Ring for the Nurse

CHAPTER ONE

It was
just one of those days! Everything had gone wrong since the moment Felicity Dene had set foot that morning in John Mason ward. Even Sister Robinson, usually so affable, was suffering from one of her rare moods of irritability and Felicity, as Staff Nurse, had been constrained to bear the brunt of it. To add to the general chaos, two probationers had chosen that particular day to report si
ck
and three emergency admissions had thrown the ward into confusion just at the very time that Matron decided to pay a visit of inspection. Now, to cap it all, someone had left Sister Robinson
’
s office window wide open and a playful March wind had scattered every paper and document from the desk until the small room looked like a nightmare paperchase. Felicity Dene smothered a sigh as she stooped to retrieve the muddled papers, and with the maddening knowledge that she was already behindhand with her routine jobs she began to sort them out and replace them in their correct order. As she straightened up to answer the sharp ring of the telephone, her voice betrayed her annoyance.
“
Yes
...
yes, John Mason ward. Who is it?
”

“
Theatre here. Hullo, is that you, Felicity?
”
Nurse Weste
’
s tone was calm and laconic. Perhaps
her
day hadn
’
t been so upsetting, Felicity mused as she waited for Diana Weste to continue, not that anything ever perturbed Diana. From the day they had both started at St. Edwin
’
s Hospital as probationers, Diana had remained completely unruffled through all their early difficulties. The very difference in their temperaments had drawn them together and they had become fast friends. Diana Weste had also risen to be a Staff Nurse and although she was now attached to the Theatre while Felicity worked in the Orthopaedic Ward, their work on occasions brought them together.

“
Hullo, are you still there? I thought the line had
gone dead.
”

Diana
’
s voice came clearly through the receiver.
“
What
’
s up with y
o
u, is old Robinson
’
in the room?
”

“
No ... I
’
m just feeling browned off. I didn
’
t know it was you or I wouldn
’
t have snapped but I
’
ve had an awful day. I
’
m longing to go
off
but I
’
m not nearly ready; it
’
s no use for you to wait supper for me, I
’
m bound to be late, and since a disastrous visit from Matron this morning old Robinson, as you call her, has been in a flat spin.
”

“
You
think
you
’
re going to be late
...
I
know
you are!
”
There was suppressed laughter in Diana Weste
’
s tone.
“
Theatre Sister told me to ring you and say you
’
ll have to do a fracture reduction tonight, with your own nurses too, as we haven
’
t anyone to spare. Brenton
’
s doing it and he
’
ll be ready in ten minutes
...
you
’
d better get a move on! You know how he loves being kept waiting!
”

For a stunned second Felicity was bereft of speech. Then as the full significance of her friend
’
s information dawned on her, she burst out,
“
It can
’
t be true, I believe you
’
re making it up.
”

“
Of course I
’
m not!
”
Diana replied indignantly.
“
And what
’
s more, the case has got to be warded in John Mason. Brenton insists on that and I can assure you he
’
s in no mood to be queried as to the sweet reasonableness of that arrangement. You wouldn
’
t expect our dear Guy Brenton to consider such a trifling inconvenience, would you?
”
Diana mocked.
“
He
’
d have a bed fixed on the roof if he felt like it, yes, and expect the nurses to perch on a chimney while they changed the dressings,
”
she ended laughingly.

“
Don
’
t be such an idiot!
”
Felicity found herself joining in her friend
’
s infectious laughter.
“
Now you
’
re wasting my time with all your nonsense! I must get along to break the news to Sister
...
bye-bye, see you some time!
”
Felicity replaced the receiver and bundling the rest of the scattered papers back on the desk, hurried to the ward.

It was typical of hospital life that things managed to get done in the end however impossible and difficult the situation appeared to be. As Felicity had fully expected, Sister Robinson was only too thankful to delegate the task of assisting the surgeon to her staff nurse with the instruction that Nurse Jones was to attend as well. Sister Robinson was not only shrewd enough to recognize Felicity
’
s ability and efficiency in any emergency but she tacitly acknowledged that Felicity had an uncanny knack of handling the orthopaedic surgeon even in his most recalcitrant moods. Guy Brenton was attractive, all the nurses admitted that; abrupt and a bit sarcastic at times, a real tyrant where work was concerned and intolerant of mistakes. Felicity supposed she
’
d been fairly lucky in her dealings with him, anyway he
’
d always been quite reasonable with her and she liked him. Some of the staff had been up against him she knew and, no doubt like a fool, she
’
d been too inclined to speak up in Guy Brenton
’
s favour against her fellow nurses and although the chaff was always well meant and free from malice, she had made herself conspicuous by committing the unforgivable sin of openly defending him. With the large staff of physicians and surgeons attached to St. Edwin
’
s it was only natural that greater preference should be shown by the nurses for some than for others, a few were general favourites while others were simply accepted as a necessary part of hospital life. Guy Brenton belonged to neither category; his physical attraction every female on the staff readily admitted, but generally speaking he was considered the most exacting and difficult person to work for. Felicity had always been intrigued by his personality but even
her
feelings for him had not been untinged with awe, his aloof manner was anything but encouraging and his caustic tongue, should anything displease him, was sufficiently terrifying to keep the most intrepid nurse at a distance. Felicity, even when a probationer and throughout her training, had always managed to steer clear of trouble, perhaps because she had the happy knack of smiling disarmingly at the propitious moment, or more possibly because, however intimidated she might feel, at least she managed to conceal it. Some of the nurses were foolish enough to show how much they minded and were the perfect butt for a man of Guy Brenton
’
s type. They just asked for trouble and grumbled when it submerged them. Of course it was quite absurd how the few casual remarks she had made in his favour had immediately caused her particular circle of friends to jump to the ridiculous conclusion that she harboured some secret passion for the man!

As Felicity superintended the preparation of the patient who had now been brought up from the casualty department, Nurse Jones addressed her in a tone of utter dejection.
“
Theatre has just rung through, everything is ready.
Must
I go down with you, wouldn
’
t somebody else d
o
? I can
’
t bear Theatre Sister and as for Mr. Brenton
...” S
he broke off with a look of dismay more expressive than any words.

“
I
’
m afraid you
’
ll have to.
”
Felicity spoke kindly, fully understanding the girl
’
s reluctance.
“
We shall be late off duty, but you
’
ll be able to have the extra time tomorrow,
”
she ended with an attempt at consolation.

“
Always assuming I survive this ordeal,
”
Nurse Jones replied gloomily.
“
I suppose then, we
’
d better get along, shall I ring for the stretcher?
”

Felicity paused to adjust her starched cap and smooth out her apron before presenting herself in the theatre. She need not have worried about her appearance for natur
e
had endowed her with a beautifully proportioned figure which even the shapelessness of her uniform could not conceal. Exertion had heightened the soft colour in her cheeks and served to enhance the azure blue of her dark-fringed eyes, while the stiff white band of her cap, constricting the golden waves of her hair, formed a perfect frame to the oval contour of her face. The group of students gathered in the doorway of the theatre stepped back to make way for the stretcher and at Theatre Sister
’
s nod, Felicity helped the porters to lay the recumbent figure on the operating table.

“
I rang John Mason at least ten minutes ago to say we were ready for yo
u
r case!
”
The Sister
’
s annoyance showed only too clearly in her words and her frowning expression.

“
I
’
m sorry, Sister,
”
Felicity apologized.
“
There was some
delay in getting a porter.
”

“
It
’
s lucky for you Mr. Brenton hasn
’
t arrived yet,
”
Sister retorted unappeased, as she whipped the blanket with a brusque gesture from the patient
’
s inert form.

Although Felicity
’
s back was turned to the door, she sensed Guy Brenton
’
s appearance from the sudden hush which silenced the students
’
chatter while Nurse
Jones
with a quick intake of breath, came
to stand close beside her as if for support.

“
Everything ready?
”
Guy Brenton queried tersely.

As Felicity nodded assent, she found herself covertly studying the surgeon
’
s expression, that formidable tightness about the firm line of his jaw which she knew so well and which so many others feared. It was hard to believe sometimes that he ever smiled and that when he did, his feature
was amazingly transformed.

“
Yes, sir, everything is ready,
”
Theatre Sister responded briefly, and unable to restrain her resentment, added,
“I’
ve had to get Sister Robinson to send two nurses from John
Mason, we couldn
’
t spare anyone, we are rushed to death with emergencies which couldn
’
t be postponed.
”

“
I presume from that remark that you do not consider this case to be an emergency.
”
Guy Brenton spoke curtly.
“
Perhaps you
’
ll allow me to be the best judge of that.
”
He signed to the anaesthetist to begin, then proceeded to explain details of the injury to the students.

“
Be careful, Nurse Jones, look how you
’
re spotting the floor with that plaster!
”
Sister remonstrated, frowning more angrily than before.
“
We
’
ll be late enough as it is without you making work!
”

Felicity, feeling that the reprimand was unjustified, deftly placed a rubber sheet beneath the bowl and with a smile of encouragement to Nurse Jones, turned again to the table. Since it was apparent that Sister intended to do no more than was absolutely necessary, it was Felicity who stepped forward to help Guy Brenton into his overalls and although she was tall, it was more than she could manage to reach the tapes at his neck and even on tiptoe she could only just grasp the ends.

“
Here, Newlyn, fix this tape!
”
Guy Brenton demanded of one of his housemen.
“
Nurse Dene will have to grow before she
’
s of any practical use!
”
and as Felicity moved away she was surprised to glimpse a faint smile curving his lips.

It was an accepted fact that Guy Brenton dealt with his cases with amazing speed but that afternoon Felicity felt that the operation would never end. The atmosphere of the theatre grew unbearably hot and the enveloping overall, worn as a protection from splashes of plaster, seemed to be choking her.

“
That
’
s about as good a result as we
’
ll get.
”
Guy Brenton
’
s decisive words reached Felicity
’
s ears like sweet music. Now there was the plaster to adjust and then it would be over. She stooped to whisper to Nurse Jones.

“
Get the bandages ready now .
.
. take care, not too wet!
”
With skilful fingers the surgeon began to wind the bandages, fixing the limb in position.
“
Hang on to the foot, Nurse Dene, whatever you do don
’
t let it slip
...
that
’
s right, keep it inverted.
”
His tone was peremptory, the
n
he added,
“
There
’
ll have to be some weight on this, must try to avoid shortening.
”

Still holding on to the patient
’
s foot, Felicity could give little attention to anything else
...
the bandages were too wet, she was sure they were. Couldn
’
t Sister tell Jones, why didn
’
t she do something about it?

“
What
’
s the use of these? I want bandages, not sodden sponges!
”
Guy Brenton
’
s tone was cold with anger, then with a gesture of annoyance, he flung the offending articles to the floor.
“
Come along, Nurse, think what you
’
re doing, surely you can wring out a bandage properly!
”