Chapter 8 [Roosevelt Hospital—During Chapter 6]
Gwen slumped into her chair. Caffeine rejuvenated her for the moment. She bit her lip. Why did Flash run off? Did he see something?
Murdock detected just her and his heartbeat. He couldn't detect Flash's pulse anywhere nearby. Then again, he couldn't detect a nurse's heartbeat for that matter either. Why isn't there a nurse at the desk? He puzzled over that fact. Then he heard another heartbeat approaching from the hall. He resisted the urge to turn toward the door.
Liz walked into the room. Surprise raised her eyebrows. "Where's Mildred? There should be someone on the desk!" She rushed over to the nurses' station to find everything scattered across the desk. "Darn it! She knows we can't leave the desk unstaffed!" She glanced up toward Gwen and Murdock. "Excuse me, Folks. You don't know what happened to the nurse that was here. Do you?"
Gwen shook her head. "You went out to check the other patients. I don't know about the other nurse. Sorry. I just wish I knew where Peter was."
"He's all right. You can be sure of that." Murdock glanced toward the hall. He heard Flash's pounding heartbeat and footsteps rushing down the hall.
"NURSE! NURSE!" Flash turned the corner. "LIZ, QUICK! IT'S MRS. PARKER! WHERE'S THAT OTHER NURSE?"
"Flash? Flash, what is it? What about Aunt May?" Gwen sprang from her seat. Panic jackrabbited her heart. She put her hands in front of her mouth. "Oh please! Not this too!"
Mildred, what have you done? Bad enough to leave the station unattended but this too? Liz grabbed May's chart. "Flash, show me. Okay?"
"Yeah. Just follow me. Gwen, Mr. Murdock, stay here. We'll be right back." Flash ran back up the hall and rounded the corner. "I don't know about the others. I didn't want to say anything in front of Gwen."
"Say anything about what?" Liz picked up on the monitors' whine. "Never mind!" She ran over to May's bedside. She picked up the limp wrist. She checked May's eyes. "I can't believe this!" She got on the phone.
"Switchboard."
"Yes. I need to be connected to Dr. Rivers. We have a situation in Room 725." Liz exhaled a sharp breath. "What time did you find her, Flash?"
"About five minutes ago, Liz." Flash heard a gasp from the hallway.
Liz checked her watch. "About 1:20 AM. Dr. Bromwell thought she'd be fine until tomorrow. What happened?"
"This is Dr. Rivers."
"Yes, Dr. Rivers. This is Liz Allan. I'm one of the nurses on the seventh floor." Liz ran her hand across her forehead. "We have a situation up here in Room 725. I was on my rounds checking the other patients. I have no idea where Mildred Lathmore is. She's supposed to be on the Nurse's station."
"She did not page you, Miss Allan?" Rivers asked.
"No, Doctor. She did not. According to the people in the waiting room, she left right after I did. I'm sorry. If she'd paged me, I'd come right back here." Liz bowed her head. She knew Peter would be devastated by May's death. She looked back toward Gwen and then at Flash.
"Miss Allan, what is the patient's status? Is that the monitor I hear?" Rivers set his jaw. Lawsuits and Litigation ran through his head. "I'm coming to you."
Liz released a deep breath. "Yes, Dr. Rivers. Mrs. Parker passed away. One of her family friends found her like this. Again, if Mildred had paged me, I have come right back!"
"I'm sure you would. Keep the family out of the room until I get there. Page Miss Lathmore to your station. I will need to speak to you both. Thank you for calling me." He rushed for the elevator.
Liz hung up the phone. Then she picked the receiver up. "ATTENTION! MILDRED LATHMORE! MILDRED LATHMORE! YOU ARE TO RETURN TO THE NURSE'S STATION IMMEDIATELY! THANK YOU!" She placed the phone back on its cradle. "I can't believe this. Mildred's not like this!"
Gwen rubbed her forehead. Lament's tears streamed down her face. Guilt ate at her about their recent argument and the subsequent rift between May and her. "I can't believe that nurse wasn't here! Who does that?"
"I don't know." Liz frowned. While she'd only met May once in high school, she knew of Peter's devotion to her. "I don't know…how I'm going to face Peter." She bowed her head. "Flash, you remember how he was after his uncle's death?"
"Yeah he took that real hard." He sighed. "Gwen, all I can say is I'm sorry."
Gwen bit her lip. "I know, Flash. Thank you. Dad really got into Peter and Spider-Man. He knew before he died."
"He did?" He stared at her. "Wait! That's why he swung away from Doc Octopus! He was trying to save your Dad?"
"Dad's last words were his blessing for our marriage." Gwen tapped her wedding ring. "Even though he was in costume, Peter said that Dad called him by name." She studied May. "Does she have to look like that? We should straighten her up."
"Gwen, Dr. Rivers is on his way up here. He's the hospital's senior doctor for overnight rotations. Sorry but you two should stand in the hall. He needs to see Mrs. Parker as she is right now." Liz helped her friends out the door.
"She's absolutely right." Murdock watched from the hallway. "Nurse, I'll want that report."
"Excuse me? Who are you?" Liz raised an eyebrow.
"He's our lawyer, Liz. Liz Allan, Mr. Murdock." Gwen motioned to them both.
"Miss Allan!" A tall gaunt man with salt and pepper hair rushed toward them. "Return to the Nurses' Station and don't say anything else!"
Liz nodded. "Yes, Dr. Rivers. I kept everything as it was in the room just as you instructed. Again, Gwen, my condolences. May I look in on the other patients in this area?"
"Please do. Thank you, Miss Allan. I can't believe this is happening." Rivers curled his lip. After Liz's departure, he took a composing breath. "I'm Dr. Martin Rivers, Senior Overnight Physician and Overnight Administrator. Are you Mrs. Parker?"
"Yes I am." Irritation reddened her face. "How can you let that happen to my husband's aunt? How can you leave the Nurses' Station unstaffed like that? Couldn't someone have let Liz know so she'd come back from her rounds?"
"Perhaps there was a page. Miss Allan was new." Rivers cleared his throat.
"I was here. There was no page for her. The other nurse left with Dr. Bromwell and never came back." Flash shook that idea off. "Besides Liz and Pete were really close in high school. There's no way she'd leave Mrs. Parker like this! NO WAY!"
"Calm down, Young Man." Rivers coughed. "Keep your voice down! This is still the middle of the night."
"I'm not going to let you drag Liz Allan down for that other nurse! If she said she didn't know then she didn't know! You got that?" Flash pointed at the administrator's chest. "That woman in there was like family to us! I regret that I acted toward Pete and her the way I did. But Mrs. Parker was a special lady! We know that! Liz knows that! PERIOD!"
"I'd advise you to not harass my client or her friend any further, Dr. Rivers." Murdock turned back toward the room. His radar sense picked up on the institutional furnishing. They brushed over May on the bed. "I want this room locked down until the NYPD's crime scene unit can process it."
"Absolutely." Rivers shut the door. "I have no idea why Miss Lathmore abandoned her post without reason or a page to Miss Allan. I intend to get to the bottom of it."
"You'd better! I want a full investigation! Meantime I need a phone. I know just who to call too." Gwen glared at Rivers.
"Mrs. Parker, I won't have the newspapers or tabloids in this matter! I…" Rivers clenched his teeth. He tried to think of ways to contain or sweep the matter under the rug.
"Excuse me? I'm not talking about a newspaper! At least not with the first call! Do you know who my father was? I'm making a phone call downtown right now!" Gwen snapped. Emerald Fireblazed from her eyes once more.
"Well we'll get to the police. Right now…" Rivers hedged.
"Never mind! I'll find a patrolman myself!" Gwen stormed away. Anger propelled her out of that area and into the hallway beyond.
Intervention would be coming. Consequence be damned….