Chapter Text
“Rise and shine, beauty!” Nurse Darcy quips as she forcefully opens the curtains in Nick’s hospital room with an unnaturally eager voice at 6:15 in the morning, and nearly blinds Nick for life. Jesus, that was why Nick very much hated summer, simply because the sun rose so damn early. Okay, he didn’t hate summer, exactly, not everything was bad about it, but he was in pain and tired and felt queasy from his stupid meds.
And Nurse Darcy was annoying. Actually, what was Darcy doing here?!
“Wh’ are you doin’ here, thought it was your-“ Nick had to stop here and yawn. Extra loud, just to piss Darcy off. “-Your day off.” Nick finished and pulled the thin, stiff, sterile-smelling blanket, that the hospital provided, over his eyes. Urgh, Nick couldn’t wait to be discharged and sleep in his own bed again. At least there it was dark until he himself decided to open the blinds. Actually, now that Nick pulled the blanket over his eyes, it was dark again, so he might as well…
“Don’t you even think about it, Strawberry!” Nurse Darcy snorted from somewhere across the room, and a second later the blanket was removed again and Nick groaned, squeezing his tired eyes shut and batted a hand in Darcy’s general direction.
“Fuck off, Darcy! This is way too early, even for you. And don’t call me that,” Nick whined and then opened his eyes when he felt the mattress shift where Darcy sat down and pulled out her phone. Fucks sake, this girl wasn’t professional at all sometimes. Okay, but that was also the reason why she was Nick’s favourite nurse.
“I know it’s early, but I have to get my shit done. Since, you know, I shouldn’t even be here,” Nurse Darcy said and sighed dramatically while readjusting the messy knot of blonde hair on top of her head with her free hand. About half a minute later, she powered her phone off again and stuffed it into her scrubs pocket, and leaned back on her hands that were tangled between Nick’s knees. Nick groaned again.
“Isaac called in sick late last night, stomach bug or whatever, and can’t make it. And since I’m their ‘last hope’ to cover his shift today, apparently, I started extra early so I’ll be at least done on time for my dentist appointment,” Darcy continued, totally ignoring Nick. Then she popped the bubble gum she was chewing and grinned down at her patient.
“You should be nice to me, I always sneak you extra ice cream after lunch and let you watch TV till late at night.”
Nick scoffed and tried to kick her with his good leg. “I’m 18, I can watch the TV for as long as I want. What are you, my mum?”
Darcy raised a suspicious eyebrow and leaned over to grab the clipboard from the foot of Nick’s hospital bed. She flipped through a few sheets and then sneered, practically shoving the clipboard at Nick’s face.
“You’re 17, you liar! September 4th, it says here! Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be here, y’know, at the kiddie floor. The kiddie floor, where the TV is supposed to be turned off by 22:00, mind you.”
Nick flipped her off and pushed the clipboard back at her. “Fuck you, it’s the middle of August now so I’m practically 18.”
Darcy grinned so wide that her bubble gum tends to fall out of her mouth, and Nick couldn’t help but grin back. Nurse Darcy was pretty awesome, especially for smuggling ice cream. But she was also annoying when she woke him up early. He emphasized with her, however. This was her 7th day in a row, she had to be as tired and worn out like him.
After a moment, Darcy sighed good-naturedly, and then her professional side was back. She sat up straight on his bed and started scribbling something on his chart. Without looking up, she said, “Elle comes ‘round at 10:15 today, she has two other patients before your appointment. She said you’re improving but still have some way to go so we scheduled two sessions each day and not just the regular one you’re getting now.”
Nick chewed his bottom lip and sighed himself, though not as happy as Darcy. “I don’t feel like it’s improving. Not yet, anyway. Elle is great but I feel like I’ve barely made progress since we started the physio.”
“Honey you started the physio a week ago, what did you expect, things to go back to normal right away? After all the shit you went through the past couple of months? Those things take time, and you are making progress. Elle said so herself. She’s the best on the field for miles, she knows what she’s doing,” Darcy says gently and gets up. Then she puts the clipboard back where it was earlier, smoothes down her white uniform and takes hold of the stethoscope that hangs loosely around her neck.
“Let’s get your vitals before Dr. Ajayi bursts in here with his herd of interns for the morning visit.”
Nick sighed again and slowly but carefully sat up on the bed, making sure not to move his broken leg too much. He sat perfectly still while Darcy checked his blood pressure and temperature. When she laid her cold but gentle fingertips against his pulse point and started counting with her little watch, he thought back to 3 months ago when they’d first met.
At first, Nick thought it was just a regular broken bone. An unfortunate accident during rugby practise at school. And really, that’s all it was at first. Sure, the bone in his ankle broke at an inconvenient angle and he had to have surgery to fix it, but after that he improved rather quickly. He was out of his cast and ready to ditch the crutches when his stitches developed an abscess and the real drama began.
He got a high fever and his ankle started to feel hot and itchy, not to mention the pain that was way worse than when he fell and broke his ankle. It was hard to breathe his bone and skin hurt that much. His mum rushed him to the ER at 2:30 that night and he had to have another surgery. When he woke up from the anaesthesia around 5 in the morning, it was to his mum’s soft cries beside his bed. She was holding his hand and kissing his face, telling him in a frightened tone that he started suffering blood poisoning and how lucky he had been.
He recovered from this surgery as well, but definitely not as quickly. He felt okay overall though, after a blood transfusion and countless meds, if it wasn’t for his right leg. The scar was so much bigger now than it was at first, mainly because they couldn’t sew it shut immediately and had to leave it open for the bacteria to get out. He had two drainages dangling from his ankle at first, but was down to one after a week in the ICU. The second drainage was removed only 5 days ago during his third, and hopefully last, surgery, where they also decided that it was finally safe enough to stitch the wound up for good.
He had to, however, get daily lab checks and his vitals taken every few hours to make sure everything was fine. So far, Nick was hopeful. He was in the hospital for a total of 3 weeks now (not even counting the week after he first broke his ankle), and out of the ICU for 2 weeks. He counted that as a win. But the worry was always there; after all, no one would have guessed that he would be back at all after his accident at the end of May. He was home for a month already when things started to get bad again.
Elle promised him he could play again, but it would take time and lots and lots of patients, since his bone took serious damage from the abscess. But he was healing, and that was all that mattered. He’d just been promoted to be captain of their team, and he’d be damned not to fight for his dream of becoming a professional rugby player and getting a scholarship for college.
“Pulse and temperature are fine, no fever. That’s good. Your blood pressure is still a bit low, but I’ll get you your breakfast early, okay? It’s a mean side effect to that antibiotic you’re on now, we should keep an eye on that,” Darcy says and scribbles something, probably his vitals, on his chart. Then, standing right in front of him, she runs a hand through Nick's tousled hair, her smile a little sad, but always soft and friendly.
Nick smiles back at her, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Then he sighs and rolls his shoulders. He might as well get up, then. “Hand me those? I think I need to pee,” Nick asks and nods his head towards his crutches by the bedside table.
The grin that grows on her face is almost blinding and she winks, reaching next to her. “Anything for you, Strawberry.”
Nick throws her an evil glare. “One of these days Darcy, I’ll murder you when you’re not looking. Just you wait.”
“Good thing we’re already in a hospital, then,” Nurse Darcy chuckles happily and reaches under Nick’s left armpit to help him get up in a standing position on one leg.
“The hospital won’t help you; I’ll make sure of that,” Nick replies and has to close his eyes briefly when he gets a headrush from getting up too quickly. Darcy, of course, notices, but thankfully doesn’t comment on it. Instead, she patiently waits for Nick to feel better and steadies his side. When Nick thinks the dizziness has mostly passed, he opens his eyes again and throws a confused glance down at her.
Now that Nick’s standing, he’s taller than her. “How did you come up with this name, anyway?!”
Darcy laughs again and pops her bubble gum once more. “Have you seen your hair? You’re red everywhere. And I mean everywhere!” She smirks then and wriggles her eyebrows in a way that is probably meant to be alluring but looks just ridiculous.
The words get to him though, and he blushes scarlet from head to toe. He kicks one of his crutches against her shin and shoots her an evil, yet playful, glare. “Fuck off, Big Foot! I always request a male nurse to help me shower, it’s not my fault you always seem to volunteer to see me naked,” he kicks her again when she only giggles, nearly stumbling over Nick’s IV stand that she drags behind them to the loo. “Urgh, shut up! It’s also not my fault my body hair is the same colour as the ones on my head. Shouldn’t you be like, professional? Checking out your patients is so out of line.”
“Fiiine, calm down, Nicholas. I would never check you out. You know I only dig the females,” Darcy says with another wink and opens the bathroom door when they reach it, making sure Nick’s IV tube isn’t getting tangled up.
Nick snorts and hops into the bathroom, the pain in his ankle now starting to manifest again after his first full night off of painkillers. “Don’t I know it; I’ve lost count of the times you tried hitting on Tara.”
“Speaking of, is she coming to see you today?” Nurse Darcy wants to know and leans against the sink with crossed arms when Nick starts fumbling with the strings on his pyjama pants, his back turned to her. It’s so annoying that the veins in the crook of his arms aren’t suitable for IV needles anymore and has to use the top of his hand instead. Not only is that way more uncomfortable, it’s also irritating because he can’t use it really well, and simple things, like eating, brushing teeth, or opening the strings of your PJ is complicated. Not that Darcy would help. Because now that Tara’s name came up, her mind is elsewhere, it’s always like that. And Nick would find it sweet, if he didn’t have to pee so badly.
Still fumbling with his pants, Nick replies, “No, I don’t think so, she’s got to practise for her summer concert thing. She said she’d be around this weekend, though. Fuck, could you help me with those, please?” Nick grunts and loses patients when both his foot and hand and his bladder start to hurt.
Darcy makes a disappointed noise, probably because Tara won’t be here today, but then she recovers and steps closer, bats Nick’s hands away, and opens the strings. Then she also pushes Nick’s pyjama pants and boxer shorts down in one go and grins widely when Nick shrieks.
“Jesus Darcy, it’s morning, give a guy some privacy!”
Darcy only rolls her eyes in a playful manner and leans back against the sink. “Whatever, it’s not like I’ve never seen you, and I’ve seen worse, trust me. This was just me being professional, as you suggested earlier.”
“Professional, my ass. But thanks,” Nick says and relieves himself when he’s sure that Nurse Darcy is looking to the ground to give him at least some privacy. “Thank God I’m not bothered anymore to have an audience while peeing. Though I also think it helps that you dig my best friend.”
“What can I say, you befriended the nurse lesbian,” Darcy chuckles and then helps Nick change out of his sleep clothes and into fresh ones. Brushing his teeth is hard, but he manages to do it without her help and thanks God or whatever that he's still free to use his right hand. When they’re back in the main room, Nick flops down on the bed again and holds very still while Darcy changes his IV band-aid, since it got wet and soggy from his cat’s lick.
It stings when she rips off the dressing and he groans. He’s probably being a bit dramatic, but whatever, it’s early, he feels dizzy and he’s in need of his morning meds that contain some painkillers for his throbbing ankle.
Darcy just snorts and works with practised fingers. It’s moments like this when her true professional side shows. She’s a great nurse, has lots of knowledge and a gigantic heart for her young 25 years. She once told Nick that she got her exam when she was 21 and graduated at the top of her class. And it shows when it’s important. In the meantime, though, she’s the biggest, loudest and cheekiest dork he’s ever met and won't hold back to embarrass you in each and any situation if she feels like it.
“There,” Darcy says and pats his thigh when she’s done wrapping his hand up again. “All done, you want a sucker for being such a brave young boy? I’ve got all different kinds of colours- “she giggles and starts rummaging through her pockets and actually pulls a handful of lollies out.
Nick punches her on the arm with his good hand and then shakes his head, now laughing too because of Darcy’s gigantic, stupid grin. “Shouldn’t you teach the kids here a healthy lifestyle?! So much for being professional,” Nick says and snags two red suckers from her hand.
“Hey, I am a professional. These are mostly for me, anyway. I forgot my lunch this morning,” Nurse Darcy says and gets up from her small, white rolling chair, patting Nick’s hair on the way up. “Okay, gotta go now, I’ve got like, 9 other kids to go to. Ring the bell if you need me.”
Nick rolls his eyes, but smiles fondly at her. “I’m ignoring the kid comment, but only because you gave me candy. And thanks, as always. I’m glad you’re here.”
Nurse Darcy puts her head to the side and takes hold of the stethoscope around her neck with both hands. “Don’t thank me for that, I’m glad I can help. Now try to get some more sleep before the doctors arrive, I’ll prep your meds and breakfast as soon as I can shake my tail.”
Nick sighs and leans back against his pillow. “Oh, now she lets me sleep.”
Being the brat she can be, Darcy kisses the air and winks at him. “Jep. Oh, I totally forgot to say, you’re getting a new roommate this morning. He arrived at the ER about half an hour ago with the ambulance but has to get some tests done before he’ll be transferred to our floor.”
The second Darcy says that, Nick slumps his shoulders and moans. “Whyyyy…”
Darcy chuckles from her place by the door, the handle already in her hand but not opening yet. “Come on, you’ve had this room all to yourself for almost four days, that’s like, heaven if you ask me. But don’t worry, the guy is around your age, not like last time.”
Last time, oh does Nick ever remember ‘last time’. Or, the last 5 times, to be exact. He was always ‘lucky’ enough to share his room with either toddlers, annoying 6-year-olds, and even a baby once. And he really shouldn’t complain, it’s not the kids’ fault they’re here, but more than once did the kids climb on his bed, ripped his Nintendo out of his hands to play with it, or were asked if he’d like to colour with them. Not to mention the billion times he was forced to watch the kiddie program on TV, since there’s only one television per room.
Maybe it’s different this time, however. He was never assigned a boy his age to share the room with. Nick guessed he was kind of old for the kids’ floor, but he wasn’t able to move to the adult floor until he was 18. Stupid hospital rules.
“Is he at least nice?” Nick asks and whines some more.
Darcy, who pushes the handle down and opens the door a tad, sends him a ‘Duh’ expression and says, “How the fu-…fudge, am I supposed to know?!”
That sends Nick over the roof, because now that Darcy is exposed to her supervisors again, she has to tame herself and her filthy mouth. It’s hilarious.
Darcy notices Nick’s laughter and leans her head out the door for a brief second, probably to check if someone’s there, and then sticks up her middle finger in his direction. “See you later, Strawberry! See if I get you your ice cream today.”
Unbothered by her words, Nick sticks his tongue out and says, “Yeah, see you later with my ice cream, Big Foot!” Nurse Darcy grins and shakes her head before slipping out and closing the door.
Nick rolls his eyes, still amused, and pulls the blanket up to his chin again, deciding to snooze until Dr. Ajayi comes around.
Just before Nick dozes off once more, he thinks back to what Darcy said earlier and tries to imagine what his new roommate is here for. Maybe he broke his wrist or something similar to Nick, at least this way they’d maybe have something to talk about. Though why would he get into an accident at like, 5 in the morning? Seemed a bit strange. On the other hand, though, Nick sort of hoped he was quiet and didn’t demand lots of small talk. And if they had to talk about anything other than their reasons for being hospitalized, then maybe they could at least talk about girls. Nick needed someone to talk to about his ex-girlfriend and that particularly embarrassing encounter, and his mum or his mates were out of question for that sort of conversation.
Maybe a stranger would be perfect, because it wasn’t like they’d ever had to see each other again after they were being discharged, right?