Free Thirteen West by Jane Toombs

said nighty-night?" he asked.
    "I promised to bring Mr. Weebles a magazine," she said primly.
    "Playboy?"
    Grace picked up the copy of Vogue without bothering to reply.
    "What we ought to do," Lew said, "Is to put old Jacko in there with W.W., give him a thrill."
    "That's disgusting," Grace said, unable to help herself. She heard Lew laughing as she went out. Another filthy- minded male.
    She handed the magazine to W.W., checked Jay-Jay, who was already in bed, then hurried to the women's four bed ward to get the ladies into the bathroom before she put their nightgowns on. She was too late to catch Mrs. Exeter.
    Now she had a puddle to mop up as well as washing and changing the old woman. Somehow she found it nastier to clean up after old people than it had been the retarded.
    "You might have waited," she told Mrs. Exeter. "You didn't have to wet yourself."
    "I didn't do that," the old lady told her. "Why do you accuse me of such an awful thing? This hotel has the most discourteous maids I've even seen. I fully intend to complain to the management."
    "This is a hospital," Grace said wearily.
    Mrs. Exeter paid no attention and went right on scolding.
    When Grace had everyone clean and quiet and in bed, she headed again for the lounge to take an overdue break. As she passed the open doors, she automatically looked in at the patients as she'd been taught. Check and recheck. She saw the TV flickering in the day room and hesitated. Maybe she'd sit in there for a few minutes instead of the lounge which was sure to be full of cigarette smoke.
    When she opened the door, she heard Lew's voice and saw him bending over someone on the floor.
    "You can't sleep in here, Laura Jean, come on, get up."
    "I don't like my room," the girl said. "Why can't I have a roommate? Why can't I move in with Susie Q?"
    "I'm warning you, I'll pick you up and throw you in bed," Lew told her. "Come on now."
    Laura Jean raised herself on one elbow and her pajama top pulled askew so that one breast showed almost to the nipple.
    Lew's back was to Grace and he hovered over Laura Jean, not touching her but not moving away, either. Grace caught her breath, saliva filled her mouth.
    "Laura Jean," he said and Grace heard a change in his voice that made her shiver.
    The girl laughed, but when he reached for her and slung her over his shoulder she began to writhe and scream, pounding his back with her fists.
    "Shut up, you little bitch. I'm putting you to bed whether you want to go or not. Cut it out!"
    Ms Reynolds ran into the day room. "Put her down, Lew," she ordered.
    Lew dumped Laura Jean onto her feet and she crumpled into a heap, sobbing.
    "You told me to find her and get her to bed," Lew said sullenly.
    "My mistake as well as yours. It seems I'll have to assign her exclusively to women." She spotted Grace, standing against the wall. "Grace, you take Laura Jean to her room, please. Lew, stay here. We'd better have a little talk."
    With urging, Grace got Laura Jean to her feet and walked her to her room where the girl sat on the edge of her bed, wild-eyed.
    "Don't turn off the light," she begged over and over, oblivious to Grace's assurances that the light would stay on, was always left on.
    Ms Reynolds stuck her head in. "I suppose I'll have to give her a shot," she said. "Laura Jean's been jazzed up every night this week for some reason."
    She left and came back in a few minutes with a syringe and needle. Grace held the girl while the charge nurse injected her.
    All the way home Grace thought about Laura Jean. When her ride dropped her off, she roused enough to say thanks and good night. There was a light on in Papa's den. He was waiting up for her again. Quickly she let herself into the house and hurried to her room to remove her uniform and slip on a full-length, long-sleeved robe. Papa hated to see her in a uniform.
    "What happened to you today?" he said when she ventured into the den. "Speak up. I see by your expression you've done something inexcusable.