The Mafia's Nurse

Nursing (v.)

"You must have mistaken me for someone else," I say with a smile, wiping the rest of my tears away and standing up.

I slowly make my way over to the locker across from us, "Well I really do appreciate this Theo, and so does my mom."

My heart tightens at his words, "How is she?" I ask quietly, recalling the Thanksgiving dinners and the Christmas mornings I would crash in recent years but she always she gave me unconditionally love.

"The chemo shots didn't do what they wanted," He says running a hand through his blonde hair, "She took it better than dad."

I nod my head once before biting my lip, recalling them the 6'7 burly man broke down and cried when the doctor told him his wife had terminal bone cancer.

"The world shouldn't work like this," I whisper, "Good people shouldn't have to suffer."

I turn around to see a sad smile on Landon's face that doesn't reach his blue eyes, "That's almost ironic coming from you," He says softly.

I let out a humorless chuckle before grabbing my bag and shutting my locker, "Tell them I send my love," I say and give him a big bear hug.

He kisses my forehead, "You sure you don't want a ride home from Sky? Its almost 2 am and you don't really live on the best side of the downtown," I roll my eyes.

"Landon I have been walking this route for four years. Why would this night be any different than the last?" I say back as he leaves the locker room with a grumble of complaints before going to start his shift.

As soon as the door closes it swings back open and Niki runs into the room looking panicked. She bumps into me sending my short frame flying onto my ass.

"Shit, Theo!" she says pressing her hand to her rapid chest, "you scared me."

"And you just broke my tailbone," I mumble slowly trying to get up.

Niki rolls her eyes before she grabs my arms and helps steady me, "Just say ass like a normal person Theo, you're an adult."

"I can say it if I want to," I pause and Niki leans in waiting for the words to fall off my tongue, "I just don't want to."

She huffs out a breath and mutters, 'whatever' while pushing past me to get to her locker.

"Why are you even still here?" She asks as I unlock my locker and grab my purse and sweater.

"Covering a shift. I'm leaving now," I say with my back still towards her.

"You're leaving now?" she says in a higher pitch voice than usual almost as if she is nervous or excited.

I raise my eyebrow at her odd behavior. Niki was never a friend, hardly a coworker. She has been working at the hospital for about 8 months and won't let anyone get close to her. Landon asked her out once and she said yes, and they went out a couple of times, but she called it off out of the blue. Landon said he was fine, 'she wasn't any special' were his exact words, but it was still strange. Honestly, I could see why Landon would ask her out, she's very pretty. But because she is such a hard person to get along with, I don't see why after the first date he went back for more.

"Do you mind if I walk with you? I hate walking home alone," Niki asks, and I nod my head before shutting my locker and turning towards her.

I watch as she swings her coat on her tan skin peeking through her green scrubs. She is beautiful, with short black hair that falls perfectly around her shoulders to frame her face. Her hair is almost similar to mine in color but my hair reaches far down my back and I like to keep it that way. She has dark tan skin while I have a much lighter tan pigment and her dark grey eyes contact my bright blue hues. We are so alike but opposite at the same time.

"Ready!" she declares as moves past me towards the door, not bothering to check if I am behind her. That sure doesn't look like a person that is scared to walk home alone to me.

Once we get outside the cold air immediately nips at my skin through the holes of the thin sweater. I look over to see Niki perfectly content in the November weather of New York. We turn down the main street next to the hospital and walk in side by side, but not in step with one another.

"I should have bought a coat like yours," I say admiring her black coat with a fur lining hood that protects her from the November wind. I expected her to immediately start talking about where she got her coat and how expensive it was, but instead she suddenly stops and looks at me.

"You wanna borrow it after work tomorrow?" She asks and I look at her surprised, unsure of why she is offering it.

"I took on some shifts for tomorrow night and will work really late, so my friend is picking me up, you can just take it home with you tomorrow," she says sweetly stepping back in rhythm with me.

I slowly nod my head, "yeah I probably will use it, thank you."

A silence wraps around us and I know I truly won't use her coat. No way in hell.

"Well this is my bus stop, so I'll see you around," I call to her and she looks at the beat up old bench and back at me with a small smirk.

"You live downtown?" She asks accusingly, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I truly believe niceness and sincerity take you far, but she makes it so hard sometimes.

"Yeah wanted to get away from my parents when I was young. It was the only place I could afford, but I've been saving and hopefully will be moving closer to the hospital in the spring," I say with a sickly sweet smile.

She nods her head, turns her nose and walks the rest of the way down the street. Her shoulders pressed back, head held high, again not someone who is scared to walk alone. I don't trust her and I don't want to get close to her. Shaking the eerie feeling, I wait patiently by the bus stop. I may be sweet but I'm not naive. I know trouble when I see it.

After all, I live downtown after all and the Bronx teaches a woman some tricks.
As the bus arrives I make sure to have my pepper spray in one hand and the tazor in the other...

Definitely not naive.

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Chapter one taste of it! Tell me what you think!!