She's Mine

Chapter two: Reminiscing

-Violet Sullivan-

I wake up to the smell of dust like I always do. I flip over so that I can pick up my phone. The normal daily text from my brother Mason is stretched across my phone screen.

How are you holding up? - Mason

Just woke up, how are you? - Violet

You know, boring Boston. - Mason

He has no idea how much I miss boring Boston right now. I check the time, I have fifteen minutes to get to work I need to be out of my apartment in five minutes.

Time for work. Miss you and love you. -Violet

Love you, have a good day. - Mason

With that, I jump up and quickly throw on a pair of robins egg blue scrubs. I prefer my navy ones but I haven't had time to go to the dry cleaners.

I manage to trip over three boxes that I still have yet to unpack even though I have been in Italy for two months on the way to the bathroom.

Thoughts of my family invade my morning routine. I'm thinking about my brother and how he hasn't had anyone since I moved here.
I knew as soon as we got the news that our parents didn't make it through the car wreck that I had to take on the responsibility of my younger brother. He is a freshman in college and he needs tuition money to be able to continue his studies.
I moved to Italy because they were offering more than three times the salary of a nurse in Boston. I knew that my brother needed money for college and fast. I hated to leave him but I knew that not having to worry about college tuition would help him out a lot.
Our parents left us a small amount of money but most of it has already been used up from buying his books and his weekly trips to the grocery store.

Being a nurse is my passion and I knew that my brother would feel even worse if I would have stayed and given up on it.
I quickly gather my hair into a ponytail and stare at myself in the mirror. I look like I haven't slept in days.

I grab my concealer from my makeup bag and rub it under my eyes. Better.

I run through the slim hallway and make it to the couch where I pick up my bag in the same place where I left it last night. I grab my white Nike sneakers and practically jump out the door.

I don't have time to walk. I unlock my door and grab my car keys. I look like a crazy woman running across the street to my white Volkswagen Bettle.

As I buckle my seatbelt and drive to work I play over the words Lucio said to me last night in my head.

"You really shouldn't be walking alone on the streets."

I should take his advice it's much safer to drive than to walk alone. It's also a plus to arrive at work five minutes faster than if I would have walked especially since I was running late.

As I'm parking my car I finally let out a breath that I've been holding since I left my apartment.

I hop out with my bag in hand, then walk in through the ER doors and go straight to the locker room.

It is Saturday, tomorrow is my day off. I place my bag into my locker, clock in, and wash my hands.

By the time I make it back to the ER, it is already packed with patients. I head to the first patient I see without someone helping them.

"Hey there, I'm nurse Sullivan how can I help you today?"

The patient is a young female who can't be any older than seven with brown hair. She looks terrified.

Her mom steps beside her and says "Well Grace took a fall this morning and I would like to get it checked out."

I walk up to the daughter and immediately see blood trickling down her leg, but she won't need stitches. When I work with young patients I always try to keep a smile on my face it makes them feel less scared.