The Helpful Nurse

A true ghost encounter that happened to my mother.

The Helpful Nurse

            My grandfather died nearly ten years ago in Mexico. Unfortunately, his death was a long and painful one, for both him and our family. He suffered from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. These are both terrible illnesses that wore him down to a decaying state. In his last few weeks alive, my grandfather couldn’t eat, speak, or even move, and in order to sleep, he had to be heavily sedated. My grandfather had been a strong, valiant, well-known man in our town. He was a recognized singer, a famous ladies-man, and he also worked at the hospital for many years. It was difficult for all of us to see him in such a miserable state.

            My mother, along with her sisters, would take turns in watching over him throughout the night while he stayed at the hospital. When it came time for my mom to stay the night, something peculiar occurred, something that has stayed in my head from the moment she first told me the story. I was just under ten years old at the time, so I recently interviewed my mother to refresh my memory of the details.

            It was the eighth night my grandfather stayed at the hospital. He lied in bed, in agonizing pain, writhing and moaning with discomfort. It was just after midnight when the male nurse on duty went in to check on him. My grandfather was in the middle of a crisis, and it was difficult for my mom to watch him suffer so much, so she asked the nurse to sedate him again. The nurse politely told my mom that at least two more hours had to pass before he could administer another dose and, unable to help any further, left the room.

            About half an hour later, a female nurse entered the room as my grandpa continued suffering awake. My mom paid no mind to her unusual outfit, although it was rather different than what she’d previously seen on the male nurse. My mom recalls the woman wearing a nurse’s hat much smaller than other nurses my mom personally knew. The hats being used were large and completely white, but this nurse’s hat had a brown stripe all around. She also remembers the nurse wearing a distinct old-style dress uniform, but my mom was tired at the time, and her priority was my grandfather’s well-being, so she ignored these minor details.

            The nurse headed directly to my agonizing grandpa, making no notice of my mom. The nurse walked to his side, placed a hand on his forehead, and said, “Hi, Panchito, how are you feeling?” in a very tender tone. My mom found it normal that this woman would address my grandpa by his nickname because he was so well-known.

            My mom explained to the nurse that my grandpa had been restless for quite a long time, and that he was obviously in a lot of pain to rest, or sleep. The nurse looked down at my grandpa, with near affection, and said, “Poor Panchito. He’s suffering very much.”

            My mom agreed with her, and then proceeded to inform the nurse about the previous nurse who claimed that he couldn’t provide any sedatives or pain medication in two hours.

            The nurse stood up straight and said, “Okay, I will go see what I can find so he can rest. I’ll be right back.” And she wasn’t lying. The nurse returned quickly to my grandpa’s side, this time carrying a syringe in her hand. She injected the liquid medication into the IV bag, and immediately, my grandpa began to relax and slowly drowse to sleep.

            “You’re going to be fine now with this,” the nurse told my grandpa. “Tomorrow you will wake up better.”

            My mom thanked her, but the nurse hardly paid her any attention as she turned and exited the room.

            Around three in the morning, the former male nurse returned with a syringe at hand, and he was pleasantly surprised to find my grandpa sound asleep. My mom told him that it wouldn’t have been possible without the nurse who provided him with medication. The male nurse looked incredibly confused at that, asking my mom who she was referring to.

            My mom retold the previous events to the male nurse, who looked entirely shocked and pale.

            “There are no other nurses in this area of the hospital on duty,” he told my mom. “I’m the only one in charge right now.” Before jumping to conclusions, though, he admitted that on the other end of the hospital wing, there were two female nurses on the same graveyard shift. The hospital was small and private, after all. “But they only attend to the female patients,” he said.

            He also asked my mom for a complete description of this nurse, and my mom told him that she was tall, thin, with short dark hair. My mom also told him about the unusual clothes she was wearing. The male nurse told my mom that when the nurses’ shift was over at seven in the morning, he would bring over the only other two nurses on duty that night, in order to find out who gave my grandpa the medication.

            So, just as promised, and as my mom was getting ready to leave, the male nurse brought in the two female nurses working the night shift. They were complete strangers to my mom, and they were definitely not wearing the same outfit as that particular nurse.

            The two nurses stared wide-eyed as my mom recalled the events of the previous night to them, hoping to get to the bottom of this mystery.

            “It was her! It was her!” one of the female nurses cried.

            The male nurse explained to my mom that the descriptions given of the strange female nurse matched those of a deceased nurse who worked for many years at the hospital. Apparently, she suffered of a heart attack while on duty, and died at the hospital at the age of forty-five. The only reason they knew so many details of her was because this wasn’t the first time people had seen her. According to the male nurse, many patients who stayed overnight had seen the nurse when they were in serious pain, and she always offered to help them. Some of them knew she was a spirit, but they just wanted the pain to end.

            My mom froze as she heard this. She’d never seen an apparition before, at least nothing this vivid. She confessed that she was simply glad the nurse ghost didn’t appear like Hollywood portrays members of the spirit world.

            I often think of this helpful nurse ghost who wanders the corridors of this small town hospital, treating those in pain. I wonder if it is difficult for her to steal the medicine off of the shelves, if she has to hide from those who’d recognize her and give her away. I wonder why she thinks she has to treat those patients who suffer. Is she suffering, too?

            But worst of all, I wonder whether my grandpa has joined her for eternity in that hospital. He died in there a few weeks after. Family members have claimed to have seen my grandpa’s ghost, but never in that hospital. Still, the thought lingers in my head. I would feel better thinking that he isn’t a ghost. That after all that anguish he was able to rest. I hope the same for that special nurse.