The Bad Boys Are Back

3

I took the subway downtown as soon as class ended. I volunteered at the hospice in my free time. Long story how I ended up volunteering somewhere so far from home but the people at Heart to Heart Hospice always made me feel warm and fuzzy.

As 6pm drew near, I made an effort to say goodbye to all of the hospice's residents. A lot of them don't stay for long, most of them are old folks on the verge of passing - spillover from the hospital nearby.

The oldest resident was Greta, a fourth stage cancer patient. She was a bombshell once upon a time, but she's just a shell now. Alone and awaiting death.

My heart ached as I drew near the woman. She used a mechanical ventilator to help her breathe. Her eyes were open when I approached her, which was rare.

"Hi Greta, I'm heading off now," I said in a gentle voice.

The corners of her mouth twitched upwards. "Bye Amanda."

My name was Ava, but she has never called me Ava in my life. Always Alyssa or Adriana or Alice. I didn't mind though, she was ninety and probably wouldn't want to be corrected over something that small.

All traces of warmth left my body when three loud honks sounded outside the hospice.

I hurriedly made my way to the front of the building. Another impatient honk sounded. Dread filled my veins as I grabbed my belongings from the locker as quickly as I could.

Could it be...?

The doors were already open when I approached the entrance. Looks like a nurse beat me to it. As I walked down the cobblestone pathway, I caught sight of one of the nurses asking the person in a black jeep to keep the noise down, as she gestured to the sign boards littered around the area informing drivers not to honk.

A string of swear words and some middle fingers arrived in response. My brisk walk turned into a sprint.

My face reddened as I drew near. I wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or from the sudden physical exertion.

Nurse Brown turned around when I came near enough.

"It's alright, Ava, I have it under control. Just some nasty youth who came to the wrong place for trouble!"

A grimace overtook my features as I panted for breath.

"There you are," Levi groaned loudly. "You said 6pm nerd." 

"I..." I panted out, catching my breath. All I could do was point at my watch that said 6:01pm. But Levi ignored me.

"Do you know him?" Nurse Brown frowned in concern.

"No... I mean, yeah, kind of."

"I'm gonna honk again if you don't get in right now." Levi said impatiently.

I flashed Nurse Brown an extremely apologetic smile before I climbed onto passenger seat of the jeep.

"I'm so sorry, I'll explain the next time I come here. Take ca - "

Before I could finish my sentence, Levi zoomed off. I could only wave helplessly at Nurse Brown through my window. She waved back, with furrowed eyebrows.

When we were out of the neighborhood, I turned to Levi, quite unamused. "Would it kill you to show some respect?"

"To who?"

"I don't know. To me? Or to Nurse Brown? Or to the occupants in the hospice."

"Nurse? What's a hospice?"

I slumped against my seat. "It's a home which provides care for terminally ill people."

"Oh shit. Like a hospital?" From the tone of Levi's voice, it was quite obvious he didn't know he just disrupted dozens of resting inpatients.