Chapter 35
The floor was quiet except for the distant beep of patient monitors down the hallways. Sitting at the nurses' station working on charts, Shelby liked this time of early morning especially her first night back on this shift after working three weeks on days. The artificial peace contradicted the life and death struggle many of the patients in her care were waging.
It gave her an opportunity to slip into an alternate reality, where everyone was okay and pain didn't exist. Shelby only wished it wasn't a fantasy as she scribbled the last bit of notes in the patient's record.
A strange noise down one hallway had Shelby turning her head curiously in that direction as she slapped the file closed. Listening intently, she concluded the sound was coming from Agent Williams' room.
The F.B.I. brought in a guard for her room only two days ago so it was still taking some getting used to having someone else on the floor at night. Shelby returned to her work when a muffled thud snapped her head back up. Now that's not normal, she thought worriedly.
Stopping briefly by the unit secretary's office to let her know that she was stepping down the hallway, Shelby crept towards Agent Williams' room. As she approached the door, she noticed the guard wasn't posted outside like he normally was, so she pushed open the door to check inside the room.
A dim light over Agent Williams' bed cast eerie shadows around the small room, but Shelby could plainly tell the guard wasn't inside. I wonder where he is, she thought. Ms. Thomas said someone would be with Agent Williams at all times, she recalled from their conversation the day after Agent Williams was brought in. The patient had not been left alone since that time two days ago – until now.
Might as well check her vitals while I'm here, Shelby thought, stepping next to the bed thinking the guard would be back in a minute. A faint hissing sound caught her attention immediately when she moved closer. A deep furrow creased her brow as she tried to figure out what the sound was and where it was coming from.
Her trained eyes scanned the monitors and tubes connected to the patient looking for the culprit. Oxygen, she realized, seeing the nasal cannula tube providing Agent Williams with oxygen. Must have slipped off the valve or the tube has a hole, Shelby concluded, moving over to check.
Shelby carefully ran her fingers up the clear plastic looking for any holes or cracks. She had just reach for the wall valve to check the connection there when a sharp spark next to her hand made her jump back in surprise.
The nurse's eyes widened in shock as she watched a section of the wall erupt in flames in just a matter of seconds. My God, Shelby cried. The patient's oxygen will turn this room into a fireball, she panicked.
Shelby tried reaching for the valve to shut off the escaping gas, but the fire was already too hot, burning her hands. I've got to get out of here, she told herself her eyes falling on the petite blonde in the bed. Can I get her detached from all the tubes and monitors in time to save us both? the frightened nurse wondered as she felt the heat from the flames getting closer.