Eternally Yours

The situation of the room was like a tornado had gone through it. Clothes, books, and everything was everywhere as Hana searched frantically.

“Mira, have you seen my hospital ID?” she yelled from a distance, her voice filled with panic.

Mira peeped through the open door, her eyes widening in awe at the state of the room. “ID? No. Isn’t it always in your bag?”

Hana’s voice was starting to quiver as she held back tears while flipping through her textbooks. “It’s not here, Mira. Please help me search for it.”

“Hana, I’m searching,” Mira replied, her voice soothing. “Where was the last place you left it?”

Mira got on her knees and started searching under the bed and bedside table for any sign of the card.

“It was in my bag last night after I used it to clock out of my shift. I’m sure I put it there,” Hana said, her voice filled with confusion.

Hana dropped her now-empty bag on the bed and held her hair in frustration. “I can’t believe I lost it. That is such a stupid thing. I lost it. Why am I like this? I might never get it back. I don’t even know if they make seconds.”

“Hana! You are panicking,” Mira said, her voice firm. “I need you to calm down for me, okay? Can you do that for me?”

Hana nodded her head silently, her breathing slowing.

“I’m sure you didn’t intentionally lose it,” Mira continued. “It might have dropped somewhere. Someone will find it and bring it to the hospital. And... and if not, you can get a new one. Hana, it’s not your fault, okay?”

Hana nodded again, a small flicker of hope returning to her eyes.

“Good. Now Hana, not to sound heartless or anything, but you have roughly...” Mira quickly checked the clock, “...10 minutes to catch your bus.”

Hana’s head whipped towards the clock, her eyes widening in alarm. She rushed to put her stuff back into her tossed-aside bag, her movements frantic. “I’m late! Mira, I have to go. Have a great day. Bye!”

Mira shook her head at the sudden change of emotions that Hana displayed. She had learned over the years how to divert Hana’s emotions, and she was proud to say that she had been quite successful all the time, most of the time.

As Hana rushed out the door, Mira couldn’t help but worry. She knew how much Hana valued her job and how losing her ID would affect her. Mira made a mental note to thoroughly search the apartment later, just in case.

Meanwhile, Hana barely made it to the bus stop, her mind racing with thoughts of her lost ID and the potential consequences. As she settled into her seat, she tried to calm herself, taking deep breaths as Mira had taught her.

As Hana got to the nurses’ changing room, Audra and Clara were already there, chatting casually.

“Good morning,” they both said in unison.

“Morning,” Hana replied, putting her things together into her locker.

Audra pointed out, gesturing to Hana’s scrub’s neckline, “Where is your ID?”

Hana paused, her heart sinking. “I... I... misplaced it, last night,” she admitted, her voice barely a whisper.

“You have to see HR concerning it. You know to get a new one,” Audra suggested genuinely.

Clara scoffed under her breath. “Not surprised.”

Audra glared at Clara. “Clara!”

Clara ignored her, her gaze fixed on Hana. “Well, I wasn’t lying”

Hana stood frozen, Clara’s words stinging more than she cared to admit. She tried to push down the familiar feeling of inadequacy that threatened to overwhelm her.

Audra approached Hana, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t mind her. These things happen to everyone.

“I should go get ready for rounds now.” She turned and left the changing room, her footsteps echoing down the hallway.

Just then, her phone buzzed with a message. It was from an unknown number:

“Nurse Shizumi, this is Dr. Jenkins. I found your hospital ID in my car this morning. It must have fallen out of your bag last night.”

Hana’s heart skipped a beat, relief washing over her. But as the initial wave of calm subsided, a new anxiety took its place.

As the overhead announcement went off, Hana’s mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Relief at finding her ID, nervousness about seeing Dr. Jenkins, and a small, persistent flutter in her chest that she couldn’t quite name.

She typed out a quick reply: “Thank you, Dr. Jenkins. I appreciate your help.”

Then, almost as an afterthought, she added: “I’m glad it was you who found it.”

Her finger hovered over the send button for a moment before she quickly deleted the second message. Too personal, too revealing. She sent only the first line, then closed her phone, keeping it away.

************************************

Dr. Rowan strutted to the nurse’s station with cups of coffee in cardboard cup holders. Following him with their cups were Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Lia.

“Hello! Hello! My front-line warrior princesses...” Nurse Tee appeared from behind the desk, her voice filled with enthusiasm. “...and prince. I come bearing coffee!”

Cheers from the nurses echoed across the ER, each of them taking a cup for themselves.

“Do I or do I not deserve the Doctor of the Year award?” Dr. Rowan stated rather proudly, his chest puffed out.

Nurse Tee chuckled. “Oh, you do, Dr. Rowan. You do. By bribing.”

“I mean if the bribes are in the form of coffee, I do not mind,” Audra said while picking a cup for herself.

“You see, I told you it would work,” Rowan turned to Lia who was busy with her cup of coffee.

Rowan noticed a lone someone at the supply shelf. “Shizumi, come get a cup of coffee, and hey, vote for me. I’m running for president of the ER department. Jenkins, watch your back.”

Ren rolled his eyes, ignoring Rowan’s playful banter.

“Just ignore him, Hana. Come get some coffee...” Lia scanned the table for a spare cup for Hana and noticed that she and Ren had one cup each left. An idea struck her. “Ren, you have an extra one. Give it to Shizumi.”

Hana hesitated, her gaze meeting Ren’s.

“But Lia, you still have...”

Lia elbowed him in the side to get him to shut up, giving him eye signals to read the room and understand her plan.

“Oh yeah, you still have... the cup for me to drink,” Dr. Rowan’s words jumbled as he tried to save the conversation.

He gave her a “nailed it” wink. Lia rolled her eyes with a sigh.

Ren took the cup box and went over to Hana’s side of the room, his free hand stuffed in his pocket.

“Don’t lose it... again,” Ren cleared his throat, sliding the box over to Hana from across the table.

A mocking laugh covered with a cough could be heard from the section of nurses.

Hana looked from the cup to Dr. Ren, who was looking away from her. Unseen to others, in one of the empty cup holders was her ID card. Her cheeks went pink, her hands going up to fiddle with her necklace.

“Jenkins, you should try to be nicer to Shizumi here,” Lia said, her voice firm. “I’m not saying you should be like me, I’m too perfect. But you know, be nicer, you have the poor girl embarrassed.”

“What am I missing?” Lia questioned inquisitively.

Julie answered, “Nurse Shizumi misplaced her ID card.”

With a concerned look, Lia asked, “Oh! Hana, have you met HR concerning that?”

Hana was still dazed as she stuttered, “Hm? HR... Oh! It’s fine. I don’t need to...” she said the last part under her breath. “Anymore.” She touched her cheeks with the back of one hand while pulling the cup to herself.

Ren cleared his throat, “We should start going for our rounds now.”

“But...”

“Let’s go, Rowan,” Lia pulled Rowan by his elbow, seeing as Ren had already walked ahead.

As she took a sip of her coffee, she felt a warmth spread through her, a comforting sensation that chased away the lingering chill of the morning.

The bustling room slowly emptied as the staff dispersed for their rounds, leaving Hana alone with her thoughts and the cup that held more than just coffee. She carefully extracted her ID from the cup holder, her fingers brushing against the smooth plastic. Dr. Jenkins’ gesture, while outwardly brusque, held a gentleness that touched her deeply.

As she clipped the ID to her scrubs, Hana couldn’t help but replay the scene in her mind. Dr. Jenkins’ averted gaze, his gruff words masking a kind act... It was all so overwhelming.

She took another sip of coffee, savoring the warmth and the faint hint of vanilla. Was it a coincidence that hers was different from the other? She was sure that everyone else’s own was either black or decaf.

Suddenly, Julie’s voice broke through her reverie. “Hana? Ward 204 needs their IV changed.”

Hana nodded, quickly gathering her composure. “Right, of course.”

As they walked towards the room, Julie gave Hana a sidelong glance. “You know, for someone who just got told off by Dr. Jenkins, you look awfully... content.”

Hana felt her cheeks warm again. “It’s... it’s just the coffee,” she mumbled, avoiding Julie’s gaze.

Julie raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.

***********************************************

Ren backed into the parking lot of his apartment complex, the familiar surroundings offering a sense of comfort. As he leaned into the back seat to get his bags and coat, he saw a card on the passenger’s seat.

He picked up the card and turned to see what details were on it. His eyes widened as he saw Hana’s face and name written boldly on the card: “Shizumi Lumi Hana”

Lumi... The name lingered on his lips as he said it over and over. There was a form of familiarity, a spark of recognition that ignited within him. But he shook it out of his head, dismissing it as a fleeting thought.

He laid the card on his dining table and headed to the shower. The name and face stuck in his head, replaying like a broken record. A smile made its way to his face as his mind went back to catch a glimpse of her carefree self, restraining her hyper-best friend. Only if she could let that guard down with him... but all he got was distance.

Shutting off the shower and getting into his night clothes, a small towel rested on his damp hair as he fiddled with his phone. His fingers hovered around the number on his screen.

He felt a bit guilty for taking her number without her permission after the night at Gracie's, but he didn’t regret it. He didn’t know how she would react if he asked her outrightly, she was far too drunk to even remember her whereabouts that night she cried into his shirt.

After a long debate with himself, Ren tossed his phone to the side and fell backward into his bed in defeat.

“I can’t do this tonight,” he muttered to himself. “I’ll just give it to her tomorrow.”

For some reason, that conclusion made a bit of sense in his head, or not.

************************************

As Ren sat in front of his hospital desk, he found himself back in a familiar position, as he was the previous night. His phone was in his hand, Hana’s contact was on his screen, but this time he had progressed to constructing a somewhat coherent message to send.

“Nurse Shizumi, this is Dr. Jenkins. I found your hospital ID in my car this morning. It must have fallen out of your bag last night.”

However, he debated with himself whether to send it or not. His fingers hovered over the send button, his mind racing with thoughts of how she might react.

Just then, the door of his office burst open, startling him as he accidentally pressed the send button.

“Rowan, can’t you come in like a civil human being?” Ren snapped, his voice laced with annoyance.

“Well, too bad,” Rowan replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m going to get coffee, wanna join?”

“No. Now leave me be,” Ren said, his tone firm.

“That’s a bummer,” Rowan said, undeterred. “I wanted to get coffee for the nurses too. Oh well, enjoy your brooding morning.”

Something clicked in Ren’s head. Promptly, he was out of his seat, taking off his coat.

“Wait, I need a cup too,” Ren said, his voice filled with newfound enthusiasm. “I’ll come with you.”

Rowan was confused for a moment but brushed it aside quickly. “Oh... kay. Let’s stop by Lia’s before we head out. I need all the hands I can borrow.”

Ren nodded, a small smile playing on his lips.