For the Differences
Note and Disclaimer: Yeah, I am back with a new story. No, I still don't own the series still.
Well, some days I gotta step back and think about somebody from a unique perspective. No, this one isn't from the other side of the war. This one just had to contend with being thought of as the enemy because of her heritage and that was tough enough in a world that she was too kind to. Well, here's another favorite nurse of mine.
Kealani Kellye had been born an outsider, even in the diverse heaven of Hawaii. Her mother was Hawaiian and her father was Chinese. Eventually, their differences resulted in a divorce when she was very young. While her mother remarried another islander and tried to erase her father completely, Kellye still had to contend with her birthright. While she mostly identified herself Hawaiian (and red, white and blue American), many didn't think of her as embracing her families entirely. She dealt with harassment at the hands of mean children and crueler adults.
But Kellye held her head high. She knew that she had to get through life by rising above the harassment and was proud to make a difference in everybody's lives when she could, including becoming a nurse and joining the Army. I mean, she wasn't the prettiest girl and was considered overweight. However, that wasn't of any consequence. It didn't matter how big or small her contribution was, Kellye always sought to make the world a better place than when she entered it.
Kellye always held onto differences as her anchor. It didn't matter what type it was. The world was hard and didn't give back. Kindness she saw from others was always a surprise. However, it was her own that she had to hold onto when there was none. Without that, she was nothing. She could not move on with her nursing career. She could not care for anybody around her. She couldn't even socialize!
It wasn't like she had much of a life to begin with. People took advantage of Kellye often. Even when she was working in peacetime, she had a hard time making friends. Because of her appearances, people thought the worst in her. Other times, they judged her for her weight and girlish dress-up. Because she was so nice to everyone, they had to grab any chance they had when she was defenseless. Even if Kellye saw it as making a difference, they did not. It was a hard life lesson.
The war in Korea changed everything. Suddenly, Kellye was someplace where she had to be tough. Everyone depended upon it – the doctors, the other nurses, the orderlies and even the patients. But it was her chance to make a difference. She had to rely on those differences to stay alive and to keep positive. Even though she was three miles from the fighting, she had to make sure that gentleness remained in place. She didn't want anybody to forget that making a difference always went a long way.
That was a hard road too. When she arrived, Kellye didn't realize that her reputation and some rumors came with her. Before long, she was condemned as the enemy. Her father and his family may not have been in contact with her since childhood, but that didn't mean she was suspected as being a traitor. It only took the grace of Colonel Blake to put a kibosh on the nonsense. His drunken behavior aside, the man saved Kellye's life. That made all the difference.
For the rest of her time in Korea, Kellye held onto that kind-heartedness. It made her believe that there was always somebody out there watching out for her. It made her more motivated to keep differences close to her heart. The war was a most terrible thing to happen to her. However, it was always the light she had to see. If she could keep it and spread it to others, then the war didn't always have to have tragic endings. She could be one of the few that made it.
After her war, Kellye home to Hawaii, humbled by her time in Korea. Her nursing career was far from over though. She had enough experience under her belt that she could have chosen any job she wanted. She handled a war zone without blinking an eyelash. She was honorably discharged and it carried a lot of weight for a woman like her. The best hospitals in the areas whistled for her.
It wasn't the best places that Kellye aimed for. Everybody expected it. Instead, she sought and found places where she could nurse the less fortunate. Hawaii was home to many ill people. The warm paradise offered more than beautiful weather and the occasion wicked storm. They were islands where those who dared to hope received it. Kellye was always there to make sure it happened. From the lost and destitute to the poor and grieving, she always moved with a compassionate grace that few could replicate. That alone made all the difference.
I am Death though…and there is always a way to me. Kealani Kellye escaped me through the sheer power of positivity. She held onto the actions of others and herself that made a difference. While many would have scoffed and considered holding back their kindness, Kellye never did. Her selflessness and strength to the men and women she nursed is boundless. It will take her loved to the grave, years from now. She wouldn't always have the typical happy ending every woman has, but it will be one that she will never regret.