Sunlight diffused through the white, gauzy curtains, casting a soft glow on the sterile room. The rhythmic beep of a heart monitor provided a steady backdrop as the child, drenched in a haze of weariness, blinked her eyes open.
The sound of beeping confused her, and she looked over at what was causing that noise and saw a monitor with strange squiggly lines that either went up or down. It curious her a little about what it could be, but she still wondered where she was.
She felt something on her body and looked, noticing she was wearing a long-sleeve sky-blue gown, and underneath the gown, her body was covered with white bandages, keeping her from moving an inch as they were a little too stiff for her.
Even when the child attempted to move a finger, she could not move an inch from where she was, proving her efforts to move away or escape were fruitless as she laid her head back down, emitting a groan.
But then she noticed something wrong besides having her entire body covered with white bandages, causing her to sit up again, wondering what was wrong. Then she realizes it was her missing kitten.
The child looked around from where she was searching for her kitten, but her eyes blurred, causing her to emit another groan as she closed her eyes, frustrated over her eyes blurring. The thought struck her: what if she could not return home? Was there even a 'home' left for her?
The door swung open before her foggy mind could piece together the intricate jigsaw of her situation, causing her to sit up with a small bolt but wince when a slight sting of pain hit her after bolting up.
The nurse has jet-black dreadlocks in a high ponytail, coffee skin color, and light brown eyes. She wore a purple headband, gold earrings, a necklace, and a nurse's uniform. She noticed the child's abrupt movement and the pain evident in her expression and rushed to her side.
Her voice carried a calming mix of authority and genuine concern as she placed her hands on the child's shoulders, feeling her stiffen. After feeling her stiffen, the nurse removed her hands from the child's chest but gently patted her arm assuringly.
"Easy there, sweetheart. Don't try to move too quickly. You've been through quite an ordeal. Just relax and let me help you." Gently, she adjusted the child's pillows, ensuring she was comfortable before proceeding with any further check-ups.
The child's fingers were twitching slightly with fear, unable to curl into a ball in front of this adult, but her body was still stiff from all the bandages wrapped around her; even if she did, it would sting.
The adjustment soon stopped, and the nurse inspected the bandages around the body. The nurse's face scrunching a little caused the child to become confused, wondering what she was thinking and hearing the beeping of that monitor picking up speed a little.
The nurse noticed the increase in the monitor's beeping rate after looking back at her, and the child flinched, the monitor picking up a little more. She looked concerned yet remained professional as she returned to the bandages.
"It looks like the Medic's handiwork, no doubt," the nurse muttered with a sigh as she placed the child's arm on the bed. "Effective, but often a bit… unorthodox. I hope he took proper care."
The child looked back at her arms in confusion, wondering how long she should stay in the hospital, while looking back at the nurse, now with an expression of confusion and hesitation. The nurse, noticing the child's confusion and hesitation, offered a reassuring smile as she addressed her concerns.
"Don't worry, dear. It can be overwhelming, especially when you wake up in an unfamiliar place. Your stay will depend on how quickly you heal and regain your strength," the nurse assured the child. "We want to make sure you're absolutely fine before you leave. Is there something specific that you're concerned about?"
The child hesitated but tried to say a word, but struggled as only strangles came from her voice, causing her to stop and wince, grimacing at the sounds coming from her throat. The nurse perked after seeing the child struggling to speak and gently pulled a blanket up for the child.
"It's alright, dear," the nurse assured the child. "You don't have to speak if it's difficult. We have time, and you're safe here." the child perked a little after hearing the word 'safe.' "Would you like some water? Sometimes, it helps soothe the throat."
The child paused and nodded, watching as the nurse reached over to a glass and picked it up from the desk with one hand and the other with a pitcher. The nurse poured water into it as the child watched with curiosity, mostly keeping an eye on her in case she saw something added to it.
After filling it, the nurse returned to the child and carefully helped her drink the water without hurting her. The child was startled at first after the taste of the cold water, but it was soothing for her throat as she continued drinking.
The glass was empty, and the child sighed after her patched throat was soothed as the nurse placed the cup next to the pitcher. The child tried to form a thank-you towards the nurse, but she struggled to form a word, even whenever she tried to think of one.
The nurse noticed the child's struggle and gently took her hand, stopping the child from struggling to form a word as she looked at the nurse with confusion. The child thought the nurse would stop her, but she instead calmed her.
"If talking is hard for you right now, that's completely okay," the nurse assured. "We have other ways to communicate. You could nod, shake your head, or use your hands. You're not alone, and we will do everything we can to help you."
The child felt a small wave of relief wash over her heart but was still hesitant about trusting this stranger as the nurse turned around, causing her to perk up, wondering where she was going.
"Don't worry, I'm not going far," the nurse assured. "I'm going to help other patients while you rest. You have been in the rain for a while and could need some time to warm up. And if you need anything, just press this call button next to your bed, okay? I'll be back in an hour or two."
The child looked over at the right side of the bed and noticed a button on the side. After seeing the button, the child nodded as the nurse turned the lights off and closed the door, sealing the child into darkness that sent a shudder down her spine.
It all seemed familiar with the quietness and the semi-pitch darkness within the room, but the softness of the bed cradled her thin form, pointing out that she was in a different room. Taking a slow, deep sigh, the child closed her eyes to calm herself from all the nervousness filling her mind.
But she ironically and mostly accidentally fell asleep when she closed her eyes, feeling somewhat free from spending too much time in the basement and somewhere she could finally have rest.
Nurse Flood noticed George Jetson asleep on the chair after spending a long time waiting for the child to wake up, and she kneeled, gently shaking George Jetson awake. Startled, George Jetson blinks his eyes open and sits upright, quickly scanning the room before his gaze lands on Nurse Flood.
"Oh!" George Jetson blinked before yawning. "I must have dozed off. How is she? How's the little girl?"
"She's stable, though understandably disoriented." Nurse Flood explained. "She's having trouble speaking, but we will help her. We'll be running more tests."
"Poor kid." George Jetson looked over at the door where the child was inside. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"For now, just being here is helpful." Nurse Flood nodded. "But I would advise giving her some space and time to get comfortable. She's still very hesitant."
"Understood." George Jetson nodded. "You'll take good care of her, won't you?"
"Absolutely, Mr. Jetson." Nurse Flood nodded, standing up to her feet from kneeling to George Jetson. "That's our job, after all. We're also going to explore some alternate means of communication for her, possibly using picture charts or yes-or-no questions, to make her more comfortable."
"That sounds like a good plan." George Jetson agreed. "Just let me know if you need anything specific from me."
"Will do." Nurse Flood nodded. "Thank you for your patience and understanding, Mr. Jetson. We're doing everything we can."
George Jetson nodded before returning to sleep after being up for so long. Nurse Flood walked down the hallway after speaking to George Jetson, passing by people from different dimensions, ranging from LEGO to Disney to so many others. But a good portion of the people were nurses and doctors.
She entered a room reserved for only nurses and doctors, seeing a familiar-looking doctor from the Team Fortress 2 fandom, and there was no one else within the room except for him and some doppelgängers.
The atmosphere in the room would be charged, a blend of professional urgency and interpersonal tension. Nurse Flood took a deep breath before approaching the Medic and his doppelgängers, who were engrossed in their medical schematics or arguing about surgical techniques.
"Dr. Ludwig," Nurse Flood addressed the doctor, who turned towards her after hearing his name. "We need to talk about the child in Room 207. I see your handiwork was involved in her initial care."
"Ja, of course," the Medic nodded, speaking with a German accent. "I took zhe liberty of extracting zhe foreign objects und patching zhem up. Et seemed necessary."
The addition of 'necessary' at the end of the Medic's sentence did not add ease to Nurse Flood, as she continued carefully choosing her words instead of confronting the Medic: "While I appreciate the prompt care, I'm concerned about your methods. Your reputation for 'adding extras' is well-known. Should I be worried?"
The Medic grinned slightly after Nurse Flood mentioned it, adding more uneasiness towards Nurse Flood as he responded, "Vorried? No, not at all. My colleagues und I ensured she vas properly cleaned und stitched. No 'extras' envolved zhis time, I assure jou."
One of the doppelgängers, whose half of his face was stitched together with darker skin and a red eye, responded with a sinister chuckle, "Zhough zhe temptation vas certainly zhere!"
Nurse Flood's stomach twisted nervously after the doppelgänger mentioned it. The Medic glared slightly before returning to Nurse Flood as she responded, ignoring what the doppelgänger said: "I hope you understand the seriousness of the situation. This child has been through a lot and needs stable, reliable care."
"Oh, I take my vork very seriously, Nurse Flood." The Medic nodded. "But she vill need more zhan just stitches. Zhe scars suggest deeper issues ef any of zhen open vithout knowledge. Perhaps some magical intervention es en order?"
"I'm considering that, yes." Nurse Flood nodded, slightly confused about how he knew that. "But it's a delicate matter. I've consulted with a healer from the Owl House universe; they'll take over her magical care."
Another doppelgänger, albeit with a darker shade of coat and his hair slicked back instead of neatly combed, responded with a perk: "Ah, magic! Quite potent und less, ah, unpredictable zhan some other forms. A good choice."
Nurse Flood was taken a little aback at what the Medic and his doppelgängers said, a little convinced what they said was true, but there was that lingering feeling that this was just to make her drop her guard.
"Well, we agree on that, at least." Nurse Flood nodded. "Just keep me informed of any future interventions, understood?"
"Of course, Nurse Flood." The Medic nodded as the other Medics responded with 'Ja!' or 'Jawohl!' "Transparency es key, es et not?"
Nurse Flood stayed silent after the Medic asked, unsure of how to respond, as she walked away from the Medic as he returned to talking with his doppelgängers. However, as she walked away to tell one of the healers, something from a room started to faintly glow like a rainbow from within a plastic bin before it disappeared.