Plugged

Chapter One 《The Boy》

          I tied up my hair in a neat bun, mandatory here at the hospital, and started to wash my hands.

"How are you feeling today, Morgan?" One of my co-workers, Anna, asked in a pleasant manner.

I shrugged as I dried my hands off. "The usual: crappy, miserable, piece of trash..."

All of the nurses' eyes washed over in sympathy, but I knew it was not genuine sympathy. They have stabbed me in the back before, I will not let them do it to me again.

I pulled back a strand of my mane of hair as I walked out of the room, leaving the others behind in the break-room so I could get a head start on the day.

Most people would have considered me a moody person with just a glance: an irritable frown, angry red hair, and cold gray eyes. I could not blame them for thinking that way. My life turned me into this person with all it has thrown at me, yet it seems it is never satisfied with the numerous, painful wounds I have barely been able to endure these past months. It usually ends with me sobbing on the floor in my apartment.

It has given me only the allusion of friendship, a shattered glass heart, and the most recent cut was diagnosed only three days ago.

Cancer. Breast cancer to be exact.

Someone up there really seems to despises my existence.

I blotted out the fact that my life was ticking down right now and just continued down the hallway to my like like everything was perfectly fine and dandy. At least I can keep a job.

"It's time to get up Mr.—" I began before realizing what was out of place.

He was gone.

So much for keeping a job.

I addressed the nurse as he fiddled around with the hospital bed, applying new sheets and such. He was a little on the scrawny side with his figure along with a mop of brown hair on the top of his head, that same old strand sticking up in the back as usual. His looks were deceptive to the untrained eye, though, as his tongue only held that of lies and his heart was covered in the black vileness of his past.

He was also one of my 'broken relationships', if you have not already realized "Where is Mr. George, Logan?"

He addressed me after finishing fluffing a pillow, those same pale green eyes darting to mine. "Mr. George was moved out after he was cleared last night. He's going to stay home for a couple of weeks with his family until his collarbone heals."

"I see." I picked up the clipboard that held all the former patients records to find the big red letters 'CLEARED' stamped over the top sheet.

"Dr. Banthem told me to tell you that he was assigning you to a new patient today." Logan continued as he closed the blinds.

I placed the clipboard back. "Alright then."

"Morgan?" The man began behind me, that tone of voice I knew all-to-well haunting me inside my head. I hurriedly left him before he could say anymore. I knew he was going to ask me the same old question Anna did just a few moments ago, and I refused to stand there and listen to their remarks anymore. It was becoming quiet old anyway. Instead, I went to seem out Dr. Banthem. I evidentially found him in his office just as he finished up one of his check-ups with a young girl.

He handed her a sucker as he waved goodbye to the two. "Have a safe trip home!"

I watched the little girl skip alongside her mom, reminding me of when I used live with my parents in Georgia. She had a lucky life.

"Ah, Miss Morgan!" The doctor's words drew my attention back to him. The man pushed up his glasses before beginning to wash his hands in the sink, speaking tome over his shoulder. "Did you hear the good news? Mr. George was cleared yesterday!"

"Yes, I did." Was my only response. I decided to get to the point before the friendly old man got me off course. "One of the nurses told me that you had a new patient to assign me to? Now that Mr. George is gone and such."

He dried off his hands as he chuckled to himself. "Well, yes. I do indeed have a patient to assign you to, but he isn't exactly 'new' to the hospital."

"Alright, so it's a relapse patient, but which one am I assigned to? I would prefer to start my work as soon as possible."

"Oh, Morgan." Dr. Banthem shook his head while turning around to face me. He crossed his arms and gave me a fatherly smile. "When will you ever find the time to learn that life isn't all about 'work, work, work'?"

I held back an eye role to this. Please, I most certainly know that life is disappointingly not all about 'work, work, work' because it is all about 'suffer, suffer, suffer' and 'pain, pain, pain', I just prefer to work rather than do the ladder. Besides, it would find me soon enough after I arrive home anyway. "Dr. Banthem, please get on with it."

"Alright, I won't stall you any longer." He drew in a breath as he became serious. "I just want to warn you, this patient may not be like all the others you're used to, Morgan."

Can this old man be anymore annoying? "Alright, I'm much obliged."

I followed after the doctor as we started down the hall over to the elevators. He smashed in the four on the floor numbers, the floor commonly reserved for either expecting women or heavily pregnant ones. The box jerked before humming up the walls.

"I think you will get along with him very well, Miss Morgan." Dr. Banthem chattered away as the elevator crawled upward. "He's very pleasant tone around, imaginative too."

I did not comment on this subject. Instead, I drove it in a different direction that stuck out as queer to me. "Why is he on the maternity floor if the patient is actually a 'he'?"

Dr. Banthem bit his lip as his eyes grew sad. "Well, he was never able to leave the room after he was born. He is—in a way—attached to it."

My eye brows stitched together, but I kept my lips shut as the doors slid open.

Continuing to puppy along behind the doctor, we passed by several rooms that were already preoccupied, some were just woman resting with alone with their child while others had their husband's visiting.

I paused as I watched a couple embrace each other, the mother's cheeks all rosy and a proud beam on her full lips while her spouse laughed and kissed her lovingly.

I could feel my heart shrivel in on itself, but stuffed down the feelings as Dr. Banthem opened a door down the hallway.

"You have a new guest today, Joyce!" I heard the doctor greet someone on the other side as a tender smile took over his face.

"Really?" A soft, almost inaudible voice responded.

My eyes widened at the unexpected tone of noise.

It sounded so small, so tender, so... pure!

"Miss Morgan, I would like to introduce you to your new patient."

Little did I know that the second I took my first step into the room, the minute I laid my eyes on him, that this boy would show me a new definition to what I call my life.