This is an idea I had in my mind for a long time and I'm trying to give it life. Please, note that there will be several mistakes and that the vocabulary will be poor, because english is not my first language. I'm trying my best! Anyway, if you have suggestions or tips feel free to message me or write it in the review. This story will be made by a few chapters around the characters of Mary Poppins and Bert.
Enjoy your reading!
The hallway smelled of disinfectant and chlorine. Mary Poppins wrinkled her nose and hurried her step towards the stairs. Although she was terribly upset, she was trying her best not to show neither a single vibe of annoyance. She breathed deeply, while her hands were curling down wrapping the bag's handle tight.
So many years were passed by, too many years were passed from the last time they met. It can't be now, Dear Lord, please. Her head was filled with a whirlwind of memories and sounds and sweet words, and for the first time in forever Mary Poppins was scared. She was awfully scared, because she hadn't the faintest idea of what was coming next and she truly hated to find herself unprepared in whatever situation. She was feeling not at ease so much that she preferred to normally climb the stairs, rather than sit on the handrail, so that she could focus on the rhythmic sound of her heels while going upstairs. Calm down Mary, you knew it had to happen sooner or later, calm down. She bit her lower lip. Calm down. Please. Get an attitude.
The stairs brought her in a different hallway, but the smell was the same as the previous. Mary's breath was heavy and she honestly couldn't say if it was because of the climb. Her head was turning and the aseptic smell which offended her nostrils couldn't just but getting the situation worst. Therefore, she allowed herself leaning against the white rough cool wall and she mentally ordered herself to close her eyes and not to open them until she wouldn't have acted a properly attitude.
"Pardon, Miss, is everything all right?"
Mary Poppins suddenly opened her eyes. A woman in the middle of her 40s was staring at her with both a motherly and worried gaze. She had ginger hair tightly bunched up in a bun and a dusting of freckles on her nose and cheeks. Her green eyes were examining Mary Poppins from head to foot.
Mary Poppins arranged her blue dress, smoothing it with the hands, and cleaned her throat before speaking.
"You are extremely kind , but I'm perfectly fine now, thank you." She answered with a smile. "It was just a moment of weakness, I'm afraid. You don't have to worry, Madame." She reassured the woman with another smile.
The woman kept looking at her with attention. "That's fine," She finally said with a calmer expression. "Anyway, for the record, we have a water supplier just right here! You really seem to need one." She approached to the supplier and in a blink of an eye she was offering a glass of cool water.
Mary straightened her hand and drank with tiny sips. "You're very kind, Madame. I do thank you."
"Margaret. Please, call me Nurse Margaret, Mary Poppins."
The water almost stuck in Mary's gullet. She firmly looked at the woman in confusion. "How do you kn-..."
"Ah! How do I know you are Mary Poppins?" Nurse Margaret waved the hand like it was the most obvious thing in the world to know who that woman was. She put the hands on her hips and continued with a melancholy smile "You are just like the woman he is used to draw. Am I right or not?"
Mary Poppins slowly nodded. Just like the woman he is used to draw. "You are right, Mary Poppins is my name." She forced to slow down her heartbeat. Just like the woman he is used to draw.
"I'm very nice to meet you at last, Mary Poppins. He talks so often about you, with such lively eyes that..." She clouded and became silent. Mary noticed the nurse had watery eyes. "You know, he's just a lovely kind man and, oh... I bet he will be happy to see you. I wish you could have come previously than now, he would have been so glad. It should be ages since you last see, didn't you?" She sniffed.
Mary stiffened and didn't say anything. "Oh... Well, I'm sorry Miss Poppins. I didn't mean to be rude to you, I have just forgotten my place for a moment. I didn't mean to insinuate anything, indeed. I'm terribly sorry, I-..."
"How bad are his conditions?" Asked Mary all at once. The words slipped out of her mouth before she could even stop them. She wasn't even prepared for an answer honestly, but her eyes were practically begging for one.
Nurse Margaret swallowed in astonishment . She twisted her hands and continued with a grave tone, "Don't you... know?". Considering Mary Poppins' perpetuating silence, she slowly added "He got worst. Doctors say he probably won't overcame the night, or you know... There's anything we can do anymore."
These words hit Mary like sharp blades. She was feeling tears tickling her eyes, but she forced to ward them off. "They did say so?" Asked with her most impassive voice.
"Yes, Miss. I'm sorry to be the one giving you such a bad break. We did everything we could do. But it's too late, now. We can only guarantee him a proper departure..." She naturally approached her hand on Mary's shoulder in order to comfort the young woman, but Mary got harsher and the nurse pulled it back.
"May I see him, please?" She finally asked after a moment that seemed eternal.
Nurse Margaret nodded and gave her a hand sign, meaning to follow her. "I'm warning you, Miss Poppins," She said while walking down the hallway, "He's very weak. We aren't usually that indulgent, but within that kind of circumstances we allow us to make an exceptions to the rule. That means you can stay there for all the time needed. To be honest, we were hoping someone would have come. Anyway, you are not allowed to bring the patient outside the room, because it's forbidden to a visitor without the Doctors' authorisation. Here we are." She stopped by a closed white door.
Mary stared at the handle. "Milady?" Nurse Margaret called her, making a kind gesture with the hand meaning to follow her a little bit out of reach from the door. Mary Poppins followed her with reluctance, but she did her best not to shown.
"Listen, Miss," said Margaret with a lower and motherly tone, " I didn't want to sound disrespectful before. I apologize. No, please, listen!" She quickly added seeing Mary Poppins wanted to answer, "I was just trying to do my work. You can't even imagine how it's hard to work here, some humour sometimes is required to survive the day." The nanny touched on a weak smile. The truth was she was not at ease with the idea that someone could think she didn't care about him.
"I do appreciate your apologizes, Margaret. Thank you."
Margaret kept on. "I do also care about him. Oh, I really do! In all this time he has been there, must have been like two years, I had the pleasure to know him better. He's a real joy for the ears and it's hard not to find him funny", she giggles, "...He's also a good listener besides a chatter and I don't even know a single worker here he hasn't make laugh once."
Mary smiled too. She knew she was telling the truth, she always suspected the right measurement of everyone and she rarely did mistakes. Nurse Margaret continued, "But, you see Miss Poppins, he's also very wistful and buried in his thoughts sometimes. He seems to find peace just in his drawings. Not many people came visiting him in the past years, he once said me he hasn't a real family, because he belongs to the wind, he said." Mary shivered subtly, but kept listening to the woman.
The Nurse bit her lower lip. "What I'm trying to tell you is to be careful. I won't allow him getting upset or any sadder, so if you come for whatever reason there I'm kindly asking you to respect him in first." Mary slowly nodded. "I've learnt you are important in his life, Miss. He often talks about you. Nonetheless, he never told me why you two set apart." Mary sighed with relief. It would have been hard to explain to Margaret why they set apart and she didn't have time. "Just... Be careful, the past can stay in the past. These might be his last days and I have the duty to guarantee him a peaceful time. I hope you can understand."
Mary blushed, fairly embarrassed. Oh, she understood. And suddenly she realized that the ginger woman with a dusting of freckles on her cheeks and nose had probably spent more time with him in these last years than she actually did in her whole life. She genuinely understood that woman perhaps got to know him better than she ever did. And maybe, she was caring about that man even more than she ever did. That impression made her feel uncomfortable. Therefore, she simply answered "I perfectly understand, Nurse Margaret. Thank you."
Margaret smiled. With a hand, she gestured to the door allowing now Mary Poppins to enter in the room. Mary was now facing the white door. She decided she didn't have neither the time nor any respectable reason to hesitate and put firmly the hand on the handle.
"Miss Poppins?" The Nurse called her.
Mary turned back. "Yes?"
Nurse Margaret shrugged and added "He's a lucky man to have you. And you should be a proud daughter."
Mary's lips primly drew a smile. Then she pulled the handle down and walked in.