Paula grabbed the first four charts, as usual, and headed to the end of the hall to work back toward the nurse’s station, as usual. She walked along, distracted, flipping through charts, and nearly screamed when she saw movement in the hall almost right next to her.
“You all right?” the man said.
Hand on heart, she stopped for a minute to regain her composure.
“You scared the hell out of me. Usually on this floor, nothing moves that not dressed in nurse’s scrubs.”
He chuckled a bit. “Sorry about that, ma’am.”
“Why are you here, exactly?”
“Guess they didn’t fill you in yet. He’s awake,” he said, jerking his thumb backward at the door. “Until he gets transferred out of here, we’re standing watch, more for everyone else’s safety than for his.”
“He’s awake? When? How?”
He held his hand
