Across the Stars (Loki X Reader)

Just a Normal Day

I never really enjoyed the morning shift. It means waking up in the dark and trying to remember how to use my legs. The news blared from the TV. Some asshat was terrorizing the city, another report on taxes going up, more commentary than news really. Everyone shouting opinions verses just telling the world what was going on. New York never slowed down, and it was always under attack.

I sat on the bed almost giggling about how childish they were. Screaming and arguing about different topics, it almost drowned out my alarm. I groaned and walked over. After a nice warm shower, I felt a little better. I took my vitamins and brushed my teeth. I rummaged through my dresser to find my scrub pants and then the under shirt. Hospitals are cold and my scrubs don't always give me enough warmth.

I grab my phone, pager, extra set of scrubs and my laptop. I looked around the apartment and reached back for my coffee. It was time to take on the world. A quick jog down the stairs and my baby was insight. A black Murano with heated seats just waiting for me. I through my stuff in the back and made the 40-minute drive to the hospital. It was a calm drive that gave me time to wake up and focus.

As soon as I get in, I feel the overwhelming anxiety. It hits me like a wave, but not like a normal one that crashes and returns to the sea. No, this wave hits me like a tsunami that crashes and stays. The anxiety, fear and frustration drowning my senses. I close my eyes and take a deep breath and thought to myself. it was going to be a long shift, but it will be alright. It was always alright especially after turnover reports.

A walked down the checkered tile hallway to the locker room. The other nurses greeted me with sleepy hellos and good mornings. We were all sleep and short staffed but happy to help our patients. We make rounds and visit patients. After taking report and checking in, I grabbed a quick breakfast wrap from the cafeteria. It was an earlier start but only a couple patients needed things. Most of them would be out of here except Janet. She was a permanent patient and my favorite lunch buddy.

Janet was paralyzed from the waist down and had been dropped off in the hospital a few weeks ago. She had become close to me and we had lunch together. She told me stories of when she was young. A real rebel, she would protest for women's rights, burned bras, fought in wars, and saved people in so many countries. Janet had been a 68-W in the Army, a field medic. There was so much I learned from her, arguably more than what I learned in Nursing school.

I knocked on her door just to see how she was. She was wake and drawing like she did each morning. I walked in and checked her vitals and her breakfast. She had eaten most of it and that was why she was rewarded with drawing. With her dementia, kidney disease and her heart problems she wouldn't live much longer but she was my absolute favorite patient to be with. I had heard a thousand stories million. A few months and she would be gone, but I was going to be here with here every step of the way.

"More medicine?" She asked using a child's voice. She always acted like this when it was medicine time.

"Just a little more, dear. I know it doesn't make your mouth feel or taste right, but it will be okay."

"Just you then? No one dares give me medicine." She said matter-of-factly.

"Always me. Did you watch the news this morning?" I asked her, trying to gage her memory

"Yeah that helmet guy is hot" she said looking at me. "You could hit that, maybe I could too." She said with a little giggle. I giggled with her the some comment anytime anyone attractive came on screen.

I shook my head and giggle. Of course, she had fallen for helmet head. I turned on her music and heard the familiar Celtic and Nordic music twisting together. Songs weaving together to distract her from the terror of the day. I had grown use to it and soon she would be humming as she did. Always humming and telling stories of the old ways. She was deeply connected to the turning tides and Viking war tales.

"I will raise you in the old ways and you will know the power of live that you have." She said the first day I met her. She became my jedi master and I bent to her will. She had taught me to heal and how to control my emotional output. She knew I was a healer and empath before I did. As she would tell you that she could sense it since Odin had visited her and told her to take me under her wings.

She was a wonderful woman even if she was a little out there. A little witch teaching a nurse some magic telling me I would need to know it for when it came time to use it properly. "The stars will tell you."

I kissed her forehead and left to checking on one of my other patients. I took care of the VIPs. Very ill patients. We called them VIP to make them feel special but not in a negative or hurtful way. Midway through a conversation about discharge paperwork with one of them my pager went off.

"Nurse (your name)"

"Go for (Y/N), what's up?"

"Gabby needs to talk to you asap"

"K, I will be right there" I said and quickly finished talking to the patient and signed off on their discharge paperwork. Wishing them well, I rounded the corner and walked to the station. Gabby, our Head nurse, was waiting for me at the station.

"Gabby, what's up?" I asked normally she would have just privately paged me and let me know if something was up. She said nothing and took me into the conference room. It was dark and my panic increased. I felt the world slow and time stop as she locked the door and we sat down at the table. I didn't mess up yet and I was worried I would be the next nurse fired or let go.

"(Y/N), I am sorry to pull you in here and interrupt to your schedule, but I need a favor. Can you take Andy's shift? She was work a double and I know you both just started but she is in L&D."

"She is having the baby?' I asked excited. We had just had her shower a week ago. Little J was coming a couple weeks sooner than expected. She was well enough into her through her 38th week that they would be fine. I was so excited and hoped that I could sneak down to see her after shift or at lunch.

Gabby nodded and I couldn't contain my excitement. My god-baby was coming, and I was soon going to be in charge of help them develop their faith. I didn't care which they picked. Andy was Christian and Janet had brought me under the idea of multifaith. The little one was going to have a fun time picking. I would teach it both ways and raise it to know right from wrong and the duty of balance. I was so excited that last weekend I had carved protective enchantments into the crib and burnt sage to clear all the negativity out of the nursey. She tolerated my actions mostly because natural remedies worked better than the over the counter medicine for morning sickness. I couldn't wait to see my little god baby and the hours would help pass the time along with give me more money to spoil the child.

"I will take the shift. It will be fine I brought extra scrubs and I am sure nothing fun will happen." I said unaware of what the next 48 hours would actually bring.