He was a creature born of shadows, one who was roaming with a adventurous spirit in his own universe until fate struck him with a curse. A curse, that was yet to befall on him and struck him right at the moment he was at the highest - only by an unf...
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Asteria's Pov
I was yawning continuously, but was still trying to keep my eyes glued to the screen and focus upon the words appearing on it. There were several packets of instant coffee scattered around the table that perfectly reflected my exhaustion mixed with the effort to make sense of those words and compose a detailed and meaningful report. I was stretching my arms and legs from time to time because I wasn't sure how long it was going to take. I felt on the verge of giving up every other second, and to push myself, I would mix instant coffee with lukewarm water, though it wasn't helping much anymore.
I had been typing and reading simultaneously for the past three hours, right after finishing my night shift. I hadn't had any time to even rest my eyes for a moment, let alone consider a power nap. All of my arduous efforts were solely focused on preparing a credible report for a case study on the rare brain disease - Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
It was late in the evening when an elderly patient, around 60 years old, was brought into the emergency ward. She had fallen down the stairs and sustained severe injuries to her head. Her condition was serious, and as the doctor in charge, I decided to order an MRI. The results were far from ordinary, so I rushed them to the head doctor for consultation. He studied the report for about an hour, and after discussing it with the senior doctors, it was determined that she had Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), which was still in the incubation period.
I was shocked and dismayed because this disease, apart from being incurable, is one of the rarest in the world - a perfect reason for the head doctor to assign us a case study. And, as we all knew, there was no way out of this !
Thus, here I was, typing like a maniac, non-stop. I wasn't entirely complaining about being assigned the task, but the limited time we were given-without any consideration for our existing duties - felt a bit harsh.
It was especially tough on those of us assigned to the night shift, and the one suffering the most was me. Why? Two reasons: first, my colleagues, who gave me the deadliest glares when they found out I was the "culprit," and second, the HoD himself, who had tasked me with not only writing a well-framed report but also giving a presentation.
I was feeling pretty helpless, but I knew dealing with these case studies was a lot easier than dealing with the annoyance of my colleagues. Last time, they nearly turned me into a clown-they dared me to set off the fire alarm during the dean's lecture, and somehow, I barely escaped without getting caught.
I was finally done with both the report and the presentation. I stood up from my chair, stretched my arms high in the air, and let out a long sigh, releasing all the exhaustion. I glanced at the wall clock - it was ticking 8 a.m. I felt satisfied - there was still thirty minutes left before the presentation.
I grabbed the oral kit from my bag, something I always keep handy for those extra-long hospital shifts, and headed to brush my teeth. I splashed my face with cold water from the hospital sink and tied my brown waves into a ponytail. A quick dab of moisturizer helped a little, but I still looked like an owl with swollen eyes. To finish off, I applied some perfume balm to my wrists - smelling fresh is a small trick to feel fresh, after all.
