Nurse Hilary Read Online Free PDF Page A

huddled in the doorway, her hand clinging tightly to Hilary ’ s, her eyes moving swiftly from corner to corner of the small, elegantly furnished room, the deeply carpeted floor, the door that stood partly open into a neat and comfortable bath.
    “ Why, Mother, there ’ s a TV set, ” Jill Fleming said eagerly.
    “ Now you can watch all your favorite programs without anybody to interfere, ” said Jud Barton with false heartiness as he watched his mother anxiously.
    “ Oh, it ’ s lovely, just lovely, ” the old woman said in that amazingly smooth, composed voice; like a docile, well - brought up child given a present it does not want.
    “ And you can invite your friends in to tea—She can , can ’ t she? ” Jill Fleming broke off to ask Hilary.
    “ Of course. ” Hilary smiled. “ There ’ s a very nice recreation room down the hall opposite the lobby, and tea is served there every afternoon. There ’ s a color TV set there, and games, papers, magazines, and books. ”
    “ You see, darling? ” Jill ’ s eyes were big with tears, though she was smiling determinedly. “ You ’ ll be happy and comfortable, and we ’ ll come to see you and bring the children. You ’ ll see, it ’ s going to be fun! ”
    Mrs. Barton gave them a hardy smile, and Hilary was deeply touched at the realization of the effort it must have cost her.
    “ Now, stop fussing, children, and run along, ” she ordered them firmly. “ You ’ ve got a long drive ahead and—oh, do drive carefully. ”
    She held up beautifully during the leavetaking, and Hilary walked back down the corridor with the four.
    “ It just about kills me to turn her out like this. Oh Jud, how could we? How could we? ” Jill Fleming burst out softly, and her husband put his arm about her and drew her close.
    “ Now, listen, honey, we ’ re not turning her out! We ’ ve been all over this for the past six months, ” he reminded her, a hint of anger in his voice. “ We all agreed she could no longer live alone in that big old house of hers. We tried it with companions and housekeepers and it didn ’ t work. We ’ ve done the only thing we could; we ’ ve found the finest place in the state, maybe in the South. Anyway, you saw her room; you see the surroundings. Isn ’ t that better than her being all alone and lonely in that big old barn of a house? And you know how miserable she was when she came to visit us; she couldn ’ t wait to get home ... ”
    He looked beyond at several old ladies and old men who were coming down the corridor toward the clubroom, laughing and chatting, and turned his wife around to face them.
    “ See? These are the people who will be her friends, ” he told her. “ People of her own generation, whom she will understand and who can understand her and who ’ ll never be bored by her. Oh, you know we all got bored with her sometimes; that ’ s natural and inevitable. But now ...”
    He looked up at Hilary and tried to grin, but the effort was not too successful.
    “ We love her dearly, Miss Westbrook, and we honestly want her happiness above everything else in the world, and that ’ s why we ’ ve brought her here. Please don ’ t think we are — turning her out, will you? ”
    “ Of course not, Mr. Fleming, ” Hilary told him quite sincerely. “ This place was built and is maintained just for people like your mother. And we ’ ll take the very best care of her, I promise you. ”
    Jill drew a long, hard breath, mopped her eyes with her husband ’ s handkerchief, and asked Hilary, “ The brochure did say there was a doctor in constant attendance, didn ’ t it? ”
    “ Of course, ” said Hilary. “ Would you like to talk to him? I ’ ll see if he ’ s free, if you ’ ll just wait here? ”
    They stood huddled in a little group, while Hilary went into Dr. Marsden ’ s office and closed the door behind her.
    Dr. Marsden looked up at her, and a faint frown touched his lean, dark face.
    “ Yes, Nurse? ” he