Hedy stands at the door of ward four. Her badge is new. Her coat is old. Six months is a long break.
赫迪站在四号病房的门口。她的工牌是新的。她的外套是旧的。六个月是很长的休假。
The hall smells of soap. A phone rings at the desk. Nobody looks at her. She takes a deep breath and walks in.
走廊里有肥皂的味道。服务台的电话响了。没有人看她。她深吸一口气，走了进去。
Dilan, the head nurse, waves from the desk. "Hedy! You are back!"
护士长迪伦在服务台那边向她挥手。“赫迪！你回来啦！”
"Yes, I am back," Hedy says. "I am a little slow today."
“是的，我回来了，”赫迪说，“我今天有点慢。”
"Slow is fine," Dilan says. "Here is your list."
“慢没关系，”迪伦说，“这是你的名单。”
Hedy reads the list. She has three patients. Room two needs a clean bandage. Room five needs a short walk in the hall. Room six needs water and a quiet voice.
赫迪看着名单。她有三位病人。二号房需要换干净的绷带。五号房需要在走廊里走一小段路。六号房需要水和轻柔的声音。
She works all morning. The ward is busy and loud. A cart rolls past her door. A bell rings twice. Hedy moves slowly at first. Her hands remember everything. She checks a pulse. She writes a note. She smiles at a small boy in room two. He shows her his toy truck. It has a broken wheel. "Can you fix it?" he asks. Hedy smiles and says, "I can try after lunch."
她忙了整个上午。病房里又忙又吵。一辆推车从她门口滚过。铃声响了两下。赫迪一开始动作很慢。她的双手却什么都记得。她量脉搏。她写记录。她对二号房的一个小男孩微笑。他给她看他的玩具卡车。卡车有一个轮子坏了。“你能修好吗？”他问。赫迪笑着说：“午饭后我可以试试。”
At noon, Hedy sits in the break room. She opens her lunch box. Her phone buzzes on the table.
中午，赫迪坐在休息室里。她打开饭盒。她的手机在桌上嗡嗡震动。
The message is from Gael. He is a night nurse. He writes, "Welcome back, Hedy! Can you work my shift on Friday? I need one night off. Please say yes."
消息是盖尔发来的。他是个夜班护士。他写道：“欢迎回来，赫迪！你能替我上星期五的班吗？我需要休息一个晚上。拜托说好。”
Hedy looks at the message for a long time. She reads it again. She knows the night shift is hard. Gael is always there when the ward needs help. Her lunch gets cold. Friday night is special for her. Her daughter has a school show at seven. Hedy always says she will come.
赫迪看着那条消息，看了很久。她又读了一遍。她知道夜班很辛苦。每当病房需要帮忙，盖尔总是在那里。她的午饭凉了。星期五晚上对她很特别。她女儿七点有一场学校演出。赫迪总是说她会去。
She wants to help Gael. He is kind. He is a good friend to her. But she also wants to see the show. Her thumb waits over the screen.
她想帮盖尔。他很善良。他是她的好朋友。可是她也想去看演出。她的拇指悬在屏幕上方。
Dilan comes in and sits down. She has a cup of water. "You are very quiet," she says. "Is something wrong?"
迪伦走进来坐下。她拿着一杯水。“你很安静，”她说，“出什么事了吗？”
"Gael wants my Friday shift," Hedy says. "I do not know what to say."
“盖尔想要我星期五的班，”赫迪说，“我不知道该怎么说。”
"What do you want?" Dilan asks.
“你想要什么？”迪伦问。
"I want to see my daughter's show."
“我想去看我女儿的演出。”
"Then tell him that," Dilan says. "A short, clear no is kind."
“那就告诉他，”迪伦说，“简短、清楚地说不，是一种善意。”
"He will be sad," Hedy says.
“他会难过的，”赫迪说。
"Maybe for a minute," Dilan says. "Then he will ask someone else. I have the night list. I can help him."
“也许难过一分钟，”迪伦说，“然后他会去问别人。我有夜班名单。我可以帮他。”
Hedy thinks about it. Her daughter has a paper star on the fridge. The star says, "Mom, please come." Hedy thinks of that star. Her first day back is long. She does not want a week full of yeses. She wants a Friday night with her daughter.
赫迪想了想。她女儿在冰箱上贴了一颗纸星星。星星上写着：“妈妈，请你来。”赫迪想着那颗星星。她回来的第一天很漫长。她不想要一个满是“好”的星期。她想要一个和女儿在一起的星期五晚上。
She picks up the phone. She types slowly. "Sorry, Gael. I cannot work on Friday. My daughter has a show. Please ask Dilan for the night list."
她拿起手机。她慢慢地打字。“对不起，盖尔。我星期五不能上班。我女儿有演出。请向迪伦要夜班名单。”
She reads the words two times. They are short and clear. Her hand is not shaking now. She presses send.
她把这些话读了两遍。它们简短又清楚。她的手现在不抖了。她按下了发送。
Dilan smiles and goes back to the desk. Hedy eats a little cold rice. The phone is quiet for one minute. Then it buzzes again.
迪伦笑了笑，回到服务台。赫迪吃了一点凉米饭。手机安静了一分钟。然后它又震了。
"No problem!" Gael writes. "Have fun at the show. See you on Monday."
“没问题！”盖尔写道，“祝你看演出开心。星期一见。”
Hedy puts the phone in her pocket. Her shoulders feel light. She straightens her badge. Then she walks back to room six. The patient there needs water and a quiet voice.
赫迪把手机放进口袋。她的肩膀感觉轻松了。她扶正了自己的工牌。然后她走回六号房。那里的病人需要水和轻柔的声音。
