Marple would have to get her through the night. At eight fifty-five, Helen heard a woman shout, “Please! You have to let me in. I must see my father before it’s too late.” She recognized Violet Zerling’s tearful plea and ran out to see her client arguing with Nurse Abbott.
The two sturdy women stood nose to nose. Violet looked like she was wearing a sackcloth pantsuit. She couldn’t get around the roadblock in scrubs.
“I have my orders, Ms. Zerling,” Nurse Abbott said. “You are not allowed to see Mr. Zerling.”
“But he’s dying,” Violet cried. “I want to see my daddy before he dies. I want to say good-bye.”
Helen stepped between them. Violet backed off. Nurse Abbott didn’t move.
“Please, Nurse, I’m asking as the family minister. Is there any way Violet can visit her father to say good-bye?”
“Orders are orders and she’s not allowed,” Nurse Abbott said. She seemed to savor her power as much as the chocolate.
“You can’t refuse this request,” Helen said.
“I can and I will,” Nurse Abbott said. “This woman disturbed the whole floor last time. She’s banned from the ICU.”
“She’s Arthur’s only child,” Helen said.
“She’s hardly a child,” Nurse Abbott said, and glared at the large woman.
“At least call Mrs. Zerling and ask if she’ll change her mind,” Helen said. “Please.” She watched the nurse punch in the number for Blossom’s cell.
“No answer,” Nurse Abbott said, not bothering to hide her triumph.
“How do I even know you called her?” Violet said.
“Then you try,” Nurse Abbott said.
Helen took out her phone, punched in Blossom’s cell number and heard, “This is Blossom Zerling. Please leave a message.”
“Voice mail,” she reported.
“This is Helen Hawthorne,” she said into her phone. “Violet is at the ICU with me and she wants to say good-bye to her father. I’ll stay with her in the room. Please, in the name of charity, let Violet say good-bye to Arthur.”
“Told you,” the nurse said, her voice triumphant. “Do you want to see Mrs. Zerling’s written orders? I have them.”
Violet opened her mouth, but Helen cut her off. “That’s not necessary.”
“None of this is necessary,” Nurse Abbott said. “I have critically ill patients to care for. I’m going to do you one more favor, Ms. Zerling. I won’t call security if you leave now.”
Violet erupted into quiet tears. Helen put her arm around the weeping woman and led her out of the ICU toward the elevator.
“I wanted to say good-bye,” Violet said, sniffling and blinking back more tears. “I wanted Daddy to know I love him.”
“He already knows,” Helen said. She pressed the elevator button for Violet. “I have to go back to the ICU. You go home and rest. I’ll keep you posted.”
Nurse Abbott tried to justify herself as Helen passed her desk. “I really couldn’t let her in,” she said, popping another chocolate into her mouth. “I’d lose my job.”
Helen didn’t answer. She sat down in the visitor’s chair and took out her book. At nine seventeen, she heard Arthur’s breathing change dramatically. First it was deeper and faster—then it stopped altogether and started up again. Helen’s mother had sounded that way before she died. Arthur’s room was alive with beeping and shrieking alarms. Helen ran for Nurse Abbott, but she’d already called “Code Blue.”
“In the hall,” she commanded, shoving Helen out of her way. Staff flooded into Arthur’s room. Someone issued terse commands. The privacy blinds on Arthur’s window snapped shut, blocking Helen’s view.
Helen called Blossom’s cell phone. Still no answer. “Your husband has taken a turn for the worse,” Helen said. “Please hurry.”
With that, Helen heard footsteps running down the hall and Blossom came flying through the ICU door.
“What’s wrong?” she said, fast and frantic. “Why aren’t you with Arthur?”
“I tried to reach you,” Helen
The two sturdy women stood nose to nose. Violet looked like she was wearing a sackcloth pantsuit. She couldn’t get around the roadblock in scrubs.
“I have my orders, Ms. Zerling,” Nurse Abbott said. “You are not allowed to see Mr. Zerling.”
“But he’s dying,” Violet cried. “I want to see my daddy before he dies. I want to say good-bye.”
Helen stepped between them. Violet backed off. Nurse Abbott didn’t move.
“Please, Nurse, I’m asking as the family minister. Is there any way Violet can visit her father to say good-bye?”
“Orders are orders and she’s not allowed,” Nurse Abbott said. She seemed to savor her power as much as the chocolate.
“You can’t refuse this request,” Helen said.
“I can and I will,” Nurse Abbott said. “This woman disturbed the whole floor last time. She’s banned from the ICU.”
“She’s Arthur’s only child,” Helen said.
“She’s hardly a child,” Nurse Abbott said, and glared at the large woman.
“At least call Mrs. Zerling and ask if she’ll change her mind,” Helen said. “Please.” She watched the nurse punch in the number for Blossom’s cell.
“No answer,” Nurse Abbott said, not bothering to hide her triumph.
“How do I even know you called her?” Violet said.
“Then you try,” Nurse Abbott said.
Helen took out her phone, punched in Blossom’s cell number and heard, “This is Blossom Zerling. Please leave a message.”
“Voice mail,” she reported.
“This is Helen Hawthorne,” she said into her phone. “Violet is at the ICU with me and she wants to say good-bye to her father. I’ll stay with her in the room. Please, in the name of charity, let Violet say good-bye to Arthur.”
“Told you,” the nurse said, her voice triumphant. “Do you want to see Mrs. Zerling’s written orders? I have them.”
Violet opened her mouth, but Helen cut her off. “That’s not necessary.”
“None of this is necessary,” Nurse Abbott said. “I have critically ill patients to care for. I’m going to do you one more favor, Ms. Zerling. I won’t call security if you leave now.”
Violet erupted into quiet tears. Helen put her arm around the weeping woman and led her out of the ICU toward the elevator.
“I wanted to say good-bye,” Violet said, sniffling and blinking back more tears. “I wanted Daddy to know I love him.”
“He already knows,” Helen said. She pressed the elevator button for Violet. “I have to go back to the ICU. You go home and rest. I’ll keep you posted.”
Nurse Abbott tried to justify herself as Helen passed her desk. “I really couldn’t let her in,” she said, popping another chocolate into her mouth. “I’d lose my job.”
Helen didn’t answer. She sat down in the visitor’s chair and took out her book. At nine seventeen, she heard Arthur’s breathing change dramatically. First it was deeper and faster—then it stopped altogether and started up again. Helen’s mother had sounded that way before she died. Arthur’s room was alive with beeping and shrieking alarms. Helen ran for Nurse Abbott, but she’d already called “Code Blue.”
“In the hall,” she commanded, shoving Helen out of her way. Staff flooded into Arthur’s room. Someone issued terse commands. The privacy blinds on Arthur’s window snapped shut, blocking Helen’s view.
Helen called Blossom’s cell phone. Still no answer. “Your husband has taken a turn for the worse,” Helen said. “Please hurry.”
With that, Helen heard footsteps running down the hall and Blossom came flying through the ICU door.
“What’s wrong?” she said, fast and frantic. “Why aren’t you with Arthur?”
“I tried to reach you,” Helen
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