anxiety.

seventeen.

"a million choices, though little on their own, become the heirloom of the heaviness of you've known."

scarlett.

nosocomephobia, relating to the fear of hospitals.

i hated hospitals. i hated being hospitalized. i hated even walking in a hospital. i begged mason to leave me home, but he insisted i came. he needed to help his dad with some work i believe.

the walls were a painfully bright white and the strong scent of bleach filled my nose. a nurse whirled past us as we entered the emergency room. she was following a woman covered in blood on a stretcher. i quickly turned into mason, shielding my face into his chest
from the horrific sight.  his hand went up the the back of my head holding me into him.

"don't be afraid, she'll be okay. stay behind me and try not to look around so much." he told me. i nodded and moved behind him. i held on to his arm as he guided me through the different wings. i felt like his shadow.

the hospital was quieter in some areas than others. i knew we had arrived in the pediatrics unit when the walls became much brighter. paintings of animals and popular characters replaced the plain white walls. the vibe was completely different in this part of the hospital. i stayed behind mason though, still too afraid to come out of my little hiding. mason's hand slipped out of mine, causing me to squeal. we arrived at the door of an office that read

Oliver Block, M.D.
Chief of Pediatrics.

loud yelling erupted from the office. it came to a halt when mason knocked. he opened the door to a frustrated skylar, who stormed out of the room when she saw us. her light blue coat lightly brushed against mason and i as she pushed past us. oliver's face was painted with stress as he removed his glasses, placing them in the pocket of his white coat. underneath his coat were light purple scrubs, a unique color considering all i had seen were green and blue ones today. he rubbed his temples before looking up at us,

"hi mason and ah, you must be scarlett. it's very lovely to finally meet you." he greeted. i shyly moved out from behind mason, giving him a wave and a nice to meet you in return. "you don't talk very much, do you?" i nodded my head no.

"she does." mason retorted, causing my face to turn a bright shade of red. "hospitals just aren't her thing."

"understandably so, they aren't most peoples." he smiled politely. "if there's anything i can do to make you feel more comfortable please let me know."

i understood where mason got his kindness from. oliver and mason were spitting images of each other. i observed oliver's office. jars of candy and other little toys lined his neatly arranged desk. some parts were catered just for the children we worked with. mason pulled me down onto the brown couch, slinging his arm around my shoulder. i relaxed into his hold.

"what was that all about?" mason questioned, referring to skylar's small scene earlier . he picked up a miniature basketball in the bin beside us and shot it into the hoop hanging behind the door. 

"just skylar being skylar. she is a very stubborn girl sometimes." he sighed.

"i'll talk to her later." mason compromised.

"please do. you're the only person she seems to listen to these days." oliver said hopelessly. he returned to typing in paperwork on his computer. mason picked up a slingshot, launching a ball at oliver's head missing him by a mere inch. oliver gave mason a very done look, causing me to giggle and mason smiled at me.

"mason, i brought you here to help me not be a goofball. now deliver these up to the departments labeled on them." oliver laughed, pointing to a stack of manilla folders. mason gathered the folders in his arm.