Random reminder

Press, 3 January 1980, Page 16

Random reminder

ANGELS OF MERCY

“It’s a job that will extend your capabilities. . . it is sometimes tough — Recruiting .advertisent fo nurses.

Obviously the tough capable profession will need tough capable writing. Read on. '.'/You know how it is, early in the morning, in the Ward-shose-number-they-only-whisper. There is ash. There are coffee rings under your elbow. Harriet and I squinted into the grimy sun. One of them was awake and it was ! time to do what had to be done. Harriet would not look at me. She fumbled with the big sweepchronograph Rolex and the 13-cm Clinical. “It is time to do what has to be done,” she said. ?./ ' ‘

“No,” I screamed but it was a scream that never was screamed and my .lips whispered “Yes’’ and I got up

for I knew it was me that had to do what had to' be done to the one of them that was awake in the Ward-whose-number-they-only-whisper and I knew that Harriet would still be looking away but I did not look at her. But that is how things are when they are how they should not be. The one that was awake looked up and for a moment I thought that it would be the way it is sometimes with the tough ones. But I had the Mark IV epaulette and the $l5 Lapel-Pinned Nurses Special and they held his eye for just long enough for me to chop at his wrist and it was over quickly. Once you are back in the office the hand shakes but with practice the hand does not shake and the hand can write down what is to be written down about what was done that was what had to be done. Temperature 37.7, Pulse 58, Respiration 12.