Lost in July

XIV

Collin
~
"Do you two care to explain yourselves?" Nurse Linda, the "head nurse" as some patients have called her, is currently scolding us in her... office?

It's an extremely small room that hardly fits the three of us. We're standing across from her as she sits in her far too large desk chair, one that takes up a majority of the space.

Margo and I share a look of contained amusement, working hard to not laugh at her stern tone.

"Um, I like staircases?" Margo says sarcastically.

Nurse Linda isn't amused. She stares blankly at us. "Margo, we've gotten to know each other well enough that you know that I won't take your bullshit."

I raise my brows, shocked at her profanity. "It wasn't her fault," I step in. Clearly the two have history, and I don't want to see Margo get in trouble for something so harmless.

"I recommended we go to the stairs. I had a rough session with my therapist and wanted to talk in private, so I chose the top of the staircase."

I can feel Margo's eyes burning a hole into the side of my face, but I refuse to look at her.

"We should've said where we were going. It was dumb and I apologize. Just, don't blame Margo, she was doing what I asked,"

Nurse Linda seems apprehensive to believe me, but she sighs and nods nonetheless.

"Fine, if that's your story I suppose I'll go along with it," I smirk slightly. "But your actions won't go undisciplined."

Margo sighs loudly, rolling her eyes. "Please don't tell me you're gonna put me on bathroom duty. Again,"

"Hush, Margret," she snaps. "The two of you will be handing out food to other patients for the next couple days. We've been understaffed and could use the help."

Margo throws her head back with another dramatic sigh. I shrug. Doesn't sound too bad. Minus the whole, engaging with several people thing.

"As for you two," she waves her finger between the two of us. "we encourage our patients to make friends and interact, but if we find that this friendship is not beneficial to your healing process while you're here, the two of you will be separated. Am I clear?"

We both nod slowly. "Yes ma'am," I mumble.

"Good. I recommend no more lounging in stairwells."

Margo smirks. "We'll try not to, Ma'am." Her sarcasm isn't loved by Nurse Linda and the two of us are shooed out of her 'office' and sent to the common area for instructions from Nurse Penny on our punishment.

Once the door shuts and Nurse Linda is out of sight, we chuckle quietly to ourselves.

"How the hell did she not smell my cig?" Margo asks quietly.

I shrug. "I don't know, but we're damn lucky she didn't climb all the way up. We would've been totally screwed. The door, the cigarette, all of it."

"Nah," Margo shakes her head with a knowing smile. "Linda's harmless. She wants the best for her patients. She doesn't want to punish us but she has to. Yelling isn't really her style."