Hank

"Good morning,  Mr. Miller, how are we doing this morning?” Bridget grabbed the hospital room curtains and flung them open to let in the sunlight. Mr, Miller recoiled from the light, throwing his arms up to shield his eyes from the brightness of the sun. “I don’t want that slop,” he growled as he pushed it forcefully away from the bed with one hand. He frowned at her as she approached him again.

“Now, Mr. Miller, you know the doctor won’t even consider discharging you until you start eating more. You want to go home, don’t you?” She reached out to touch his shoulder, but he shifted his body away from her, scowling even harder now.

“What’s the point. Ain’t no one there to care about me anyway, I’m all alone. I might as well die here where someone will notice.”

His bright blue eyes changed in that moment. Bridget saw a glimpse of a lonely man, just looking for some company. She had noticed that there was no Next-of-Kin listed on his chart.

Franklin Miller had been in staying in Bridget’s unit for a few weeks now. The other nurses hated him with a burning passion. He was mean, uncooperative, and at times, a bit of a racist. The list of nurses who would actually deal with him was getting shorter by the day. Bridget usually ended up taking care of him whenever she was on shift. She didn’t mind, even though he was a mean old grump. She saw through his rough facade to the sad, lonely man who’s final days on this earth were numbered.

“Eat your damn eggs, Mr. Miller. Don’t make me force feed you, because you know I would do it.” she glanced down at him, as he begrudgingly grabbed the fork from his tray and stabbed a piece of scrambled egg. He glared at her once more, and shoved it into his mouth, chewing aggressively. “There we go, thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Now, may I speak with you about your car’s extended warranty?” she smiled as she held up a butterfly needle, syringe, and a purple top blood tube.

“Fine, but make it quick. And use the other arm this time, you’re bruising me all to shit.” He grumbled as he shoveled another bite of eggs into his mouth.

“Perfect, thank you. My shift is almost over, so Stephanie will be taking over. And don’t even think about giving her attitude, because I’ll be checking with her when I come back tonight. You got me, Mr. Miller?” she stood with one hand on her hip as she rocked the blood sample back and forth, preventing clots in the tube. He didn’t say anything. “I know you can hear me, cranky pants, you better be on your best behaviour today.”

“Alright, alright, now will you leave me alone already?” Frank threw his hands in the air in exasperation. Bridget reached over and handed him the TV remote before leaving the room.

“Later, Mr. Miller,” she said over her shoulder as she left his room.

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“Hey ladies, how was day shift?” Bridget asked as she rolled up to the nurses station to begin her night shift. She looked around at the smiling faces. The vibe seemed almost jovial, which was highly unusual.

“Did you hear? Mr. Miller finally croaked!” Stephanie whispered in her ear as Bridget tucked her lunch box in one of the bottom drawers. She froze, lunchbox still in hand.

“What? Are you serious?” she asked, suddenly feeling a deep sadness overcome her.

“Yeah, his old black Grinch heart finally gave up,” Stephanie muttered. All the nurses were celebrating, as quietly as possible. They all understood the magnitude of celebrating the death of a patient. It wasn’t good form to show such callousness in their profession. But that didn’t change the fact that they were all thrilled that they would not longer be dealing with Mr. Miller every day.

Bridget felt hot tears well up in her eyes, and excused herself to the restroom. She didn’t expect these feelings to consume her like this. He was a cranky old fart who tried to make everyone around him miserable. But she knew how utterly alone he had been. How his gruff exterior kept everyone at a distance. He had no family left, and knowing he was near the end of his life, he didn’t want to burden anyone else with his palliative care.

“Is there anyone we can call?” She asked, returning to her seat at the nurses station.

“Call for who? Mr. Miller? He doesn’t have any family, so we didn’t bother.” Stephanie shrugged as she tossed Frank’s file over Bridget’s shoulder. She opened the file and read through the first page. There was still no Next-of-Kin listed. She flipped the page over and noticed there was some handwriting on the back of his admission sheet.

Fred Cormier – Dogsitter. (205) 597-8912

“Frank had a dog?” Bridget asked out loud, to no one in particular. She grabbed the phone and began dialing. It rang for a few seconds before a deep voice answered, out of breath.

“Hello?” Fred grunted into the phone.

“Hi! Is this Fred Cormier?” She asked, still wiping tears from her cheeks.

“Who’s asking?” He growled into the phone, still sounding out of breath.

“My name is Bridget, I’m a nurse at St. Joseph Regional Hospital. I’m calling in regards to Mr. Frank Miller.” she spoke as evenly and professionally as she could, cheeks still wet from fresh tears.

“Frank, that old bastard, tell him he needs to come get his dog. The damn thing is driving me crazy!” Fred hollered into the phone. Bridget could hear barking in the background.

“Um, I’m sorry, Mr. Cormier, but I have some bad news. Mr. Miller has passed away.” She said solemnly.

“Jesus, that old fuck got me again. I am not taking care of this dog forever, this was supposed to be for just a few days! It’s been three weeks now, and the damn dog keeps getting out and running down the block. I’m too old for this shit.” He barked into the receiver. The dog barked harder behind him. “I’m not responsible for this thing. I can’t be. No way, no how. I’ll drop it off at the pound, they can decide what to do with it.” Bridget wasn’t sure he was talking to her anymore, he seemed to be ranting into the void at this point.

“Mr. Cormier, Fred, I’m sorry to interrupt, but would it be okay if I come and take the dog? Then you won’t have to worry about it.” Her heart raced at the thought of taking in Mr. Miller’s dog. She didn’t even know he had a dog. She didn’t peg him as an animal lover.

“Yes, yes, can you come now? I want this thing out of my house! Immediately!” he was shouting again. Bridget could hear a faint ringing over the phone line, which she recognized to be feedback from a hearing aid.

“I can come as soon as my shift is over, tomorrow morning. Can you keep him for one more night for me? Please?” She pleaded gently, trying to keep him on board with the new plan.

“Fine, but if you don’t come and collect him first thing in the morning, I’m opening the back door and setting him free.” Mr. Cormier grumbled. He gave her the address, and she promised to be there as soon as possible.

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As Bridget started her car in the hospital parking lot, she couldn’t help but wonder what she was getting herself into with this dog. She didn’t know anything about this creature. What if it’s a mean old crank of a dog that hates her, just like Mr. Miller? Fred didn’t exactly instill confidence when they had spoken about the beast. He seemed to hate the thing. Regardless, she was committed to taking this dog. She needed a companion anyway. Her husband had recently left her for another woman, and she couldn’t help but feel lonely and vulnerable at night in her apartment. Any companion, even a grumpy one, would be a step up.

She opened the creaky iron fence in front of Fred’s yard. As she knocked on the door, barking erupted from the other side. She took a step back in surprise. This dog sounded BIG. As the door opened, Bridget saw a golden blur jump up as it collided with her and knocked both of them to the ground. She felt a slimy tongue licking her face, as she attempted to right herself. She was eye level with a fluffy Golden Retriever. He sat in front of her, licking her face, and wagging his tail. This was not at all what she had expected.

“Down! Bad dog!” shouted Fred from inside the doorway. “He’s a nightmare, and he’s all yours now.” He tossed a plastic bag out onto the porch and slammed the door before Bridget could say anything to him. She reached out and grabbed the dog by it’s collar with one hand, and reached for the bag with the other hand. She grabbed one of the handles and pulled it towards her. Inside was half a bag of dog food, a couple of metal dog bowls, a rubber chew toy, and a leash. She grabbed the leash and hooked it to his collar. As she did this, she noticed a tag that said HANK on the front. It had Mr. Miller’s phone number on the back. She smiled, and she hoped Frank would approve of her taking ownership of his dog.

“Alright, Hank, I guess you’re coming home with me, buddy.” She walked him over to her car and Hank hopped in the back seat as if he had done it a thousand times. As she sat herself in the drivers seat, she could feel Hank’s tongue licking at the back of her ear from behind her. Hank seemed quite content with this arrangement.