Read Online A Match for Sister Maggy by Betty Neels - Free Book Online
Authors: Betty Neels
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to ignore. Before she could change her mind, she turned round and said quietly,
âIâll be glad to go with your mother, Dr Doelsma, and stay with her until she is well again.â
He had been looking rather stern; now his whole face lighted up.
âYou canât know how pleased I am that you will be at Oudehof with my mother. Come and tell her yourself, wonât you?â
She was glad of her decision when she saw Mevrouw Doelsma, who took her hand and said, âIâll never be able to thank you, my dear. I thought perhaps you wouldnât want to comeâit will a dull life for you after the rush and bustle here.â
Maggy assured her that that was just what she would like, and went away to give the report to the night nurse. Before she went off duty she told a bewildered junior nurse to take all the roses from the office and carry them to the geriatric ward, and waited until the little room was once more bare. In her room, she took the remaining flowers over to the front lodge to George, whose wife was ill. She wasnât to know that Dr Doelsma would see them on his way out, and such were her feelings that she wouldnât have cared.
She cried slow bitter tears for a long time before she went to sleep that night.
CHAPTER FOUR
M AGGY SENSED that there was something amiss as soon as she got to her office the next morning. The night nurse looked nervous, even Williams looked worried. Maggy sat down at her desk. âIâll have the report first, Nurse, shall I? Then you can tell me whatâs gone wrong.â She gave her an encouraging smile and opened the book. The report duly given and commented upon, the bad news came tumbling out. Madame Riveau had gone. It had happened during the busy period between six and seven, when the nurses were fully occupied with teas, bedpans, washing patients, giving medicines, changing beds⦠Madame Riveau had got up and dressed, unseen, what with screens being pulled and patients who were well enough walking up and down the ward to the bathroom. The first the nurses had known of it was the commotion caused by the two Riveau men, who, it seemed, had come into the ward via the fire escape. They had walked off with Madame Riveau before anything could be done. By the time the nurse had rung through to the porter, they had already gone, using the Casualty entrance. The nurse there, busy herself, had thought they were relatives who had spent the night with one of the ill patients.
âIâll have to let the Office know, and Matron,â saidMaggy. âWrite a statement, Nurse, and Iâll sign it too, and take it along to Matron. It was no fault of yours. Sheâs been a difficult patient and her husband has been wanting her home for a long time now. She was due out tomorrow morning anyway.â She sighed with relief at the thought that she would not have to meet those awful men again.
The days slipped by. Matron had told her that she would probably be in Holland for four weeks, perhaps a little longer; a relief Sister would run the ward until her return. Maggy wrote to her parents in Scotland, got herself a passport and looked through her clothes, openly envied by every nurse in the hospital.
It was arranged that they should travel on a morning plane. An ambulance took Mevrouw Doelsma and Maggy, very neat in her uniform and little cape, to the airport, where they were met by Sir Charles who had elected to see them off. Maggy had been surprised to see Dr Doelsma waiting with him when they arrived, but beyond a brief good morning he said nothing, but went away to see to the luggage. She had not anticipated that he would be travelling with them, indeed she had not known that he was in England. There was, she admitted to herself, no reason why he should have informed her of his plans. She spent the next ten minutes or so installing her patient and herself on the KLM plane. In this she had the good offices of the stewardess and between them
âIâll be glad to go with your mother, Dr Doelsma, and stay with her until she is well again.â
He had been looking rather stern; now his whole face lighted up.
âYou canât know how pleased I am that you will be at Oudehof with my mother. Come and tell her yourself, wonât you?â
She was glad of her decision when she saw Mevrouw Doelsma, who took her hand and said, âIâll never be able to thank you, my dear. I thought perhaps you wouldnât want to comeâit will a dull life for you after the rush and bustle here.â
Maggy assured her that that was just what she would like, and went away to give the report to the night nurse. Before she went off duty she told a bewildered junior nurse to take all the roses from the office and carry them to the geriatric ward, and waited until the little room was once more bare. In her room, she took the remaining flowers over to the front lodge to George, whose wife was ill. She wasnât to know that Dr Doelsma would see them on his way out, and such were her feelings that she wouldnât have cared.
She cried slow bitter tears for a long time before she went to sleep that night.
CHAPTER FOUR
M AGGY SENSED that there was something amiss as soon as she got to her office the next morning. The night nurse looked nervous, even Williams looked worried. Maggy sat down at her desk. âIâll have the report first, Nurse, shall I? Then you can tell me whatâs gone wrong.â She gave her an encouraging smile and opened the book. The report duly given and commented upon, the bad news came tumbling out. Madame Riveau had gone. It had happened during the busy period between six and seven, when the nurses were fully occupied with teas, bedpans, washing patients, giving medicines, changing beds⦠Madame Riveau had got up and dressed, unseen, what with screens being pulled and patients who were well enough walking up and down the ward to the bathroom. The first the nurses had known of it was the commotion caused by the two Riveau men, who, it seemed, had come into the ward via the fire escape. They had walked off with Madame Riveau before anything could be done. By the time the nurse had rung through to the porter, they had already gone, using the Casualty entrance. The nurse there, busy herself, had thought they were relatives who had spent the night with one of the ill patients.
âIâll have to let the Office know, and Matron,â saidMaggy. âWrite a statement, Nurse, and Iâll sign it too, and take it along to Matron. It was no fault of yours. Sheâs been a difficult patient and her husband has been wanting her home for a long time now. She was due out tomorrow morning anyway.â She sighed with relief at the thought that she would not have to meet those awful men again.
The days slipped by. Matron had told her that she would probably be in Holland for four weeks, perhaps a little longer; a relief Sister would run the ward until her return. Maggy wrote to her parents in Scotland, got herself a passport and looked through her clothes, openly envied by every nurse in the hospital.
It was arranged that they should travel on a morning plane. An ambulance took Mevrouw Doelsma and Maggy, very neat in her uniform and little cape, to the airport, where they were met by Sir Charles who had elected to see them off. Maggy had been surprised to see Dr Doelsma waiting with him when they arrived, but beyond a brief good morning he said nothing, but went away to see to the luggage. She had not anticipated that he would be travelling with them, indeed she had not known that he was in England. There was, she admitted to herself, no reason why he should have informed her of his plans. She spent the next ten minutes or so installing her patient and herself on the KLM plane. In this she had the good offices of the stewardess and between them
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