Doctor Fane (hiatus)

The New Nurse VIII

Doctor Fane did not hurry to apologize. He decided to put the matter off until the afternoon hospital rounds at six and got started on the usual business of the private practice. At six, he was forestalled in his intentions by the presence of Matron Howard, who followed them around the ward and prevented any private conversation with Nurse Barnes. T apologize in front of others, Nicholas thought, was quite impossible. Thwarted in his good intentions, he put them off and retreated to the sanctity of his office where he engaged himself in the soothing hobby of reading autopsy reports from decades-old murder cases. At seven, his housekeeper served him an indifferent offering of trout and greens. Afterwards, Nicholas whiled away the time with a cup of coffee, telling himself that he would go to apologize in five minutes, go soon, go before bed, go tomorrow.

At a quarter past eight, the telephone rang.

Nicholas jumped out of his seat. The telephone in the office had been installed a year ago at his insistence. There were twin machines in Culpepper's house and the matron's office in the hospital. Nicholas had thought it a wonderful idea for anyone in the district to be able to speak to him or Culpepper or Matron in an emergency. The flaw in his plan had soon been realized: no one else in the district had a telephone. The machine had lain silent since its installation.

He took up the receiver and spoke warily into the mouthpiece. "Hello?"

"Can you hear me, Fane?" Culpepper shouted.

Nicholas winced and moved the receiver further away from his ear. "For God's sake, don't shout. I can hear you."

"Have you apologized to Nurse Barnes yet?" Culpepper's voice was still too loud.

Nicholas scowled. "I'm going to do it."

"It's past eight. She'll be off duty now. You'd better go before she starts preparing for bed."

"She'll be at supper."

The line crackled and popped as Culpepper breathed into the mouthpiece. Eventually he said, "I told you, Fane. I like this one. I will be very disappointed if I go in for my rounds tomorrow and find she's taken the first train back to London."

"If she does, she's not the nurse we need here."

"We need any nurse here," Culpepper retorted. "Nurse Devon and Nurse Smith have been worked off their feet since Miss Jameson left. We cannot afford to lose Miss Barnes."

Nicholas stared glumly at the telephone box. "I'll do it now."

"Thank you." There was a click, and the line went dead.

Nicholas put the receiver back and reluctantly crossed the yard to the hospital. As he had expected, Miss Barnes and Miss Devon were sitting down to their supper in the nurses' sitting room on the first floor. Miss Devon greeted him with a warm smile, but Miss Barnes barely managed to stammer out a good evening.

"If you've a moment, Miss Barnes, I would like a word with you," said Fane.

Miss Barnes looked wistfully at her plate, loaded high with potatoes. "Oh. Alright, Doctor."

Miss Devon raised her eyebrows. "I've all the time in the world for you, Doctor Fane."

Nicholas pretended he had not heard her. Miss Barnes got up from her chair and came to the doorway. Miss Devon leaned forward, clearly listening. Nicholas leaned past Miss Barnes and pulled the door to.

"I, uh, I lost my temper with you earlier today, Miss Barnes," he said in a low voice. "For that, I must apologize."

Her eyes remained wary. "It is no matter, Doctor."