Punish the Sinners by John Saul Page B

stole a glance in Inez’s direction. She was gone. Quickly she looked up and down the hall. Inez was striding purposefully toward Judy’s room.
    “Mrs. Nelson,” she called, but it was too late.
    Inez Nelson pushed open the door to the hospital room, and stepped in. She didn’t see Judy at first but she heard her.
    “Get her out of here,” Judy screamed. ‘I told you I didn’t want her in here!”
    Inez whirled, and saw her daughter propped up in bed. She could barely recognize her. Judy’s face was contorted with anger, and she was tearing at the bandages at her wrists. Inez started to move toward the bed. Before she could get there Judy had pulled the bandages off, and ripped at the stitches. Blood spurted from her wrists. She began screaming at her mother again.
    “I hate you,” she shouted. “Get out of here!
Leave me alone!”
    Inez tried to put her arms around her daughter, but Judy wriggled away, leaving Inez’s blouse bloodied. She stared down at herself, and the horror of it washed over her. Inez, too, began screaming, and a moment later, after she’d pressed the emergency bell, the nurse began trying to separate mother and daughter. It took her only a second to realize that of the two, the mother was far worse off than the daughter. Inez was hysterical; Judy, screaming and struggling against her mother, seemed to know exactly what she was doing. Just as the nurse herself was beginning to panic, help arrived in the form of Mrs. Williams and George Nelson, followed by a press of orderlies and nurses, who crowded into the room, creating further confusion. Three burly orderlies were attempting to pull a shrieking Inez Nelson away from the bed when Dr. Shields arrived, sized up the situation in an instant, and began issuing orders. Within minutes, sedatives were administered to both Judy and Inez Nelson.
    Tm sorry, Doctor,” Mrs. Williams said when the room had been cleared, “I tried to keep her away but I couldn’t”
    “It’s all right,” Dr. Shields said calmly. “I don’t see that there’s much damage done.”
    “Keep her out of the room?” George Nelson repeated, “Keep her out? Why did you want to keeplnez—my wife—out of the room?” He looked from Mrs. Williams to the doctor, then back again.
    “It was my fault, really,” Dr. Shields said. “Judy said she didn’t want to see her mother right now, and I should have been here when you arrived to explain it to you. I’m sorry. The whole thing was really my fault”
    But George Nelson hadn’t heard the last “Didn’t want to see her mother? Why? I don’t understand.”
    Dr. Shields looked at him sympathetically, seeing the man’s confusion and helplessness. “Could you wait a couple of minutes?” he asked George. When George nodded mutely, Dr. Shields patted him on the back. “Fine,” he said. “Mrs. Williams will get you a cup of coffee, and by the time it’s cool enough to drink, I’ll be back. Then I’ll try to tell you what’s happening, and what’s going to happen next” When a look of fear came over George’s face, the doctor felt compelled to add: “It isn’t as bad as it looks.” Then he smiled reassuringly, and disappeared down the hall. George Nelson sank into a chair, prepared to wait He wondered why he suddenly felt that this was just the beginning. He was sure that it
was
as bad as it looked—and probably much worse.
       Peter Balsam heard about Judy Nelson from a very agitated Sister Marie, who called him as soon as she heard about it from Sister Elizabeth—who had gotten all the details from the janitor. Sister Marie seemed to think the whole thing was her fault—she had been unable to find Judy during the afternoon. And now this had happened. Sister Marie felt terribly guilty. Balsam assured her that no matter what had happened, there was no reason for the nun to blame herself. He did not add, since he could see no reason to increase her worries, that he, too, felt responsible for Judy.