Chapter 8: Nick

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Finishing my shift, I was excited to get home. My week off had arrived. I would get a few days to relax, before going back to work. I might even be working during human hours. Shaking my head, I doubted it. I was likely going to be on night shift for a while. Until they legally had to have me working day shift.

I jammed my gear stick, earning a honk from the car behind me. I was tired, and probably shouldn't have been driving. It was a short drive, but in a busy area. All I had to do was get home, then I could sleep. And eat. Maybe shower.

My unit looked wonderful, after working so long. It was my little ray of hope, promising a bed and sleep. I didn't waste time, locking my car and entering my front door. It was locked, but not both doors. Just the security door. My new room mate must be up already.

It was early morning, approaching seven. Most people would be asleep at this time in the morning. Marie did say they had weird hours too. Maybe they were getting ready for work or something. Shrugging, I made my way to my room. Making the effort to get changed, I left my scrubs in the wash basket. My pyjama pants and a shirt were more comfortable.

Passing the new roommate's door, who was called Jesse or something, I noticed it was shut. Maybe he's still asleep, after all. Heading for the fridge, I pulled my beer out. Seeing the black box inside, I fingered the lock. Why would anyone need to put a locked box in the fridge? Maybe he's on medications.

Ignoring the complaints my stomach gave, I left the pizza sitting there. It wasn't mine to touch. Closing the door, I noticed the freezer. There was a pink sticky, proudly sitting in the centre. It stood out against the white, making me feel like an idiot for missing it. Pulling it off, I read it quickly.

Help yourself to the pizza.

Nothing else. No bullshitting around, straight to the point. I was liking this guy more and more, and I had yet to even meet him.

Grinning to myself, I pulled the fridge open again and pulled the box out. He had eaten half, leaving the rest. Meat lovers. Not bothering to heat it up, I shoved a piece into my mouth. Cold pizza was good enough, especially with a cold beer to go with it. Even a flat one.

Taking my meal to the couch, I groaned as I sat back. I could stay there for hours. Eating slowly, I drank my beer and just savoured the experience. I didn't have to worry about being up for work, and could actually enjoy some sunlight. Maybe even go for a run at some point. After a sleep. A long sleep.

Lifting my feet, I dropped them on the coffee table and reclined further into the couch. The pizza box was empty, my bottle of bear close to joining it. Just relaxing for a few minutes, I felt content. Things were finally going how I wanted them to. I had a few days to myself, had eaten and was finally going to be able to save money for a house.

"Let's just hope nothing goes wrong" sighing, I pulled myself from the couch and took my rubbish to the bin outside. Stopping beside the bench, I grabbed the sticky notes and a pen. Writing a quick note, I grabbed a ten dollar note and attached the note to it. I knew the general cost of pizza deliveries around here, and guessed that would be half.

Locking up, I went down the hall. I thought I heard a voice from inside the new guy's room, but couldn't be sure. Ignoring it, I closed my door and collapsed onto the bed.

Minutes later, I realised I would need to get up again. Groaning, I stood and left the room again. Using the bathroom quickly, I was soon back in bed and asleep. I could worry about getting beneath the covers later.

~~~

The sound of something dropping woke me. I listened, waiting for it to happen again. It didn't, making me assume it was a shoe or something. Rolling, I grabbed my phone from the bedside table. It was late afternoon. There was a few hours of the day left.

I could see the light coming through the blinds, my room was facing the sinking sun. Without curtains over the blinds, there was nothing to shield the cracks. After seeing nothing but sunrise and darkness, along with the artificial light of the hospital, I was relieved to see it again.

Deciding to use it wisely, I got out of bed and got dressed for a run. I hadn't done any exercise since starting at the new hospital, being too busy for anything. I was probably going to get fat. Patting my stomach, I grinned. I wasn't one of those guys with perfect abs and defined muscles, but I was at least fit. I didn't have the time- or vanity- to waste on my body. Nothing was sagging or unhealthy, so I was fine.

Tying my shoe lace, I brought a hand up to push hair from my eyes. A hair cut was definitely needed. I looked scary enough, and didn't need to have wild hair with it. The previous night had been an example of that, a kid asking me if I was a giant. The conversation had progressed naturally; this little four year old kid suggesting I find a giant woman to marry. He liked my idea of getting a dinosaur as a pet.

He had then asked if my car had a hole in the roof, to stick my head out when I drove. In short, he was adorable and the best thing that happened all shift. I was actually disappointed to send him home. Kids like that made night shift worth it.

Grabbing my phone and a spare key, I slid the key into my zip up pocket. Trying to work out where my phone would go, I gave up on taking it. Instead, I returned it to the nightstand. Leaving quietly, I locked the door behind me. Not bothering to stretch, I headed off in a light jog. I felt like seeing trees, and sunlight; heading towards the closest park. Doing a few laps there, I moved on to just running the local streets. I was content with running the streets for an hour or so.

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