CHAPTER 1 CAGE

Basic set up of story

CHAPTER 1- Cage

If a bird must live in a cage at least it should be a golden gilded one with fresh sprigs woven through the bars to make the cage at least feel homely. That's probably why I've always liked this hospital, it's modern and new, can be daunting sometimes I feel out of place. But at least it's a pretty cage to be trapped within, the hospital grounds are pleasant to wander through and the corridors though drowned in florescent lighting are clean and wide.

When I'm not busy I follow the nurses around the wards, I try to follow a different nurse each time though I admit, I do have favourites. I pretend that I'm one of those nurses just going about my everyday life looking forward to plans with friends on my days off and thinking about what to have for dinner, how my family is or worrying about the future. I haven't had any of those thoughts in years and it's nice to pretend.

Ooh the old blonde one is on the move, Margie her name is. I always wonder where she's going. She has a thick skin and steel stomach, I like that. I wish I was like her; I was too sensitive and squeamish, which during in a emergency isn't desirable in a nurse.

I followed behind Margie casually, she wasn't moving with any great speed. She looks troubled, perhaps she's thinking about her husband. I can hear her when she's talking to the other nurses about how her husband drinks when she's not home, it worries her. I remember when Margie and Peter started going steady, she was so happy. Always smiling and humming to herself as she did her rounds. I remember when they fell in love and got married. Such a long time ago now, thirty years in fact. Margie looks sad, I don't know why and it bothers me a bit.

Margie is coming to the end of the hall where a police officer is leaning against a wall playing with his phone. He sees Margie and swiftly puts it away, he opens the door for her with a smile and a nod, it's a fake smile. How do I know it's a fake smile? It doesn't reach his eyes, it's just acknowledging she's there, late at night; like him. I follow Margie into the room, it's dark. She walks straight over to the bed and turns on a lamp.

The male patient is asleep though at the brightness of the light he wakes. I notice there's someone else in the room, in the corner hunched over perhaps asleep. He's wearing similar clothes to the man at the front of the room. Another police officer? Margie explains she needs to collect some blood for testing. The man grunts in retort but doesn't move. Margie lifts the older man's arm and clicks the tourniquet in place pulling it tighter than necessary, pinching his skin painfully. The man glares at Margie, fury in his eyes. Margie smiles, she smiles?! I've never seen Margie be sadistic in this manner, she can be rude at times particular when the person is abrupt and sarcastic.

This behaviour is out of character, I wonder what is going on. I can get so confused sometimes; if I don't pay attention time can get away from me. Margie finds a vein and plunges the needle in dragging the blood out of the vein. The man winces and takes a deep breath glaring at Margie. "Finished." Margie says smiling. "Is that the best you can do?" The man says daringly. Coming close to the older man's ear Margie maliciously whispers "That's a speck on what you deserve you innocent thieving prick." Margie collects her equipment and leaves the room; I follow her.

I turn my head back to the room and the officer is back on his phone dawdling. Margie walks off into a side room, she picks a purple and a yellow topped tube, stabbing the seals with the needle she deposits the blood from the syringe into the vials. I watch as she then labels the tubes of blood and sets them aside for processing. I'm waiting at the door as Margie takes several deep breaths, she looks deep in thought. Gathering herself Margie turns to head back to the nurses' station taking a few steps towards the door then stops. I look at her and see her mind processing through her eyes. She walks toward the door and closes it, I hear the lock click.

I roll my eyes at the irony of this action, she closed the door for privacy but nothing is private for the staff here while I'm around. I walk through the closed door and lean against the wall in the room. I haven't missed anything Margie has just leaned against the wall beside the counter looking down at the blood absent-mindedly. I am now brimming with curiosity. Half a minute passes then Margie picks up the tubes of blood, holds them in front of her and drops them on the floor. She picks them up and drops them again and again and again with more motivation each drop. She looks determined but in the corner of her eye I can see a tear welling as she picks up the tubes once more and threw them with such velocity that briefly I thought the plastic might crack spilling blood onto the floor, but it didn't. Satisfied with her result Margie placed the blood back on the rack to be processed by the lab. She wiped away her tear and unlocked the door and walked down the corridor heading for the nurses' station.

TING!

Margie's behaviour is completely out of norm and I'd like to know what's upset her and why. I try to follow close behind her.

TING!

We approach the nurses station together. "Everything ok, Marg?" Says a young brunette nurse.

TING! 'Oh go away!' I consciously think.

"Yea, it's just the patient in room 736" Margie replied.

TING! TING!

"The one with the guards? Isn't he... The world began to ripple and distort.

Christ ! Not again, I never get to know what's, what.

I found myself in the geriatric ward in front of a bed. I sighed, duty calls