‘Macey, you haven’t been taking these regularly.’ He held up a pill bottle. ‘Yet you’re not.’
‘There’s so many. I can’t keep up.’
Steele picked up another bottle that had just a couple of tablets in it. ‘And these were only dispensed two days ago,’ Steele said, ‘and there are only two left.’
‘I didn’t take them,’ Macey said in a scoffing voice.
‘I know that you didn’t or we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. So where are they now?’
‘I don’t know. My niece puts them into a pill box...’
‘Macey?’
‘I tipped them down the toilet. I don’t trust the drug companies.’
‘Are you depressed, Macey?’
‘Oh, you’re going to put me on antidepressants now. You’re in cahoots with the drug companies.’
‘Are you confused and mixing up your medication or are you ignoring your health?’ Steele asked, and Candy stood there, watching him stare right into Macey’s eyes. ‘Are you depressed, Macey?’
There was a long stretch of silence before Macey answered.
‘I’m not confused,’ she said. ‘Well, sometimes I am with dates and things.’
‘But you’re not confused where your medication’s concerned?’ Steele checked.
‘No,’ Macey said, and Candy frowned at the serious note to Steele’s voice.
‘Okay.’
‘Could you just leave me, please?’ Macey asked.
‘Not happening,’ Steele said, and he took down the edge of the trolley she was lying on. His legs were long enough that he sat there easily. She would need a ladder to do that, Candy thought, and then she stopped thinking idle thoughts as she started to realise the seriousness of this conversation.
‘Why did you tip the tablets in the toilet?’ Steele challenged gently, and Candy felt the back of her nose stinging as he pushed on. ‘Were you scared that you might take them all?’
Macey’s face started to crumple and Steele took her hand. ‘Look at me, Macey. Are you having suicidal thoughts?’ Steele asked bluntly, and after a moment she nodded and then started to cry.
‘Well done for throwing them away,’ Steele said. ‘Well done for coming into hospital and speaking with me.’ Candy watched as he wrapped his arms around the proud lady as she started to really sob. ‘It’s okay.’ His voice was very deep but so gentle. ‘We’re going to look after you...’
CHAPTER THREE
CANDY SLEPT FOR a few hours on Friday afternoon before her first night shift on the geriatric ward and then she got ready and took the Underground into work.
She was actually rather nervous about her night shift. She was so used to working in Emergency that she wasn’t too sure how she would go on the ward. She also had a short four-hour shift there on Sunday morning.
It will be worth it, Candy told herself as she stepped into the geriatric unit.
Hawaii, here I come!
The handover lasted much longer than it did in Emergency and the day staff went into far more detail about the patients than she had grown used to. Candy sat as the staff discussed in depth the patients’ moods and their ADLs: activities of daily living. Steele was sitting at a desk in the room with his back to everyone but didn’t leave as the handover started; he just carried on with whatever he was doing on the computer and offered comment or clarification at times.
Candy knew that she was far, far too aware of him.
The staff clearly liked him. If there was a question they would toss it over to him and he would answer as he typed away.
Elaine, a student nurse, was giving her handover to the night staff, watched over by her mentor, Gloria. Elaine was very bossy and seemed to think she was the only one in the room who knew what she was doing. She had given a sigh of exasperation when Candy had introduced herself and said that she was from the hospital bank. ‘Another one!’ Elaine had said.
As Elaine gave her handover there were a few times when Candy caught Abigail’s eye—Abigail was the senior nurse she would be working with tonight, and they both smothered a smile.
Mr Heath, who had been so unwell the other day in Emergency, was doing a lot better and Candy was allocated to look after him for the night.