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Information Please

The hospital was very busy. The nurses hurried from patient to patient. They did not have time to talk with the patients or answer their questions. Instead they just gave them their medicines, made their beds and moved on.

The head nurse was as busy as the other nurses. She had to walk around with the doctors, make sure the nurses were doing their work,complete her reports and answer the phone.

Many of the phone calls were from the friends and relatives of the patients. They were telephoning for information about the people in the hospital.

One phone call, however, was a little different from all the others.

The phone rang and the head nurse answered it. “Hello, ” she said.

At the other end of the line a voice replied, “Good morning. I'm phoning about Fred Williams. Could you tell me how he is please? ”

The head nurse looked at her notes and said,“Mr Williams has had his operation, and is now resting.”

“Can you tell me if his condition is good? ”the voice asked.

“Yes, ”the head nurse replied.“He is comfortable; his operation was a success.”

“When do you think he will be able to go home? ” the voice asked.

“Oh, probably at the end of the week, ” the head nurse said. Then she asked, “May I tell him who is asking about him? ”

“Yes, ” the voice replied. “Fred Williams.”

“No, that's the patient's name, ” the head nurse said.

“Yes. I am the patient. Phoning you is the only way I can get any information about my condition.”