Day Three Hundred and Thirty-Five: Nurse Reinhart

A/N: ...fuck it, here's a bonus chapter.


Punch, kick, smack, other noises. I'm attacking a punching bag again, you get the idea.

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Elsa and I have a month left for this contest. I'm also having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that less than a month ago, I saw my mother for the first time in sixteen years. But that one's...I don't want to think too much about that one.

It's not that I'm avoiding her, or trying to repress it all (Elsa's made sure that I at least, ick, talk about my feelings), it's just weird. All of it, and I wish I had a fancier word to describe what this feels like, but all I've got is "weird".

We tried with the whole texting thing and that never felt right since I don't text anyone more than like two years older than me. So instead we agreed to try meeting up once a month and see how that goes. Our first reunion (re-reunion?) is next month, and I'm already stressing about it. Even though I really shouldn't be, there's nothing else she can say that can turn my whole world upside down.

So, anyway, to counter the things in my life that don't make a lot of sense right now (not just my mom, but also what the hell I'm doing with my life), I'm clinging on to what does make sense. My friends make sense, nothing's wrong on that front and Rapunzel's asked me to be her maid of honor, so that's exciting. And totally something I'm prepared to do. I know I've got to plan some sort of bachelorette party, and uh...something about being nice and supportive.

Okay fine, we'll also file that under "Things That Don't Make Sense".

Hitting this bag makes sense, though. I'm back to a hundred percent, and it feels so good to not hold back. Or, at least, it would be if I didn't hesitate every time I hit a left jab. Even after rehab, that's still a mental block I need to fight through. In time, I tell myself, in time. At the very least, hitting something is simple and gives me immediate satisfaction. It's something I can control, and I'm damn fine with that.

And Elsa and I make sense. Ironically, our relationship might be the most uncomplicated thing in my life right now. Obviously she still has her own hesitations about the lying thing, but the closer we get to that deadline, the easier it gets for her. Still, I feel like I need to do something for her when this is all over. Something to show how much I appreciate keeping our relationship a secret. Hell, she even made a Saturday night checklist to make sure we have our stories straight, and there's nothing about us or the room that would indicate we're a couple.

Speaking of Elsa, I'm just about done here, and there's no one else I'd rather see right now than her. And not just because she said she'd be making lunch while I was at the gym.


As I open our door, I hear the oven door closing and Elsa speaking. Which is odd, because I don't remember planning for visitors today. My questions get answered when I see Elsa with her back to me, placing baked potatoes on a plate, and leaning her ear towards her phone on the counter.

"I'm just saying that it feels like your publisher doesn't appreciate you enough."

Elsa took off her oven mitts and sighed, "I don't know. I think they're doing the best they can. It's just been a rough few months, that's all."

"We all have a rough few months sometimes, my little snow."

I finally make my presence known as I snort and say, "Heheh, 'little snow'."

Elsa turns around with a pleasantly excited smile on her face. And I'm assuming Iduna's excited too from the way she gasps and asks, "Is that Anna?!"

"Yes, Iduna, it's me," I reply, hoping that my voice carries through to the other side of the kitchen. Elsa wipes her hands on her flowery apron, picks up her phone, and walks over to me. Despite how sweaty and gross I am she still finds me attractive enough to, after putting her phone down, place her hands on my waist and kiss me. We both mouth 'Hi' to each other, and as much as I'm enjoying this, I also really want to put on more comfortable clothes. Iduna, it seems, has other ideas.

"And how's my future daughter-in-law doing?"

Elsa's eyes go wider than I've ever seen them before, and she turns to her phone to scream, "Mother!" Meanwhile, my stomach feels like it's going to implode from the laughing fit I'm trying to suppress. I know I should be embarrassed too- and I am- but I'm also gut-achingly amused.

"Oh you know I'm just kidding," Iduna says with a possible grin on her face. "How are you doing, Anna?"

"Good. I just got back from the gym," I reply.

"Oh, wonderful! And are you wearing a compression sleeve?"

"A what now?"

"It's a sleeve that you slip on to your wrist that compresses it. It'll help with inflammation, especially after your fracture."

Huh, well now I know that exists. "Umm...yeah, I'll make sure to buy one." Even though it feels like she wanted me to say yes, and that I have a chest full of backup sleeves. Wow would you look at that, I'm much more worried about disappointing Elsa's mom than my own mom.

Thankfully, Iduna doesn't sound disappointed about my lack of preparedness. Or at least, if she is, she's not going to tell me. Iduna always struck me as one of those compartmentalizing, passive-aggressive types. "I hope you do! Oh wait, now that I have your attention, could I steal you away for a minute? Elsa, is that okay?"

Elsa and I look at each other, both equally unaware of what's about to happen. She shrugs and says so that only I can hear, "I need to finish making lunch anyway."

"Okay," I reply to her. "I can take your phone in my room since I need to change."

Her eyebrows raise a little, and I can tell she wants to say something flirtatious, but we're technically not alone right now. Instead, she nods and picks her phone up to say, "Yeah mom, that's fine."


I close my door, holding Elsa's phone as gently as possible as if Iduna would actually feel pain if I dropped it. As I walk to my nightstand to set down the phone, I ask her, "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, everything's fine. I was just wondering if you'd thought a little more about what we talked about on Christmas Eve."

I peel off my shirt and wipe off any excess sweat as my brain cycles through memories of Christmas Eve. What could...oh. "You mean about the whole 'being a nurse' thing?"

"Mmhmm. Applications are opening soon at Arendelle University, and I'm just seeing if you're still thinking about it."

God, this takes me back to those meetings I had with my guidance counselor back in high school. She'd always ask me when I was going to get serious about going to college, and I would always tell her to bite me. Teenage Anna was such a bitch. I take off my socks and immediately throw them both in my laundry basket, one of them makes it in and the other hangs on the edge. "I don't know, it hasn't been on my mind much," I confess, "But now that I have time to think about it, I just...I don't know what I want."

And here I thought that I wouldn't have to think about my future today.

After a little bit of silence (in which I decide to say fuck it and go braless, immediately covering up with my shirt from last night), Iduna replies, "Anna, you know I love you. You're a sweet, wonderful girl, and I can't think of anyone else who would be perfect for my daughter. But when are you finally going to do the next right thing?"

I've just freed one of my legs from my pants, and so I reply while hopping on one leg, "The next...the what now?" That sounds way too forced, like she got that from some cheesy motivational speaker or a fortune cookie.

"You've done right by Elsa. You've done right by Agnarr and I. And you've also done right by your mother. But what's the next right thing for you? When are you going to do right by yourself?"

My pants get trapped on my ankle and I end up just kicking it off. I bet I look like a hot mess right now, emphasis on the mess. "I mean...you could argue that all of those things were right for me too."

"For your future self," Iduna explains, "I can't help but think you'd be doing her a huge favor if you had some sort of direction."

I sit down on my bed with a huff, "But that's the thing. I've been trying to find a direction, and nothing feels right."

"Is it that nothing feels right? Or that you aren't willing to give yourself a chance because you didn't think you'd make it this far?"

...shit.

Of course she hits the nail right on the fucking head. Of course she can vocalize one of my biggest issues. After high school, my life wasn't a big question mark like I thought it would be, it was just a very abrupt period. One that never made sense, one that never should have been there. But I put it there myself because as much as I wanted to prove that I could be someone, I also wanted to be done. With everything. Not in like a suicidal way, but in a sense that I was done trying to live up to any expectations, I did the bare minimum and I just wanted to coast through the rest of life doing fuck all.

And then Elsa happened, and suddenly it just wasn't me anymore. She showed me that there was life after life, she showed me that I could still be someone to somebody. But more so, that I could be someone to myself. Now, my future's staring at me right in the face begging me to move somewhere, anywhere. Even if nothing feels one hundred percent right. I just have to pick a direction and hope I can turn that into a one hundred percent.

Wow, this has certainly been enlightening. And goddamn it, I forgot I'm not wearing pants.

"Damn it, you've got a point," I reply hurriedly before rushing into my closet. Which is silly, since it's not like Iduna can see me. "But being a nurse?"

"Of course!"

"How? I know you said it was just a hunch, but there has to be more than that."

Iduna chuckles, and begins listing off my attributes like I'm a lottery draft pick, "Well, you're stubborn and blunt with your honesty, which is a great attitude to have when dealing with patients. You've got a knack for taking care of injuries-"

"I highly doubt taking care of my own broken wrist proves that."

"-and with sick people. Elsa tells me how much help you are whenever she gets the flu. And she also tells me that you got straight A's in all of your math and science classes in high school."

I actually got an eighty-nine in Pre-Calc, I had a friend change it so it got bumped up to a ninety. But neither Elsa nor Iduna need to know about that.

"And when you're committed to something, you work hard for it. I don't think I need to give you an example of that."

I sigh, "No, you don't."

"And I just want to say, this isn't me trying to be a recruiter for their nursing program. I'm not going to bribe you, and I promise that if you do decide to apply, I won't put in a good word with any of the faculty. If you get in, it'll be because of your own merit."

Actually, I want to tell her that bribes and good words would convince me even more, but I'm probably getting $100,000 soon, so I shouldn't be asking for anything from anyone right now. Especially not my girlfriend's mom.

Regardless, she brings up a lot of good points. Ones about myself that I might actually agree with it. I'm not a big believer in destiny, and maybe all the signs haven't been pointing to this specific nursing program, but...I think I owe it to myself to at least try. And in terms of careers, I could do a hell of a lot worse than telling people what to do while pricking them with needles.

So...wow. Okay. This is a thing. That's happening. Right now. I think…

"I think I'm gonna do this."

I'm expecting a bunch of giddiness, and maybe even some clapping, from Iduna. But instead, what I get is "Woo! Yes! I knew it!"

I think it's a little more fitting.


Baked potatoes with sour cream, crumbled bacon, and chives. And the last couple of cookies that we stole from a party down in the lobby last week. This is now on the list of my all-time favorite lunches.

After getting a careful scoop of her potato's innards, Elsa asks, "So what did my mom want to talk to you about? Or, wait, sorry it might be something private."

It doesn't feel like it should be, I'm sure that Elsa would be more than supportive if she heard that I was going to apply to be a nurse. But I don't know if I want to tell her yet, at least not until I hear something official. There's no sense in setting ourselves up for disappointment. But I'm not gonna lie either and say that it was nothing, so I go with a half-truth.

"No, it's okay. She was just wondering if I was going to apply for Arendelle University's nursing program."

The way her eyes don't go wide, and she instead tilts her head curiously, tells me that this is something that she and Iduna have talked about too. "Oh. Are you going to?" she asks.

I shrug, "I don't know yet."

"Well, I think…" Elsa stops herself by eating a spoonful of potato. But I know that's not the only reason why. "Actually, she probably told you everything I'm going to say. And I'm sure you don't need to hear it twice."

For the sake of not feeling peer pressured, that's definitely for the best. "Thank you," I say to Elsa.

Of course, this results in one of our rare instances of silence, where neither of us has any idea what to say. At the very least, we'd ask each other about our day, but my day started like three hours ago, and hers started a couple of hours before that. I'm sure she's also tired of hearing about my mom or the contest, so…

Fuck it, I'm just gonna say the first thing that comes to mind.

After I swallow a bite of my lunch, I say, "This potato tastes like crack."

Elsa snorts, and she's caught so off guard that she drops her fork. "What?!" she says with a grin on her lips that's holding back the rest of the laughter.

I reach my hand across the table and reply, "No, I mean that in a good way."

Her cheeks are starting to turn red, which is just great for me. I love saying dumb shit that gets her flustered and giggly. "What do you mean good...wait that's not even...I mean...Anna!"

"Shh, just take the compliment."

Finally, she allows herself to laugh a little, "What compliment?"

"About your cooking. And how...crack-worthy it is."

"Anna, oh my goodness."

With dripping sarcasm, I remark, "Well I'm sorry that my girlfriend is such an amazing cook." I also wiggle my fingers to remind her that my hand's still on the table.

She takes the hint and rests her hand on top of mine, stroking my skin with her thumb, "I love you."

Feeling accomplished, I smile and say, "I love you too."

"And my mother...gosh, I can't believe she called you her future daughter-in-law."

Oh, okay I guess she's fine talking about that thing. I squeeze her hand to get her to look at me, even though she's already looking at me. "It sounded like she's been waiting to use that line for a while now."

Elsa bites her lip, "Yeah, she might have been."

Ah…hmm. Okay yeah, the lip bite should have keyed me in. My mind starts to try and register how I'm feeling about this, and in the meantime my mouth continues to make words. Vague words. Words that imply something that, despite my bluntness, I won't outright say until Elsa does. "Is that something you two have talked about before?"

The redness on her cheeks takes on a different meaning now as she has a hard time keeping my eye contact with me. "Once or twice? It was just- I mean you know how my mother can be, she cares about my future. Both of our futures. She just wanted to know if I was thinking about it."

Testing the waters, I say, "Well have you?"

She gives me one second of eye contact before looking down at her plate. I know her well enough to tell that she was looking for something in my eyes, apprehension or eagerness, already deciding that her response was going to be dictated by how I was feeling. Except my gaze has to be too intense, since there's confliction radiating off of Elsa. And if I'm too intense, it's because I already know my answer. I'm just waiting for hers.

And she gives it to me, with a cautiously optimistic "Yeah, I have."

I smile and say, "Well good because so have I."

The final wall of apprehension breaks behind Elsa's eyes, and she looks at me relieved, "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean of course it's still a terrifying concept for me: a girl who used to think finding 'the one' was some silly fantasy, but it's easy to think about when it comes to you."

The way Elsa's chest rises and her eyes light up tell me I just said something good. Probably the best thing I've ever said ever. "Anna…gosh, I don't even know what to say."

I smirk, "Well it wouldn't be the first time."

Her shoulders slump and her eyes close. "Ugh, why did you have to ruin it?" she whines.

"Come on, you know it's what I do best."

She looks at me, trying to feel annoyed despite the fact that she's still reeling from all the sappiness. "I can think of at least five more things you can do better than that."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I say defiantly.

"Well, I sure hope so because that was a compliment." Before we go any more off-topic, Elsa places her other hand on mine, completely forgetting about her baked potato for the moment (even though I haven't forgotten about mine, and I'd very much like to eat the rest while it's warm), and she says, "And...it's also easy for me to think about marriage when it comes to you."

Fuck.

She said the word.

I didn't think it would leave me as breathless as I'm feeling now. Like an idiot, all I can say in reply is, "Yeah."

Elsa blinks, and her demeanor changes. She sits up, lets go of my hand, and returns them towards her spoon and fork. "But maybe we shouldn't think too much about that right now. We've got time, and I think it's best that we focus mostly on getting through the next thirty days."

I sit there like an idiot with my hand reaching out for nothing for far too long. Finally, my mind catches up with my body and I sit back up again too. "Right, yeah we gotta focus on the days. Contest. Money."

"Mmhmm."

I take a couple more bites of my lunch- god this potato's amazing- before the crafty bitch side of me butts in with one last comment. Softly and mischievously, I remark, "Anna Stark does have a nice ring to it."

Elsa drops her utensils and buries her face into her hands with a groan.