pace. She had learned, through years of police work, how to put on the visual blinders and strong posture that told civilians not to distract her from her duty. She only hoped that Ainsley and Julian could follow suit.
The fluorescent lights seemed brighter than before and the Halloween decorations on the patients’ doors more garish. Her shoes slapped the tile floor loudly as they approached the nurses’ station.
The constant double beep of the phone lines told her that they were busy tonight. That was a good thing. They would hardly be likely to take special notice of a group of unfamiliar nurses with a gurney.
They passed the bustling desk without incident, and Grace allowed herself to turn back to Ainsley and Julian and give a slight smile.
As if on cue, an elderly lady in a wide open hospital gown came bursting out of the room in front of them and skidded on the floor, hanging onto the doorframe for dear life.
“Help! My roommate is dying!” She grabbed Julian by the arm and shook him hard.
“I- we,” he indicated the gurney helplessly.
“Whoever that was isn’t in a hurry anymore! Rosemary needs you now !”
With that she whisked Julian into the room. Grace caught one last glimpse of his panicked face as he disappeared.
Ainsley looked at Grace and shrugged.
Shit.
Julian couldn’t handle himself in there, Grace was kidding herself if she thought he could. She parked Sadie carefully next to the door and headed into the room, Ainsley trailing close behind.
Inside, the screen for the patient in the hall-side bed was flat-lining. A large woman in a pink hospital gown was reclined on the bed, eyes closed.
“It’s going to be fine,” Julian was saying to the roommate. His hands were on the prone woman’s chest and he was compressing lightly.
Grace was ready to throw in the towel and dash back to the nurse’s station to get a professional when the monitor lit up and the regular blip of a heartbeat reappeared on the screen.
“See? No muss, no fuss?” Julian said to the awestruck roommate. He turned on his heel and strode out of the room with Grace and Ainsley following like ducklings.
Grace was floored.
Magic could do many things, but it couldn’t bring back a life, or start a heart that was stopped. If that were the case no witch would ever die. Julian must be very powerful to have performed such magic.
“How did you do that?” Ainsley half-whispered.
“Oh, her oximeter fell off,” Julian explained. “You know, the thingee on her finger that tracks her heart rate? Happens all the time. I slipped it back on between fake compressions.”
Oh. Smart.
“Are you a real nurse?” Ainsley asked.
“No, no, but I assisted in a hospital many years ago. I’ll tell you about it some other time.”
Grace suddenly took in the empty hallway they were standing in.
The completely empty hallway.
Oh no. Oh god, no.
“Uh, guys,” Grace said, her heart in her mouth. “ Guys? ”
They turned to her.
“Where’s Sadie?”
The trio looked up and down the corridor, but the gurney was nowhere to be found. A grinning skeleton decoration on the door across the hall mocked them.
Ainsley lifted her nose toward the ceiling, then took off toward the elevator at a run. Grace followed, Julian’s footsteps just behind hers. They rounded the corner to the elevators and came face to face with a male nurse, pushing their gurney.
“Hey, whoa,” the nurse said. “You guys looked like you had your hands full back there, so I thought I’d do you a favor and take this one down to the morgue.”
“Thanks.” Grace grabbed the gurney from him. “But we’ve got it.”
“No skin off my back.” The nurse shrugged. “I’m headed down there anyway, but suit yourself.”
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Geriatric Rehab was on the top floor of the hospital, putting them ten stories up.
The elevator was one of the few luxury additions to the sensible 1950’s building. It’s all glass exterior
The fluorescent lights seemed brighter than before and the Halloween decorations on the patients’ doors more garish. Her shoes slapped the tile floor loudly as they approached the nurses’ station.
The constant double beep of the phone lines told her that they were busy tonight. That was a good thing. They would hardly be likely to take special notice of a group of unfamiliar nurses with a gurney.
They passed the bustling desk without incident, and Grace allowed herself to turn back to Ainsley and Julian and give a slight smile.
As if on cue, an elderly lady in a wide open hospital gown came bursting out of the room in front of them and skidded on the floor, hanging onto the doorframe for dear life.
“Help! My roommate is dying!” She grabbed Julian by the arm and shook him hard.
“I- we,” he indicated the gurney helplessly.
“Whoever that was isn’t in a hurry anymore! Rosemary needs you now !”
With that she whisked Julian into the room. Grace caught one last glimpse of his panicked face as he disappeared.
Ainsley looked at Grace and shrugged.
Shit.
Julian couldn’t handle himself in there, Grace was kidding herself if she thought he could. She parked Sadie carefully next to the door and headed into the room, Ainsley trailing close behind.
Inside, the screen for the patient in the hall-side bed was flat-lining. A large woman in a pink hospital gown was reclined on the bed, eyes closed.
“It’s going to be fine,” Julian was saying to the roommate. His hands were on the prone woman’s chest and he was compressing lightly.
Grace was ready to throw in the towel and dash back to the nurse’s station to get a professional when the monitor lit up and the regular blip of a heartbeat reappeared on the screen.
“See? No muss, no fuss?” Julian said to the awestruck roommate. He turned on his heel and strode out of the room with Grace and Ainsley following like ducklings.
Grace was floored.
Magic could do many things, but it couldn’t bring back a life, or start a heart that was stopped. If that were the case no witch would ever die. Julian must be very powerful to have performed such magic.
“How did you do that?” Ainsley half-whispered.
“Oh, her oximeter fell off,” Julian explained. “You know, the thingee on her finger that tracks her heart rate? Happens all the time. I slipped it back on between fake compressions.”
Oh. Smart.
“Are you a real nurse?” Ainsley asked.
“No, no, but I assisted in a hospital many years ago. I’ll tell you about it some other time.”
Grace suddenly took in the empty hallway they were standing in.
The completely empty hallway.
Oh no. Oh god, no.
“Uh, guys,” Grace said, her heart in her mouth. “ Guys? ”
They turned to her.
“Where’s Sadie?”
The trio looked up and down the corridor, but the gurney was nowhere to be found. A grinning skeleton decoration on the door across the hall mocked them.
Ainsley lifted her nose toward the ceiling, then took off toward the elevator at a run. Grace followed, Julian’s footsteps just behind hers. They rounded the corner to the elevators and came face to face with a male nurse, pushing their gurney.
“Hey, whoa,” the nurse said. “You guys looked like you had your hands full back there, so I thought I’d do you a favor and take this one down to the morgue.”
“Thanks.” Grace grabbed the gurney from him. “But we’ve got it.”
“No skin off my back.” The nurse shrugged. “I’m headed down there anyway, but suit yourself.”
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Geriatric Rehab was on the top floor of the hospital, putting them ten stories up.
The elevator was one of the few luxury additions to the sensible 1950’s building. It’s all glass exterior
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