St. Marlene Hospital - Part (2/2)

McLamb wanted to rub his neck from all the confusion. He ended up pinning his body into the walls again when a group of doctors bolted down the hall on the answer of a heart attack alert. After the nurse came out of a washroom while wiping her hands dry, the constable continued the interview.

“Does Mr. Tucker visit her workplace? Often or at all?”

“No, not really,” The nurse tossed the paper towel at the trash, it bounced off and fell to the floor, and she turned away to focus on McLamb, “Her husband usually arrives at the hospital to drop her off and pick her up. At most he would join pot luck events, bringing food for his wife, but other than that not at all often.” The nurse sighed, folding her arms. “In the past, Sarah adored her husband. Has her entire locker covered with their photos. About a year ago things went sour for her and like I mentioned her mood took a turn for the worst.”

A patient bolted out of his room with some IV lines dangling from his arm. With a deranged look he tried to run up to McLamb and the nurse. Only for some large care aides and security guard to tackle him, pin him down, and someone to inject medications to sedate him. The constable could not help but stare at what happened. The nurse took a moment to check her nails.

“Sarah started to take it out on others, not just the staff, but the patients too.” The nurse would gesture a finger to some workers and visitors walking past them. “She snapped at children and the elderly, ignored call bells, began to mess up on diet records and have a shouting match with the cafeteria on who was right or wrong. I even saw her slap a lab tech for talking back. Worse she—“

McLamb waited for the nurse to finish her thought. When nothing came he looked at the one he was interviewing. She went pale, her eyes looking to the side. The finger she used to point curled up, hiding into a fist.

“...Worse she, what, miss?” McLamb asked.

“It’s in the past. She’s gone now.” The nurse adjusted her posture, straightening her scrubs. Before McLamb could pry the overhead PA started to ring.

[Room 56-A, Code Yellow. Repeat, Room 56-A, Code Yellow]

The nurse immediately groaned and started to run off. “Oh come on, give me a break!”

“W-wait! Where are you going?” McLamb tried to grab her, only for the nurse to fling his grip off with an annoyed scowl, “We haven’t finished the interview!”

“Code Yellow!” The nurse barked back while rounding up some care aides. “A patient eloped! Ran away! My patient, god!”

“W..what?” McLamb could only say those words as the nurse rushed down the hall with a curse to search for the missing patient. The constable rubbed at his neck and tapped his foot to try and think of something. Giving up, he decided to leave the hospital. And ended up running into a little old lady, “Oh! I-I am so sorry madam!”

“My, my. Aren’t you a handsome fellow.” The old lady stabilized herself. She was short, standing with a crooked lean forward, withered arm and legs, skin so thin the constable could see her veins bulging. She had an IV drip attached to one arm as she held onto the support ring as a walker. Her other hand would rub McLamb’s arm up and down with a smirk. “Don’t mind the nurses deary. They work around the clock with little to no break. The minute they sit down, they snore like a hack saw. Hard for me to sleep during their night shift.”

“N-no. It’s alright. I have friends who work as a--”

“Ooooh. Not to mention, she doesn’t want to get into trouble about Nurse Tucker.”

“...Trouble?”

“Hmm. My legs are a bit weary.” The old lady tapped her legs with a fist. “My eyes aren’t as sharp as they used to be. Do you see a chair nearby? Hmm?” Seeing her coy smile, McLamb immediately ushered her to some seats nearby and help her sit down. All the while she kept rubbing at the muscles in his arm. “That’s better. And yes. Trouble. I overheard your conversation, and the name Sarah Tucker came up. I know her, she once took care of my neighbour in the same hospital room. Oooh it was a big, biiig ruckus at the time.”

McLamb knelt down in front of the old lady, “Could you tell me what it is? This is really important.”

“Hmm.” The old lady giggled. She rubbed her fingers together.

“...Madam, I am an officer. I can’t pay for information.”

“Pepsi, sonny boy. I am mighty thirsty. Heheheh.”