about to hit that area. I called my mom to see how she was doing and she said that the Sheriff's office and the State Patrol were warning people to stay off the roads. Nubbin won't survive out there alone.”
I had to admit that I shared that same worry, regardless of what the weather was doing. An elderly gentleman suffering from the beginning stages of Alzheimer's Disease was vulnerable at best and endangered beyond comprehension.
“I know, but remember, Nubbin is strong. He's a fighter and we both know that he's feisty as all get out, so he has that working in his favor. I just wish I was closer, so I could go look for him myself and...” My voice trailed off as I considered what it is I'd do if I found him, beyond squeezing him until my arms fell off my body. “He'll be fine. He couldn't have gotten far.” I added.
Tina mumbled in frustration. “I should have never left him.”
I swallowed the emotion that swelled in my throat. Tina and her son, Noah, had only recently come to live with me, after leaving Western Nebraska in search of new and better opportunities. Prior to her becoming a nurse, Tina had worked as a nursing assistant at the nursing home that Nubbin ran away from and that we both knew was about the most poorly run facility on the planet. It was like the blind leading the blind over there and Nubbin's latest stunt proved it.
“This isn't your fault, Tina. You know how Nubbin is – something gets under his craw and he won't stop until someone pays attention to him.” I reminded her.
“Or until some unsuspecting traveling nurse shows up, expecting to spend the next three months working in a calm and quiet environment and finds herself wrestling down an angry, old bird and getting mixed up in a murder investigation.” Tina took the opportunity to remind me of where this all began.
I laughed. She was right. I met Nubbin, Tina, and the rest of the nursing home staff at just about the exact moment when my life would change forever. Lucky for me, that change didn't involve serving a life sentence behind bars for a murder I didn't commit, but instead afforded me the chance to spend the rest of my days reminiscing about our unlikely meeting.
“It's like we'd come full circle, except this time we're thousands of miles away and have to rely on second hand information to find out what's going on over there.” I said.
Tina pulled her phone out of her bag. “I need to call someone over there and find out what happened. I think I'll try Kathy and see what she tells me.” Tina suggested as she dialed Kathy's number.
“Good luck. Just try not to mention my name.” I said. Kathy didn't like me. I'd never given her a reason not to like me, other than not letting her walk all over me.
Tina grinned and made the call. “Here goes nothing. She should be glad that we want to help.”
I poured another cup of coffee. I'd lost track of how many I'd had over the last couple of hours. I just couldn't get myself to calm down. For some people, coffee made them jittery. For me, it usually did the exact opposite, but this whole thing with Nubbin had me feeling more anxious than I'd ever felt before. I kept hoping that there was some kind of mix up and that Nubbin was just hiding in a broom closet somewhere, not that he would fit well in one – it'd be a little tight – but stranger things had happened.
Tina didn't get too many words in before Kathy started talking. Kathy was what people would refer to as a dominating personality. She liked to be in control, even though, her idea of control bordered more on bullying and less on being a reputable authority figure.
I could hear her stating her case. I could only imagine what her excuse was. She didn't like Nubbin and he didn't like her. If I didn't believe that nurses should stick together, I'd side on the side of the line that said that she was pleased that her most troublesome patient had fled the
I had to admit that I shared that same worry, regardless of what the weather was doing. An elderly gentleman suffering from the beginning stages of Alzheimer's Disease was vulnerable at best and endangered beyond comprehension.
“I know, but remember, Nubbin is strong. He's a fighter and we both know that he's feisty as all get out, so he has that working in his favor. I just wish I was closer, so I could go look for him myself and...” My voice trailed off as I considered what it is I'd do if I found him, beyond squeezing him until my arms fell off my body. “He'll be fine. He couldn't have gotten far.” I added.
Tina mumbled in frustration. “I should have never left him.”
I swallowed the emotion that swelled in my throat. Tina and her son, Noah, had only recently come to live with me, after leaving Western Nebraska in search of new and better opportunities. Prior to her becoming a nurse, Tina had worked as a nursing assistant at the nursing home that Nubbin ran away from and that we both knew was about the most poorly run facility on the planet. It was like the blind leading the blind over there and Nubbin's latest stunt proved it.
“This isn't your fault, Tina. You know how Nubbin is – something gets under his craw and he won't stop until someone pays attention to him.” I reminded her.
“Or until some unsuspecting traveling nurse shows up, expecting to spend the next three months working in a calm and quiet environment and finds herself wrestling down an angry, old bird and getting mixed up in a murder investigation.” Tina took the opportunity to remind me of where this all began.
I laughed. She was right. I met Nubbin, Tina, and the rest of the nursing home staff at just about the exact moment when my life would change forever. Lucky for me, that change didn't involve serving a life sentence behind bars for a murder I didn't commit, but instead afforded me the chance to spend the rest of my days reminiscing about our unlikely meeting.
“It's like we'd come full circle, except this time we're thousands of miles away and have to rely on second hand information to find out what's going on over there.” I said.
Tina pulled her phone out of her bag. “I need to call someone over there and find out what happened. I think I'll try Kathy and see what she tells me.” Tina suggested as she dialed Kathy's number.
“Good luck. Just try not to mention my name.” I said. Kathy didn't like me. I'd never given her a reason not to like me, other than not letting her walk all over me.
Tina grinned and made the call. “Here goes nothing. She should be glad that we want to help.”
I poured another cup of coffee. I'd lost track of how many I'd had over the last couple of hours. I just couldn't get myself to calm down. For some people, coffee made them jittery. For me, it usually did the exact opposite, but this whole thing with Nubbin had me feeling more anxious than I'd ever felt before. I kept hoping that there was some kind of mix up and that Nubbin was just hiding in a broom closet somewhere, not that he would fit well in one – it'd be a little tight – but stranger things had happened.
Tina didn't get too many words in before Kathy started talking. Kathy was what people would refer to as a dominating personality. She liked to be in control, even though, her idea of control bordered more on bullying and less on being a reputable authority figure.
I could hear her stating her case. I could only imagine what her excuse was. She didn't like Nubbin and he didn't like her. If I didn't believe that nurses should stick together, I'd side on the side of the line that said that she was pleased that her most troublesome patient had fled the
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