Unstitched Wounds

Chapter 12: Dusk

 "Do try to get some sleep, Hoseok-ssi." Micha swings her purse over her shoulder, tiredly pulling up her hair into quick ponytail. "You look absolutely exhausted."

"Yes, well, life with a newly minted one-year-old is certainly an adventure."

Chuckling, Micha nods. "Yes, I remember when my son was that age. He was quite the hassle, but Arden seems so angelic!"

"Only with her mother." Hoseok closes up his own locker and stretches his arms over his head. "You can go ahead and head out. I'll take over from here. You were having a slow day anyways."

"Are you sure?" Micha glances at her watch uncertainly. "There is still an hour before shift-change. I was going to run and grab us some food."

Hoseok shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. Nari is going to be here in about forty-five minutes with Hana so we can grab food together before our shift."

Micha glances around uncertainly. She is the head day-shift nurse at the clinic and an extremely reliable woman. The days in general tend to be slower in the clinic since most of the wolves spend their days asleep so that they can prowl the night except for a rare few that stay awake for whatever reason- normally for media, training, or anything else the Council needs for publicity.

So, the day-shift only have two nurses and one Healer on duty and it's mostly for appearances.

Since the day-shift Healer, a woman who graduated a few years prior to Hoseok, had a family emergency, he headed in to fill-in a few hours before the start of his own shift. The shift has been so slow, even for a normal day-shift, that he sent the other nurse home hours ago. It had just been him and Micha since three in the afternoon, but now it's nearing eight in the evening. The sky is darkening and the sun is sipping below the skyscrapers.

"Are you sure? I really don't mind staying for my whole shift."

Hoseok waves her off. "Go home early for once. I got this place covered."

Pursing her lips, Micha debates silently before she sighs. "Alright, just this once though. I'll go ahead and clock out, then. Have fun with your dinner."

"Thanks."

After a few minutes, Micha is on her way home and the whole place is left for Hoseok. He rolls up his sleeves and begins the process of wiping down every single counter, mopping up the floors, and organizing the files to pass the time until his family arrives.

The routine is familiar and he finds himself getting lost in the activities as he checks out each of the rooms, making sure they are sterile, fully-stocked, and then proceeds to check on the two patients.

A young wolf who graduated about a month ago with his blood more than halfway drained and left him comatose and another wolf from the same pack who had two broken legs, a nasty gash, and more than ten bite marks.

Luckily, they're both stable and healing well, but still put under to ensure that neither of them cause themselves further damage then what has already been done. They'll probably be released by next day shift.

Humming quietly to himself, Hoseok throws dirty linens in the basket and pushes it towards the laundry shoot to start the process of washing them for next use.

Suddenly, there is a flicker and the sound of energy powering down.

Hoseok locks in place, breath hitching in his throat as the entire clinic descends into darkness. He waits for the backup generator, but it never comes which leaves his body cold. He stumbles away from the rolling basket of laundry to the switch and flicks it on and off. Nothing.