Page 13 of The Night Shift
‘I usually remember names pretty well,’ he said. ‘Other than last night when I forgot yours. It’s helpful. People are much more likely to engage if they feel like you know who they are.’
She nodded and printed Cindy’s name down on her piece of paper. ‘Fair point,’ she said. ‘I probably should make the effort. Seeing as pretending to care about people makes them behave exactly the way you want them to.’
‘That’s notthe reasonI learn people’s names,’ he said quickly, faltering when he saw the smile on her face. She was making fun of him. ‘It’s just a handy side-effect, that’s all,’ he said, relaxing.
Violet took another chocolate. ‘So, Cindy’s the one who wanted me to write up the sedation?’
He nodded. ‘Anyway, I told her I could see she was understaffed and that she was doing a great job under challenging circumstances, etcetera…’
‘You turned on the charm?’ Her eyebrows were raised; she was mocking him again.
‘I may have done. I can’t help it. I am an extremely charming man by all accounts.’ He was pleased to see her laugh at this. ‘Anyway, I told her about Pete and Dolores and…’
‘And she thought your idea was fabulous?’
‘Well, not directly. I made her think it washeridea. But once I’d done that, then yeah, she had a chat with Naga who’s the sister on eleven and they agreed that a swap made sense. Pete’s on ten chatting away to your Mrs Jenson who's now back in her bed. She thinks it’s the bus-stop. And she thinks Pete’s the driver. But she’s much happier by all accounts.’
‘So, you told Cindy that there was no need for any sedation?’ said Violet. She seemed keen to clarify whether her medical dilemma was now resolved.
‘I didn’t have to,’ said Gus, smiling. ‘No battle required. Cindy’s happy as long as Mrs Jenson’s not wandering about, so you’re in the clear.’
Violet regarded him with a curious expression on her face. ‘Thank you,’ she said, with real feeling. ‘You’ve got me out of a tricky situation there. I didn’t know what to do. To be honest I was stalling for time– and that’s not something I do usually. Anjali told me just to write up a low dose of something as a one-off, but I think that’s because she was worried I might offend the nurses otherwise. She’s warned me before about not getting on the wrong side of the ward staff…’ Violet trailed off and Gus wondered whether she’d been about to say something else.
‘Well, she’s not wrong on that front,’ he said when it became clear she wasn’t going to elaborate. ‘Goodwill goes a long way and if the nurses see you as rude and obstructive then they can make your life bloody difficult. But on the other hand, it’s your name on that prescription sheet and it’s you that has to take responsibility for your decision. It’s not as straightforward as it might seem.’
He was trying to put her at ease, wanting her to feel relaxed around him. Despite the fact that Violet was evidently very capable of speaking her mind, he got the impression that she didn’t discuss her feelings or worries with anyone other than those who were very close to her. He felt oddly invested in getting her to open up, maybe it was just the challenge of being the one to break through that stiff reserve. Either way, he was disproportionately pleased by the gratitude now evident in her expression. He wondered whether she knew how beautiful she looked when she smiled like that. Probably not.
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘but you’ve managed the entire situation without upsetting anybody. That’s quite impressive. I’d have likely pissed everyone off– even people who weren’t directly involved.’
‘I am something of an expert at avoiding conflict,’ said Gus ruefully. ‘But it’s not always a good thing.’
Violet went quiet and he wondered whether he’d made a mistake dropping that little hint about his failings into the conversation. He wasn’t sure how he’d follow up on it if she asked him what he’d meant. Luckily her mind seemed to be busy whirring over other topics.
‘I’ve just thought,’ she said eventually. ‘Something else that might help Mrs Jenson other than relying on Pete being available every night shift. There’s this thing I’d heard about. John’s Campaign. It’s for people with dementia who are admitted to hospital and I think there’s been a ruling or something where they can now have a nominated friend or relative with them, outside of normal visiting hours, to help make them feel less disorientated. Someone at my gran’s care home was talking about it.’
‘Does she have dementia, your grandmother?’ He saw her face close off and kicked himself for blurting that out in such a direct way, but he was interested, and besides, Violet didn’t appear to mind direct questions.
‘Yes.’ The guarded tone had returned, as if she felt she’d revealed too much of herself.
‘Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you how you feel about it.’ His voice was gentle. ‘I just, it’s just a shitty disease that’s all. It must be tough to see a loved one go through…’
‘Yes, well anyway, thanks for the chocolates.’ She stood abruptly, almost knocking the box off the table and fumbling to correct it as the contents spilled out. ‘I’ve got to go and do these bloods.’
‘Oh– okay.’ He felt bizarrely deflated. ‘Of course. I’ll probably see you later in the mess?’
She paused by the door, took a breath in. He could see the outline of her shoulder blades against the cotton of her top, the soft nape of her neck, exposed by her cropped haircut. ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Hope so. And Gus…’ She turned towards him, that smile back on her face, lighting it up. ‘Thanks for what you did. With Mrs Jenson. The fact that it’s all resolved without my having turned it into some sort of nuclear incident, it’s a real weight off my mind. Thank you.’
‘No problem, happy to help.’ He smiled back at her and shook his head slightly as she left the office. She was definitely an odd one, that girl. Fascinating, yes. Far more attractive than she realised, yes. But odd as a box of frogs. And that wasn’t even the correct phrase. God, he must be tired.
Violet
On her way to the mess a short while later Violet looked in on ward ten and noted that Mrs Jenson was now fast asleep, her suitcase packed and positioned at the foot of her bed.
‘We told her the bus to the seaside would just be another hour or so,’ whispered Cindy smiling fondly at her patient who was now snoring like a freight train. ‘She was happy to wait, especially when Pete said he’d phone ahead to the station and let her mother know that there had been a delay.’
‘That was really good thinking, getting him involved,’ said Violet a little awkwardly. ‘Erm– well done, Cindy.’ She was trying to take a leaf out of Gus’s book of flattery, but it didn’t come naturally.
Cindy nodded. ‘Just good patient care,’ she said.
