Chapter 12

When we at last arrived in Mineral Town, I was almost disappointed. For some reason I had expected it to be a little… larger? I had heard it had a clinic, a winery, a library, a blacksmith and three farms, and as far as I was concerned, the Islands didn't have any of those. I looked up at the dark clouds that gathered above the town and cringed when I heard a loud, rumbling sound emit from the sky. Merely a few seconds later I felt the first raindrops hit my face. I closed my eyes. Cool, refreshing rain. I smiled when I felt Vaughn's hand on my shoulder. He nodded briefly when I looked at him.

"I suggest we go to the inn."

"But I like rain," I objected weakly, as he lead me off to where I assumed to be the Inn.

"Do you have any dry clothes with you?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I've got my pajamas with me," I grinned triumphantly. Vaughn merely sighed.

"Do you happen to have a room left?" I politely asked the inn manager, standing on my tiptoes to be able to look properly over the high counter. The man slowly rummaged about some papers on his desk and positioned his reading glasses on the tip of his nose when he found what he had been looking for. I couldn't help but feel like the glasses didn't stroke with the rest of his appearance. His hair and mustache were a bright red and his eyebrows appeared to be frozen in a frown.

"Ah… I'm sorry, miss. All are taken." He took his glasses off and attempted to clean up the mess he'd made on his desk. "You might want to try the library. I'm sure Anna wouldn't hesitate to take you in for a night." I smiled.

"I'll give it a try. Thank you for your help." I was about to leave the inn, when I noticed Vaughn leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and his clothes just as soaked as mine.

"You're not staying with strangers," he slowly stated. I pursed my lips and crossed my arms too, suddenly feeling rebellious. Who was he to tell what not to do?

"Why can't I?" I demanded.

"You're a girl." He shrugged, implying it was just a matter of common sense. I snorted.

"Thanks for noticing. Then where do you suggest I stay?"

"You could stay at my room." I raised my eyebrows.

"You've got a room here?"

"I'm here three days a week. I'd be stupid not to." He fished the keys from his pocket and let them jingle for a moment, a smug smirk appearing on his face. I resisted the urge to pounce him and tickle him to death.

The room was quite spacious: it had three (!) beds, a table with four chairs, a closet and a small bathroom. Curious, I walked over to the window while Vaughn turned his bag upside-down in search for dry clothes. It was still raining cats and dogs and every now and then a sharp flash appeared.

"I'm glad we're off the ship," I muttered. One lightning was probably all it took to sink a ship to the bottom of the sea. And along with the ship, the passengers. I shuddered.

"You cold?" Vaughn inquired, throwing me a ball of dark cloth. Surprised, I caught it and unwrapped it. It was one of the black blouses Vaughn wore all the time.

"Don't you need this yourself?" I gestured to the piece of clothing. As if on cue, Vaughn pulled out another blouse from his bag.

"Hmm?" He curiously raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind," I replied, feeling a little dumb. "I'm gonna… y'know. Change. And stuff." I nodded as if to confirm my own statement and hurried into the bathroom. I carefully removed my bandanna from my head and wrung it out above the sink, before taking off my wet yellow shirt. and put on the Vaughn's black blouse. As I fastened the buttons, I realised how much the piece of clothing smelled like him. It was the same warm, slightly musky smell. I quickly fastened the last buttons and collected my clothes.

As I left the bathroom, I made a little swirl, earning a funny face from Vaughn, who sat on one of the beds.

"Don't I look fabulous?" I asked him snickering. He cleared his throat in attempt to look serious.

"Yes. No. Umm…" A playful grin appeared on his face. "Fabulous might not be the right word to describe what I'm seeing right now."

"Are you mocking me? 'Cause if you are, I'll have to jump you!" I declared, standing in my fighting stance and pointing an accusing finger at him.

"No, really! You look absolutely charming," he grinned, holding his hands up in defense. I grinned back, wanting to jump him nonetheless.

"Ah Chelsea, you're here." A dark haired, tall man poked his head into the waiting room. "Follow me, please." A little reluctant, I stood up and followed him into his office. Just like the rest of the clinic, the office was completely spotless. There weren't many personal items on his desk, just one photo frame. From where I sat I couldn't see the picture in it, but I guessed it was either a picture of his wife or child. I curiously studied his face as he flipped through the pages of my file. He had a kind face, but looked distant and cool at the same time. I decided the white doctor's coat wasn't really working in his advantage either.

"Your full name is Chelsea Rose Chapman, correct?" He inquired, looking up from my file. I nodded.

"My current place of residence is Ranch Island and my blood type is O negative," I summed up. He nodded slowly.

"I want to do a blood test first, to check how far your illness has progressed and to examine the concentration of blood platelets in your blood. Then we will start the transfusion."

One of the most annoying things about blood transfusions is the time it requires. I had been stupid enough to forget to bring a book with me and the magazines I had leafed through in the waiting room all dated from way before my birth. I sighed and looked at the dark red liquid that slowly dripped into a small tube that lead to my arm. The dripping had an almost hypnotising effect and I didn't even notice someone came in.

"Would you perhaps like some tea?" I looked up and saw young lady standing in the doorway with a tray in her hands. She had short brown hair, a kind smile and wore a white apron over her dress.

"Yes, please." I couldn't help but smile back. I watched her put the tray on the counter and pour me a cup of tea.

"Careful, it's hot," she told me as she handed me the cup. "Do you mind if I sit here for a while with you? You seem like you could use some company." I nodded and she grabbed a chair.

"So…" I started as soon as she sat, "Do you work here?" She took a sip from her tea and nodded.

"I've worked here ever since I finished medical school three years ago." She smiled. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a rancher," I grinned, proud to the level of idiocy. "I started the first week of spring, and I already have my first chicken."

"That sounds wonderful," she answered with yet another smile. "I'm not trying to be nosy or anything, but… is that Vaughn's shirt you're wearing?" I instantly felt my face heat up.

"Umm… well, yes," I muttered.

"I'm glad he finally found someone," she replied, taking another sip of her tea while carefully watching me over the rim of her cup.

"I'm just… borrowing it because um… Mine got soaked in the rain earlier." I laughed uncomfortably, tried to drink my tea and nearly choked on it. The nurse kept petting my back until I stopped coughing and apologised sincerely.

"I probably shouldn't have said that," she giggled and I muttered a 'probably not' in reply. An awkward silence followed, until I finally said something.

"Has my prognosis changed in any way?" My eyes searched hers, but I soon found out she didn't want any eye contact.

"A bit," she replied eventually. "The 'give or take four months' will probably turn into a 'take four months' over time." I nodded slowly, absorbing the information.

"Thank you for being honest with me," I told her.

Even though I wasn't sure if I had preferred her to lie.

* It is a popular belief in Japan that someone's bloodtype says a lot about their personality. Agreeable, socialable and optimistic tend to go with blood type O. Type O negative is the so-called universal donor. I attempted, in my very own weird way, to show that Chelsea cares more about others than about herself.
According to this belief, Vaughn has blood type AB: cool, controlled and rational. Although I'm not so sure about the last.

The chapter turned out very different from how I imagined it to be and it seems like hardly anything at all happens, but this might be the quiet before the storm...
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