Cause of Conflict (Nurses of New York Book 2) Read online

  “Oh, no. Poor Elmer,” Jeanette said.

  “Poor Elmer? What about poor Sophie?”

  “Well, I do feel sorry for you—being kissed like that must have been a horrible shock. But I feel even sorrier for Elmer because he missed out on having you for a wife.” Jeanette reached out and patted Sophie’s hand. “Come on—we’ll be late.”

  “Are you working at St. Timothy’s today?” Sophie asked as she clambered off the bed.

  “Yes. I’m assigned to Dr. Saul.”

  “Good. You can walk over with me.”

  St. Timothy’s general care hospital was just a short distance away, but Miss Cantrell had been very clear that the students were never to leave the house alone, that they should always take at least one other girl with them. Sophie had wondered at that—they seemed to be in a nice part of the city, and she wasn’t sure what sort of trouble Miss Cantrell expected them to find, but rules were rules, and she wasn’t about to lose her spot in the program for breaking them. Well, that rule, at any rate. There were a few other rules she wouldn’t mind breaking if she had the opportunity, such as the one about gentlemen callers. She wasn’t as obsessed with men as Laura seemed to be, but she did like a little male attention from time to time.

  When the two girls entered the hospital, the first person they saw was Dr. Gregory. Sophie put on her best smile and said hello, but his scowl was directed at Jeanette.

  “Running a bit late again, Miss Anderson?”

  “No, actually, right on time, Doctor. If you’ll excuse me, Dr. Saul is waiting for me.” Jeanette turned on her heel and all but scampered down the other hallway.

  Dr. Gregory looked at Sophie. “So you’re my assignment today. What’s your name?”

  “Sophie Jones, sir. I’m very grateful for this opportunity to work with you today. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot.” She tried her smile again, but his scowl just deepened.

  “Miss Jones, there are a few things you should know about me before we begin our work shift. I have no tolerance for silliness, I insist on punctuality, and I am not to be questioned. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.” She bobbed her head. He was so handsome when he was being imperious. That little dimple in the corner of his mouth had no choice but to pop out any minute. Didn’t it?

  “I have no idea what kind of schedule Dr. Russell keeps at that house of his, but nurses from your program are consistently fifteen minutes late. I would appreciate it if you could do something about that, Miss Jones.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” Sophie said agreeably. “Maybe our clock is slow or something. I’ll check when I get back. It’s up high, so I’ll need to stand on a chair or something, but I don’t mind.”

  He fixed her with a look. “I don’t care what you do or when you do it. Just remedy the problem.”

  “All right.” Sophie’s cheeks burned as she followed him down the hall. Gracious—she was just trying to be friendly. He was walking so fast, she had a hard time keeping up.

  “Our first patient is a young girl who has a fairly large splinter in her foot. I could have removed it without assistance, and I should have, considering that you were late, but I decided you should have the experience.” He entered the room, where a child of probably three years old was sitting up on the table, huge tears in her eyes.

  “Oh, you poor thing,” Sophie said, going to their patient’s side. “What’s your name?”

  “Sarah,” the girl said, pronouncing it “Sawah.”

  “We’ll get you feeling better in no time, all right?” Sophie glanced down and noticed that Sarah held a doll. “And what’s your dolly’s name?”

  “Alice,” the girl said with a sniffle.

  “Well, you just hold tight to Alice, and this will all be over soon.” Sophie touched Sarah’s curly head. Her hair was like corn silk.

  “Miss Jones, some assistance, please?” Dr. Gregory nearly barked.

  Sophie shot an apologetic look at the girl’s mother before she turned back to the doctor. “Yes, sir?”

  “A little less time playing with dollies and a little more time preparing the instrument tray, please.”

  “Yes, sir. Although, you have to admit, dollies are awfully fun, aren’t they?”

  He did not reply.

  Dr. Gregory scrubbed up with chlorinated lime solution while Sophie checked to make sure they had everything they might need, including enough bandages. Dr. Gregory then picked up the surgical pliers, grasped the splinter, and pulled it from the girl’s foot. She let out a little cry, but beyond that, she was silent and still.

  “Good girl,” Sophie praised. “You did that so well.”

  As soon as the wound was bandaged and the patient’s mother had carried her out of the room, Dr. Gregory turned on Sophie, his eyes full of fire.

  “Miss Jones, have you not heard one word I’ve said since you walked into this building?”

  She blinked. “I’m sorry—I don’t understand, sir.”

  “Obviously not. I told you in no uncertain terms that I have no time for foolishness, and I even reminded you of that in the operating room. I don’t know what you’re being taught in that makeshift nursing program of yours, but you are never, ever to embarrass me in front of a patient. Are we clear on that point?”

  Sophie’s throat constricted. “I wasn’t trying to embarrass you, sir. I was trying to comfort the patient.”

  “It’s not your job to comfort the patient. That’s what her mother was here for. Your job is to be quiet, do as I say, and hand me the things I ask for. Anything beyond that is entirely out of the question. Do you understand me this time?”

  Sophie felt the sting of tears behind her eyes, but she wasn’t about to show them. “Yes, sir. Of course.”

  “Good. Now, we have another patient waiting for us.”

  Chapter Two

  Edward Gregory took a deep breath. The pounding in his head was making it impossible to think clearly, let alone convey what he was thinking, and this nurse wasn’t helping any. She seemed determined to misunderstand everything he said, even when he did manage to string it together properly. She was just too bright and cheerful—his headache couldn’t handle cheerful.

  “Our next patient is suffering from an abscess on his leg. It’s quite large and painful. As a general rule, I would suggest that he see his doctor rather than coming in to the hospital, but his doctor is out of town at the moment, and it’s a simple procedure we can do here without disrupting our schedule too much. Actually, the same is true of the child with the splinter—simple concerns are best handled by local doctors.”

  “Why did you treat the girl, then? Was her doctor unavailable as well?” Miss Jones asked.

  “Her home isn’t too far from here, and I didn’t see the point in sending her away.” Edward squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again. “I believe I told you not to question me.”

  “You did, but that makes it rather difficult to learn, doesn’t it?” She flashed him a smile. “Working with you is part of my education, so I must be allowed to ask some questions, don’t you think?”

  “What you must be allowed to do is your job,” he replied. “Now, as I was saying, he has an abscess on his leg. An abscess is caused by infection in the skin which decays and forms pus, and must then be lanced. If the pus is not drained, the abscess will typically continue to grow, causing a great deal of pain for the patient, until the skin eventually splits on its own. By that point, however, the infection is quite bad, sometimes affecting the blood and becoming a far greater health risk.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Miss Jones said approvingly. “That was a very educational speech. Shall we now go in and lance the abscess?”

  Edward opened his mouth to reply, but anything he could think to say wouldn’t be complimentary. “We shall.”

  He followed her into the operating room, wishing he had half her energy. “This is Mr. Stone. The abscess, as you see, is midway up his right calf.”

  Miss Jones bent over and
examined the sore. “My goodness, Mr. Stone. That looks very painful.”

  “Aye, it is,” the man replied. “It’s all swollen and hot to the touch. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night.”

  “Well, let’s see if we can help you out, all right?” Miss Jones gave him a smile and turned to fetch an instrument tray.

  “Get extra towels,” Edward instructed her, and she did.

  After they had both washed up, Edward picked up a small surgical knife. “I will make an incision here, where it appears that the pressure of the infection is greatest. We want the pus and other fluids to drain out on their own as much as possible, so we’ll incise where we feel that has the greatest chance of happening. We’ll keep a towel at the ready.”

  Miss Jones nodded, looking interested. Edward wondered if that would still be the expression on her face in a moment. Most nurses-in-training turned pale or ran from the room at such a sight. That was hardly helpful.

  He made the cut, and the patient sucked in a breath. At first, the wound ran red with blood, but then the pus began to drain out onto the towel. It was a sickly, unnatural color, and Edward glanced over at Miss Jones, wondering how she was handling it. But her eyes were focused on Mr. Stone.

  “There now,” she said soothingly. “Everything’s draining out just as the doctor said, and you’ll be out of pain soon.”

  Mr. Stone nodded, his lips pressed together tightly.

  Edward put a small amount of pressure on each side of the abscess to encourage the draining to continue. Once he was satisfied everything was out, he washed the area and instructed Miss Jones to bandage it. “And burn that towel,” he said, nodding toward the linen he’d dropped on the floor. “Don’t let it come in contact with any other towels—straight to the fire barrel with it.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said, picking up some gauze for the bandage.

  Edward washed up again and then left her with the patient, seeking the solitude of his office. He was stopped once by Nurse Foster, who had a question about a patient, but then he was alone. He sank into his desk chair and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. Just a few moments of quiet . . . that was all he needed. The pounding in his head would subside and all would be well.

  A rapping sound came at his door, startling him.

  He badly wanted to ignore it, but it was most likely quite urgent. “Come in,” he called out.

  Miss Jones opened the door. “Dr. Gregory, Mr. Stone is bandaged and has been sent home. The towel is on its way to being burned right now.”

  Edward raised an eyebrow. “Rather astonishing, considering that you’re supposed to be burning it, and yet, here you are, in my office.”

  “Dr. Saul also had a procedure that required the linens to be burned, and his nurse offered to take our towel as well.”

  “Fine, fine. As long as it doesn’t touch anything.”

  “I was quite careful, and so was the other nurse. She’s my roommate, and—”

  “I don’t care to know anything about your roommates, Miss Jones.”

  “I only mentioned it to illustrate that I know her quite well, and I know she’s very diligent in doing her tasks correctly.”

  “Fine, fine.” Edward waved her away.

  She paused in the doorway. “What’s our next task, sir?”

  “Our next task is giving me a few minutes’ peace and quiet. Is that so much to ask?”

  She blinked. “No, that’s all right. I’ll go see if Nurse Foster needs anything.”

  “Fine.”

  As soon as the door closed again, Edward wished it were nighttime. Darkness. He needed darkness.

  Chapter Three

  “I’ve never . . . he’s just . . . argh!” Sophie took off her hat and threw it on the bed. “That man is the most conceited, arrogant, unkind person I’ve ever met. I should have listened to you.”

  Jeanette looked amused. “I enjoy hearing that I’m right.”

  Sophie flounced down on the bed next to her hat. “And to think I thought he was handsome. Isn’t the devil himself supposed to be handsome? I have to say, I see some similarities between the two!”

  Jeanette chuckled from her spot in a chair by the window. She’d taken off her shoes and was rotating her feet back and forth. “I know I’m glad today’s over. Dr. Saul is rather a dear old thing, but I emphasize the word ‘old.’ He kept forgetting what he’d already told me or asked me to do, so he spent most of the day repeating himself. Then if I hinted that I already knew what he was going to say, he’d tell me how bright I am. It was interesting, to say the least.”

  “I’d take that over Grumpy Gregory anytime.” Sophie lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “My taste in men was seriously called into question today. How can I ever trust myself again? Maybe I should have stayed home and married Elmer Tompkins. He was building a little house on the edge of a babbling stream. I would have like that, living next to a babbling stream.”

  “But would you like being Elmer’s wife?” Jeanette asked.

  “Well, no, but what do I know? We just established that my instincts as far as men are concerned are completely wrong. Elmer might have turned out to be quite the catch. Once he was cleaned up a bit, of course. And grew in that missing tooth. And got rid of those three stray cats that followed him around wherever he went.”

  Jeanette laughed. “You’re making half that up.”

  “Ah, but which half? I bet you can’t guess.” Sophie returned to contemplating the ceiling. “Dr. Gregory didn’t even want me being friendly to the patients. It’s as if he thought we could only do our jobs if we remained as impersonal as possible. I’m sorry if that’s what he believes because I’ll never be able to do that. I’m here because I want to help people, not ignore them.”

  “And that’s why you’ll be a great nurse,” Jeanette said encouragingly. “Now, come on—it’s time for dinner.”

  Sophie looked over to where Jeanette was struggling to put her shoes back on. “Why don’t you just wear your bedroom slippers? It’s only dinner.”

  “But we’re supposed to look tidy at all times.”

  Sophie shook her head. “After a day like today, when our feet are swollen to twice their size? I don’t think so. Look—I’ll put on my slippers as well. You won’t be alone.”

  Jeanette only looked doubtful for a moment, then grabbed her slippers and they headed downstairs. As it turns out, Miss Cantrell wasn’t even at dinner, so they breathed a sigh of relief and wiggled their toes under the table and accepted second desserts when Mrs. Everett offered them.

  ***

  The girls gathered in the parlor the next morning after breakfast, ready for another day of instruction. Miss Cantrell was a moment late.

  “Your assignments for today are the same as yesterday’s,” she began as soon as she took up her position at the front of the room.

  “What?” Sophie exclaimed before she could stop herself. She glanced around, embarrassed, at everyone staring at her. “It’s just that we’ve always rotated daily in the past,” she finished, trying unsuccessfully to explain her outburst.

  “Sometimes we’ll rotate daily, and other times, we won’t,” Miss Cantrell said, a tight smile on her face. “I’d also like to issue a reminder about our standards of dress. I do understand being tired at the end of the day, but bedroom slippers are to be worn in the bedroom, and not in the public areas of the house.”

  “Mrs. Everett must have told on us,” Sophie whispered to Jeanette.

  “Actually, it was Dr. Russell,” Miss Cantrell said over their whispering. “He pulled me aside just now to inquire if I’m doing a proper job of teaching you young ladies to observe the rules of the house. It was a very uncomfortable conversation, and I would appreciate not being placed in that position again.”

  Sophie’s face burned with embarrassment. She’d never meant to make things difficult for Miss Cantrell—she just couldn’t stand to see Jeanette trying to shove her poor feet back into her shoes after such a long day. I
t seemed Sophie was always doing something wrong.

  “Never mind. Let’s move into our day’s instruction, shall we? Now, we’ve already discussed how a nurse assists in the operating room, but now let’s discuss the nurse’s role in the hospital. She is to follow the doctor’s orders without question, even when the orders don’t make sense. She is to—yes, Miss Forsythe?”

  Millie lowered her hand. “I believe we already covered this, Miss Cantrell. Didn’t we?”

  Miss Cantrell pressed her lips together. “Yes, we did. In fact, it was one of your first lessons here, as elementary as rolling bandages. However, some of you don’t seem to have learned that lesson, and I was questioned about that as well.” She paused. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m suddenly not feeling well. Please spend the rest of the morning studying the textbooks on the table. Make sure you’re on time for your assignments this afternoon.”

  She picked up her skirts and disappeared, and a moment later, Sophie heard her bedroom door close.

  “Oh, my,” Tess whispered. “She seemed really upset.”

  “It sounds like she had a terrible morning,” Libby added.

  “And it’s all my fault.” Sophie slid down in her chair, wishing she could just keep sliding until she was on the floor. That’s where she deserved to be—she’d never felt so low and useless. “I did everything wrong yesterday. I’ll go apologize to her.”

  “Let her rest for a few minutes first,” Phoebe suggested. “If she’s not feeling well, she probably needs the quiet.”