Chapter 8: “Nurse Josephine”

Suggested soundtrack for this chapter —> https://youtu.be/OqiHVct5MYE?si=DcvWvPYsNLjiAXzw ⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️ - “Well, I've… been a nurse for 6 years. Graduated from nursing school at Waifu University and started working ever since. My husband was a doctor here too, so I was used to spending most of my days here any way. After my husband died I would go home after work to an empty house, so I started taking extra shifts just to keep myself busy. Working kept my mind occupied and helping others gave me a purpose to get out of bed. Then something interesting happened… I realized how much faster patients healed when someone paid close attention to them. You see, sometimes people just need to know there is someone that cares for them. Sometimes they need to express love rather than receive it. Sometimes all they need is to talk, nothing more so I’m here for them. The wounds of the body usually start in the heart. There is no reason for me to be home any more, so I’m here all the time” - “If you don’t mind my asking… What happened to your husband? How… ?” - “He died during ‘The night of the 8’ He was on duty that night.” Detective Pearl was not expecting that answer. - “Oh! The Night of The Eight…” - "It was my day off but I got an emergency call from my husband. He didn’t have time to explain he just said: Hurry, we need extra hands! By the time I got here it was too late, the break-in had already happened” - ⁠”Yes, August 8th. We lost a lot of people that night…” Pearl answers. “I was on duty that night too. You see...I was the one who caught their leader" - ⁠”It was you?? You are the one who caught Octavian?!" FLASHBACK: A much younger officer Pearl holds up her gun against the enemy. - “Octavian, don’t make me do it!! Please, stop!” PRESENT TIME: - "Yes. I... caught… Octavian. That's how I got promoted to Detective 1st class" Pearl gets sidetracked by the memories, but immediately catches herself up and pulls herself back on track. - “Yes, I got that bastard. But I’m not here to talk about old ghosts. I’m here to talk about the patient you received last night” Her attitude and voice stiffs up. Almost as if forcing herself up to be serious and rude. - “Oh, yes, right… uhh, well, about 11:30 last night an ambulance brought in the subject. He was completely naked. No id, no wallet or anything to identify him but his long black hair and his tattoos.” - “Tattoos?” - “He had red flowers tattooed from his lower back all the way up his left shoulder and chest. Most of his body was scratched” - “Probably a large feline, said the report” - “At first we thought that , the size and depth of the marks could match that description but not the patterns. Large felines attack face and neck. It was his body that was injured, not the face and the scratches were in a random pattern. I think he was trying to get away and was running while being attacked. He was delusional and talking in his sleep. He mumbled things like: The lady from First Post, watch out - Lady from First Post - dangerous” - “Lady from first post?” Repeats Pearl. - “At least that’s what I understood. I could have heard wrong. Does it mean anything to you? Do you know what he’s talking about?” - “Lady from ‘FIRST POST’ dangerous… yes, I have an idea. Red Flower tattoos, long black hair. That would be Johnny Astor, he’s the kind of guy who likes to be in the wrong place at the wrong time” - “That’s all I could say, really. Because I was attending his wounds when he got up frantically and just ran away. He seemed really scared” Detective Pearl has all she needs. - “You have been really helpful Nurse Finnegan, thank you for your time” - “Please, call me Josephine” She smiles at Pearl. - “Josephine, thank you for your time” Pearl smiles back. Detective Pearl leaves the hospital. As she melts back into the city crowd the ghosts of the past creep back in. Images of ‘THAT’ night come back to her. FLASHBACKS: * “Octavian, don’t make me do it!! Please, stop!” She begs. “GET DOWN HERE, PLEASE!!” Tears roll down her face. * “Octavian, my love, if ANYTHING of what we had was real, I beg you to stop…” * “I’m sorry Pearly-boo” He says. * “Don’t … please …. Don’t make me do this…“ Raises the gun at him. “Turn yourself in, please!!! We can work something out TOGETHER! PLEASE!!!” She begs with all her heart. - “I’m sorry baby… it was never supposed to end this way…” - “NO OCTAVIAN!! NOOOOO!!!“ BANG!!!! The sound of ’THAT’ gun shot resonates inside Pearl still to this day. ⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️