Seven

Chapter 3

Making his way to the reception desk, Tim spotted Richards sitting in the security room stuffing Cheetos in his face. He was watching a program on the Comedy network and snorting with laughter, instead of monitoring the security cameras all through Crestwood's property.

Lazy sack of shit, Tim thought as he scanned his identification badge by the employee check-in desk. Richards made no effort to move or greet Tim as he made his way to the locker rooms which were in the security area. Tim stuffed his belongings into his locker before heading upstairs to the Blue ward.

Since staff was limited during the third shift, Crestwood was operating on a skeleton crew of 14 people. The current patient count was 123, and because of limited funding and budget restrictions, the hospital board refused to hire more staff at night. Even though patient disturbances were somewhat rare, especially in the Blue ward, Tim always worried about how the staff would manage to move all the patients in case an emergency occurred. It would take the security forces of the surrounding towns around the hospital to ensure the safety of the patients, but it was a thought that often forced its way to the back of Tim's mind.

The reception desk by the entrance to the Blue ward was manned by Nurse Salcedo, a stout Mexican lady in her early 50's who Tim enjoyed working with. When her granddaughters made tamales, she always saved a few for the staff at night to munch on. 

"Muy buenas, Tim," Salcedo chimed as Tim leaned over to see what she was scribbling on the pad. 

"Hola, bonita, you're looking mighty fine tonight," Tim replied as he bent over to review the night's duties on a clipboard. "Say, Salcedo, do you know if any of the patients have gone missing tonight? I mean, are they all accounted for?" Tim eyed the clipboard to review the nightly checks on patients in the Blue ward.

Nurse Salcedo looked at him curiously before responding, "Yes, I've double-checked with the last shift and they're all here. At least all 63 are in the Blue ward," She typed up a few things on the computer and checked the numbers for the Red ward. "There's 60 souls checked into the Red ward, so they're all accounted for. Anything wrong, Tim?"

Tim shook his head. "N'ah. Just wanted to ask. I thought I saw something fishy earlier by the old storage building, and I thought I'd check with you to see if everything was fine." 

Salcedo lightly admonished him. "Tim, you know you're not supposed to head to that area. Dios mio, Richards would have a fit if he knew you were out by the storage. It's off limits." 

"Yeah, yeah, I promise I won't go over there, senora," Tim said as he made his way to the medicine cart for the patients who needed them at night. 

"Oh, Tim, check with Angie later on after you've finished. She said she might need help with something over in the Red ward. I think one of the guys will be a little late and she needs you to cover for him for an hour or so," Salcedo mentioned before she got up to check records in a back room.

Tim pushed the cart through the dimly lit hallways of the Blue ward, which were only lighted by the sparse emergency lights along the corridor. The walls, as with the rest of Crestwood's interiors, were a dull blue-gray color that gave the place a ghoulish appearance. Tim never liked the way the halls looked at night, but since third shift was paid slightly higher than the other shifts, he decided he could deal with it. 

The patients in the Blue ward occupied 30 rooms on the second and third floors with two in each space. Because they weren't destructive or prone to self-harm, security was rather lax and they were allowed to have roommates, provided they got along with the others. None of the patients currently in the Blue ward had problems with each other, and Tim was thankful that each night was uneventful. A few of the older patients had incontinence issues, and the orderlies were charged with handling them. Tim, along with the other  two orderlies, Steven and Mack, were quick and consistent with their duties. 

Tim distributed the medicine to the patients who needed them, checked off the list on his clipboard, and pushed the empty cart back to the Blue ward reception desk. Salcedo and the other nurse on duty were tending to one of the patients suffering from a severe panic disorder, which Steven and Mack were on hand to assist. Knowing that they'd have the situation under control, Tim phoned the Red ward.

"Nurse Finch? It's Petrazzi here. Salcedo told me to head down there to cover for one of your guys. Just wondering if you still need me," Tim said on the phone.

A thin voice answered, "Petrazzi? Sure, come on over. I need a hand with some of the patients." 

Stifling an inward groan, Tim made his way towards the Red ward. God, I pray it's gonna be an easy night.