Taste (18+)

Chapter 23

Buckley's POV
"I'm not asking you to go clear your head. I'm telling you. Go take a goddamn walk."

"Okay. Fine. I'll go take a goddamn walk."

She tapped my cheek.

"Good boy."

"I'm taking my phone."

"Buckley...I was expecting you to. Don't come back until you feel better."

"Ugh. Okay. I'm going. Call me if you need me."

"I will. You're wasting time. Get off your ass and walk out the door."

I stood up and left the room. I closed the door and took a deep breath.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Nyx just wants me to go clear my head."

"That sounds like a good idea. You've been in that room since you got here."

I walked away and started wandering around. I walked over a window. I ended up outside. I walked over to a bench. I sat down and took a deep breath. I leaned back I tilted my head back and started looking at the sky.

"Rough day?"

"Hm?"

I picked my head up and saw an older man. He had an ID badge and he was wearing scrubs.

"My day wasn't rough. It was pretty good."

The man walked up to me.

"Mind if I sit?"

I moved over a bit.

"What're you doing out here at 2 in the morning?"

"Needed to clear my head. I've been in a hospital room since I got here."

"What's the reason?"

"Just became a dad."

"You look pretty young for that. How old are you?"

"16. I'm almost 17 though. She's 16 too. What about you? What's your reason for being out here at 2 am?"

"Taking a well needed break."

"How long has your shift been?"

"Going on 78 hours straight now."

"Damn. Have you even eaten?"

"Only food from the cafeteria."

"Fuck. I hope you get to go home soon."

"You and me both."

"Do you have a family?"

"Not anymore. My wife and kids passed because of a house fire."

"Oh fuck. I'm so sorry. That sounds awful."

He shrugged.

"It's a part of life. We all die eventually. One thing me and my family never did was go to bed angry. That's some of the best advice that I give people."

His pager beeped. He picked it up then stood up.

"It was nice talking to you kid. I didn't catch your name."

"Buckley."

I looked at his ID badge.

"It was nice talking to you Dr. Connors. I hope you're able to go home soon."

"Thank you. And congratulations to you. Cherish your moments. You never know when it might be the last one. One last thing. Your best is always enough. Even on days where it seems like it's not."

"Thank you sir. I think that's something, I really needed to hear."

"Take care of yourself Buckley."

"You take care too."

I watched him walk away. I took my phone out of my pocket and looked at the time.

5 more minutes.