Five Sisters (38 page)

"Hello, ma'am.
My name is Gail St. James and I just arrived here from Brighton. It's been a very long day and I'm very tired and I have no idea where I ought to stay in town, because I've never been here before. I'm very hungry too. I'm sorry if you here my stomach rumbling but I could barely eat the entire ride. I felt as though I may be sick, but I'm not. Don't worry. I don't need any medical attention or anything of the sort. I'm here to see a friend of mine but I don't know exactly what I'm doing. I've got this suitcase that I haven't any idea what I'm supposed to do with and I really only want to find my friend, is all. I've been riding here all day just to see him. So if you could help me in any way at all, that would be just . . . just wonderful."

The woman blinked twice and looked Gail over, as though wondering what in the world she was talking about. Gail felt rather frightened for a moment. She must have made quite a fool of herself, she thought. But then the lady smiled, a bright, toothy smile, and all of Gail's worries vanished just as quickly as they'd arrived.

"Good evening, Miss St. James. If you're looking for an inn to stay at, I'd suggest Jacoby's, it's just a few blocks from here at the corner of 8th and Montgomery. You'll find a warm bed and good food and it doesn't cost a fortune either. But for the moment, if you're hungry, just walk down the hall and to the left. We've got warm bread and tea for anyone who should like it. As for your suitcase, I can keep it here behind the desk if you like, while you're visiting your friend. When you go, just stop by here and I'll get it for you.
And finally, the patient.
Who is it you wish to find?"

Gail
sighed,
glad to find a friendly face in such a somber town, "His name is Nathaniel John West."

"Mr. West? Of course you can see him," the woman assured. She turned behind her and knocked on a door, "Carolyn! It's near time for you to give Mr. West his treatments. Dr. Hopson and Dr. Fitzgerald said to administer the ointment, tablets, and inoculation and they should be prepared on Master West's tray. And I would also like you to show a guest to his room, please."

A younger lady nearing the age of thirty, with coarse hair pulled back in a low barrette and wearing a white nurse's uniform, stepped out of the door with a tray in her hands full of the glass bottles that had once sat beside Nathaniel's bed on the ship as well as various jars, medicines, and vaccinations.

Barely looking at Gail, she murmured with what appeared to be exhaustion, "Come along then" and headed off down the hall, carefully balancing the tray as they passed numerous doctors, nurses, and various hospital personnel as well as patients on long, rolling stretchers.

All the doors were closed, but the staff seemed friendly enough. They'd smile and nod as she passed, though always very quickly for everyone seemed awfully busy and didn't have time for greetings. But she didn't have much time either, it seemed, for the nurse walked through the long corridors and up the flights of stairs without hesitation. Gail could barely keep up with her.

"My name's Carolyn," she said, turning back for an instant while still able to find her way around the traffic, "I'll need to know your name and your relation if you want to speak with Mr. West."

"It's Gail, Abigail St. James, and I'm just a friend of his."

"Right this way, Miss St. James," Carolyn continued around several more hallways and up one more flight of stairs before they reached their destination, room #219. But before Carolyn entered, she paused and turned around, "I'm sorry, miss, but you aren't allowed to come in right away. We need to administer his medications first," and before Gail could wonder who she meant by "we," two more nurses, one very young and one very old, appeared from around the corner and entered the room. They both appeared reluctant to go in, sighing as they did so, as though something dreadful lay within. Gail tried to ignore this though as she listened to Carolyn continue, "And after we've done that, we'll need to ask his permission and if he allows you to come in, which I'm sorry to say is rather doubtful, I'll come out to get you and lead you in directly," she motioned to a bench directly across the hallway from Nathaniel's door, "I suggest you sit while you're waiting. It may be a while."

As Gail plopped down on the wooden bench, Carolyn took a deep breath and walked into the room. Before the door slammed shut though, Gail leaned forward on her seat to try to catch a glimpse of Nathaniel, but her effort wasn't rewarded. She could only see one of the nurses, a curtained window, and a bit of the end of the bed. So, she sat and she waited.

Under the impression that she would be sitting on the bench for quite some time and be unbearably bored, it can be said that she was inexplicably thrilled when she found that the voices inside room #219 were loud enough that she didn't have to strain herself in the least to hear all that was going on inside.

"Time for your medications, Mr. West," she heard Carolyn say, trying to sound cheerful.

"What in the world are you smiling for?"
came
another voice, Nathaniel's, "Do you think I like seeing your face everyday? I dread it! It's not enough that you have to bring me those disgusting trays of slop three times a day, but that you also have to find the time to carry in a mountain load of medicines. As if they'll somehow be the magical potions that'll finally make me better again! Fools! If you truly think they're going to help you're all insane! The whole lot of you! I've known myself long enough to know how my own body operates and none of your silly concoctions are going to help me!"

At first instinct, Gail brightened up immeasurably at the sound of Nathaniel's voice. It was quivering and shaky and terribly hoarse, but it was there and the force behind it was strong. But then, as it sunk in a bit, her spirits began to drop.

When he'd left her, he'd been weak and delicate and barely able to do anything but whisper. She hadn't heard him speaking so contentiously since their first few meetings on the ship and, to be quite honest, it disgusted her. These women were doing their best to take care of him and bring him back to good health and all he could do was make fun of them and ridicule the hospital and its treatments.

She continued to listen as the conversation continued.

"Mr. West, sir," said a small, squeaky voice, obviously that of the younger nurse, "Dr. Hopson and Dr. Fitzgerald only advise us to do what they think is best for you."

"If I have to see either of those two kooks again, I swear I'll kill them both. I'm not a murderer by nature, I assure you, but if those lunatics- with their crazy plans and those huge, magnifying glasses- come near me one more time . . . I won't even plan it, so don't try and accuse me of premeditation. It'll just be a physical reaction; one I have no control over."

"Please, Mr. West. Please,"
pleaded
the older nurse, "Just let us give you your medicines and we'll leave you as quickly as we can. We don't enjoy this any more than you do."

Nathaniel laughed and laughed and then he coughed and coughed. With health as delicate as his, it was almost impossible to laugh without coughing afterwards. But once he'd caught his breath again, he said, sounding rather amused, "Well it's good to hear that you enjoy my company because I sure as hell can't stand yours!"

Carolyn tried to ignore him and began, "First we must do the ointment on the chest and the forehead."

Footsteps were heard and then Nathaniel ordered, "Get away from me! All of you! If I have to put on this stupid cream, I'll do it myself. I don't need your disgusting hands all over me!"

"But, Mr. West," said Carolyn, "You're too weak, you know that."

Nevertheless, Nathaniel screamed once more, "I'll do it myself! And don't try to tell me otherwise!"

For a minute or so, the room was fairly quiet and Gail knew the nurses must have given in to their patient. When he had finished applying the ointment himself, there were more footsteps and his voice reappeared.

"Alright," he groaned, "What's next?"

"Two of these," a shaking bottle, filled with bouncing tablets, could be heard, "And one of these.
And three of these."

Silence once more, as Nathaniel swallowed, and then, "The shot now, I suppose?"

"Two, actually," squeaked the younger nurse, "Dr. Fitzgerald wishes to try something new, he said."

"Two!" Nathaniel shouted, "And that thing looks more like a pencil and a funnel than a syringe needle! It's practically half a foot long! And . . . My God, you can't be serious! If you try and get that whole cup of fluid into me you're going to be very disappointed, my dears. It'll never fit unless you want me to drink it! Are you sure you've got the right thing?"

"Positive, Mr. West. We're just going to give you your regular shot first and then we'll move on to Dr. Fitzgerald's vaccine."

There was a short silence, then Nathaniel saying "Hey! Watch it
!,
" and then silence once more.

"I'm telling you right now that thing's not going to work!" Nathaniel shouted, his voice starting to shake from both his weakness and from a bit of fright, "And if you try to stick that foot-long needle in my arm you're bound to kill me within instants! You'll probably get nervous and jittery and stab me right in the eye, for Christ's sake! Do you even know what you're doing? Shouldn't Fitz be doing this?"

"Calm down, Mr. West. I assure you that I was taught how to administer this correctly and you needn't have any doubts. Everything's going to be perfectly fine," said Carolyn, "Maureen, Edith, you'd better hold him down."

"Hold me down?" Nathaniel screamed, "What in the world are you talking about! It's so bad that you've got to pin me down like a dog? For Christ's sake . . ." Footsteps could be heard and then suddenly Nathaniel started to shout in grave panic, "Help! Help! Somebody help me! They're trying to kill me! They're trying to
kill
me I tell you! They're crazy! The whole lot of them! Insane, crazy, batty old women that don't know what they're doing! Help! Somebody help me!"

Gail felt her insides begin to churn and she wrung her hands restlessly in her skirt. She hated to hear Nathaniel when he was in pain, especially when he was so desperate and childish about it. She could just see it now- Two nurses holding him to the bed as he turned white and fretful.
Carolyn sticking the gigantic needle into his arm.
The incision wouldn't hurt very badly, it never really did, but the vaccine inside would run through his body and tear him in to two with a pain so terrible that he moaned in agony.

The sounds of it could be heard throughout the long corridor.

"Is that the West boy again?" a doctor nearby asked his colleague as he scribbled some notes into a file, "They ought to have him locked up with
all the
ruckus he makes in here. Probably scares the other patients half to death."

"Of course that's him," the other replied, "Who else would it be?"

"Sounds like Hopson and Fitzgerald are trying something new again.
Poor kid.
But it's hard to feel sorry for him when he spends most of his time screaming at everyone."

"I've never felt sorry for him. I feel sorry for the nurses.
Poor women.
Having to put up with a little prat like him everyday.
I don't know how they do it."

The doctors walked off down the hallway and their voices disappeared from earshot. Gail returned her attentions to Nathaniel's room where she could hear the nurses, who were now softly coaxing their patient and whispering "It's alright, Mr. West" and "Only a few moments more, sir." And Gail could hear Nathaniel's voice as well, though very softly, as he groaned in pain and murmured curses beneath his breath.