>You are Arrhythmia, and after all the stress from tedious interviews, you find yourself about to start your first shift at the local hospital
>The driving passion that you had for helping those in need motivated you to go to nursing school
>And it finally paid off
>You knew you had a gift of being able to help ponies out, but it didn’t click for you until you went to college
>You don’t have a heart of your flank for just any reason…
>As you arrive to the entrance of the hospital, you slowly approach the automatic doors
>You stop in your hoofsteps to take in a deep breath
*sigh*
“Come on, you can do this…”
>You couldn’t help but be anxious
>Sure, you have the experience from the countless clinicals you have attended
>You even helped out someone going into shock
>But you had the help of professors nearby
>Now you have to do it on your own
>Snapping out of your daydream, you adjust your new pink scrubs before walking through the doors
>Once the motion sensor detects your movements, the doors slide as you begin to walk through them
>You’re first greeted by the smell of sterility, so clean and lifeless it seems
>The lobby sure is ful of life though…
>Looking all around you, ponies of all walks of life fil the seats
>Some coughing heavily, runny nosed, and some that should have called an ambulance
>You begin to tense up, nervousness in your veins, as you begin to become overwhelmed
>They look up to you and call for you, desperate for you to help what ails them
>You quickly turn from the lobby and move towards the receptionist
>”Welcome to Ponyville Hospital, please sign in”
>A white mare looks up from her station handing you a pen, when it suddenly hits her
>”Oh, you must be the new nurse! Please, follow me”
>She gets up from her chair and opens the door beside the check in area
>She waves a hoof to you, and you slowly move towards your future life
>Once you’re through the door frame, the door shuts behind you

>As this nurse guides you around the hospital, you notice her cutie mark as you follow her
>A red cross with little hearts in the corner signed her fate
>She turns around and puts her hoof out to you
>”I’m nurse Redheart by the way, nice to meet you…?”
“Arrhythmia, but you can call me Mia”
>You slowly reach for her hoof and eventually shake it
>”Thank Celestia you showed up, Luna knows we need more nurses”
>Her voice drawls out with fatigue
>If the sight of that lobby is a sign of what’s to come, then you know why she is this way
>You follow her around like a lost puppy as you try to become familiar with this place
>”So this is the maternity ward, where we deliver foals…”
>Her sedative voice could lull you to sleep right now as you follow blindly
>”Here we have the outpatient facilities where ponies come in for rehabilitation”
>She stops to point her hoof towards a doctor assisting an elderly pony with exercises
>Nurse Redheart turns around and waves her hoof at you, as she begins to walk away
>”Are you coming, Mia?”
>A shock runs through you as you try to stay awake, distracted by the doctor
“Coming!”
>You trot to catch up to her even though she slowed down
“Sorry, I-I got distracted…”
>Redheart shakes her head lightly to your reaction
>”Well, we can’t have you being distracted when a pony needs an IV in their foreleg…”
>You turn to look at her briefly
“I won’t let it happen again, I promise”
>”I don’t mind now, but don’t let it happen when you’re working, I can’t stress that enough, dear.”
>Concern floods Redheart’s voice as she discusses the seriousness of alertness here
>After walking for a couple of minutes, you finally reach Tartarus itself
>”And this here is the ICU”
>She stops to turn around to you
>”As you can see, we have been working our tails off trying to help every pony out”
>Her hoof directs you around the ICU, showing just how bad it is right now

“Oh my…”
>Your eyes shoot open wide to this site
>You can hear a pony cry out in agony, who knows what’s wrong with them
>Their pained groans send chills down your spine
>”Seeing how you have the experience, this is where you’ll be working”
>You can feel your chest figuratively stop as she tells you this
“Oh, o-okay”
>Redheart walks up to you and places a hoof on your shoulder
>”You’ll do great, I just know it”
>A grin forms on her face, full of reassurance
>”If we didn’t believe in you, we wouldn’t have you here”
>She lets out a light giggle as she retracts her hoof
>Surely, she just won’t leave you here to fend for yourself, right?
“Uhh,” you pause, “what am I supposed to do exactly?”
>You raise a brow to her as you begin to take everything in
>”Well, I don’t know for sure what they’ll have you doing, but go up to the counter here, and one of these nurses will assist you”
“Sounds good…”
>You start to become unsure before you’re set free
>”Don’t worry, Mia. It’s usually not this bad”
>You avert your eyes from her, looking around
“I sure hope so”
>You let out a nervous giggle as you scratch your nape with your foreleg
>”Take care, and welcome! It was nice to meet you.”
>Redheart shakes your hoof again before walking off to the front
“Oh my Celestia…”
>You nervously distract yourself by looking down and checking your name tag
>Yeah, everything is there
>Arrhythmia, R.N.
>And you even have an adorable smile in the picture
>You sure don’t feel like that Mia right now
>A nurse waves you down at the counter, and you begin to approach her
>”Walk around to the little door here, newbie”
>You walk up to the cocky unicorn, trying to find the way in
>”Heh heh, door’s over there”
>She points her hoof towards the opposite side of the desk
>How embarrassing…
>You awkwardly press your lips together as you walk over to the door

>The nurse’s magic unlocks the door for you as approach it
>You walk through as something slams on your butt
>Tensing up, you yelp and quickly turn around, only to find out it was just the door
>You nod your head coming to this realization
>”Should have been quicker than that, caboose”
>As she laughs, you start to chuckle when you hear her go at it
>She starts out laughing normally, then it turns into wheezing
>Don’t laugh at her, Mia. Don’t do it!
>You couldn’t help yourself as you begin to chuckle
>Need a diversion…
“Sorry, I’ll have to…keep that in mind~”
>This mare puts her hoof out for you to shake
>”The name’s Sacred Heart, and you must be the new scrubs”
>She seems intimidating, but you comply and shake her hoof
“That’s me, new scrubs”
>You grin a little bit at her remark as she hovers over some clipboards
>”Really?”
>A skeptical nurse is staring you down, eyebrow raised
“Oh no, the name is Arrhythmia, but you can call me ‘Mia’”
>“Isn’t that an ironic name to have being a nurse and all, batmare?”
>Batmare? Oh…
“I see what you did there…”
You give this mare the slyest grin
>”, you mean /hear/, right? I didn’t show you anything there”
“You know what I mean, smart one”
>”Oh, sooo… some pony has jokes, eh?”
>This pony though. It’s hard to tell if they’re serious or not.
>Just go with it, Mia. 
>You can’t help but smile at this pony’s exuberance with each zing she makes
“I guess so, Doc”
>”I’m not a doctor, but I’m flattered” she says giving you a wink
“Oh please”
>You loved talking, but you were befallen with silence
>Awkward silence, of course
>”Anyways,” she pauses, “I’m going to need you to take care of these patients for me, Newbie”
>She hovers those patient clipboards towards you from earlier
“How do I know who to help first?”
>”Whoever screams bloody murder, Bruce Mane…”

>What have you gotten yourself into now, Mia?
>A feeling of despair and unbearable pressure overcomes you as Sacred Heart stares you down
>Those joking eyes of hers stare cold into your own as she awaits your response
>”And plee-HHEEZE, for the love of Celestia, don’t kill anypony tonight”
>Such emphasis on please, you can’t tell what this pony’s game is
“I’ll make sure not to do that, boss”
>You let out a nervous giggle
>”You’ll come to learn I joke a lot, but I couldn’t be any more serious about this right now”
>”I understand”
>You shift your eyes towards the stack of clipboards that seem to be calling out to you
>While you were looking away, Sacred Heart began to walk away
>Before walking out from behind the counter she whips around towards you
>”If you need anything, ‘scrubs’, you let me know”
>Her voice seemed to be as snappy as always before walking away
“O-okay”
>You awkwardly wave you hoof towards her as she pays no attention
>As you sift through some of the clipboards, you begin to see how bad you’re going to have it tonight
>”Stroke…fell down and broke a hip….vomiting blood….crashed while flying…”
>You sift through all these poor ponies’ records as you try to find a warm up patient
>Each pony seems to be worse than the others, most of them in critical condition
“Fuck it”
>You lift your head up and close your eyes, hesitantly picking up one of the records
“Please be the broken wing pony…”
>You begin to chant to yourself as your hoof makes contact with your first patient
>You slowly open your eyes and look upon the prognosis
>Stroke
“Sweet…”
>Your prognosis would be sarcasm
>You thoroughly look through this patient’s records, mumbling to yourself as you begin to analyze
>Stabilized…check up on them hourly
>Check IV…might need refilling…
>You place the clipboard underneath your wing as you make your way to the door
*sigh*
“Hopefully they’re still asleep”

>You open the little side door with your hoof and proceed to this patient’s room
>Room 304
>You look around the lobby like an idiot as you try to track this room down
>May as well move around and look
>You begin to trot from room to room mindlessly
>Passing by some of the open doors, ponies with agonizing looks on their faces stare at you in misery
>They may be sedated, but their eyes, cold and scared, look upon you to help them
>You feel just awful passing them up as you try to find this pony
>Ahh…here we go, room 304
>The light in this room is off, but the sound of a heart monitor greets you with its eerie presence
>You slowly make your way through the door frame as the pulsing carries on
“Hello? Are you awake?”
>You eventually find yourself bedside to this ill pony
>They seem to be coming in and out of conscientiousness as their eyes slowly open
>Helplessly looking into yours
“My name is Mia and I am here to check up on you.”
>You reach out your hoof to shake this pony’s
>”That’s…that’s, nice…”
>The patient’s speech is slurred and raspy, but you’re hoping that’s just the morphine drip talking
>You address the clipboard to see what’s been done
“So how are you feeling, Mr. Greenhooves?”
>This older looking stallion rubs his eyes and groggily looks back up
>“Hayseed…”
“What do you mean?”
>You can’t help but be confused as this patient tries to stay awake
>”No, call me, Hayseed…”
>He begins to raise the back of his bed up to get eye level with you
“Oh, well sorry about the Hayseed.”
>”It’s fine, dear. You see, I’ve had a stroke, and I feel miserable…”
>His droopy eyes stagger as they blink
>Lethargic are his movements as he scratches his foreleg, near the IV
“I saw that in your record, and we are trying to help you the best we can.”
>You place a hoof on his shoulder as he looks up to you
>”What’s the point in helping?”
>Frustration carries his voice as you glance as his notes

“Because that’s what I came here to do, Hayseed.”
 “Helping ponies who need help, ponies like you” 
>You point a hoof at him, trying to reason with him
>He attempts to sit up from the bed, but he is far too weak to do so
>”It doesn’t matter, I’m probably going to die from this anyways…”
>The heart monitor begins to beep faster as his hope diminishes
“Listen, I took a Hippocratic Oath in nursing school, and we will do our best to make you better”
>He just stares off into the distance, ignoring your words
“I promise you that…”
>You voice softens, hoping to sway Hayseed towards optimism
>Not a word is said for long couple of seconds
>His voice, now colder than the air in this hospital, responds to you
>”You want to fix what ails me? Good luck with that. I’m a dead pony”
“Sir, we just need to check your vitals and admit you to rehabili-“
>”This ain’t my first rodeo, Mia. I’ve been here before.”
>He starts to become agitated to your reassurance
>”For the same Celestia damned reason!”
>He swallows and looks away from you, ashamed for you to see him
>Exhaling deeply, his eyes well up
>You can feel your own throat start to tense up at this sight
“Listen sir, we /will/ do what it takes to make this better. We have some of the best med-“
>”That’s what /everypony/ has said before!”
>His voice begins to crack, quivering with each word
>”And guess what?”
>His eyes are burning at you, his sadness igniting the flames
>”Here I am, in this fucking bed…”
>He rests his head into his hooves and weeps uncontrollably
>The heart monitor begins to race as his blood pressure begins to rise
“Sir, I know you’re upset, but I’m going to need you to calm down”
>You tap him on his dropped shoulder and point to the heart monitor
“If you can’t calm down, your blood pressure will increase”
>All this stallion can do is just cry, cry to his heart’s content
>”What’s that mean?”

>You find yourself in the most painful of situations, staring at a patient’s cold eyes
*sigh*
“It could happen again…”
>Adamant to your words, you begin to explain that he could have another stroke
“You see, Hayseed…”
>You begin to nervously pace back and forth across the room, even though it’s not helping
>Making your way back to the notepad, you find yourself thinking about Hayseed’s prognosis
>Meanwhile, he has distanced himself from reality, staring off into nothing
>Ah, okay
“You suffered a stroke that affects your coordination and balance, and some cerebrovascular veins in the brain were damaged”
>Your wings hold up the clipboard as you continue to pace
“We found a penumbra in your brain that’s at risk”
>He is nothing short of confused
>”Now what in Tartarus is /that/ supposed to mean?”
>He slowly lifts his hoof, but just rolls it to its side
>”Ain’t nothin’ but a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Equestrian, please!”
“Okay, sir,” you raise your hoof now, “let me put it this way…”
>You point your hoof at him as you give him the news	
“Your brain can’t handle another stroke, so you need to just relax and go to sleep”
“Or you could possibly die…”
>With a stern look on your face, you walk over to Hayseed’s bedside and reassure him
“Take it easy, trust me”
>You poke yourself in the chest with your hoof as you stare at him
>…
>”O-okay, then.”
>He nods his head steadily, avoiding eye contact
>You can tell he isn’t taking this well
>He needs to try though, or you’ll be taking his ass to the morgue
>You’re not really in the mood for that right now
“Besides that, are you feeling better?”
>You voice progresses from stern to that friendly tone you’re accustomed to
>*sigh*
>”For the most part, yes”
>…
“Well if you need anything, just push the buzzer, sir”
>”Will do…”
>As you turn and walk out of the office, his cries of agony fill the lonesome room behind you

>As much as his life hangs on your conscience, you need to tend to the other patients
>You walk around the counter and approach those other clipboards from earlier
>Pony who broke her wing after crashing….
“Yeah, I could do that”
>”Do what, talk to yourself?”
>Your wings pop open and lightly scree, surprised
>You turn your head around to find that Sacred Heart nurse behind you
“Yes, you’ve caught me red hooved.”
You shrug your shoulders and tilt your head
>She begins to giggle at your “over-the-top” reaction
>”Do you always get like that when some pony comes up from behind you?”
>She begins to giggle
>You can’t help but blush, slightly embarrassed
“Yeah, I kinda do at times”
>You smirk and roll your eyes as Sacred looks through your stroke patient’s records
>”So, I see your stroke pony here had some serious damage, huh?”
“Yeah, some vessel damage and some cerebellum damage”
>You walk over to Sacred and look at the notes, staring attentively
“Yeah, and if this penumbra is as high risk as bad as it says, he’s done for”
>”You told him to get rest, right, Newbie?”
>So much emphasis…
“Yeah, I told him that he should go lay down and sleep, but”
>You hold an open bottom hoof to the ceiling as you point the patient out to Sacred
“I mean look at him…He just sits there and cries the whole time”
>Hayseed wipes his muzzle with his foreleg as he contemplates life
>Sacred is facing you and starts talking
>”So why didn’t you sedate him?”
>She starts pointing at you
“Well, he didn’t need it, his condition was stable”
>”How is that stallion stable? He’s going to die if he doesn’t calm down”
>You start to snap
“Tell you what…why don’t /you/ go in there and tell him that then. I’ve tried!”

>Damn, she’s pressing all your buttons now
>”Not my patient”
“Then let me deal with it then, okay?”
>”Fine.”
>She angrily trots off with one of your patient’s notes and then you’re surprised again
>*BZZT*
>You pop your head up over the counter and see which of the ponies is in need of help
>Of course it’s Hayseed, of course
>Without thinking, you spread your wings, and hover over the counter top and dash towards his room
>You frantically grab the phone near his desk and access the PA system from there
“All available nurses, report to room 304, patient is going into shock!”
>Throwing the phone down, you tap your hooves on the ground in an anxious manner
>You begin to check the heart monitor and see that Hayseed’s blood pressure has dropped significantly
>Not only that, but he is experiencing loss of bodily function as you hopelessly watch him flail around the bed
“Fuck”
>You try and stabilize him as you work on getting him into constraints, which proves to be a tedious task
>Doesn’t actually take you too long, as you move on to the next task
“Oh, where are you?”
>As you slam open some cabinets, you stumble upon a CPR kit
>Thank Celestia
>The beeping from the monitor only grows faster as time grows thin
>Forget it, just go do regular CPR
>You rush over to Hayseed, pressing on his chest in equal intervals
>Just like in nursing school…
>Yeah, because you had to help out a dying patient in nursing school, right…
>You keep pushing on his chest until the cavalry arrives
>Among those in the mix is Sacred, who is approaching you as Hayseed is being taken care of

>”What happened here?”
>You dart your eyes back and forth watching Hayseed fight for his life
“I-I-I, he seems to have gone into shock from emotional trauma”
>Sacred pulls you aside as the RRT frantically works to stabilize him
>You count six ponies at Hayseed’s bedside as they begin to work on him
>”What happened?”
>No sarcasm in her voice as she seemingly interrogates you
>Your breathing increases before you quietly begin to scree 
>You catch a glimpse of the RRT specialist performing a jump using their magic
>The patient’s body jumps as a surge rushes through him
“I told him about what happened and he didn’t take it too lightly”
>Sacred’s tired eyes stare you down as you continue with the details
“I made sure he was fine, and he seemed better before I left”
>You glance over at the table again, until you’re caught off guard
>“Arrhythmia!”
>You turn back around, standing like you were a royal guard, scared shitless
“When I left him, he seemed stable enough. That’s when the alarm in his room went off”
>You notice Sacred is now looking over at Hayseed
>The look on her face, the heavy sigh she exhales, says it all
>Heart monitor races faster in the background 
“I dashed into his room and began to perform CPR on him”
>You point your hoof at the busy table
“That’s when they showed up”
>[beeping intensifies]
>”What do you think caused it?”
“I think the penumbra that was found had to have been damaged. Then again, it was next to an aneurism located on the CAT scan, causing him to have a possible haemorrhagic stroke...”
>You turn to look at Hayseed one last time

>Nurses looking at the clock and calling it as the heart monitor holds a flat monotone
“…explaining the convulsions he went through, and now this…”
>Sacred glances at the body as she walks towards it
>She calls you over to her as she takes information down with the others
>His dead eyes stare off into space, but you could just imagine him being liberated, at least
>Sends chills down your spine as you literally stare death in its elderly face
>Sacred hoofs you the death certificate and clipboard
>”I’m going to need you to write a statement about what happened and finish this certificate”
>You reach for it with the tips of your wings, and nod nervously
>”Don’t worry about it, from what you said, there was nothing you could have done about it”
“Mhm…”
>”You better get used to this sort of thing, Arrhythmia. You know how it is”
You slowly walk out of the room, and go behind the counter to fill this information out
>Sacred’s chilling words, along with the face of that poor pony are stuck in your mind
>That’s all you can think about as you begin to fill out the statement
>You begin recalling all the events that took place, careful to include everything
>Your wing reaches for a pen on the desk as you begin to unfold those events
>Doesn’t talk you long as you proceed to sign the death certificate
“11:43”
*sigh*
>You hesitantly sign your name, doesn’t look as neat as it usually does
>Then again, you just kind of witnessed some pony dying
>You find yourself just sitting there, staring at that certificate
>A slap in the face, it seems
>*tap tap*
>As you look up, you find Sacred staring at you
>”Did you get everything filled out?”
“Yeah, it’s all here”
>You try to keep as calm as you can while hoofing her the information
>”I know it’s tough to deal with that, Newbie, but you did what you could”

>Her aura picks up the documents, sifting through them
“Yeah, but I wish I could have done more for him…”
>”What exactly could you have done? He was in pretty rough shape”
>She leans up against the counter with her hooves
>”And from what I read, the first stroke really messed him up”
>You rub a hoof with your other
“Surely, there was som-“
>”Listen, if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the oven!”
>You just sit there as she points her hoof over her shoulder
>”This type of thing happens often, and if you can’t handle it, you better find another job”
>She seems frustrated with your attitude about this
“Fine, I…I won’t worry about it then. Move on to the next one”
>You grab another clipboard nearby and walk out the side door
>”You better, we have a full house today”
>She lets out a slight chuckle, one that you find cold
“I couldn’t tell”
>Sarcasm fills your voice as you look through the notes
“See you later, bate”
>You make a funny face at her behind her back
>Once she walks out of sight, you see that your patient is the one with the broken wing
>You make your way to this pony’s room as you go over the prognosis
>You notice the door to this room is closed, so you knock
“Are you awake?”
>”Yeah, come in”
>Their voice sounds muffled as you stand idly by
>Once you open the door, you spot a rainbow maned pony lying in bed, bored
>”So how long until I can fly again?”
>Her tired, but raspy voice awaits good news
>You look down and look at the treatment history for this mare
“Well, it’s not looking so good for you, Rainbow Dash”
>A dreadful look forms on her face as she’s given this news
>Her mouth wide open in disbelief

“At least for a couple of weeks”
>”A couple of weeks, b-b-but the Wonderbolt’s are coming to town!”
>Her voice grows tense as all seems lost for her
>You walk over to her bedside and examine her wing
>She scoots away from you as you reach for her
“I need to check this wing out, Rainbow”
>You try to keep your calm with her, but it’s hard to work with some pony so stubborn
>You stare at her blankly, waiting for her to oblige
>She eventually gives in, nudging herself back over to you
>You gently place the tips of your wings on her wing, moving it around ever so gently
>”So how bad /is/ it, Doc?”
>She sounds annoyed and anxious to hear your verdict
“Well, the mending that was done here seems to be intact”
>She opens a hoof towards you
>”Yeah, my friend Twilight came in here earlier to try some spell, or something”
>You stop your wing movements as her words halt you
“You had some pony come in and treat you?”
>Shocked, you were. Since this sort of thing was prohibited
>”Yeah,” she shrugs, “but I don’t think it worked much”
“You do realize that’s prohibited here, right?”
>She slowly retracts her wing from you
>”What, having some pony I know help me?”
“Listen, you were brought here so /we/ could treat you. Any outside interference could b-“
>”Do you know who Twilight Sparkle is?”
>She starts to raise her voice with you, pointing firmly at you
“Yeah, she’s the Princess of Friendship.”
>”Exactly! PRINCESS. OF. FRIENDSHIP.”
>She cut you off, as she begins to go on this tirade
“I really don’t care who she is, you need your rest and let this heal naturally”
>”I want it healed NOW!”
>The room grows awkwardly silent, tension building stronger

>You actually have no words right now
>Even though you’ve become a bit flustered from this pony’s outburst, it’s your job to treat her
>You divert your attention to the clipboard and go through some medical information
>Meanwhile, Rainbow dully looks out the window
>”I just want to go back out there, nurse…”
>Her voice became quieter as her sadness becomes vocal
>You look up at her to try and comfort her
“Listen, I know you want to go back out there, but you just can’t”
>You inspect the wing once again, hearing Rainbow wince in pain
>”Surely there’s a way to fix this quickly”
>You lean against her bedrail, trying to calm her
“None that we can do here,” you sternly say, “You’re just going to have to sit this one out.”
>She looks down at her hooves, utterly disappointed in the verdict
>”Are you sure?”
>Rainbow looks up at you with pleading eyes
>You bring your hooves together as you confirm her fear
“Absolutely.”
>She nods her head as she begins to look away from you
“Now don’t be down about it, you’ll be out of here in a couple of days!”
>”Yeah, but I won’t be able to /fly/”
“True, but at least you can be back with your friends”
>You place a hoof on her shoulder
“That’s something to look forward to, right?”
>”Yeah…”
>You notice Rainbow form a slight grin on her face
“Don’t worry about the wing, it should heal sometime within the month!”
>Rainbow hesitantly nods her head, knowing she won’t have it her way
>Your smile fades as you stand there quietly in the room
“Well, if there isn’t anything else I can do for you, I’ll be back to check on you later”
>”Okay, thanks”
>Rainbow grabs one of her books as you walk away
>”Thanks”
>You turn back around quickly
“It’s what I do”
>You giggle before you attempt to turn back around
>”No…”
>She puts the book down, pointing to her chest

>”Thanks for talking with me…”
>A genuine look of regret looks on her face
“Oh that, don’t worry. You just needed some pony to talk to is all”
>”Well, I was being ungrateful for your help, and I snapped.”
>You dismiss her worries with a wave of your hoof
“Seriously, it’s all right. I know how you feel”
>You extend your left wing out to her
“I broke my wing when I was a young filly, and it sucked”
>You contract it and point to her
“But it healed, just like yours is going to heal”
>”It’s going to be so bring until that day comes”
“Maybe that book could kill the time then”
>You let out a chuckle before you turn around
“Call for me if you need some help”
>Out in the middle of the floor, you hear a faint yell from Rainbow
>”Yep”
>You trot over to the clipboards you still need to check out
>Before you can get to the desk, your favorite pony in the world intercepts you
>”How are you doing, Newbie?”
>”Kill anyone lately?”
>With that memory still fresh in your mind, you still feel the guilt
“I’m doing better, now”
>”Don’t worry yourself too hard on that, colt. You couldn’t have saved him”
>Colt? Whatever
>You sift through the clipboards as you talk
“I know that now”
>”Then pep up, sport, and go on a break”
>You look up at Sacred as she reaches for those notes
“Are you sure you don’t need me here?”
>Sacred stares blankly at you
>”Look around you, ponies are either sleeping or in fair condition”
>She seems to attempt to laugh as you surrender the notes to her
>”If we need you, remember that you’re on call here”
>You give Sacred a salute, trying to be funny
“Yes, ma’am”
>”You might want to save the jokes for me, private”
>You did notice she smirked a little bit, so there’s that
“See you in 15”
>You wave before trotting away
>”Oh, and I’m going to need you to check up on more than just two patients at a time, Newbie”

>You turn around and walk up to her
“I’ll remember to do that.”
>”You better…” she speaks to you with a serious tone
>”It’s not called an ‘ICU’ to be taking your time, you know”
“I know that, sorry”
>”Sorry won’t cut it when some patient’s family comes to talk to you”
>Sacred really starts to lay into you
>You’re starting to get a little flustered, you can feel your throat tightening up
“Okay, I UNDERSTAND”
>Sacred just stares at you
“I’ll be quicker. I gotcha!”
>You place your hoof up before walking away
>Behind you, Sacred shakes her head before tending to the helpless
>As you walk outside, you try to keep calm
>But you can’t help but feel overwhelmed
>Not even the glistening daylight and cool breeze could make this any better
>Spotting a bench, you fly over to it and take a seat
*sigh*
>You sit there for what seems like eternity, just staring all around you
>It’s not that the job is hard
>You went to school for this stuff, and it seemed easy enough
>Now that you’re on your own…
“I don’t know…”
>”Don’t know what?”
>You tense up and look towards the source of that voice
>It’s Nurse Redheart from earlier today, lighting up a cigarette
>You blush, having been caught talking to yourself
“Oh,” you chuckle, “nothing”
>Redheart takes a drag from her smoke
>”So how are you liking it here so far?”
“Well,” you say, “its okay I suppose”
>Way to really hesitate, Mia. Awesome.
>”You’re kind of in a tough place anyways”
>She takes another drag, shrugging at you
>You raise your brow at her, not sure what she meant
“What do you mean?”
>”Well, for one, you’re in ICU”
>As she talks, smoke rolls from her mouth
>”And two, Sacred Heart is going to be all over you”
>You think about it now, and she has been sort of poking fun at you, hasn’t she?
“Yeah, I can’t figure her out sometimes”
>She takes another drag, finishing her smoke
>”Why is that?”

>Put it delicately
“Well, it’s like she gives me nicknames, and then she becomes serious all of a sudden”
“I don’t know what her game is”
>”Is she still calling ponies ‘newbie’ and Celestia knows what else?”
>Okay, that’s weird	
“Yeah, actually she does,” you say, “Well, to me, that is”
>Redheart smiles and shakes her head
>Sacred must have always said that then
>”You /are/ new, you know.”
>Uh, yeah, I know that….you think to yourself
>”Nah, that’s just something she calls all the younger nurses”
>Redheart scratches her shoulder with a hoof, and shifts her body
>”And as for the ‘being serious’ thing, she just wants you to succeed”
>”She puts pressure on you so you do not mess up”
>That explains a lot
“I get that, but does she need to be so blunt like that?”
>”Well it’s either ‘be honest’ with you, or you’ll end up screwing up big time”
>…
>You think back to the little argument from earlier
>I /should/ have been quicker, just check in and leave…you think
“Mhm”
>Just like that, your pager is getting a notification
>Yep, it’s Sacred
>You jump off the bench and start to hover above
“I gotta go, I’m getting called. See ya”
>”See you later”
>You wave bye and hurry to the doors
>Of course when you arrive, that damn sensor acts up
>You land and walk up to the doors
>They finally start to open slowly
“Come on…” you say, tapping your hooves
>Once they’re open wide enough, you just slide in
>No time to waste
>Once inside, you make a dead sprint to the ICU where you find Sacred waiting
>”We got a new patient, Newbie, and it’s pretty bad. Follow me”
>She starts trotting towards the busy looking room
“Do you have any info on this patient?”
>“Diabetic experienced extreme hypertension” she sort of mumbles
>You follow behind her and enter the room
>Well, now you have a face to match the info
>Fuck