I've been waiting

Rising

"Got a boyfriend yet, Merlin?!" Leroy yelled cheerfully as i stepped into the ward.
"Not since the last time you asked, Lee!" I replied just as cheerfully, setting my bag down and clipping my name badge on. Leroy put on a fake pout, making me crack a smile.
"Fag" Tracy muttered as she shuffled past.
"And good evening to you too, Trace. And what a lovely evening it is, don't you agree Lee?" I grinned, knowing he would play along. I had learnt that with an overly joyful attitude, and a good friend to back me up, no-one could get to me.
"Perfectly splendid" He nodded, mirroring my polite smile. Tracy rolled her eyes and stormed off, mumbling. Luckily our shifts didn't overlap, so that was the most i would see of her today.
"New kid in bed 8, broke his leg, in for a week. Oh, and Maggy's been let out" Leroy informed me, handing me a clipboard.
"That's good news" I said, setting about my duties. So, yeah, I'm a nurse. It was my way of staying close to Gaius all these years. I wasn't good enough to be a doctor, but I liked my job well enough, and the night shifts gave me all day to pursue other things. There were lots of things i did to help me remember my friends, and memorabilia i had kept so they would remain with me always. I still had the flower Gwen had given my in my first week at Camelot, preserved with magic and woven in amongst bronze stands, i wore it as a bracelet everyday: I had a pack of cards Gwaine had leant me, the joker was tucked in my wallet for good luck: I dagger from Lancelot, though i left that one at home, in my bedside drawers: And a ring, Arthur's wedding ring on a chain around my neck, i had always figured he would want it when he returned, and until then i could make myself believe he'd given it to me, a token of his gratitude, or friendship, or love... I'd never been sure what i meant to him, but what he meant to me obvious in my mind. He was my soulmate, two sides of the same coin,  love of my life. No matter how many centuries passed, he would always remain so, in my memories.

I switched the TV on when i got home, listening to the news while i put the kettle on, after all these years coffee had been around, and i still hadn't gotten used to it, opting for tea instead. Before it finished boiling however, I heard something that changed my world. 
"He rose this morning, and was found wandering through the nearby town in period clothing, calling for someone called 'Merlin', he was taken into custody and if anyone knows who this  man is, we are asking for them to come and claim him. He claims his name to be 'Arthur Pendragon'
Without another thought, I ran to my bedroom to change. I figured if Arthur was confused and disoriented, the least i could do was look like my old self. I found the baggiest brown slacks i had and the most scuffed boots, topped off with a blue t-shirt and brown leather jacket, and my old red neckerchief- i had kept it as it was a gift from my mother.
I hopped in my 73 Beetle and drove to the police station as fast as the speed limit would allow me. Once i told them my name was Merlin, they let me in to talk to Arthur, and the second i stepped through the door to the interview room, he leapt up and embraced me.
"Merlin!" He cried, gripping my shoulders and pushing me back to look me up and down. "Your here! Where are we? Where has Camelot gone? Who are these idiots, that they think they can imprison a king?"
I tried to shut Arthur up with a warning glance, but he didn't understand, and he rambled on and on until the officer interjected. "So you know this man?"
"Yes, he's my... um-" I tried to think up a logical excuse for knowing him.
"He's my manservant" Arthur said, looking sternly at the officer. 
"I'm his nurse" I whipped out my badge to prove my credentials. "He's off his medication, I'll take him back to the hospital and get him a check up"

After a lot of questions and sheets to be signed, I was finally let out with Arthur in tow. I practically shoved him into the car and locked the door before speaking. 
"I can't believe you're here! Alive!" I yelled, leaning across the seats to loop my arms around his neck and breathe him in. Arthur let me hold him for a while before he said;
"Well I'm certainly not dead, as far as i can tell"
"Look, i have a lot of explaining to do, but for now, just sit still and let me take you home."