NOVEL NEXT Interlude – The Glasses-Wearing Nurse’s Melancholy
A certain nurse walked through the halls of a certain hospital.
Shiny black hair, tied in a neat bun behind her hair gave her a clean impression. The black-rimmed glasses that framed her eyes also added a bit more to her charm. Although she wasn't some world-shaking beauty, she was most definitely a head-turner. And since she usually dealt with cranky patients, her personality was likely made of tougher stuff than her button nose.
Her destination? An extremely luxurious private ward at the end of this hallway. It didn't take long for her to arrive, as it was quite close to where nurses stayed on standby.
She walked up to the door, framed by two tall men in black suits. Bodyguards, obviously. Or maybe men in black who were hunting aliens? Surely not.
The guards didn't stop her, familiar with her face. She'd talked to them on occasion and one time, they'd tried to flirt with her. While she was flattered that an old gal like her still got attention, she was also married. To a loving husband that was very good at handling the kids and her. In any case, she'd been assigned to this room's owner for about a month now, so if they still didn't know who she was, then she would have to suggest they go in for tests. Dementia wasn't common among men who weren't even in their middle ages, after all.
'These guys are way too intimidating.'
the nurse thought. 'Well, that's part of their job, I suppose. Aren't there too many of them though...?'Two hanging around by the gates, two by the main building's entrance, a bunch of them patrolling the hospital, and then there were these two.
'It's like they own the hospital or something...'
There'd always been a few of these bodyguards near this private ward, but the number didn't really exceed four. They had also never been so blatant about their bodyguarding. All of that changed about a week ago, however. Their numbers multiplied and they'd started acting strange.
"Excuse me, I'm coming in," the nurse called towards the inside of the room. She opened the door and went inside after failing to obtain a response even when a few seconds had already passed.
'This room is as stupidly luxurious as always. Everything here costs more than my annual salary...'
She gave the room a quick scan, her eyes stopping on a young woman in a maid uniform. The nurse inwardly shook her head in exasperation. Some people were just a little too rich. Even though she had been coming and going here this past month, she still couldn't get used to it. Nevertheless, she had a job to do. So she turned her gaze away from the maids and walked towards the only bed in the room, where a young man was currently lying.
The nurse traced her eyes over the tubes connected to various apparatuses that were currently attached to his body.
'This is another thing I can't get used to. He's so handsome! Some eye candy is always appreciated with how the majority of the people I get assigned to are kids or older folks.'
The nurse stared at Ken a bit longer, her face beginning to burn red.
Ken's facial features were mostly Western with only small traces of his Japanese heritage. Almost as if it was artificial, his face had perfect symmetry. A high nose with a bit of sharpness to it, which most people would have to go through surgery to obtain. His lips — just like the rest of his face — were perfectly balanced, with a 1:1 ratio between the top and bottom parts. Finally, his bright blue eyes were closed at the moment, but the nurse had seen Ken when he was awake once, so she knew how striking they were.
'Even his hair is a plus, despite...'
She then gazed at Ken's hair, which had the color of ivory. It was a hair color one would normally associate with the elderly, but it looked really nice on his handsome features. There used to be bags under his eyes and his skin was still an unhealthy color, but that did little to detract from his looks.
The nurse hoped her son would grow up to be as handsome as this patient of hers. He'd make a killing as a model or a celebrity, then she could retire early. Hopefully.
"Ehem."
One of the maids seemed to have noticed that the nurse had been staring too much, causing her to blush furiously at the blunder. She quietly got back to work while trying very hard to avoid the gazes of the others in the room. With a practiced ease, she examined the various apparatuses attached to Ken, while noting some things down on the clipboard she'd brought with her. Her expression worsened with every space she filled out.
'Poor thing. It's been a month since he collapsed. I wonder if he'll ever wake up. I sure hope so.'
Ken was quite well-known amongst the nurses in the hospital. Even though he obviously came from some sort of crazy rich family, he was a polite and well-mannered young man. That had been the case since he was admitted thirteen years ago. He had a habit of teasing people he got a bit closer with, but the people involved never took it the wrong way. Interactions with him generally went well, as long as you weren't intentionally being rude.
'And he even gives out all sorts of things. I think he called them "offerings"?'
These so-called offerings, were gifts brought by various people whenever they came to visit Ken. Of the things those people brought, only a few of them would actually be used or consumed by Ken. As she understood it, if his sister — who was so beautiful even the nurse blushed when their eyes met — liked anything there, Ken would give it to her. Some would be sold online. And most would be shared with the nurses, bodyguards, or maids. When he would give them out to the nurses assigned to him, he would tell them to share them with the other nurses, since he had no use for them. The things he would give out were various expensive wines or sweets. Sometimes he would give out the branded bags and wallets he got instead of selling them off.
Added to his pleasant personality, his generosity launched his reputation within the hospital to the sky.
Once the nurse finished checking and noting things down, she gave the young man one last scan with her eyes, before turning around and heading for the door.
'I hope he wakes up soon...'
She couldn't help but heave a long sigh of regret as she left.
Last Edited: August 05, 2024