“What do you mean?”
“Well, are you going to pretend like you don’t recognize him?”
“No, I couldn’t do that. I’ll be honest and tell him I remember him, but that’s it really. He’s just a patient, that’s all.”
She gives me a suspicious look and pulls me into a hug as she exits the apartment. I watch her from my window as she stands in the snow, hailing a cab. Seconds later, a cab picks her up and drives off into the busy streets. Cleaning up the leftover pizza and beer, I can’t help but think about Roman and what this coincidental reunion means.
******
Making my way to Roman’s room, I see Amanda at the nurses station, closing out her paperwork before she leaves for the day. “Hey Amanda. How is the patient in room three doing?”
“Irritable and in a lot of pain, but other than that, he’s doing well. Last time I checked he was sleeping.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, same to you.”
She leaves her desk and heads to the locker room. I glance at his chart, looking to find anything worth noting while I check up on him, and everything looks good for now. Stepping up to the door, I knock softly and make my way inside.
Entering the room, I glance at him as he sleeps. Besides him, the room is empty. I expected to see his family in there; perhaps they stepped out.
Cleaning up the empty food trays and cups, I wipe down the trays and toss them into the garbage. I step out into the hall to gather some new drinking cups and get a pitcher of ice water. Making my way back into his room, I place the stack of cups and the pitcher on his bedside table. Closed curtains block the bright warm sun so I step to the window and open them. The warm rays immediately heat my skin as I glance down toward the street. Snow covers t
he ground as pedestrians walk the busy sidewalks. Cars, buses, yellow cabs, and trucks stand bumper to bumper in never-ending traffic. Horns honk back-to-back; that’s New York for you.
I check his vitals on the monitor, confirming that everything is normal. His reddened face rests against the pillow in an awkward fashion. That can’t be comfortable. I inch my hands closer to his head and lift it as I fix the pillow under his head. Fluffing it into a more comfortable position, he groans as I inch his head a little higher and to the left. Careful not to touch his gauze, my hand presses his head back down softly. A low groan escapes his lips just as I pull my hand away and his eyes open.
Stepping away from the bed, I clear my throat. “Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. My name is—”
The door swings open and his aunt and uncle step inside carrying fresh flowers. His aunt notices me and gasps. “Oh hi! We were just at the gift shop. Roman you’re awake! Are you hungry?”
His face is stern and hard. “No, just tired.”
He flashes a harsh look as I step away and allow his aunt and uncle to give him a hug. His aunt smiles at me. “Thank you for watching over him.”
Just as I open my mouth to respond, Roman interrupts. “It’s her job Aunt Maggie.”
Bewildered by his rudeness, I walk over and pour the ice water into a cup, inserting a bendy straw. I motion it to him and ask, “Are you thirsty?”
He turns his head away from me. “Nope, I’m fine. You can leave now.”
I place the cup back down on the tray. “Uh, ok…well if you need anything just buzz us. By the way, my name is Melanie.” I offer him a warm smile but he doesn’t even look at me. His eyes focus toward the window and I glance at his aunt, trying to figure out if I did something wrong. She smiles at me softly and sits on the bed next to him as I step out, puzzled at his reaction.
Melanie
I CHECK ON MY other patients and all goes well. The patient in room number two, Mr. Erickson, had a severe heart attack yesterday so he’s been on watch for the past twelve hours. He’s an elderly man, in his late 70s, and he’s always polite when I visit.
While I’m fixing his sheets as he watches TV, he asks me about my hobbies and interests. We make small talk as I clean up his room and open up his curtain windows. He loves the sun too.
As I throw the remainder of his cold dinner into the trash he asks, “Do you have any children?”
“No, I don’t. I’m not even married.”
“Nonsense, you’re a young vibrant woman who must drive the men wild.”
I chuckle at his humor. “Ha ha, sadly no. But it’s all right, I’m used to this, being alone.”
He frowns. “Sounds terrible.”