Vital Signs

by Bobby Hutchinson

  Hailey tried to figure out how she might feel about a second invitation. Hope and dread were inextricably combined. She glanced at her watch. She’d gotten ready for work early just so she could spend an hour with Ingrid before her shift started.

  “Now just sit there and I’ll put the music on and show you what I’ve learned in belly-dancing class. That’ll take your mind off men.” Ingrid hurried into the bedroom and came out wearing a long red chiffon skirt and a tie top that revealed several rolls of flesh around her bare middle. She fastened round metal clickers to each forefinger and thumb, put on a CD and struck a pose before she began to gyrate and sway to the music.

  Hailey was able to smother her giggles, but only for a short time. Soon she was helpless with laughter as Ingrid swirled veils and swiveled her hips and clapped the zills, all totally out of tune with the music. What she lost in technique she made up for in enthusiasm, even attempting to get down on the floor and bend her body backward from the hips while swaying in a snakelike fashion.

  When the music ended, Hailey couldn’t stop giggling. She collapsed sideways on the sofa.

  “So what do you think?” Ingrid was puffing, and although she hadn’t succumbed to laughter herself, it was there, dancing in her eyes.

  “It’s…it’s truly…” Hailey searched for a suitable word. “Gran, it’s stupendous,” she declared. “Have you danced like that for Sam?”

  “Absolutely. It really turns him on.” Ingrid gave Hailey a wicked wink. “He gets horny as hell watching me. It’s worth every penny I spent on it.”

  Ingrid had always been frank about enjoying her sex life with Sam. Hailey couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

  “I’m going to have that dressmaker down the street make me some really sexy costumes.”

  “Gran, you’re one of a kind,” Hailey said. “Sam’s so lucky to have you.”

  Ingrid beamed and nodded. “Damned straight he is. He knows it, too.” She flung herself down on the sofa beside Hailey. “The best thing about getting older is you recognize your own worth, kid. Look, I’d like to meet this little boy you’re so fond of. How about I come to the ward one evening this week and you can introduce me?”

  “That would be super. Come tomorrow if you can. I’d love to have you meet him.”

  “It’s a date. And when do you get days off again?”

  “This Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Then I’m working days again.”

  “Come for lunch Sunday. I’ll make something Greek.”

  ALL THE WAY to St. Joe’s, Hailey smiled at the memory of her grandmother belly dancing. Ingrid was so devoid of self-consciousness, so certain of her own worth. She’d told Hailey it had come with age, that as a girl she’d been insecure and awkward. Gran had described it as “not fitting in her skin,” which expressed it perfectly, Hailey thought. Society put so much emphasis on physical appearance, and women grew up believing the hype. It was hard not to, with television and movies and their images of impossibly beautiful people. And in her case, having a mother and sister who were living examples of physical perfection.

  That brought Laura to mind. Hailey hadn’t heard from her sister since the aborted Sunday visit. Not that Laura was in the habit of calling daily or even weekly, but still…if Jean figured there was something wrong with Laura, then there probably was. And whether they were close or not, even Hailey was beginning to worry.

  She sighed and made a mental note to call her sister one more time.

  She was early for her shift, deliberately so, because she’d fallen in the habit of bathing David and rocking and reading to him, and if she got there well before seven, it didn’t take any time away from the other kids.

  God, she loved that little boy, and it was becoming more and more evident that David loved her back. He’d now come running to her the moment she appeared on the ward, chattering away, telling her garbled stories of things that had caught his attention, showing her pictures in books and toys that he’d taken a fancy to, dragging her by the hand to the rocking chair.

  Hailey had always enjoyed coming to work, but these night shifts were especially pleasant, because by the time she arrived, Margaret had gone home. So far, nothing more had been said about the complaint the head nurse had threatened to make. Hailey hurried up to the ward, eager to see David catapult down the hallway toward her, calling, “Lee, hiya, Lee.”

  INGRID ARRIVED at St. Joe’s the following evening, just as Hailey was preparing the meds. David had taken to following her from one room to the next, and he was quickly learning the names of the other patients.

  “I’ll bet this is the guy I’ve been hearing so much about,” Ingrid said, smiling at him. “Are you David, young man?”

  David went wide-eyed and shy. He ducked behind Hailey and held on to the back of her uniform trousers, peeking out at Ingrid.

  “This is my grandma, David.” Hailey picked him up, holding him on her hip.

  “Mama?” He pointed a stubby finger at Ingrid.

  “Nope, grandma. Can you say grandma?”

  “Nope.” It was becoming his favorite word, and he shook his head as both women laughed.

  “You two go into the playroom and get acquainted—I’ll be there as soon as I finish this,” Hailey suggested. “Some of the kids are there already, waiting for a story.”

  “Well, I think I could manage that,” Ingrid said. “You wanna come with me, David?”

  He clung to Hailey and shook his head, but when she took him into the playroom, he was happy to sit on the sofa with Brittany, who always made a big fuss over him. She had a small stepbrother of her own at home, and Hailey knew that David helped fill the lonely gap that being away from her family left in the little girl’s heart.

  All the long-term kids knew Ingrid; she was a frequent visitor to the ward. Hailey introduced her to the others, and as she slipped out to finish her work, she heard Ingrid’s husky voice beginning, “Once upon a time in a land far away called Sunnyville, a little girl lived with her mommy and daddy…”

  For the next half hour Hailey settled a new patient who’d just come up from intensive care, a seven-year-old girl, Lauren Meadows, who’d been hit by a car while riding her bike. She’d had surgery for a fractured pelvis and dislocated shoulder, and she was groggy and unhappy. Her mother and father were with her, and Hailey soothed the child, gave her pain medication and did her best to reassure Mr. and Mrs. Meadows that Lauren would get the best care the staff could provide. They made a point of telling her that they were both lawyers, and Hailey was well aware of the message they intended to convey. Parents were always frightened when a child they loved was hurt or ill, and she’d grown accustomed to calming their fears and not taking offense when they resorted to threats.

  She was just coming out of Lauren’s room when Roy came striding along the corridor toward her.

  “Just the person I wanted to see,” he said with the wide, welcoming grin that stirred all sorts of responses in her.

  “I wanted you to know that I spoke with Dr. Larue today, and because I don’t have a foster family yet, he’s agreed that David can stay here for another few days. I’m very hopeful that by the time he’s ready to be released, the approval will have gone through on your fostering application.”

  “Omigod, that’s wonderful!” Hailey felt like throwing her arms around him.

  “Don’t get your hopes up too high. There’s always something that can come along and delay the whole process. It’s a bureaucracy, remember.”

  “I won’t. I mean, I’ll remember.” She couldn’t stop smiling. She knew this could never have happened without his help. “Oh, Roy, thank you.”

  “So where’s the little guy? I glanced in his room, but he’s not there.”

  “Follow me.” Hailey led the way to the playroom, where Ingrid had just finished the story. Brittany and Elizabeth were quizzing her on details, but when Hailey and Roy walked in, the kids’ attention was diverted.

  “Hi, Roy,” a chorus of voices greeted him.
The kids were getting to know him.

  “Ingrid Bergstrom, this is Roy Zedyck. Roy, my grandmother.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Ingrid got to her feet and smiled, holding out a hand for him to shake. “I understand that you’re David’s knight in shining armor?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.” Roy smiled at her, and Hailey saw right away that Gran liked him. But then, who wouldn’t? As Gran herself was fond of saying, What’s not to like?

  “You and Hailey look a lot alike,” Roy said.

  “Thank you.” Ingrid smiled with pleasure. “I’ve always been interested in social work,” she said next. “I thought of going into it myself at one point.”

  Hailey lifted her eyebrows. As far as she knew, Gran had never given social work a thought as a career choice.

  “It can be frustrating at times. And it doesn’t leave a lot of time for a life of your own,” Roy commented.

  “I’d love to hear more about it. I’m having a luncheon on Sunday at noon. Why not come over and you can tell my husband and me all about the fascinating cases you must have.”

  The sneaky thing. Gran was arranging a setup. Hailey tried to catch her eye, but of course Ingrid didn’t look her way. Surely Roy would see what she was up to. Hailey felt her face beginning to turn red with anxiety. How could Gran be so obvious? And, horror of horrors, would Roy think that Hailey had set this up, prompted Gran to invite him?

  “Thanks, I’d like that. I’ll be there.” Roy dug a notepad out of his pocket and a pen. “What’s your address?”

  He scribbled it down, and Ingrid glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to fly—Sam will be wondering what’s become of me.” She hugged several of the kids, blew Hailey a kiss and gave Roy one of her most beguiling smiles.

  “See you both Sunday and don’t be late. I’m making eggs Benedict.”

  Hailey waited until Ingrid was gone and then turned to Roy.

  “I’m sorry about that. I had no idea she was going to…”

  He gave her a puzzled look. “Of course not, why would you?”

  “Oh. I just thought… I mean… You know…” Her face was redder than ever. She could happily have murdered Ingrid for this.

  “That she was trying to set us up?” The look he gave her sent hot shivers to her nether regions. And she sensed that he knew exactly how she felt. “I could use all the help I can get. What’s wrong with that?”

  A buzzer sounded. Hailey had never been so glad to hear a summons. Everything, you beguiling idiot.

  “Well, then, I guess I’ll see you Sunday.”

  It would serve him right to find out that Gran was the world’s worst cook.

  CHAPTER TEN

  THE LETTER WAS WAITING for Hailey when she got to work Friday evening.

  The return addressee was Registered Nurses Association of B.C. With sickness gnawing at her gut and fingers that trembled, she tore open the envelope and drew out the single sheet of paper:

  This is to inform you that a complaint has been filed against you. The Association will be sending Louise Cornell, a nurse consultant, to investigate immediately.

  Margaret. A feeling of outright hatred for the older woman came over Hailey. What had she ever done except try to perform her job to the very best of her ability and attempt to make her small patients’ difficult lives a little easier?

  It took every ounce of determination to laugh and tease the kids, to read to them, to spend her coffee break with Brittany, who was going through another series of chemo, and to explain to Mr. and Mrs. Meadows that Lauren was absolutely not being ignored. The little girl was proving to be a tiresome patient, expecting attention every moment and throwing tantrums when the nursing staff didn’t respond immediately to her buzzer, which rang nonstop all day. The Meadowses weren’t easy to reassure, and when they finally left, there were baths to give, meds to administer, kids to coax into bed.

  When a quiet time finally came in the middle of the night, Hailey spent it standing beside David’s crib and gently stroking his soft, dark curls. He slept soundly, flat on his back, one arm curled around Bonzo.

  David and her hope of fostering him seemed the single bright spot in her life at the moment, and her heart ached to take him home and show him the crib she’d refinished for him, the room she’d painted egg-yolk yellow, the toys and little pants and shirts she’d found at a thrift shop. None of those material things mattered to him in the slightest, she knew; babies needed only copious amounts of love, good food, diaper changes on a regular basis. But she was determined to supply this child of her heart with all the things that would add to his enjoyment of life. He’d already had enough bad things happen to him.

  She tucked the blanket closer around his small form and wondered with just a trace of irritation whether he’d ever stop clutching that battered stuffed dog.

  WORRYING ABOUT the investigation made it hard to sleep, and by the time Sunday and Ingrid’s luncheon arrived, Hailey felt drained and exhausted. In an effort to lift her spirits, she put on a sky-blue sundress that Jean had given her for her birthday. It fitted snugly around her narrow waist, and Hailey felt the flared skirt disguised her equally narrow hips.

  Roy’s blue car was already parked outside the house when she arrived. Feeling nervous, Hailey went inside.

  Sam came over and put his arms around her, giving her a warm, welcoming hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You look beautiful in blue,” he declared, which Hailey felt was stretching the truth much too far, especially when Roy gave her a long look and then gallantly agreed.

  Ingrid’s version of eggs Benedict was every bit as awful as Hailey had anticipated. Runny and a peculiar grayish color, the concoction was virtually in-edible. She watched Roy doing his best to swallow the generous helping Ingrid heaped on his plate, and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

  “Have some toast, Roy,” Sam urged. He and Hailey had been lucky enough to receive small portions of egg, and they were old hands at filling up on toast and marmalade.

  But as always, the conversation and laughter made up for the culinary failure. Ingrid got Roy talking about his work, and she and Sam and Hailey listened, fascinated, as Roy related funny and heart-rending stories about his job.

  It was Ingrid who asked, “What made you decide to go into social work in the first place?”

  “I started out in sports medicine,” he said. “I played football and it seemed a logical progression. But then I listened to a guest lecturer, a social worker, and I decided to change course.” He was quiet for a few moments, and when he spoke again, he looked straight at Hailey, as if he wanted her to know what he was about to say.

  “But there was more to it than that. I think it had to do with my being adopted,” he began slowly.

  Hailey found herself unable to tear her gaze away.

  “I was adopted as a newborn, and my adoptive parents were already in their mid forties. They were dairy farmers in the Fraser Valley. I was an only child. I always knew I’d been adopted. Mom and Dad are very honest and they told me how lucky they were to have me, considering their age. It was a private adoption, arranged through the family doctor. I knew they loved me, but they were the sort of people who don’t believe in making a show of their emotions.”

  Hailey knew that Sam and Ingrid were there in the room, but she had the strangest feeling that she and Roy were alone.

  “I grew up longing for brothers and sisters and parents who were—well, younger, but looking back, I see that it was a matter of attitude more than age. Mom and Dad lived a regulated life. There weren’t any relatives—they’d both come here from Czechoslovakia, leaving their families behind. I didn’t invite kids home—Mom had strict rules about things. She was older than my friends’ mothers, she dressed differently and talked with an accent, and I didn’t want the guys to make fun of her. Dad was a good farmer who didn’t believe much in higher education. He wanted me to work with him after I graduated from high school, but I wanted to go to university, so there were lots of hot a
nd heavy clashes between us. Mom supported me, and it caused trouble between them. I felt responsible. They did the best they could, but I know they never really understood me.” He grinned at Hailey. “Typical teenage angst, huh?” He paused for several moments, and Hailey and her grandparents waited in silence, sensing that the story wasn’t complete.

  “Then when I was seventeen,” he went on, “I got a call saying that my birth parents wanted to contact me. I didn’t want to hurt Mom and Dad, but I knew I had to meet them. Ellie and Stephen Hepburn had been childhood sweethearts. She got pregnant with me when she was fifteen. They both came from high-achieving families, and both sets of parents insisted I be given up for adoption. They went away to university on different sides of the country, but when they were in their twenties, they met again and married. They had five other kids—three girls, two boys.” His smile was bittersweet. “Just goes to show you should be careful what you wish for, because suddenly I had all these sisters and brothers, and I didn’t have a clue how to fit in with them, even though they were—”

  He stopped and abruptly corrected himself. “They are all totally accepting of me. But they grew up in this boisterous, outgoing household, see, where the emphasis was on academic achievement. I try hard, but to this day I can’t really be a part of them. Nicole is the only one I’m truly close to, although I see them all a fair amount. They include me in every family get-together. But my loyalties really lie with the Zedycks, the parents who raised me.”