The Book: Chapter 34

Alice dragged herself into the hospital, running on fumes and caffeine. She ached from the overnight drive back from London and barely had time to shower before leaving home. Facing Dr Calvert was daunting—but Alice was dealing with a demonic outrage, so bring it on. The senior physician’s reputation for patience was as robust as a soap bubble, but Alice felt strong and was ready.

The meeting was as dire as she’d expected. Calvert’s eyes bore into her from across the desk, her expression a Picasso melodrama of exasperation. ‘Dr Grant, do you have any idea the chaos your absence caused? Your colleagues had to cover for you and after your recent brushes with authority, this is simply unacceptable.’

Alice forced her face into a moue of remorse. ‘I understand, Dr Calvert and take full responsibility. It won’t happen again.’

‘You’re right. It won’t,’ Calvert snapped. ‘That’s about the only thing we agree on. What’s happened to you, Alice? You used to be a fine psychiatrist.’ Alice looked ashamed and Calvert pulled herself back to the point. ‘I assume you’ll be back on rotation as scheduled on Thursday?’

Panic gripped Alice’s sleep-deprived brain. No. She needed Thursday off to go back to the diner.

She hesitated, then blurted out words before she could rethink them. The book guided her mouth and her arrogant stance. ‘I  can’t, I’m afraid. I need Thursday off because I have to attend a funeral. My uncle Graham. I’m devastated.’

Calvert’s glare sharpened. Alice watched her wage a war between exasperation and pity. ‘Permission granted, and I’m sorry for your loss. But I expect you to make the time up. And I warn you, Dr Grant, I’ve had enough. This is your very last warning.’

Alice fled home before her luck ran out.

She rang Mick and asked him to join her between his jobs for lunch. While she waited, she rang the London diner and spoke to one of the staff. It took a lot of persuasion but after tricking the owner’s name out of the youngster, she managed to get his phone number, too. ‘It’s very urgent,’ she said. ‘I’d hate to have to put in a complaint to my brother about you, young man. Your colleagues are normally very helpful.’  

When Mick came in, she told him about working on Thursday and handed over Ernest Cole’s phone number. ‘This will be better coming from you. I don’t care how you do it but arrange a meeting with him for tomorrow. Sell him some carpets stupidly cheap if you have to, but get us in there.’

As it happened, it wasn’t difficult. Mick flattered him on the quality of his diner, said his food was incredible, though they hadn’t eaten there, and told an abridged variation of the truth. ‘We’re researching the old hospital for a book.’

On speaker, they heard Mr Cole sucking his teeth, clearly seeing an instant marketing opportunity. ‘I’d be delighted to meet with you and your precious lady at noon on the morrow, good sir.’

When they hung up, Alice released the laugh she was choking on. ‘Crickey Earnie, you can drop the character, love,’ she said.

She made it to her night shift, and Alice was a walking corpse running on autopilot. She’d put in the first two hours and managed to sneak away for a five-minute coffee break when a nurse burst into the lounge, out of breath.

‘Dr Grant, A&E needs you—now.’

‘A&E? I can’t cover them.’

‘It’s a cardiac case. An elderly man. He’s been brought in after a fall.’

Alice grabbed her stethoscope and followed, running through the standard protocol in her head. The nurse called after her to say that the patient had listed Alice as his next of kin, but she didn’t hear.

She stepped into the bay and froze. Sitting up in bed, looking worse for wear but very much alive, was Uncle Graham.

The same Uncle Graham whose funeral she was attending that Thursday.

He looked bewildered. ‘Alice? What are you doing here?’

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The room spun. She felt every pair of eyes on her as Calvert’s voice sliced through the tension.

‘Yes, Dr Grant,’ she said. ‘What are you doing here?’

Alice swallowed. ‘Emergency check-up?’

Calvert held up the patient’s file. ‘On your deceased uncle?’

Graham looked panic-stricken. ‘I feel bloody awful, but I wouldn’t say I was that far gone.’

Alice felt her soul leaving her body and wanted to die. Her career was over.

Felix, who was in A&E because one of their regular patients had been brought in, took a step back, avoiding being associated with whatever fresh hell this was. He pressed a fist to his mouth, suppressing a laugh, but his shoulders gave him away.

Calvert sighed. ‘You realise, I’m mentally drafting your letter of termination? My office, please Dr Grant.’

Alice patted Uncle Graham’s hand and said she’d be back to check on him later. She followed Calvert’s swish of white coat out of the door and glared at the ceiling. ‘You couldn’t help yourself, could you?’ she muttered.

After another dressing down, Alice slumped in the staff lounge, nursing her wounded pride. She thought the night couldn’t get worse until Mara plopped down, giving her the side eye.

‘That was some divine intervention. You have more lives than next door’s cat. I thought you were a goner for sure.’

Alice groaned. ‘I would be if they didn’t need any doctor with a pulse. If you’re here to have a go, get in line.’

‘I’m not,’ Mara said. ‘I need to talk to you about something else.’

‘Oh shit.’ This didn’t sound good.

Mara lowered her voice. ‘You know I don’t believe in all this hocus-pocus rubbish.’

‘Go on.’

Mara shuffled in her seat and lowered her head. ‘I might have been a bit hasty. Judgy. You know?’ When she looked up to gauge Alice’s reaction, Mara looked terrified. ‘Things keep moving. I put my keys on my desk earlier, but they turned up inside the medication fridge.’

Alice wasn’t going to make this easy on her. ‘Sounds like a simple mistake.’  

‘Believe me or don’t, that’s your business, but I swear, I watched my coffee slide across the table. Like something pushed it.’

Alice’s exhaustion took a backseat to dread. ‘Are you sure?’

‘I know what I saw. And it’s not just that. I felt someone breathe on my neck when I was alone in the supply room. I thought it was Floyd sneaking around, but when I looked out, Thomas was sitting in the day room.’

Alice shivered. ‘I believe you.’

Mara’s voice dropped. ‘Tonight, when I went to get a drink from my locker, I saw my name appear in the mirror. I watched it form in what looked like red lipstick, one letter at a time. I turned around to get some tissue, and when I turned back, it was gone. I’m telling you, this place is haunted.’

Alice didn’t know how to feel. This could be a very good thing or a terrible one.

‘You don’t wear glasses, do you?’ Mara asked.

‘Only for reading.’

Mara was shaking. ‘Someone with glasses was watching me through the window before. But when I looked nobody was there. I’m scared, Alice.’

‘I’m sorry this is happening to you,’ Alice said. ‘But welcome to my nightmare. ‘At least you can see for yourself now. We can help each other.’

Mara shook her head. ‘It’s your ghost. Tell it to leave me the hell out of your domestic. I’m telling you, if I get possessed, I’m taking you down with me.’

Alice let out a dry chuckle. ‘Deal. I’m an old hand at all this malarkey.’

For the first time in weeks, she had Mick, onside, and Mara was coming around. She didn’t feel completely alone.

 

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