"And," continued the very observant attendant of the sick, "I
should think that they would have to be very strong and healthy,
perfectly nerveless, and," she smiled, "not a bit fastidious to ride a
motorcycle."
Virginia's face bore a look of mild reproof which melted away as she
joined in the hearty laugh of the nurse.
"I am going up stairs," resumed that energetic person cheerfully, "and
see your motorcyclist. In a minute, I will be back able to assure you
that he is not seriously injured."
As the girl waited, the quiet of the great building depressed her. To her
came the thought that it was a place of weariness, pain, suffering.
The hall before her was the highway along which men and women passed on
their way to those white bed battle-grounds beyond. Through hours, and
days of weariness and suffering the combat dragged its weary length or
moved in strenuous actions, short and sharp, towards victory, with the
joyous return of the pale and weakened warrior to loved ones, home,
friends, and all that makes life worth living, or else--
A door opened above stairs. Something very like a smothered laugh echoed
and the soft pad of rubber soles came on the steps.
"He's all right," the nurse reassured Virginia, as she reentered the
room. "He's perfectly conscious and the doctor says that he sees no
reason why he should not get along nicely." Her manner became very
professional as she went on, "Your motorcyclist has a fractured leg,
three fractured ribs, and many bruises." She shrugged her shoulders
deprecatingly, "That's nothing."
"Nothing! I think that it is dreadful." Virginia displayed indications
of renewed agitation.
The nurse made haste to comfort her, "Remember, I have seen him. That
young man may be brittle but he'll mend fast."
"He will suffer so," worried Virginia.
"No, not after his leg is set. Of course he will be in some pain for a
few days but that will soon pass." The nurse giggled. "Right now he
has a bad headache from striking either your car or the street with his
head. It must be made of extraordinarily strong material."
Virginia gave no heed to the concluding sentence. A look of alarm spread
over her face. "He struck the car an awful blow. It fairly lifted it.
Was that his head?" she gasped.
"Possibly," admitted the dancing eyed nurse. "His headache is severe.
But he'll be over that in the morning."
Another matter of anxiety recurred to the girl. "How's his fever?" she
troubled, her eyes big with pity.
"Fever!" Surprise claimed the nurse as its own. "Now what ever put
that into your head?"
"I held his hand when we brought him here. It was very hot."
"Oh, I see," admitted the nurse with a solemnity of tone which belied
her tell-tale orbs. "What a little helper you _were_. You held the
patient's hand, and, discovering it to be warm, you believed him dead."
"Wasn't it strange?" Virginia gravely pursued her own line of thought.
"It seemed to me that he wanted me to hold his hand, so I did."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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