Falling Helplessly

Epilogue | Falling Helplessly

epilogue

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ISABELLA

Two years later

My alarm clock blares at five in the morning like every other weekday. I roll over and slam my hand over 'stop' on my phone to halt the ear-piercing sound. Without thinking twice, my feet hit the cold, wooden floor and I amble to my dresser in search of clothes.

As much as I hate waking up early, it's worth it when you know you will spend your entire day helping others. I slip on my scrubs, brush my teeth, and put my hair in a ponytail before heading to the kitchen for breakfast.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I'm turning twenty-two, which seems odd. Especially since it feels like just yesterday, I was turning twenty. Apparently, Max, Addy, and Jasper are taking me out somewhere, which I'm nervous about because... well, it's Addy, Max, and Jasper.

"Morning Izzy, or shall I say, early birthday girl." Max smiles, handing me a fresh cup of coffee.

I perch myself on the island counter stool beside him. "Morning Max," I say, bringing the hot cup to my lips and inhaling its wondrous scent.

Moving in with Max in downtown Philly was the best thing I could have done. I wanted to be closer to the hospital, and I was tired of living in the old apartment. I needed a change. He offered to lease his spare room, and I moved in the second my lease was up. I am nothing but thankful for his offer.

As for Addy, she moved in with Jasper. When he asked her, I thought she was going to pass out and say no out of nervousness. Thankfully, she didn't. But I was and still am so happy for her. I didn't want to hold her back, so we got the papers to move out and started a new chapter in our lives.

However, she is constantly visiting us, and we are still attached at the hip. Aside from moving out, nothing has changed. Except now we can both legally drink, and we are licensed nurses with full-time jobs. Some days I wonder why I chose this for myself, but then a magical moment happens in the hospital and I'm reminded exactly why.

"We have to get going soon, ready to do the checkoff?" Max asks, setting our empty mugs in the sink.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I stand up, waiting for him to start. Once we are facing each other, he begins.

"Watch?" he asks, tapping on his.

"Yep." I tap mine back.

"Stethoscope?" he asks, tucking it into his pocket.

"Yep." I tuck mine in my pocket too.

"Last but not least, ID?" He clips his ID onto his shirt.

"Yep! Okay, I'm driving today, let's get going," I demand, grabbing my coat and slip my shoes on. And just like that, we're on our way. The roads are absolutely awful, it's mid-February and we are finally getting the snow Pennsylvania is overdue for. And bad roads plus working in the ICU means I have a very busy day ahead.

"Good morning." We greet co-workers in the halls, and then Max and I part ways. The floor seems relatively quiet for the most part, and after hanging up my belongings in the locker room, I find my colleagues at the nurse's station.

We get hand-off reports from some night nurses on patients that came in overnight.

"We've already had one car wreck on Westmalle road beside the grocery store," Camila, one of my colleagues who is also a great friend, says. She discretely points to the bed the victim resides in, reading the report the night nurse gave her. "Male, thirty-two, his vitals aren't looking great, room B-23. If you want to take him, he needs another set of vitals done. Oh, and there was a thirteen-year-old who slipped on ice walking to the school bus and broke his leg."