A hush had fallen over the hospital. The patients were all in bed, the lights dimmed and the curtains drawn. As the nurses traversed the corridors, they muted their footsteps with practised ease. In Milner Ward, Sister Brigid replaced the cap on a fountain pen with barely a click. She hooked notes over the end of a patient's bed with only the tiniest of noises. With a nod to Student Nurse Clarke, she left the ward, the doors shutting behind her with a swish and a breeze of cool air.
As she made her way towards reception, she glanced in the direction of casualty, concern creasing her brow for a moment. An emergency had arrived in the early evening, and with it, a distraught husband and tearful children. Glancing upwards, Sister Brigid sent a silent prayer for a happy outcome on this winter's night.
In contrast to the rest of the hospital, reception was bustling and filled with excited chatter. The smiling faces of her colleagues served to lift Sister Brigid's spirits a little as she joined them. Lizzie, tinsel adorning her neck, waist, and ponytail, stepped forward with a tray of mince pies. The grin the receptionist wore was infectious, and Sister Brigid soon found herself smiling along with her. Christmas Eve, was afterall, traditionally a night of fun for the hospital's staff; it was their annual carol singing night. They didn't go far, merely a few streets around the hospital, but their voices filled the night, bringing many a resident out to enjoy the music. And, if they were lucky, donations would be placed into the buckets the held, to go towards the hospital funds.
It was a night everyone looked forward to, and everyone hoped each year that they would be able to go. Matron and the nurses on night shift were to stay behind, whilst the nurses who had finished their shift for the day went out into the night. They were accompanied by Lizzie, Ken and Alun, the cleaners, Pearl, the doctors, and even Mr Rose.
"What are we waiting for?" Mr Rose boomed, silencing the room and prompting many a member of staff to express some form of disapproval.
"We're awaiting the outcome of the operation Mr Rose." Matron spoke up; the tone of her voice silenced anymore complaints from the surgeon. "However," She glanced at her watch. "It is getting late. Give them fifteen more minutes, and if not you shall have to go on without them."
The staff nodded silently, the mood momentarily dulled. They glanced down the corridor, as if by doing so, they would be able to divine the progress of the surgery.
"How's she looking Gordon?" Jill raised her head towards her husband, wiping a little moisture from her forehead with the sleeve of her gown.
He glanced up from the dials, locking gazes with his wife's questioning gaze for the moment. "She's holding steady. How long do you reckon?"
"I don't know. Fifteen minutes maybe, if there are no more complications. She's in a mess though."
"I know." He replied softly, watching as Doctor Weatherill moved skilfully to repair the damage caused by the large, ruptured dermoid ovarian cyst. It had been an operation fraught with difficulties. But he they had all worked steadily; Alun moved quickly around the theatre machinery, Nurse Selby passed over instruments swiftly and accurately, and Jill kept her cool, responding to each challenge with the uttermost knowledge and expertise.
"Do you think we should be making a move now Matron?" Ken asked somewhat sombrely; with the length the operation had taken, they all deemed the outcome to be bad news.
"Yes, I suppose you should." Matron sighed, nodding with a soft, encouraging smile as the staff began to file their way out of the building.
"Wait for us!" A bellowing could be heard clearly down the long corridor. The crowd paused and many a head turned to see two doctors, a porter and a nurse running towards them. "It was a success." Gordon answered the questioning looks. "Everyone performed marvellously."
"Oh wonderful news!" Sister Brigid exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
Matron grinned. "Indeed it is. Now, off you go all of you. I shall expect to be able to hear you from my office!"
A laugh swept through the crowd and they once more made their way out into the crisp night air. Their feet crunched over the fine sprinkling of fresh snow. Their footprints marked their passage through the streets, and their voices preceded them. In most cases, some residents were already on their doorsteps even before the staff were in sight.
"Well done darling." Gordon placed a hand on the small of Jill's back, encouraging her to stop and enabling him to brush a kiss across her cheek. She smiled in reply, leaning forward and placing her lips on his for a slow, lingering kiss. She pulled back with a blush colouring her cheeks as she became aware of their colleagues around them.
The gathered residents cheered and clapped as the staff reached the end of a song. Men, women and children stepped forward with donations and words of gratitude. Many people had been touched in some way by the knowledge, the skill, the kindness and the dedication of The Royal. And this Christmas night, one more family had been kept together thanks to staff at The Royal.
The End