The Royal Contract

1196 A death wish

It had been a busy day since she returned from her short break. She hardly had enough time to breathe. Then she was back on her scut work. Nevertheless, she was not complaining since she brought this to herself.

She ran to her last duty for the day, hoping it would run smoothly. Compared to her morning, this one was so much better. She loved to spend time with babies. Therefore, this was not something she regretted doing today.

“How are our sweet angels?” She asked the nurse in charge of the nursery. She could sit in this place for hours and never get bored looking at those adorable faces.

She quickly entered the premises after disinfecting and began looking at the charts. She was assigned to facilitate the newborn screening of the babies and check for any irregularities.

“This must be your lucky day, Dr. Sheldon.” The nurse smiled at her before handing her the last chart. “So far, they all looked fine.”

Fortunately, there were only three new babies born that morning. And they had already started the screening process. She hardly had to do anything but stare at the babies and wait until her shift ended.

She knew the results would take a few more hours, depending on the laboratory, but based on the nurse on duty, they seemed to be healthy. Based on what she had seen on their charts and after checking the babies one at a time, she could only agree with their findings.

“It is their lucky day,” Roseann turned to the babies, playing with the cheeks of the baby nearest to her. “You heard that. You are lucky and cute.” Finding the little boy fascinating, even if he barely made a sound in his little transparent crib.

Then, she moved to the next one, checking her vitals and for any signs of distress. So far, she could not find one. Afterward, she moved to the last one, a baby girl, this time.

.....

“You are the prettiest one here.” She told her. “Yes, you. Yes, you are.” She played with the little angel, finding it adorable when she appeared smiling. But frankly, she was only opening her mouth to either yawn or breathe.

But after examining her breathing and gazing into her eyes, she sensed something was wrong. She quickly rechecked her chart and reexamined her one more time. She just needed to be sure that they did not miss anything.

Still, she noticed the unusual sound in her breathing. It was like a hissing sound coming from her lungs. It was faint, but she heard it. It could be anything, but she believed it was worth double-checking.

“I want you to...” But before she could order any test, the head of pediatrics showed up at the door.

She guessed her luck was turning, or it could be the babies’ luck rubbing off her. It turned out that she was right. Something was wrong with her, and the initial test missed it.

The attendee ordered the necessary test to confirm their findings and thanked her for noticing the irregularities in the infant’s condition. Of course, she was over the moon. She still had done something good today despite her situation.

However, she wanted to return to her first love, surgery. As much as she enjoyed this little angel’s company, she liked cutting people more and sewing them back together.

“I am off.” She uttered in relief, finally dumping her uniform in the laundry basket after changing into her casual clothes.

She could finally feel the effect of her hangover last night with the fatigue of her all-day tiresome routine. The adrenaline was already wearing off, and her body would shut down soon.

But, of course, she had to visit her sister before she left. It was a short trip from the locker room to her room. It would not be such a big deal. But that was not the problem. The most update n0vels are published on novelenglish.net . Firᴇ.net

She did not want to run into him. “But you have to. You can’t keep avoiding the problem. You have to find a solution to it.” She told herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

But how could she deal with a situation like this? She wished she had an off-and-on button. So she could turn the switch on her emotions. Unluckily, she had no such thing. Therefore, she had to find another way.

“Go on another date.” She reminded herself of the man that had been asking her out for weeks. Maybe she should try to see if they would click. But she doubted that.

Still, she thought he might be a worthy distraction. However, she would not count on it. The man might be physically attractive, but he seemed a douchebag. He said he worked in a stock market, which explained his arrogance.

Maybe she could find someone else. She just had to be more open to the possibility. Bernadeth offered to set her up for a blind date. But was she ready for that kind of situation?

“That will just have to wait.” She spoke to her image before turning her back on the mirror and rushing down the hallway.

Maybe David was not in her sister’s room yet. She could check on her and then slip away before David arrived to see her. That was the hope as she quickened her pace.

She breathed a sigh of relief again when the room was empty except for the sleeping form of her sister. She was still in a comatose stage. Her sister’s case was one of those mysteries that had no answers.

Science pointed out that she should be awake, but reality showed them otherwise.

“Hey, Rosella. How are you today?” She greeted her sister, but she remained immobile in her bed.

After checking her charts, she stood by her bed and touched her hands. It was slightly lacking the warmth it needed. The room was cold. Therefore, she rubbed them, hoping it would help her blood flow.

“You need to wake up soon. I miss you so much.” Roseann uttered in her desperate voice, wishing and praying that her older sister would soon join them again in the world of the living.

She tapped her hand, but she did not get any reaction. Her eyes remained tightly closed, and her breathing was even. But that was because of the ventilation machine. She still had to show signs that she could live on her own.

“Hey, you are here.” She did not notice that she already had company when she lost track of time, talking to her sister.

The man she was avoiding stood by the door, looking directly at her. But she could feel her body had reached its limits. It was time to leave before she collapsed on the next soft cushion or the floor.

“Hi, David.” She greeted him, finally letting go of her sister’s hand. “I am glad you are here now because I am going home.” She did not feel the need to explain herself as she kissed her sister on the forehead and whispered. “I love you.”

Then, she grabbed her things, ready to march outside the door.

“I think that is a great idea.” He suddenly spoke behind her before she could disappear. “You look terrible. Have a good night’s rest, Roseann.” He added.

She turned around, thanking him. That was the least she could do for his thoughtfulness. But other than that, she had to hurry out of there.

She grabbed her bike from the parking area and rode it toward her apartment.

She thought she would not make it. But thankfully, her energy was enough to get her inside her room and crash on her bed. Soon, all were lights out. Everything just turned black.

Did she dream of anything? She could not even remember as she slept peacefully after a long time. Maybe she should do more scut work. Or maybe drink more. But she knew that would not work the next time.

Anyway, she woke up with a ringing in her ears. It was the first disturbance she had heard since she fell asleep. She wondered if that was a dream.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

However, the persisting sound bothered her, rousing her from her deep slumber. She forced her eyes open, but she could only manage to open one eye. It was like a lead was pressing against them. It was just too heavy to move.

“What is that?” She asked herself as she tried to gaze at the dark room. She must have forgotten to open the lights in her room when she entered earlier. Now, darkness covered the entire room.

The only light she saw was coming from her window from the nearby building. Still, she forced her eyes to see through the dim light, hoping to find the offending sound.

Then, she realized it was her phone, creating those shrilling sounds. Someone was calling her, and whoever it was must have a death wish to call her at a time like this.

She hoped whoever dared to disturb her had an excellent excuse for ruining her perfect sleep.