Chapter 2

A new face, a new nurse.

Roper had never seen anything like this in his life, the only comparison he had was the all-boys boarding school he attended, back when he was still a young lad.

Being just gone five pm on a Monday evening Roper wasn't expecting to see many students, but it was a complete ghost town at the moment.

"A lot of homework must be due in tomorrow eh?" Roper said as he looked around the grounds.

The school was amazing, the well-maintained school gardens, the clean pavements and the huge buildings were no doubt incredibly expensive, Roper wanted to know what type of person would fund a project this big, and better yet have the money to do so.

"impressive isn't it William" his father said as he walked down the pavement also looking around the school.

"it's definitely quiet…" Roper responded

Roper couldn't argue though, it was an impressive display of investment and effort from both the founders and the architects.

Roper agreed with his father.

Though… there was one thing that Roper wasn't that impressed with.

"...Mediocre Uniform though"

they stopped when they reached the front of what Roper guessed was the main school building, to call it big would be an understatement, as Roper looked up, he counted five levels to the building, he didn't want to imagine how many rooms that would be.

To his left, he saw a row of clean pale coloured stairs leading up the grass bank, a quick glance at the building the stairs led to revealed a white plaque with the green words reading "nurses office, first floor" next to the entrance. It clearly mentions four or maybe five other locations in the building but Roper could not make out what they were.

Ropers focus at reading the plaque was cut off by his father speaking to him.

"Ah William, I almost forgot."

Roper turned back to his father.

"having trouble remembering things, old man?" Roper asked then, let out a chuckle.

His father reached for a piece of paper from his pocket, it was crumpled up but a quick inspection revealed it to be a map of the school grounds.

"you need to check in with the head nurse" he pointed behind Roper, he looked over his shoulder, it was the building Roper had just inspected.

"could you go and check in with him while I put your things in your dorm?"

Roper took the map from his father's hands, he scanned it, looking for the head nurse's office, but it was only a simple map with basic details on it.

"I know it's on the first floor, but where is it specifically"

He looked towards his father, confused.

"you can't miss it, it's the first floor, fifth room down"

His father turned around and marched towards the dorms, apparently feeling that that was enough advice for Roper to go off.

Roper rubbed his forehead and watched as his father crossed the pavement that lead to the main building, walk up the stairs opposite roper, and disappear into the bushes and trees in the public garden between the dorms and the school.

Roper could just about see the dorms from where he was standing, the oak, and pine trees dotted across the large field stopped roper from getting a good look though.

Roper turned back to the Axillary building, looked up and down, then like his father, marched to the entrance.

It didn't take Roper long to find the head nurses office after entering the building, just like his father said, first floor and five rooms down. the room had the nameplate " head nurse" with a green cross underneath it.

Roper walked down the corridor passing all the other rooms on his way down, they were not marked and were shut so Roper had no clue what they were for, he reached the intended door and stood outside for a moment.

This was his first chance to set a good impression, Roper wanted a good outcome.

He knocked on the door three times, and waited for a response, after a few moments of silence a voice called from within the room.

"come in"

William opened the door to let himself in.

Roper was met by a young man sitting on a chair by a desk over at the far side of the room, 'the far side of the room would be a compliment' Roper thought, the room was small, considering it was for the head nurse.

"Hello, I'm William Roper, you wanted to meet with me?"

The nurse's eyebrows raised up, he seemed to notice his name, he stood up and reached out for a handshake, probably making sure it went to his right hand.

it was a solid hand shake, it was like his father's.

"school enrolment is really starting to pick up" the nurse said under his breath, roper managed to hear him, but didn't ask about it.

"Yes, the school was expecting you today, your five hours late you know" he said with a grin.

"I've been told that five hours late counts as slightly late, in japan" Roper said, remembering what his father told him earlier.

"Oh" the doctor let out a laugh, "then I'm dreading to think about what being slightly late must be like in England" he said as he ran through multiple files, probably trying to find Ropers.

Roper let out a loud laugh, he liked this man already.

"regardless, it's good that you are finally here, safe and sound, please take a seat!" he motioned with his hands towards a chair a few feet across from his.

Roper was glad he made it to Yamaku safely too, Roper would go mad if he was stuck in the middle of nowhere with his father, and no one else as a point of human contact.

Roper took a seat on the chair and watched the nurse pull out what must have been the file about him.

"loss of the left hand because of an incident involving a bike" he quietly re read over ropers file, to refresh his memory.

"says here that you have used anti-depressants in the past two years, and have turned down suggestions to remain on them by your doctors in England"

The nurse looked up at Roper, looking for an answer.

Roper smiled at the nurse's curiosity.

"You know what doctors are like, once they put you on them, they don't want to take you off them"

"I don't find them necessary anymore, I'm more comfortable with who I am now, two years ago I really wasn't, they helped me get ashore"

The nurse nodded

"that's good to hear, but if you ever find yourself slipping, tell me" his tone went from cheerful to serious in flash

Roper nodded

"will do"

"also, I recommend that you don't do anything to demanding on your left arm for the time being"

Well that was a no brainer.

"like playing goalkeeper for the school soccer team" the nurse gave an example

He laughed at his own joke.

Wait, Ouch,

"really rubbing salt into the wound there pal" Roper mentioned, but that only caused him to chuckle more at his joke.

"are you using your position as nurse to hold information over me?" roper asked with a confused laugh.

"I don't know William? is being five hours late, actually late in japan?" he let out a laugh, Roper laughed too, hey, he was funny.

"Just call me Roper, only my father ever calls me William"

Roper could already see them becoming friends.

"oh, so I am your father? I thought I was your nurse" he raised an eyebrow

Roper had to end this, this would hurt his reputation back home.

"I think we are done now, aren't we?" roper asked.

"yes, that will be fine" he smiled.

Roper stood up and tucked the borrowed chair back under the table, then looked back to the to nurse.

"I will probably try and use the gym when I have the time if that's okay" he told the nurse.

"yes, that will be fine, exercise is always encouraged when it's safe to do so here" he looked content and placed Ropers file back into the even larger pile of files.

Roper wanted to know what information he had on that file.

"okay then, that's it, come meet me if you ever need anything Roper"

"can probably do that"

Roper initiated a departing handshake, said thank you to the nurse for his time, and headed back down the corridor to the entrance of the building.

Walking through the door and looking up to the sky, roper realised how cold it was getting, and walked to towards the dorms as quickly as he could.

Roper felt like he already needed a vacation.