Eye of the Nightingale

by R. D. Hunter

  “Oh.”

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  “And Jenny?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Order us another couch. In fact, have that one burned. Scatter the ashes on holy ground if you can arrange it.”

  Six more people lost their jobs that day. Three nurses, two assistants and a kitchen worker who thought it was fun to add laxatives and chili powder to various dishes just for kicks. None of them would be missed.

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  Chapter Twenty Five

  The rest of that day and most of the next was spent trying to fix the budget.

  Thanks to Lowry’s skimming off the top, Sunny Pines was nearly bankrupt. It was no wonder things like general maintenance had fallen by the wayside. Fortunately, Sebastian King had gifted us with a check for a quarter million dollars to help get the facility back on track. I was determined to spend it as wisely as possible.

  First, I made a list as to the maintenance needs of Sunny Pines and met with several contractors to see who could get it done the best, the fastest and the cheapest.

  Using an old trick my Daddy taught me, I met with them all at once and sat back and watched as they did their best to undercut one another. It was a lucrative contract, and they pulled no punches. In the end, I was able to get a well-respected contractor at almost half his going rate. Score!

  Then I had to address my staffing needs. In addition to the personnel I’d already kicked out the door, there were numerous volunteers and other workers who’d been in Lowry’s pocket didn’t even bother showing up for work when I took office. So much the

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  better.

  I didn’t have the time to go through a full hiring process to make sure I had the right quality of employees. But I wasn’t going to follow in Lowry’s footsteps either and just hire any Joe-Blow off the street. So I came up with a solution.

  Many of the residents at Sunny Pines were fully capable of tending to their own needs. They lived in a retirement home because of the convenience, because their relatives had felt unsafe leaving them alone or (sadly) because financial troubles had forced them out of their own homes. These were people who were mentally competent and physically fit. So, I picked a few of them, sat them down and asked how they’d like to help out the other residents with their day to day necessities.

  The response I got was overwhelming. It seemed everyone who could walk under their own power signed up for my little program, and soon staffing was no issue at all. In many cases, the care they took of their friends and neighbors was infinitely better than that which had been done by qualified medical professionals. I was happy with the results.

  To my surprise, Jonah was one of the ones who signed up first. “Hell, I helped you well enough, didn’t I?” he grunted when I chided him about it. “Figure I might as well do the same for others. Hand me that sapling.”

  The courtyard where he’d first shown me the ins and outs of using my empathic abilities was undergoing a full makeover, courtesy of one of the best landscaping companies in Glen Falls. Jonah had appointed himself as their foreman. No one was inclined to argue.

  For the next week, I juggled running Sunny Pines with my responsibilities as a

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  student nurse. I tended to residents whenever the opportunity arose and, on my very few breaks, hit the books and studied for my exams. It was well past midnight when I went to bed at night and I arose before the dawn. I still wasn’t in tip top shape from my last little adventure and the toll it was taking on me was evident.

  “I’m worried about you,” Michael said. We were eating dinner at his place and I’d almost dozed off for the second time that evening.

  “I’m fine,” I said. “Just a little tired.”

  He snorted. “People are a little tired after going to the gym or running a 5k.

  You’re Rip Van Winkle tired. You’re pushing yourself too hard.”

  I sighed and put down my fork. “I know, but it’s only for a little while longer.

  Once I take my tests and graduate that’ll be a huge load off me. Plus, Sunny Pines is really starting to shape up. Once I get it on the right track, I think it’ll stay that way of its own accord.”

  Michael had been kind enough to volunteer there on his days off. I had a sneaking suspicion it was just to catch a glimpse of me as Director Foster, but didn’t say anything.

  Free labor was free labor.

  On Friday, I was looking forward to two days of R and R. The clock crept towards five p.m. and it was a relief when the day was done. Walking out of my office, I was surprised to be met by Gary. As usual, I got hardly a breath of emotion off him, but the smile on his face was genuine.

  “We just got in the new shipment for the physical therapy room,” he said. “I can’t thank you enough. It’ll be nice to be able to work with real equipment that isn’t held together with duct tape.”

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  “Hey, don’t knock duct tape,” I said. “It’s what keeps the universe together.” We laughed.

  “If you have a second, I’d like to go over some of the scheduling with you for next week,” he said. “There are a couple of double bookings and I could use some help getting it sorted out.”

  “Can it wait till Monday? I need to pop by a resident’s room right quick, then I’m due for a study session.”

  He shook his head. “You work too hard.”

  “That’s what my boyfriend tells me.”

  “He’s right. I’ll see you Monday.”

  I took the elevator down to the second floor and navigated my way down the now familiar corridors until I came to a very specific room. The name placard on the door read Sam Burleson. I knocked once and went inside.

  The lights were dimmed and I watched as the old man’s chest rose and fell rhythmically with each breath. Already I could see the new regiment of exercise and quality care was agreeing with him. He’d put on some weight since I’d snuck up here to see him on my first day and some of the color had come back to his cheeks. I hoped that what I was about to do would help move things along a bit more.

  His eyes fluttered open as I checked his I.V. and a thin smile hovered at the corners of his mouth. “Well, if it isn’t the angel of Sunny Pines,” he said more lucidly than I’d have believed possible.

  I pulled up a chair. “Is that what they’re calling me?”

  “Why not? It fits well enough. You’ve done wonders for this place.”

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  “Angels are kind, beautiful and Godly,” I pointed out. “I drink, fornicate and swear.”

  “Then you’re my kind of Angel,” Sam declared. We both laughed.

  “Mr. Burleson,” I said, “I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for everything you’ve gone through here at Sunny Pines. No one should suffer as you were made to suffer.” He gave a slight nod, but nothing more so I went on.

  “I wanted you to know that Nurse Thornbirch, along with several others, have been fired. Complaints were lodged with the board of nursing and it’s unlikely that they’ll ever practice medicine again. I have a friend on the police force who assures me that some of them will even face criminal charges of neglect.”

  “That’s nice, Dear. Thank you.” He was growing tired. I could tell none of this really interested him. He was beyond such petty concepts as revenge. Must be nice.

  “Before she left, I got something back from Miss Thornbirch. Something she had no right to take in the first place.” I reached in my pocket and pulled out the small diamond ring I’d relieved her of a few days ago. “I think this belongs to you.”

  The blast of gratitude and love I felt wash over me as I placed that ring in the old man’s hands nearly left me breathless. He petted the ring like it was a long lost loved one and I suddenly realized why he’d been pining for his dead wife on the day we first met.

  That small bit of jewelry was his only connection t
o her, and Thornbirch had taken it away from him. It made me hate her all the more.

  He cried. I cried. He tried to thank me but I wouldn’t hear it. This was a good man and I was grateful to the powers that be that I could get some small measure of peace for him.

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  Before I left, I checked his blood sugar. It was running a little high so I gave him a shot of insulin, double checked his chart and asked if he needed anything. No answer.

  He was already fast asleep, his wife’s wedding ring clutched tightly in his palm. No one would ever take it from him again.

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  Chapter Twenty Six

  I might have stretched the truth when I told Gary I had a study session to go to.

  The truth was, Michael and I were going out to dinner then back to his place. Things were going really well between us. We’d taken things slow, holding hands and stealing a few kisses here and there. We’d gotten to know each other as adults the way we never did as teenagers.

  But tonight, I sensed we were ready to take our relationship to another level, intimately speaking. I was nervous, but I was ready too. I sensed the same in him when he picked me up that evening.

  “Wow, you look great,” he said. I was wearing a low cut dress, much shorter than anything I was comfortable owning. Fortunately, when I told Jenny what was on the agenda, she’d insisted on something from her own dubious wardrobe.

  “Thanks. You too.” He really did. He wore a white, button up shirt for the occasion, which made his farmer’s tan stand out even more. His dark slacks were just a shade too small, which gave me a great opportunity to sneak a peek at his butt. Oooh la

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  la. Tonight was shaping up to be a memorable one on all accounts.

  Dinner was at the most prestigious and expensive eatery in all of Glen Falls, La Gondolier. They specialized in Italian cuisine, but you could order a hamburger and fries there any time of the day or night. This was still the south.

  We ate, we talked and polished off a bottle of wine between the two of us. By the time dessert rolled around a delicious anticipation had built between us and we called for the check.

  Michael and I giggled and groped the whole way back to his place. We snuck deep kisses at every red light and stop sign, once staying so long the car behind us was obliged to sound its horn. We didn’t care. There were other things on our mind.

  We were barely inside and got the door shut before our hands were all over one another. We tore at each other’s clothes, only managing not to rip them with the strictest self-discipline. The bedroom was much too far away so we collapsed on the couch, Michael’s muscular body on top of mine. He fed me his tongue and I devoured it eagerly.

  All the stress of the last few weeks melted away as we explored each other. I wasn’t in charge of a facility where dozens of lives depended on my untried leadership. I wasn’t a nursing student stressing about exams and homework. I was a woman in the arms of a man who cared about me. Nothing else mattered.

  When it was over we just lay there, basking in the warm glow of each other. He kissed my shoulder softly and I giggled as I felt cold chills run up and down my arm.

  “Quit that,” I said.

  “Why?” he asked with a grin. He did it again just out of spite.

  “Because it tickles.”

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  “Oh. Well, we can’t have that.” He kissed me again and I squirmed. This time I picked up on the reason behind his defiance as the simple motion jumpstarted his motor again. I cupped his chin in both hands and brought his lips to meet mine. God, I loved his kiss.

  Somewhere, off in the distance, a phone rang. My phone. I cussed and tried to sit up. No easy feat with Michael still on top of me.

  “I have to get that,” I said apologetically.

  He buried his face in my neck and I felt his lips go to work again. “You sure?”

  I bit my lip to keep from groaning. “Yes. I’m sure. Won’t take a sec. Up and at

  ‘em. Go rehydrate. I might not be finished with you.”

  He rolled off reluctantly and I saw a mischievous smile plastered on his face.

  “You better not be.” He got up and went into the kitchen and I was treated to an uncensored view of his behind (which was glorious), before I found my phone and saw who was calling. It was Sunny Pines.

  Something tugged at my gut. I’d gotten calls from them at various times of the day and night since taking over, but for some reason I felt a stab of apprehension.

  “Hello?” I said.

  “Ava, it‘s Gary.” What was he doing there so late? His voice was tight and low.

  Not a good sign.

  “What’s wrong?”

  What he said next caused my heart to fall out of my chest. “I wanted you to know that Sam Burleson was found unresponsive in his bed. He was transported to the hospital via EMS, but it doesn’t look good.” There was a pause. “They’re saying it was an insulin

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  overdose.”

  Oh. My. God.

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  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Michael came back into the room as I was throwing on my clothes. I told him what’d happened in as few words as possible.

  “I’m driving,” he said, shrugging on his shirt back.

  I thought about arguing, but decided against it. Not only was I in no shape to drive (my hands were shaking and my insides felt like jelly) but I could use the company.

  The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever, although at one point I glanced at the speedometer and saw we were doing better than sixty through town. I just kept going over my last few moments with Sam Burleson in my mind. He’d been so happy, so alive.

  I could feel it radiating from him like a warm glow. I couldn’t believe he was knocking at death’s door just a couple hours later.

  Worse yet, it could be my fault. After all, I’d given him an insulin shot just before I left. But I always double measured my meds and I checked the chart before I left. There was no way the shot I’d given him could have caused this. Was there?

  We roared into the parking lot and Michael was good enough to let me out at the

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  front entrance. He went to park the car while I rushed inside.

  Gary met me in the lobby. “How is he?” I asked. My friend shook his head.

  “Don’t know. They’ve been working on him since we got here but they won’t let me back there.”

  I bristled. “Well they’ll sure as hell let me.” I started for the double doors leading into the triage area but Gary grabbed my arm. I felt a shiver of some unspecified emotion coming from him. It was so unusual that I stopped and looked at him.

  “Let them do their jobs,” he said. “I know you want answers, but going back there and interrupting them isn’t what’s in Mr. Burleson’s best interest.”

  I took a deep breath and nodded. He was right. Charging back there and demanding a status update while they were grappling with Sam Burleson’s life was about the worst thing I could do. I sat down next to Gary and wished for a habit like smoking or chewing my nails. Michael joined us a few minutes later.

  I don’t know how long we sat there. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as we waited for some word from the doctors. Michael went and got us coffee, but my stomach was twisted in knots and it went down like acid.

  What was happening back there? Was he all right? Did I do this to him? When a doctor emerged and started walking towards us, I stood up and clung to Michael’s arm for support. I didn’t trust my knees to support me.

  One look at his face told me all I needed to know. Just one look. I felt the tears beginning to form even before he spoke.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “We did everything we could and Mr. Burleson was a fighter, but with his advanced age this was just too much for his body to endure. I’m

 
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  afraid he didn’t make it.”

  I closed my eyes and struggled to keep it together long enough to ask the relevant questions. “What was the cause?” I asked in a shaky voice.

  “The preliminary cause of death is being ruled as an accidental insulin overdose.

  His blood sugar was in the single digits when they brought him in. We’ll need to run a full autopsy to be sure.”

  “Who was the last person to administer insulin?” I knew they had a copy of his chart from Sunny Pines. I was scared to death of the answer, but I had to know.

  He hesitated a second before answering. “According to the chart, the last dose of insulin was administered by a Miss Ava Foster.

  That was it. My insides went numb and I felt cold all over. I’d killed a man. A good man. A man who wanted nothing more than to live out his days adoring the wife who’d been taken from him all too soon.

  I was vaguely aware of the doctor excusing himself after promising to make the necessary arrangements. Somehow I found myself back in my chair, but I didn’t remember sitting down. Michael’s arms were around me, but everything seemed so distant. Only the ringing of my cell phone brought me back to the here and now.

  “Hello?” I said numbly, not even bothering to check the caller I.D.

  “Ava, it’s King.” Of course it was. Who else would it be? I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me.

  “Go ahead.”

  “I just heard what happened. I’m very sorry.” He’d heard? Of course he’d heard.

  This was his hospital. Sunny Pines was his facility. He probably knew before I did.

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  “Thanks.”

  “I’m in Chicago right now, but I’ll be catching the first flight out in the morning to come down there. I’ll personally lead the investigation into this incident. We’ll get to the bottom of it fast and take measures so nothing like it ever happens again.”