sweetheart

three

Chapter Three | Elara

There are a few things that having a room looking into the nurse's stations guarantees for me: 1) having a front-row seat to unfolding chaos, 2) hearing some of the nurse station tea, and 3) being able to people watch.

Number one is occurring next door so I don't get to see everything happen but it's still enough to keep me sufficiently entertained.

The only new updates were that the resident nurse told me there are still no openings for an inpatient program so I'd have to wait a few more days until a bed opens up at one of several locations to which I felt both relief and a fresh wave of anxiety.

Also, I am not allowed my phone but my dad did call to get into contact with me and let me know he and Mom are landing tomorrow from their current homebase in Asia. Dad's software engineering company did not have any time to waste with the outsourcing of Apple's next set of products being put on a time crunch because of a hiccup in production.

I tried not to feel guilty for taking more time out of his already packed schedule.

Lastly, Dr. Matthias managed to pass by and say a quick farewell before wishing me luck and hoping I got moved to the program quickly. I miss his optimism.

As I shovel chocolate pudding into my mouth from the lunch tray on my makeshift table, the room beside me lets out a collective sigh of relief and I can't help but smile at their now calmer chatter.

"I'm glad they made it," I say to the nurse on watch.

She nods enthusiastically, "Yeah, me too. We can try to get one of the other nurses in so she can tell us what went wrong."

As far as nurses go, she was definitely one of my favorites from the rotation of people I have had watch me to make sure I didn't try to die. She said her name was Haley and that I was one of her favorite patients on the floor because I did not bother her very much.

She also promised me some pants and fresh undies, so lots to look forward to.

***

The day goes by in a gentle blur of words and vitals and consolation and by the time the sun is setting and the shifts are changing, I find myself wishing for some entertainment.

I sigh and tug my hair out of the bun I threw it in after lunch and the nurse and I begin to senselessly chatter.

"Where are you from?" I ask gently, picking up on her accent.

"I'm from Trinidad," she smiles, her teeth pearly and pretty.

"Oh, that's so cool. We are practically neighbors," I offer her the biggest smile I can muster which inherently isn't much but I can tell she knows how much of an effort it is to maintain on my face. "My mother is from the Dominican Republic and my dad is Spaniard."

She gleams in understanding and we bond about our home countries for a while before dissecting our histories and the story behind it all.

By the time her shift is over, I find my heart a little lighter knowing I connected with someone and she doesn't hesitate to give me a hug and tell me I will get better before she leaves.

I can't really stop the tears that flow an hour or so after her departure but when the nurse asks if she can do anything to help I just shake my head and let the tears fall on their own.

Better out than held in, or something like that.

***

The morning comes with a lot of pleasant surprises, the main one being I get upgraded to pants which may not seem like a lot but is as luxurious as it gets when you have been in nothing but two opposite-facing robes for two days.