Undercover at City Hospital

by Carol Marinelli

  Bella wearily nodded.

  ‘Yet.’

  Blinking up at him, she saw that he was smiling.

  ‘I’ve already written my letter of recommendation. You’ve been great, Bella, and we’re all agreed, and we can’t wait to have you on board.’

  Strange that in a day when she’d lost so much, one of her dreams should come true, that even in darkest time a tiny glimmer of a silver lining could frame the darkest cloud. And some way, somehow Bella knew that Danny had a hand in this, that this was Danny’s way of allowing her to move on. And it was that knowledge that kept the tears back, allowed her to shake Detective Miller’s hand and thank him for the opportunity.

  ‘You had Jayne picked out from day one, didn’t you?’ Detective Miller led her through the maze of corridors through to the interview rooms, talking as he went. ‘Personally I had my money on Hannah.’

  ‘Hannah wouldn’t harm a fly.’ Bella smiled. ‘Mind you, I admit even I started to have my doubts when I saw that watch in the cupboard and Jayne said she didn’t know how it had got there.’

  ‘She was planting a seed,’ Detective Miller said wisely. ‘Covering her tracks just in case she got caught. I have no doubt she’d have turned it on Hannah to save herself. Jayne was just letting you think that Hannah had been in the drug cupboard unescorted, in case she needed that later.’

  ‘She was really that devious?’

  ‘She was desperate,’ Detective Miller said. ‘You really never thought it was Hannah, even for a moment? Even when she practically admitted that her husband smoked pot?’

  ‘No.’ Bella shook her head. ‘You’re not going to do anything about that, are you?’

  ‘About what?’ Detective Miller winked, letting Bella know it was already forgotten.

  ‘When she said about that drug being more than enough to pay for her new car battery, I knew there and then for sure that she was innocent. That’s the kind of throw-away comment people make when they’ve got nothing to hide.’

  ‘What about Heath?’ Detective Miller paused at a door, watched as a blush darkened her pale cheeks. ‘What would you have done if he had been involved?’

  ‘He asked me the same thing.’ Tired, red-rimmed eyes stared back at her superior. ‘And I’ll tell you what I told him—had I been wrong, had Heath been involved, then I’d have done exactly the same with him as I did with Jayne.’

  ‘Remember that feeling,’ Detective Miller answered with more than a trace of urgency. ‘Hold on to that voice inside you that tells you what’s wrong and what’s right, because it’s easy to lose it sometimes.’ Pushing open the door, he led her into a room and Bella made her way over to the two-way mirror, closing her eyes in regret for a moment as she saw Jayne alone and frail, sitting at a table in the interview room on the other side of the mirror, her head in her hands, shoulders heaving as she wept, a more lonely sight than Bella had ever seen.

  ‘I feel sorry for her,’ Bella said slowly, almost wishing she could walk next door, talk to Jayne as a friend instead of an officer.

  ‘So do I.’ Detective Miller’s admission caught her unawares and she turned in surprise, looking up at the hardened but somehow kind face. ‘I spoke to her for an hour before you arrived and she sang like a lark, didn’t even want to wait for a solicitor. If anything, she’s relieved that it’s all finally out in the open. Her son has a drug problem and Jayne was terrified of him using dirty needles or getting contaminated drugs, so she started stealing in the hope she could wean him off herself. And, as you know, then his friends found out. Jayne wasn’t recruiting domestic staff to help her…’ He paused as Bella frowned.

  ‘But I’m sure Tony was involved…’

  ‘Oh, he’s involved all right,’ Detective Miller agreed. ‘But Jayne didn’t engineer the role for him, he took that on himself. He’s been intimidating Jayne at every turn, watching her every move, threatening her when she got home. Every time he got told off for the floor not being clean or tissues not being replaced, Jayne took the brunt of it when she got home. Her intentions may have started off good, but she ended up mixing with a very nasty crowd. She found herself in way over her head and couldn’t see a way out.’

  ‘What will happen to her?’ Bella asked.

  ‘Well, she’s co-operating and hopefully with a good solicitor she might even get a suspended sentence, given that it’s a first offence. She’ll never hold drug keys again, though.’

  ‘Which is just as well,’ Bella sighed. ‘I suppose she could go into the rehab field, put some of those good intentions to proper use.’

  ‘It’s not our problem, though, Bella. What Jayne does with her life from this point is up to her. As for that Tony—’ Detective Miller’s face was grim ‘—he’s a nasty piece. He’s covered his tracks very well and we’re going to have one hell of a job building a decent case against him. That’s why I need you here today. I need to run everything by you before I go in and interview him. We need something to pin on him and so far all we’ve got is Jayne’s evidence, which is hardly going to stand up in court as reliable.’

  ‘I’ve told you everything I know.’ Bella raked a hand through her hair, chewing on her lip, going over and over the thought process that had led her towards Tony. ‘He was so surly, so lazy and Jayne consistently covered for him.’

  ‘That’s not enough.’ Detective Miller shook his head. ‘There’s nothing on the tapes. Jayne was giving him the drugs, I’m sure of that, and he was depositing them into her bag at the nurses’ station when he emptied the bin, but there’s nothing to prove that. There are no cameras in domestics’ cleaning cupboards, and he knew that. Jayne gave him that morphine last night and he replaced it with saline, but how do we prove it? He’s sitting in the interview room laughing in our faces, more than happy to let Jayne carry the can.’

  ‘There are cameras in Pharmacy, though.’ Despite the utter wretchedness of the day, a glimmer of excitement welled inside her, the unbeatable thrill of solving a puzzle, the Rubik’s Cube slotting into place with one final twist. But Detective Miller shook his head.

  ‘He didn’t take any drugs from Pharmacy. Everything’s double-locked…’

  ‘Except the stickers,’ Bella said triumphantly. ‘Tony cleans the floors in Pharmacy. There’s a table in the middle where they check drugs, and there are the “sealed and checked” labels. I’ll guarantee that he took a box, knowing it would come in useful later.’

  ‘And it did.’

  Bella gave an excited nod. ‘After Jayne had given him the boxes, I bet he took them into the cleaning room and replaced the contents before resealing them. Go over the tapes, Detective Miller. You might not catch him actually doing it, but I can guarantee that there will be a box of stickers suddenly missing from the desk while he’s mopping.’

  ‘Got him.’ Detective Miller grinned.

  ‘Got him.’ Bella almost smiled but it changed midway. Now she could finally let go, now her work was finished. The day was catching up with her and Detective Miller noticed.

  ‘I’ll get someone to drive you home.’

  He walked her to the front of the building, having a brief word on the way with a colleague, Andy, who took Bella’s arm and led her to a patrol car outside.

  And for a tiny, stupid second Bella looked around, blinking in the bright sunlight, her eyes raking the street for a glimpse of a silver car with a blond unshaven guy dozing in the driver’s seat, berating herself for even hoping that Heath might have ignored her plea.

  For even daring to dream, after all that had taken place, that Heath might still be waiting for her.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  RELIEF.

  Hugging Danny’s parents goodbye, the sermon still ringing in her ears, never had Bella felt more guilty for the emotion that washed over her: relief that finally this torture was over, that finally she could move on with her life.

  ‘Stay for another drink,’ Joyce offered. ‘At least have something more to eat.’

  ‘I have to go, Jo
yce.’ Bella’s voice was gentle but firm. ‘I’m supposed to be back at work tomorrow and my car’s still at the hospital. There’s a million things I have to do.’

  And there were.

  Hollow with grief, the last few days had passed by in a blur. Family coming over at all hours, Joyce constantly on the telephone, planning a funeral that had taken place four years ago in Bella’s mind yet going through the motions.

  Dressing for Danny, just one more time. Tying her hair up neatly then taking it down, remembering how he’d liked it loose, adding just a touch of blusher to her cheeks and pouring on the final dregs of a bottle of perfume he’d given her on their last real Christmas together.

  And despite all the support, despite family and friends doing their utmost to help, the utmost to make things easier for Bella, it had barely touched her.

  The one person she’d needed for support during this black period in her life had been conspicuous by his absence. Oh, she’d never have taken him to the funeral. Bella had more tact than that. But to know in her own mind that Heath was beside her would have helped in so many more ways than one.

  Tomorrow she would step back on the merry-go-round again. Climb back onto a world that had paused in Bella’s mind for a few days but had carried on turning, no matter what was going on. Her compassionate leave had already run out.

  Five days was apparently more than enough to get over a man who should have been her fiancé. A world waited for her to get back on board whether or not she was ready.

  ‘You’ll still come and see us?’ Joyce’s voice wavered. ‘There’s things of Danny’s still to sort out, things I’m sure he’d have wanted you to have.’

  ‘Of course I’ll come and see you,’ Bella answered, grateful for the taxi hooting outside, wanting to go before she broke down, guilt layering guilt for the emotions coursing through her, the sense of relief that was surely out of place at Danny’s funeral. Her eyes were suddenly drawn to a photo on the hall table, a photo she herself had taken on a sandy Torquay beach. Danny, his body salty and wet from the surf, glistening in the sun, a surfboard under his arm, a cheeky grin firmly in place. She could almost hear his voice calling to her to hurry up and take the photo so he could get back out and catch a wave. The guilt disappeared then as she realized that the relief she felt wasn’t just for herself, but for Danny.

  That finally it was over for him, that finally he was free.

  ‘Take it.’ Joyce picked up the photo and handed it to her and Bella accepted with a grateful nod, embracing the woman again, holding her more naturally now and wishing for a futile moment that it could all have somehow been different.

  Paying the taxi, clutching her precious photo, Bella made her way through the staff car park, her eyes constantly drawn to the red arrows that showed the way toward Emergency. She was filled with an almost mawkish need to head over there, to say hello and goodbye to the friends she’d made, yet utterly unsure of her reception. Fiddling in her bag for her keys, she located her tired old red car, groaning out loud as she saw the parking ticket under her windscreen, absolutely the last thing she needed on today of all days. But lifting up her windscreen wiper, opening the plastic cover, her scowl faded into a smile, her eyes blurring as she read the simple message: ‘Don’t be a stranger—come in for a coffee. The guys and gals in Emergency.’

  Hands shaking, Bella loaded her bag and photo into the car, retrieved a lipstick and dragged a comb through her hair before shakily walking back through the car park. As nervous as she’d been on her first day there, she waited for the sliding doors to open, swallowing hard as she stepped inside, despite the note, utterly unsure of her reception.

  ‘Bella!’

  The single word seemed to be coming at her from all directions, smiles coming from every corner, hands waving as she made her way over to the nurses’ station.

  ‘Hello, you!’ Hannah’s smile was the widest of all. She put down her pen and stood up, embracing Bella in a hug she really needed. ‘I don’t suppose you’re free for a night shift tonight?’

  ‘I hope you’re joking.’ Bella’s voice was shaky but her eyes were working overtime, scanning the department, trying to locate the one face she really needed to see, then realizing with a sinking feeling that Heath wasn’t around. ‘How come you’re on days?’

  ‘You’re looking at the very new unit manager.’ Hannah beamed. ‘I don’t have to tell you the difference this is going to make to Ken and me. And how’s Jayne?’

  The crowd of nurses fell silent, loyalty, however misplaced, still there for their former boss.

  ‘She should be OK,’ Bella said softly. ‘She’s got a good solicitor and with a bit of luck…’ Bella shrugged. The court’s decision wasn’t hers to preempt, but like everyone else present she prayed it would go well.

  ‘And how are you?’ Hannah’s eyed raked over the black suit, coming to rest on Bella’s red, swollen eyes. ‘This can’t have been the easiest week in your life.’

  ‘I’ll be OK.’ Tears were dangerously close now. She suddenly filled with a sense of anticlimax, the world carrying right on just as Bella had predicted it would. Danny gone with barely a blip on the Richter scale, no one, not even Jayne, indispensable in the world of nursing, and Heath painfully silent when she’d needed him most. ‘I’d better go.’

  ‘You’ll come in and see us?’ Hannah checked, but Bella just gave a noncommittal shrug. She wasn’t Jim, with a lifetime of history in the department—there was no point kidding herself she was really going to be missed. ‘No doubt I’ll bring in a prisoner one day, and I’ll expect the red carpet treatment.’

  ‘You’ve got it.’ Hannah smiled and even though it was Bella instigating her departure she felt as if she were being prized away, wanted to cling to the walls almost, to hold out to see the one person who could make this wretched day better. ‘But before you go, there’s someone who I know would love to see you.’

  A nervous, tremulous smile broke out on Bella’s lips, but her faint hope was soon dashed as Hannah spoke on.

  ‘Lucy O’Keefe. She’s still on the obs ward.’

  Somehow Bella kept her smile in place, somehow she nodded and made a bit more small talk before heading to the obs ward, a visit with Lucy the last thing she needed today of all days. Her emotions so raw she didn’t know if she could get through even a five-minute visit without breaking down.

  ‘Well, if it isn’t the sexy young detective come to see me!’

  Blinking in surprise at the jovial greeting, Bella’s smile was less forced as she walked over to Lucy’s bedside. A bright cerise headscarf was firmly knotted on her head, a smear of lipstick on her smiling face, and as she put down the magazine she was reading, Bella noticed the beautifully manicured nails, all carefully painted a vivid coral that clashed beautifully with her headscarf. She looked like some tiny exotic bird, sitting daintily in the hospital bed, and despite her initial reluctance, Bella realized that she was actually glad she’d come to say hello.

  Lucy O’Keefe somehow always managed to put a smile on her face.

  ‘Hannah did them,’ Lucy said, following Bella’s gaze. ‘But enough about me, I want to hear about you. You’d never believe the stories I’m hearing.’

  Bella could just imagine. The nurses in Emergency weren’t exactly known for their tact or discreet remarks. ‘You’re looking well,’ Bella ventured.

  ‘I’m feeling grand actually. Patrick’s going great guns, the doctor thinks he should be discharged in a few days and Marnie’s giving them a run for their money on the children’s ward. We’re going to be in Melbourne for a while, though. It doesn’t look as if we’ll be able to fly home for ages.’ Her eyes raked over Bella’s dark suit, a sympathetic smile flickering on Lucy’s face. ‘Where have you been, pet?’

  When Bella didn’t answer, Lucy took her hand.

  ‘Things really haven’t been easy for you, have they?’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ A thick out-of-place tear trickled down her cheek, and Bella felt her chee
ks redden as she tried to hold it back, not wanting to add to this poor woman’s grief for a single second.

  ‘For what?’ Lucy chided. ‘There’s nothing wrong with tears, Bella. I’ve shed more than my share, I can tell you. But I’ll tell you something I’ve learned, shall I?’ She didn’t wait for Bella to answer, barely pausing for breath before carrying on. ‘Just when you think things can’t get any worse, just when you think the world’s the cruellest of places, something’s sent to remind you just how good it can be. A sunset, a piece of toast when you haven’t been able to eat in days, a shrinking tumour…’ Her voice stilled for a moment as her news sank in, her smile waiting for Bella when finally she looked up. ‘It’s shrinking. Heath ordered a CT for my extensive bruising.’ She gave a wry laugh. ‘I’ve had worse from netball. Anyway, to cut a long story short, there’s a bit of hope, which is a lot more than there’s been for a long time. Dr Jenkins has spoken with my oncologist and he’s going to take on my treatment while I’m here. And best of all, it’s covered. Heath got on to Admin and apparently there are some reciprocal rights that mean I can be treated. I don’t really understand and I don’t really care, it’s all just wonderful news.’

  And it was. Bella’s smile was completely genuine as she hugged a patient who had somehow, somewhere along the way definitely become a friend.

  ‘Are you off to see your man now?’ Lucy asked, grinning as Bella blushed. ‘And don’t try and talk your way out of it. I’ve heard all the talk.’

  ‘Which part?’ Bella groaned.

  ‘Well,’ Lucy started, clearly settling in for an extended gossip. ‘Apparently you were seen at the social club, and the next thing Heath’s lost his temper in the changing room. Am I right in guessing he didn’t know you had another job?’

  Bella glumly nodded.

  ‘Sure, we women are allowed to have a few secrets,’ Lucy tutted.

  ‘Not at the start of a relationship,’ Bella refuted, but Lucy just laughed.