Rosewood Hospital 5

Four months had passed silently, but I knew there was something hidden, waiting to strike. The old ladies were as sour as wild limes, refusing to talk to me or obey my orders. I didn’t care much, as I knew they were completely beyond my control. Others in the hospital understood the situation but were aware that I was in no position to handle these women.

One evening, I was shocked to find them standing in front of me. They seemed upset. Their already dark faces appeared darker, and I could sense they wanted to say something. I was scared.

“People are worried, doctor,” one of them started.

I braced myself for what came next.

“Doctor, you have to practice based on your ethics,” one lady snorted.

I turned to face their angry expressions, but I couldn’t quite grasp the accusations they were hurling.

“This hospital is a respected place, and your duty is to maintain it. But you are failing at it. We are afraid,” Sandra, the eldest among them, shouted.

“Nurse! You must identify your limits. I am the head of this place, and I am the one who worries about—”

“We have nothing to discuss with a retarded person like you,” Nancy, the second nurse, interrupted sharply. Her words pierced me like arrows.

“We know everything about your childhood. Marginally mentally retarded, weren’t you? How did you even get here?”

There was nothing I could say. I left the stage to them.

“You should refrain from that nurse—the b... from the town.”

At last, I found the answer to their threat.

Clara.

“She is wild like you. Never respects her duty or this place,” Sandra sneered.

I couldn’t believe my ears. I had never told anyone about Clara. Not even Clara herself.

“She told us,” Nancy retorted, looking menacingly into my eyes.

As quickly as they had arrived, they departed, leaving me in turmoil.

“These women are vipers,” came a voice from outside.

It was the attendant.

I looked at him uneasily.

“I wanted to tell you something, doctor. These old girls won’t take their eyes off your back until they’re firmly under five or six feet of earth.”

I listened silently. Before leaving, he said something while looking directly into my eyes.

“When you are cornered or in trouble, let your feelings move freely.”

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