to the ‘Lodge’ to sort out the rubbish round and would cover for me. He has a good heart has Bill. I gave him my set of keys and he took my bleep as well. I sat down with Ada and let her soft chatting and effusive gratitude wash over me.
It was a few minutes to six when Ada began to doze off. She would start a sentence then trail off for a moment until she woke herself to complete what she had to say. I could see that pain was beginning to get a hold of her. She kept wincing and uttered the occasional groan. It got worse and I pressed the button for assistance. She began to lapse in and out of consciousness, her hand relaxing and then tightening. Staff nurse appeared and took a look at her, she ran off and summoned the Doctor on call.
A moment of clarity for Ada came and she pulled my hand and whispered, Thank you.” Then she began to shake, the colour drained from her face completely and she cried out in pain. I yelled for the Nurse who was in fact already behind me. She threw back the covers and from the trolley she had wheeled up with her she grabbed a couple of paddles….
The voice I heard seemed to come from afar… - YOU HAVE TO LET GO!
The Doctor was prising Adas hand from mine. He shouted in my face. LET GO! Then, as the world came back to me and reality hit me in the eye I stood back and watched at another attempt to save a life.
Seen it all before, me. Been there, done that, I wear the T-Shirt.
But, sometimes; just sometimes there is something that gets caught in all the shrapnel that passes. Just occasionally we stand by as God puts out His hand and takes His own to Him.
Ada was His. She always had been. She had been given 70 something years here, but she was His. She told me that. She told me of her life. In the few short hours I knew Ada – she, a total stranger, touched my heart.
1 comment:
She touched my heart too.
Trying to make me cry my friend? She reminds me of my grandma and the people I have helped take care of.
And I am glad that the jerk got caught in the end too.
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