Nails Page #2

Listen, I really appreciate

you getting her.

You're a life saver.

Okay.

I'll see you later

back at the house.

Okay. Bye.

That was Ashley.

Remember, the new girl

on the team?

She agreed to give Gemma

a lift home from school.

- Ah.

- I couldn't think

who else to call

- with all this craziness going on.

- Mmm.

- Excuse me.

- I see they've installed

the cameras, that's good.

That should put

Dana's mind at ease.

I don't think her mind

will be "at ease"

until we find out who

shut off that ventilator.

- You're still insisting

that somebody intentionally

switched off

her breathing machine?

- Which is what she saw.

- Which would be

attempted murder.

The machine failed.

And I'm incredibly

apologetic about that.

We had it inspected.

It was a freak occurrence.

- Just take care of her!

Or so help me god,

I'll sue the arse off you

and this hospital.

- This is absolutely

unacceptable.

Thank god it wasn't worse.

It could've been

a total disaster!

- I've been telling you this

for a long time,

we've got electrical issues.

D'you know what's

in these walls?

Cloth wiring.

See what I mean?

There's rats in there the

size of bloody pit bulls.

- That's why I keep this handy.

- Trevor, that is enough!

We are supposed

to have back-up

for our critical

care assistants.

Mrs. Milgrom's ventilator

is never supposed to fail.

Ever!

- Well, maybes if I wasn't

doing the job of three people,

I'd be able to deal with it.

I'm a fully qualified

nurse's aide.

All this handyman sh*t isn't

part of my job description.

- We all have our

crosses to bear.

- See, cloth wiring.

- Goodnight.

- See you tomorrow.

- What are you looking at?

You don't talk much.

Do you like it here?

Shake one for yes, two for no.

Me neither.

Glad we agree.

Hello?

Who is it?

Can you hear me?

Are you patient here?

Like me?

I have a breathing tube.

Hard to talk.

Can you talk?

I saw someone in my room.

I think he tried to kill me.

Have you seen him too?

Hello?

Are you still there?

Eric Nilsson.

- Paging doctor Stengel.

Please contact the nurse's

station on the second floor.

Doctor Stengel, please,

second floor.

- How's my little

sweetheart doing?

- Can I ask you something?

You tell me honestly?

- Yeah, sure.

What about?

- About Eric Nilsson.

- I've never heard

that name before.

- Nurse who worked here.

He killed himself in 1984.

- It's a bit before

my time that.

I was only born in 1980.

- What do you know

about Eric Nilsson?

- Look, I get paid minimum wage

to clean pans and bed sores.

I don't know anything

about anything.

If you wanna know more,

ask your head shrinker,

doctor Dracula.

He's an expert on Nilsson.

He's been working here

since back then.

- Who's next door?

- Next door?

- Mmm.

- You mean Ellie?

- Yeah, Ellie.

Who is she?

- Older lady.

She had a stroke.

She's been here a while.

I don't think

she's got any family.

No-one comes to visit her.

It's a bit sad really.

- What's wrong?

- Nothing.

It's just more bed sores.

- Trevor, let me see.

- Calm down.

- Oh my...

- Settle down.

You'll hurt yourself.

- Trevor...

Trevor, stop it!

Trevor, please, don't!

Trevor, no, please...

Trevor...

Please, don't...

- Settle down.

You'll upset yourself.

- Please, I don't

want to go to sleep.

He'll get me while I sleep.

He'll get me while I sleep,

Trevor.

- You know that Eric Nilsson

has been dead...

For nearly thirty years?

- Trevor says you know

all about Nilsson.

You worked here with him.

Is that true?

- I am not sure I like where

that question is leading.

- You don't like the question...

Don't answer.

- Alright.

If I tell you, will you promise

me to take it at face value?

No boogeymen?

No evil spirits?

- Yes.

- The first time

I met Eric Nilsson,

he wasn't working here.

He was brought in

as a patient, in 1972.

I honestly don't know

much about his past.

The records were

sealed in his case.

He'd been in foster care

and had obviously been

the victim of abuse.

The most heartbreaking thing is

many of his injuries

were self-inflicted.

We had to keep his fingernails

clipped short every day.

To stop him from tearing

at his own flesh.

He improved over time.

I continued to work with him,

to help him heal his physical

and emotional scars.

Over the years he came to feel

that Hopewell was his home.

When he became an adult

he even asked for a job here.

It seemed the most

natural thing to everyone.

Eric was part of

the place by then.

- Go on.

- He seemed completely cured

except for one

lingering obsession.

He made a point of grooming

the children's hands.

Clipping their nails.

But instead of

throwing the clippings out,

he used to collect them.

Save them in little envelopes.

We all thought it was

just a harmless echo

of what he'd gone through.

But some of the staff gave him

a nickname because of it.

They used to call him "nails".

- What happened to nails?

- In 1984, shortly after

he started work here,

we had an unusual

number of child deaths.

Five, in fact.

All girls.

The police investigated.

Nothing was ever proved,

but suspicion fell on Eric.

And when they found those little

packets of fingernail clippings

from the dead girls...

Why did he kill the girls?

- I've asked myself that

for the past thirty years.

Eric seemed genuinely

devoted to those girls.

I think in his own twisted mind

he was freeing them.

Saving them from the

abuse that he'd endured.

They'd stay innocent forever.

And then he hanged himself.

- Where did nails kill himself?

- That's not important.

- Was it here at the hospital?

Was it here in my room?

In that cupboard?

- I've already said

more than I should.

Eric Nilsson is dead

and gone, Dana.

His tortured soul is at rest.

He is not coming back.

- Hey, mom.

Hope I'm not calling too late.

Are you okay?

- Yes.

This is my happy face.

Same as my angry face.

- I wanted to come

to the hospital,

but dad said I've missed so

much school with your recovery.

- He's right.

- He feels...

I don't know how to say it.

I think he feels responsible.

Like he's failed you somehow.

- He hasn't.

- It's just so hard.

He's on the phone all day

with these d*ckhead

insurance people.

Sorry, shouldn't swear.

- It's okay.

You swear all the time.

Don't think I know.

- Here, I brought you

some snacks.

- Thanks.

I'm just talking to mom.

- Oh, hi, Mrs. Milgrom.

I'm Ashley from the track team.

- Yes.

Steve said you were

helping with Gemma.

- Oh, wow, is that...

Does that thing talk for you?

Er, I'm sorry to interrupt

your mother-daughter time.

It's just I've heard so much

about you from Steve.

He says you're

an incredible coach.

I can't wait for you

to coach me.

- Bye, mom.

Love you.

- Bye.

- Ellie?

Ellie, can you hear me?

I want to talk to you.

- It's okay.

It's me.

It's Trevor.

It's okay.

You're gonna be okay.

You're gonna be okay.

- Here, let me do it.

- No.

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