The Secret Patient Read online

  Routine

  “So how are you feeling today, Nathaniel,” the doctor said with a cheery tone that was somehow hollow and false.

  “Please call me Nathan,” he said with a sigh. Another doctor, it was like starting all over again. But he kept his frustration in check.

  “So let’s see here, you seem to be doing well. But these numbers are still cause for concern. We’ll have to keep you for observation a little longer,” the doctor said. Nathan looked up and read the identification tag, noting the name.

  “Dr Malberg, do you think these observations can be done from home?” Nathan said. It was a question he had pondered often, and occasionally asked.

  “Unlikely Mr ... Stenson, things can change so quickly. I will confer with my colleagues, but I’m sure they would have the same response.”

  “Sure, please ask,” he said. But he knew the answer, they always said the same thing. It was almost like they had a script, repeating the same things over and over. He sat through the rest of the visit quietly, not bothering with any more questions. He watched the doctor carefully, noting down what things he did and checked. It was consistent with the rest. Dr Malberg wrote some notes down in a folder, and put it aside.

  “Thanks Nathaniel, take care,” he said and then walked out. Nathan sat up and looked over at the old clock on the wall. It was seven on the dot, he would be alone for the next three hours. His room was generously sized, containing a sink, bedside table, a large padded chair and a TV on a swivel-arm. There was also a toilet attached to a small room off the side. Everything you could need, close at hand.

  But this luxury, if you could call it that, meant that he was alone. Great for sleeping, but tiresome for passing the days. He had lost track of how long he had been in the hospital. Days, weeks, months, they had all merged together. He sat up and then hauled himself out of bed, ensuring that his cables were still connected and not tangled, and sat down in the big chair. The machines beeped away as normal, and he sank down into the cushion. It was time for a nap.

  Exactly three hours later the door opened and a nurse eased into the room.

  “Good morning Nathan, how are you today?” she said.

  “The usual, Robin, thanks for asking. Had a new doctor do the rounds today,” he said.

  “Really? Let me see here, a Dr Malberg. I don’t know him, but there’s been a lot of new doctors cycling through here recently.”

  “Seems about right. What’s new with you?”

  “Well it’s quite exciting, I’m giving an interview today to a reporter from the Stately Herald. It is because of my twenty years here at the hospital.”

  “Wow that is exciting. It’s great that they’re recognising your years of service. You’ve made a big difference to my time here,” Nathan said.

  “Oh you’re a sweetie. Here’s your juice, can I get you anything else?”

  “How about a newspaper?”

  “Sure I’ll go pinch the one from the nurse’s office. I’ll have to collect it at lunch though, is that alright?”

  “Perfect.”

  “Right, well I’ll be right back,” Robin said and then left the room as she had entered. Nathan waited patiently for her to return and accepted the newspaper with a smile. He tried to read through carefully, as he normally did when he got the paper, but his mind was racing. He had an opportunity here, to make contact with someone outside the hospital. It wasn’t just feelings of isolation or loneliness, it was something else. He felt something was wrong, that he shouldn’t be there. Nobody spent that long in hospital, it didn’t make sense. A reporter would get to the bottom of it, sniff out the story.

  “Damn, I didn’t ask the reporter’s name,” he thought to himself. But he realised that it might be for the best. If he managed to get a message through, he had to ensure that it wasn’t too obvious and bring himself the wrong kind of attention.

  Nathan wrote carefully, paying special attention to ensure that each letter was deliberately and perfectly formed. Once he was done, he looked over the word jumble and admired his handiwork. It was such a long shot, expecting the reporter to see the message in the newspaper. There was no guarantee that she’d even pay any attention to the newspaper. But it was a chance, and he took it. A new energy surged through him, instigated by the possibilities. He was ripe for a change.

  He closed the newspaper and left it on the tray table next to his bed. He wanted to make sure that when Robin came back, she would see it and remember to take it back to the nurse’s station. The wait was agonising, and Nathan spent every minute wondering when Robin would return, and hoping it was her and not someone else. Robin was predictable, and would unwittingly assist him, but with the other nurses he had no idea.

  The knock on the door startled him, and he turned his attention to see who it was. Robin walked in.

  “Hello Nathan, how are you going?” Robin said.

  “The usual.”

  “That’s not such a bad thing. Let me check a few things,” Robin said, as she walked around and took some readings off his equipment.

  “Thanks for the paper,” Nathan said, reminding her of it.

  “You’re welcome. Oh I better return that too,” Robin said, grabbing the newspaper on her way out.

  “I’ll be at lunch soon. I’ll pop in later after my interview,” Robin said.

  “Have fun, I’d love to hear about it,” Nathan said, and gave her his best grin. She smiled and left the room. Nathan let go a big sigh, and hoped for some luck. Maybe today would be the day.

  Robin left the room, made some additional notes on a folder just outside and then strode down the hall. She happened to glance over at one of the recreation areas, and noticed there was no newspaper.

  “Oh, somebody’s nicked it again,” she said to herself with annoyance. So she walked over and placed down the newspaper she had taken back from Nathan. Satisfied by the outcome, she continued on her way.

  Nathan patiently waited for the lady to bring around lunch. Today it was rather-too-perfectly sliced meat in gravy, with some steamed vegetables and mashed potato. Accompanying the meal was a small cup of apple juice and a tub of custard.

  “And the cycle begins again,” Nathan muttered to himself. He had tried every variation of every meal, and had begun to track the order and planning of the meal rotation. He poked around at the food, wishing it would become something else, then finally eating it with some resignation.

  He felt a little drowsy and napped after lunch. His sleep was light and dreamless. After a while he noticed a presence in the room and opened one eye. He saw Robin standing over one of his machines.

  “It’s just me, I’m back,” Robin said without turning from what she was doing.

  “I was just napping a bit. How was your interview?”

  “It was nice, she asked me a lot of questions, but was polite and friendly.”

  “That’s great. Ask you any hard questions?”

  “Not really, although she did try and get some gossip out of me at the end. I let slip, off the record, a titbit about one of the doctors dallying with the nurses. But that’s old news, and he’s no longer here.”

  “Well that’s fine, she’s a reporter after all.”

  “Yeah, but you know it was odd. She was reading her own newspaper. Shouldn’t she already know what’s in it?” Robin said, pausing from what she was doing and looking over at him. Nathan’s eyes lit up. The reporter had been reading a newspaper, there was a chance it was the one he had written in.

  “Maybe she’s interested in how it turns out?” Nathan said.

  “I think you’re right. Well I’m done here and my shift is about to end. Marie will be taking care of you this evening.”

  “Thanks Robin, let me know when your article is published.”

  “Will do. See you tomorrow,” Robin said and left the room. Nathan watched her leave, then felt the surge of excitement from earlier resurface. The reporter had asked lots of questions, tried to find out more juicy information, and h
ad read a newspaper. It was the best he could have hoped for.

  “Oh but I still didn’t ask the reporter’s name,” Nathan thought to himself. But then he realised it didn’t matter. He had determined from Robin that the reporter was a woman. And if the reporter saw his message, then he wouldn’t need a name as she would come looking. Or he’d find out her details when the article was published.

  Nathan’s enthusiasm was dampened by a beeping sound. The fluid drip attached to him had finished. He pressed the nurse call button and then looked up at the old clock. It was only half an hour past when the nurses changed shift. The new nurses were probably busy, so would be slow responding. He shuffled over to the edge of the bed and sat up. His muscles ached and complained, and he felt exerted by the effort.

  “I’m only thirty years old, I shouldn’t feel like this,” Nathan said to himself. He reached out gingerly to the machine and pressed the silence button. He had seen the nurses do it many times, but it would only buy him a few minutes of peace. He continued sitting up, it was easier than lying down and getting back up in a few minutes time. Right on cue the machine beeped once more. Nathan silenced it and waited for the next round.

  Half an hour later a generously sized nurse with black hair and black rimmed glasses bustled through the door and looked around. She looked over at Nathan and assessed the room.

  “You called?” she said.

  “Yes Marie, my machine has been beeping.”

  “Oh let me look,” she said as she approached. It began to beep again, on cue.

  “Yeah, it’s empty and needs a change. I’ll have to go grab a replacement,” Marie said, after pressing the silence button on the machine. Nathan nodded, knowing what her response would be, and patiently waited again. After another ten minutes Marie returned, and completed the replacement of the drip.

  “Busy day?” Nathan said

  “Oh you know, the usual,” Marie said with a sigh, and then rushed off out of the room. That was the extent of the excitement for the afternoon. Nathan whiled the hours away wondering about the reporter, and when he could expect to see her. He then turned his television back on, and watched the afternoon game shows.

  Dinner promptly arrived at six, consisting of chicken and rice. It was accompanied by a cup of tea and some yoghurt. Nathan mentally ticked off the meal from his list of potential options, and started trying to predict the next day’s menu. After another session of TV he drifted off, awoken by the sound of beeping. The room was dark, and he was quite disoriented by the suddenness of the noise. Once he realised what it was, he dragged himself over to silence the machine, and pressed the nurse call button.

  After an age, a nurse burst through the doors.

  “Is everything ok?” she said.

  “My machine is going off,” Nathan said. The machine validated his story by starting off another series of piercing tones.

  “Oh, right. Marie is on break, let me take a look,” she said. The nurse walked over to the unit, silenced it, and then flicked through Nathan’s chart.

  “I’m sorry I don’t know where they keep this one. You’ll have to wait until Marie comes back. I’ll let her know. In the meantime you can press this button to silence it.”

  “Thanks,” Nathan said, trying to not let his frustration show.

  “Do you know how long until Marie is back?”

  “Not sure, probably half an hour. I’ll send her over when I see her.”

  “Great, thanks for that,” Nathan said, giving her a smile despite the way he felt. The nurse rushed off and he was alone again. Nathan waited patiently, not wanting to turn on the TV. Having it on was like an admission that he was in for a long wait. Of course that had no effect, and he suffered the long wait just the same.

  Eventually Nathan pressed the nurse call button again. He was glad to see Marie, and momentarily forgot his frustration.

  “Oh it needs changing again, I’ll go sort it out,” she said as soon as she walked in. Nathan nodded, and was about to speak but she had already left. So he waited quietly, and within fifteen minutes everything was done. As he moved back into a sleeping position, he felt a large dull pain surge through his back. He knew that he would have to sleep on his other side, even though he hated it.

  “Please come tomorrow, I need your help,” Nathan said, his thoughts and hopes focused on the reporter. If she didn’t come through, what other options did he have?

  3

  Discovery

  Elizabeth took the marked newspaper home, so she could examine it in more detail without attracting any unnecessary attention. The deliberate nature of the way the jumble was filled out triggered her curiosity. The answer was so clearly wrong, yet wasn’t a proper word.

  She left her car at the office and walked home, the fifteen minute trip giving her time to think things over. The jumble was definitely the only thing of interest that had come from the day. Robin was nice, but her idea of a secret was just common gossip. There had to be something else.

  Elizabeth couldn’t quite put her finger on why she believed the tip so much. But she did, and the only way to move on would be to turn the hospital upside down and examine it from every angle.

  When she arrived at her block of apartments, she checked the mailbox and pulled out a fistful of junk mail. She dumped it directly into the recycling bin, and continued on her way. Her apartment was quite spacious but in an older building. Three flights of stairs had to be climbed to reach her front door, the smell of mothballs offending at every turn. She unlocked the door, threw her bag on the couch and then dropped into it herself. She fished out the newspaper, and opened it up to the jumble. There were four words that needed to be unscrambled. The letters in each one were not the ones provided in the jumble puzzle. What was written was as follows:

  BRO

  SIN

  TAPI

  SENT

  Elizabeth decided to tackle each word individually. She wrote down two options for the first word.

  ROB

  BOR

  Neither made much sense so she moved on. The next word made even less sense.

  NIS

  INS

  The two options she wrote weren’t even words, which was a step down from what was already there. She continued on.

  PATI

  PITA

  Those seemed more workable, one could even be a name. Elizabeth tackled the final word.

  TENS

  ENTS

  Again, they didn’t mean much in isolation. But she couldn’t think of any other ways to transform the words. Once she was sure of that, she looked at other ways to build things. Taking each unscrambled word as a fragment, she could build longer words. Maybe that would work better. She took the first two and tried combining them.

  ROBNIS

  Which didn’t look right, but immediately made her think of the other combination.

  ROBINS

  Which was definitely a clue, and a very particular one. She quickly analysed the other two fragments and completed the puzzle.

  ROBINS PATIENTS

  Elizabeth dropped the pen and checked what she had done. It was right, the letters were all there. Someone had left her a message, to talk to Robin’s patients. Her mind started racing with the possibilities. However her scepticism jumped in, and prevented her from going wild. She had to entertain the idea that the message was completely unrelated from the mysterious tip she had received about the hospital. But if one of Robin’s patients had the initials CM, then that would be something indeed. It was definitely worth investigating.

  The next question she had, was who had left her the note? Was it even directed at her? Surely it had to have been left by one of the other nurses. Someone who overheard that a reporter was here and wanted to pass on something a bit juicier than what Robin was willing to give up. That was the assumption she would work with. However, the clue was also the means to continue her investigation. She could quite easily sell her presence there as follow up interviews with the patients. Her edit
or wouldn’t complain, although he would probably be a little suspicious of her doing proper legwork on what she considered a fluff piece.

  But it was decided. She would show her draft article in the morning, and then go to the hospital for more research. Elizabeth stood up from the couch and wandered around her apartment. She had that special feeling, that knowledge that she was on to something. She felt a genuine excitement that had been lacking for so long.

  Elizabeth whipped up a quick pasta dish, and ate it with a glass of red wine. As she chewed her mind was turning over, considering the angles she could use to continue her investigation. It would depend on what she unearthed, but she would need a strategy to keep returning there without raising suspicion. It wasn’t just her editor she was worried about either, she didn’t want to scare off potential leads in the hospital.

  The evening flew by, and although she was tired she had trouble sleeping. The promise of a new and interesting investigation had well and truly dug in its hooks, and her brain didn’t want to switch off. She eventually slept, dream free.

  The next morning Elizabeth continued to think over how she should approach the clue on her walk to the office. Once inside she went straight to her desk and finalised the story on Robin. Then she walked over to George’s desk with a printed copy and sat there while he read through it.

  “Not your best work, but it’s suitable,” George said.

  “About that, I think I can squeeze a bit more out of it. I’d like to talk to a few of her patients. They can provide a comment to spice up the article,” Elizabeth said. George paused, thinking it through.

  “I’m not sure, it could add a bit of flavour. You’d need to get permission though.”

  “Of course. I’d only include them if they wanted to be directly quoted, or I could summarise their thoughts in a more general way. I’m sure they’d love to chime in, she’s very well liked there.”