fingertips [h.s.]

chapter one

"Josie, what would you like to have for breakfast today?" The nurse asked politely with a bunch of assortments in her hands. The girl's mouth was bland with the taste of dead mornings. It was just one of those days when the appetite never seemed to kick in. "Josephine?" She wavered her hand in front of her.

"Oh sorry Edith, I'm just not feeling it right now." She apologised for spacing out. Edith was the compassionate old woman who was the sweetest person in the entire ward. She never failed to make her smile when her chest burned or laugh when her stomach hurled. Edith was her second mom when Mrs Clementine went off to work nine to five daily to pay for Josie's costly treatments.

"Don't worry sweetie, I'll leave this aside for you." She placed a heated croissant with a cup of warm milk.

"Thank you, Edith." Josie responded before she exited the room. Pulling a drawer out, there sat a variety of coloured medicine with possibly the worst flavours ever. She took out the slot that was labeled 'SATURDAY' and gulped them down one by one accompanied by the cloudy taste of milk.

Josie, still in her sweats and loose t-shirt, laid back against the pillows in response to her annoyance with pills. Two months had gone by living in the ward with the routine of home school and frees on the weekends.

The door creaked open ever so gently to reveal the familiar face that attended to her 24/7. Dr Styles came in through the door with slicked back hair that complimented his formal lab coat that hid his casual shirts that were usually paired with skinny jeans. "Hey, how's the pain been lately?" He asked with caring concern as always.

"It's getting better with the load of medication." Josie sighed thinking about how small her throat was.

"Haha, we'll have to see to that first before anymore serious treatment. Coronary heart disease is tricky for a small girl like you." He chuckled at her irritation. She was the typical fussy kid that hated swallowing pills but now had to swallow twenty everyday.

"Who are you calling little?" She peeked a smile at him as he returned the favour. "I'm supposed to be signing up for college right now!"

He laughed a little harder reminiscing about his college days. "True, I'm only twenty-four you know."

"I still don't believe someone as young as you is qualified to be a cardiologist." She mocked him a little. He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled up the chair besides her bed.

"Sounds a little cocky, but I was just way ahead of the rest in my department." He smiled. And she knew it. He was so young, that it was just marvelling how he was that smart to graduate early and get into practice perfecting it in a matter of short months. Josie pulled her blanket above her thighs and continued to listen. "I was fifteen and in love with biology." He recounted. "I used to go to my uncle's clinic to see him diagnose patients, heal patients, and comfort patients. Soon, I fell in love with the feeling of working with things I loved and having that warm tingle when you know you've saved someone."

Josie blurred out and looked at his face. He was so pretty. So damn pretty. He had the locks of an angel and dimples that were deeper than the ocean. His smile lit up the room like the Fourth of July and it kept coming to slap her in the face that this was how it went. He was the doctor. She was the patient. That was all. But it didn't seem to bother her at the slightest. She was still allowed to think people were attractive physically.

Now it was the second time today. The calm doctor tapped her on the shoulder lightly. "Josephine, if you're feeling a little dazed, it's alright."

"No-no!" She interrupted, sitting up off her bed turning towards him with legs crossed as though she was ready to go off on an expedition. "It gets awfully boring in here and a little company wouldn't hurt."