A Lover Cursed

Persuasions

Nash whistled softly as he walked down the halls of the hospital, dodging and passing people along the way, saying hello to those he knew - which was basically everyone - all while he messed with the two fidget cubes in his pocket, popped the bubblegum in his mouth, walked his brain through the beginning steps of the live-donor liver transplant they had scheduled for tomorrow night, counted his steps, and carefully avoided the laminate seams of the flooring lest he accidentally break his dead mahmen's back.

Such was the baseline for Nash's daily functioning. No, he wasn't on drugs. At least so long as you didn't count the nightly half-pill of adderall that allowed him to actually function nominally in the real world. To be honest, the stuff was a god-send. Before Havers had helped Nash get his ADHD under strict control, all he knew to do was to self medicate with alcohol 25/7. Those were dark days, but they seemed like another lifetime. In the last twenty years, Nash has gone from barely literate to MD, and any success was due to those meds and deep-seated father issues that caused Nash to crave Havers approval on an unhealthy level since basically day one.

And then there was the job. Nash loved being a doctor. He Lived for it. Everything he did, down to the food he ate and the books he read and the relationships he had, existed in his life because he believed they would make him better at his job. It was his lifeline and his identity, and it was only in his life because Havers had put them there.

"Hey, Catya." Nash said, coming around to the floor one nurses station. "How are you this beautiful night?"

"I haven't decided yet. Have you signed that stack of charts I left on your desk?" The sharp-as-a-tack take-no-shit head nurse gave Nash a side look that made him straighten his spine a bit. She had been working with Havers since way before Nash was even born, and she had been a big part of Nash's time here. Havers was an amazing doctor, but it was Catya that had taught Nash about putting in IVs and how to help young feel less terrified when they needed care. Nursing was a profession separate from being a physician, and Catya was the best.

"You're looking awfully pretty tonight, Catya. Is that a new lip color?" He said with a smile.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Flattery doesn't change the rules, Nash. You still have to sign your charts."

"No, no. Not the lips." He snapped his fingers. "You cut your hair. I love it. It really frames your face, brings out those high cheekbones of yours."

Catya put down the IV bag she was prepping and put her hand on her hip. "I'm three nurses short tonight and the VIP Princess Bus that rolled in last night has me in a fantastic mood, so just tell me what you want."

Nash smirked. The "VIP Princess" was nurse talk for hoity toity Glymera females who came in with non-complaints. Usually it happened just around events that were male-only, like sports games or something similar. What better way to get attention from your helleren than to fake a medical emergency? But to be honest, it only worked about half the time.

Nash leaned over the nurses station, looking around to make sure no one was listening. "I just wanted to let you know that Operation Removing The Foreign Object from Havers Rectum is a go."

"Again, Nash? Ugh, I don't have time for this."

Nash followed her down the hallway. "But it's going to work this time! I'm going to need your help, though. Obvi."

"Obvi??" She repeated. "Please don't tell me you're speaking Millenial now."

"Seriously, Catya." He got in front of her and she stopped. "Don't tell me you don't think he deserves to be happy. He's a good male."

"He is a good male. But honestly, Nash, even when he was happy, he was still just... well, like he is."

"I know you've known him longer than me, but trust me on this one. I have a secret weapon that I didn't have last time. This is going to work, but it's no fun if I have to scheme by myself."