Seven

Chapter 4

The clock on the wall of the Red ward's reception desk slowly ticked past 11 o' clock. A natural night owl, Tim often remained alert and focused during the early mornings when most people were deep into their sleep. Working night shifts didn't bother Tim, since he wasn't exactly a people person, and one of the pros about working a skeleton crew was the limited interaction Tim would have with staff members. 

The Red ward staff mirrored the Blue with one doctor, two nurses, and three orderlies. Cameron, the orderly Tim was covering for, had a girlfriend who recently gave birth, so he assumed that he was helping out with daddy duties before heading to work. Nearing his 30's, Tim didn't feel rushed to get into relationships, and found that he rather liked being single and alone. The only people he talked to outside of work was his sister Becca and her husband Charlie. The last real date he had was when an Army buddy tried to set him up with a local gal down in some seedy bar outside of Fort Hood. Besides, Tim felt he wasn't ready for a family, a wife, and children. It didn't matter what order they came in. Having three young nephews kept him busy whenever he wasn't working. 

Tim spotted Angie Finch, the nurse on duty, signing off charts for the evening. She didn't spare him a glance, but started to issue orders to him. "I need the linens brought down to the laundry, and make sure all the doors on the floors are secured, including the ones on the third floor," she paused then added,"especially the third floors." 

"Sure thing, nurse Finch," Tim replied as he scanned his ID badge for the security doors before walking through them. 

Making his way down the dimly lit corridor of the Red ward, Tim nodded to Mitch, one of the nightly orderlies on the staff. He was on his way to his dinner break, and stopped Tim before he made it to the end of the hall where some of the soiled linen lay piled in a large cart. "Hey, man, thanks for covering for Cameron. Not sure what time he'll be here, but I appreciate it." 

"Hey, no problem," Tim said, "orderlies gotta stick together, right?" 

Mitch gave him a quick fist bump before going through the heavy double doors. Tim forgot to ask if there were any unusual activities, but he was focused on grabbing the linen cart and checking the security on the floor. 

Patients in the Red ward suffered from debilitating mental illnesses; some were psychosomatic, often brought on by traumatic events or internal conflicts. Others suffered from schizophrenia and harbored dangerous or obsessive behaviors. Tim knew of four patients in the ward who were dangerous criminals, and had been deemed mentally ill to serve their sentences with the general prison population. Three were accused of murder and the other of attempted murder. It sent chills down Tim's spine as he thought of the victims and what they had suffered at the hands of these deranged criminals. They may be patients at a mental facility, but in Tim's mind, they were still convicts who belonged in jail. 

Unlike the Blue ward, where patients were under light security, those who resided in the Red ward were under strict lock and key. Thick steel doors with small windows allowed a form of protection from the staff and the patients. The doors were unlocked magnetically by swiping an ID card through the scanner, but upon closing, it was automatically locked. To head back out, the badge was swiped from the inside. Since Tim wasn't assigned to the Red ward, his badge didn't permit access to any of the rooms on the corridor. It didn't bother Tim, because he wasn't one that liked to handle aggressive patients. 

He made his way down the end of the Red ward's long hallway and spotted the cart with the laundry. The only light down by the end of the hall was the garish EXIT sign that flickered slightly from a defective fuse. The last few doors of the patients' rooms on the second floor were glowing from a hazy red light. Tim walked past them and glanced at Room 245. He spotted the patient, a man, rocking lightly on his bed. He didn't notice Tim looking through the small glass panel and continued to rock. 

Tim grabbed the laundry cart and began to push his way back to the ward's entrance, checking all the door handles to make sure they were secured. Peeking into the rooms, most of the patients were asleep, although a few seemed to be awake or agitated, unaware that an orderly was making his rounds. 

By the time he made it to the end of the hallway, he saw nurse Finch and Mitch, who were softly discussing the next shift's duties. Before Tim could push the button on the elevator, Mitch stopped him. "Hey, Tim, I'll take that load downstairs. Need to grab something to drink out of the vending machines, anyway." 

"Thanks, man. I'll head up to the third floor to check the doors." Tim headed towards the stairs. He hated taking the elevator when it was easier to climb the steps. Being on third shift made employees prone to other health ailments, due to the changes in the body's circadian rhythm that affects sleep cycles. Working in the hospital, Tim knew that he needed to stay healthy in order to make it through the long nights. Luckily, Becca and her family were pretty good about not bothering Tim when he slept during the day, but once in awhile one of his nephews would sneak into the basement where Tim stayed to bug him. 

Tim exited the Red ward's second floor to head upstairs. Finch ran a tight ship, and he really didn't want to get on her bad side. He might as well finish up the night's duties. Tim heard Cameron make it up to the second landing. He waved to Tim and thanked him for helping out. "Yo, Tim, I owe you one!" The younger man disappeared through the double doors before Tim could ask if he was ready to get back to work. He really wanted to return to his usual routine in the Blue ward.

Screw it. Might as well finish checking the third floor, Tim thought as he stepped into the third floor landing of the hospital.