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Show 171 There was the old lady who lost her mind during a stay in the hospital, and gave orations like Lincoln's Gettysburg address day and night. She would allow nobody in her room except me, threw glasses and pitchers and anything else she could lay her hands on at doctors and nurses alike, but I was "bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, and blood of my blood, " when I came to her door. I could talk her into anything, and have never been so recognized as a kindred spirit by any other person. There was the old man who had a broken back, who was enjoying his first trip to a hospital. "No woman has ever bathed me yit, " he said. "And no woman ain't a goin' to. " After I explained to him the whole procedure, told him the nurse would leave the room while he finished his bath, he allowed me to go ahead, but wept like a baby when I was transferred to the diet kitchen. There was a five-pound box of candy delivered to me after he was released. "To my little sunshine nurse. " Miss Eagar saw to it that we received a well rounded training, one month on each division, medical, surgical, diet kitchen, and so on. I especially liked the month on obstetrics, and adored the month in the nursery. When the day came to leave the hospital, after our graduation exercises, I was very sober. "What's the matter?" one of the student nurses asked. "It's my last day of training, " I said sadly. "Then why aren't you whooping and hollering?" she asked. "I will. " "Will you?" I asked, and she sobered. "I hadn't thought about it before. No, I will not." |