Chapter 1
“Can you hear me? Hello...We’re just going to lift you off the wheelchair and put you on the bed…Ok...that’s it…there you are…that was alright wasn’t it? Now…you just lie there and a doctor will see soon…alright?” Said the nurse as she and a male nurse lifted the man onto the bed in A&E. He was semi-conscious and obviously suffering from the cold. The female nurse drew the curtain around the bed as the male nurse took off the man’s coat and tried to make him as comfortable as possible while he waited for the doctor to arrive.
“Hello…sir…can you hear me? What is your name? Hello…” Asked the male nurse leaning over the man as he manipulated a blood pressure cuff over the shirt on his left arm and then clipped a finger sensor onto the man’s forefinger to monitor his heart rate. As the blood pressure cuff inflated, the man muffled something and lifted his right arm slightly.
“No…you just lay there quietly sir…a doctor will be with you soon.” Said the male nurse gently pushing the man’s arm back down onto the bed and turning to look at the female nurse who was stood by the curtains.
“I wonder how old he is?” she said cocking her head to one side slightly as she looked at the dishevelled and confused man lying on the bed. “He reminds me of my grandfather a little…”
“I bet he didn’t smell as bad as this guy does.” Said the male nurse with his head turned away from him. “He needs a bath.”
“Shh…he might hear you.”
“Don’t worry…he’s out for the count…probably so drunk on cheap wine and cider that he won’t remember a thing for days.”
“Here’s the doctor now.” Said the female nurse moving to one side as the young male doctor almost ran past her and approached the bed.
“What and who do we have here?” He asked looking at the old man whose eyes were now open and scanning around the ceiling.
“This is an old gentleman who was brought in by the ambulance guys…he has no ID on him and we have not been able to get a name from him.”
“Right…well his blood pressure and heart rate are fine…has he been drinking?”
“Unknown I’m afraid.” Replied the male nurse.
The doctor leant forward and took a careful sniff of the old man’s breath which made him reel back slightly waving his hand in front of face.
“Mmm…it’s difficult to tell with everything else going on. No signs of vomit and he hasn’t passed urine all over himself. His clothes seem in good condition. Hello…sir…can you hear me? What is your name? Nothing. Ok. Leave him here for a while and keep an eye on him I don’t think there’s anything to worry about…let me know if there’s any change.”
“Yes doctor.” Replied the two nurses almost in unison as the doctor spun round and disappeared out of the cubicle and past the curtain almost as fast as he appeared.
The male nurse unhooked the large red Press for attention button from behind the bed and gently slipped it under the old man’s right index finger.
“We are going to see to other patients now but if you need anything just push the red button and someone will come to see you…Ok? Good. There is some water by the side of the bed if you need a drink and I’ve put a cardboard container there as well if you need to be sick. Ok?”
Both the nurses left the old man alone in his cubicle to sleep and recover. They had seen this type of thing so many times before they had lost count. The streets were full of homeless people now, far more than there ever used to be, and they usually came into hospital because they had drunk too much and passed out somewhere. It was all too common, but there was nothing they could do. They were there to just pick up the pieces…as always.
