Chapter One, Episode 144 - Another Step Forward - Situationally Theirs

Review, Revision, Edit and Update

This episode interested me. As I began my review, it almost felt like a repeat of yesterday's Review. As I continued reading it, this episode was the scene from the other side of the telephone call between Emelina and Jeremy from the yesterday's Review; rather like hearing two opinions about the same issue. 

Because I am so late today with this, I was pleased that there were only a few typographical errors to fix in this episode.

Another Step Forward

It is easy to deny and not see the effects of something tragic if we don’t see the tragedy in front of our eyes.We could stay closed up in our homes and not allow anything tragic to enter our lives. Jeremy could talk himself hoarse, and did many times, about the precautions against Covid19. He hoped desperately that it wasn't quite so easy to deny this global viral reality. However, even Jeremy had felt that denial when he was away from the hospital, when he was out at the beautiful green Beaufort Estate, when he and Emmie were walking on the wide open beach, wading barefoot in the lapping cool water. He just wanted to deny it all. Like he had when Elaine died. It hadn’t worked then and it wasn’t working now. As a physician, he could not, in good conscience, walk away from the hospital and his patients. He had closed his private practice so he could work shifts at the hospital. Before the pandemic, he was able to keep up with both. He limited his private practice to only those that had been with him from years He accepted no new patients and felt guilty about that. But Jeremy wasn’t getting any younger and had to take care of himself, so with sadness he let go of a practice of 25 years so he could give the hospital more of his time.

Starting his shift at 11pm, he was given hand-off report from the young physician that evening who was anxious to get off on his date. He tried to get him to work the earlier part of his shift as well, but Jeremy said a firm no. One extra single night shift was enough, not a double shift. On this Covid unit, it was a fairly standard group of patients. The nursing complement was barely adequate for the patient load. Fortunately, most of the patients were almost ready for discharge, two were still quite ill with Covid19, but were out of danger. One woman, just admitted from Emergency, should have been in ICU, but there were no beds available. She would be on a portable respirator until a bed came free. He spoke quietly to the nurse who was caring for her. She told him of the patients anxiety about an old photo she had with her. When he went in to see this woman, he saw the picture pinned to her pillow. The girl in the picture looked very familiar. But it couldn’t be. The woman’s eyes fluttered open, she reached up and touched the picture, making certain it was still there. “Hello, Mrs. Tyler.” He glanced quickly at her hospital ID band. “My name is Dr. Crawford. I’m the doctor on call tonight for this unit. The nurses and I will be taking care of you. The nurse told me you want that photo to stay close.” Mrs. Tyler nodded weakly, a tear drained onto the pillow. “We’ll make sure it stays pinned and close. I’ll let you get some rest but will be back to check on you shortly.”

Mrs. Tyler’s nurse was finished preparing the patient’s medications and was just leaving the nurses’ station. “Before you go to Mrs.Tyler, did you get a name for the girl in the picture? Was she able to tell you who it was or if the girl was family?” Monica Green, the RN in charge of the unit and of Mrs. Tyler, set the medication tray down and picked up her chart. “I wrote the name on a card and put it in the front of the chart. Her name is……let me see….oh, yes, here is it. An Emelina Eliot.” Jeremy paled. “Are you all right, Dr. Crawford? It’s just an old photo, quite worn. There was no other information on it and we had to intubate her right away. It’s probably just a picture she picked up somewhere.” Monica picked up her tray and excused herself, getting on with her shift. 

Dr. Jeremy Crawford looked up at the clock. It was well past midnight so, gowned, gloved and masked, he set about on his rounds. Most patients were sleeping soundly, some a bit restless but in general the unit was quiet. Miss Green was still in with Mrs. Tyler so he just passed by the room. Returning to the nurses’ station, Jeremy sat down and, for the next hour, went through all the patient’s charts, reading medical histories, most recent nursing notes, and skimming the vital signs flow charts as well as previous physician’s orders. There was little on Mrs. Tyler’s chart except since her admission to Emergency. She had not been in Hartley long and this was her first admission to Hartley General. He put all the charts away, then stood in the centre of the nurses’ station, hands at his side, wondering how he could learn more about this Mrs.Tyler and the mysterious photo of a young girl that looked so familiar. Her belongings. I need to check her belongings.The phone rang. Jeremy looked around for a nurse or other staff member. When no one was in sight, he picked it up. “Dr. Crawford - Covid unit. Can I help?”  A very elderly voice on the other end of the line said “Oh, good. A doctor. Finally. I want to ask you about my wife - that’s Mrs. Webster in Room 642.” Jeremy saw one of the other nurses coming. He put his hand over the phone and whispered…..”It seems to be Mr. Webster asking about his wife. Can you  take this call, please? I don’t know how she’s been……..” Taking his hand away from the phone he said “Mr. Webster, I’m going to have you speak with one of the nurses while I look at your wife’s chart.” He quickly passed the phone to the nurse, hoping it was Mrs. Webster’s nurse.

“Webster, Webster…..here it is.” Jeremy picked up her chart to review it again. Once he had done so, he was about to tell the nurse he could speak with the old gentleman, but she was hanging up the phone. “It’s all right Dr. Crawford. He calls every night before he goes to bed. He’s quite a night owl. I’m Jennifer Cartwright. I don’t think we’ve met. Excuse me, but I have to get that bell. Mr. Smith in 639. He’s been a sick sick man, but he’s almost ready for discharge. Getting quite nervous about it.”  And she was gone. Now, where was he? Mrs.Tyler and her belongings. Who is she and why does she have a picture of an Emelina Eliot? 

~~~~~

Mrs. Tyler’s condition was very poor and was deteriorating. Jeremy was at her bedside for the better part of the next two hours. He muttered between clenched teeth…. “She should be in ICU. I don’t have the right equipment and medications here.” Miss Green came in. “Here Dr. Crawford I’ll take over. Go to the nurses station and sit down for a few minutes. I found some paper work in Mrs. Tyler’s belongings. Take a look at those while you’re taking a breather.” Through his tiredness, Jeremy got excited. “Thank you, Miss Green - I’ll do as I’m told and sit down. I'll take a look at the papers to see if there’s anything there - thank you.”  Miss Green looked up from checking an intravenous site in Mrs.Tyler's arm. Over her shoulder she said. “I think one of the papers said something about ‘adoption’.

“We must leave this terrifying place to-morrow 

and go searching for sunshine.”

~ F.Scott Fitzgerald