The Nurse He Shouldn't Notice

“I’ve been working in the Teligu Hospital for a little more than two years.” The words flowed over her delicate shoulder.

“And you’re already the head nurse?”

She chuckled low in her throat. “Yeah, and sometimes nutritionist, health inspector and ward housekeeper. Around here we do it all.”

Her dry mirth punctuated her earlier anger. “We all pitch in. Locals are hired to do some of the work but there’s always something needing to be done. Like today.”

“How many are on staff?”

She turned round, her eyes having gone serious. “Including you and me? Not enough.”

“Why not?”

“For the same reason you’re only here for a short while.” She looked out across the compound as if taking it in for the first time. “Lack of supermarkets, malls and night life …” Her voice trailed off into a soft, accepting voice, which told Court she’d run out of energy to fight.

He said nothing for a while. For some reason he wished he could commit to staying forever just to see her happy. That was an odd thought. “So what does the hospital need most?”

“Doctors. Not for a couple of weeks or months. Staff willing to commit to staying for a year or more. Pharmacists, nurses, a hospital director, or any other medical professional you can think of, we could use them all. And the money to encourage them to stay longer and …” she paused for effect “… a children’s clinic.”

“What about doctors and nurses local to the area?” He would continue to pepper her with questions as long as she agreed to answer them.

“No native doctors. For pretty much the same reason others don’t stay.” Her voice strengthened, a steel edge entering it with her passion for the subject. “If they get out of the villages, they find they like the life at the coast. And the money. There’re five full-time nurses. We’re training local women, and some go off to school with the help of the government.”

“Doctors?”

“Just Dr. Roberts full time, we fill in with visiting doctors. For the next couple of weeks it will be Dr. Roberts and you. But Dr. Roberts will take a few days of vacation next week. He’s not had any time off in months.” She finished with a flourish.

The more she spoke, the more animated Maggie became. He couldn’t take his eyes off the petite woman who spoke like a lioness protecting her young. What would it be like to have someone who loved so unconditionally in his corner?

Court leaned back. “We’ve more help. Another doctor flew in with me.”

“Really?” She seemed excited by the news. “Great. We’ll be able to do the clinic in one of the neighboring villages after all.”

They’d reached a simple, cinder-block structure, covered by a tin roof. She opened the screen door and held it for him. He stepped into the tile-floored room. A lamp illuminated two well-used chairs and a small bare table in the sitting area. A ceiling fan produced the only air circulation.

“There’s a small kitchen area, bedroom and bath through there.” She pointed in the direction of a dark doorway.

Her skirt brushed against his cargo pants as he moved to tug on a light pull so he could see down the hall.

She shifted, putting distance between them. “You can fix your own meals or we’ve a mess hall. Since there’s no food stored here, I’ll be by at six-thirty in the morning to show you where you get breakfast. If we have a few minutes before rounds, I’ll take you around the hospital. Clinic starts promptly at seven-thirty.”

Her words were all but rolling over each other. Did he make her nervous? He would’ve never imagined anyone could rattle this unflappable woman.

Stepping out the door, she warned, “Be sure and latch the screen before you go to bed.”

Maggie was running. And she wasn’t half as impressed with him as he’d like. She certainly shared no love for his family’s philanthropic endeavors. Missy Maggie reminded him of his favorite kind of candy, hard on the outside, gooey in the center. He’d like to find out what other surprises she hid.

The next morning Court started down the bungalow’s short hall as a knock sounded at the door.

Maggie stood outside the screened entry. She wore a scooped-neck shirt and a floral skirt, hiding what he imagined were enticing curves. Her chestnut hair hung from the nape of her neck secured by a rubber band. She looked shiny, natural and young. And completely out of place in this stark land.

“I didn’t think you’d be up,” she said through the wire mesh.

“You told me six-thirty, and it’s six-thirty.” He pushed the door open, stepping out.

The glint in her eye suggested she might be laughing at him. “We’ll see if you feel this chipper tomorrow morning.”

He still felt the same chill from her that had been present the day before. He fell into step beside her as they took a different path from last night. This one ended at a long, low building adjacent to the hospital.

“This is what we affectionately call the mess hall.” She led the way to a short buffet line set up at one end.

It resembled a military mess hall he’d seen in pictures.

“The food’s prepared for the in-patients Monday through Saturday. Families bring the meals in on Sunday. Most of us find it easier to eat here than to go to the town market daily.” After filling her plate, she moved toward an empty table.

“Hey, Court,” John Weber, the doctor who had flowm in with him, called. “Come join us. Tell us where you disappeared to yesterday.”

“Sure.” He and Maggie took chairs at the table. “Maggie, you haven’t had a chance to meet John Weber. He works with the foundation. This is Lisa Mills and Jen Skindowski.” He directed a hand toward first the blonde and then the brunette woman sitting beside the doctor.

She nodded to the women and shook hands with John. “I’m sorry. I thought you were the pilot.”

John laughed. “No, I’m a general practitioner. The pilot would be Court. It’s his jet.”

Court shrugged when her piercing gaze came back to him. She didn’t look impressed. Did she think he should sell the plane and offer the money to the hospital?

“In fact, you could call it his baby, he loves it so much.” John took a bite of scrambled egg.

“I imagine a plane makes it easy to get around,” she mumbled. What she left unsaid made him uncomfortable.

“John, did you get the equipment taken care of?”

“Yeah, the director put it in storage. I made sure it was handled carefully. So tell me about the big emergency yesterday.” John kept his focus on Court.

“Truck and cart accident. Cart lost. A child with a clean fracture. An old man who needed a couple of stitches. The girl was doing well when I checked on her at midnight.”

Maggie’s head jerked up. “You went to check on her in the middle of the night?”

“Don’t sound so shocked. I like to keep a personal eye on my patients.” He’d failed to check on a patient once and he’d never make that mistake again, even if he was still a long way from feeling comfortable around children. She gave a nod of approval. It felt good to think her opinion of him had taken at least a slight upturn. Something about how she’d reacted to the girl being injured made him believe the children routinely received her special attention.

Lisa asked Maggie a question about the facility, and they began discussing the hospital and the area. There were additional questions about the people and the type of care they most often required. Court listened, impressed by how involved Maggie was with her patients. She clearly loved her work and the Mamprusi people.

She pushed her plate away and said to the group, “If you’re finished, why not join Court for a tour?”

Court lagged behind the others as Maggie pointed out buildings within the compound.

She turned to the nurses. “Don’t go outside the fence after dark and only with a companion during the day. It isn’t like at home. There’s no police or law like you’re used to.”

Inside the hospital building she pointed out the pharmacy, office area, supply area, and the two ORs. She led them to the women’s ward where the beds looked to be World War II surplus. Family members were sitting or sleeping on the floor around their loved ones.