Page 32 of Prognosis Do Over

The bottle went round, and people charged their glasses. Will waited patiently, thinking about his words carefully, until everyone was ready. When they were all looking at him expectantly, and the murmuring had died down, he cleared his throat.

He wanted to get this right.

Putting aside his own feelings, few staff members embodied the spirit of the hospital like Lou. Normally this would be a speech that Harold would make, but Will had wanted it to come from him.

‘To Lou,’ he said, holding his paper cup up. ‘For her years of dedication to Ward Two and this hospital. Those of us who know you well know you always go above and beyond the call of duty. You’ve given this hospital seventeen years — Ward Two, ten. And in this day and age that is indeed remarkable. You are efficient and resourceful, and what you don’t know about paediatric nursing isn’t worth knowing. But probably the one attribute that distinguishes you the most is how seriously you take your advocacy role. I’m sure, had Brian been here, he would agree whole-heartedly.’

Everyone laughed. Lou’s confrontation with Brian over the IV was already the stuff of legend on the hospital grapevine.

‘He sends his apologies. He’s too busy sticking pins in a doll with a long blonde plait to come,’ Pete joked, and there was more laughter.

Will joined in. ‘Having been on the nasty end of Lou’s two strikes and you’re out rule once as a junior doctor, I can relate.’

Lou laughed too. She remembered that showdown. She’d just taken the helm as NUM and had read him the Riot Act very firmly. But it had cemented a fabulous working relationship, and she knew that not backing down that day had earned her his undying respect.

‘But seriously, Lou,’ he said, and waited for her downward gaze to meet his, ‘this thing you’re doing, the surrogacy, is typical of your selflessness. We know how close you and Jan were, but this goes above and beyond sisterly duty. We hope you know how very sorry we all are over Jan and Martin’s tragic death, and that if you ever need anything to just holler.’

Will paused as a round of hear-hears broke out. Lou had dropped her gaze again, and was absently rubbing her cheek against a sleeping Terry’s head.

‘To Lou,’ he said again. ‘May you be blessed with an easy labour and a good sleeper. We love you.’

Lou looked at Will as her colleagues toasted her. Their gazes locked and it was as if they were the only two people in the room. If only. He blurred before her as tears pooled in her eyes, and she blinked them away rapidly before smiling around at her friends and accepting their good wishes.

‘Speech, speech!’ Lydia cried, and soon everyone was joining in.

Lou cleared her throat. ‘Jeez, guys, I’m only going on maternity leave. I’m not dying. You know how weepy we pregnant women are, and I refuse to have my mascara run on my last day. And anyway, I’ll be seeing you all in two days’ time for the shave.’

‘I still can’t believe you’re going to go through with it,’ said Kristy wistfully, as others murmured their disbelief too.

‘Speaking of Shave for a Cure,’ said Harold, addressing the group, ‘I thought you might like to know that the consultants and I have banded together and are putting in five hundred dollars each. That’s twelve thousand dollars just for Lou alone.’

Cheers and whistles broke out, and everyone clapped.

Lou could hardly believe what she was hearing. What an incredible amount of money! She looked at Kristy and laughed. ‘See, I can’t back out now.’

––––––––

The party broke upa little while later. There was still a ward to run and sick kids to help. Lou gathered all her stuff together, trying to ignore how heavy her heart felt over leaving. It seemed disloyal to be turning her back on Ward Two after so many years. It had been her life, her second home for ten years.

And then there was the big, scary unknown future. She pulled her office door shut behind her, balancing bags and packages in her arms, said another round of goodbyes and walked on wobbly legs into the unknown.

Will was coming into the ward as she was going out, and opened the doors for her. ‘Good, I was hoping you hadn’t left yet,’ he said. He saw her juggling act and relieved her of some of the packages.

‘You just caught me,’ she said, forcing her voice to sound casual as her heart beat a mad tattoo in her chest. ‘Can you walk and talk?’

They traversed the distance to the car park in silence. Lou popped the boot and Will helped her load it up.

‘You’re going to be missed,’ he said, after she’d shut the boot and looked up at him, shading her eyes in the afternoon sun.

‘Lydia will have everything under control.’ She shrugged, feeling more than a little fragile over her departure.

‘Ah, yes, Lydia.’ He grimaced. ‘Goody.’

Lou laughed. ‘Lydia’s damn good, and you know it.’ She shifted slightly, so her head was in the shadow cast by his body. The sun framed his head, bathing his hair in a golden glow and throwing his face into shadow.

Will nodded. They gazed at each other for a few moments, and then he realised she was looking at him expectantly. ‘I bought you something...a gift...for the baby, really.’ He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a small, beautifully gift-wrapped package.

‘Oh, Will,’ she said, touched by his thoughtfulness. ‘You didn’t have to do that.’

---