INDIAH’S POV

I'd never be one to tell a patient straight out that a doctor is well.. incompetent, but I am the kind of person who will tell them that they have a right to a second opinion which is pretty much nurse code worldwide for, 'I don't trust your doctor'. Most of the professionals who I work with at Redwood are simply just that - professional. I can proudly say that I am yet to have a reason to stick a knife in anyones spine to date; well apart from one doctor, but that's a completely different story. The shift was tiresome and long. I know.. 12 hours doesn't seem like much but when you're short staffed, run of your feet and being pulled left, right, to and fro with no time to stop and even take a single deep breath, your mind, body and spirit can feel a little roughed up and chaotic.

"I think that's a night Lucy", I cheered internally as I skipped past our head nurse at redwood, popping my clipboard on the administrations desk to be processed and pulled my glasses off and up, resting them on the top of my head.
"And you've done well!", Lucy smiled, tapping her pen against the paperwork she was filling out and gave me a smile as bright as the sun, "But really, Indiah - you're too smart to be a nurse."

The comment was always one that made me cringe. I didn't become a nurse because I didn't think or wasn't good enough to become a doctor - no I became a nurse because well, we help people and more honest, caring and compassionate people is what the world and it's citizens need. Sighing and folding my arms up on the administration desk counter, I rested my head down, shutting my eyes for a moment just to catch up on sanity.

"Morning Lucy; Ms Montgomery.."

My head snapped up at the mention of my last name and I saw Dr Smith standing beside me, grin plastered on his face and hands folding up a piece of paper and showing off the fancy gold ring on his finger.

“Morning? Have you seen the colour of the sky outside?”, Lucy chuckled. Night shift seemed to have that effect on people. Mornings were night, nights were mornings and anything in between was when you slept.
“Bad habits, sorry I can’t help myself”, Gregory excused himself; reaching over the desk to grab his clipboard for a start of shift.
“You seem to be in a good mood”, I commented with a sweet smile. The two of us may have had our ups and downs and drunken staff party accidents but we were nonetheless professional when on duty.
“Course; why wouldn’t I be?”, he replied with a wink.

I noticed his hands drop from the counter and felt something get pushed into my pocket before we said our goodbyes - starting a new shift for himself and ending my last. Just before I was about to head off and run for the hills - Lucy stopped me, pulling out something from underneath her desk.

“These are here for you”, she gave me a confused look placing a brown paper bag on the counter, “I’ll confess, I was curious and snuck a peek.. but - their just books.”
“Books?”, I asked with even more curiousness. I held the bag up, slipping them out both into my hands and read the covers.

The Rules Of Attraction ~ Bret Easton Ellis
Pygmy ~ Chuck Palahniuk

I pursed my lips together, trying as best not to let them or my eyes show any kind of emotion and quickly placed both titled back in the bag. A glance at Lucy and I could tell she already knew what I was thinking. A quick sigh and short of breath, I felt my shoulders drop and was once again ready to leave.

“Goodnight Lucy”, I whistled, making my way to the change rooms.
“Goodmorning Indiah”, she mimicked me, watching over her glasses as I sped off.

---

Sitting in the comfort of my own kitchen; beer in one hand and books in the other, I flipped and read through the first few pages of each, falling in love with the words so carefully selected by the authors as if they were some kind of printed gold. Mumbling curses and taking sips by myself, I was surprised to see Willow walk in, who must have spent the last few hours typing madly away at her office desk inside the study; or at least it sounded like frustrated fingers against a keyboard.

“Aline says hello..”, she whispered, I’m assuming half hoping I wouldn’t hear it.
“That’s nice”, I responded, pulling my head from the book and snapping it shut, placing it down on the kitchen table. Dinner had been beer and a yogurt which I had only half eaten, not impressed by the vanilla bean taste. Watching Willow wander over, I sat up straight; evened out my work scrubs and clasped my hangs together.

“When did you get in?”, she asked, touching my beer to still see if it was cold. This was something Willow did, not because she was some kind of neurotic mother hen, but because she was worried I’d fall into the trap of doing nothing with my life, which of course - would definitely be the case.
“Like an hour ago”, I lied. I’d been contemplating reading these for at least the first hour of which I’d gotten in.
“Uh-huh..”, she nodded, unimpressed, “So why’s the beer warm?”
“I didn’t take it from the fridge”, I suggested with a shrug.
“When’d you get these?”, she snapped her fingers over at the books.

Willow, unlike myself wasn’t someone who was eager on spending money on materialistic items which had a lifetime value. As a writer for Cosmopolitan; she had a wardrobe of trial and sample clothing basically gifted to her each month and enough test sachets of face creams and dieting pills thrown at her on a daily basis. As far as she was concerned, the money she worked for was earned to be enjoyed.

“Today.. a guy brought them for me.”
“WHOA HO HO! HOLD UP HOLD UP!”, she let out, a little loud. I looked over at her, a little confused by her reaction, “A GUY BROUGHT YOU SOME BOOKS?”
“Yes”, I confirmed for her.
“Did you at least get a name or a number or a fuck or..”
“WILLOW PLEASE!”, I snapped in defence at the same volume she’d previously used.
“Oh c’mon Indi, buying books for a girl like you is say, like the equivalent of a guy buying a drink for a girl like me.”

She had a point, although I refused to see it in such a light.

“If you say so”, I shrugged; taking another sip.
“So did you?”, she eagerly asked, taking a seat beside me at the table.
“Did I what?”, I responded dryly.
“Get a name, number.. anything?”

Letting go of the beer and pulling a piece of paper out of the back of one of the novels, I tossed it over to her, hand travelling back to my beer. Watching from the corner of my eye as she read what was on there; I felt her hand slam down on the table, shaking us momentarily. An earthquake would have been calmer.

“You got a fucking number..”
“And?”, I pressed, shaking my head, “Wil, listen he was just a really sweet guy. Don’t read into things so much.”
“Indi, he gave you his number, he brought you books, he.. just.. call him.”
“No.”
“Call him”, she pressured me, hitting my arm.
“I wouldn’t know what to say”, I honestly let out with a huff.
“I’ll prompt you.”
“But..”

Within seconds, Willow had grabbed the phone and was already punching numbers away. Handing it over to me, I held the handset up awkwardly to my ear and nervously began to sweat, unsure of what would happen. Watching her blonde hair whip around her shoulders, Willow turned back, reaching as far as she could to grab the second handset. As the dial tone became a little louder, faster, hypocritical towards my feelings.

“I can’t do this Wil”, I snapped, pulling the handset away from the side of my head.
“Yes you can!”, she snapped back, pushing it up to my ear.
“No I can’t. I do crosswords and blood tests and.. guys with no future; not.. not..”


“Hello?”


I sat upright and coward slightly at the new voice which had added the conversation. Widening my eyes and staring at Willow who had come up with this idea, I let out some umm’s and ahhh’s before replying.

“Hi. Um.. Hi Louis, this is ughh.. this is In.. Indiah.. the..”, I stuttered.
“Ah, the nurse from the bookstore”, Louis replied. I could hear a smile in his voice.
“Yeah”, I half laughed.

Watching Willow snap her fingers, holding up something she’d typed up on her cell phone screen, I grabbed it off her holding my breath and read what was on the screen before shaking my head.

“No..”
“Say it Indi.”
“No..”
“Indi..”

“So um, Louis.. did you.. ughh.. um..”
“Yes?”, he asked; with a pause on the line.
“Did you want, to.. like, go out.. sometime?”

I cringed, shutting my eyes and crossed my fingers underneath the table. I felt like turning into a cartoon animal and running through the closest wall leaving an animal shaped whole. My heart began to sink with the lack of response and I began pulling the phone away from me, licking my lips and dropping my head back until I heard his voice spring back in again.

“Sure.”

Was he being serious?

“Really?”, I asked stupidly. Mentally face palming myself.
“Yes. Really..”, he let out with a laugh I could definitely hear.
“Oh, okay.. great..I mean cool.. I mean.. awesome.. I um..”
“Great. So, how about The Drunken Poet?”
“Ughhh..”, I looked at Willow for support, “Sure”, I kept conversation going acknowledging her nod.
“Cool. So.. were you free tomorrow night?”
“I um.. sure.. I’ll be free.”
“So say.. 7ish?”
“Yeah, cool”, I agreed.
“Great!”, Willow cut in, “She’ll be there. Okay Bye.”

And faster than the click of fingers, or the speed of light - she’d hung up for the two of us, leaving me in complete confusion and desperation for some kind of answer. Phone down and fingertips dancing around the table, I stared at her in shock.

“What the hell was that about?”
“I thought you needed some help”, Willow explained, taking a sip from my beer.
“Well thanks..”
“You’re welcome cupcake.”

Notes

Again, totally slow but it'll be worth it; promise <3 Let me know what you think xo