that prospect the fact he had come spoke to something. Once they had their meals they found a table in a relatively quiet corner. After they were settled he cleared his throat quietly as he picked up and inspected his fork. While poking the macaroni and cheese he said, "My mother was to the doctor's yesterday. They said that her heart's getting weaker and that it looks like they're running out of treatment options. They're not giving her very much time."
"How long…"
"How long are they giving her? They didn't say when they just said her heart could stop at any moment."
"I'm so sorry."
"I just… I know you were pretty close to mother and I didn't want you to read about it in some file."
Reaching across the table she stilled his fidgeting hand and clasp it in her own. "Thank you for telling me."
Turning his palm upward he gripped her fingers tightly. After a few seconds he released her hand returned to his meal. Taking a bite he swallowed and blinked. Looking down at the plate he murmured in a tone of awe, "This isn't half bad."
The doors swished open cheerfully as she entered the dementia unit the next day. After guiding Mrs. Mallon away from the entrance and depositing the woman with her husband, another patient, Promise checked in at the nurses' station to catch up on anything she may have missed in her small absence. Three yellow paper post its caught her eye. The one attached to the computer read: "keyboard not found, press any key and call the Tom…again." Promise sighed until Tom, their maintenance man, could be reached all paper work would have to be on paper once again.
Plucking the yellow flag from the critical messages board they kept on the nurses' station Promise read: "Mr. Donaldson has taken a turn for the worst. Family unreachable. Call again when shift begins". After reaching Mrs. Harlem, the patient's daughter, Promise moved onto the third and final note stuck to Mrs. Helen's file. "Refused to take all medications." Wonderful.
After settling down at the desk Promise shuffled several papers about until it was time to serve evening meal. As she rose to head down the hall, Mrs. Harlem entered the unit.
"Is my father able to take visitors? The rest of the family is one the way. How bad is he?"
Looking into her doleful, brown eyes Promise was forced to say, "It's not looking good but as of now he's stable enough he can remain here. If there are any family members you haven't contacted, however, I can let you use our phone."
"No, no I've contacted everyone. Are you the one I talked to on the phone? Your voice sounded so serious I thought it best to call everyone right up."
Nodding Promise told her she could go see her father and to ring if anything should happen. Promise was half way down the hall when Mrs. Harlem, who had headed to see her father, exploded out of his room.
"Nurse Genson, he's not breathing!"
After the ambulance had carried away a briefly revived Mr. Donaldson, Promise wrote up the paperwork and proceeded down to the lunchroom to see if any stranglers remained. The meal appeared finished but a few lone residents remained spattered about the room, talking amongst themselves or watching the small television provided. Things were calm once again.
At the end of her shift, Promise found herself at the desk once more filling out a final slip of paper before she could go home. As she reached for the patient's file a small light flickered in the alert system by the station. The room number was highly familiar. As Promise rose to make her way down the hall an aid popped her head out of room 211.
"Promise, it's Mrs. Helen. She's having a seizure."
So today was the day, Selah thought nervously as she filled the orders that came to where she worked over the heated stove. At twelve sharp she was suppose to meet Eden over a cup of iced coffee at the bar style counter she served all the quick meals on. It was close to where she would be exiting the kitchen. She could ditch her apron
"How long…"
"How long are they giving her? They didn't say when they just said her heart could stop at any moment."
"I'm so sorry."
"I just… I know you were pretty close to mother and I didn't want you to read about it in some file."
Reaching across the table she stilled his fidgeting hand and clasp it in her own. "Thank you for telling me."
Turning his palm upward he gripped her fingers tightly. After a few seconds he released her hand returned to his meal. Taking a bite he swallowed and blinked. Looking down at the plate he murmured in a tone of awe, "This isn't half bad."
The doors swished open cheerfully as she entered the dementia unit the next day. After guiding Mrs. Mallon away from the entrance and depositing the woman with her husband, another patient, Promise checked in at the nurses' station to catch up on anything she may have missed in her small absence. Three yellow paper post its caught her eye. The one attached to the computer read: "keyboard not found, press any key and call the Tom…again." Promise sighed until Tom, their maintenance man, could be reached all paper work would have to be on paper once again.
Plucking the yellow flag from the critical messages board they kept on the nurses' station Promise read: "Mr. Donaldson has taken a turn for the worst. Family unreachable. Call again when shift begins". After reaching Mrs. Harlem, the patient's daughter, Promise moved onto the third and final note stuck to Mrs. Helen's file. "Refused to take all medications." Wonderful.
After settling down at the desk Promise shuffled several papers about until it was time to serve evening meal. As she rose to head down the hall, Mrs. Harlem entered the unit.
"Is my father able to take visitors? The rest of the family is one the way. How bad is he?"
Looking into her doleful, brown eyes Promise was forced to say, "It's not looking good but as of now he's stable enough he can remain here. If there are any family members you haven't contacted, however, I can let you use our phone."
"No, no I've contacted everyone. Are you the one I talked to on the phone? Your voice sounded so serious I thought it best to call everyone right up."
Nodding Promise told her she could go see her father and to ring if anything should happen. Promise was half way down the hall when Mrs. Harlem, who had headed to see her father, exploded out of his room.
"Nurse Genson, he's not breathing!"
After the ambulance had carried away a briefly revived Mr. Donaldson, Promise wrote up the paperwork and proceeded down to the lunchroom to see if any stranglers remained. The meal appeared finished but a few lone residents remained spattered about the room, talking amongst themselves or watching the small television provided. Things were calm once again.
At the end of her shift, Promise found herself at the desk once more filling out a final slip of paper before she could go home. As she reached for the patient's file a small light flickered in the alert system by the station. The room number was highly familiar. As Promise rose to make her way down the hall an aid popped her head out of room 211.
"Promise, it's Mrs. Helen. She's having a seizure."
So today was the day, Selah thought nervously as she filled the orders that came to where she worked over the heated stove. At twelve sharp she was suppose to meet Eden over a cup of iced coffee at the bar style counter she served all the quick meals on. It was close to where she would be exiting the kitchen. She could ditch her apron
Similar Books
