Disclaimer: I own nothing but this plot/storyline.
Present Day - End of November
Hazel stared despondently into the darkness cast around by the city's towering structures, only wishing her human eyes could see what they kept hidden within. She imagined the darkened form of the ninja moving brusquely through the shadows until he was once again invisible to the surface world. It was all she could have done since the mutant bid his final farewell and vanished the moment his feet lifted off the fire escape. 'I will never see you again,' she whispered to night, each word pressing slowly into her heart like dull teeth.
Her knuckles blanched as she tightened her grip on the drapes and drew them together. She could no longer remain by the windows, hoping for him to have a change of heart to return. This was the end to her adventure, but more so the end of 'her' uncanny fairytale.
Her mind probably would have continued pining on had it not been for the phone screeching on her kitchen counter top. She immediately rushed to the kitchen and snatched it up without duress, answering automatically. "Hazel."
The excited voice of an elderly female poured through the receiver without delay, "Hey, I need you now!"
"Nice to hear from you too, Syl," the young nurse replied sarcastically, not too thrilled by the bold request from her fellow co-worker and mentor, Senior Nurse Sylvia Jane.
"Stop talking and get your butt down to the hospital ASAP. I need you to cover my shift tonight because my daughter just went into labor and I need to be there for her. That girl couldn't have picked a better time," Sylvia griped, "Just like all of the other partially thought-out decisions she has made in the measly eighteen years of her life! I'm too young to be a grandma, you know? "
Hazel smiled sympathetically as she listened to the woman's 'not-so-loving' speech on the other end. "I know, but I'm going to say 'congratulations' anyway."
"Yeah, whatever, thanks. So are you coming?"
"What about the others on your shift? Can't they handle it? We've all had to work when the hospital was short-staffed at some point," Hazel pointed out. She was desperately trying to avoid going down to the hospital because she was 'not' in the best frame of mind.
"No, the death squad is here tonight," Sylvia retorted. "Stacey lost one of her patients two days ago and that old guy, Mr. Trebeski, died under Lynette's watch on Monday. Matthew was checking on Jo's BP when her heart failed, and Taylor, the worst of them all, is here as well. Every single patient Taylor has had in the past two days has passed away. I can't have her anywhere near my people. I don't want any of them covering my shift. Please, McIntyre, you're my only other option. You've got no ghosts on your shoulder."
Hazel sighed inwardly at the nurse's paranoia. "People die at the hospital every day, Syl. You're just exaggerating everything," she told the woman.
"No, I'm not exaggerating. Please come down here, please," Nurse Jane begged.
"Fine," Hazel conceded, having an idea of how overwhelmed Sylvia must have been about the arrival of the newest member in her family. "Go be with your daughter. I'll be down there in about forty-five minutes."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," the other woman pealed over the phone. "I owe you so much."
"Sure, anytime." Hazel answered. "Your daughter is waiting for you so get going," she ordered.
"Alright, alright, I'm gone." Sylvia said, ending the conversation with a click of the receiver.
The brunette in turn set her cell down and hurried off to get ready to leave.
...
As emotionally exhausted as she was, Hazel managed to find herself out on the street, exposed to the cool autumn air. Her brown leather jacket made a soft whooshing sound when she stretched her arm up to hail the third oncoming taxi. "Taxi!" She yelled, but to no avail. The driver honked his horn and drove straight past her, splashing water on to the pavement, barely missing her.
"Damn it," the woman swore out loud, turning sharply on her heels to begin walking towards the nearest bus stop. She shoved a pair of Skullcandy earbuds into her ears, then switched on her nano and crossed her arms tightly across her chest to shield against the chilled wind as she walked.
The iPod started belting out Sia's powerful 'Chandelier' by the time she crossed the third block and a powerful sense of dread came over her. She tried to ignore it by absorbing the melancholic lyrics of the song. 'Chandelier' was approaching its climax and it did nothing to distract her from the negative aura she was feeling. Neither was it the best choice of music to provide a lot of solace.
She then inadvertently turned her thoughts to her mutant friend, wondering if he was nearby, leaping across the rooftops above. At that moment she glanced upwards wishfully, hoping for a real glimpse, but when she did, a clammy hand suddenly clamped over her mouth preventing her from screaming. Another arm wrapped around her torso tightly, rendering her arms useless and she was briefly hoisted off her feet by the attacker before being dragged into the alleyway.
AN: I know, I know... Your criticisms (constructive ones mostly) are welcomed. Thank you for your kind reviews.
Another tip from Grammar Girl - Punctuating Questions: (Quick and Dirty Tips .com)
"A Question Flurry
What if you have a bunch of questions and you want to string them all together?
There's a funny scene in a movie (I think it was Cats & Dogs) where a dog realizes he can talk, and it goes something like this: You can hear me? Can I have a cookie? two cookies? four cookies? twenty cookies?
Those add-on questions at the end aren't complete sentences but they each get a question mark anyway (1). It reads Can I have a cookie? two cookies? four cookies? and so on. They aren't complete sentences, so you don't usually capitalize the first letter. The rules are vague, though. Some books say to capitalize the first letter if the questions are "nearly a sentence" (2) or have "sentence-like status" (3), so you have to use your own judgment. I don't consider "two cookies" to be nearly a sentence, but I may consider something like "two cookies and a squeaking ball to chase" to be nearly a sentence, which would make me think about capitalizing it." - Grammar Girl