Divinia
'Technically, I am not stealing!' the nurse said quietly to herself as she slipped the packet of drugs into the pocket of her uniform. Terrified she would be caught and knew if she was, it would result in her being immediately fired.
The blue knee length dress she wore to work was unflattering to her slim, tall body shape but she was thankful that the pockets were big enough for her to carry bulky items such as a set of keys for the medication's cupboard, her lip balm and even her mobile phone.
The medication room was small with enough room for about three people to work in comfortably. The cupboards, units and trolleys were all clinically white, having been given a thorough clean earlier that day. Bending down, she carefully locked the medicine cupboard when she heard the door to the room open. Her heart skipped a beat as adrenalin rushed through her body. Panic had set in. She always felt on edge when she did this. It did not get any easier, instead it seemed that the more drugs she took the harder it got. The door made a screeching sound as it fully opened. Had she finally been caught? Were weeks of pilfering strong drugs during her shift about to catch up with her? The palms of her hands were sweating. A voice spoke.
'Thanks for doing this extra shift, Divinia. I really do appreciate it.' Divinia breathed a sigh of relief, recognising the voice as belonging to Rita, the senior staff nurse of the ward.
'No problem, I was happy to help,' her voice wavering. 'I know how short staffed we are.' Rita was a kind nurse, in her mid-fifties and was well regarded. Divinia and the other nurses had a lot of respect for her but at this moment she was the last person Divinia wanted to have a conversation with. Had Rita seen her put the box of tablets in her pocket?
'Well, I am grateful. I know you have worked a lot of extra shifts recently and you have a lot going on.' Rita kindly smiled softly before asking, in her calm Irish accent, 'have you finished your medication round? If not, I can help.'
Divinia continued to hold her nerve and lied, 'I'm nearly finished, then I will speak to the night staff before I leave.'
'You have been working lots of overtime shifts lately, you need a life outside this hospital. Enjoy your weekend off, rest and spend time with your family.'
Divinia smiled sweetly back at Rita thinking how fortunate she was to have worked the overtime shifts to have gained more access to the medication cupboard. Finally, Rita left and Divinia sighed a big sigh of relief. She has gotten away with it once again.
The nurses station clock read 19.30. It was the end of a long, busy shift, she had missed lunch and eaten only an apple and a packet of crisps for dinner. Despite the stressful working environment Divinia loved being a nurse, nonetheless. It did not matter how busy it was on the ward or how demanding some of the patients could be, Divinia was always composed and smiling. During work she wore her long dark hair up in a high bun and was well presented. Her natural beauty, clear skin and large hazel, green eyes meant there was no need for make-up. Even if she had been inclined to wear it, she convinced herself she was hopeless at applying it.
In between redressing wound sites and dishing out medications she always managed to keep morale high. In a hospital ward that had the ability to be a dull miserable place she lit it up with her smile, sense of humour and zest for life. She brightened up the dreariest of places, like a breath of fresh air.
Anna was one of Divinia's oldest of friends, they had attended the same school, college and even studied nursing at the same university. They were more like sisters than friends. Having worked together on the ward for the last 3 long days in a row, both were tired, but Anna appeared upset as she approached Divinia, 'the lady in room 1 is dying. She won't make it through the night. I've told the night staff, and her family are with her.'
'I'm sorry Anna, I know you liked her.'
Anna nodded her head, and a small tear formed in her eye 'she'll be the second patient of mine that has died this week. It's a shame she didn't have you looking after her, all your patients seem to recover quickly.'
Divinia hugged her friend 'there's nothing else you or the doctors can do for her. You are a great nurse Anna, always remember that.'
Anna dried her eyes, 'I need a drink. The staff from Ward 2 are going for drinks in town, let's go home, change and I'll meet you there at 8.30.'
'Ah, I'd love to, but I can't. I need to stay home tonight, sorry. Another time though.' Divinia replied.
'Is everything ok? Is she getting worse? Shall I come over?'
'It's as good as it can be, she hasn't got long and I just want to be home and spend time with her, that's all. Go out tonight, enjoy yourself.'
'Can you tell her I'll come over and see her on the weekend.' Anna asked softly before adding, 'I think Adam might be going out as well,'
'I saw Adam earlier; he didn't mention going out.' Divinia frowned.
'Most of the junior doctors are out tonight, it's their last night out before their exams start.' The conversation was interrupted when the double doors to the ward opened, and three nurses walked towards them. Anna's face lit up, 'it's the night staff to take over. Do you mind meeting with them so I can go home and get ready?' She asked in her bubbly tone.
'Not at all, you go and make yourself beautiful. Have a good night,' she mocked her friend by pouting and fluffing up her hair. Anna swiftly said her goodbyes and left the ward. About half an hour later, once Divinia had finished her nursing duties she collected her belongings, said goodbye to the patients she had looked after and left the hospital.
On her way out she heard a familiar voice call her name, she turned around and there was Adam. Tall, good looking with wavy blonde hair that fell just above his eye. His wide smile made Divinia blush, 'Dee,' he beamed, 'go get changed. I'll see you in town,'
'I can't, not tonight I'm sorry but I need to go home and see my mom,' she replied.
'What? Why? Divinia, your mom has carers, she'll be fine for tonight. You should think about moving out, rent a place with Anna.'
'I like living at home, and I can come and go as I please.'
'Not tonight though- evidently,' he sneered before instantly changing his persona which was something he did when he wanted to get his own way. 'I miss you,' he continued looking longingly into her large hazel eyes, 'It feels like it has been ages since we were together.' His cheeky grin made her want to give in. He knew how to get what he wanted and ordinarily he would have, but not now, Divinia remained firm in her decision. 'I'm sorry, not tonight.'
A small group of nurses walked towards them giggling excitedly. Divinia noticed they had changed out of their uniforms and were all dressed up for a night out. The blonde one wore far too much makeup and Divinia could not work out for the life of her what the girl had done to her eyebrows, they were scary.
Before Divinia could say anything else, crazy eyebrows piped up. 'Hey Adam, we're heading to The Lounge Bar if you fancy it?' Her large chest was bursting out of the tight top she was wearing which Divinia knew would appeal to Adam even if her face didn't. He smiled baring his perfectly straight white teeth before turning to Divinia, 'last chance babe, you know you want to.'
Adam was a doctor, with charm and charisma, everyone loved him and Divinia enjoyed being with him. They had been in a relationship for the last year, mostly on his terms meaning Divinia only saw him when he wasn't studying or going away on one of his many lad's weekend jaunts. She hoped that someday soon their relationship would become more serious he would show her more commitment. However, as she stood facing him, she caught sight of his arrogance, which had never bothered her before because it was part of who he was. She knew deep down, beneath his juvenile façade that he was a good man who had feelings for her. Regretfully, Divinia she shook her head and quietly said no.
'Divinia, I have worked ten days straight. I have exams coming up and I need a night out before I hit the books. I want to go out tonight and I'd like you to come,' he replied in an impatient tone that irked her even more.
'I'm sorry,' she replied, downbeat and looked to the floor. He nodded and bent down to peck her on the cheek. 'I'll call you,' he smiled. A knot formed in her stomach, 'he'll end up going home with one of those girls tonight,' she thought to herself angrily as she watched him walk out into the night. Divinia slowly walked to her car, a feeling of dread and emptiness swelled in her gut.
Getting into her little blue Nissan Micra she took the stolen packets of drugs out of her dress pocket and carefully placed them into her bag. She put on her seatbelt and drove out of the car park. Usually, she drove the backway home but not tonight, she chose to take the slightly longer route home via the town centre to see how busy it was.
It was a warm summer evening, the town was lively as it was most Friday nights, full of students and locals enjoying themselves in the bars and restaurants. Even with her driver window closed she could hear music coming out of the bars and the chatter and laughter as people stood outside talking and smoking. Envious, she quite fancied a cigarette and a bottle of beer.
It was a one-way traffic system with the road bearing to the right. The car in front of her made it through the lights, but she wasn't so lucky, coming to a stop at the junction. Opposite the traffic lights was a fast-food restaurant and Divinia watched a group of men and women gathered by the entrance. She wound down the window and turned off the air conditioning to feel the warmth on her face. Still gazing toward the restaurant, she noticed a cluster of about 10 men and women walking towards the other group. Quite a crowd of young adults all together. A birthday party, she supposed. They were jeering and jumping up in the air. And as the two groups met, they began to drunkenly play fight. Except as Divinia watched, she realised something far more sinister was taking place.
Divinia strained to hear their words through the open window. 'Do him in!' someone yelled, holding up a glass bottle of beer. There was a high-pitched scream. Divinia watched in horror as a woman close to where the commotion was taking place screamed loudly. A young man next her with a horrified expression on his face began to shout for help.
The car behind Divinia began beeping its horn. The traffic lights had changed to green. Everything was happening so quickly. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out what was happening. Then she saw him. In front of the restaurant doorway was a person lying on the ground. Divinia pulled over, got out of her car and ran to help.
Screams could be heard from all angles; they were getting louder as more blood poured out from the man lay on the floor. Panicked by the situation, most of the men and women from both groups began fleeing the scene leaving only a few innocent by-standers and Divinia left to help.
A woman next to her scrambled to get her phone out of her handbag and called for an ambulance while Divinia was attempting to save the young man's life. Having quickly assessed the situation it was apparent the man had been stabbed and he was losing a lot of blood.
#
At the same time as Divinia pulled up to the set of red traffic lights, two men were coming out of a fast-food restaurant next to her parked car. They were laughing and joking, eating a bag of chips while deciding which bar to go into next. Hearing the screams, they immediately stopped to watch what was happening. Standing a safe distance away they watched as a man fell to the floor.
'He's been marked,' the taller man said calmly.
'Yep, he's all yours, you might as well take him now,' his friend replied, equally unaffected. They watched as Divinia placed a bag over the stab wound to reduce the blood flow. The taller, handsome, dark-haired man of the two, fixed a stare at the body lying on the floor. 'What is she doing, why is she interfering?' he asked, clearly vexed. 'You are wasting your time. love, his number's up!' His companion turned to look at him and smiled. A second later the man on the hard concrete floor stopped breathing.
