The Moxy Byrd

Chapter 7

May 9th 2043 15:00

Tony flopped down on the couch in the breakroom and pulled out his phone. Fifteen messages from Yuna. He'd been so busy he hadn't even heard his notifications.

Three days had passed since the Dome had disappeared. The whole city was still in chaos. He'd gotten off at eleven last night and tried to buy some peanuts at the local grocery store only to find the store was almost picked clean of all goods. People who could, were fleeing the area and taking all of the food with them.

The hospital in Wytheville had made it on the list of hospitals that could treat Domers and that had led to crowds of protestors. He'd actually had to shove his way through a line of screaming people this morning. Something about allowing disease ridden Domers into the country. What did they expect them to do? Let these poor people die?

He scrolled to the last message. "Sent that clip of you on TV to my dad. He says it'll really help with your professional career."

Tony put his phone down for a moment. Professional career meant becoming a doctor. Her parents had often made statements about how it was a shame he had settled on being 'just a nurse' when he was so smart. Tony never did more than laugh at their open condescension, but it always left a bad taste in his mouth. Of course, it was easy for Yuna's parents to talk about grad school. Her dad was a lawyer at a big law firm, so college tuition had never been a financial burden for the family. Yuna was following in her father's footsteps. She was set to graduate law school in June.

"Have to keep that in mind after I pay off my student loans."

That'd take another fifteen years at the rate he was going. Not that it mattered. He loved being a nurse. He was a people person, and nurses spent the most time with people. But he wasn't going to tell Yuna's parents that. He'd tell them whatever it was they wanted to hear because Yuna was his dream girl.

She was far and away a better catch than he was. Tall, thin, and graceful, always smelling of nice perfumes and expensive shampoos; she was significantly out of Tony's league. Besides that, she was smart, driven, and witty. He was willing to put up with a little crap from her parents.

"Did you take any pictures while you were in there?"

"No. Wasn't allowed to."

He snapped a shot of himself and sent it. A moment later a picture of Yuna popped up on his screen. Comparing the two, he almost laughed. She'd used some sort of filter, and her face seemed to be glowing and surrounded by heart shaped bubbles. He, on the other hand, looked like he was hours away from death.

"What's for dinner tonight? It's the first time I've seen you in a month. Better make it special."

He rolled his eyes and smiled, typing, "How about Thai?"

"No. I said NICE. No wine, no Yuna," shot across his screen.

It was going to be one of those dates. He pulled up a list of French restaurants that hadn't closed down. Scrolling through their menus, he found one that had a decent wine list but no lobster or steak. He had to try to keep the cost of this date in check at least a bit. Clicking on the phone number, he patiently waited for his phone to connect. What else was he gonna spend money on, anyhow? Monique had threatened to fire him if he showed up with another tattoo.

Reservations made, time set, and Yuna pacified with promises of wine and stories, Tony hurried back to the nurses' station. Across the hall he could see into the door of Moxy's room. The TV was on, and she was sitting up, scowling at it. He walked over and tapped on her door.

"How you doing?" he asked.

She jumped. The scowl vanished and was replaced by a look of consternation. "Hi, Tony." Her face reddened, and she glanced back at the TV for a second.