Nancy Clue Mysteries 1 - The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse (4 page)

Nurse Marstad continued. "My reports indicate you are a thoughtful and efficient nurse. I was pleased tonight to see the nice manner in which you handled Miss Bee. All your patients give you high marks." Nurse Marstad closed her book. "Now, I hate to see a good nurse lost because of one blunder. You shouldn't have left the ward, Cherry, and my guess is that you'll never make that mistake again."

Cherry shook her head. "Never," she said solemnly. "I'll do anything to keep my job," Cherry added earnestly.

"Of course you'll keep your job." Nurse Marstad seemed amused.

"You mean you're not going to fire me? I can stay?" Cherry squeaked, her voice cracking with emotion.

"The other nurses would have my head if I let our most popular nurse go!" Nurse Marstad replied.

Cherry blushed. She had had no idea she was so well-liked. She just did her best to work hard, be cheerful and keep her uniform clean and starched.

The head nurse looked sternly at Cherry. "I know I'm hard on you nurses, but this is a difficult job. Our patients really need us; this isn't a fancy private hospital for spoiled rich people."

"That's why I'm here," Cherry said solemnly. Nurse Marstad nodded. Cherry's dedication was apparent to all who worked with her.

"I meant what I said about canceling vacation plans to stay here and find Lana," Cherry repeated earnestly. "You saw how many clues I dug up tonight. I know I can do it! First I'll find Lana and then I'll find out who she is!"

Nurse Marstad shook her head. "While your dedication is laudable, we here at General Hospital don't believe in working our nurses to the bone. I really think you should take that vacation, Cherry. Besides, weren't you also going home to Idaho? Won't your mother be awfully disappointed?"

Cherry was amazed that Nurse Marstad knew so much about her plans. "I didn't tell her I was coming. I wanted it to be a surprise," Cherry said. "I'm sure I can find Lana. I'd feel so much better knowing that I didn't leave you in a jam."

Nurse Marstad looked thoughtful. "Actually, Cherry, you could do me a really big favor. I need to get a package to a friend of mine in Oregon-and soon. Are you staying long in Idaho?" When Cherry replied that she intended to visit her family for no more than a day on her way to San Francisco, Nurse Marstad continued.

"Since you're going in that direction, you could drop it off. It would just be a few miles out of your way. It's very important, and there aren't many people I'd trust with it. But I know I can count on you, Cherry."

"Even though I seem to be imagining things?" Cherry fretted.

Nurse Marstad laughed. "You're just overworked, Cherry. Why, you're a splendid probation nurse!"

That was high praise coming from the strict head nurse, Cherry thought. Her bosom swelled with pride. "Why, I'd be honored to deliver a package for you, Nurse Marstad. What is it?"

Nurse Marstad seemed flustered by Cherry's inquiry. She quickly regained her composure and answered, in a casual manner, "Oh, it's a special experimental medication, and it's very fragile. You'd need to watch it along the way; don't leave it in your car unattended. Take it with you wherever you go. It's very rare. When you get to Oregon, deliver it right to my friend's front door; hand it to her personally. I'll get a map to you before you leave in the morning," she said. "Are you willing to do it?"

"Of course!" Cherry cried. "You can count on me, Nurse Marstad. I'd never let you down! Why, you're not nearly as tough as everyone says!" she added.

Nurse Marstad chuckled. "You assumed I was going to fire you because you made one mistake. After all, doesn't everyone say I'm so tough that I practically eat probation nurses for breakfast?"

Cherry didn't know what to say. She always tried to be diplomatic. "Everyone knows you have high standards. And there was that one nurse..."

"So that awful rumor about Nurse Rita Rooney is still making the rounds!"

Cherry had indeed heard the rumor. Why, all probies heard it the first day on the job. Legend had it that a beginning nurse made a simple mistake during surgery, and Nurse Marstad reprimanded her so harshly she hung herself that very night. Her ghost haunted the first-year nurses' quarters during the full moon, the senior nurses said.

"You mean she didn't hang herself because of you?" Cherry blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Nurse Rooney is very much alive and well and living in Key West with Nurse Greta Green. I should know. I was her roommate until the day Nurse Green showed up."

Cherry's jaw dropped. "But why do they tell that terrible story?" she asked indignantly.

Nurse Marstad smiled widely, revealing a darling dimple in her left cheek. "Someone's idea of a joke, I guess!" she shrugged.

Cherry was astonished. Why, Nurse Marstad wasn't the big bad wolf everyone thought!

"It would be an honor to deliver your package, Nurse Marstad," Cherry said proudly.

Nurse Marstad unlocked the bottom drawer of her desk and took out a bundle the size of a clutch purse, wrapped in brown paper and tied securely with white string. Using her fountain pen, she addressed the package in bold handwriting before handing it to Cherry.

She walked Cherry to the door, handed her the precious parcel, and resumed her no-nonsense tone of voice.

"Nurse Aimless, I order you to go and pack!" she said, with a stern tone in her voice but a twinkle in her eye. "And Cherry," she added in a whisper, "Mum's the word about Nurse Rooney. That story keeps probies on their toes, and I kind of don't mind it myself!"

Cherry impulsively hugged the older woman. "I'll send you a postcard," she promised. She suddenly felt in high spirits.

Why, Nurse Marstad was human after all! And really quite attractive when she smiled, Cherry thought, as she headed back to her room to begin packing.

She was almost to the nurses' dorm when she realized she still had Nurse Marstad's lavender handkerchief clutched in her hand. "I'll wash and iron it tonight and return it in the morning," she promised herself. She jammed the handkerchief in her pocket, her thoughts turning to other things.

She hated to leave before Lana was found, but deep in her heart she knew Nurse Marstad was right. She could use a rest. And besides, now she had an important package to deliver!

"Two whole glorious weeks, and they're all mine!" she thought happily, a little skip in her walk. General Hospital could not have had a happier nurse than vacation-bound Cherry Aimless.

The distinctive creak of rubber-soled shoes outside her door woke Cherry from a deep slumber. Being careful not to disturb her roommate, Nurse Cassie Case, Cherry slipped out of bed, donned her pinkflowered chenille robe and fuzzy slippers, and quietly opened her door.

"I must have been dreaming," she thought when she peeked out and discovered no one in the hallway. "That, or I'm a little jumpy after the events of last night! I may as well get an early start on my trip," she reasoned, but when she saw the soft glowing dial of her electric alarm clock, she changed her mind.

"Three in the morning and I'm thinking of getting up?" she yawned, jumping back into bed and snuggling under the warm covers.

She slept in fits and starts the rest of the night. Once she thought she heard someone jiggling her doorknob, but decided she was imagining things. Eventually she resumed her slumber, and when she awoke, Nurse Case was gone. On her neatly-made bed was a note for Cherry:

I didn't want to wake you because you'll need all your rest for the trip ahead. Have a gay time in San Francisco!

Cherry hopped out of bed, gave her face a good scrubbing in the little corner sink and put on the travel outfit she had selected before going to bed, a cornflower-blue madras skirt, simple white cotton blouse and comfortable flats.

"It's just the ticket for a comfy car trip," she declared, surveying herself in the full-length mirror. She doublechecked the contents of her stylish white leather suitcase and matching cosmetics bag before latching them securely. Cherry wasn't sure what the styles were in San Francisco, so she had packed a wide variety of outfits, from play clothes to formal wear. She put Nurse Marstad's package in her purse and left her room.

After a delicious breakfast of soft-boiled eggs, melba toast and fruit cup in the hospital cafeteria, Cherry had two stops to make. The first was the payroll office, to receive her vacation pay. There was an envelope attached to her pay packet, addressed to her in Nurse Marstad's unmistakable handwriting. Inside was a map of Oregon, a crisp ten-dollar bill, and a note.

Cherry, I really appreciate this-you are a lifesaver! Use the money for gasoline and a treat. I've marked the map so you know where you're going.

Have a good time-that's an order.

Peg Marstad

Cherry remembered that Nurse Marstad's lavender handkerchief lay crumpled in the pocket of last night's uniform, which she had thrown hastily into her suitcase. Her friends laughed v hen she packed her uniforms for a vacation trip, but Cherry knew that a nurse could be called into action at any time, and she wanted to be appropriately attired if such an occasion should arise.

Besides, she wanted to show off the uniform to her chums in Pleasantville.

She had forgotten all about the handkerchief the night before during an impromptu party thrown together by her chums. Nurse Dina Darling, an Iowa farm girl with big brown eyes and a fetching smile, had filched some cheese and crackers from the cafeteria, and Nurse Polly Pluck, a tall brunette with an elfin grin and a dancer's graceful body, had produced a bottle of sparkling apple cider. "For special occasions," she said when she popped the cork. For these hard-working nurses, a vacation was a special occasion, indeed.

Cherry resolved that she would wash and iron the handkerchief at her mother's house and promptly mail it back to Nurse Marstad-or Peg, as she had begun calling her in her mind.

Her next stop was Women's Psychiatric to ask about Lana. Nurse Gerry George reported that Lana was still missing, but they were certain she would be found soon.

"Now, don't you worry about a thing," said Nurse George as she escorted an anxious Cherry to the elevator. "Marstad said if you came around to send you on your way," Nurse George laughed. "I guess she knows you pretty well, Cherry. First to volunteer and last to leave. You'd make a great army nurse! Now, get out of here and have some fun!" She gave Cherry a quick hug and playfully shoved her into the elevator.

Cherry felt drawn to the handsome woman with her warm manner and soft brown eyes. Nurse George was someone she would certainly like to get to know better. "I'll send her a postcard, too," she decided.

She walked briskly to the hospital garage where she stored her 1953 dark blue Buick. "It's not a very glamorous car," she thought, comparing it to the flashy red convertible with white leather seats parked in the next space.

"But it's sturdy and dependable, just like me." She smiled at her reflection in the car window and patted her dancing black curls into place.

She put her suitcase and cosmetics bag in the trunk, checking twice to make sure the lock was secure. "If you must leave home, at least leave in style," her mother had sighed when she gave her the luggage as a high school graduation present.

Cherry hopped into the car and put her purse containing Nurse Marstad's package on the passenger seat beside her. Cherry sighed and settled into her seat. The drive home to Idaho would take at least eight hours, and she was eager to be on her way.

She pulled her car into a nearby service station, and while the attendant filled her tank, Cherry checked to make sure she had her maps of Washington and Idaho. Although she knew the route by heart, it comforted her to know they were available if she ran into trouble. Although Cherry had an excellent sense of direction, she refused to go anywhere without a map.

She was engrossed in planning the first leg of her journey when a strange man wearing a fedora pulled low over his face reached into her car and snatched her purse!

Cherry screamed, and the startled man dropped her purse and ran. The attendant raced after him, but to no avail.