Red Hood: You Only Die Twice (ON HOLD)

Chapter 6: Far from normal

I scratched at the uneven dead pale skin under my shirt on my stomach as I walked, the scars that littered my body for 2 year ago just hid just under my long sleeve undershirt and clean pressed scrubs. Though that didn't stop small slashes to litter my thoat and the back of my palms to poke out, there's no way for me to hide it. My thick curly hair slicked back into a pony tail, my bare face taking in the fresh stale air. I hummed a random and low tune to myself in order to distract myself as I began to walk down to the emergency ward, the crisp clean nurse scrubs hanging off my frame. I could hear the hectic noises faintly echo out as I took my time approaching the ward. Gotham city emergency ward never letting up with intensity. I couldn't be bother to go through this today...what I had said to Jason lingering fresh in my mind. My fowl mood wasn't helped by the lack of sleep the previous night.
"Hey! Katherine wait up!" Called Kylie's voice from the hall way before me. I peer over my shoulder to see her running towards me, as she finally reached me she didn't even seem remotely out of breath.
"Oh hey" I said quietly as she greeted me with a wide smile. 

"You working the emergency ward today?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, Andy bailed today. I have to pull his shift" I said, still taking my time to get to the emegerncy ward. Silence fell between us. 

"We still good for drinks tonight?" She asked. Her voice still cheerful. I looked down at my documents, trying to avoid her gaze, her smile slowly fell. Walking along side me she peered at my expression, a crease lined the front of her brow. She could basically read me like a book, even if I didn't want her too.

"You okay? You look a little bummed." She asked. I shook my head,
"I'm fine." I lied. My eyes finally looking up at her, a weak, tired smile on my lips.
"Liar." She teased. "Come on, tell me" A devilish grin on her lips but it fell as my eyes lingered on the ground in front of me, her voice became more soft, her expression kinder. She glanced over to the emergency ward door way, noticing a new patient's arrival she hurried her pace slightly.
"Wanna talk about it tonight? We can order some pizza." She suggested, I smiled slightly and nodded. The thought of soft cheesy pizza triggering my stomach, comforting food and conversation seemed to be nice way to spend my night. I pursed my lips as i contumplated the brideary of pizza and booze.
"Sure." I said finally,  her expression flashed relfie but her feet began to move faster towards the ward.
"Awesome! you're on my team, come on." She called out to me as she went.
"Yes sir." I said sarcastically, my hand giving a small salute as I spoke. Not wanting to appear lazy, I jogged along side her. Turning the corner, we were meet with the new patient. The ambulance drivers quickly wheeling him into the small curtained cube. Numerous other patients and doctors yelled out over each other for attention, the hectic, tense air taking a hold of my lungs. I stepped into the cube, my hands taking a hold of the bed. Helping guide it to press it base against the wall. As the ambulance guys loudly told Kylie the key details they had gathered on the journey over.
"Motorbike accident, he's lost just over a pint of blood, he may also have a spinal injury and a broken leg." I heard one of them tell Kylie. My eyes looked over at lanky man as he weakly opened and closed his eyes, his skinny towering limbs bruised and bloodied. A large nasty gash lined his fore head, dried blood seeping into the neck brace. His once white shirt had become covered in dry dirt, jet black oil and blood. His navy jeans almost completely shredded, his left leg was sitting at a unnatural angle. Glancing over to the mouth of the cube, I noticed a pretty blonde woman standing nervously at the foot of the bed. A intact leather jacket neatly zipped up over her chest. Her eyes red raw from tears, her violently shaking her hands tightly gripped a jet black motor bike. Girlfriend probably.
I turned back to the patient, the other nurses helping me hook up a drugs drip and heart monitor. Kylie peeled back his left eyelid, her thin flash light beaming down into his eye. She nodded to her self as she turned to us,
"He's going to need an MRI to see if there's any internal bleeding. But first we got to get his leg in a brace." Kylie barked, my hands picked up the cool blood packet from the cooler that lay just outside of the pale blue curtain. Hooking it to the numerous other small drips that hung on the thin iron holder. The man blinked slowly as the blood and drugs worked it's way through his viens. His breathing relaxed, his muscles slowly uncoiled as the drugs started to take an effect. 

"Okay, he's preped, you can-"

Suddenly the patient's body began to twist and jump rapidly, panic ran through my brain as Kylie ordered me to hold his lanky arms down. He tightly clenched his teeth together, pain filled groans escaping his lips. The heart monitor began to rapidly pick up, his girlfriend launched up from her seat.
"What's happening?" His girlfriend yelled over the numerous other doctors. As I looked up at Kylie, a confused expression ran across her face.
"Does he have a history of epilepsy?" She yelled out, his girlfriend stood frozen at the entrance of the curtain.
"Does he have a history of epilepsy?!" Kylie barked again, her voice louder this time.
"N-no." She stuttered out finally.
"He may have had a head injury, a possible reaction to the shock-" she muttered to herself. Before Kylie could yell out any orders, the patient abruptly burst out laughing. My gaze snapped to patient, a unnaturally wide smile across his face. Despite the neck brace holding his head in place his face still pulled and attempted to stretch in order for his smile to grow. All of his teeth on display, the sound of his laugh loudly echoing out of the emergency ward. The haunting madness of his laugh making it seem as though he was a lunatic. My eyes widened as his blood shot eyes, began to glimmer a pale green. Suddenly the laughing abruptly stopped, the single note of the heart monitor ringing out. The smile permantly engraved on his face. The insane twitches and shape movement stopped, my hands sharply lurched off his arm. All of us took a step back, stale confusion running through all of us. His girlfriend yelled out, tears streaming down her face. She pushed past me, her wails of fresh greif making its self known. I stumbled back, panic and fear freezing me in place. W-what...just happened?

Suddenly hearing a loud scream from somewhere else in the emergency ward made me hear the numerous other insane laughter that dotted around the ward. A burst of energy ran through my legs, I stepped out from the pale hospital curtains that was meant to give us privacy. Stepping into the makeshift hall way of the emergancy war, other nurses screamed as smiles lined their patients faces, my eyes widened as almost every patient was dying or dead with laughter. I jumped in my shoes as Kylie's hand whirled me around, her expression panicked. Painful stress written in her wide eyes, her grip tightened on my flesh.
"Katherine....what the hell is happening?" She asked me in a hushed voice. I stared blankly at her, shock still in my system.
"I don't know." I paused. Unsure of what to do with myself. "But I know who can help."