Flickering Memories

Chapter 19

A/N: A special thank you and shout out to my reader Geumnayana who messaged me for an update to this story. HERE IT IS!

And of course, I wish to thank all of you who are faithfully following this story. Sometimes when sad thoughts threaten to overwhelm me, I just want to curl up in my bed but when I remember that I got readers who are waiting for updates to my stories and have been sending in their votes and comments, I feel the need to give back so I sit up straight, square my shoulders, and let the ideas for my story flow out of my head. Thank you all most sincerely, Anneofwhitleybay

Copter's POV

I couldn't focus very well throughout my rounds. The image of Kimmon and Newwie sleeping contentedly in each other's arms kept flashing in my brain.

Dammit, the very discerning Nurse Julie has been making curious furtive glances at me. She particularly started getting seriously curious when I made an oversight that I had never done before.

"Dr. K," she said, "this patient's chart says that she is allergic to Temazepam."

Shit, I usually check a patient's allergies before prescribing any medication.

"Oh yeah, yeah, change it to Zolpidem 5 mg, please," I said hurriedly, starting to feel warm under my collar in embarrassment.

When we finished visiting the last patient on our list, Nurse Julie asked if we were going back to see Mr. Varodom.

"Of course," I said, trying not to show my edginess.

A good hour had passed since I had first knocked on Mr. Varodom's door. By now, he and his fiance must have finished eating breakfast.

I walked behind Nurse Julie this time instead of ahead of her. I was literally dragging my feet.

When we reached Mr. Varodom's door, Nurse Julie knocked on it, opened the door and stepped aside to let me through first.

I noticed right away that my patient was not in his bed. Newwie was stacking the empty breakfast plates neatly on the bedside table.

He didn't regard me with hostility this time. Instead, he bowed to me and Nurse Julie and greeted us a good morning.

"Kimmon is inside the bathroom right now," he started to say but was interrupted by Kimmon calling out from inside the bathroom.

"Sweetheart, can you please come in here? I need help with my pajamas."

"Excuse me," Newwie said before quickly walking over to the bathroom.

So Kimmon has started calling Newwie "sweetheart" which meant that he had recovered his memory, which in turn meant that he no longer needed my services. The rest of his hospital stay would only be for his recuperation from the physical injuries he had sustained from his road accident. Since he was a young patient, I would assume that he would recover quickly from those injuries and would be discharged soon and then I would never see him again. So that was that.

I turned to Nurse Julie.

"Please prepare Mr. Varodom's discharge form from my services quickly so I can sign it at once," I said as I started to walk out the door.

"Are you not making a final interview first, as a final assessment before you discharge him from your services?" she asked.

"Do as I say," I snapped at her.

Shit, this was the second time today that I had snapped at her. She didn't deserve it. She was a good nurse. The problem was with me, and not with her. I had to make it up to her.

"Nurse Julie," I said as we walked back to the nurses station, "what time is your coffee break?"

"Five minutes ago actually," she replied, looking at her watch.

"Look, let me treat you to the bagel and coffee shop across the street," I offered, "I have been absolutely horrid to you all morning and would like to make it up to you. I'm really a nice guy under my stern countenance."

"You really don't have to, Dr. K," she said, "but your offer is too good to pass up, so let me just quickly fetch my purse..."

"Forget you purse," I interrupted her, "let's go."

I walked quickly towards the elevators and pressed the service button.

Nurse Julie followed me inside the first elevator that opened with the down arrow flashing.

When we got to the street, I stepped down the curb forgetting to check if the pedestrian sign had turned green and almost got sideswiped by a speeding van.

"Jesus Christ, Dr. K!" Nurse Julie exclaimed, looking visibly pale and upset, "just what is going on with you this morning!"

She didn't wait for me to reply.

"Look," she said, "for as long as we are outside the hospital, let me be the one to take the lead. You only cross the street when I cross the street, okay?"

I nodded wordlessly, stepping down the curb once more when she started to cross the street.

Inside the bagel shop she ordered a cup of coffee with hazelnut creamer but no sugar, and a ham and cheese croissant. I ordered a blueberry bagel with cream cheese and a cup of pomegranate flavored green tea with no sugar or cream to go with it.

After we picked up our orders at the checkout counter, we walked over to a small table at a corner.  All the tables with a street view had been taken. It was coffee break hour so the shop was teeming with customers. We were lucky that we even found a vacant table.

After taking a thoughtful sip of her coffee, Nurse Julie ventured tentatively, "You wanna talk about it, Dr. K?"

"Huh???" I countered, pretending not to know what she meant.

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it," she said, taking a bite out of her croissant.

I took a big sip from my tea forgetting how hot it was and yelped in pain when it scalded my tongue.

"I believe you should start talking," Nurse Julie said firmly, taking on that tone she sometimes takes with a non-compliant patient, "getting it out of your system will help you focus for the rest of the day."

"Kimmon..." I started to say without thinking.

"What?" she asked, giving me a hard stare but looking very much perplexed.