The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1960-10-21

where 1 was and went to sleep.
I understood later that the nurses
on my floor got into quite a sweat
when l was discovered absent. Out
of courtesy to my doctor 1 went
back to the hospital Wednesday
morning to call off the deal.
Perched High, Wide and Handsome
1t was then the promises to get
me better room were made good.
They had promised me a room on
the 9Th floor, and the doctor then
took off for Atlantic City. Fritz
Hayman had come by to see me,
and he helped me move. They did
even better by me and put me on
the 7th floor, with a lovely view
of the entire water front ranging
from the Union station to Lam
berts Point. l could see the Balti-
more steamer go out at night and
come in mornings. watched
dredges working on the building
of the new tunnel to Portsmouth.
1 saw one of the Governments hop
per dredges working up and down
the channel. The many lights of
the majestic Naval Hospital in
Portsmouth, dominated the scene
at night.
And the room was sound proof
save for one thing. There was no
way to cut off the air conditioner.
1t ran on and on forever; not I'M
reasonably loud; not quite loud
enough to keep me from sleeping.
On Thursday morning, the fire.
quency of the hoarse whistles from
boats on the river told me there
was fog over the city, and indeed
there was, for l lifted the blinds
to look. But this was not distract
ing noise, but rather the kind of
sound that made one feel at home
again. Forty two years ago, I had
been in this same hospital for a
short stay while getting both ear
drums punctured, as the result of
assesses contracted from infection
during a whole afternoon spent
overheard at Ocean View in COM
pany of rather interesting girl |
had met on the beach and never
saw again.
By way of explanation, I might
say that this hospital, begun some
so years ago, is no longer called
Retreat for the Sick" 1t has
grown to more than 45O beds, and
the larger part of it, newly COM
pleted, is just being put into serv-
ice. In the process of moving from
the older part, and bringing it's
rooms up to date, there are some
bitches. / seemed to have got
caught in a half-hitch on the day
of admission. But it was worth it
indeed, and made the wonderful
longer and latter part of my stay
all the more enjoyable.
/ showed a lively personal in
terest in every employee of the hos
pital who rendered me services. l
learned an awful lot in seven days,
and my affection for nurses in
creased, as we'll as my respect for
all fellowmen. Colored women as
we'll as white women rubbed my
back three or four times a day.
I was kept in constant supply
of ice cubes day and night.
No matter how much l ordered for
meals, it was served promptly. The
food was all excellently prepared.
Nurses, maids, or others, -
praised the work of all of them as
being of the highest order. One
night on my way to bed l passed
lone sentry, timid widow nurse
who was standing watch near
some old fellow and / told her how
wonderful and attractive she was.
She beamed and blushed, and later
told another person that it was the
first time a man had noticed her
in ten years.
How Charts Get Mixed
Now when you go in a hospital,
they take some samples of just
about everything they can get
out of you. They drew blood out
and put other liquid back. They
set chart on my bed divided into
three equal parts, whereby each
eight hours they would compute
how much liquid went into me and
how much came out. had to help
the nurses keep the record straight
as they were not usually present
during the preliminaries. They
would stick this chart to my bed
table with a piece Of scotch tape.
It bore my name and room num-