This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Not yet, not now. Yet the telltale beeping from the machines beside her spoke loud and clear. She had to focus, everything she needed was right at her hooves. She had watched her father work on patients countless times. Read countless books for days and nights on end. She had the knowledge, all there was to do was apply that knowledge, simple and easy, nothing to worry about. Yet her hooves still shook as they flipped open a bright red medical kit. Her mind was buzzing, her anxious breathing paired with the constant blaring of the machines next to her made her vision swim. She had to focus.
Gripping an unmarked syringe in hoof, which she prayed was the correct one, she carefully inserted the needle into the arm of the laying patient. The beeping hadn’t stopped, good news so far. Now swiftly removing herself from the bedside, she set her sights on the smallest of the patients. The smaller filly had been coming along well, far better than the other two older ponies that lay still on their own beds. The beeping, which at first caused her great misery, slowly had begun to have an effect of reassurance on her. All is okay, as long as that machine beeps. Her family won’t die, not as long as she stays focused.
A few hours had flown by, and all was calm, at least for now. Though the impending bout of failure hung above her head, she was happy for the break. Everypony was stable, breathing correctly, and not convulsing. Her soul had nearly left her body when the laying stallion started to move around as if he were dancing within the sheets. As funny as it would have been to think about him dancing, she had been too consumed by worry to even giggle at such a thought. However now, with the peaceful break, she took the time to sit down in a chair that was rather difficult to climb onto. The beeping had begun to sound like a melody, and she found herself humming a little tune to match the rhythm. Her hooves reached forward to the table in front of her, and giving herself a little push, the chair she was resting on swiveled in a circle. Only then did a small giggle leave her mouth. She had always wanted to spin around on these chairs, but there was never a good time. There was always work to do after all.
Her moment of unrestrained fun didn’t last too long, as guilt quickly seeped into her mind. Here she was, spinning around on a chair while ponies were dying right in front of her! She could already feel her fathers shameful glare towards her. Better get back to the task at hoof. She slid off the chair, her hooves clicking onto the tile floor. Another check up round to her three patients. The check up process had become routine, with even less anxiety and fear clouding her mind. The beeping hadn’t once stopped, or slowed. With the checkup done, all there was to happen was to wait. She simply has to stay focused.
It was already getting late outside, at least, she thinks it was getting late. It was usually around this time that most ponies decided it was time to sleep. Aside from some more convulsions from her patients, nothing too drastic had happened, and she allowed her mind to focus on other things. Like for one, hunger. Hunger stabbed into her gut harder than any bonesaw could, and fortunately for her, the kitchen wasn’t too far from her current placement. With her mind set on filling her stomach, she casted one last glance back to the bed-bound ponies, and exited the room. Looking down the long hallway, she thought about doing something she had always wanted to do. She figured she shouldn’t cause a ruckus, though her patients were sedated, she didn’t want to be the cause of them waking up. So she trotted forward a few long paces, before stopping, and looking forward again. Taking a deep breath in, she belted out one singular word.
“ECHO!” She had yelled out the words into the empty hallway, and true to the meaning, her voice could be heard multiple times over through the hall. A gleeful smile lit up her face, and she skipped forward, the click clack of her hooves filling the hall with even more sound. Turning a corner, and pushing open a tall door, she came face to face with the kitchen. It was rather clean, white tiles and white walls. Most of the building looked like this. It has always been white tiles, white walls, and white counters. At least, for her it has been. Pulling open the fridge doors, she pondered on what she could, or rather, should eat.
Scanning through the fridges contents, she had come to a grand selection of what her meal was going to be. Gathering the contents from the fridge, she placed them down on a nearby stool that had been forgotten near the kitchen counters. Looking over her selection of food, she took note of each item. Two sparkle-cola cherries, and two cold apple-cinnamon muffins. Food that goddesses would eat, she reckoned. Taking the food within an aura of amber magic, he made her way out of the kitchen, and back down the hall. After all, she still had to stay focused.
Her vision was getting blurry. The lack of proper rest had begun seeping up behind her faster than her own shadow. Normally she would have been far into dreamland by now, running with woodland creatures in tall green grass. Instead, she was hunched over in the swivel chair, her tired gaze resting on the three ponies in the medical beds. She longed for sleep, but the fear of missing something important weighed heavy on her shoulders. She couldn’t afford to sleep right now. Turning her gaze from the ponies and now facing the two empty bottles, she realized the sugar from the drink had most likely aided in the energy boost she had a few hours ago, and the crash she was currently feeling.
Small bouts of panic flared in the back of her mind, what if she simply cant stay awake? All because she dared to drink something that would knock her out within a few hours? Just why did she drink them both at once? Why was she so foolish? Stumbling off the chair, she made her way over to the nearest bed, where the stallion lay. Not however, before giving a once over to the other two. A mare, and the filly. Sliding down into a sitting position near the stallion’s bed, a yawn reluctantly left her muzzle. She just needed to stay awake. She needs to stay focused.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound pierced through her mind, and cut apart her dream. She had been talking to a one-antler deer, who had proclaimed themselves to be god of the bushes. At first, she had been too groggy to pay much attention to the beeps. They had become normal noises within the background at this point, but the sudden pick up of the rhythm caused her mind to clear, and jump into action. Bolting up from her curled up position on the floor, she took note of which machine was beeping. It seems the mare had begun to convulse within the sheets, and was in dire need of assistance. Sliding over towards the second bed, she placed her front hooves on the edge of the bed, peering over to give the mare a good look. She needed to fix this, and fast. Yet, before she could even do such a thing, the first machine with the stallion suddenly picked up in pace.
Now both the mare and the stallion were convulsing on the bed. Pushing herself from the bed and back onto the floor, panic struck her mind full force, she needed to move, right now. Kicking herself into action, she clumsily galloped forward to the first bed where the medical kit lay open. Grabbing two syringed within her magic, one shot forward and inserted itself messily into the stallion’s arm, and the second following suit to the mare. Her eagerness had cost her, as the injection did not go in the way it was supposed to. Instead, some of the medication splattered out and onto the sheets. The monstrous beeping of the paired machines roared through her ears. She had to be calm. She had to be focused. Focus! Her magic hold on the syringes had wavered and wobbled, but soon enough, calmed and began to steady.
With this, the convulsions of the two patients also ceased. And finally, there was deathly, and peaceful silence, with of course, a steady beeping. She shakily made her way back to the chair, yet couldn’t find the energy to climb onto it. She instead toppled onto the floor, leaning back to the counter drawer. Bringing a hoof to her face, she wiped away the wetness that had somehow found its way on her cheeks and eyes. All was well. Everything was still okay, she just had to stay focused, and remember tomorrow is another day.
The new day arrived far too slowly, a clock high upon the wall being her only indication of such. She hadn’t moved from her spot on the floor, nor did she move her gaze away from the beds. She couldn’t risk failing here. Her family was counting on her. What would they think? A long proud blood-line of surgeons, doctors and nurses, only for her to fail to keep her own family alive? Not to mention she had no clue on how to live by herself. Her father had always been by her side, morning evening and night, he was always there. Her other had been fairly secluded, ever since her older brother had passed, her mother only kept to herself, and kept the youngest family member with her too.
She didn’t care about that, she still had her dad to teach her everything she knew. Everything about how to stop a ponies pain. Pain, pain that now pounded and rattled her skull. She gained the small headache a few minutes ago, but it had far too quickly evolved into a migraine. Thankfully, there were plenty of pills and water to help with that, she just had to play the waiting game. She was good at that game, waiting. All she had to do was stay focused, and wait.
She had waited too long. She waited and waited until her eyes grew heavy once again. They had closed, even though she begged the goddesses to keep them open. Falling into the land of slumber once again, she dreamed of lush forests, green grass, and a clear blue sky. She was talking to her family, happy and healthy, there was a huge parade going on, celebrating her achievement in keeping her family healthy. A real doctor, a good doctor. The skewed sounds of trumpets mixed with the drums, and the drums turned into a rhythmic and hollow beep.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Beeeeeeeep.
The note fell flat, the trumpets stopped the fanfare, and all flashed back into white. White tiles, white walls, and white counters. She sat herself up, her back had begun to ache harshly, and was incredibly sore. Once again, she berated herself for falling asleep, she had better things to do than nap, and that is when the sound hit her. Or rather, the lack of sound. It was quiet, oh so quiet, because the machines had stopped beeping.
She could hardly breathe anymore, she didn’t even feel herself run over to the beds. Everything felt incredibly fuzzy, yet so overbearing at the same time. Hooves dove into the medical kit, scrambling to pull out a syringe, but she wasn’t able to get a grip on them and her magic wasn’t cooperating. Focus Focus! Her breathing became as loud as her heartbeats. Heartbeats. Their hearts had stopped while she was asleep. She hadn’t stayed focused, she could have stopped this. Failure isn’t an option, but she still made it one. Her body violently shook, and tears freely flowed down her cheeks. Failure.
She Failed. Slumping down to the side of the bed, she placed a hoof to her lab-coat, and pulled it off from her body. It had been oversized, it was her dads after all. As if the situation had not been a gunshot to the heart already, something else caught her blurry vision. She wished she hadn’t looked, she wished she was seeing things. On her flank, which was normally blank, now had a picture of a heart-rate monitor, the spiked lines fading off into a straight one. She finally got her cutiemark, and it was a show of her failure.
The filly brought her hooves to her face, and wept. Wept for her family, and wept for help, but there was nopony else here. Only the dull white tiles, the dull white walls, and the dull white cabinets.