During the quiet afternoon hours, a low hum emanated from the hospital's mechanical ventilation system, a constant counterpoint to the nurses' hushed whispers.
"Did you see Dr. Evans's face when Mrs. Henderson's son started arguing about the pain medication?" Nurse Anya murmured, adjusting the chart on her clipboard. "He looked like he was about to combust spontaneously."
"Oh, tell me about it," Nurse Ben replied, his voice a low rumble as he checked the medication trolley. "That family's been a handful all week. Speaking of which, have you checked on the child in 307? He's been quiet all night, too quiet if you ask me."
"Just did a quick check a few minutes ago," Anya said, glancing down the hallway. "Vitals were stable, but he's still unresponsive. Poor kid. All those injuries... It's just awful."
"Yeah," Ben sighed, pushing the trolley forward. "It makes you wonder what happened. Anyway, I'm going to double-check his IV. You should peek at Mrs. Peterson's potassium levels because they were slightly off last time I looked."
"I will do that." Anya nodded, turning towards the other end of the corridor and passing nurse Sarah, who was shuffling along while stretching her arms above her head, trying to loosen the tension that had built up in her shoulders. "Ughh…"
"What a morning," Sarah muttered, rubbing her temples, trying to massage away the lingering headache. Despite the wave of exhaustion, a small smile tugged at her lips as she thought about all the patients she had helped, but the memory of a certain entitled idiot quickly soured her mood. "Arrgghh..."
"That damn annoying fat ass," Sarah groaned, recalling the sight of the woman. "Bitching and moaning about how her little brat wasn't getting enough attention. Like, honestly? We're running around like headless chickens here during this busy period, and she dares to act like that."
"Such a crappy mother-son duo I've ever seen," She soon muttered, clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. She had been a nurse for years and had seen her fair share of difficult patients, but that woman was on another level.
"It's like she thinks they are the only ones who matter and the world truly revolves around them," Sarah grumbled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Are they blind or something? Do they think we're just sitting around twiddling our thumbs?"
"Honestly, I wish I could just slap her right there and then," She then muttered as her mind flashed with a violent image of herself smacking the woman right across the face. Sarah paused on the spot and took a deep breath when she realised her mind was gradually heading into dangerous territory. "You can't do that, Sarah. "
"It's not worth all the trouble," Sarah sighed heavily, trying to calm her racing heart and clear her mind as she knew getting angry wouldn't solve anything. "Besides, I felt messing with that snobbish bitch would just waste my precious time."
"Let's just forget about it," Sarah muttered, shaking her head with a bitter smile playing on her lips, dismissing the thought from her mind before continuing her steps. "And focus on the rest that I really need."
Along her journey, she saw children playing in the hospital's open playground and couldn't help but stop in her tracks.
"Tag! You're it!"
"No fair! You're cheated!"
"Hey, be careful. You almost hit me."
...
Feeling her mood lightened by the cheerful view, Sarah sighed, adjusting her cap while pushing away a stray strand of hair behind her ear that was bothering her slightly, before resuming her steps with a soft smile.
After a while, Sarah noticed she was nearing the staff lounge, and a light grin soon appeared on her lips as a wave of relief washed over her. While hastening her steps, Sarah pondered the options of drinks she had considered earlier. "Which is better?"
"Should I get coffee or tea?" Sarah muttered, feeling slightly torn between the caffeine boost from a cup of coffee and the comforting warmth from a cup of tea. But then, a better idea popped into her head. "I'll just get a hot chocolate instead."
As her hand hovered over the doorknob and opened the door, a flicker of surprise crossed her face when she saw David, a fellow nurse, sitting at a table inside. "Huh? Didn't expect to see him here."
"But what's with the long face? Did something happen to him?" She wondered, seeing David's face etched with a serious expression as he stared at his phone with a cup of something in his hand, steaming slightly. He was usually cheerful, always ready with a joke or a friendly banter. This sombre look was unusual for him.
"Hey, David," Sarah greeted, her voice a bit louder than usual as she entered the staff lounge. Hearing that loud voice, David looked up from his phone, looking momentarily startled before his expression softened. "Oh, hey Sarah."
"What's got you looking so serious? Did you hit big with your investment or something?" She asked jokingly, walking over to the table where he was sitting and pulling a chair in front of him. "Mind if I sit here?"
"Do you really need to ask? Have a seat," David replied with an awkward smile before sipping his drink a little and sighing. "Besides, it's nothing really."
"I'm just going through some stuff on my phone, " he added, showing a light smile with his brows slightly up. As Sarah took a seat, her eyes frowned, not quite believing his words. "Something's definitely off. You're not usually this quiet and withdrawn."
"Come on, spill the beans. What's going on?" She asked, leaning forward with a mischievous grin, causing David to have a wry smile on her cheekiness before replying, "Instead of focusing on me, how about focusing on yourself first."
"Are you ok? You look a bit tired and... tense," he asked, noticing the tension in her shoulders and the dullness in her eyes. Sarah nodded, a sigh escaping her lips. Yeah, I'm pretty much not."
"I had to deal with that annoying woman again," Sarah groaned, rolling her eyes. "She's driving me crazy."
"I know that feeling," David said, nodding sympathetically. "Some patients can really push your buttons."
"I just don't understand how people can be so self-absorbed," Sarah continued, venting her frustration. "It's like they think the world revolves around them."
"I know, it's tough," David said, nodding with a sympathetic look. "But try not to let it get to you. It's not worth it."
"I know, I know. I just need to let it go," Sarah annoyingly said, lifting her gaze and staring at the ceiling, trying to let go of her exasperated feeling before casually drifting her gaze towards the kitchen counter, and instantly recalled her original intention of coming to the lounge. "Want a hot chocolate?"
"No, thanks," David replied, holding up the mug and sipping the hot drink. "This is already enough for me."
"Alright, more for me then," Sarah replied, getting up and heading towards the counter. She then grabbed a hot chocolate packet from the top drawer and a white mug from the cabinet. After putting the two aside, she filled the kettle with water and turned it on, watching as the water began to boil.
*Bluble* *Bluble* *Bluble*
Once the water was ready, she poured it into the mug after tearing open the packet and adding the powder. Stirring the mixture vigorously, she watched the chocolate dissolve, creating a rich, frothy drink.
After picking up the mug, Sarah carefully sipped her hot chocolate, feeling the warmth spreading through her body. She closed her eyes, savouring the rich, creamy taste. A sigh of contentment escaped her lips, and she murmured, "Ah, much better."
After taking a few more sips, Sarah returned to David's table and placed her hot chocolate on the table before sitting on the sea. As she enjoyed her drink, Sarah quietly studied David's face. From what she could see, his expression was still serious, and even a hint of sadness lingered in his eyes.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sarah asked, her voice a bit louder than usual. Looking at her, David nodded, a small smile on his lips. "I'm fine, really. If anything, I'm just maybe a bit tired, that's all."
"Tired? From what? Did something happen that I wasn't aware of?" Sarah asked, her eyes narrowing, but David stared at her, feeling taken aback. "What? No! There isn't anything like that."
"Then tell me, what are you hiding from me?" she said, crossing her arms against each other. This caused a hint of irritation to creep into David, but he immediately sighed and forced a smile to appear on his lips. "Sarah, listen here."
"When I said I'm fine, I'm fine," David said, his voice slightly sharper than before. Sarah raised an eyebrow, taken aback by his sudden defensiveness. He then said, "Just leave it at that, please."
"That's what you said last time," she countered, her voice laced with disbelief. "And we both know how that turned out."
"Look, I appreciate you worrying about me, but I really don't want to talk about it, "David groaned, rubbing his temples with his fingers. While holding up her hands in surrender, Sarah replied, "Okay, okay, I get it."
"No need to get your feathers ruffled, " she said, putting her hands down. There was a brief silence between them, with the only sounds being the ticking of the clock and the humming of the fridge. As Sarah sipped her hot chocolate, she continued studying David's face, who had resumed doing something with his phone.
'What can I do?' Sarah thought, watching David scroll through his phone, his brow furrowed in concentration. He was clearly being evasive, but she didn't want to push him too hard. 'He probably had his own reasons for wanting to keep things to himself, and I respected that.'
'But this wall he'd put up felt unnatural, almost forced,' she thought before quietly taking a deep breath, trying to think of a way to change the subject without making it too obvious, and it didn't take long before a thought crossed her mind. "Hey, I need to ask something."
"Yeah, what's it?" David replied, his eyes still glued to his phone. Sarah took a deep breath, trying to sound casual. "Is it true that the kid from Room 331 is your nephew?"
David paused for a second, looking taken aback by Sarah's question, before finally lowering his phone with a sigh and looking at her, nodding in confirmation. "Yeah, he's my nephew."
"Why do you ask?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. Sarah immediately shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I just overheard some of the nurses and doctors talking about him after I got back from my short vacation. They mentioned that you were his uncle."
"Fair enough, I suppose," David said, nodding slowly with a thoughtful expression. "Word does get around quickly in this place, especially if those chatterbirds caught the wind of anything interesting."
"Why did you never tell me about him?" Sarah asked, looking very interested as her curiosity was completely piqued. "I mean, from the first time I have known you, you've been here at this hospital for almost five years now, and I've never once heard you mention having a nephew."
"It's a long story, Sarah," he confessed, avoiding her gaze while running a hand through his hair. "And besides, I didn't really think it was something I needed to bring up."
"Dude, are we buddies? You've got to tell me the whole story," Sarah insisted, leaning forward in her chair. David sighed at her serious gaze, placing his phone on the table before rubbing his temples as if a headache was brewing, while saying. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you."
"I actually found out about our relationship only recently," David confessed, avoiding her gaze. "It was a bit of a shock, to be honest. I haven't been in touch with my family for almost sixteen years."
To Be Continued