Overnight Jade thought about what Colleen Wright had said to them, and by morning something at the back of her mind said they should question Betty Harris and Sam Bogale. She knew there was nothing, but just wanted to tie-up a few loose ends. She suggested it to Debra.

“I’m due in court at 9.30,” Debra said. “Maybe you can go. But I’m sure there’s nothing there.”

“It’ll give me something to do,” Jade said.

* * * * *

Jade found Sam Bogale on break, out on the back veranda, having a smoke. Jade joined him. She had stopped smoking during her pregnancy and never smoked around Zoya, but giving up completely was proving difficult.

“Can I bum a cigarette?” Jade asked.

Sam handed her the nearly empty pack. “Keep it. I know your type – don’t carry cigarettes, trying to convince yourself you have stopped. You haven’t. Accept the truth.”

Jade laughed. He’d got her in one. She liked this guy already. He was tall and buff, like he could lift a patient in each hand, and though Jade was supposed to be in a committed relationship, she couldn’t help but notice that he was very good looking.

“So, what do you think about this nurse, Colleen Wright?” Jade asked.

“What everybody thinks, she’s a pain in the ass.”

“She thinks something happened to that burned girl, Anne Wright.”

“Yeah, something happened – she died. It sucks but it happened.”

“She sort of insinuated that you did something. Said she saw you come out of the girl’s room and a couple hours later she was dead.”

Sam turned to Jade with an annoyed look on his face. Jade had expected he might be shocked or angry, but that look was definitely annoyed. Tired and annoyed.

“I was doing my rounds. I came out of the room. I saw her coming and I made a bee-line in the other direction, like I always do. Pain in the ass remember?”

“Yeah, okay.” Jade believed him. As she had expected, there was nothing. “Do you ever go to patients’ funerals?”

“I have in the past. But not so much anymore. It depends. You get sort of close to people, especially the cancer patients. They’re coming in here every week for chemo. Or the dialysis patients. You get to be friends nearly.”

“I can understand that. But would you go to their houses, like the week before the funeral, like every day?”

Sam looked at Jade. “No. They’re patients. You need to keep that distance. That’s crossing the line.”

“I thought that too.”

Jade left Sam finishing his second cigarette and she went searching for Betty Harris. She’d been told Betty was working ER for the day. She found her at the nursing station and she suggested that they get a cup of coffee and talk in the cafeteria, a place Jade was becoming familiar with.

Just as they sat down John came in the door and spotted her. He smiled and came over to their table. He bent down and kissed her. “So, we still on for dinner tonight?”

Jade was not happy about the public kiss when she was on duty, but squeaked out an annoyed “Yes”.

John got his coffee and an apple turnover, and left.

Betty Harris looked at Jade like she had just found out she was a celebrity.

“Are you dating Dr Nazir?” she said. Despite her old-fashioned name, Betty was not more than twenty-five, pretty, and far too over-excited for Jade’s current mood.

“Sort of. It’s complicated.” She felt bad saying that, because it really wasn’t complicated. John had no time for funny games. Three months ago, he told her he loved her; six months before that he told her he wanted them to be exclusive. Unlike every one of her lovers before him, John knew what he wanted in life and communicated it effectively. There were no games, and nothing was complicated.

“Wow. Everybody loves him here. He’s so, so handsome. And kind and respectful to the nurses. He’s really a great guy. You’re lucky.”

“Yeah … okay …” Jade wanted to change the topic. “So, you were working the night Anne Mulwa died?”

“Yes, it was so sad. I try not to cry but I had a good cry that night. We were all so shocked. The light went on, you know, to show that there was a problem. Her pressure was falling. The doctor was called, we went in, she tried everything, but the girl was gone. Cardiac arrest. We all thought we were past that stage. That’s why she was moved from ICU, just that morning. Maybe in ICU she might have been saved … I don’t know.”

“And this nurse you were on duty with, Colleen Wright, how did she handle the death?”

“Colleen? I don’t know. She’s just very … you know … different from me. I don’t spend much time with her. Anyway, she’s quite new.”

“Is she? I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Yes, I think she’s been here about six months. But I hardly work with her. She works nights and I hate nights. I have a boyfriend and he likes me at home at night. He doesn’t like to sleep alone. I think you know that kind.”

Betty looked at Jade as if they shared something in common. Jade looked at her in a way that confirmed they did not.

“So, to your mind, nothing odd happened that night, besides the girl’s death?”

“Not that I can remember.”

“Okay, thanks then Betty.”

“Have fun tonight!” Betty called after her.

It was only when Jade was nearly at her car in the parking lot that she understood what the young nurse was talking about. It made her even more annoyed about that kiss.

* * * * *

Despite still being upset about John’s public display of affection in the hospital cafeteria, Jade made an effort to look good for their date. She liked him to be attracted to her.

She felt assured that the accusations made by Colleen about the Mulwa girl were nothing, so she hopefully would not be spending time in the hospital. There would be no chance for such instances to happen again.

Also, though she’d been trying not to think about it, she was relieved that, so far, the chance meeting with Owen had amounted to nothing. She felt relieved that it was over and she and Zoya would be fine. So she was in a pretty good mood.

She’d told John she’d meet him at the restaurant because she needed to drop Zoya at her mother’s place on the way, so she was surprised when she heard the doorbell ring. She opened the door – and was even more surprised to see Owen standing there.

“What do you want?” Jade said, without a greeting. “I’m just about to leave.”

“You look seriously hot,” Owen said.

“None of your business though.”

“I can’t help it.”

Jade looked at him, annoyed.

“Anyway … I wanted to talk to you for a minute … about Zoya.”

“I … someone is waiting for me … I need to leave. I’m late already,” Jade said, panicking. She wanted him gone; she didn’t want to talk about this, not now, not ever!

“Okay, then I’ll just say it. I mean … I can count you know. And I saw her and I … I guess I just thought that … is … am I Zoya’s father?”

“I told you, I’m late!” Jade could hear herself shouting. She was pushing him out of the door. She didn’t want any of this. “I … no, no, you’re not her father. Now you need to go.”

Owen stepped back and she slammed the door and locked it. She listened. He stood a moment and then she heard him walk down the pavement and drive off. Only then could she breathe properly again.

***

Tell us: What does this incident make you feel about Jade?