Maddy's Floor (17 page)

A second death on the floor wasn't going to be easy on the other patients. She pursed her lips. How had his application been accepted?

Frowning, she studied his chart. He was in death management stage. She glanced surreptitiously at his chest area, seeing the gray energy hovering. Yes, his chest was compromised. His shrunken frame wasted. There was some swelling of his hands.

"How's the swelling in your feet?"

She glanced at him as she lifted a corner of the blanket. At his nod, she flipped it back. Both ankles and feet had a tight, purple look to them.

"Is the pain manageable right now? Or do you need something stronger after the move?"

"No," he gasped, "It's okay. I don't know about sleeping tonight, though."

Maddy nodded. "We can give you something for that."

Stepping back, she studied him further. Should she ask or not? "Dr. Cunningham isn't here at this hour, but he'll stop by in the morning. Your transfer came late in the day. I'm sorry. I know that can be hard on individuals. We try to coordinate arrivals to coincide with the doctors' schedules."

"I wasn't going to wait another day. And I don't need a doctor. They can't even say what's wrong with me," he growled, frowning at her. "I need you."

Jolted, Maddy stared at him. "Pardon?"

"I need you and your magic. Don't you go denying it. You're the one responsible for the healing going on around here. I've heard all about it."

As she opened her mouth, he jumped right in. "Hell, half the world's heard about it."

"What?"

"Sure. It's all over the Internet. Checked it out myself." The growl in his voice deepened.

Maddy didn't know what to think. More to the point, did he really think that she was some kind of witch doctor, a miracle healer? That if he could trick his way onto her floor he would be miraculously healed? She had limited success here, helped by the stringent selection process – one that had obviously gone awry with him. There should have been several rounds of interviews, and medical checks, to start. There had been with Dr. Lenning and she'd actually done the testing and intake for Felicia herself.

"I'm not too sure what you've read or heard about me. I am a medical intuitive. That does allow me to see a different level, a different view of the body. Yes, I use energy to heal. And yes, we've had some phenomenal successes, where people have gone home because their condition had improved to that extent."

He nodded with satisfaction. "Right, then. Glad you're not going to give me all the denial bullshit." He settled back into his bed – the pain that had stiffened his face, easing.

"I'm not into denial, but you have a major misunderstanding going on. First off, the only people accepted into the program are those at a certain health level. Anything below that, the patient doesn't have the required strength or health for the healing required."

He blinked a couple of times. "What?" Fear slid across his features.

"I'm saying that your condition has advanced to the point that normally you wouldn't have been accepted here and I'm not sure how you were. Your application should have been declined. I'm sorry."

"How can you tell my condition?" he blustered, puffing his chest. "You haven't read my file."

Maddy's face softened. Just because patients had been told about their condition didn't mean they were ready to accept it. John should be managing his death right now. Instead, he was grasping at straws. He hadn't reached the point of acceptance.

Not unusual, as few people accepted a negative diagnosis easily. She suspected John had held off going to the doctor as long as he could, thereby minimizing treatment options. While Maddy dealt in death every day, she preferred to focus on life.

"I can see
you
. That's why I'm slightly different. I can't tell you when you'll die or any other hocus pocus stuff; however, I can see that your bones ache, your chest is compromised and you're having trouble breathing. Your body is suffering from major edema to the point you can't walk. There are energy blockages at several main intersections in your system that have been there for a long time."

Worry darkened his features. "What does all that mean?"

"It means getting here to my floor may not help you. I'm not sure there's anything I, or anyone, can do for you at this stage."

"But you're not sure?"

He latched onto the one straw she'd inadvertently offered. Maddy could understand the drowning man reaching for a life preserver. As much as she believed in the power of hope and positive thoughts, she also understood there had to be a level of acceptance, peace and belief. She didn't think he had much of those.

John looked to be rigid and grasping – not as if he were aware and accepting that he was close to the end of his life.

"No, I'm not a hundred percent sure."

John glared at her. "I've been to dozens of doctors. Each one says something different. No one can agree as to what's wrong with me because no one knows." He almost shouted the last words as his frustration rose to the boiling point. He coughed violently several times then collapsed back onto his bed, exhausted.

Using her most soothing voice, Maddy poured a glass of water for him from the carafe on his nightstand and said, "There are miracles in life. Still, you don't understand something here. This isn't just me working on your healing. You have to as well."

"How can I do anything? I'm sick. That's why I'm here. For you to work your magic."

He glared at her, using anger to hide the fear lurking in his eyes. Maddy stepped back ready to return to her office. "That's what I'm trying to say. This isn't a floor where you get to lie there and miracles happen. This is where people actively participate in their own healing. If you want to get better, you have to help make it happen."

She walked away, leaving him to think on that for a bit.

She wasn't trying to be cruel, but she needed to shake him out of the 'poor me' syndrome – to have him ask what he could do to help. Not that there was much in this case. He had weeks, maybe a few months, to live. The least she could do would be to make those as pain free and as enjoyable as possible.

On the other hand, she planned to roast Gerard alive – as soon as she found the damn weasel. He couldn't play with everyone's emotions like this. Damn that man. He shouldn't have let John in. Talk about setting up an important selection process, then failing to follow through.

Maddy walked past the nurses' station to the stairwell, pissed at Gerard, upset for John and disappointed in herself and her limited abilities. She needed to get away – even to another floor for a bit. To forget the machinations going on behind her back that threatened to sink her project, the bureaucratic bullshit that was all about money.

On the second floor, she walked through the wards, noting dinner had been delivered to most patients.

Dr. Susan Selsin, her carrot curls making her easily identifiable, stood talking with a colleague as Maddy approached. Her old friend's face lit up at the sight of Maddy. "Fancy that, Dr. Maddy's coming to visit."

Maddy grinned, feeling better already. "Hi, just thought I'd stop in and see how things are down here."

For the next hour, Maddy laughed and cheered everyone's progress. Susan concluded the tour when Maddy declared it was time to return to work.

It was time for her special energy work.

***

Sissy stretched and wiggled. She laughed at the odd sensation circulating through her body. It was as if she were adjusting to a new suit – a new birthday suit. She smirked at the other women in the ward. One glared at her, another shot her a disgusted look before turning away and reaching for her knitting.

"Don't know about you ladies, but I feel great." She giggled, like the fifteen-year-old she felt like inside.

"I need your drugs. Mine aren't doing anything for me," the old woman across the room said in disgust.

Murmurs and assenting groans answered. Agreed.

Sissy's grin widened. Today, she felt great.

She looked over at the old woman beside her and couldn't prevent the pleased grin breaking out. That old biddy looked like she was one step away from death. Sad. Too bad for her.

Sissy knew that had been her future – once. Not now. She had a plan and it was finally working. Those damn doctors. You had to make it clear you weren't going to take their lack of care and progress lying down. If your doctor was no good, then get rid of him and get a new one. Like she'd done.

She didn't plan on living in bed 232 forever. Now she needed to work on the next stage of her healing. Everything was progressing, just like she'd planned.

She wiggled her toes. Perfect.

***

Back upstairs, the evening lights were on, dimming the fluorescent brightness to a mild soft light that was easier on everyone. Maddy let the nurses know where she was going before closing herself in her office. She turned off her phones, lowered the overhead lights and went to put on calming music. Standing in front of her music selection, she was hard pressed to decide between Zamfir and Yanni. Yanni won out. That man's piano skills were second to none.

Then she unbuttoned the top of her blouse, slipped off her jacket and kicked off her heels. Trying to relax, Maddy focused on her breathing and dropped into a deep meditative state. Having done this many times before, the routine was easy and comfortable. She sped through the process and expanded her consciousness out toward her patients. Moving easily, Maddy registered the energy levels on a grand scale. This was all about the big picture: looking for rents and tears in the fabric of the micro-ecosystem she was building. Like a giant pulsing bubble of warm, loving energy that worked to heal everyone on her floor – including the staff. Some of her nurses preferred nightshift because they experienced Maddy's work at its peak. Gerona had once suffered from terrible migraines, but no longer. Nancy used to suffer from ovarian cysts. They disappeared over a year ago.

Moving from the stairwell forward, she shifted the waves of energy, moving and adjusting as required to make a seamless blending of energy for the benefit of everyone there. It was slow work, and by the time Maddy made her way through the patient checks, she found herself tiring. Her forward movement stilled as she regrouped and assessed her progress.

Energy vibrated. How it vibrated said a lot about the type of energy, the health or strength of the energy and its purpose. It vibrated differently in an inanimate object, like the energy in a table, for example, versus the energy zipping around in a child.

It was the child, Felicia, she wanted to focus on.

Maddy planned to focus on the big picture for this trip, yet something about Felicia's aura disturbed her. Red swarmed her chest and lungs, not a pinkish red, but an angry blood red. Maddy frowned, drifting closer.

Felicia slept soundly.

Her body shimmered, active in sleep like that of everyone else. The red sat in the middle of her chest. It was pulsating, with mixed emotions, anger, love, pain – fear. Maddy pulled back slightly to look from a different angle. Yes, the energy was contained in Felicia's chest.

Just then, the bathroom door around the corner from Felicia's bed opened. It was Alexis, Felicia's mother, dressed all in black as if she already mourned the loss of her daughter. Only in her late thirties, her face had a reddish blush and her eyes were swollen. Her shoulders stooped in defeat though she put on a brave smile. Her emotions swarmed over Maddy. Maddy pulled back in an effort to distance herself from the pain, as the other woman's need and sorrow rushed at her.

Maddy struggled to detach from the mother's needy energy long enough to stay and complete her reading – except the woman's emotions were too strong. Maddy took one last look at Felicia. Now red energy filled the short distance between the mother and the daughter.

Disturbed, Maddy snapped back into her body and came out of the meditation. She grabbed her head with both hands as her temples resonated from the pounding energy shift that had created a massive headache. She rocked in place for several minutes until the pain eased. Gasping for breath, Maddy stretched out and groaned.

Alexis was hurting her daughter more than helping her. And she'd be horrified if she knew.

Somehow, Maddy had to help Alexis, before she killed her daughter – with fear and love.

Maddy walked quickly in the direction of Felicia's bed. This issue had to be dealt with now.

Felicia's mother sat in the same position as Maddy had seen her last, tears pouring down her face. Entering the small cheery area, Maddy quietly pulled up another visitor's chair and sat beside the grieving woman.

"Hello, Alexis."

The other woman gasped and spun around. "Oh my, I'm sorry. I never heard you."

Maddy placed one hand on the woman's arm. "You looked to be having a tough time right now. I hated to disturb you."

Alexis gave her a watery smile. "The feelings come and go. On the not so good days, they just live inside and leak all day."

"That's normal. Honor the feelings and honor the situation you're in. Let the tears pour when they need to and take time to do something nice for yourself." Maddy patted the painfully thin woman's hand. "You can't help her if you aren't doing so well yourself."