That there was an attempted hit-and-run that looked like an accident? She had no proof. They wouldn’t take her seriously. No, she had to wait. Wait and hope that the police would eventually react to Vera Ivanovna’s call. In the meantime — stay away from the head doctor and the guard, don’t give them a reason for another attempt.
Marina turned off the light and got into bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. She lay in the dark with her eyes open, thinking about how fragile life is. Just yesterday morning, she was an ordinary nurse with ordinary problems. And today, she learned that someone wanted to kill her. And the only thing that saved her was the kindness she had once shown to a lonely old woman. A kindness that came back to her in her darkest moment.
Marina woke up with a heavy feeling in her chest. She had nightmares all night: cars driving straight at her, the faces of the head doctor and Semyon chasing her down dark clinic corridors. She got up feeling broken, with a headache and trembling hands. While helping her father with his morning routine, Marina tried to look calm. Pyotr Semyonovich looked at her with concern but didn’t ask questions. Only when she was feeding him breakfast, he said quietly:
— If something happened, sweetie, you can tell me. I may be sick, but I can listen.
Marina kissed his forehead and shook her head:
— Everything’s fine, Dad. I just slept poorly.
On her way to work, she kept looking over her shoulder. Every car seemed suspicious. On the bus, she sat where she could see all the passengers. Her heart was pounding, her palms were sweaty. Fear sat inside her like a heavy lump. Approaching the clinic, Marina hesitated again. Maybe she shouldn’t go to work at all? Call in sick? But that would attract attention. Vera Ivanovna had said: act as usual, don’t stand out.
She went around the building and entered through the service entrance. Sveta and Lidia Petrovna were already in the staff room. They were discussing yesterday’s incident in the parking lot. Marina silently changed into her uniform and started work. She made her rounds, distributed medicine, gave injections. Her hands moved automatically, but inside, everything was tense like a string. She constantly listened for sounds in the corridor, flinching at every door slam.
Around ten in the morning, the head doctor came into the department. Oleg Viktorovich was making his rounds, talking to patients, making remarks to the nurses. When he approached Marina, she felt her heart beat faster.
— Marina Petrovna, — he addressed her, and there was nothing suspicious in his voice, just a normal business tone. — Is all your paperwork in order? The sanitation and epidemiological station is coming for an inspection this evening.
— Yes, Oleg Viktorovich, everything is in order, — she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.
He looked at her intently, as if trying to see something in her face. Marina held his gaze, though everything inside her tightened.
— You don’t look well today, — he said unexpectedly. — Are you sick? There were rumors yesterday that you were feeling unwell.
— No, I’m healthy. Just a little tired.
— Well, good. We need healthy employees.
He nodded and continued down the corridor. Marina watched him go, feeling a chill down her spine. What was that? Simple courtesy, or was he testing her? Did he know she hadn’t shown up at the main entrance at the appointed time yesterday?
During her lunch break, Marina deliberately stayed in the staff room, not going outside. She ate a sandwich she had brought from home and drank tea from a thermos.
— Sveta was surprised:
— You’re not going to the kiosk? You always go.
— I don’t feel like it today. It’s cold outside.
Around two o’clock, the police arrived at the clinic. Marina heard noise downstairs, voices, doors slamming. She peeked into the corridor and saw several people in uniform coming up the stairs. A middle-aged man in civilian clothes led the way, followed by two police officers. The nurses crowded in the staff room, exchanging glances.
— What happened? Some kind of inspection? Maybe because of yesterday’s incident in the parking lot? Or did someone file a complaint?
Marina stood by the window and watched as two more police cars pulled into the clinic’s yard. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like everyone could hear it. Could this be because of Vera Ivanovna’s call? Did they believe her?
A few minutes later, an announcement came over the hospital’s PA system that all staff must remain at their workstations and not leave the building without permission. An inspection was being conducted at the clinic. Marina returned to her duties, but it was hard to work. Her thoughts were a jumble, her hands were shaking. She constantly listened to the sounds from downstairs. Footsteps, voices, creaking doors could be heard.
Around three o’clock, the man in civilian clothes came up to their department. He introduced himself as an investigator and asked all the nurses to gather in the staff room.
— I want to ask you a few questions, — he said. — Has anyone noticed anything unusual in the clinic’s operation recently? Strange patients, suspicious actions by the administration?
Everyone was silent. Marina felt her cheeks burn. She had to tell him about the documents she had seen. But fear constricted her throat.
Lidia Petrovna hesitantly raised her hand:
— There’s a closed wing on the third floor. Regular nurses aren’t allowed there. They say that’s where the VIP patients are.
The investigator wrote something in his notebook.
— Anything else?
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