A Healer's War

Chapter 10 - Education Day

Chapter 10: Education Day

Saturday, April 14th. 08:30

Hill Hospital Auditorium

Rory arrived early, and the auditorium stood nearly empty. Head down, he climbed the stairs to the empty back row. He waved at a few nurses getting settled in the first few rows. Behind the raised stage and podium were the words Welcome PICU RNs projected on a white screen. Sitting uncomfortably in the tiny chair, he shifted and stretched. He'd slept badly with Caroline's weird letter playing over and over in his head. Let's get this over with.

As more voices filled the hall, Rory pulled out his phone and skimmed the headlines.

Wild Goat Named Voldemort Chases Boy Up Tree.

Hotel Replaces Bible with Fifty Shades of Grey.

Tupac's Hologram Gets Twitter Account.

Shakira Attacked by Sea Lion.

Rory stopped at the next one. Oregon Senator Gretta Grady Declares Nurses 'Only Play Cards' at Work. The article's picture showed a grandstanding mid-50s woman in a red suit speaking outside a courthouse with a mask of outrage.

"You gotta be kidding me," Rory muttered.

"Drink." A cup of coffee appeared between his face and his phone. He looked up and saw Megan. "We got eight hours of this." She stopped and peered at his bruised cheek. "Jeez, Rambo. What happened?"

"There really isn't-."

"Speak," she said, thrusting the cup at him again.

He accepted the cup and breathed in the beautiful smell. "Thanks. I needed this."

Megan groaned as she lowered herself into the chair beside him, supporting her pregnant belly with a hand. "Cruel and unusual punishment, these chairs." She dropped the last couple of inches, sighing in relief as she sat. "There we go. Now, let's hear it."

To her credit, Megan didn't laugh when Rory described the events of the previous day, adding in the occasional 'ohs' or 'mhm' where appropriate and wincing sympathetically when he described getting punched by the small woman. He left out the part about the note and glowing vial, though. The story was strange enough.

"Ugh, and after that awful night, too." She grimaced. "You doing okay? You've had record-breaking bad luck recently."

Rory swallowed down the pressure in his chest. "Yeah, just... you know... processing."

"It's a lot to process. It's so much, Rory." Megan said. She reached over and rubbed his shoulder, and Rory was thankful to have her there. In two quick years, Megan had become what Rory imagined a sister was like; caring, funny, and unafraid to tell him how he'd messed up. "I've been there. It's rough. And I'm here if-."

"I'm alright, Meg," Rory cut in, sounding shorter than he wished. She drew back her hand and gave him an appraising look. Rory took a breath and soothed his tone. "Just... getting ready for the next patient. You know me. I'll be good."

Megan looked worried. "You sound like Bell."

"Well, yeah," he said. "She knows what she's doing. Hey, speaking of which." Rory happily transitioned topics by grabbing his phone, hoping Megan would take the bait. "Did you see this?" He held up the "lazy nurses" article.

Megan regarded him sadly, but instead of pushing, she squinted at the screen, mumbling the headline as she read. Rory felt his shoulders loosen, relieved to not talk about Octavia.