To Heal a Heart

Chapter 1

Kristine Elaine Garrett sighed wearily as she sank into one of the hard wooden chairs in the nurse's station of the Kansas Kingston County Hospital. This was only her third night on the graveyard shift and her body was still unaccustomed to the hours. Not to mention that she had been on her feet nonstop for the past seven hours. She was one of the three nurse hopefuls training at Kingston County Hospital and the first that had been transferred to the night shift. Her supervisor, Dr. Ryans, had finally decided she had gained enough experience to be an asset to the night-time crew. He had placed her under the watchful eye of Nurse Baylor, the head nurse. No one was safe from scrutiny under her supervision, even some of the doctors tip toed around her. 

Kristine, or Kristi, as everyone called her, had only two and a half more weeks until her training as complete. Her remaining days, or nights rather, were to be worked on the graveyard shift, and right now, she couldn't think of anything more discouraging than starting work at 11:00 o'clock at night. It was six in the morning right now, and she still had an hour left to go. Her feet ached and she was bone tired. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep.

Of course, she couldn't go home, her home, in Arrow Cape, Kansas, was an expensive, day-long train ride away. She stayed with Dr. Gage, the senior surgeon at Kingston County, and a close friend of her father. Dr. Gage had been the one to start training Kristi and the other two women. He had given her the break she needed to start her nursing career.

Kristi leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, trying desperately to relax for a moment.

Someone touched her shoulder. "Kristi, Nurse Baylor needs you, Mr. Radley is having one of his fits and no one can calm him."

Kristi opened her eyes to see Alice Benknun, a fellow trainee, standing beside her, a worry line creasing her forehead. This was Alice's first night shift. 

"I'm coming, Alice," Kristi said tiredly.

Alice nibbled on her lower lip, an uncertain look in her pale blue eyes. "Kristi," she said.

Kristi stood and stretched. "Yes, Alice?"

Alice touched her own perfectly coiffed blond hair as she said, "You'd better fix your hair before Nurse Baylor sees you."

Kristi lifted a hand to the mass of hair pinned to her head. It was, at the least, a nuisance. It was to dark to truly be called blond, yet too light to be classified as brown. It was thick, ruler straight, and fell past her waist when it wasn't contained. It could never be held for very long, and always ended up as it did now, slipping loose from the pins, and threatening to tumble down. At her touch, the tresses shifted precariously.

"Alice," Kristi squeaked, "Help!"

Alice moved to her and reached her hands into Kriti's hair. Her fingers moved with precision, first plucking, and then re-sticking the pins.

"Kristi, come quick!"

Kristi looked towards the hallway to the men's ward to see Brittany Regan, another nurse, coming towards them. "Kristi, Nurse Baylor sent me. Mr. Radley is thrashing and calling for his wife. Nurse Baylor said to hurry."

Kristi followed quickly, with Alice trailing behind, still trying to re-pin her hair.

They reached the men's wing, and across the long room, Kristi could see the boney form of Mr. Radley, an old man who had suffered a stroke, flailing wildly in his bed.

Three nurses, including Nurse Baylor, were trying to calm him. Mr. Radley was sometimes disoriented, for the stroke had affected his memory. Kristi was often the only one who could soothe him. This had puzzled the staff, until Mr. Radley, on one of his good days had told her that she looked like his dead wife had looked when she was young.