“I assume you’re asking me because it will affect your deadline?”
“Well yeah, I’d need a day or two extra depending on what I can get.”
“You’ve got today to talk with them and integrate their comments. I want it ready this afternoon so it can go in tomorrow’s edition,” George said. He gave Elizabeth the ‘my decision is final’ look and she nodded.
“Sure boss, you’ll have it today,” Elizabeth said. She gave him a smile, and as she walked off started brainstorming ideas. She didn’t necessarily need George to know if she was spending more time at the hospital, but she did need to have a reason to be out of the office frequently on something that wouldn’t attract a lot of questions. Today’s extension would not be enough. She needed some autonomy while she worked the hospital into a proper story.
But she couldn’t get too far ahead of herself. First steps were to meet some patients and get some statements for the article. Then she could worry about how to continue her investigation.
Elizabeth phoned the hospital, spoke to Robin and obtained a verbal agreement that she could come speak to patients. However Robin would have to talk to the patients first and give Elizabeth a shortlist of those who had agreed to take part. That seemed reasonable so Elizabeth agreed. She began to think about how she could get an accurate list of patients. There was a chance that she wouldn’t even get to talk to the right ones. If there was any merit to the hospital story, things wouldn’t be easy for her. The deeper something is buried, the more effort it takes to dig it out.
After an hour passed, Elizabeth decided it was worth heading back to the hospital. She left the office and walked to her car, feeling an icy wind sweep around her. It left her with a chill, and an ominous feeling. She shrugged it off and continued. Traffic was light, so the drive to the hospital didn’t take long. She wasn’t in a rush though, as she wanted to ensure Robin had plenty of time to do whatever talking was required.
Robin was waiting for her at the nurse station.
“Hello again Elizabeth,” Robin said with a smile.
“I’m back,” Elizabeth said.
“It was a very nice surprise for you to return for some additional interviews. I thought reporters usually dismissed these kinds of stories.”
“It can’t all be bad news,” Elizabeth said. She did feel a little bad though, as she initially reacted exactly as Robin said. To make it worse, she was only here to fulfil her own interests, not to help celebrate Robin.
“The second surprise, is that I actually have two volunteers for you to speak with. I’ll take you to them.”
“Great, lead the way,” Elizabeth said. As they walked, she thought of something else.
“How many patients do you normally interact with?”
“Well I only work in this ward, so it really depends on who we have. Currently I’d say around ten.”
“Two out of ten is not bad at all,” Elizabeth said. What she was really thinking about though, were the eight that she wasn’t being introduced to.
“Yeah, one of them is a bit of a favourite of mine. He’s a real character, so I’m looking forward to introducing you. Here’s our first stop, Tom Norwood,” Robin said. She paused outside a door and knocked. After waiting a moment, she opened it slowly and poked her head inside.
“Hi Tom, I have Elizabeth here with me. She’s the reporter I mentioned earlier. Is now a good time?” Robin asked. Elizabeth didn’t hear the reply, but saw Robin enter the room. Assuming it was a yes, she followed. She saw a very tanned man in his thirties, and it was clear why he was in hospital. His elevated leg encased entirely in a cast told the tale well enough.
“Hi Tom, nice to meet you,” Elizabeth said.
“Nice to meet you too. So you’re doing an article on her?”
“Yes, I interviewed Robin yesterday, and I just wanted to add some words from her patients.”
“Yeah, Robin said if I gave her a good rap, I’d get a nice sponge bath,” Tom said, winking at Robin.
“In your dreams maybe,” Robin said, unfazed by his comment.
“He’s your problem now, come find me when you’re done and I’ll take you over to the other patient.”
“Thanks Robin,” Elizabeth said, and watched her leave the room.
“You’re like that with all the nurses?”
“Nah just Robin, she’s got a good sense of humour. The rest of them, they are way too serious.”
“What happened here?” Elizabeth said, pointing to the cast.
“Bike accident. I was cornering a little too aggressively, and the bike tumbled out from under me.”
“By ‘cornering too aggressively’ you mean speeding right?”
“Yeah, that too. Look, nobody else got hurt, and I’m paying for it alright. The isolation and boredom here is just unbearable.”
“You don’t mingle with the other patients?”
“Nah, I guess I could try. But I never see anyone else, and all the rooms are singles with closed doors in this wing. I’m not exactly mobile enough to roam around looking for friends.”
“That’s interesting. So you don’t know any of Robin’s other patients?”
“Nope. She doesn’t really mention them either.”
“Do the other nurses talk about Robin at all? What’s your impression of how they like her,” Elizabeth said, changing over to a topic that was more in line with her article. She didn’t think that Tom was the person to leave her a coded message, so she didn’t want to stray too far from her reason for being there.
“Not really, I get the impression that she’s well respected though. She doesn’t react to my jokes, but she acts real proper otherwise.”
“Yeah I get that feeling too. Is she a good nurse too, not just friendly?”
“She’s the best. No fussing around, everything done quickly and without pain. Some of them, you’d think it was their first day. Everything becomes a chore,” Tom said, the frustration clearly evident in his tone.
“Does Robin seem discreet to you?”
“Yeah, I think that’s why she doesn’t talk about other patients at all. Why do you ask?”
“Well I tried to get some gossip out of her, more for context rather than printing, and she didn’t really have anything. It’s not a problem, just a little surprising. In my experience people are usually keen to appear important or at least hint at having some special knowledge,” Elizabeth said.
“Oh you think she’s got some goods and isn’t sharing?”
“Possibly. I’d expect someone who has been here for twenty years would have a few gems tucked away.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I can imagine Robin sitting on something big. Maybe that’s why she’s retiring?”
“Let’s not get too carried away,” Elizabeth said with a laugh. Tom smiled back.
“I’m not really sure what else to add, but she really does make this place bearable,” Tom said.
“Thanks Tom, I’ll make sure that’s in the article. Thanks so much for your help. I’ll drop in a copy of the paper when it’s published.”
“Cheers, you know where to find me!” Tom said, pointing at his leg. Elizabeth gave him a quick wave and left the room. Tom had provided some interesting information, but nothing she could use. She had higher hopes for the next person, based on Robin’s description. Within minutes Elizabeth had found her way back to the nurse station. She didn’t want to snoop around and raise Robin’s suspicions. That would come later.
“He’s a good lad isn’t he?” Robin said when she saw Elizabeth.
“Yeah, he’s a good sort. He likes you too, I got some great quotes for the article.”
“That’s nice to hear. You ready to see the other patient?”
“Yes, let’s go.” Robin nodded and stepped out from the nurse station. Elizabeth followed closely, paying attention to where they were going. They walked down the same corridor where she had met Tom, only turned the corner a bit further down.
4
A Ne
w Assignment
Once they stood outside the room Robin began the same ritual as before, poking her head in through the doorway and speaking up.
“Hello Dean, I have Elizabeth with me. She’s the reporter I mentioned earlier. Is now a good time?” Again Elizabeth didn’t hear the response, but followed Robin into the room.
The layout was exactly the same as Tom’s room, but there were more machines clustered around the bed. Dean looked like he was in his sixties, his surprisingly youthful face surrounded by snow-white hair.
“Reporter? What have I done now!” Dean said, looking shocked. Elizabeth froze, surprised by his reaction. After a few tense moments Dean relaxed his face and laughed.
“Always a jokester this one,” Robin said.
“So was the last one,” Elizabeth said.
“Maybe they send all the funny ones here? Suits me just fine.”
“Yeah she’s good, she can have a laugh,” Dean said, nodding at Robin.
“Well I’d better give you two some privacy so he can say what he really thinks,” Robin said and promptly left the room.
“I would say the same thing if she were here,” Dean said.
“I believe you. If you don’t mind me asking, why all the machines?”
“Ah yeah, I got Cancer. It’s terrible, I think I’m near the end.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Is it really that bad?”
“Yeah, well they’re treating me but the doctor says best case scenario I’ve got is six to twelve months. You’ve also got those people who seem to live for years and nobody knows why. But not with what I’ve got.”
“Yours is different?”
“Not different, just worse. Stomach cancer, and it’s entrenched. They can never really attack it effectively enough.”
“Wow, I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s fine, there’s nothing to say. When it’s your time, it’s your time. But enough about me, we’re here for Robin today.”
“I just want to say it’s so great that you can devote your time to other people. Robin seems nice, but she must make a big difference around here.”
“Time? I have plenty of it. What else have I got to do around here?” Dean said with a laugh before continuing.
“But yeah, she does make a big difference. She’s a real sweetie, and always looks out for you. She’s patient, but fast with everything. Some of those other nurses, they don’t care. Or they seem to be thinking about something else. But Robin, when she’s here it’s all she focuses on. You never have to call her back for something she forgot.”
“That’s great, I’ll just make a few notes,” Elizabeth said. She scribbled furiously on her pad. Suddenly her fluff piece had taken on extra meaning. She had to make good on it, for this man’s sake as much as for Robin.
“I could waffle on for a while, is there anything in particular that you need?”
“I don’t know, I had just planned on getting a few quotes to fill out the article,” Elizabeth said, puzzled.
“And now the Cancer thing? You want to do it properly.”
“Yeah there is that.”
“I just had a vibe that you were taking it really seriously. And that maybe you hadn’t come here meaning to do that.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Look let me level with you. I don’t mean anything by this, I’m just mind mapping with you. And I’m no reporter, so maybe I’ve got it all wrong. But why did you come back today? Robin is a great nurse, but she was already blown away when you turned up yesterday. Aren’t you busy with other things?” Dean said, looking directly at Elizabeth. She was stunned, and did not expect such a question. He had cut to the heart of the matter, in a way that Robin perhaps was not able to. Elizabeth didn’t know how to respond. But she had a feeling that she had to be honest with him.
“Well to level with you, I had another purpose to coming back. Fleshing out Robin’s story was nice, but you’re right in that I probably wouldn’t have done so normally. It’s a bit crazy though, so you’ll probably laugh.”
“I’m listening,” Dean said, looking intently at Elizabeth. His eyes lit up and he seemed energised. It was as if he could sense that something important was about to happen.
“I received this note from a trusted informant recently,” Elizabeth said, walking over to the bed and handing Dean a piece of paper. He held it up close to his face and scrutinised it.
“Royal Monterey Hospital CM. Doesn’t really say much,” he said.
“No, but the informant seemed convinced it was something huge. He was skipping town to be safe.”
“So you took a story here, to look into it.”
“Exactly. I couldn’t get anything of interest out of Robin either.”
“So you came back today to try her patients?”
“Better than that,” Elizabeth said. She fished out the newspaper page with the jumble filled in and handed it to Dean. He accepted it and gave her back the first note.
“I took home a copy of the paper that I found here yesterday. Somebody filled out that jumble.”
“What am I looking at here?”
“Look at the letters used. The person who filled out the jumble wasn’t even trying to solve it. When I solved the jumble using the letters our mystery person supplied, I got a message. Robin’s patients.”
“You’re joking!” Dean called out in a surprised whisper.
“No, I’m one hundred percent serious. Someone knew I was here and left it for me. It might just be a prank, but it’s just too much of a coincidence.”
“Hey it wasn’t me.”
“Ha-ha yeah well I don’t think it was Tom either.”
“Who’s Tom?”
“He’s the other one of Robin’s patients that volunteered to talk to me.”
“If I wrote you that note, I would have made sure that you spoke to me,” Dean said.
“Yeah, so maybe the person wrote that note because they knew they wouldn’t get the option otherwise?”
“Oh this is exciting. Count me in!”
“Count you in for what?”
“Your investigation.”
“It’s not really a thing yet, it could still be nothing.”
“No, it’s definitely something. And nothing is what I have to do right now. I’ll even give you an excuse to come back here regularly. I want you to write my story.”
“I’m flattered, but I’m not a writer I’m a reporter.”
“Even better, you can report about my life.”
“I don’t know,” Elizabeth said, her voice trailing off.
“What’s there to know? Just say yes,” Dean said. Elizabeth looked at him and realised he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He was also right about it being a good excuse for her to return to the hospital. George would probably be on board with the story as a longer feature, but she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to use it. Was there any harm in letting Dean participate? She had already told him a lot.
“Ok. Fine. Yes.”
“Great! Good choice. I smell a conspiracy brewing.”
“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” Elizabeth said. She chuckled to herself, scarcely believing what she had just agreed to.
“Ok let’s be serious then. You need to find that patient who left you the jumble clue.”
“Yes. It’s my best lead so far. I’ve now eliminated two patients from the running. Not sure how many others there are.”
“I don’t really get around much. But I’d bet that they’re all in this ward somewhere. Whoever contacted you can’t be far away, as Robin is their nurse.”
“Agreed. I think I’ll go find Robin and let her know I’m done today. But that we’re thinking of doing a story on you. I don’t want to get caught snooping around today.”
“Yeah good idea. Take care, see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah see you tomorrow,” Elizabeth said and walked over to the doorway. She looked back before leaving and noticed Dean looking at her with a s
erious expression.
“Thanks,” he said, and Elizabeth knew exactly what he meant.
Elizabeth counted ten rooms on her way back to the nurse station including Dean’s room. Assuming that Robin took care of them all while on shift, that left eight more patients to investigate. More if the ward continued further. It wouldn’t take long to check them out without drawing unnecessary attention.
“Hey there, how did it go?” Robin said. Elizabeth looked up in surprise, she had been in her own world. Lucky she hadn’t been snooping around.
“Oh great, you’re right about Dean. He is a real character.”
“Good sort though, true character.”
“Yeah, he convinced me to tell his story. Well at least if my editor buys it.”
“He can be a charmer when he wants to be,” Robin said with a smile.
“I bet I haven’t seen half of it! Anyway I got some good quotes today, you should see the article in the next few days. I’ll confirm and let you know,” Elizabeth said.
“Visiting hours are ten until twelve, and then two until five,” Robin said.
“Thanks, I’ll play by the rules,” Elizabeth said and waved goodbye. As she left the hospital she thought over what she had just done. She had made a contact in Dean, but had also involved him. And she didn’t know exactly what that meant yet. It was a moment of weakness, when she was put off balance by his candidness. But her gut told her it was the right thing, that she needed someone on the inside. So for now it would have to do.
Her next step was to get the article about Robin finished. That would have the added benefit of giving her some goodwill with Robin, which would be very valuable. If there was something up with Robin’s patients, then any information she gave up would be useful. And Elizabeth needed her trust to enable those small pieces of information.
Elizabeth drove directly to the Herald and went straight to her desk. She pulled out her notes and got straight to work, weaving in some key quotes from Tom and Dean. It came together well, and gave the article a fullness that made the previous version look woefully incomplete.
The Secret Patient Page 3