End Is Near

Dr. Jameson, head of Angel 20, let out a deep sigh. “Yes, I suppose. I’d really hoped that he’d turn around, so we’d have at least one more person come out of here alive before the place is shuttered.” In his mind he could hear his long-deceased grandfather, former head of this facility when it was Mercy Peace Hospital, bellowing at him for his failure to keep the mission alive of bringing people back to health. Now near retirement himself, he’d decided the closing of Angel 20 due to cost-cutting was as good a time as any to leave the medical field.

It was the daily scheduling meeting with head nurse Melissa Garcia. She wrote in the name Becky for assignment to Mr. Evans’ room.

Rebekka Larsen RN, in what we’re told are the prime years of a person’s life—middle age—had more nursing experience than Melissa herself and nearly more than all the other nurses combined. Skilled, professional, and highly personable, there was a time when it seemed obvious that she’d be in charge. But then things changed: patients disliked seeing her, some to a high degree. Management started passing her over for promotions.

The final nail in her career coffin was the day the third patient in a row died after having her as their nurse several days in a row. Naturally there was a major inquiry into any possibly wrongdoing on her part. None was found, for the simple reason that she’d done absolutely nothing wrong. The only common point in the cases besides her was each patient registering a strong dislike for her during the days leading up to each of their deaths. It seemed to be a matter of the patients disliking her so much that they’d get themselves into a death spiral to get away from her.

She had an idea what was going on: the ones who died were all terminally ill men whom she knew found her highly unattractive. This she knew from overhearing conversations as she passed in the hall, discussions with her peers, and occasionally from demented yet brutally truthfully honest rantings from failing minds.

 This turn of events led to her being assigned to Angel 20 and earning the nickname “The Closer”—never ever said to her face nor within her hearing, yet common knowledge amongst the rest of the staff.