groaned.
“Nurse, I must tell you,” Mrs. Reed’s stout and bossy mother pushed forward importantly. “My daughter Diana has always been very nervous, and this is her first baby, you simply must not let her——”
“I’ll be outside your door all night,” young Mr. Reed said dolefully.
Cherry said reassuring things, got her patient into the little private room, and closed the door on the other two.
In her amusement, Cherry lost a little of her own nervousness.
M I D G E M A K E S M I S C H I E F
63
“They mean so well,” young Mrs. Reed grinned at Cherry, “and they make such nuisances of themselves.
But they do scare me a little,” she admitted.
“Here, here, none of that,” Cherry replied. “Who’s scared?”
She helped Mrs. Reed into bed, gave her a warm relaxing sponge bath, and watched constantly for any signs of complications. Cherry knew all this in theory, but this was her first actual practice, and she wanted to give her patient the best of care. It heartened her to have Miss Sprague come in and check up and say that Cherry had done everything all right. “So far,” the head nurse added ominously.
Later the house doctor and one of the floor nurses came in, too, to check up and to give Cherry a rest period.
Baby Reed was still somewhere in the offing. Cherry gave Mrs. Reed her supper and several times cheered up Mr. Reed in the hall. The evening rather tensely wore on.
“They say first babies are usually awfully slow in coming,” young Mrs. Reed fretted. “My mother warned me—Oh, she’s probably full of old wives’ tales. Just the same, Miss Ames, I’m upset.”
Cherry talked to her and encouraged her.
“Don’t go away, Nurse.”
“I won’t.”
Much later, Mrs. Reed said, “Would you—would you see if my husband is still out there? And if he is, please 64
C H E R R Y A M E S , S E N I O R N U R S E
send the poor man home.” Cherry admired her when she added with a laugh, “Poor Dick! He’s taking this much harder than I am. He’s the one to worry about, not me.”
Cherry barely had opened the door into the corridor when Mr. Reed sprang up from a bench. His face was pale and drawn. His tie had come unknotted and his hair was rumpled.
“How is she? How is she? Has the baby come? Isn’t there something I can do? ” Cherry felt sorry for him, but she had a hard time keeping a straight face. “Your wife is fine and the baby won’t be here for ages. Why don’t you——” But he would not go home. He clung to Cherry’s apron desperately, pleadingly. Cherry’s heart went out to him. He looked so much like a bewildered, frightened little boy. Suddenly Cherry had an inspiration.
“Something to do, that’s it. Make him feel he’s helping.”
“Why don’t you go to that lovely little florist shop on the corner—they stay open quite late—and surprise Mrs. Reed with her favorite flowers. She’d love them, wouldn’t she? And besides, she’d feel that she’s a lucky wife to have such a thoughtful husband.” Satisfied at last that he could do something, the young husband dashed off. Cherry, with a happy smile, closed the door on his retreating figure and went back M I D G E M A K E S M I S C H I E F
65
to waiting. She turned her patient in the bed to a more comfortable position, bathed her hands and face, and gave her a back massage, and then some light nourishment. It was a long wait. Still, everything seemed to be going all right, to Cherry’s relief. The night deepened.
Mrs. Reed talked, vaguely and emotionally at times, confiding to Cherry things she never would have told except under stress.
“What a lot a nurse learns about people,” Cherry thought, as she held the young woman’s hand there in the half-dark, “and what a lot of secrets she must keep!”
A long time later, Mrs. Reed’s voice came softly:
“Nurse. I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“I’m not really doing much for you,” Cherry replied honestly.
“You’re
“Nurse, I must tell you,” Mrs. Reed’s stout and bossy mother pushed forward importantly. “My daughter Diana has always been very nervous, and this is her first baby, you simply must not let her——”
“I’ll be outside your door all night,” young Mr. Reed said dolefully.
Cherry said reassuring things, got her patient into the little private room, and closed the door on the other two.
In her amusement, Cherry lost a little of her own nervousness.
M I D G E M A K E S M I S C H I E F
63
“They mean so well,” young Mrs. Reed grinned at Cherry, “and they make such nuisances of themselves.
But they do scare me a little,” she admitted.
“Here, here, none of that,” Cherry replied. “Who’s scared?”
She helped Mrs. Reed into bed, gave her a warm relaxing sponge bath, and watched constantly for any signs of complications. Cherry knew all this in theory, but this was her first actual practice, and she wanted to give her patient the best of care. It heartened her to have Miss Sprague come in and check up and say that Cherry had done everything all right. “So far,” the head nurse added ominously.
Later the house doctor and one of the floor nurses came in, too, to check up and to give Cherry a rest period.
Baby Reed was still somewhere in the offing. Cherry gave Mrs. Reed her supper and several times cheered up Mr. Reed in the hall. The evening rather tensely wore on.
“They say first babies are usually awfully slow in coming,” young Mrs. Reed fretted. “My mother warned me—Oh, she’s probably full of old wives’ tales. Just the same, Miss Ames, I’m upset.”
Cherry talked to her and encouraged her.
“Don’t go away, Nurse.”
“I won’t.”
Much later, Mrs. Reed said, “Would you—would you see if my husband is still out there? And if he is, please 64
C H E R R Y A M E S , S E N I O R N U R S E
send the poor man home.” Cherry admired her when she added with a laugh, “Poor Dick! He’s taking this much harder than I am. He’s the one to worry about, not me.”
Cherry barely had opened the door into the corridor when Mr. Reed sprang up from a bench. His face was pale and drawn. His tie had come unknotted and his hair was rumpled.
“How is she? How is she? Has the baby come? Isn’t there something I can do? ” Cherry felt sorry for him, but she had a hard time keeping a straight face. “Your wife is fine and the baby won’t be here for ages. Why don’t you——” But he would not go home. He clung to Cherry’s apron desperately, pleadingly. Cherry’s heart went out to him. He looked so much like a bewildered, frightened little boy. Suddenly Cherry had an inspiration.
“Something to do, that’s it. Make him feel he’s helping.”
“Why don’t you go to that lovely little florist shop on the corner—they stay open quite late—and surprise Mrs. Reed with her favorite flowers. She’d love them, wouldn’t she? And besides, she’d feel that she’s a lucky wife to have such a thoughtful husband.” Satisfied at last that he could do something, the young husband dashed off. Cherry, with a happy smile, closed the door on his retreating figure and went back M I D G E M A K E S M I S C H I E F
65
to waiting. She turned her patient in the bed to a more comfortable position, bathed her hands and face, and gave her a back massage, and then some light nourishment. It was a long wait. Still, everything seemed to be going all right, to Cherry’s relief. The night deepened.
Mrs. Reed talked, vaguely and emotionally at times, confiding to Cherry things she never would have told except under stress.
“What a lot a nurse learns about people,” Cherry thought, as she held the young woman’s hand there in the half-dark, “and what a lot of secrets she must keep!”
A long time later, Mrs. Reed’s voice came softly:
“Nurse. I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“I’m not really doing much for you,” Cherry replied honestly.
“You’re
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