Jamie lifted her head.
“Either he’s in or I’m out, guys…”
The EMT held up his hands in surrender and Bert hopped into the back of the ambulance. They took off for the hospital and Bert grasped her hand again. Jamie rested her head again and Bert could see she was in more pain than she would ever have admitted. The ride was short and Bert stepped smartly out of the way as Jamie was hustled into the ER. He waited anxiously among a myriad of other patients as they all endured the wait in triage to get evaluated. After what seemed like an eternity, a young, bearded man with a stethoscope around his neck stepped into the waiting area.
“Mr. Edwards? Bert Edwards?”
Bert stood and signaled to the doctor that he was there.
“Come on back, sir.”
Bert found himself a bit scared, wondering if Jamie’s injury was more serious than he supposed. And by the way, he said to himself, just when did I become a sir? This guy could not be more than a few years from my age…He followed the lab coat clad doctor through a hallway and a curtained room where Jamie was on a bed, her leg elevated in a temporary air cast. Jamie waggled her fingers at Bert and he knew immediately she was OK. Or at least as OK as anyone can be sitting in an ER exam room in an air cast.
“What’s the verdict, Doc?” Bert asked as the man whipped the curtain closed behind them.
“Complete break, I am afraid based on the x-rays.”
“Fuck!” Jamie spit out. “There goes my season.”
Bert went to her side and held her hand again. He knew this was a major blow to her. Soccer was certainly not her life at Brownington, but all the same he knew how important the game was to her.
“Sorry about that, Jamie,” the doctor added. “We’ll need to reset the joint and then put you in a permanent cast.”
“Need me to stay overnight?” she asked.
“At least,” he replied. “The break is nasty and we’d like to keep you until we are sure everything is stabilized.”
Jamie just nodded, but Bert could sense the frustration and depression in her face.
“I’ll get you checked in while the orthopedic guys do their thing. Try and stay as relaxed as you can, Jamie. I know this sucks.”
“You play, Doc?” Jamie asked.
“In my younger days. Clemson. Until I blew out a knee.”
This caught Jamie’s attention and she smiled grimly. She had no idea if the doctor had actually played or not. Even if he was blowing smoke, she appreciated his bedside manner.
“OK. Thanks, Doc.”
“I’ll check in on you during rounds tomorrow.”
Bert shook the man’s hand and waited with Jamie until the next round of medical staff arrived to get her ankle set and casted.
“I’ll see where they are putting you and see you in a few minutes, OK? I can make a run to get you some things from your apartment or anything else you need.”
“Sure…sure…Bert. Thanks.”
Bert was about to leave to check on her room, when he looked back to see her crying. He spun in his heels and went back.
“You OK, Jamie? Pain?”
She wiped away the stray tears with the back of her hand and smiled weakly.
“No, not that….”
Bert waited on her to elaborate.
“I just…I guess it’s all just hitting me now. End of the season and all. I’m OK. Thanks for being here, Bert.”
He reached over and kissed her lightly.
“No problem. See you in a few.”
Doctor Who?
Westmore Memorial Hospital
Westmore, NH
April 20, 2017
3 PM
At the information desk, Bert got all of Jamie’s info including the name of her doctor and the floor nurse, Lucy Tanner, who would be the hands-on person for her care until she was released.
“Feel free to wait up in her room if you want, sir,” the woman at the desk said. “For now, she’ll have it to herself.”
Again with the sir, Bert thought…He thanked her and took the elevator to the fourth floor to see if he could find this Lucy Tanner. Bert came off the elevator and looked both ways until finally spotting what seemed like a nurse’s station to the far left. He headed in that direction and stopped while the lone nurse on duty was finishing up some files. Tanner it said on her tag…
“Oh, sorry…I did not see you,” the nurse said as she finally spotted Bert at her desk. “Can I help you?”
“Nurse Tanner, I presume?” Bert asked.
“In the flesh.”
“Bert Edwards. My girlfriend, Jamie Ramirez is getting her broken ankle reset and casted and they have her here at least overnight to make sure it is stable. Just wanted to wait for her to get up here and see what she might need during her stay. I hear you will be taking care of her, and I thought I would introduce myself.”
“Oh, yes…they just sent her paperwork up. Feel free to wait in the room or in the waiting area. Whatever is more comfortable for you. It may be about an hour or so before they are done downstairs.”
“Sure. Thanks. Think I will hang out in the waiting room. Can you come and get me when she’s here?”
“You bet. Nice to meet you, Bert.”
“You, too, Lucy.”
Bert went back down the hallway to sit in the waiting area between corridors, feeling the stress and activity of the afternoon finally catching up with him at last. At least Nurse Tanner did not call me sir…
………..
Bert awoke with a start as he looked up and saw Lucy Tanner touching him gently on the shoulder.
“She’s out of orthopedics and in her room, Bert.”
“Oh, jeez…. thanks…guess the day wore me down.”
“Understandable. Go ahead and head down and let me know if you need anything.”
Bert nodded, collected his coat and headed for Jamie’s room, 434. He tapped lightly on the door.
“Entrez vous, Bertrand…” came the voice from inside.
Bert stuck his head inside the door to make sure he had the correct place, as the voice coming from inside sure did not sound exactly like Jamie. But sure enough, there was Jamie propped up in the bed with her leg strung up with a complicate-looking pulley system. He walked slowly to her bedside.
“Entrez vous, Bertrand?” he asked as he pulled a chair closer and sat.
“Sure…why not?” Jamie replied as she snickered and sputtered.
“Got you on pain meds I see…” Bert said as he smiled.
“You bet your sweet ass, Bertie!”
“They tell you anything more?”
The sudden influx of laughter and frivolity left her face and she turned away to look out the window at a heavy bank of clouds that had momentarily blocked out the sun.
“I am sure they thought I did not hear them, but I am pretty sure the consensus is I may not play again,” Jamie replied as she put her hand to her face and sighed heavily.
Bert knew from prior experience that the hard-core pain meds hospitals often used could cause a wide range of emotional reactions as well as hallucinations, both auditory and visual. He slid his chair closer and took Jamie’s hands in his.
“Jamie…look at me,” he said quietly.
She tilted her head to face him.
“Don’t get all wigged out here, OK? Doctors don’t know everything. Let’s take this one step at a time. Lots of people have been told things by physicians that ended up being hooey, right?”
Jamie nodded as fresh tears spilled from her eyes. Bert reached up and wiped them away.
“The meds?” he continued, “they may cause your emotions to go all over the board. Just try and take it easy. Remember my brother when he broke his leg last year?”
Jamie thought back and like an easily forgotten picture, she recalled that scene. As she mulled it over, it occurred to her that this was just like that. She nodded her acknowledgement.
“OK. How about some juice or a soda? Something I can get you from the ca
feteria that won’t complicate your pain meds…” Bert asked.
“Soda would be great.”
“Be right back.”
Jamie settled back on the bed once Bert had left, thankful for his calming hand in all of this. Between him and Lucy Tanner, whom she had just met and felt immediately comfortable with, Jamie realized she would survive it all. In just a few seconds, there was another tap at her door and a new doctor appeared. She knew this was nor Dr. Abrams from the ER, and she did not recall him from the orthopedic suite either, but just assumed he was the Doc on call making his rounds.
“Miss Ramirez?” the man asked in a soft, but gravelly voice.
“Yes?” Jamie replied.
“Good afternoon. I’m Dr. Malone. Just checking around on all the new arrivals on my wing and wanted to introduce myself.”
Jamie could not exactly put her finger on it, but there was something about this Dr. Malone that made her skin prickle. He looked friendly enough and seemed cordial, but it was like there was a vibe about him that was giving her the creeps. Probably just the meds, she assumed…the man came closer.
“Just need you to slip on this oxygen mask,” Malone said, as he brought out the contraption as if from thin air.
Jamie was not real sure why this would be necessary. Her breathing was fine. But at the same time, in her medicated condition she was in no shape to be making any intellectual decisions about why the oxygen mask might be needed. And this was a physician. Certainly, he knew better than she. Without another thought, Jamie reached out her hands to take the mask from Malone. However, just as she was about to touch the mask, Bert reappeared from the cafeteria with her soda. His return distracted her from Malone and the mask and as she looked back over to where the doctor had been waiting, she saw that Malone had vanished.
As Jamie took the soda from Bert, she tried to understand what had just happened. She was still a bit foggy from the drugs. The room was large and a billowy curtain was hanging across the center of the room that would separate her from a roommate if she in fact had one at the moment. Perhaps Dr. Malone had slipped out that way. The only part baffling her on that point was that the curtain seemed to be perfectly still and did not appear to have been disturbed in the least. Jamie sipped at her soda, furrowing her brow at the entire episode.
“Everything OK, Jamie? You look confused…” Bert asked.
“I guess….” Jamie replied.
Bert sat again and Jamie went through the whole experience for him. Bert had to agree that wanting her to slip on an oxygen mask she obviously did not need seemed odd. They both agreed that her medication must have been responsible, as no other explanation seemed reasonable. Jamie shrugged and let it go as she and Bert sat and chatted about lots of other things going on, both for them as a couple as well as her school year and his internship. During a lull in the conversation, they looked up to see that Lucy had come back around to check in on her.
“You need anything, Jamie?” Lucy asked.
“I’m good for now, Lucy, but thanks.”
“If that changes or you are having too much pain or anything, just zap that buzzer there by your head and I can be here in a second or two.”
Jamie nodded and smiled and Lucy headed for the door.
“Oh, Lucy….” Jamie said suddenly, “quick question…”
Lucy turned and came back.
“A Dr. Malone just dropped by to see me a few minutes ago. He disappeared suddenly and I was wondering where he might have gone.”
“Malone? Are you sure?”
“That’s what he said…”
“To the best of my knowledge, we do not have a doctor on staff by the name of Malone. Not even a nurse or tech, either…you sure about the name?”
Jamie insisted, but was now feeling even more confused than before. She described the man in as much detail as she could recall.
“Sorry, Jamie. Doesn’t ring a bell….”
Jamie nodded and Lucy took off for her station.
“Think it was your meds, Jamie?”
“I guess so….it just seemed so real, though….”
Jamie Can You See Us?
Westmore Memorial Hospital
Westmore, NH
April 20, 2017
6 PM
Bert made a quick run to Jamie’s place to gather up the few things she had requested for an overnight stay at the hospital. They sat around and talked more as Bert tried to steer the conversation away from Jamie’s insistence that a Dr. Malone had dropped in on her earlier. He was concerned that perhaps her story was indicating something more serious than just a side effect of the medication that they put her on. Sure, his brother had experienced a similar thing, hearing AND seeing things that were not there as well, but Jamie was way more well-adjusted than Richie. He was sure that Jamie would be more able to discern these types of things. Visiting hours were long over, but with the room being otherwise unoccupied and Lucy running interference for him, Bert was allowed to hang around.
The helpful nurse even fudged some paperwork so that two dinners were delivered to room 434. Bert had to admit the stereotype of hospital food was close to the truth but spending extra time with Jamie as she seemed to be coming down off the major effects of her pain medication was more than offset the somewhat less than ideal cuisine. Pretty soon Bert realized he would soon be needing to take off. Partly not to overstay the generosity of Lucy Tanner having bent the rules for him, but also so Jamie could get some rest. He knew she was enjoying his company, but he could see the fatigue in her eyes and hear it in her voice.
“Guess I had better hit the road, Jamie. You need anything else for tomorrow?”
“No thanks, Bert. I can’t imagine I will be here that much longer. My guess is that Dr. Abrams will release me sometime tomorrow once he looks me over and makes sure all is well.”
“OK…let me hit the bathroom and then I will split.”
Jamie was sad to see Bert leaving, but she knew she needed to sleep. It had been a long and challenging day and she was sure the morning would leave her in a more positive frame of mind than she had been that afternoon due to the loose talk in the orthopedic suite. The only nagging bug in her brain now, actually, was that visit from Dr. Malone. The one who Lucy had assured here did not exist on the staff of Westmore Memorial. She knew Bert was just trying to make her look at the logical aspects of the experience to make sense of it, but all the same she was sure she had not hallucinated the man. But what else could it be? It was not like Lucy Tanner would lie about such a thing…
Jamie began to lower the angle of her bed but stopped in mid-action as a series of dim, but distinct lights began to form at the foot of her bed. Initially, Jamie thought it was simply a reflection from headlights in the parking lot nearby, but a glance in that direction confirmed that there were no cars in the vicinity. The lights pulsed in and out of intensity, finally acquiring a soft rose-colored hue as the diffuse illumination began to reshape into the vague outlines of human forms. The shapes never fully materialized to display distinctive limbs or even heads. But what she saw were definitely six human-like entities. Even if the entities had possessed fully developed appendages, Jamie knew they were not real, as she could see the wall of her room through them.
She closed her eyes and waited a few seconds, but nothing had changed when she re-opened her eyes. What had changed was a whispered chant-like sound coming from the group:
“beware of Dr. Malone…. beware of Dr. Malone…beware of Dr. Malone….”
After a few rounds of the chanting, a reverberating scraping sound took over, and the figures all began to fade away in an eerie swirling-like pattern, resembling what Jamie remembered from childhood as powdered chocolate was mixed into milk. Within seconds, all again was quiet and there was no sign of her new visitors as the last of the apparitions vanished completely.
Jamie found herself gaping wildly at the bare wall at the foot of her bed, suddenly feeling very weak and feverish as a cold sweat covered her in a sheen
. Bert returned from the bathroom to find her in this state. As well, he saw she was extremely pale and ashen, trembling like a leaf in the wind. He was sure something more had gone wrong with her, some sort of inexplicable complication, either from the orthopedic treatment or her medication. Bert froze for a moment where he stood, as Jamie had her hands clasped tightly to the sides of her face as she mumbled over and over:
“you’re not real…you’re not real… you’re not real… you’re not real… you’re not real…”
He finally snapped out of his own stupor and rushed to her, pulling her hands from her face. He had only been gone a minute or two, he guessed, but in just that short interval something horrible had apparently happened to her. Jamie began to hyperventilate as Bert came to her, and her mumbling continued.
“Jamie! Snap out of it!”
Despite his efforts, Bert was getting nowhere with the cold and clammy Jamie and he was about to chase down Lucy when Jamie flinched in his grasp and clung to him with a grip so tight Bert was sure she would crush him. Bert was no weakling, but a lifetime of athletic training had made Jamie stronger than most women he knew.
“Oh, God, Bert….it was…there was….”
Bert was afraid she was having an attack of some sort as she was blubbering and talking in nonsensical run-on sentence fragments between gasping for air. However, just as he was about to go for help, Bert sensed her calming and he waited as she came back to normal.
“It’s OK, Jamie…I’m here now…take some deep breaths and tell me what in the hell just happened…”
Jamie nodded rapidly, still trembling in Bert’s arms. She did as he said and made several deep inhalations and exhalations until she could talk in full sentences. Bert got a towel and mopped away the layer of sweat that was on Jamie’s face and waited as she once again raised her bed to put her in a sitting position. Slowly and with a measured effort, Jamie explained to Bert about the apparitions that had come to her and what they had said. Bert listened as she went through her story, but if he was to discount any hallucinatory aspects from her medication to make her imagine such a thing, that left him more uneasy than ever.
The Haunting of Westmore Hospital - Behold the Doctor of Death Page 2
