St. Marlene Hospital - Part (1/2)

St. Marlene Hospital stood in on the border between downtown and the city’s residential areas for the middle class. A large collection of buildings to support basic medical care, emergency, ambulatory, family medicine, blood work, laboratory, surgery, to even expensive orthopaedic operations for knee and hip replacements. The hospital was staffed by professional doctors, nurses, care aides, and other medical operators who have at least two years of training experience in their field. St. Marlene Hospital was proud to boast the fact they are among the top 5 ‘nicest’ hospitals in the big city.

Constable McLamb walked down the busy hallway with another nurse. Every time he dipped his head down to type notes into his phone, a nurse or doctor would bump into him. No words were exchanged as they dove into rooms or returned to their front desk. He couldn’t resist rubbing his neck, and staggered when another burly care aide brushed past him.

“Excuse me,” he apologized to the care aide and turned to the nurse he was trying to keep up with, “So uh, oof! Sorry. Um. How long have you known Mrs—Oof. Tucker?”

“Pardon the traffic, Officer,” The nurse would respond, never breaking eye contact from several patient files she had open on her hospital tablet, “we’re in the middle of a heat wave.” A deep breath and stepped to the side. In time to avoid a hospital bed being pushed down the cramp halls, knocking McLamb into the wall. “Sarah Tucker and I were class mates in the same nursing program. We both started working here after graduation. Many years enough to give her seniority over me.”

The gaze in the nurse’s eyes reminded the constable of a dead fish.

McLamb cleared his throat as he peeled himself from the wall. Playing smart, he would try to trail after the nurse and rely on her movement to ‘clear the way’. Even so, his elbows would stick out and constantly get knocked around by staff or medical equipment with bulky frames. Klonk. “OW! Could you tell me how was she like, when alive?”

“Sarah is the type of person who will act on what she believes is right,” the nurse stared at her screen while talking, head down but easily dodging any staff members, “Not even her husband she loved so much could change her mind on some matters. Still, that’s between the staff. When she is in front of patients and their family...she’s the angel.”

McLamb noticed muscles twitching in the nurses cheek. He pretended he didn’t notice.

The nurse turned down the hall and this time the constable behind her flattened his body against the side when large MRI machines were paraded down the lane. “Always with a smile. Answered every call bell no matter how small or repetitive the matter was. She was like a coin really. On heads, she is very open and cheerful – on tails, she was strong minded. Many times, it can be...difficult to keep up with her ‘efficiency’ but we can’t complain. Sarah Tucker was one of the best...That was until about a year ago and her mood changed.”

McLamb typed in the notes, then pondered out loud, “Would this, ahem, mood change happen to involve Mr. Tucker?”

“Perhaps. She did stop boasting about her husband to the others in the locker room, so that could be a clue.” A notification appeared on the nurse’s tablet. She reared her head back with a grumbling sigh. “One second officer, one of my patient needs their brief changed - again. Uuuugh.”

“...By all means.”