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time we get out of here. So you won t really have any orders on him until he
gets back.
Dayne heard yelling and swearing from the patient rooms and frowned.
Frank said, That s Fields. He s been doing that all night. Our only orders on
him are cardiac when I
called to see about giving him a sleeping pill, Dr. Batskold said he wouldn t
order anything for him because he didn t want to mask symptoms.
So you listened to that all night. Dayne made a sympathetic face.
Yep. Mostly he s been pretty funny. He says these little clear men keep
stealing his covers and messing with the equipment. Every time we go in the
room, the covers are in a pile on the floor in the far corner, and all of his
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equipment is bollixed up. Frank sighed. It would be hilarious if he didn t
insist on yelling at his hallucinations.
Clear men, huh? That sounds different. Dayne grinned. Usually they can see
them just fine they always claim the problem is with us. So . . . has he had
any chest pain since admission?
Nope. Just clear men stealing his covers.
Okay. Dayne sighed and took Fields chart from Frank, noting times the
patient was due medications, checking for specific treatment orders, comparing
the orders with the drug administration record, and scanning the vitals and
nursing notes. Meanwhile another night nurse came in to give her report to her
day relief.
Frank said, You ready to go do rounds?
She finished the quick look at the orders she would go over them again once
Frank was out the door and went with him to meet the patients and make sure
their equipment was all functioning.
The patient in G had indeed already gone to surgery. Dayne introduced herself
to his daughter, who was
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waiting and passing the time by gathering up a few of his things to take home
with her, and then Dayne and Frank went in to meet Mr. Fields.
His blanket was in a pile under the window. As they walked into the room, he
was shouting at the top of his lungs and fighting with his sheet though Dayne
noticed he was definitely winning.
Good morning, Mr. Fields, Frank said. This is your day nurse, Dayne
Kuttner.
He looked up at her with harried eyes, and said, Can you see them?
Dayne looked at the way he clutched his sheet and twisted it in his hands, at
the weariness in his expression, at the sweat that beaded his brow. She shook
her head sadly. No, Mr. Fields. I can t.
Would you look? I haven t been able to sleep all night they keep stealing my
covers; little men that look like they re made of clear gelatin. And they
laugh at me and call me names. . . . He wiped a hand over his forehead and
looked at her imploringly. Please . . . look.
She nodded and gathered the sheet into her arms and looked down at the bed.
You see? Nothing there.
I see, he said gloomily. But they ll be back as soon as you leave.
Frank said, I m going to go out and make sure I didn t miss anything. Catch
up with me before I leave, okay?
Dayne nodded. I ll be out in a few minutes. I m just going to fix his bed for
him. As soon as Frank was out of earshot, she turned to her patient and said,
Guys never can get this right. She grinned at him, and with brisk movements,
tied both the bottom of the sheet and the bottom of the blanket to the bed.
She found a couple of safety pins and pinned the covers to the bed from under
the sheet then, for good measure, pinned them to the mattress from outside.
She said, Now you can get some sleep, Mr. Fields.
The covers won t go anywhere.
His smile held an element of doubt, but he nodded. I hope you re right. I m
so tired, the world is spinning. If I don t sleep soon, I m afraid I m going
to lose my mind.
Dayne tactfully kept her opinions on the state of his mind to herself, and
with a wave, headed out of the room to find Frank.
He was waiting by the lockers. He raised an eyebrow as she approached. I
don t hear him yelling yet.
She winked. Secret trick of the trade.
You brought in sleeping pills from home and gave him one?
Tied his sheets to the bed and pinned them there.
He smacked his forehead with the flat of his hand and groaned. Why didn t I
think of that? If we put up with his screaming for the last two hours for
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