Chapter 2
Un-Settled In
It was yet another cool and misty morning out as I walked toward the Hospital. While I didn’t mind the cold autumn mornings for now, I knew I’d have to start bundling up more fairly soon. Still, as I walked through the Hospital doors, I was greeted by the warmer conditioned air.
After unwrapping my scarf I was politely greeted by the mare behind the counter who had no doubt seen me enter, “Good morning Scarlet.”
Her tone was much friendlier than it had been the day before, yet I shrugged it off and greeted her in return, “Likewise!” I said.
I felt a bit embarrassed that I did not yet know her name. I had been so preoccupied with my first day yesterday that I’d completely neglected to look at her name tag. Today, however, I would do just that.
“How was your first day yesterday?” The Mare asked as I approached.
After getting closer I snuck a brief glance towards the name tag on her chest. It read; Nadine Note. In an attempt to avoid being awkward I answered her question, “It was nice! I even assisted in my first surgery.”
Nadine looked impressed as she raised a brow, “Are you serious? How did it go?”
I was surprised to see the Mare so interested in my story, but regardless I replied, “It went great! We saved the patient from an aneurysm. He should make a full recovery.”
“That’s awesome! Who else did you get to work with?” She asked in response.
Her enthusiasm with my story continued to amaze me, “It was myself, Remedy, Sporin and Doctor Acardio.”
At this the Mare raised her brow again and was silent for a moment before looking both ways and addressing me again with a hushed tone, “What did you think of him? Doctor Acardio I mean.”
I couldn’t help but glance at her suspiciously, “Think of him?” I asked to clarify.
“I mean what was he like. I’ve heard a lot of rumors and just wanted to hear it from you.” She replied still in a quiet tone.
This comment made me think for a moment as I recalled my experience with the Batpony the day prior. I pondered whether I should tell the mare about the many strange things I’d noticed about him, but I know that gossip is hardly appropriate especially at work. “I’m not sure. He seems very professional and skilled. And he’s already helped me to settle into the job a lot. I’m glad to have him as my boss.”
Nadine shrugged, “Okay, well either way I’m glad you’re settling in okay! I’ll avoid taking up any more of your time.”
At this I nodded, “Thanks Nadine, have a nice day!”
The Mare smiled and nodded in return. With this I went on my way to Department C.
After pushing the doors to my department open, I walked towards the break room and put my purse and scarf in my new locker. Unlike many of my other colleagues in the department, my locker was undecorated and fairly plain. I don’t have much talent for artistic expression so I know I’m likely never going to get around to doing any sort of display on it.
As I went to shut my locker I heard the door open only for my new friend Remedy to walk in. The blue coated Stallion smiled and immediately addressed me, “Good morning Scarlet!”
I couldn’t help but smile back, “Hi Rem!”
“Ready to get back to work today?” He asked as he used his own locker.
I nodded, “Yep! Although I hope we don’t have to conduct too many operations like yesterday’s.”
He chuckled, “Yeah, those kinds of cases aren’t common. Most of our cases are lacerations or skin grafts.”
I nodded in understanding. While neither of these cases were fun to deal with for the patient, they were far better off than the aneurysm we had treated the day before. Still, it was reassuring knowing that kind of condition was rare.
“Well, I’ll see you in the Foyer.” I stated as I shut my locker.
“See you!” Remedy replied.
As I waited in the hall, I couldn’t help but notice again that all the blinds for the windows were shut while the lights were turned on. It felt odd to leave them down seeing as how the weather was supposed to clear up today so I decided to take the initiative and open them. However, when I went to lift the first blind, my hooves were stopped by another.
“Do not do that.”
The action startled me as I quickly turned to face the culprit who was none other than my own boss Doctor Acardio. He looked very serious as he stared at me with his red irises.
“I-I’m sorry sir. I didn’t know we aren’t allowed to lift the blinds.” I blurted out, not knowing what else to say in the moment.
He seemed to relax after noticing my distress as he removed his cold hoof from mine. “It’s quite alright. Others have made the same mistake before. However, I would request that you leave them shut. My kind function better outside of natural light.”
This explanation made sense to me. Batponies were after all nocturnal creatures. “I understand. It won’t happen again sir.” I answered while composing myself.
My answer seemed to satisfy him as he then replied, “Thank you Scarlet Vessel.”
A brief silence ensued after his comment, however, just as I was about to ask him what I should do, I noticed his nose twitch rather weirdly. He spoke up again, “Pardon me, but did you happen happen to eat something with garlic recently?”
This question caught me completely off guard. I’d of course gone out to Manny’s with Sheryl last night, but I’d brushed my teeth very thoroughly last night and this morning. How could he have possibly known?
“Is it that obvious?” I asked in response.
The Doctor nodded with a chuckle, “I apologize. My senses are quite powerful.”
He made yet another valid point. However, it still felt odd that he’d bring it up at all. Regardless I shrugged it off and asked my question, “So how can I help today?”
“We have several scheduled operations at 10:00 and 1:30. I would appreciate your assistance for both of them.” The Batpony answered.
Without hesitation I nodded and accompanied the Doctor as we made our way to an operating room to get set up.
Much later into the day, I found myself assisting with my third surgery. It was much less stressful than yesterday’s, however, I still needed to remain focused as the work was just as delicate as ever. To my delight, Doctor Acardio had entrusted me with a few more tasks and responsibilities during this operation as we currently performed a discectomy on our patient.
Throughout most of the day the Batpony had observed me closely to make sure I was not making mistakes. However, every so often I’d catch him staring at me curiously. I could not truly explain it, nor did I know for sure, but it felt as though he was admiring me. As embarrassing and stupid as that was to conceive of…
Luckily despite these feelings I still kept my concentration up making no mistakes as I worked. As I carefully removed a harmful disc from the patient’s spine, I heard the Batpony speak, “Very good.”
I acknowledged his compliment and then allowed the Doctor some space to close the incision on the patient’s back. As the Batpony worked, however, a question formed in my mind, “Sorry to ask this sir-”
“You may call me Doctor Acardio if you wish.” He stated, cutting me off mid sentence.
His response had once again caught me off guard. It felt weird to refer to my boss’ own name after only knowing him for several days. His behavior continued to puzzle me, however, I left it be seeing as I’d yet to have asked my question.
“Okay, my question is how long have you been working here at the hospital?”
He raised a brow and briefly turned my way, “I’m not exactly sure myself. But it has been quite a long time.”
Yet another answer I didn’t expect. You’d think a highly accomplished Doctor would remember how many years he’d worked at his own job. I could only suppose he’d lost count over the many years and wasn’t concerned with it. Still, it felt odd nonetheless.
As he began stitching up the incision, Doctor Acardio spoke to me once more, “When you have worked at a place as long as I have the years begin to blend together. I focus less on how long I’ve been here and rather on what I’ve accomplished in that time.”
His words seemed wise, but I could tell there was more to it than his answer. Still, it had left me with another question I wanted to ask. “What made you want to become a surgeon?”
At this he halted his work and glanced at me as though I were ignorant, “Likely the same reason as yourself. I have a natural affinity for anatomy.”
While his compliment filled me with pride, his assessment wasn’t entirely correct. “Thank you Doctor Acardio, but I didn’t just become an assistant surgeon because of my talent. I did it to help save the lives other Ponies who need me.”
The Batpony raised a brow before shrugging his shoulders with a huff and returning to his work. A moment later I subconsciously cursed myself for making this comment. It wasn’t my place to say such a thing to somepony as prestigious as him. I supposed my pride had gotten the better of me.
At any rate, the Doctor soon finished stitching the sutures on our patient’s back. With the procedure complete, I used a huck cloth to clean the area before setting it down on the used equipment table along with the rest of the tools I’d used. It would be some time before our patient’s anesthetic shot would wear off so I figured I’d take the time to have my lunch break.
As if reading my mind, the Batpony addressed me, “You may have your break. I will take it from here.”
Without thinking too much about it I nodded and removed my mask and mitts before heading out the door.
My day had been rather uneventful ever since the two surgeries earlier. After having taken my break I’d spent some more time familiarizing myself with the equipment and the layout of the building. Before the day was over I’d volunteered to help assist my other colleague Sporin with a simple laceration surgery.
Unlike Remedy, Sporin was far less extroverted, much like myself. As such, the procedure had been fairly quiet throughout. This was hardly an issue, however, as the two of us got along just fine. In a way it was comforting knowing there were others like me at the Hospital.
Now as my shift was nearly over, I prepared to head home for the night. After packing my things I made my way through the foyer before bumping into something. As I looked up, I was shocked to see it was none other than Doctor Acardio. “S-sorry!” I exclaimed as I backed up slightly.
The Batpony did not look bothered in the slightest as he stood tall before me. “You did well today.” He spoke very simply.
Hearing his words of praise filled me with praise. I subtly turned my head to hide the blush on my cheeks, hoping my hair would conceal if from him. “Thank you sir-”
“I mean thank you Doctor Acardio! It’s my pleasure.” I corrected as I foolishly fumbled my words.
The Batpony clearly saw right through my unconvincing front and grinned with a small chuckle. It was then that I noticed his very long abnormal canine teeth. Although his expression looked genuinely friendly, I made sure not to show my discomfort as I stared at the tall Stallion’s fangs.
“In any case, I wish you a pleasant evening, Scarlet Vessel.” He stated before concealing his fangs once more.
“Thank you! Same to you sir!” I answered before passing him heading on my way.
After closing the door to my apartment, I breathed a heavy sigh before placing my purse and my scarf on the nearby coat hanger. Although today had been shorter and less stressful than my first day, it had been no less busy. However, I was thankful to once again be in the comfort of my home.
Knowing my roommate Sheryl wouldn’t be home for another hour, I decided to fix some dinner so it would be ready when she arrived. A salad seemed like as good an option as any and it tended to be my go-to meal. Without wasting any time, I got to work cooking.
Unlike many other chores, cooking never seemed to bother me as much. In many ways it felt similar to performing a surgery. But instead of making an incision with a scalpel I used a kitchen knife to slice vegetables into proper bite sized chunks.
After having finished making the salad, I covered it up to keep it fresh for when Sheryl would get home. Although I could already start eating myself, I always preferred to wait until others were at the table like my parents had taught me. Seeing as my roommate would be here soon, I decided to take a seat in the living room and reflect on my day.
I was thrilled that my colleagues were kind hearted Ponies. It felt good to feel welcomed after only 2 days on the job. Even better I was glad that I was getting a chance to truly put my skills to work helping and even saving other Ponies. It had been my dream since I got my cutie mark. Still, despite things at work going great, something still felt off.
On one hoof, Doctor Acardio seemed like he meant well, however, there were also times when he would come across as cold and downright erratic. I’d never met another Batpony before him, however, I could tell even now that he likely wasn’t normal even among his own kind. It almost felt as though he was hiding something from everypony.
Still, I could not deny that something about him interested me. He felt like an incomplete puzzle that I needed to solve in order to truly connect with him. ‘Why is he so tall? Why did his reflection not show in the mirror that day? Why is he oddly very charming and handso-’
I shook my head before snapping myself out of my daze. “Where the hay did that come from?” I asked myself as I stood up from the chair.
I couldn’t explain what had come over me in that moment. Luckily I then heard the door open, effectively breaking my weird train of thoughts.
“Hey Sheryl! How was your day?” I asked as I entered the hall to greet my roommate.
“Hey Scarlet, it was alright! You been home for long?”
I nodded, “Yep. I figured you’d be hungry so I made us dinner.”
She laughed, “You making dinner? Is it another salad?”
“Yup!” I answered with a knowing smile.
“Alright, give me a second and I’ll join you.”
While my salad certainly wasn’t as good as the dinner we had at Manny’s last night, it was still quite enjoyable. “Thanks again for making this Scarlet.” Sheryl said before taking another forkful of the greens.
“You’re welcome Sheryl. Did anything fun happen at the Salon today?” I asked, trying to spark a conversation.
“Well, we got a visit from that eccentric stallion again today… So I guess that was fun.” She answered with a vexed expression.
I giggled, “You mean that turquoise coated Stallion with the blonde mane you talked about last week? What was his name again?”
“Zephyr Breeze… And yes, he tried to hit on me again today.” Sheryl answered with disdain.
Although I found humor in this story, I couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous of her. Sheryl seemed to easily attract Stallions wherever she went even when she wasn’t trying. Still, I supposed this was one of the pros and cons of working in the cosmetics industry.
“What about you? You told me you saved that Pony yesterday, is he doing okay now?” Sheryl asked, changing the subject.
I nodded, “Yeah, he’s recovering at one of the other wings of the Hospital. He should be able to leave in a week or so.”
Sheryl smiled, “That’s great! Look at you saving the world one pony at a time!”
I smiled proudly in return, “You know it!”
As the conversation had died down, I figured I’d take a drink from my glass before Sheryl spoke up once more, “And what about that strange Batpony you talked about yesterday?”
My eyes widened at her question, and while I tried desperately to stop it, I failed spectacularly and spit out the water in my mouth. Both Sheryl and I were speechless afterward for a few seconds before she burst out in an uncontrollable laughter. I hung my head in shame as I looked at the mess I’d made on our table cloth…
“I’ll get a rag.” I answered before trotting off.
My ears hung down in embarrassment as I mopped up the scattered droplets of water. Sheryl was still laughing which only made me more ashamed. ‘Why did I do that?’ I asked myself as I shook my head at my mistake.
As Sheryl’s laughter died down, she commented, “Sorry Scarlet. But I’ve never seen you do something like that! Especially over a Stallion!”
“What!? That’s not true! I was just… It was an accident!” I retorted immediately.
Sheryl chuckled again, “You’re a terrible liar Scarlet. You talked about him a lot last night. You like him, don’t you?”
“I don’t like him!” I fought as my cheeks began to flush.
“Besides! He’s my boss and it’s totally inappropriate to date in the workplace!” I answered factually as I returned to the table after cleaning up.
“So if you weren’t working together you would totally go out with him then. Is that what you’re saying?” Sheryl prodded with a devious grin.
“Yes-I mean NO! No! I wouldn’t!” I answered with a huff.
To my dismay, Sheryl began laughing again. I rolled my eyes before shouting over her, “I don’t like him! He’s creepy! And he has big fangs! And he’s way way older than me!”
Thankfully Sheryl’s annoying smug laughter stopped, but sadly her questions did not. “Alright, but why were you talking so much about him if you’re not interested in him?”
I now regretted having ever spoken about it yesterday night as I wished this conversation could have been avoided altogether. Regardless I figured I’d explain myself, “Because there’s something weird about him Sheryl. Even for a Stallion he’s really tall! Like as tall as Princess Celestia tall.”
My roommate shrugged her shoulders, “Good genetics?”
“And what about the mirror! I swear I wasn’t lying when I said his reflection was missing!” I added, trying to further prove my point.
“Maybe he wasn’t in the frame of the mirror. Or maybe the mirror was just dirty?” She replied again.
These excuses were total folly and I didn’t buy either of them for a second. “And then there was today! I asked him how long he’d been working there and he couldn’t even remember!”
Sheryl raised a brow sarcastically, “Ooo! Doctors are allowed to forget things!? Who would have thought!?”
I grumbled before rolling my eyes again, “Alright, then answer this! When I went to open one of the blinds in the department, he stopped me and said his kind doesn’t like light. But yet all the lights were on in the building!”
“Maybe he just means sunlight? I heard a lot of Batponies work for Princess Luna’s guard too.” She answered.
I sighed but decided to give it up. There were some times I simply couldn’t out-argue Sheryl, and right now I didn’t have the mental capacity to continue the conversation. “Fine, you win.”
“Of course I do.” She responded with another smug grin.
Luckily, as the conversation had gone on so long, I’d finally finished my portion of the salad. I went to go clean up my dishes in the sink before Sheryl spoke up again, “Honestly Scarlet, I think you should lighten up about the whole thing. He may be a bit weird, but weird can sometimes be good right?”
“I guess.” I answered.
As I rinsed my clean dishes in the sink, I left them on a towel to dry until the morning. It had been a long day and I knew tomorrow would likely be the same, so I figured I’d get some early shut eye tonight.
“Well, I’m gonna go to bed early tonight. See you in the morning Sheryl.”
My roommate nodded, “Have a good night Scarlet!”
After getting myself ready for the night, I stepped into my bed before glancing up at the ceiling of my room in thought. While I wanted to forget all about the conversation over dinner, I couldn’t help but ponder a single thought that was bothering me. ‘Do I really like him?’