(no subject)
As soon as he was sure that Atton and Will could be left for a bit, Guppy popped home to do his shift. It wasn't the sort of day that he could miss, and even if he could, he had yet to skive off for interdimentional bar reasons and did not intend to start.
He arrives, as always, slightly early. Most of the patients are still asleep, those who can manage it, and he busies himself with paperwork for the first hour or so, getting transfer details from the night shift of any events.
At around eight he sets off to see one patient in particular before his ward round. Mavis, a new addition to his aphasiacs group, had been trying to communicate something several times without being able to talk. Guppy, after examining her notes and listening to the nurses, concludes that it was probably arm pain she was trying to get across. He is rewarded for his charades skills by a nod of confirmation, and after checking that there isn't anything new wrong with her arm, adjusts her medication before he goes on the ward round.
Half of the group of students who are supposed to be watching his round arrive late, and he gives them a mild telling-off. Cruel to be kind, he considers, since if they'd had his boss they'd have had a lot worse. They meet with the consultant about half way around, then Guppy follows him up to his office to talk about his contract.
"I had my doubts about you, I must admit." His boss says, closing the door. "Which is why I initially only offered you a three month contract. We don't get much switching fields at your level and your reasons weren't great. But the patients seem to like you, you're in every day at the crack of dawn, you stay behind after work now and again to chat to the residents and you seem to know what you're doing. Enough about what I think, are you happy here? Do you want to stay?"
Guppy smiles. "Yes please."
They have just finished the signing when there's a knock at the door. Frogspawn enters, her green strands of hair tucked under the rest of her hair in a ponytail, as she always does for work.
"I'm sorry to disturb you." she says, looking between the two. "But I believe one of your patients has been assaulted, and I'd like a second opinion please."
The two doctors follow her down to one of the interview rooms, where Mavis sits with one of the nurses. At first, Guppy is relieved to see that not much seems to be wrong with her, but his expression is grim when Frogspawn rolls up the woman's sleeve to reveal a dark, four-finger shaped bruise.
"It wasn't there this morning, Dr Sandhu examined her arm because she said it was hurting, and I was with him the whole time." the nurse next to Mavis says. "He was very gentle, couldn't possibly have left a bruise like that."
"There's a matching one on the other arm." Frogspawn says quietly, rolling up the other sleeve. "I think you were shaken Mavis. Were you shaken?"
Mavis looks back at them, unable to understand or make herself understood. Guppy feels sick inside, indignation and anger that a patient, his patient, who can't defend herself or tell anyone, has been victimised in this way. He crouches down and takes her hand.
"We're going to find out who did this to you, okay?" Looking up. "We know this happened between eight this morning and now, half twelve. Where's she been this morning?"
"She was on the ward with curtains open until half nine." The ward sister has come in behind them. "At half nine she was seen by the urologist, so the curtains would have been closed. I brought her a cup of tea at ten, and her son came to visit. It was a bit emotional so the other patients gave them some space. At half ten the porter took her down to speech therapy, then she came back up here and had a nap before going down to physiotherapy with Francis at quarter past twelve, shortly after which the bruises were discovered."
"Right." The consultant nods gravely. "Dr Sandhu was with Pat, then the medical students, and then me for the entire morning. That leaves people who were alone with Mavis to be Pat, Cassie, the urologist, the son, the speech therapist and Francis. Unless it was one of the other patients."
"I'm not sure any of the patients in here have the capability to shake someone hard enough to leave bruises like that." Guppy puts in, standing up again.
"Okay, document the injuries, contact the police, tell them to check CCTV. I'll be back to interview the rest of you later, I have to go to a meeting." The consultant heads off, and the nurses take Mavis off somewhere quiet to comfort her. Frogspawn slips an arm around Guppy.
"This is your first case of elderly abuse isn't it?" she asks gently.
Guppy nods. "Close up, yes. I saw the occasional case in A+E, but not someone like Mavis." His eyes narrow. "She's totally helpless, and she's no trouble, how could anyone do that?"
They hug.
"Bullying doesn't stop in the playground." Frogspawn says quietly, leaning against his shoulder.
"No, it doesn't." Guppy says, holding her close. "But this bully's going down."
He arrives, as always, slightly early. Most of the patients are still asleep, those who can manage it, and he busies himself with paperwork for the first hour or so, getting transfer details from the night shift of any events.
At around eight he sets off to see one patient in particular before his ward round. Mavis, a new addition to his aphasiacs group, had been trying to communicate something several times without being able to talk. Guppy, after examining her notes and listening to the nurses, concludes that it was probably arm pain she was trying to get across. He is rewarded for his charades skills by a nod of confirmation, and after checking that there isn't anything new wrong with her arm, adjusts her medication before he goes on the ward round.
Half of the group of students who are supposed to be watching his round arrive late, and he gives them a mild telling-off. Cruel to be kind, he considers, since if they'd had his boss they'd have had a lot worse. They meet with the consultant about half way around, then Guppy follows him up to his office to talk about his contract.
"I had my doubts about you, I must admit." His boss says, closing the door. "Which is why I initially only offered you a three month contract. We don't get much switching fields at your level and your reasons weren't great. But the patients seem to like you, you're in every day at the crack of dawn, you stay behind after work now and again to chat to the residents and you seem to know what you're doing. Enough about what I think, are you happy here? Do you want to stay?"
Guppy smiles. "Yes please."
They have just finished the signing when there's a knock at the door. Frogspawn enters, her green strands of hair tucked under the rest of her hair in a ponytail, as she always does for work.
"I'm sorry to disturb you." she says, looking between the two. "But I believe one of your patients has been assaulted, and I'd like a second opinion please."
The two doctors follow her down to one of the interview rooms, where Mavis sits with one of the nurses. At first, Guppy is relieved to see that not much seems to be wrong with her, but his expression is grim when Frogspawn rolls up the woman's sleeve to reveal a dark, four-finger shaped bruise.
"It wasn't there this morning, Dr Sandhu examined her arm because she said it was hurting, and I was with him the whole time." the nurse next to Mavis says. "He was very gentle, couldn't possibly have left a bruise like that."
"There's a matching one on the other arm." Frogspawn says quietly, rolling up the other sleeve. "I think you were shaken Mavis. Were you shaken?"
Mavis looks back at them, unable to understand or make herself understood. Guppy feels sick inside, indignation and anger that a patient, his patient, who can't defend herself or tell anyone, has been victimised in this way. He crouches down and takes her hand.
"We're going to find out who did this to you, okay?" Looking up. "We know this happened between eight this morning and now, half twelve. Where's she been this morning?"
"She was on the ward with curtains open until half nine." The ward sister has come in behind them. "At half nine she was seen by the urologist, so the curtains would have been closed. I brought her a cup of tea at ten, and her son came to visit. It was a bit emotional so the other patients gave them some space. At half ten the porter took her down to speech therapy, then she came back up here and had a nap before going down to physiotherapy with Francis at quarter past twelve, shortly after which the bruises were discovered."
"Right." The consultant nods gravely. "Dr Sandhu was with Pat, then the medical students, and then me for the entire morning. That leaves people who were alone with Mavis to be Pat, Cassie, the urologist, the son, the speech therapist and Francis. Unless it was one of the other patients."
"I'm not sure any of the patients in here have the capability to shake someone hard enough to leave bruises like that." Guppy puts in, standing up again.
"Okay, document the injuries, contact the police, tell them to check CCTV. I'll be back to interview the rest of you later, I have to go to a meeting." The consultant heads off, and the nurses take Mavis off somewhere quiet to comfort her. Frogspawn slips an arm around Guppy.
"This is your first case of elderly abuse isn't it?" she asks gently.
Guppy nods. "Close up, yes. I saw the occasional case in A+E, but not someone like Mavis." His eyes narrow. "She's totally helpless, and she's no trouble, how could anyone do that?"
They hug.
"Bullying doesn't stop in the playground." Frogspawn says quietly, leaning against his shoulder.
"No, it doesn't." Guppy says, holding her close. "But this bully's going down."