Sumter Point

by K. G. MacGregor

  Chapter 7

  Beth entered Miss Violet’s room with her medical chart, not bothering to mask her concern. “What’s this I hear about you having trouble breathing?”

  “Just a little,” Violet answered, as though she hated to be a bother. She was dressed in her housecoat and sitting in the new recliner.

  “When did it start?” The third shift charge nurse had made her notes at four thirty this morning, but Beth guessed that Miss Violet waited before calling for help.

  “Last night, after supper.”

  “And you didn’t tell anyone until four thirty this morning?” She took out her blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around Miss Violet’s arm. “You can’t wait that long. If there’s something wrong, we want to fix it as soon as possible.”

  “Okay.”

  Beth recorded the vital signs in Miss Violet’s chart. “I’m going to make a note for Francine to call Dr. Hill. He may want to see you.”

  “But I’m all right now.”

  “It’s just a precaution. I can’t let anything happen to my favorite patient.” She squeezed Miss Violet’s hand, recognizing the truth of her words. “I’ll talk to Audie when she comes in and let her know what we plan to do. In the meantime, I think we ought to bring this chair forward a little so you can breathe better.”

  “Beth! Come quick! Mr. Skelly fell over in his breakfast.”

  Wanda, an LPN like Beth, but with only two years on the job, looked frantically at Violet, then back at Beth.

  “What?”

  “I think he’s…” She waved her hand to fill in the blank.

  Beth got the message. “Go ahead and finish raising this up, Miss Violet. I’ll come back and check on you. I promise.”

  Quickly, she followed Wanda to Mr. Skelly’s room. “Where’s Francine?”

  “Carla said she was on a break. She had to run home real quick.”

  “How could she leave with Hazel at the county office?” Beth rushed into the room to find Mr. Skelly just as Wanda had described—his face in his oatmeal, and probably dead.

  “She said she’d be right back.”

  Beth rolled her eyes in disbelief. Hazel and Francine were the only RNs on staff during the day. With both gone, there was no hierarchy to make decisions or to handle emergencies. Right this minute, Beth was the senior staffer just by virtue of having been there the longest.

  Taking charge, she tilted Mr. Skelly back in his recliner and rolled the portable tray aside. A quick check of his pupils showed them to be unresponsive, and he had no pulse.

  “Should I get his paperwork?”

  “No, it isn’t necessary.” There was no Do Not Resuscitate order for Mr. Skelly—that she knew for sure. He wasn’t ready to leave this earth, he had told her. He had even threatened Beth that he would come back to haunt her if he died on her shift. “Get the crash cart and have somebody call nine one one.”

  Wanda ran to do as she was told.

  “Hang on, Mr. Skelly.” She checked the old man’s airway and unbuttoned his shirt. Then she wiped his chest with a towel in preparation for applying the pads.

  Wanda returned, pushing the emergency cart. “Francine just got back. She’s calling the family.”

  “She’s the nurse, for Christ’s sake! You go call the family and tell her to get her butt in here!” Beth was confident she could perform this procedure, but she wasn’t the right person to be in charge of a critical situation.

  She turned on the machine and affixed the pads to Mr. Skelly’s chest. She was attaching the lines when Francine finally came in.

  “His family says not to resuscitate.”

  “It’s not their call,” Beth said sharply. “He doesn’t have a DNR. We have to do this.”

  Francine stepped forward and took over, albeit begrudgingly.

  “It’s not like anybody would complain if we didn’t.”

  After two unsuccessful jolts, the paramedics arrived and loaded Mr. Skelly into an ambulance, where he would be transported to the emergency room and likely declared dead. And by tonight, another family would be elated to learn that a bed was opening up.

  “Beth, I…” Francine ran her hand through her hair, exasperated at the morning’s events. “You were right about the DNR. I just… I was talking to his son last week and they were going to talk to the old man about it. I thought maybe they did already.”

  “He never would have agreed to it.”

  “Figures. He was too mean to die.”

  “I think he was just scared. But it doesn’t matter, I guess.”

  “You know”—Francine nodded toward the double doors at the entry, where Hazel was pulling into her parking place near the entrance—“if Hazel finds out I wasn’t here, I’ll probably lose my job.”

  “You should lose your job, Francine. You knew she was gone, and there was nobody here who was qualified to deal with emergencies like that.”

  “I know, but I was only gone for twenty minutes. I ran home and changed clothes because I got my period. I couldn’t work like that all day.”

  Beth sighed. “You should have at least told me.”

  “I know. I made a mistake.”

  Francine was a decent nurse, not exceptional, but decent. Beth knew they could do a lot worse, but today was a classic example of why Francine shouldn’t be given any more administrative duties.

  “I won’t volunteer anything, but if Hazel asks me, I won’t lie to her.”

  “That’s all I can ask, Beth. I owe you one.”

  Audie opened the crate and reached inside with caution. The feral tomcat didn’t care for his confines, nor did he appreciate being touched.

  “Easy, boy.” Deftly, she clutched the scruff of his neck and dragged his stiffened frame through the door. For a cat that had scraped his meals from dumpsters, he was gorgeous. He had the face and build of a small Siamese, but his coat was silky black.

  Audie guessed him to be about eight months old. “Now go play,” she said with sarcasm, unable to imagine this one doing anything playful.

  Audie yawned and rolled her neck to loosen up. For the first time in what seemed like a year, she had fallen asleep in front of the TV last night. It wasn’t that the show was boring, or even that she was overly tired. It was that smooth, mellow, leg-numbing, consciousness-thieving bag of some of the finest stuff she had ever smoked.

  Bless Dennis.

  Though the couch had certainly seemed comfortable at the time, it was exacting its toll today. She had looked for Beth this morning to snag a couple of aspirin, but there was some kind of emergency going on and she hadn’t even gotten to say hello.

  Beth Hester. Audie had been thinking about her a lot lately, especially since that night Beth had called and gotten on her case about her attitude toward her Grammaw’s condition. Until yesterday, she had been avoiding Beth at the nursing home, trying to get up the nerve to tell her she had been right. That realization came to her a few days after the call when she caught herself arguing with her Grammaw to do her physical therapy even when it hurt.

  Definitely time for a reality check.

  The walk out to Sumter Point had been revealing, not only because Beth had talked so openly about herself, but also because Audie had practically hung on her every word. Beth wasn’t like her other friends, the ones she knew from the Gallery or from parties in Sumter. Beth was more down to earth and not so full of herself.

  It could be fun to introduce her around a bit—though probably not to the wilder crowd.

  The familiar tune of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts.

  Without even looking, she knew it would be Dennis, and that he expected to be congratulated for his acquisition.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Bell.”

  “It’s about time you showed me some respect.”

  “For once, I agree.”

  “Nice, wasn’t it?”

  Audie leaned out the doorway and saw Oscar at his desk down the hall. Tim was out hosing down the dog runs, so she didn’t have to worr
y about being overheard. “It rendered me incapable of movement or thought.”

  “No shit. So you want to go the Gallery tonight?”

  She collected the litter pan and food bowls and set them aside so she could wipe out the black cat’s crate. “I don’t know. What’s happening?”

  “Nothing special. I saw somebody the other night and we didn’t get a chance to talk. I was hoping he’d be there tonight.”

  “Since when do you need to talk to somebody?”

  “Come on, Audie. You give me shit all the time for tricking. Now I’m trying to get to know somebody and you’re still giving me shit.”

  “Whoa! I didn’t know this was your future husband.”

  “You’re such an asshole. When was the last time you talked about something other than whose turn it was to wear the strapon?”

  The idea of Dennis actually having an emotional relationship with somebody was a difficult concept to grasp. But there was no denying he had her number too.

  “All right, I take your point. What time?”

  “The usual. Out at nine, back by midnight.”

  “You mean out at nine, back by one thirty.”

  “Whatever. Gotta go with the flow. But it’s your turn to drive.”

  “Fine, I’ll pick you up.” She lifted the feral cat and stroked his slender neck, careful to avoid his nips, which seemed more annoyed than playful. Eventually, he surrendered, turning his head so that she scratched him just right. “And wear that pink shirt. It makes you look sensitive.”

  “Suck me.”

  “Ewww!”

  Beth was heading out the door for the day when Hazel blocked her path.

  “Isn’t there something you need to tell me about?” the director asked.

  Beth got a sinking feeling in her gut that the news of the day had already reached her boss’s desk. “Probably nothing you don’t know by now.”

  Hazel chuckled and gestured toward her office. She followed Beth through the door and closed it. “I heard it all from Wanda. I haven’t talked with Francine yet. She’s going to get a reprimand in her file.”

  Beth nodded and sat down on the love seat. Hazel joined her and offered the candy dish. As usual, Beth couldn’t resist taking a chocolate bar. “I think she’ll be relieved with that. She thought she might lose her job.”

  “No, and she has you to thank for that.”

  “Because I covered for her?”

  “Hell, no. I still would have fired her.” Hazel kicked off her shoes and put her feet on the coffee table. “But I’m stuck with Francine until you graduate, so don’t go screwing around and flunking your boards.”

  “Oh, great. Just what I need—more pressure.”

  “You need any time off to study?”

  Beth shook her head quickly. “No, just work as usual. If I have too much time I’ll start freaking out.”

  “You have a big advantage going in, you know that?”

  No, Beth didn’t know that at all. Everyone else in her nursing class was calm and collected and she was a nervous wreck. “How do you figure that?”

  “Just think of all the regulations and procedures you come in contact with here. You know things because you use them every week, not because you read them in a book. When you come to a question you don’t know the answer to, just close your eyes and see yourself doing it.”

  “I wish it was that easy.”

  “It is… or at least it will be for you. I worked as an LPN for four years before I took the boards. You wouldn’t believe how much of the test was practical.”

  “I sure hope you’re right. I just need to review a little bit every night, and not overdo it.”

  “Sounds like a good plan. So what’s up with Violet Pippin?”

  “I don’t know. She said she had trouble breathing so I asked Francine to call Dr. Hill. He’ll be by in the morning.”

  “Will you try to be there for that?”

  “With Francine?”

  “Instead of Francine. You can make the chart notes, and you’re better with the patients… especially the ones that know what’s going on.”

  “Miss Violet definitely knows what’s going on.”

  “What about her granddaughter? She was quite the grouch, as I recall.”

  “To put it mildly. But Audie’s better now. I found out that her grandfather got questionable care in an Alzheimer’s facility in Nashville, so I don’t blame her for being vigilant.”

  “She’s happy with us then?”

  “I think so. Miss Violet likes it here, and Audie seems to be satisfied.”

  “Good.” Hazel stood and opened the office door. “Thanks again for being there today. You saved all our asses, you know.”

  Beth shrugged. “Except Mr. Skelly’s.”

  “Those we can’t always save.”

  “You’re putting a hold on the Black Demon?” Oscar saw the note on the feral cat’s crate.

  “Yeah, a friend of mine was thinking about getting a cat. I think BD’s a pretty good match.”

  “I hope she has plenty of Band-Aids.”

  “He’s calmed down a little today. Watch this.” Audie opened his crate and reached in to scratch his head. In an instant, he lunged at her finger and she pulled it back out. “See? No blood. He’s ready to make somebody a nice pet.”

  Oscar tilted his head, clearly unimpressed.

  “Really, I had him out earlier and he let me pet him. I think he’s ready to come around.”

  “That’s good news for him. His time’s up on Friday.”

  “He’ll be a lap cat by then.”

  “If you tame BD, you deserve a medal.”

  “I’ll take a raise instead,” Audie said, knowing already what Oscar would say.

  “You’ll get a raise when you take the outreach job.”

  “There is no outreach job.”

  “That’s going to change real soon.” Oscar looked around to make sure no one else was within earshot. “Roy Lee said they got the major gift they’ve been after and they invited the press to come to their October board meeting.”

  “That soon?”

  “I saw the declaration myself.”

  “I guess this is really it, then.”

  “I won’t be surprised if they start building on by the end of next month.”

  “How many more techs are they going to hire? One of Dennis’s friends is looking for a job.”

  “Probably two new ones and somebody to replace you. Tell whoever it is to get in here and fill out an application. Your new job starts up in December.”

  Audie caught that “your job” part, but didn’t bother to object this time. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was an opportunity she couldn’t afford to pass up. Somebody needed to move these animals, or the whole concept of a no-kill shelter would fall flat. With Oscar’s support, she was growing more confident she could do it. And there was certainly nothing wrong with making more money.

  Beth opened her eyes to check the clock. Ten after one, only fifteen minutes since her last peek.

  All evening, she had sat through her class, her head miles away.

  She couldn’t seem to quiet her thoughts.

  It wasn’t unusual for her to be distracted and lose sleep after a patient died, nor was it particularly troubling. She was glad that, after witnessing dozens of deaths at the nursing home, she was still moved by the profundity of the passing of a human being from this world. It saddened her that Mr. Skelly had been alone, both in his moment of death and in his final years of life. Perhaps her sorrow tonight was him keeping his vow to haunt her.

  Violet Pippin was on her mind too, specifically, her problems with shortness of breath. The worst-case scenario was that she had suffered another small stroke, one that affected her lungs. At least Dr. Hill was coming in tomorrow morning. Maybe he would find just a simple respiratory ailment, something they could ease with medication.

  It was normal for her to process a patient’s death, but it wasn’t like
Beth to bring home problems like Miss Violet’s. As a health care professional, she wanted to be concerned but detached, lest she lose the objectivity she needed to make sound decisions. In this case, her anxiety about Miss Violet’s condition seemed as personal as it did professional. She had worried all evening about the fact that, in the commotion surrounding Mr. Skelly’s death, she had missed telling Audie about the problem and how they were going to address it.

  She had tried to call Audie several times, but never got through.

  This wasn’t the sort of news one left on an answering machine, but Audie was probably going to be upset not to hear about it sooner.

  More than anything else, it was worry about her reaction that was keeping Beth awake tonight.

  Audie looked over at Dennis and smiled. He was slumped in the front seat, too low for the safety restraints to do him any good. If they suddenly had an accident, the seat belt would probably rip his head off. He was out of it, the victim of his evil weed.

  Audie had waved off the offer of a toke this time, knowing it would kick her ass and make it hard for her to drive. She had contented herself with deep breaths of the sweet aroma as Dennis had smoked the whole joint by himself, except the roach, which he left in her ashtray with a half dozen others.

  She couldn’t wait until tomorrow so she could bust his chops about his puppy love display at the Gallery. The object of his infatuation was David, a nice-looking architect who seemed equally enchanted. All night, the two of them had danced and talked, their smiles never broken.

  The earth might stop turning on its axis if Dennis Bell ever actually fell in love. Or Audie Pippin, for that matter. Though she ragged on Dennis without mercy for his insatiable sexual appetite, she understood and identified with his aversion to serious relationships. It was hard to see the appeal of having the same person in your face day after day, and in your bed night after night.