MC's Viking Warriors- Bolt #4

Juliet

I almost sob in relief when I open the front door of my house and get to drop my bags on the floor. I'm on my knees, I lost a patient today and I feel totally helpless. There was nothing I could do, nothing annoying could do but that doesn't change the sense of failure in my chest.

Romeo and Benvolio, my cats, pad towards me and rub their faces over my legs purring softly. I bend down, ignoring the screaming of my muscles and stroke their little heads before locking the door properly.

Sighing, I crick my neck and the bones pop. All I want is a long, hot bath and a candle lit read, but my eyes are burning with exhaustion so I fear it may actually transpire to falling asleep in a tepid bath.

The glamours of life when you have no one to support you but cats I guess.

My phone buzzes with an incoming call, I pick it up and immediately know who it's going to be.

"Hello my darling." My mum's bright, smiling voice calls down the phone and my day feels slightly better instantly.

"Hey mum." I try to make my voice less heavy, less full of the loss of the day... but I fail horribly. I can hear movements down the line that tell me my mum is sitting down ready to hear what's wrong. That's the thing with mums, they always know.

"Talk to me, sweetie, what's got your voice all heavy?"

I sink down onto my sofa and pull a blanket up and over my knees before taking a deep breath and releasing the tears that I've been pushing down all day finally burst out and roll down my cheeks.

"I lost someone today, mum." I take in a heaving, juddering breath, "I tried to save him but I couldn't. I failed him."

My mum sighs heavily and I wish she could hold me in her arms right now, the world wouldn't feel so dark is she could. But alas, she moved out of this town when I moved into the city to medical school.

At first, I got a job in the city hospital, but then I had to move on...

When I got a new job here she couldn't face the move again, it was too stressful for her, too much for her after losing dad, so she's stayed there. Right now I want to beg her to move with me.

We talk for about an hour before my stomach starts to growl with hunger so we call it a night. We talk about dad, our memories of him, we both laugh and cry. No matter the exhaustion or pain of the day, thinking of him always makes me smile.

I heat up a microwave dinner for one, not that my raging loneliness is felt at all by me. Then I sit down on the sofa, under the blanket once again, and turn on my comfort show.

Romeo and Benvolio leap up beside me and curl up against my legs, their warmth makes me smile, and then frown. God I really am single.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I jolt awake at a noisy knocking on the door. My dinner plate is unturned on my lap... shit. I must have fallen asleep.

Groggy and confused, I stumble out from under the blanket but it wraps around my feet and I fall heavily on the floor. I stand once again and this time successfully make it to the front door. I open it and see  my neighbour, Grace.

"Hey Grace, as you alright?" I ask softly to my elderly neighbour, she's very old and her children live in New York meaning she has no support network close to her. Given the fact she's in the early stages of dementia it worries me no end.

"Yes dear... I just came round for..." she trails off but I wait patiently, giving her a warm and reassuring smile.

"Damn!" She exclaims in a shaky voice and presses her hand to her forehead.

"What's wrong Grace?" I prompt gently, opening the door wider and encouraging her to step into my house.

"I- I came round to borrow something... but I've forgotten. I'm sorry love."

"Please don't worry." I reach over and give her arm a little squeeze, "can you give me any clues and then I can help you?"

"Cookies." She exclaims suddenly, making me jump slightly, my brain is still defrosting from sleep.

"I came for sugar!" Its obvious the cookie tangent triggered her memory enough for her to remember what she needed.

"You're baking?" I question softly, glancing at the clock in my kitchen. "At midnight? Sweetie are you sure you're ok, do you need me to come round?"

Her hand goes up to her mouth and a little gasp of anguish escapes her, she clutches at her face and I can see the embarrassment and shame in her eyes.

She starts to cry so I gently pull her into my arms and give her a hug, a shoulder to cry on.

"It's ok." I stroke her back like I do to patient's family members all day long, you get rather good at comforting people in my line of work.

"I- I just got confused. I don't want to bake cookies."

"No..." I shake my head, "it's ok. Shall we get you back home and safe?"

"Y-yes please." Her voice sounds frail and weak, shaky and anxious.

Smiling, I gently guide her out of my house, closing the door on the latch behind me. We make it down my path, with Grace clinging to my hand for support as she navigates the darkness.

Her door was wide open and unlocked, I really bee to have a word with her children. It's dangerous for her to live alone like this. 

After safely getting Grace back into bed, she was already in her pyjamas, I close and lock the door behind me. As I walk back down her path, a noise catches my attention.

A motorcycle rumble.

I stand looking out at the road of our quiet street, there's definitely the sound of a bike getting further and further away. It's probably just one of the Warriors, they often do arms runs at night from my observations. Hell maybe it was even Bolt, seeing as though he's been a Warrior all this time.

Not that I care where he is. Not that I care who he is. Not anymore.