Tender Nurse Read Online Free PDF Page A

stammered, taken aback by the unexpectedness of the questioning. “Sister Hawthorne——”
    “Don’t know?” he cut in. “Why not. You’re his nurse. No use waiting for Sister to come and tell you.”
    Julia Fisher, who had been standing by wearing a thin, supercilious smile, said smoothly:
    “His pulse is quite steady and normal, Mr. Graham.”
    He made a silencing gesture. “I’m asking Nurse Grey. It’s her business to know the condition of her patient— whether he’s in a fit state for his operation or not. Well?” he demanded afresh.
    Stung into alertness by his manner, Andrea said with sudden inspiration: “He’s quite calm and ready, doctor. He — his appendix has been troubling him for some years and he’ll be only too glad to get rid of it.”
    The dark brows shot up. “Hm. He will, will he?” A slight smile of approval played on his lips. “That right, Brown?” he asked the patient who had just opened his eyes.
    Brown nodded sleepily.
    “Good enough,” said Martin. “We’ll soon have it out. Right, George,” he said to a fair-haired young doctor who had just appeared. “He’s ready for his spinal.”
    He clumped out again.
    Julia Fisher turned a cold eye on Andrea. “Nurse, I should have thought you had been told by now. Never address Mr. Graham as ‘doctor.’ Either Mr. Graham or ‘Sir.’ To do otherwise is against the rule of the hospital and the height of bad manners.”
    Andrea reddened and was about to make a reply, but having delivered her reprimand, Julia Fisher had turned on her heel and was already giving out fresh orders in the theatre. Sister Hawthorne came along presently.
    The rest of the morning stood out in Andrea’s memory for the rest of her nursing career and for long after that. This was a new experience for her and she was entirely fascinated. For two and a half hours she watched Martin operate and was amazed at his skill. She watched entranced as without the slightest hesitation and with a sureness of touch he made his clear-cut incision; noticed his dexterous handling of delicate instruments, the steadiness of his hands, the rapidity with which he worked and gave his orders, and saw the intense concentration in his cool grey eyes. All held her enthralled.
    Between operations he found time to have a personal word with every patient endowing each one with confidence. Once when Andrea herself was beginning to feel both the mental and physical strain he said:
    “Get nurse a stool, someone. She can’t stand the whole morning — before we know where we are she’ll be passing out on us — big strain the first time.”
    Andrea was grateful for the high stool which was brought for her, but wondered apprehensively whether he noticed a glance exchanged between two of the nurses. Those grey eyes missed nothing of what went on around him.
    “No wonder the nurses almost worship him,” Andrea said to herself as the last patient before lunch was being wheeled out of the anaesthetic room. Sister went back to the ward, and Andrea was about to follow Jones through the door to take the patient back to his bed when to her surprise, Martin Graham called her back.
    “Nurse Grey, I want to speak to you. Nurse Wood will take the patient back to the ward.”
    He closed both doors and they were alone in the anaesthetic room.
    Her heart began to beat painfully as she saw his heavy expression.
    He looked at her in silence for a moment.
    “Well, Nurse,” he said at last in a cold voice. “You’ve lost no time in spreading the story that I brought you home last night. In fact, it is the general belief that I actually took you out for the evening. What have you to say to that?”
    Andrea’s cheeks colored. “You surely don’t think that I’m responsible for spreading that ridiculous rumor?”
    He folded his arms and inclined his head in cool speculation.
    “You obviously know of its existence. If you were as innocent as you would have me believe you’d be unaware that there