Clive Forsham

I was rather fortunate, bumping into that young nurse, who was heading the exact same way that I was.

I knew that I should have checked up on the location, before I left the agency but, I wasn't even supposed to be on this job.

I dealt with restaurants, pubs and even schools. But, a hospital, now that was far beyond my pay grade.

But, the agency had grown frustrated that this hospital had an excuse to cancel every scheduled inspection. They had made plans to enforce a surprise inspection, fronted by Maude, a plump, middle aged secondary inspector. Unfortunately, Maude soon fell ill and with the other secondary inspectors buzy, they had to look for someone else to fill in for her unscheduled visit.

I remember hearing my name over the coms, my feet padding to the office, where I anticipate the words of my employer.

"Now, Mr Forsham, you see we have run into a spot of trouble. We have come across a slippery slope, that we need you to fill in for. Now, we have noticed your inept skill as a primary inspector and think that you best befit this role. So, if you do well with this task, I'll see that you are rewarded with a promotion." he had said in his deep brooding tone.

So here I was, proving my worth to my employer and providing it all went swimmingly, I could earn myself a promotion, that offers a greater salary and plenty of benefits.

I follow close by Ellie, weaving through the crowd of people and attempting to start a friendly conversation with this young nurse.

"So, what got you into nursing?" I ask in a courteous and polite manner.

"Well, we were never the richest of souls, my family and me. We struggled for food and health care. When someone became sick, I often had to pull my weight in caring for them. I remember when I was only 6 and I had to hold this cold towel over my screaming grandfather's face." She responds with a hidden southern drawl, that seemed to provide contrast against her cute childlike features.

She had a cute, baby shaped head, that made her look far younger then she actually was. Her light brown bob cut hair, gave of an aura of youthful innocence, despite her now mature age of adulthood. Her eyes were a twinkling blue and her lips a rosy pink. She wore a simple shirt and trousers, that made her look like any other ordinary person but, I knew she was so much more. She was like a gift sent from the gods.

"What about you, what do you do for a living?" she politely asks me, continuing on our friendly conversation.

"Just an Inspector, nothing that exciting."

"I'm sure it's not all bad, you get to visit lots of different places, all for free. Now, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some tasty food, refreshing drinks, new friends and all that. Oh, and what's more, you get to help fix things, making it an safe environment for people like you and me. Now, on the talk of inspections, you're here to check out the hospital and I just wanted to say you find a promblem, you can't go blaming me, I only start today."

She gives me a playful grin, as we both then let out a giggle at her shared joke.

We round the bend, where the glowing, towering Ardwell Hospital awaits us. I wonder up to the entrance and pull at the door but..

Nothing.

The door was latched shut, lights blacked out and not a car parked in sight.

Neither of us had expected this, there was no reason why it should have been closed. A hospital never closed, simply changed staff and closed the doors to visitors who came to check on their ill relatives at such an ungodly hour.

We tried our luck with phoning the hospital and its manager but, when that failed to get a response. We had no other choice but to call the police. 

They arrive shortly after, clearly hoping we had the answers to their many questions. Unfortunately, for them we were just as clueless as they were.

"So, what's your plan now?" Ellie comes over and politely asks, once the police had finished with their enquiries.

"Well, my next job isn't until 12, so I have a couple of hours to kill. I mean we could always go for a coffee, at the homey little café down the road, if you wanted to of course."

So, here we sat by a cozy little fireplace in the Den of Glen, a family run café, founded by French aristocrat Glen Eldon. 

We share our stories of our past and what we see upon our horrision. Ellie tells me how she had always dreamt of being a nurse but, her childhood made her look for an easier path of destiny.

I to reveal how a health inspector was never my true dream job.

"Really?" Her ears perk up, as she lets out a shriek of curiosity.

"Well, truthfully, I have always wanted to be a care worker. I never knew my parents and I never had anyone who truly loved me. So, I thought if I could be a careworker, I could give those children the fatherly affection that I never had."

"How about this, I become a nurse at a full NHS run hospital and you get yourself in a children's home." as she says those words, she stretches out her hand, to which I take, altering my life for the better.

Ellie and I went with our chosen jobs, continuing to meet up, sharing our stories and letting this friendship blossom into something so much more, something that was far greater.

A fair few years later we were married and caring for our first infant child. Somehow, we managed to care for this child, while still able to carry out our buzy workloads in the crowded streets of London.

However, when our second child came, it proved quite the challenging task to fulfil. So, we chose to reside somewhere much more calmer with a great landscape garden, that our children could roam around in so delightfully.

Ellie found a part time job at the local hospital while I continued to work at the care home up in London. It was a frustratingly long drive, that I had to wake up early, so that I get to there on time. Although I still worked there, the children and my colleague new of my other commitments and now understood why I could no longer work full time.

Although, I was sometimes absent in their lifes, I made sure that when I was there, that  every moment that they spent with me was one of magic and wonder. I even told them that I was only a phone call away and that they always welcome in my home.

I was never a religious man but, my chance encounter with this nurse, seemed to magical to be real, like the universe and his unknown forces were what brought us together.

However, an act of universal happiness can easily be destroyed by the act of one selfish individual. This was what happened to us, well to my wife.

Because while I busied myself at work, in town a hooded youth, stole a bike and in a hot pursuit ran over my wife, ignoring her agonising screams and continuing on with his escape.

The worst thing about it all was that I was none the wiser.

I was on a call when the police tried to get hold of me and when I did finally get around to calling back It was to late, my wife gone, before I even had a chance to say goodbye.

To begin with I continued on with my work at the care home, hoping it would help in providing a distraction. My colleague and all the children tried to cheer me up but, it was never much use. I loved that they cared for me and I knew I would miss them all if I left.

But, every time I travelled up to work I would pass by Ardwell hospital, remembering the moment that I met Ellie Stuart, the woman that changed my life forever.

A permanent void now in my heart led me to a life that was easy and familiar. One where I become a grumpy council worker, hated by all its townsfolk.

I knew my wife would have wanted to me to have moved on but, my heart was shattered, she was the first person to ever love me for me. The first to see my potential, even when no one else did.

I had lost hope, my true love gone forever. I tried to find that love in my daughters, but every time I looked into their eyes I saw my wife's dead corpse staring back at me.

I hid away for a while, ashamed of myself and my weakness. But, then I found Antonin and my life seemed so much clearer. I was on the path to happiness once again.