AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My stomach,” she moaned, her voice wavering and croaky.
My heart broke for her.
He nodded. “Anywhere else?”
“My back and legs.”
“Can you roll onto your side so I can take a look?”
She whimpered and choked on a sob as she rolled, biting her bleeding lip to hold in the sound of her suffering.
The dark brown stains on her shirt gave me a clue to what we would see, but it didn’t prepare me for the reality. Doctor Adams eased her shirt up to see deep, bloody lashes across her skin. The kind made from a belt. There were even imprints of the buckle in deep gauges.
Maureen covered her mouth, and I closed my eyes to the tears filling behind my lids.
They popped open as the doctor turned to address us. “Nurses, can you assist Mrs. Jenkins into her patient gown, clean and sew her lacerations, and apply a cold compress to her swellings? I’ll be back to see how she is getting on in an hour or two.”
He stepped away from the bed, his face grave, and motioned for Sister Martha to follow him as he walked to the end of the ward.
“Mrs. Jenkins? My name is Claudia, and this is Maureen. We’ll be the nurses looking after you.”
She nodded, tears streaming down her face, but said nothing.
“I’ll get cold compresses,” Maureen muttered and walked away.
I collected cleaning and stitching supplies and went back to my patient.
“This might sting a bit,” I warned as I began cleaning the wounds.
She flinched and gave a sharp, bitter laugh. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but she bit her lip and closed her eyes.
Maureen returned and started applying the compresses to her face, under her stomach, and legs. Then she helped me clean and sew her open cuts on her back and legs. I glanced up to see her eyes flickering to the clock on the wall.
“Everything all right?” I asked quietly.
Maureen looked guilty. “It’s nothing.”
She doesn’t want to tell you. You’re untrustworthy. Useless.
Shocked at hearing my father’s voice after it being so absent during this crisis, I hesitated. But then I ignored it and asked, “Are you sure?”
She sighed. “I promised my sister that I would look after her children this evening.”
“Ah.” I popped the cotton buds on the tray next to me. “You can leave if you need to. I can stay with Mrs. Jenkins until Doctor Adams comes back.”
“I don’t want to burden you.”
She doesn’t trust you to leave a patient with you. Pathetic.
“It’s not a burden. You’d do the same for me. I’m sure Mrs. Jenkins and I will grow to be great friends as I heal her up.”
“Thank you. I’ll let Sister Martha know, and if I can see another nurse, I’ll send her to help you.” She stood up and pushed her red curls away from her face. “Mrs. Jenkins, I wish you the best with your recovery and I’ll stop by tomorrow to see how you are.”
Mrs. Jenkins opened her eyes and gave her a pained smile, which Maureen returned, and then opened and closed the curtain.
I turned when I heard the sigh from Mrs. Jenkins, and I raised my eyebrow in question. “I … hate that,” she groaned.
“What do you hate?”
