Work Text:
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ARCHIVIST
Statement of Clara Pendroy regarding her job at St. Luke's Children's Research Hospital and the unexplainable miracles happening there. Original statement given March the 16th, 2015. Audio recording by Johnathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.
Statement begins.
ARCHIVIST (STATEMENT)
I'm an old lady, but my memory is as good as new. Three years ago, I started my retirement. However, before that I worked as a nurse in the St. Luke's Children's Research Hospital. Around... I think sixteen years ago? Yeah, around sixteen years ago, a new nurse joined us, a very welcome addition. I remember her quite well. She had light skin, brown hair, and those deep blue eyes that looked at everyone with so much hope. Her surname was Lopez, first name... I always tripped on this one. It's either Estelle or Estella. I'm sure you'll figure it out.
Nurse Lopez fell pregnant after a year or something after joining us. It wasn't a surprise. She was young, and most of us on the floor already had children, so we were understanding. I remember the only issue that my coworkers found with her is that she didn't wear a ring on her finger, and they whispered about a child out of wedlock. I bet you know how these elder people are like. I'm not like them, of course. I don't really mind, it's not my life, and it's not my place to comment on the decision of others.
Anyway, she had to take some time off, but after a few weeks she was back in shape at work. It was really nice listening to her experience as a new mum when we were trying to focus on something less stressful than the job. I remember Nurse Lopez showing me her wallet, where she had a picture of her son and her boyfriend, when she was boasting about how alike they look. I remember I pointed out that he had her eyes, to which she smiled and giggled, thanking me. Just a usual young mum, you know how it is.
Years passed, and Lopez started bringing him around. The boy would sit in our staff room, doodling on papers or playing with some of his own toys. I remember Lopez telling us that she was in a place where money was really tight and she didn't have anyone to leave him with, and that's why she had to bring him there. Well, it's quite easy to say, all nurses took to him like he was our own. You know, snacks from everyone, someone brought him a new toy like once a week, maybe every other week... Our own children were mostly teens, some were starting their own adult lives, so it was quite nice to take care of a child as young as this one.
One evening, around March, 2008 – I remember it quite well – the mood was quite dreary. There was this one teen girl, she was fourteen then, and her name was Sophia Miller. Her diagnosis wasn't good at all. The parents were taking turns staying with her for the nights. I was doing rounds around the floor, checking up on the patients, when I noticed that Sophia was sitting with someone other than her mother, who was then on the other side of the building, grabbing some snacks for them both. I approached her room but soon realised it was just Max, you know, the Lopez boy. I just smiled, as they were just two children bonding, it was fine, so I left. Lopez soon picked up her son, and they went home. I stayed for my shift until the morning. From what I gathered from other nurses later, Sophia went for another round of all the tests and treatments as planned, but the doctors came back baffled. They said that it's almost as if the illness stopped on its own, retreated without any sign of any drawbacks or possibility of coming back any soon. Everyone was celebrating, it seemed like a real miracle, especially since doctors were giving her a month to live.
Nothing happened for another few months, maybe even a year? But then a similar situation happened. I was changing Vanessa Keller's bandages around her wounds after a car crash. The situation was really serious, as we had to monitor her for the night, and so she was placed in a room with Kelsey Emily. When I tell you Kelsey was ill, I really mean it. The girl was in and out of hospitals for months, and she has been staying with us for a few weeks now. The doctors didn't have any hope that her condition could get any better, so the parents were preparing for the worst. That evening, in the room with us three was also Nurse Lopez, who was responsible for giving Kelsey her medicine. Painkillers and some pills that were supposed to make the situation better, but everyone knew they wouldn't. Max walked in, looking for his mother, but he quickly forgot about anything he wanted and started chatting with Vanessa and Kelsey. I remember thinking back then that it was real sweet of him to talk with the injured and ill all around the hospital. Nurse Lopez left the room just as I did, but the boy stayed, chatting with them for another hour or so, before our shift ended and we all left the hospital.
As I arrived for my shift in the morning and did a round around the floor, I realised there was a small commotion around the room where Vanessa and Kelsey were placed. I was preparing for the worst, but when I walked in, I realised it wasn't a bad commotion but quite the opposite actually. Vanessa's wounds were all healed. Kelsey was feeling a lot better, and after doctors did some testing, they came back with really promising results. It was another miracle, which everyone celebrated.
I started looking at the Lopez boy differently, though. It was weird, sure, but I paid close attention to him and his actions every time he came with his mother. He spent most of his time in our break room, but sometimes, just sometimes, he went to talk with children on the floor. As you might expect, they all got better soon after talking with him. Hannah Winsted, Zoey Ledford, Edward Risen, Daniel Dearing, Betty Irving. Those are just a few, but there were so, so many more.
I've never found any way of explaining it, so maybe you can. The only thing I can tell you is that I'm sure it wasn't just medicine that helped these kids. Many of them should've been dead by now.
ARCHIVIST
Statement ends.
Sasha did some research and got her hands on the files of the cases mentioned by Miss Pendroy. After they all got admitted to the hospital, there is a lot of files about medical testing and treatments, but the last few entries are all about almost miraculous ways of them getting better seemingly overnight without any help from anyone or anything.
We did also find the files of Miss Lopez and Miss Pendroy. As Miss Pendroy stated, she retired in early 2012. However, Miss Lopez also resigned from her work in late June of the same year.
Tim traced her and found out that she moved to the States. Her son moved with her, and Tim went as far as to look for the boy's information. It's weird, but he's neither enrolled in any school nor living with his mother. Tim tried looking through missing person files, but he's not there either. We're not sure what happened to him, but we're not being paid enough to investigate overseas.
Martin went to St. Luke's Children's Research Hospital to talk with nurses that were present during all the events described. They recalled it just as Miss Pendroy did, minus the miracle son of Miss Lopez. They remembered him but didn't connect him in any way to the children getting better.
Miss Pendroy is either paranoid, or Max Lopez actually did something to all these children. Whatever is true, I'm not sure we can get to the bottom of this.
End recording.
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