By Joshua Vise – October 9, 2024

Published in Flash of the Dead: Halloween ’24 by Wicked Shadow Press. Lulu: Paperback or EPUB

“May I speak with you, Michelle?” asked Dr. Bell.

“Of course!  How can I help you?”

Nurse Michelle Bowers stood up from her seat as she ushered the junior doctor into her office.

“I just had some questions about the schedule,” answered Dr. Bell as he passed by her.

Despite her young age and especially youthful appearance, Miss Bowers was the manager of the pediatric oncology ward and responsible for the operations of the department, including scheduling.  This gave her considerable power over doctors just starting their residency, a fact most doctor-trainees didn’t grasp initially.

“Sure,” said Michelle warmly.  “What would you like to know?”

“I was a bit confused about the thirty-first,” began Dr. Bell.  “I’m usually off on Thursdays.”.”

“Ah yes,” said Michelle, anticipating his question.  “I’ve scheduled all of the doctors and nurses from seven to nine p.m. on that day.  It’s a Halloween tradition.”

“But you left Dr. Lawson off of the schedule…”

“Dr. Lawson has young children,” interjected Michelle.  “Halloween hours are optional for those with young kids, and mandatory for junior doctors, such as yourself.”

Dr. Bell felt the weight of her words in her response.  It was a gentle reminder of his place in the hierarchy, himself having only begun his residency four months ago.

“It just seems highly irregular that you would require all of the staff to be here, and for such a short time,” said Dr. Bell.  “Our usual shifts are twelve-hours long.”

“Dr. Bell, do you have other plans for that evening?” probed Michelle.

“No, but…”

“Doctors are expected to work irregular hours, something I am sure you are aware of.  If it helps, you can consider this short shift an exercise in schedule flexibility.”

“But…”

“I’d also like to point out that most of the other staff actually look forward to our traditional Halloween shift, including Dr. Lawson.  She told me herself that she wished she could be here.”

There was a moment of silence as Dr. Bell slowly accepted the fact that he would be working that evening.

“But what do you expect us to accomplish in two hours?  What will we be doing?” inquired Dr. Bell.

Michelle leaned back in her chair, a wide grin crossing her face.

“Something truly amazing.”

*****

Dr. Bell arrived at 6:50 that Halloween evening.  Initially a bit miffed at having been scheduled on his day off, he nevertheless went out of his way to be on time.  Michelle had made it clear enough that there was no way he could get out of this duty, so he may as well accept it.  Moreover, her words had piqued his interest, especially her lack of description as to the nature of their duties that evening.  A cancer ward is a place that thrives on well-defined roles and routines, and anything deviating from this custom must be of significant importance.

“Dr. Bell,” Michelle called to him as he exited the elevator.  “Thank you so much for being early.”

Her words were cordial and welcoming as she approached him, a cardboard box in tow.

“Of course, Michelle,” he answered, returning her warmth. 

“The pre-shift meeting is in front of reception in ten minutes.”

“Alright.”

“In the meantime, could you pass these out to the kids?”

She handed him the box, and he peered inside.  It was filled with large bags of chocolate and candy.

“Okay,” he answered.  “How many pieces per kid?”

“No.  You give one bag to each of the kids.”

“A whole bag?” responded Dr. Bell, a note of confusion in his voice.  “Isn’t that a lot for them?”  Dr. Bell’s thoughts briefly turned to the eighteen patients in the ward, all under the age of twelve, and most on restricted diets.

“Not for them to eat, Dr. Bell,” answered Michelle, her warmth never diminishing as she corrected him.  “They’re going to be passing it out.”

“Ah, okay.  To whom?”

“You’ll see.”

Dutifully, Dr. Bell navigated the halls of the ward.  He stopped in each of the rooms to hand out the three-pound bags of treats to the patients.  As he made his rounds, he felt a growing sense of unease, the cause of which he couldn’t pinpoint exactly.  In fact, the only thing keeping Dr. Bell’s feelings from being voiced was the exceptional cheeriness of the other doctors and nurses.  It was as if he had been intentionally excluded from learning a secret that all the others shared.

Dr. Bell finished his task, and made his way back to the reception, looking to the floor as he passed the darkened window of room 812.  Of the twelve patient rooms in the ward, nine were occupied, two patients to a room.  Of the remaining three rooms, one was used as a makeshift equipment storage space, and the second had been unoccupied since before Dr. Bell’s time at the hospital.  Room 812 had, until recently, had only one occupant, a seven-year-old boy named Jeremy.  Already in the most advanced stages of leukemia when he first began his residency, Dr. Bell nevertheless attended to him with an intense amount of devotion despite the boy’s grim prognosis.  The first patient a young doctor loses is never forgotten, and Dr. Bell felt helpless as Jeremy wasted away in front of him.  He had passed only a month ago, and though Dr. Bell had outwardly acknowledged that such things come with the job, inwardly he still struggled to accept the loss. 

“Alright everyone,” called Michelle, addressing the semicircle of doctors and nurses assembled for their pre-shift meeting.  “We can start.  Firstly, everyone take a bag.”

She gestured to the half-empty box still in Dr. Bell’s hands.  He held it out as people plucked bags of treats until only one bag, one reserved for him, remained.  He set it down, scooped up his own bag of candy, and kicked the now empty box behind the desk.

“Does everyone have one?” continued Michelle.  She scanned the semicircle as some nodded in response.  Dr. Bell matched her gaze, taking in the smiles of everyone around him.  Whatever was coming, it at least seemed to be something positive.

“Okay.”

Michelle cleared her throat and began.

“Thank you for your presence on this magical occasion.  I’d also like to welcome Dr. Bell…”

She gestured to him.

“…as this is his first time participating in this joyous Halloween tradition.”

Michelle glanced at her watch, and then turned and addressed Dr. Bell directly.

“Dr. Bell, what you are about to see cannot be explained.  In fact, I’m convinced that spending too much time attempting to justify this phenomenon will only do you harm.  Instead, it will be best for you to simply accept what you see tonight, and enjoy it for what it is.”

She turned back to the group.

“Ladies and gentlemen.  Doctors and nurses.  Our work in this ward is incredibly important, and demands so much of our time, our skills, and our spirit.  Sometimes, it may all seem like too much, especially in situations when we feel powerless in the face of the ravages of disease.  Let tonight be our reminder that, no matter what, we never really fail.”

“Here here!” cried the assemblage, holding their bags in the air as if participating in a toast.  Unsure of what else to do, Dr. Bell mimicked the motion.

Michelle glanced at her watch again, then continued.

“Ten seconds.  Is everyone ready?”

Another cheer emanated from the enthusiastic group as they opened their bags of candy.

“Three…two…one!” cried Michelle.  “Here they come!”

At that moment, the elevator doors slid open, and two dozen kids spilled out into the reception.  Each was carrying a small, pumpkin-shaped Halloween pail with them, and they giggled as they ran from the reception area to the first patient room in the ward.  Stunned by the sudden appearance of so many children, Dr. Bell looked at the other doctors and nurses, only to find them waving and smiling at the ecstatic crowd of kids as they passed.  Unable to hide his alarm, he approached Michelle, determined to discover exactly what was going on.

“Michelle, this isn’t right,” he said.  “You can’t allow kids to trick-or-treat in the ward.  Our patients are immunocompromised.  Even a common cold could…”

“Dr. Bell, look,” interrupted Michelle as she gestured to a presence behind him.  “There’s someone here to see you.”

At that same moment, Dr. Bell felt a slight tug on his lab coat.  He turned, and found himself staring into the smiling eyes of Jeremy as he held out his pail.

“Trick-or-treat, Dr. Bell.”

Jeremy’s soft voice shook Dr. Bell to his core, and he found himself instantly on his knees, embracing the young boy, unable to control the stream of tears rolling down his own cheeks.  At the same time, he felt Michelle’s hand on his shoulder.

“It’s their day to be kids again, Dr. Bell.”