The weekend flew by and the day Tabby was due to go to the hospital approached. She still couldn't forget that strange and, above all, wonderful meeting in the park, and even though she eagerly rushed to the same place the next two days, she always returned home disappointed. On Sunday evening, her dad planned a barbecue in the garden, which she welcomed with great enthusiasm. Nothing like that was ever done at their home in Bedford, because her mom simply didn't have that much time.
As Tabby sat in her white wool sweater by the burning outdoor fireplace, she patiently endured Sid's lying, furry presence, because it pleasantly warmed her feet. She missed her mom a little and discreetly wiped the tears from her cheeks. She registered a movement next to her, it was Nicole. She sat down next to her and placed an indulgent hand on her shoulder.
"Don't be sad, I know it still hurts a lot, but your dad and I will make sure you can bear it all better, don't worry. The hospital is so busy, you won't have
any time for sad thoughts. And in time you will realize that there is no point in wallowing in sadness, it's a lost battle. I've already given up too..." she added quietly. Tabby looked at her in amazement. She didn't understand what she was talking about, but she didn't have the courage to ask. However, Nicole spoke to herself, looking into the crackling fire. Tabby began to suspect that even a perfect woman like her had her own secrets that hurt sometimes, and that she needed to tell someone. It made her feel a little embarrassed, she didn't feel like any of her friends at all yet.
"You know, I come from a family of four, we've always had a full house, and that's why I wanted such a big family. But life somehow changed its mind and prepared me for many bitter surprises. Your father is my second husband. My first marriage was not a happy one. Even though I wanted children so much from the beginning, I was always accompanied by bad luck. I had two miscarriages and my third child barely lived to be one month old because he was severely disabled. My life fell apart, I got divorced and I didn't want to exist. I even took my own life and ended up in a psychiatric hospital run by your father's friend. After all, Steve got me out of it all years later. He helped me bridge the bottomless abyss of despair and put me back on my feet. I can't have any more children, and that's why when I found out about you, I was very happy. I want you to feel at home with us. And if you want, we can "Go shopping tomorrow, dress a little better and all. And your hair could use some more care. It's beautiful, but still...What do you say?"
Tabby gasped. So, here it is! She imagined with horror in her mind what kind of shops Nicole was going to drag her into and she shuddered involuntarily. Although she was touched by her unfortunate life, she stubbornly decided to push this idea into a corner. But only to find the right way.
"Um…well…you know…I brought a bag full of clothes, I don't need any new ones. I'm happy with what I have." She tried to sound kind. Nicole just blinked in surprise, probably thinking of Tabby's flood of printed T-shirts, worn jeans, colorful socks, and sneakers with colorful laces, and replied: "Okay, but a young lady your age…" Tabby didn't let her finish, determined to defend her wardrobe at all costs:
"…she can dress just like me. Although I would quite like that hairdresser, I'll tell her what to do with my hair!" She replied forcefully, staring sharply at Nicole. She clearly didn't like it, but fortunately she decided to retreat for now. Perfect. One zero. So the first battle was more or less won. There was no more opportunity for further debate, as their father approached them with a full tray of grilled steaks. Tabby took a meaty bite of the largest of them and smiled gratefully at her father.
When Tabby went to her room that evening, Nicole made one more attempt. She quietly opened the door, dressed in a silk bathrobe, with her sweet smile, trying in vain not to show her horror at Tabby's loose nightgown with a bear on the chest, and said:
"So, you're not going to change your mind?" Tabby gave her a devastating look, involuntarily reached for the Sonata Arctica CD, put it in the player, provocatively put on her headphones, and settled comfortably in the rattan chair. That was all that mattered, and out of the corner of her eye she just watched Nicole shrug her shoulders and disappear through the door in disappointment.
Two zero.
...If it keeps going like this, it's not wrong. Maybe in time she will understand that she would only make me an imitation of a tough lady... Tabby thought contentedly and then she let herself be carried away by the song "Shamandalia" and tried not to think about her first day in the hospital...
The next day she woke up quite late, it was no longer time to run through the park and she quickly got dressed.
Everyone was already at the table in the dining room. Nicole looked at her with a critical look that clearly showed disapproval of her appearance, but Tabby generously ignored it.
"Well, finally, I thought I would wake you up." Her father greeted her. She smiled and nodded. Then she quickly ate a baked toast with ham and an apple, swallowed a few sips of fruit tea and after about half an hour she and her father were standing at the head nurse's office.
After knocking, a thin woman of about fifty with a stern face and piercing eyes came out.
"Hello, Doctor, and you too, Miss. So this is our new addition? Well, it could have been worse. Come with me, let's go to the personal ward first."
...It could have been worse...what's everyone's problem with that? Apparently it's a local motto... Tabby thought indignantly, because that's exactly how the perfumed medic Ted had greeted her on Friday. She was just surprised that she hadn't met him yet today, which she welcomed with satisfaction.
After the necessary formalities, she returned to the nurses' station.
"So, my dear, what do you know?" the head nurse asked, putting her hands on her hips.
Tabby pushed a strand of hair out of her face and replied with a smile.
"I'm a registered nurse, I've had a year of practice at Bedford Hospital and am currently in my first year of medical school in London."
Her future supervisor, to her astonishment, nodded her head in admiration and replied.
"Well, that's just the thing for me. I suppose you can give injections?"
"Of course, I was one of the best, no one had a single blemish on me."
"That's great. But for a start, before you get to know the workings of the hospital, you'll be something of a nurse who is always on hand for any need. That's the best way to get to know how things really work here. And later on, I'm willing to entrust you with a nurse's uniform and I'm very happy to do so. You know, there are never enough nurses. So come on…" she added with a smile. Tabby quickly said goodbye to her father and stepped forward with her right foot towards what awaited her...
After a week here, she felt much more confident. That day, as always, she changed into a nursing uniform and was assigned to carry a pile of cards to the ground floor of the oncology department, where the rooms where radiation was administered to tumors were located. Tabby shivered involuntarily, but she had to accept where her father worked, no matter how negative it had on her insides. And unfortunately, this was all part of it. She hesitantly opened the swinging door and walked forward down the long corridor. When she came to the second back door in front of the bend in the corridor, she suddenly froze at the sight of the person who had suddenly appeared there and her hands began to shake. To her horror, a few of her cards fell to the floor. David! What on earth was he doing here?
Surprise was also evident on his face. He bent down and helped her gather the materials, their eyes meeting and he lightly touched her hand. But that was enough to make Tabby warm up inside and blush slightly.
"Hello, what are you doing here?" she said and straightened up. He stood up too, visibly nervous.
"Um… Me? Nothing at all. Just passing by. You know, sometimes you need to let the doctors check your sinful body." He answered, trying to sound commanding. Tabby looked at him suspiciously. Passing by? And right here in the basement? It was starting to bother her a little, but she kept it to herself for now.
"Your hair is different, it suits you, and I almost didn't recognize you in those clothes. Do you work here?" he asked, and she was only fascinated by his wonderful smile and the few days of dark stubble on his face, which suited him very well. But at the same time, he seemed slightly paler to her than when they had last met. She embarrassedly smoothed her black curls, which the hairdresser had done a masterful job with. At least she no longer looked like a wild woman.
"You know, Dad's wife is trying to improve me a bit. And I've been working here since last week. He arranged a summer internship for me."
"Oh, so maybe we'll see each other more often..." he replied in a muffled voice, revealing inner restlessness. She looked at him questioningly, but he clearly didn't want to pursue the subject any further.
"And what about Sid, is he listening to you anymore?" He asked her, apparently to change the unpleasant subject for him.
"Not really, we kind of suffer from each other. But that will subside in time... I hope..." she laughed and immediately added:
"You haven't been in the park for a long time..." She noticed that he was watching her with a dull gaze, which made her heart feel blissful. She realized that he was probably not indifferent to her either. Then he frowned slightly and broke a moment of tense silence.
"I haven't been feeling well lately, I haven't been feeling well for a few days... erm... well, I'll go for a run, I'm glad to see you again." He answered a little absent-mindedly, winked at her and turned to leave. Tabby smiled at the familiar phrase that no longer surprised her at all from him, sighed weakly and watched him disappear for a while longer as he disappeared behind the door at the end of the corridor. She just didn't understand what he meant by seeing each other more often now.
When she entered the assistant's office, she greeted him with a smile and placed new cards on the table. But the smile disappeared from her face immediately. First Nicole and then this?... She wondered if she would be able to bear another secret, because among the cards she was supposed to take back upstairs to the filing cabinet, there was one with the name David Hatcher…