You Are my Sunshine

Chapter 4: The Infirmary

I don't know how many campers there are at Camp Half-Blood, but it seemed like there were hundreds when we entered the infirmary. A wall of noise hit Will and me as soon as the doors opened. Instantly, I felt as if I were drowning in a mass of bodies. All around me were demigods moaning in pain, clutching various parts of their bodies that were poisoned, cut, detached, burned, or some other form of injury. The suffocating feeling that attacked my lungs was not helped when another handful of half-bloods rushed through the door behind Will and I, blocking the exit. "Nico, you okay?" Will was looking down at me with concern.
I nodded even thought I didn't feel okay. I thought only my hands were shaking until I felt the panic run through my entire body. I felt sick and a headache formed behind my eyes which I tried to blink away. To top it all off, my werewolf wound began to ache again. "Here," Will extended his arm to me. I gratefully grabbed his sleeve, allowing it to mentally anchor me to the ground. Feeling the soft fabric beneath my fingers, I took a deep breath.
Once I felt a little less overwhelmed, I was able to get a better sense of my visual surroundings. The first thing I noticed, much to my relief, what that there was not as many demigods in the lobby as I first thought there was. As opposed to the hundreds of people I thought there was, there was roughly forty including the healers and other helpers running around. It was still pretty crowded, considering the infirmary was meant to hold a little more than one hundred patients on its three levels of shelter. My stomach dropped. How many rooms were already occupied by injured demigods? I knew that fighting the Romans and Gaea took it's toll on the camp, but I didn't think it was this bad.
The other things I noticed were things that I suspected to be happening: rooms being assigned, a few patients immediately being treated with some salve and cotton wraps, assistants sprinting from hall to hall with arms full of medical equipment, and people carrying around trays of Dixie Cups that I suspected to hold small doses of nectar. One poor girl who looked to be about seventeen had several splotches of nectar on her Beach Boys t-shirt. "Melissa," Will called to the girl.
Thankful for an excuse to put down her tray, Melissa passed the cups of nectar to another girl and jogged through the crowds. Instantly, I could tell Melissa was a daughter of Apollo from her bright blue eyes set in her freckled, oval face. Her hair, however, was the opposite of Will's. It was a bright, shocking shade of blue that reminded me of Mrs. Jackson's blue cookies. Also, instead of being devilishly curly, her hair was as straight as a ruler. At least on one side it was, running the length of the top of her head to her frail shoulder. The other side, still the same cookie-blue, was shaved blue stubble.
Melissa wiped her hands on her frayed shorts and smiled up at Will, another dead giveaway of her godly background. "What's up, Will?" She asked. Her voice was deeper for a girls, which added to her warm surfer's accent.
Will returned the same smile. "I need a room here for Nico ASAP. He's got a spreading infection and nausea spells."
At the sound of my name, Melissa flicked her sparkling eyes to me in a swift motion. It was clear she had just now noticed me which was understandable considering she looked like she hasn't slept in three days. Nonetheless, her eyes still held kindness and a hint of recognition. "Nico di Angelo?"
"Um, yes. Hi." I darted my eyes around awkwardly, trying to avoid eye contact. Then, I rose my left hand in a short wave.
Melissa's smile expanded just the slightest, but it made her dimples pop. "I've heard so many things about you, dude! Come on, I'll show you to your room."
"Erm, what about Will?" I turned to the boy in question, shyly tightening my grip on his sleeve. Melissa seemed to be nice, but I still got nervous around new people.
Will gave my hand the slightest tap, and I expectantly found myself wishing he would hold it despite the fact I yelled at him no longer than an hour ago not to touch me too much. "I really need to do my rounds quick. I promise I'll be in your room as soon as I make sure my patients are steady, alright?"
I looked at Will's hand which was no longer near mine, then I looked back up at Melissa. She gave me an encouraging smile which I found reassuring. "That sounds alright." I let go of his sleeve. "I hope your rounds go well." I offered, not really knowing what to say.
Will scrunched his face in a laugh. "Great, thanks Nico. And thank you, Lis."
"Any time, Will." Melissa's face turned serious. "And don't overexert yourself, Will."
Will waved his hand in a dismissal. "I'll be okay. See you two soon!" He spun a one-eighty on his heels and walked his way through the crowd while slipping on a doctor's coat that appeared out of nowhere. Soon, the white smudge known as Will Solace was swallowed by the orange throng.
"Lets get you to your room. I'm no doctor, but you look like you're about to pass out."
I looked at Melissa, who was examining me closely. "Uh, yes. I'm pretty uncomfortable."
Without another word, Melissa began to lead me through the crowd which took some careful maneuvering before it thinned out.
I found myself in a hallway with about thirteen doors total. I turned around, looking for Melissa. All of the doors were closed, trying and failing to suffocate the groans of people in pain.
The next three days are going to be a blast.
I turned around again, looking for Melissa. Finally, my eyes found the bright blue hair peaking out from a door. "Oops, sorry. I thought you were right behind me."
"It's no problem. I'm just happy to be out of the crowd." I replied while walking down the hall to where Melissa was standing.
I looked past her through the door and saw several stairs leading upwards. She shrugged apologetically. "You're going to have to be on the third floor since you can walk. That won't be a problem, will it?"
"No, it's fine." I assured her, although I still felt unsteady. How many demigods were so injured that they couldn't walk? Shouldn't they be getting rooms before me? Melissa gave a thumbs up and began to walk up the stairs. Before following her, I turned around and looked back at the mod. It didn't seem to be thinning. Melissa's footsteps continued to echo in the compact stairwell. "If you're worried about not having enough room for everyone, don't be. Most of the injuries out there look worse than they actually are, and a majority of them don't need rooms. All the people that had serious injuries were already given a room. Besides, we have enough volunteers to organize everyone and everything."
"Oh, okay." I replied and started up the stairs after her at last, allowing the door to slam shut behind me. I didn't tell her, but I was glad she told me. Melissa seemed to be genuine and not just telling me to assure me. The last thing I wanted to do was take up more space than I already did.
By the time I caught up to the daughter of Apollo, she was already on the second floor waiting for me. When I was next to her, she continued upwards while maintaining my speed. "So," she started casually. "It's great that Will finally got a chance to talk to you. He didn't get much of a chance considering we fought a war against the Earth about twenty-four hours ago."
I shrugged and blushed modestly. "I honestly didn't think he wanted to see me." I admitted. "You all looked really busy, and I didn't think he cared that much."
Melissa snorted softly. "He cared, alright."
I didn't ask Melissa what she meant and she didn't elaborate. We were on the third floor and I was already out of breath. I was taken aback- I didn't usually get winded so easily. Maybe a few days of rest would do me some good. Melissa pushed open a door similar to the one on the first floor level, and I was in a hallway that was nearly identical to the one downstairs except for the lack of a lobby and the mass of people.
We walked past a few doors until we got to the very last one. The plaque next to the door read "Room 3.16". The wooden door was closed, and for a moment I was scared that I would be sharing a room with someone. I knew that each room in the infirmary was meant to hold two patients at a time, and I felt selfish for not wanted to have a roommate. Also, I doubted that anyone would want a child of the Underworld to be in the same room as them while they healed. All my problems just seem to circle back to my fantastic social skills, I thought bitterly as Melissa opened the room door. Thankfully, the room held no one else. It looked like I'd be having my own room for now.
It wasn't anything special. Two freshly made beds were against the white wall in the center of the room. On one side of each bed was a chair, and in between them both stood a hardwood nightstand with a lamp on it. Across the beds was a counter that held various doctor supplies one would use for a simple check up. A metal cart was parked next to the counter in the corner of the room. To the other side of the counter, there was a wooden door similar to the one I just entered through. It was a nice, cozy place. I stepped in and ran my hand across the soft, baby blue bedspread on the bed closest to the window. I looked outside. I could see the cluster of cabins, the fire pit, and a field of strawberries.
"I'll leave you rest, Nico." Said Melissa. She lingered by the door, leaning on the frame. "You'll get three meals a day and snacks are available whenever. And by snacks I mean apple slices or carrot sticks. Your room has a bathroom if you don't feel well," she pointed to the second wooden door. "But if you can't make it in time, use the bucket. Hey, don't stare at it like that, it's clean!"
I swept my eyes over the room again. Simple yet comforting. "Alright, thanks, Melissa. Sorry." I sat down on the bed. It was similar to the bed I slept on in the Hades cabin.
"Sorry?" She asked, turned from the doorway she was halfway out of. "For what?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I usually make people uncomfortable, and Will just sort of put me off on you, but you seemed cool with it. So thanks, and sorry."
Her arms were across her chest as she chuckled. "Gods, Nico, don't sweat it. Just relax, get some rest. Will should be here soon to check on you. Until then, you might want to relax."
She walked across the room and partially shut the curtain so that the sunlight wasn't directly in my eyes. I decided to lay on the bed, which was extremely comfortable. Instantly, I felt sleep tugging at me lightly, luring me into darkness.
Melissa's footsteps crossed the room again, leaving. I was already asleep by the time the door was softly closed shut.

Aw I really like Melissa. Yeah, she's a character I made up, but I really like her. Hope you guys do too. I can't believe how active I'm being?? It's really great though. Please give your feedback on this story! Seriously, please. Please? As always, I appreciate if you'd vote, comment, share, cOmMeNt PlEaSe.