Living Silently

Safekeeping

"Austin"

Five weeks and four days since our sleepover and I had grown to hate the moments we had spent apart. A fire that had pulled me away from Valentine's day dinner and his brain tumor boy, whose name was Amar, became someone whom he had grown close to had pulled him away from a date. Also, the school work was getting more intense and so was my studying hours. Even though our schedules were hectic, we manage to maximize our time together even if we just ended up asleep with his smaller warmer body on top of mine.

I still had my all black uniform on which wasn't the most comfortable thing to wear as I walked to Amar's room in the pediatric ward. The pediatrics ward was so juvenile and yet I felt it was the most depressing place in the hospital. I wasn't cut out for this kind of work, and I knew it took a toll on Noel. He explained that he mostly worked neuro slots, but since the Amar kids tumor was something beyond the scope of the pediatric head surgeon, he had put him in Dr. Houdeck's patient list. I found room 318 and saw Noel writing something down on a chart.

"Good evening baby," I said with a smile. He turned and smiled at me placing the chart on the bottom of the bed that had a lot of stickers on it as I walked over to him. He knew what I wanted and stood on his tippy toes before my free hand was wrapped around him. I gave him a peck on the lips then pulled away looking at him smile and blush.

"How's your day been," I asked him while handing him the food that he asked me to pick up from the cheesecake factory.

"Long I had some skill evaluations when I first got here then I had a meeting with the chief about going back to school which I still haven't decided on yet. Plus watching this little guy and the other patients I'm assigned to monitor. He had the operation yesterday and still hasn't woken up," Noel said placing a hand on the boys before sitting down. He was so small and fragile looking with all his hair cut off and bandages wrapped around him.

"Where are his parents," I asked since he had never made mention of him before.

"The father is incarcerated, and the mother gave up and disappeared two hospitals ago. He's on his own, a ward of the state. He doesn't have anyone in his corner. It's hard for older patients to fight off cancer but a five-year-old with nobody who cares for him. I like being a nurse because I'm patients advocate in the medical food chain. Almost all of the doctors in this hospitals have an arrogance to them. From fetal surgeons to the Dermatologist everyone wants to be recognized, but a lot forget that the person attached to the tumor or the rare skin infection is scared and has no idea what's going on. I spend the majority of my day with patients and most holidays. Amar needs someone making sure his doctors are making great decisions for him and not passing him off because he's a risk to their mortality average," Noel spoke in a way I had never had heard him talk before.

"Sorry...how was your day? I saw a fire on the news I was worried until you called," he said as he ripped open the packaging of the plastic fork.

"I'm sorry I was trying to save my battery since I forgot to bring my charger. It wasn't in our district, so all I did today was clean gear and then went to the Friday night bar exam study session," I said occasionally looking down at the sick boy in the bed while Noel ate his food and finished writing on the chart.

"Oh okay, we can leave if you're ready," he said standing up tossing his trash in the receptacle not too far from the bed. I nodded and walked with him to the nurse counter that was super busy. He said goodbye to a few people as he grabbed his belongings. Then we made our way outside the hospital.

"Your place or mine," I asked him.

"Mine."

"I'll meet you there," I said heading in the direction of my car. When I was inside, I pulled off and went to his apartment building getting there just after he did. Turning in my seat, I grabbed my bag that I now kept in the car for the weekends from the backseat and brought it with me as I got out my car following Noel inside the building to his apartment. We walked into Chloe putting her earrings on in front of the television. She had her hair loosely curled and was wearing a sparkly knee-length tight skirt and what I was sure to be Noel's black leather jacket over a white band T-shirt. Her heels were giving her an added six inches.

"Hey," she said without turning from the tv.

"Where are you going," Noel asked his sister while walking into the house placing his stuff on the table.

"I have a date with a co-worker. He's taking me to that nice steakhouse downtown I've wanted to go to. Then hopefully he's going to take me to a hotel," she said and stopped fiddling with her ear jewelry and grabbed a clutch from the table.

"Don't wait up," she said with a smile on her face and ran out the door.

"You mind if I take a shower," I asked him wanting to get out of my clothes and put on something more comfortable.

"Go ahead, I'm going to look for something to watch," he said to me.

"You could join me," I said and watched as all the blood rush to his cheek.

"I'm just messing with you. I'll be out in a minute and please no documentaries," I said and carried my bag all the way to his bathroom that like always smelled like incense. I started the shower up and then jumped in and almost jumped out of my skin when the hot water hit my bare skin. I washed up and dried off before searching my bag for some checkered pajama pants and a black crew neck. Feeling renewed, I walked out to his bedroom where he was sitting on the bed his scrub pants off revealing his legs and his bright red trunks. He covered up at the sight of me " I'll be out there in a minute," he said waiting for me to leave the room following behind to close the door.

I dropped my bag near his door and went to his kitchen opening up the refrigerator looking for one of the many key lime whipped yogurts he kept stocked snatching one when I spotted them placed in a row. I looked through the drawer next to the fridge and picked out a spoon then made my way to the couch and scrolled through the Netflix catalog.

"Did you find something you like," Noel asked walking over to me wearing plaid pajama pants and a long-sleeved grey shirt.

"Yeah," I said smiling at him, and again he blushed sitting all the way at the end of the couch.

"Baby why are you so far away," I whined. He rolled his eyes and scooted closer to me but still not close enough, so I reached over and pulled him onto my lay.

"That's better," I said to him. He seemed to agree and got comfortable in my lap and placed his head on my shoulder. I handed him the remote without him asking, and before I knew it, we were watching something about marine biology. I was bored out of my mind watching the film, so I settled for looking at my boyfriend looking at the screen soaking in the knowledge that would probably only be useful if he was going on some trivia show.

"Can you not stare at me, its distracting."

"How could I not stare at you when you look so good right now, then hearing you talk about your job earlier and hearing all of that passion you had. Then I get to see you in that tight red underwear, and now you're on my lap smelling like rosewater... You're beautiful Noel," I proclaimed before kissing the side of his face.

"You don't have to say that."

"I do it's my job to make sure that you are as well taken care of as your patients," I said looking down at him. I could see him smile as he focused back on the television show. I loved seeing him smile and every time it happened I grew more determined to see it more often.