Dateline: Southern California, July 23rd, 2021
The shiny red convertible sped down the California highway. A blonde haired woman in stylish sunglasses was driving the vehicle, professionally dressed and ready to have a lovely vacation.
Hello Nurse had finally taken time off from her ambitious job at Doctors Without Borders to vacation in her old home in California. She had missed the sunny skies and beautiful oceans. She'd even missed the tourists and pollution of the big cities. Even with all of its issues, she found something to love about southern California.
However, before she started her vacation, Hello Nurse wanted to take a detour to Burbank. There lied her old job at Warner Brothers studios, working as the studio nurse and assisting her old friend Dr. Scratchansniff. She had since graduated from the role of nurse and now proudly worked as a doctor with her own private practice. However, Warner Brothers was where she started. She owed a lot to the studio and Scratchansniff for helping her get her foot in the door as a medical worker. Stopping by to say hello to her old co-workers was the least she could do.
Hello Nurse spotted the iconic Warner Brothers water tower. A part of her even missed the chaotic Warner siblings, despite all the trouble they had caused her. Hopefully they had calmed down since the 90s. She turned on to a side road and headed towards the water tower.
She turned into the main gates. She expected to see the obese, balding man she was used to prepared to check her visitor's pass. Instead, a skinny redheaded man she didn't recognize came out of the front gate office.
"Hello miss," he droned, "Visitor pass?"
Hello Nurse handed him her visitor pass. She very much would have preferred Ralph's ignorant but friendly ways instead of this cold and lacking stranger.
It has been over twenty years after all... She thought sadly, It's likely he's moved on or retired.
"Here you go." The gate guard handed back her pass, a bored expression on his face. She thanked him and drove into a nearby parking lot.
After grabbing her purse and locking her car, Hello Nurse made a beeline to the studio psychiatrist's office. On the way there, an odd feeling came over her. She began to take notice of the Warner Brothers employees and their behavior. Working with Scratchansniff for so long had trained her to notice body language and emotions. Something about the environment here felt... Off.
Employees seemed nervous, paranoid even. Some checked over their shoulders an unhealthy amount. She spotted some openly carrying pepper spray and tasers. No one walked alone, no one had lunch alone. Celebrities and stars were flanked by even more bodyguards than usual. The amount of anxiety exhibited by the Warner Brothers employees was staggering. Sure, studio life was stressful. But this was something else entirely. Something... Frightening.
Feeling uneasy, Hello Nurse quickened her pace. However, she came to an abrupt halt when she saw the psychiatrist office. There was a massive line practically wrapped around the building, all waiting to see the psychiatrist.
Goodness, what in the world is going on here? Hello Nurse thought, her own anxiety beginning to rise.
She wasn't sure how she would get past all these people if she wanted to see Scratchansniff. However, an idea popped into her head.
"Excuse me! Nurse assistant coming through!" She shouted over the murmuring crowd. They soon began to move out of her way as she entered the office. The frayed nerves of the employees really began to show here. She noticed frantic tapping of pens on plastic chairs, nail biting, bags under so many peoples' eyes... A couple of men were arguing in the corner, directing their issues at each other instead of remaining calm. Using the nurse assistant line again, she pushed past the line and entered the main office, where Scratchansniff was speaking to a young woman, barely out of her teens who seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown.
"I'm not crazy!" She shouted, her voice breaking, "I saw Jerry, but it wasn't Jerry! He was... A monster! Some horrible, hideous monster!"
Even from a distance, Hello Nurse saw bags under Scratchansniff's eyes. His oversized glasses couldn't hide his exhaustion, "Lillian, I don't believe you are crazy. But I do believe you need your rest. Perhaps you should take time off?"
"Doctor, I am not crazy." Lillian insisted, her voice deadly serious, "I know what I saw that night."
Just then, Scratchansniff noticed Hello Nurse standing in the door, "Oh! Goodness! Miss Nurse, hello!"
"Oh no, I'm sorry." Hello Nurse awkwardly tried to escape the room, "I interrupted you both, please continue, I'll come back later."
"No no! Please! Come in!" Insisted Scratchansniff. He stood Lillian up, "Listen, Lillian, I am going to write a prescription for anxiety medication. We can follow up next week."
This didn't seem to satisfy Lillian, but she nodded in agreement and soon left the room. Hello Nurse approached Scratchansniff, now even more confused.
"I am so sorry, I should have met you at the gate today." Scratchansniff apologized, wringing his hands and pacing back and forth, "I should have been on lunch by now but everything has been so crazy! I've hardly had a break in months!"
Hello Nurse frowned in sympathy, "I can tell."
"But it is very very good to see you!" The doctor insisted, stopping his pacing to stand in front of Hello Nurse, "How is Doctors Without Borders? It must be so exciting for you!"
Hello Nurse found it hard to be excited discussing her dream job when Scratchansniff appeared to be extremely overworked, "I... It's been lovely. Dr. Scratchansniff... Is everything okay?"
Scratchansniff's forced smile fell, "To tell you the truth... No."
"What was that girl talking about? She said monsters? And people disappearing? Why is everyone so anxious?"
"It's... A very long story that would require time that I don't have." Scratchansniff checked his watch, "Ms. Norita wanted to meet with me now. She's late."
"Ms. Norita?" Hello Nurse asked, "The CEO?"
"Yes." Scratchansniff replied, "Everyone in the studio has troubles. And who do they go to when they have troubles? Mich! Me!"
"It seems like you really really need a break." Hello Nurse suggested, hoping this would encourage her old boss to at least rest for a while.
"I would have if I could! We even hired a new psychiatrist last week to help with the work load. But she didn't come in for work today, and now I have to handle both my patients and hers!
Scratchansniff laid on the reclining couch, looking sick with exhaustion, "The psychiatrist needs his own psychiatrist..."
Just then, the door to the office slammed shut. In walked a professionally dressed Latina woman, carrying herself with the utmost confidence and poise.
"I'm sorry," she said, "Am I interrupting something?"
Scratchansniff panicked and stood up, "Ms. Norita! Nein! No no! Of course not! I was simply catching up with my old coworker here!" He weakly gestured to Hello Nurse, but accidentally gestured in the opposite direction due to his fatigue. Hello Nurse's worry for him only rose.
"You must be Nora Norita," said Hello Nurse, stepping forward to greet the woman, "I'm the old studio nurse. I used to work for Scratchansniff. My name is Hello Nurse. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Nora raised an eyebrow, "Hello... Nurse?"
Hello Nurse chuckled awkwardly. She got this a lot. "Yes, that is my legal name. My parents are foreign."
She couldn't tell if Nora found her silly name amusing or annoying. Instead of continuing the conversation, Nora turned to Scratchansniff, "I'm here for my two o' clock. You haven't forgotten have you?"
Scratchansniff nervously approached her, wringing his hands even more, "No no no! I was just getting ready when Ms. Nurse came to visit. We can get started right now!"
Nora disregarded Hello Nurse and strutted to the reclined couch. She didn't appear nearly as tired or frayed as the other employees. She certainly didn't seem like she needed Scratchansniff's help when he was so clearly fatigued.
"I'm so sorry, Hello Nurse." Scratchansniff apologized sincerely, "My day is booked. Perhaps we can catch up tonight when the studio closes? I'll call you and we can get dinner together."
Hello Nurse stared at him, frowning at him with sympathy, "Sure, that's fine. I was going to stay in town for the day anyways."
Scratchansniff gave a weak smile before he returned to counsel Nora. Hello Nurse took this as a sign to make her exit. As she left the office and returned to her car, she couldn't help but wonder.
What has happened to Warner Brothers?