Trampled

"You should hang out with Hazel." Nico suggested. Bianca spun around. The fluorescent lights paled her olive skin, making her look almost ghostlike and darkened the bags under her eyes. She squinted curiously and lightly shook her head, closing her eyes.

"First of all," she began, "I've never hung out with her before. Why start now?"

Nico attempted a smile, "She needs to feel welcome here. I think if she spends some time with you, she'll be more comfortable around the hospital."

Bianca shrugged her trench coat off and slipped it onto a hanger while Nico took his coat off his hanger and put it on. "But…" she faltered

"Why are you so reluctant to do this?" Nico's voice was tinged with annoyance, "What do you have against her?"

"Nothing!" Bianca snapped, "I never said I had a problem with her, it's just that she's not someone I would normally hang out with."

Nico puffed air out of his mouth and grabbed his car keys. "Just-" he started before Bianca cut him off.

"Why don't you hang out with her? Take her out to dinner or watch a movie together?"

"Because then it would seem like I was asking her on a date! Listen, Bianca, just please do this for me. It's for the best. Do you have any plans tomorrow? You can bring her along."

"I'm actually going horseback riding with Zoë. I guess she can come but I should probably ask Zoë if it's okay before I-"

"Thanks, Bianca, you're the best!" Nico called out as he shut the door behind him.

Bianca rolled her eyes and put on the rest of her uniform, pressing out the wrinkles with the palms of her hands. She adjusted her nametag which read, 'B. DI ANGELO', in bold letters before walking out of the changing room. She headed over to the front desk to collect her clipboard and notes, regretting to let Hazel join in on her plans. Sure, she was a nice kid, but she was too shy and rarely talked. Plus, she constantly got flustered and fanned her face, definitely not someone who would get along with Zoë.

Meanwhile, across the hospital Hazel was bustling around in the burn unit, changing bandages. She had just finished wrapping the arm of a burly man with fresh bandages. The man was older and grumbled constantly. When he came in he was wearing a leather jacket with 'Vulcan' on the back across the shoulders. Fading cartoonish flames were painted on to the bottom of the jacket, at which Hazel and several of the other nurses tried not to laugh at in pure irony.

Hazel was shuffling over to her last patient in the burn unit. The name on his wristband was "Leonardo Valdez". Hazel thought he was asleep at first, until she saw his eyes fluttering around the room under all the white bandages. His eyes were dark brown, nothing special. His curly hair spiraled around his face and stuck up in all ways.

"Hello," she murmured, not wanting to wake any other patients, "I'm Nurse Hazel." She gingerly picked up the papers at the foot of his bed and examined them quickly. "Well, you don't need any bandages changed or dosage upped." she explained, "Do you need anything before I leave, Leonardo?"

Leonardo shifted and winced. "Yeah." he croaked, "Could you get me some water, please? And uh, you can call me Leo."

"Of course." Hazel smiled. She lifted the cup of water up from the stand by his bed and held the protruding straw to his lips as he drank.

"Thank you." he grinned when she had put the cup back down. He had a wonderful smile. His teeth were white and his mouth formed the perfect crescent. No, stop it. You cannot get involved with a patient, Hazel Levesque.

She turned around to leave when he called out to her, "Oh, Nurse Hazel?" She faced him, waiting for his next favor, "Yes, Leo?" she inquired. She flicked a chocolaty curl over her shoulder and lifted the corners of her lips into a small smile. Does this count as flirting?

"You're, uh," he fumbled, "You're really pretty."

"Thank you, Leo." Yep, definitely flirting.

You know what, maybe she could.

Hazel was walking briskly to her next patient's room when she passed Bianca. It was a second or two after they brushed shoulders when Bianca stopped her. Her dark hair was in a single braid down her back and her lips pressed together as she turned.

"Hazel, wait up!" she jogged around and began to walk in sync with Hazel, "Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

Hazel tried not to act surprised. Why was Bianca, of all people, the person who has had absolutely no interest in her ever, asking her if she had plans? "Um," she replied, unsure of what to say. If she said no, then what? Would they go and do something together? Maybe she should just say yes. If she says yes, then she can avoid an awkward situation. It would be best not to make a fool out of herself. It's so easy she just has to say, "Sorry, I'm busy, no can do."

"I'm free." she ended up saying anyway. Gods dammit.

"Great," Bianca replied, Fucking hell, "I'm going horseback riding with one of my friends, Zoë, I was wondering if you wanted to come along."

Shit. Hazel did not like horses. Well, she didn't always. When she was ten, she loved horses. She went horseback riding almost every day. She had her very own horse, Arion. He was a beautiful horse, so broad and majestic. Anyway, one day she was thrown off when she was riding in the forest. Arion must have gotten spooked by a rabbit or a fox. She rolled through the dirt, coughing, and was trampled by Arion. She was sure he didn't mean it, but she hated him after that. She was too terrified to go on any horse ever again. Her legs gave out and her heart jumped to her throat whenever she saw one.

It was nice that Bianca was taking an interest in her, even if she did despise horses. "Actually," Hazel mumbled, "I'm not a fan of horses."

"Oh really?" Bianca inquired, "Why's that?"

Gods, why is she pushing me for information? Don't answer her. "When I was ten, I had a pretty bad run-in with a horse."

"Okay, then." Bianca chewed her lip, "Maybe some other time?"

"Yeah, of course." Hazel said even though she knew, and secretly hoped, that there wouldn't be another time.

Nico tore all of his clothes off minus his boxers and dove into bed. He breathed in a sigh of relief as he snuggled his head into the plush pillow and draped several soft blankets over himself. There was no sound except for the faint sirens wailing out his window and the tick, tick, tick, of his clock. Nico's mind drifted to a forbidden place. He sat up and shook his head. No, he mentally scolded himself, You will not think about Percy. It will never happen and you'll get your heart broken again. He tried his hardest to think of anything but the boy with the black hair and sea green eyes, but miserably failed.

Was it the way his lips moved when he spoke? Was it how his hair fell delicately into his eyes? Nico didn't know what made him fall for Percy, but he fell. He was deep down under and there was no way he could crawl back out. Transfer, a voice in his mind suggested, If you transfer him, you don't have to deal with him. Another part of his mind spoke up, No way! How immature. Deal with it. Nico was already getting a headache when a third voice demanded, Just hook up with him! It's no big deal, really? What's holding you back?

"No." Nico said aloud, "I will not transfer and I will not hook up with him. I will deal with him as my patient and bury me feelings as best I can."

What a goody two shoes, the last voice spoke again, Fine, live your boring life as a nurse in a local hospital. Real exciting…

Nico heaved an annoyed sigh and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.