MARIEL

PART 4 ~ The Patient ~

A full moon had always produced insanity amongst the patients. It didn't matter how high-profile, or important, they were. Tonight, the moon glowed in the sky, but the private hospital was mysteriously quiet.

As the Nurse moved quietly through the hospital room, preparing the Patient's medication, she listened to the murmur of the television in the corner of the room. The President had spoken earlier, once again in justification of his violent actions towards the protest several weeks ago. His words had become predictable, but she wasn't prepared to speak against him. Hell, he'd stormed into the room once to see the Patient, and she'd barely had the courage to look him in the eye. He hadn't returned though. However, he'd told her to alert the other staff if, and when, the Patient woke up.

The Patient's vitals were steady. Throughout the last couple days, she'd opened her eyes a little, but the pain medication had put her in such a comatose state that the likelihood of any conscious awareness was low. It was a miracle that she was alive. However, that wasn't the most surprising aspect of the whole situation.

The Nurse had helped and had tested many patients before this one. Fractures. Blood loss. Infections. Concussions. With the expert care of the highly trained medical staff, most had survived. It had taken time, slow healing, medication, and patience. Many, if not all, of the patients would never return to the field, destined to work within the confines of government walls, or sent home to find figure life as a normal civilian.

But this one... this one fought as if she had something -

- someone -

- to fight for. Everything that had happened to her body had been fixable, but the Patient was healing at a rate more rapid than anything the Nurse had ever seen. The staff had taken multiple tests, testing blood vessels from within her bones to visualise the rate of her healing. Within days, the fractures in her hand and hip, as well as the ugly wound in her abdominals, had begun to heal at an inhuman rate. There was no possible way she'd be in the field this week, but if her body continued to heal in this manner, there was a good chance she could begin learning how to use her legs again within a matter of weeks.

That's if the Patient had no brain damage, which there'd been no evidence of that within their testing. In fact, the Patient's mumbling had transitioned to audible words. Very strange, but distinct words that confused the Nurse whenever she heard them.

"You are annoying. You... are... annoying."

Even once, a smile had flickered across the Patient's lips, and her eyes had fluttered open before she'd fallen back into her deep slumber. What a strange one, she was. The Nurse rarely held any attachment to the patients, mainly hoping for their survival because it looked better in her performance statistics, but she genuinely hoped the best for this Patient.

The Nurse approached the hospital bed and stared at the Patient's face. It was a gorgeous face. Peaceful. Wisps of blonde hair that fell around her cheeks were becoming tangled. The soft-looking lips were parted, gentle sighs huffed from her mouth and nose, and her chest rose up and down with a gentle, hypnotic rhythm. Dried saliva caked to the corners of the Patient's mouth and jaw.

It had always been humorous to see such strong individuals in such a state of weakness.

The Nurse glanced at the clock. 04:15. It was time to check the catheter tray, and then she'd finally have the opportunity to take her break. She'd worked for ten hours, and she was ready to eat, finish her shift, and then go home. Someone else could babysit the Patient.

Exchanging her gloves, the Nurse leaned over the bed and lifted the sheets from the Patient's legs. Gently, she pushed the hospital gown upwards, noticing the muscular, well-toned legs that rested motionless on the bed. Brightly colored bruises, small cuts, and abrasions decorated her thighs.