And suddenly she knew their plaintive harmony, the admiration of the patients, the sense of work ceasing with the day, had left her tremendously happy and glad to be here. Glad she was part of the Elijah Wilson! And she was part of it! Dr. MacArthur had said:
"We are planning to enlarge the accident room. You are the first person I have told about it. And while you are lying in that bed, I want you to decide what changes you think it would be wise to make. You can be a great help to me, if you will."
A great help ... and every head nurse in the hospital would give her eyebrows to have him say that to her! As soon as the ward quieted down, she'd have to begin to think about it ... or perhaps it might be best to wait until tomorrow and let the singing of the negroes lull her to sleep.
She wasn't afraid any more. And anyhow Dr. MacArthur had said, so far as evidence was concerned, she had nothing to be afraid of, except hypodermics, and she would like to see the person who could give her a hypo now! She would like to see two people try to give her....
Down the corridor she caught a glimpse of Dr. Ethridge Sterling, Senior, and Dr. Sterling. Was Dr. Bear shrinking or did he just look so little and chubby because he was walking beside Dr. Cub? They both looked worried; when they entered the ward, they were smiling.
Their arrival created a nervous tension just the same. A sense of dread filled the air. Dr. Sterling began doing his rounds and talking briskly to his father about each patient. But Dr. Bear put his famous hands firmly across his back and looked solid. Rose Standish frowned. He looked just that way when a bad accident came in. Like it hurt him ... all over ... too.
Finally they reached her bed and Dr. Sterling barked, "Good evening, Miss Standish. Want Father to look you over. This condition sometimes comes from effusion and is operative."
The student nurse hovering in the background ran for the instrument basket, and Dr. Sterling began drawing the bed curtains.
Dr. Bear was already leaning over and looking straight into her eyes with his measuring ones.
Her bloodless lips turned a pinkish red. They accentuated the ivory pallor of her peaked face.
"Perfectly, thank you. But if I get examined many more times, you are bound to find something wrong, somewhere. How are you, sir?"