Popped

Part VIII - Recovery

Nurse Redheart sighed. With her patient's vitals finally stabilized, she could finally step away from the bed that she and many others had been slaving over for hours on end. Too exhausted to speak another word, she walked through the door and towards the hospital cafeteria, wanting nothing more than to sit down. She would have walked faster, but her aching hooves forced her to take a more relaxed pace.

She'd never seen a case a severe as this. In fact, the last 24 hours had been absolutely chaotic for most of the staff of the Royal Canterlot Hospital. Surgeons and nurses alike constantly filtered in and out of the emergency ward, working tirelessly to save a mare who had arrived in critical condition.

But between that, and, of course, the time-and-a-half pay, it was all worth it. Now that the patient's vitals had finally stabilized, she could finally use the last hour of her double-shift to sit down and eat a proper meal. At 11 PM. She did so with no hesitation, plopping herself down at an empty table and opening the paper bag that contained today's dinner.

Opening her novel at the marked page, Redheart resumed where she had left off the day before.

"It's not me, it's you." She said, voice trembling. She put a hoof up to her face to wipe away the tears that trickled down her cheeks. "You've changed, Blanco. You're not who you used to be. You're not the stallion I fell in love with!"

Blanco tenderly placed a hoof on her withers, pulling her closer. "Please, I need you." He said, feeling her warmth as their bodies met for the first time in years. "You're the first mare I've ever loved. Nopony else has ever made me feel this way."

"Oh, Blanco..." She said, quickly shuffling herself out of the embrace. In that moment, they could only listen to the rapid beating of their hearts, neither of them sure of what to say. "...I wish you hadn't said that." She finally said, putting her head down. "I-I can't... I can't do this!'

Blanco felt his heart stop as he watched her gallop away. "No!" he screamed, nearly falling over as he stumbled to run after her. "Please, I love-

"So, do they know what happened to her yet?" Healing Touch said, taking a seat across from Redheart with his tray of food from the cafeteria.

Redheart resisted the urge to groan and roll her eyes as she put her book down. She liked her co-workers, but in all honesty, she just wanted some time to herself. "You could say that. I was present during the operation." she replied, despite herself.

"Oh, right." Healing Touch said, adjusting his glasses. "So? What's wrong with her? I haven't heard any details yet."

"Heck if I know." Redheart replied, taking a bite of her sandwich. "The investigation is still ongoing, and the Royal Guard hasn't released any information about where she was found. That being said, it's pretty obvious that she wasn't attacked by an animal in the woods or something. A pony did this to her."

"Woah, what?" Healing touch said, leaning closer. "Seriously? How can you tell?"

"Well, for starters, the main problem with that theory is the fact that she's covered in third-degree burns. Plus, there were no bite marks anywhere, just gashes. It's pretty obvious she was, well, tortured."

"Oh my goodness. That poor girl! Is she at least recovering?"

"Don't worry, we managed to save her. She should actually be waking up any-"

"Nurses Redheart, Caduceus, and Tendercare to the Emergency Ward immediately."

Healing Touch stifled a laugh. "Uh oh. You just can't get a break, can you?"

"Ugh." Redheart groaned, putting down her half-eaten meal. Sometimes she wished she had never moved to Canterlot from Ponyville. "Save my seat."

"Will do!" Healing Touch shouted, waving as he watched Redheart gallop out of the hospital's dining area.