Thanks for the comments! For those of you who asked that I keep the nurse in - this is what I came up with. Hope it works.
Your feedback is always appreciated because I know it takes time.
Chapter 14 Hospital Rules
HG continued to stare at Myka, waiting patiently for her partner to resolve the issue. And the issue for Helena was the insolent nurse. Myka tried very hard to concentrate … on anything…. Because all she wanted to do was laugh. She couldn't help it but she found HG endearing when she was met with a force equal to her own stubbornness. It was so rare.
For the first time since making her acquaintance, Helena looked directly at the woman's name tag which read: Gloria Brown, RN. And that was only because the woman was leaning over the bed and her ample bosom was over the side rail. Without asking permission, she pulled HG up a little in the bed to look at the bandage at the back of her head.
"I'll be back with a smaller bandage for your head, Agent Wells, which should be more comfortable for you," and with that she gently laid HG back onto the pillow.
"I hope I am here when you get back then, Nurse Brown," HG said and Pete and Claudia both moved in closer to the bed because this was going to be a show of wills for sure.
The round woman just smiled. "Do you have any idea what we do to patients who attempt to escape, Agent Wells?" she asked trying to remain serious but with a twinkle in her eye.
"We actually tie them to these side rails. It's awful! I hate to do that. So be a good girl and don't make me do that. Because I will," she said and Helena couldn't tell how much promise was in that tone.
"I find that woman exasperating," she shared with the group.
"But she's taking such good care of you, Helena," Myka attempted but was met with a dismissive glare.
"Myka, she thought I had a brogue," HG all but whined. "I mean the Irish are lovely people but truly, you cannot understand them," she complained.
"HG, they do speak English, don't they?" Claudia pointed out the obvious.
"Darling, please. The Irish are only behind the Scottish for butchering the English language and they both pale in comparison to the Americans," and only then did she realize to whom she was speaking. "No offense," she offered.
"Oh no none taken, right guys?" Myka said looking at her fellow agents.
"No, how could we when the insults are in the Kings' English," Pete said.
"Oh, here comes pay pack," Claudia said as she saw Nurse Brown coming and she and Pete got into a deep discussion about a new bet. Since they really couldn't decide who won the last one – they would take up a new one.
"I got the nurse," Claudia called and Pete made a face. "Damn! OK, OK, I'm keeping HG," and Helena had no idea what they were talking about.
"OK, now here's how we're gonna o this folks," the woman announced and Helena grimaced at the sound of her voice. "I think you two should wait outside while we change this bandage. I'm assuming you want Agent Bering to stay as I do just in case you try to make a run for it," she said putting down new bandages and solutions on the bed. She whipped the curtain around the bed, enclosing the three of them.
"Now let's take a look at that pretty head of yours," she instructed and gently pulled HG off the pillow expecting no cooperation.
"Agent Bering, would you hand me that solution," the nurse asked.
"And what we would do if Agent Bering wasn't here? I'm so glad we can provide you with an assistant. Although I dare say, I would then have to assist you in my own care," HG goaded the woman because once again she had to do what the woman wanted.
"Oh, I'll be sure to take it off of the big bill we're gonna give you when you leave," the nurse said winking at Myka.
Myka stood next to the bed, holding onto Helena's hand just in case there was any pain. But in spite of the nurse's tough exterior, her caring nature came through the touch in her hands.
"Now there's living proof Agent Wells, that you're not the badass agent you pretend to be. They actually got stitches into that hard skull of yours," she said with great affection Myka thought. She clamped down on HG's hand and patted her back not out of comfort but to make sure HG didn't fly off the handle at the innocuous remarks.
"How did I get so fortunate as to have you as my sole caretaker," HG wondered out loud.
"Are you kidding? No one else will come in here. You've scared half the staff in the short time you've been here. But I know better," the woman said applying the ointment and new bandage. She gently guided HG to lie back on the pillow.
"Now there, doesn't that feel better?" the nurse asked Helena patting her shoulder.
"Yes," HG said because the verbal bouting was tiring her out.
"See, I knew it would," the woman said innocently but to HG she had just conceded to that woman and that didn't sit well.
"Now, we can also take off this heart monitor," and she went to remove the patches on the Brit's chest but Helena grabbed at the hospital gown.
"You're not shy, now are you? Cause, honey, there isn't a part of your body I haven't seen since you got here," she shared raising one eyebrow. HG's eye grew wide with discomfort.
"What the bloody hell does that mean?" she asked the woman but looked at Myka. Helena's mind raced to put that statement to anything she remembered. Had this woman put her in this gown? Is that what she meant? In reviewing everything that seemed out of place, one thing occurred to Helena that she had not addressed.
"Myka?" she said with great hesitation in her voice and pulled Myka down so she could whisper in her ear. Myka winced when HG asked her the question.
"Yes, Helena. It's standard procedure," and HG fell back onto the pillow. The RN looked at Myka after seeing the horror on HG's face.
"Now what's bothering her highness?" she asked.
"She just realized she had a catheter," Myka said uncomfortably.
"Oh, darling, you came in here in bad shape. We had to take you into surgery. It's all standard procedure. Now, now – don't worry. We're gonna take all this off you right now," she said trying to comfort her patient. This was too much for HG who simply was not used to dealing with situations that left her vulnerable.
"Myka will do it," HG tried but both women protested that suggestion.
"HG, I can't!" Myka said. The nurse just looked at Helena with her hands on her hips.
"Now as a sworn agent of the US Federal Government, I am gonna go out on a limb here and say that you have to tell the truth," she stared right at Helena. "And as such, I am gonna ask you if I have done anything to hurt or harm you in anyway?"
Myka was relieved that this woman was still in charge. Helena saw her point and swallowed hard before saying 'No' in as dignified a tone as she could muster.
"OK then. I also think you're the type of patient who does better with structure," the experienced care taker said and continued, "So here's how we're gonna do this. I am gonna remove the connections to the heart monitor because you're doing fine. Then I am gonna remove the catheter and that's not gonna feel good, but I'll do it gently and quickly as I can. I promise to leave you alone after that OK?" she finished.
Helena had no choice and she knew it. She opened her arms to allow the woman access to remove the suction cups. When she finished both tasks, she took everything away to dispose and washed up.
"The word going ends in 'ing'," Helena said but it was lost on the nurse but not on Myka who gave HG an admonishing look.
"Now that was very good, Agent Wells," she said sincerely. "Here you go," and with that the woman put a sticker on Helena's hospital gown of a large yellow smiley face.
"Yeah, I thought you'd just love that," the woman laughed when she saw the dead pan expression on Helena's face.
"Now if the doctor signs off on her papers later, it's possible they will discharge her tonight. I suggest someone get her some clothes though cause I don't think Ms. Bashful is gonna wanna leave in that gown," she said to Myka.
"Now I'm gonna trust you not to try and escape on me, Agent Wells. I don't think you want to wind up like those two gentlemen downstairs handcuffed to the railings," she said kidding.
"Do you mean the guys that Agent Wells ran into yesterday?" Myka asked.
"Ran into? You mean tasered? Yes, ma'am. The police are guarding them downstairs. That must have been some Taser you used on them because it shot one clear out of his shoes. They're all patched up and waiting for discharge to county jail," she said as she left the room.
Of course the police and hospital staff would assume Helena had used a Taser on them because they wouldn't know what a Tesla was. The Tesla had a much higher capacity than the typical Taser. At the setting HG had hers at, these guys would have suffered temporary neural incapacitation making it difficult for them to walk.
"Nurse Brown," HG said in a voice so calm that even Myka looked at her. "Do you have a place where Agent Bering could lie down for a little while? Myka, you hardly slept last night. In case I am discharged today and we have to drive back, you'll have to be well rested to make that trip," HG said with great clarity.
"She's got a point, Agent Bering. Sure, hon, you come with me when you're ready and you can use one of the empty rooms," the nurse said and left.
Pete and Claudia came back in. "Artie just called. He'll take the plane back with Mrs. Frederic so we get to drive his car back," said Pete and then he and Claudia yelled in unison, 'road trip'.
"Helena, I'd feel better staying here for now," Myka tried but HG reminded her that they would probably have to drive the 2.5 hours back and it could be at night. It all made sense to Myka who finally conceded to go rest for a short time.
"Oh, Claudia. Would you be a dear, and bring me my overnight bag from Artie's car before you leave? I dare say I'll need those clothes for when they do discharge me," HG said.
Claudia retrieved the bag and brought it back to the room. Then her fellow agents said their goodbyes and walked Myka out to the nurses' station where she was led to a small room at the end of the hall where she could sleep for a few hours. And in spite of Myka's thoughts that she wouldn't be able to, she fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion.
For the first time, HG pressed the buzzer to call for the nurse. She had to wait until Gloria was free because no one else wanted to go in there.
"You're all a bunch of fools," she chided them but they wouldn't budge.
"Are you ok, Helena?" the nurse asked forgetting the preferred protocol.
"Yes, I'm fine. Did you find suitable accommodations for Agent Bering?" she inquired.
"Yes, she's down at the end of the hall," the nurse answered.
"Very good. Thank you. Now I don't wish to be disturbed as I have been sufficiently exhausted by the morning routine at your residency and want to take a long nap. Is there a 'do not disturb' sign you can put on my room?" Helena asked in all sincerity.
The nurse cracked a broad grin because she just loved the way Helena complicated things with her big fancy words.
"Oh, honey, you don't need no sign. No one will come in here but me and you've been such a good girl that I promise to leave you alone now so you can get your beauty rest," she smiled.
Thank you very much, Nurse Brown," HG said kindly.
"You are something else," she said as she exited the room and drew the door closed.
Helena listened to make sure no one was outside her door before she threw back the covers slowly and sat up on the side of the bed. She stood up and pulled her bag onto the bed. Slowly pulling the curtain around the bed so no one could see and with great difficulty, HG stepped out of the gown and into her change of clothing. The white blouse proved to be the most difficult but she finally got it over the bandaged arm and buttoned it with her left hand. Being ambidextrous was simply another thing she exceled at.
She reached into the drawer and found her wallet and badge. That was all she needed. She nonchalantly exited her room and went swiftly down the one flight of stairs to the floor beneath her. It wasn't hard to decipher which room she wanted. It was the one with the policeman sitting outside it. She slowly walked up to the man, flashed her badge and ID.
"Agent Wells to see the prisoners," she announced authoritatively.
"Aren't you the one who shot these guys? I thought you were wounded?" he said amazed at how remarkably well the woman looked standing in front of him.
"Just a scratch," HG said using a line she heard on a cop show Pete made her watch one night.
The uniformed policeman opened the door to the room where the two men lay – each with one hand handcuffed to the side railing. "They're going to be discharged soon," he said.
"Oh, this won't take long," HG said with great assurance in her voice.
"Do you want me to stay in here with you?" he asked.
"That won't be necessary, thank you," HG said and closed the door between them.
She walked up to the beds and assessed that indeed, both men were securely fastened to the bedrails with very limited movement.
"Well, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Agent Wells," the man whom she shot first asked.
Helena smiled with the same look animals get right before they pounce.
"Oh, I promise you sir, there will be no pleasure for you in my visit," she said, her eyes dark with anger.