To Roam Into the Unknown

The Odd Patient

“So he woke up??” Stacy asked, closing her locker.

“It was bizarre. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.” Aurora said, laying her stethoscope over her shoulders.

“Wow. I can imagine.” They exited the locker room. “I’m off to the O.R. Dr. Pande is doing a MILD procedure and I want to watch. I’ll see you later?” Stacy asked, pulling her hair into a bun.

“Yea, I’ll see you.” Aurora replied, turning down the opposite hall. Smiling at the few people she passed, she walked to the nurse’s station and reviewed her cases for the day. Mr. Green was at the top of her list.

The breathing tube was removed a few days after he woke, once testing proved he was physically able to maintain his own breathing. She had had the last three days off and wasn’t there when the tubes were removed.

She scanned through his chart, waiting for the night nurse to report.

“Hey Aurie…” Aurora looked up.

“Hi Renee. Long night?” she asked. Renee was the night shift nurse. She pushed her glasses further up on her nose and shrugged.

“Long enough. But surprisingly uneventful. E20 is being discharged sometime today. New patient in E24, admitted with two broken legs after jumping off a hotel balcony. E23 was extubated on Wednesday with no problems, but he is refusing to eat or talk. The nutritionist has been in twice last night. He’s going to be a handful, I can tell.” Renee suppressed a yawn.

“And that’s really it. Unless someone else is admitted, you have three patients today. I will see you later.” she said, removing her stethoscope.

Aurora waved and headed straight for E23. Giving it a light knock, she opened the door.

“Mr. Green? It’s Aurora…” she closed the door behind her and pulled back the curtains. There was no sound from him as he slept. The room was completely dark, save for the few rays of sun that seeped through the blinds. Music played quietly from the radio by his bed.

Moving quietly to his bedside, she clicked her pen and looked up at the monitor. Everything seemed normal. She put the stethoscope to her ears.

“I’m just going to listen to your heart…” she whispered, pressing the diaphragm to his chest.

Suddenly, his hand shot out and grasped her wrist, giving her a start.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice raspy.

She gave a nervous laugh. “So you can talk…”

“Of course I can.” he snapped.

“I’m just listening to you heart.” she said.

“Did no one tell you?” She looked at him, slightly confused. He leaned forward towards her. “I have no heart.”

Aurora focused on the sound of his heartbeat over his talking, and placed the stethoscope back around her neck.

“I don’t know what leads you to believe that. I’ve been keeping watch over you since your accident. I heard a heartbeat every time.” she said.

He studied her for a moment, eyes narrowed. “You’re not like the other humans.” he said, leaning back in the bed once more.

The comment seemed odd to her. “How so?” she asked, placing her fingers on either side of his neck, just under his jaw. He tensed up immediately.

“What are you doing now?” he asked.

“Checking for swelling. The tube was in your throat for a while..it’s possible to have some swelling. We just have to keep an eye on it.” she answered.

He took a deep breath which caused him to cough. The look of pain that crossed his face didn’t go unnoticed by her.

“Does your throat hurt?” she asked.

“Like I swallowed fire.” he said. She walked to the small vanity area and retrieved some ice chips.

“That’s from the tubes that were in your throat. Try to eat some of these. It will make it feel better…” she handed the cup to him, which he took.

“Are you hungry?” she asked. He shook his head, looking at the contents of the cup.

“Have you eaten at all since you woke up?” she asked, flipping through his chart.

“I have not. The food on this planet is less than tolerable.” he said, setting the cup on the table.

“I get that hospital food sucks…but if you don’t eat, they will come in here and force you to.”

He stiffened, glaring at her. “You dare threaten me? Have you no idea who I am?”

Aurora forced herself to not roll her eyes. “I actually have no clue who you are. None of us do.”

“You call me Mr. Green. Is that some sort of jest??”

Aurora smiled at him, ignoring his hostility. “I called you Mr. Green for your green eyes. They are beautiful.” she replied. The comment took him off guard. Feeling slightly awkward, he once more took the cup in his hands, examining the ice chips.

“How…how long have I been here?” he asked.

“57 days…” she said.

“And what happened?” he asked.

“You were hit by a car…do you not remember?” she asked.

“I do not.”

“You walked out in front of a car and were hit. When they brought you to me, I thought you were dead. You landed on your head behind the car that hit you which caused bleeding on your brain. So we had to do surgery to release the pressure. That pressure caused you to slip into the coma. You also broke your leg which I need to inspect…” she said, gently pulling back the sheet.

Loki sat silently watching her examine his leg. He gave a violent jerk when she touched it.

“Sorry…I needed to make sure there was good circulation.”

“You visited me often…?” he asked, his voice strained from the quickly dulling pain.

“Four times a week…” she made her way towards the door.

“Was it you who brought the music?” he asked.

She smiled. “It was our routine. I have to go check on my other patients. Press that red button on the bedrail if you need me.”

Loki nodded slightly and watched as she closed the door, leaving him once more in the dark.

OoOoOoOo


“Aurie…E23 is calling again…” Stacy replied as she walked by. Aurora looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes, growling in frustration.

“I regret showing him the call button.” she said, pushing her seat back.

“You are the only one who can get him to comply-with anything.” Stacy said, pulling some pills out of the medicine cabinet.

She was right. For the last week, he would fight the other nurses and Aides that attempted to examine him in any way. Mike had walked in to draw blood and came out holding his nose as blood trickled from it. Stacy had attempted to feed him and had to change scrubs because in a fit of rage, he flipped the tray off his table onto her. Aurora had only to place to tray of food in front of him and he would eat nearly all of it, but not without complaining about the taste. He would willingly expose his arm without so much as a wince when she drew blood or gave him his shot of Heparin.

“Mr. Green?” Aurora pushed through the door.

“Loki.” he replied.

“I’m sorry?” she closed the door behind her.

“My name is not Mr. Green. It is Loki…you may call me Loki.” he said.

She smiled. “Ok..Loki. What can I do for you?” she asked.

Loki sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position. “How much longer am I to remain…here?” he asked, slightly annoyed.

“Well…you have another surgery for your leg scheduled in two days. After that it all depends on the healing process. And you will have physical therapy too..” She took a seat in the chair next to his bed. His color had returned and the dark circles under his eyes were considerably lighter. His scalp was covered now with a thick black stubble and a beard now covered his face.

He laid his head back, staring at the ceiling. “This mortal body is too weak.” he grumbled.

Aurora arched an eyebrow. “Well maybe it wouldn’t be so weak if you would eat more.”

“The food here is killing me.” he said. Aurora laughed. “I’m serious!” he said, looking at her.

“I have a break coming up in a few minutes…would you like for me to bring you something to eat from the store?” she asked.

“Anything would be better than this muck.” he said. “But I have no coin to give you.”

She shook her head and stood. “It’s on me.”

He looked at her, slightly confused. “What is on you?”

“Wow. We are going to have a talk when I get back. The food is on me.” she said, walking to the door.

“But I didn’t throw any food at you.” he replied.

Aurora laughed. “I will be back in a few minutes Loki.”

OoOoOoOo


“Aurie-”

“I’m at lunch. Unless someone is dying, I will be back in an hour.” She cut Mike off, breezing past him with the bag of fast food and drinks in her hands.

Mike and Stacy exchanged curious glances as they watched her enter E23.

“I’m back…” Aurora said, closing the door with her foot. She set the food down on the table.

Immediately, the smell caught Loki’s attention. “What in the nine realms is that smell?” he asked.

“Does it smell bad?” she asked as she washed her hands.

“Absolutely not. What is it?” he asked.

She dried her hands and removed the contents of the bag.

“Two cheeseburgers with chili, mustard, and onions. French fries and two Cokes.”

“What is it made of?” he asked.

Aurora paused in mid-bite. “Have you never had a cheeseburger?”

He shook his head, grabbing the burger. “What’s it made of?” he asked.

“Cows…Oh my God. Seriously?” she asked.

“We don’t have..cows in my world.” he said, taking a big bite. His face lit up and he let out a little growl as he chewed.

“Good?” she asked. He nodded and took another large bite, chewing quickly.

“Well chew it good. I don’t want to have to explain why I had to perform the Heimlich.”

“You know Heimdall?” he asked, swallowing a large bite.

“What?”

“Heimdall? The keeper of the Bifrost.”

Aurora’s brow furrowed. “Where are you from again?” she took a bite of her burger.

“Asgard.” he said, mouthful of burger.

“Is that in Europe?” she aksed.

“No. It is just Asgard.” He stuffed the last bite of burger in his mouth.

Aurora smiled. “I’ve never heard of it. How do you get there?” she asked.

“You can’t without Heimdall. He opens the gate.”

This was getting weirder and weirder. “Noted. What about family?”

Loki paused, fries in hand. “What about them?” he asked.

“Well don’t you have any?” she asked.

“My family…no. I have no family.” he said, eating the fries.

“You aren’t married?” she asked. He snorted.

“Okay….Where do you live?” she asked.

“I don’t have a home.” he said. Aurora felt pity for him at that moment. No family. Homeless. Delusional.

“What about you?” he asked, taking a gulp of the drink. “That…is truly a different beverage…it tingles…” he said.

Aurora laughed, wiping her mouth. “There isn’t much to tell. My life pretty much consists of work.”

“What about your family? Are you married?” he asked.

“My father lives in New York City. And I am definitely not married.” she said.

“Do you have a home?” he asked, finishing off the drink.

“I do. I have a townhouse by the harbor.”

“And you are a healer?”

She smiled. “Not quite a healer. But I am a nurse. Have been for eight years. And in my eight years I don’t believe I have ever met someone like you.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Very very few people would have survived the accident you had. The amount of damage done to your body…and then the coma. And here you are almost as if nothing happened eating fast food. It’s extraordinary.” She tossed the wrapper into the garbage can.

Loki smiled slightly. “Lots of things should have killed me…I’m beginning to think I’m still immortal.”

“Still immortal?” Aurora asked.

“Father said he took my powers when he banished me but-”

“So you do have a father?”

Loki silently cursed himself. He had still not quite gotten used to referring to him as Odin. “He is not my real father.”

“Powers?? Banished?” she shook her head.

Loki yawned. “it’s a long story…too long.”

Aurora stood. “Tell me later then. I have to get back to work. If you behave yourself the remainder of the night, I will bring you some good coffee for breakfast when I come back.”

“You’ll come to say goodbye?” he asked, folding his arms behind his head.

“If you want me to.” she said, opening the door.

“I want you to.” he said, closing his eyes. “Turn off the light if you would be so kind.”
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Just a filler chapter...it will get better, I promise! Comments welcomed!!!!