Page 15 of Don't Look Down

We’ve never even met in person.

Yeah, for sure. That’s really fucking weird.

Shrugging my shoulders, I continue into room 425, my focus centering solely on my patient and her medical care. She’s my only other patient. Depending on admissions, it’s not uncommon for me to have one or two at a time, but no more. In this unit, we have a ratio of one nurse for every two patients max.

Ms. Carter is currently in a medically induced coma to allow her brain to heal after an opioid overdose. She’d been brought in by EMS a few days ago with hypoxic brain injury. Per protocol, the crew administered Narcan at the scene, but based on brain scans, her prognosis is poor.

Sadly, it’s not uncommon for me to treat overdose patients in this region of Florida. Drugs run rampant down here, and it’s getting worse every day. She’s only twenty-one, but she looks a decade older. Malnourished. Heartbreakingly frail. She’s four years younger than I am and that’s a mind-fuck. Focusing back on the task at hand, I review and document her vitals, and double check her medication bags. At the moment, she’s stable and only needs a fresh saline bag.

When I finish up in her room, I head to the nurse’s station to grab a granola bar from my stash and drink some water. There’s a cache of snacks I keep there for easy access. Meals aren’t always possible, so I snack when I can.

Chocolate and peanut butter explode on my tongue when I bite into the bar. Mmm. Just what I need right now. As I chew, my mind wanders back to Landon.

It’s funny, but Landon and I became friends accidentally. Maybe I kind of claimed it. Spoke it into existence or something. Manifested a new bestie while I was talking to my current bestie, Addy.

Some months ago, I was lamenting that I didn’t really have any gamer friends who enjoy COD as much as I do.

Cayden used to play whenever he could, but now that he’s engaged to Andrew, those times are few and far between. I’m happy for him, but at the time was feeling sad for me.

Addy used to take pity and indulged me sometimes by hopping on a match here and there, but she really wasn’t interested. I love her for trying, but it doesn’t beat vibing with someone who gets it. She’d watch me play for hours while we talked, but couldn’t care less about actually playing.

I’m filled with an adrenaline rush from it all. The high of sniping your enemy with a headshot. An impeccable kill/death ratio. Successfully evading the enemy.

The irony isn’t lost on me. A healer who loves to kill people in his spare time. In a video game, but still. It’s fun. I don’t make the rules.

Addy also can’t stand hockey. Insert eye roll here. Like, how can I even be friends with someone who doesn’t like hockey? Aside from the eye candy, she equates watching hockey with watching paint dry. Excuse me. It does not compute.

It should be immediate grounds for unfriending. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars. Girl, bye.

Too bad I love her. I giggle a little to myself. I do that sometimes. If you see me laughing to myself, mind your business. It’s fun here in my head.

Even though Addy doesn’t like hockey, she does tag along to a few games a year. She enjoys ogling the players with me, drinking, chatting and scrolling on her phone.

It’s appreciated that she humors me, but attending a game with another fan? It’s unmatched. It gives me that same rush.

I’m an adrenaline whore. It’s my drug of choice.

I love it all. The icy cold arena. The smell of the ice. The sound the stick makes when it connects with the puck. Hard bodies slamming into the boards.

Mmm, all those hard bodies.

I hum to myself again, a lascivious smirk curls my lips. Leaning back in the chair, I take another bite of the granola bar. Eyes closed, my mind wanders.

Hockey butts. We can’t forget those. Sweet, sweet hockey butts.

Yum.

Those asses are one of the best parts. All that squatting and skating surely makes for some delectable derrieres.

Sign. Me. Up.

I could watch butts, ahem,hockeyall day. Cayden loves hockey too, but his interest in hockey and hockey butts has waned since he can ogle Andrew’s ass whenever he wants.

Sigh. I’m not salty, I swear. I make another mental note. It’s been too long since I’ve spoken to Cayden. A call or text to check in with him is a must. Maybe arrange lunch. I miss my friend.

Anywho, Addy and I had that conversation, and then boom.

Landon dropped into my life like fate. Could we, therefore, be considered fated friends? Is that even a thing? I like to think so. At least the fate of the random COD team draw. A random chat turned into an online friendship and regular chats.