The Strings of a Violin

11. Kito

When I woke up there was a blanket tossed over me and Mariya wasn't in bed next to me. I sat up and winced in pain. My back was sore and hurt from leaning over the bed last night.

I stood up and cracked all the bones in my body. Walking into the bathroom I looked in the mirror and saw that my hair was standing up in crazy directions.

After a satisfying bathroom break I decided I should go down and check in for work then get some breakfast before finding as to where Ellie may of took Mariya.

I flattened the hair on my head and left Mariya's room. The hallways were brightly lit compared to Mariya's room, who liked to keep it shadowed.

My coworkers greeted me as I walked down the corridors and into the elevator to the first floor. I grabbed my key card and slid it into a scanner and the door to my sign in reception area opened. Tanya greeted me with a smile and said someone was here to talk to me after I was done with what I was doing.

I gave her a simple 'OK' and slid my card into my slot. A click sound was made and I took it back out before clipping it onto my shirt.

"So what do you have for me this morning Tanya?" I asked sitting down next to her.

She looked nervous and right when she was about to speak, she spoke. "Kito, my darling I'm so happy you're okay! Why won't you come home darling? We were so worried about you!"

I rolled my eyes at her and stood up. "I have to go to work, so if you would please show yourself out that would be lovely."

As I walked into the restricted area where my mother couldn't follow, her squeaky voice did. I couldn't stand the way she was talking right now. She sounded like a child.

"Ellie!" I exclaimed finally finding her later that day. "Where have you been?"

"Here, there, everywhere. Mostly taking care of other patients."

"Oh, what about Mariya?"

"Oops! I forgot to tell you! Her dad asked to take her out for a little fun, and I thought maybe they should bond a bit."

"Thanks Ellie, is there anything I can help with right now?" I asked.

"Yeah, actually, go up one floor and into room 350. There's some kids up there that need to be taken care of but I'm far to busy to make it up there."

"Of course Ellie, see you in a bit,"

"Thank you Kito!"

"Of course!"

Instead of taking the elevator I decided I should just take the stairs to get some sort of workout in my life. Pushing open the door at the third floor I saw room 350 immediately.

Little kids, both boys and girls, were under the age of 10 and running around like they didn't have a care in the world.

If only I could of been this way when I was little. . .

When I walked into the warm room, my heart filled with a sense of peace listening to the young kids laugh. I saw a beanbag chair in the middle of the room and made my way towards it, the kids not even paying attention to me. I sunk into the the chair and the noise caused a little girl to look at me.

"Are you here to read to us?" The little girl's voice squeaked. I wasn't sure if I was or not. Ellie said to just go up and take of them. . .

"Yes I am here to read to you," I looked around to see if any of them had name tags. The band on her wrist said Rosie. "How about you go chose a book and I'll read it to everyone."

Rosie's smile brightened and she ran off singing 'story time' to all the other kids with her curly pigtails bouncing with her. Before I knew it two young boys started to crawl into my lap and sit with me.

They were twins, and both had deep green eyes and blonde hair. "What's your name?" The one on the right asked.

"I'm Kito, I usually don't work on this floor but Ellie sent me up. Do you know Nurse Ellie?"

They nodded excitedly. "We love Nurse Ellie!" The one on the left exclaimed. Eventually Rosie came back with a book and handed it to me while the kids sat down on the shaggy carpet looking at me with intent.

"Curious George, I loved this book when I was little. Good choice Rosie!" I said giving her credit.

"It's my favorite too Mr. Kito," she smiled and put her hands under chin.

As I started the book the kids had their eyes glued onto the book and were gripping to every single word that I spoke. I've never had kids look up to me the way that these ones were.

It was comforting in a way.

By the time that I finished the story everyone had fallen asleep except for the two boys in my lap and Rosie.

A look of amazement was smacked on to her face and her curly ponytails were bouncing wildly as she struggled to get out of a beanbag chair.

"We usually have nap time Mr. Kito, but since everyone is already asleep it shouldn't matter," she said as she put blankets on some of the kids.

I helped her disperse of them and told her I couldn't leave until another staff member came to watch over them. Rosie was enjoying the fact that I couldn't leave and was taking every single second to do something with me.

Rosie defiantly had a hyperactivity problem.

But it was adorable.

Eventually she fell asleep and it was just me. The room was filled with soft snores, murmurs of sleep talking, and the sounds of kids tossing and turning. Everyone had a pillow and a blanket but me so I scooted up next to a few of them and stole their heat secretly.

To my own surprise I fell asleep like I used to when I was little kid. In the comfort of a room full of sleeping children. This was a mini paradise.