Chapter Text
The lights were dimmed, making it much harder for me to see. No one else is up right now, it’s just me making the rounds. It’s not like they’d do it for me anyway. Besides, making rounds isn't that hard anyway, hopefully I don’t mess this up. I don’t need them on my back again, not because of some stupid mistake I make.
I was on the third-to-last room, finally. By this point in the night (four cups of coffee in) I was nauseous, getting too tired. I’ll rest once i’m done, maybe get some books from the library and read for a bit. Doctor will be glad i’m learning, though.
I’m only taking inventory for now. The sheets are dirty in rooms 6-8 (six through eight) . I can see that through the window. Room 8 seems to be “occupied”. Just not by a patient. Shit, I really don’t want to lose more sanity… Maybe I can? No- Doctor said not too, it probably isn’t true anyway-
“Intern, these rooms aren’t clean. Stop standing around please.”
I nod quickly and sign ‘ok’; turning towards the wall and such.
Her tone is always stern, she isn’t trying to be mean to mean. She’s right anyway, Secretary’s good at what she does, she knows what’s best for the place, it’s probably not targeted. I should get a move on, What else does room 6 (six) need?
The door creaks open, other than the sheets being messed up there’s a bit of blood and green ‘mystery goop’ on the floor. Damn goop. I’ll start with the floors and then get some new sheets and such, wipe down the counters just to be safe. There’s no telling what goes on in here sometimes.
Oh, I should prop the door open, the mop bucket is heavy when full. My steps are distinct on the tile floor as I grab one from the corner on the floor, shoving it under the door at its most open, nearly touching the wall. Time to get the mop out. Pulling the bucket backwards spills less water but I have to lean down, being tall doesn’t help that.
The lemon-chemical smell hits my nose, it twitches a couple times at the inbreathe. Blech, the odor is much too strong for me. I pick the mop itself up from the bucket, heavy in waterweight. I watch for a moment as it drips from the ends of the mop back into the water, rippling and disturbing the bubbles as it does so.
I move the mop’s end into the wringer, pulling the lever down hard enough that it compresses the mop. Water squeezes out from the side back into the buck, a little shower of tiny droplets lands on my pants.
Finally, I lift the mop from the wringer and bring it to the floor. The blood seems to lift easily as I move the mop across the floor. Little transparent streaks of the red are left behind until I go over them again. The green good is harder, I have to push down on the floor to get it unstuck. Once the mystery goop has been lifted from the linoleum I place the mop back in the bucket, and move to the sheets.
Pulling them up is easy, the cheap mattresses fold up with ease and the corners let go of the sheets with a simple tug. The thin anti-suicide blankets coming with it. I’m careful not to smudge blood on my hands. They could be a little more neat, it’s a taser. How are they making them bleed with tasers.
The sheets are all bundled up in my hands now, I meander over to the door and shove the bundle of cloth into one hand; then drag the bucket with me to room two. I peek into room 7 (seven). It’s mostly fine, but the pillow is on the floor so it needs a new one. I walk over and grab the pillow. Off to the laundry bin, I guess.
Now that the sheets and pillow are dealt with, I grab new sheets and a pillow to replace the old ones. Once that’s done I head into room 8 (eight), the one with the ‘guest’. There’s no anomalies or hiders right now either. I mean… it’s worth trying, I guess.
In the hallway I grab a bottle of maple syrup, it should be fine. I have a semi-valid excuse so no one should be too on my back about wasting materials.
Today, at least.
I walked back into room 8 (eight), shutting the door behind me. It was immediately more quiet, almost humid in noise; it blankets my ears like water. His breathing became apparent to me- almost like it was behind me. His glaring red eyes glow beyond the bed he looms underneath.
I kneel on my left leg, slowly lowering myself to sit on my knees. I place the glass bottle gently on the ground, in front of his hands. It’s near enough that he can reach it without moving too far forwards, but just so far that I am not in immediate grabbing range. Not easily, at least.
He takes it, his large shadowy hands wrapping around the shiny bottle and drags it under the bed; he mystifies and basically disappears before my eyes.
The door opens behind me, it’s Head Nurse. At least it’s not Secretary, she’d be more angry at me.
“That’s dangerous. We don’t need you dying from a lack of sanity when the next ambulance comes.”
Head nurse lingered in the door. Watching me, I realized. studying. I lift myself up on my knees, leaning forward and using my hands to push myself up from the ground. It takes some struggle but I get there. Man, I need some coffee.. My arms are beginning to shake a bit, restlessness wears in my legs. I turn to the door and Head Nurse is still standing there.
I close my fist and bring it in a circle around my chest. ‘Sorry’. In hindsight, Head Nurse probably does not know sign language. At my realization I look up to his face, watching to see how well he understood me.
Not at all, says the look on his face.
Whatever, I tried where I could. He might get it eventually, or assume I was mouthing off to him or something similar. I looked to the open space of the empty hallway behind Head Nurse, Agent flitted down the hallway; tail waving behind him sluggishly as he disappeared from my field of vision.
Head Nurse’s head turned at the cat’s movement behind him, and I took it as my chance to get out of the room without making up some weird excuse as to why I didn’t want to talk or be reprimanded for the syrup. I glided down the hallway and back to the alcove of the library.
Animal Hospital once practiced teaching nurses and upcoming doctors. The library was supposed to be liquidated after the reset, books sent off to other libraries similar or donated; through some loophole or exploitation it was left exactly as it was.
No matter the origin, it’s a wonderful place to get some sleep when it’s much too bright to wander into an alley or behind a store front just to be caught trespassing.
The atmosphere is lofty, but cozy all the same. It seems to amplify my exhaustion but I know it’s just the dimmed light and the cozy feel getting to my sleep deprived brain. I stalk my way over to a bay window facing the brick wall of an abandoned building right next to the hospital. Prefect.
I lay on the stiff cushion, decorative fabric over a flat foam piece that seems harder than foam should be. This seems to very quickly become irrelevant, my eyes become heavy and shutting them is less of a choice and more of a demand.
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Agent stood behind a nearby shelf, quietly watching on as Intern’s breaths became deeper and rhythmic, shoulders slowly moving with them..