//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 // Story: Ocean Blues // by TalkingToMyself //------------------------------// Spring Meadow arrived at the hospital ten minutes early, as usual. There was always something to do, even if Ponyville wasn’t a big city and everypony was nice, things like accidents still happened. Broken legs and sprained wings were more common in Equestria, maybe because here ponies were still doing many things by hoof that humans used machines for already. Also, stuff like colds and stomach bugs still existed even in a world full of magic. In other words, working at the hospital never got boring. She walked inside and immediately was greeted by Nurse Tenderheart at the reception. Even if work was busy, everypony always had time for a little chat or a quick hug at least. Spring Meadow wasn’t fazed by that anymore, she got used to ponies being more touchy-feely than most humans very quickly. Also, she didn’t cringe anymore that most of the nurses were called something-heart. She smiled back to Tenderheart and headed to the backroom to change, which meant only putting on her white cap with a red cross on it. She chatted with Redheart and Sweetheart as they checked where they were assigned to today, and Spring Meadow smiled. She was still switching through the departments of the hospital to get used to everything, and today she would work at the foal’s ward with Nurse Redheart. Redheart was the head nurse and the one with the most years in Ponyville Hospital as well, Spring Meadow always learned a lot when they worked together. As they walked into the station, Redheart checked the patient files. Luckily, only a few foals were stationed, but there were some appointments and walk-ins as usual “So, Zipporwhil had her wing sprained and needs her bandages changed. Do you think you can take care of that?” Spring Meadow nodded with confidence. She had been practicing proper wing care for a while now so she would quickly catch up on treating pegasi and their completely new form of appendages. Also, she had been assigned with tasks like that more often. Some of those things were usually done by doctors in the human world, but things were different in Equestria. Nurses here did a lot more than Spring Meadow was used to, but she had faced any challenges successfully so far. Changing some bandages would be no problem at all. She walked into the room with an impatient pegasus filly waiting for her, while her father sat by the window. Spring greeted them both and then focused on her patient “How are you feeling today, Zipporwhil?” Even if this task was easy, Spring Meadow was determined to do it right. Ponies depended on her to perform any treatments flawlessly and she was not going to take their health for jeopardy. Once the filly had confirmed that she was feeling fine and that her wing didn’t hurt, “just itch”, Spring Meadow nodded and asked her to lie down on the patient bench “I’m going to take off your bandage now, then we’ll have a look. I’m not that perfect with wings yet, so if something hurts or I accidentally pull a feather, tell me right away, okay?” The filly smiled and agreed, while her father nodded along. Spring Meadow had quickly learned that honesty went the far mile with ponies. They didn’t mind an ‘inexperienced’ nurse performing treatments, as long as she was open about it. Spring Meadow steadied Zipporwhil’s wing with her hooves and worked to loosen the bandages with her teeth. It only took her a few seconds, instead of the odd minute or two from her first week. Once she had the end of the bandage pulled free, she switched to her hooves and carefully unwrapped the wing. She made sure not to pull too hard and slowed down when the feathery appendage twitched from time to time. Blue had explained to her that wings were very sensitive and that they twitched when some of the feathers weren’t properly aligned, so Spring Meadow patiently waited each time it happened. Once the bandage was off, Zipporwhil sighed in relief and flexed her wing a little “Does it hurt when you move it, sweetie?” Spring Meadow asked the filly to spread her wing all the way and took a closer look. She bent the wing carefully, always making sure not to tweak any sensitive spots, and asked Zipporwhil how she felt each time. The sprain had mostly healed, but she needed to keep her wing still for another few days to be sure. Spring Meadow wrote down a few things on the medical chart, mostly to give Zipporwhil a chance to flex her wing a little more and time for a quick preen of her feathers. As gently as she had undone the bandage, Spring Meadow reapplied a new, clean one. Zipporwhil held perfectly still like the sweet filly she was and thanked Spring Meadow before she hopped down from the examination bench. Her father thanked her as well and they both left the hospital in a good mood. Nurse Redheart, who had been watching from besides the door, nodded approvingly and with a big smile for Spring Meadow, which she returned wholeheartedly. Then it was time for the next patient. Only a few hours later, Spring Meadow rushed through the halls and into another treatment room from which she could already hear shouting and crying. Inside, she saw a young colt bawling his eyes out while his mother and another nurse tried to calm him down. As soon as she stepped closer, Spring Meadow knew exactly why the colt was crying and she didn’t blame him one bit. His right foreleg was obviously broken and stood out in a weird ankle. Spring Meadow noticed right away that it was an open fracture with dislocated bones. She had seen something like this before, albeit back in the human world, but she knew that the pain was some of the worst. For the sake of the young colt, they had to do something immediately and couldn’t wait for a doctor. Fortunately, Spring Meadow had updated her anatomy classes to pony recently, so she knew what to do. She walked up to the young colt who held his injured leg against him and very gently took hold of it with her own hooves “I know it hurts sweetie, but you have to let me see. I promise I’ll be careful, okay?” She smiled at him with her best ‘big sister’ smile and when he saw it, he calmed down a little at least. Still sniffling, he reluctantly stretched out his leg and Spring Meadow held it steady with her hooves while taking a closer look at it. The mother let out a sharp gasp, as the bone was visibly poking through the coat. Pony legs were different that human legs, but the general build of bone, sinews and muscles was similar enough. Spring Meadow looked up at Nurse Rhyme, but the unicorn mare was clearly out of her depth with this, so she took charge for now. “What’s your name, sweetie?” “G-green Daze.” Spring Meadow nodded and adapted a smile “I’m not going to lie to you, Green Daze, what we’re going to do next will hurt really, really bad, for a moment. So I’ll need your help, okay?” The colt looked up at her, and Spring kept her smile in place. She knew how important it was to stay positive, especially with young foals. Green Daze wavered a little when she mentioned pain, but Spring’s smile kept his imminent fear at bay “What can I do?” Spring smiled proudly at the brave colt and explained what would happen next “I’ll count to three, and on three I need you to scream as loud as you can. Can you do that for me?” Green Daze looked at his hoof and back at Spring Meadow. He still had tears running, but he nodded. His mother circled her hooves around him for a squeeze and kept them in place for reassurance. Spring Meadow focused back on the broken leg in her hooves and took a deep breath “Ready?” Green Daze nodded and bit his lip as he stared at his leg “You don’t have to look, just close your eyes.” Green Daze followed Spring Meadow’s suggestion immediately “Okay. One.” The colt shivered a little and his mother held him tightly. “Two.” Next to them, Nurse Rhyme got ready to hold Green Daze if necessary. He took a deep breath in and his whole body tensed up. Spring Meadow had been waiting for this moment “Three!” At the same moment she shouted out the last number, she twisted the leg with a quick yank of both her hooves. She heard a snap as the bone was realigned, but only barely since Green Daze was now screaming. The young colt screamed with all his might, but the pain he anticipated never came, at least not as bad as he had expected “Huh?” He opened his eyes and looked up at Spring Meadow’s big grin “You did great, Green Daze. Took it like a real champ.” She still held his leg steady and Nurse Rhyme magically lifted a pair of splints and some bandages in position. “Now, it’s very important you hold your leg still for a while, so we’re going to make it so you don’t move accidentally.” Green Daze watched as the bandages wrapped around his leg and checked to see that his mommy was just as surprised as he was “That was it?” “That was it. The doctor will come take another look at you and you’ll get a cast, but you already braved the worst.” She smiled at him and he returned it gratefully. His mother almost cried in relief, still hugging her foal as he nuzzled in a little. It was a heart-meltingly cute sight. Spring Meadow stepped away and let Nurse Rhyme take over. Then it was time for the next patient. After a last check on the colts and fillies who would have to stay overnight, Spring Meadow climbed up the stairs to the offices. Her shift was over, and Doctor Lucky Clover had asked her into his office before she left. When she had been working in the human world, she had always been drop-dead-tired at the end of her shifts, but today she only felt pleasantly worn out. Princess Twilight had explained it with her being an earth pony, so Spring Meadow had a higher endurance and stamina by nature. Also something about being able to pull strength directly from the earth, but that was too hocus-pocus for her. Spring knew though that this was only half the truth. In general, her job as a nurse had not changed a lot going from human to pony, but the world around her had. Even under stress, ponies remained calmer than humans did and even if work was busy, there was always somepony who made sure she took a break and ended her shift on time. Also, ponies didn’t seem to know the term ‘none of my business’ at all, since all the nurses jumped to help each other in a blink when needed, just like Spring Meadow had done as well. She reached the door and was admitted in before she even stopped knocking. Doctor Lucky Clover had been waiting for her, but judging his expression, he had some good news to share. He was one of the inner circle, as in he knew that Spring Meadow had once been a human. While everypony else knew she came from a faraway place, he knew that she had been living in a different world altogether. He knew all of it from Princess Twilight and he would determine if Spring Meadow would be allowed to continue working as a nurse once her trial period was over. Of course, he also helped her adapt and catch up on pony medicine. He took a seat behind his desk and Spring Meadow sat down on a cushion in front, smiling at how familiar sitting like a pony had become after only a month or so. At times, she was still very conscious of all the changes. The doctor stacked up a few papers before he focused on Spring Meadow “I’ve just read Nurse Redheart’s recommendations. She is very pleased with you overall, but it seems you shined the most whenever you worked at the foal’s ward.” Spring smiled and agreed “Kids are great, no matter what species.” With a chuckle, Doctor Clover nodded and continued “I’ve talked with some of your patients and I heard nothing but praise, same from the other nurses. And your last assignment was very well done.” He tapped his hoof at the stack of papers and Spring Meadow kept smiling. At first, scribbling with her mouth had been nearly impossible, but by now, she had regained her neat writing. Her assignments helped her practice this skill further while at the same time getting her medical skills on par with the other nurses. “So for this week, I’ve decided to up the difficulty a bit.” He passed a book and a few papers to her. Spring glanced at the title and frowned “Endocrinology?” “I know it’s a little higher brow than typical nurse skills, but I think it’s important that you get a good overview at least, if only to learn about differences for ponies.” Spring Meadow nodded and stood up again to leave, but Doctor Clover motioned for her to sit. “You’ve treated a colt with a broken leg today. Tell me about it?” Spring tilted her head “You mean Green Daze? He was a walk-in, he fell down when climbing a tree and his mother took him here right away. He had an open fracture and his shin was dislocated.” The doctor nodded and watched her closely “How did you know?” “I’ve worked in A&E in the human world, I’ve seen it before.” He nodded again, but his eyes stayed focused on her “Why didn’t you wait for a doctor to arrive?” Spring held his gaze unwavering “I’ve seen it before, and I know how much it hurts. I was able to help right away and so I did. I didn’t want Green Daze have to suffer any longer.” Doctor Clover instantly was all smiles again and nodded “Good answer. And well done, of course. Right diagnosis and correct treatment, but you also dealt with the whole situation very well. Nurse Rhyme was severely impressed.” Spring Meadow had the grace to blush a little “Thank you, Doctor.” She stood up again, and so did the doctor this time “I’ll see you again tomorrow then. Remember, if you need anything you can always come to me.” “I know, thank you Doctor.” Spring Meadow was on her way out when somepony called out her name. She turned her head and saw Tenderheart, Sweetheart and Rhyme gathered by the exit, all off duty “We were just on our way to dinner, and maybe a drink or two after. You want to join in?” “You’ve been working here for a month, it’s high time we invited you. We do this at least once a week, you know?” Spring Meadow blinked surprised for a moment. On her old job, her colleagues never invited her after work, there had always been some competition between them. She almost accepted right on the spot, but something stopped her. They had all been nice to her, too nice in fact. What would they want from her if she joined them now? Maybe they wanted to lure out some embarrassing secrets out of her and used them against her later. An image came to her mind and it was Princess Twilight smiling at her. She had had the same smile as Tenderheart right now. “Sure, I’d love to come.” The three mares smiled brightly and together, they left the hospital and walked towards the town centre. It was a nice and quiet evening. They walked at an easy pace with no haste and talked easily. Spring Meadow was the topic of conversation at first, how she liked Ponyville so far and how it was different from the place she lived before. She only gave sparse answers, which was fine since it gave the others more chances to talk instead. They arrived at a small outdoor café for dinner. Spring Meadow only ordered a glass of water at first, but after some prodding from the others she caved in and enjoyed a full meal like them. The place didn’t look that special, but the food was delicious. After dinner, they headed to Ponyville’s best (and only) bar, run by a mare named Berry Punch. Spring Meadow had heard of this place before and she knew why it was popular. Berry Punch apparently had a special talent in finding the perfect drink for anypony just by looking at them. It had something to do with cutie marks, but Spring Meadow guessed that this was just a story. However, when they sat down at their table, Tenderheart winked and pushed away the menu, as did the others. A mare from behind the counter, Berry Punch probably, came over and asked them what they wanted to drink, but Sweetheart just grinned “Surprise us!” The other two giggled and Berry Punch smiled. The mare looked at each of them for a moment, the longest at Spring Meadow who felt somewhat uneasy, but then she left without another word. The easy chatting started again and even if Spring Meadow didn’t say much, she really felt accepted by the other three who made an effort to include her. When Berry Punch returned with their drinks, even Spring Meadow was somewhat excited. There were four fancy drinks in tall glasses, each with a different colour and decorated with tiny umbrellas and fruit. Rhyme’s drink was sparkling like soda, but the others looked like cocktails Spring Meadow knew from the human world. Berry Punched placed the last one in front of her with a wink and then left them to enjoy. They took some time to just look at the drinks, guessing what they might be, but Sweetheart couldn’t wait long and took a sip through her straw “Mmmh!” Her blissful expression made the others giggle and Spring Meadow tried hers as well. The drink smelled awfully sweet, but when she took a sip it had the most pleasant taste she had ever had. She couldn’t even tell what was in it, she definitely tasted peach but everything else just blended together into the perfect taste. If there was any alcohol in it, it couldn’t be more than a dash, since she didn’t taste it at all. The drink was smooth and cool when it ran down her throat but felt warm in her tummy and it left a very pleasant tingle on her tongue. She blinked when she heard the others laugh and realized that she must have been phased out for a moment, probably with a goofy grin, but their laughter was kind and friendly, so she joined right in. They talked about their drinks and tasted each other’s, but even though none of the drinks were bad, Spring Meadow definitely liked hers best. They didn’t get buzzed, not from one drink and not with barely any booze in it, but their conversation now seemed lighter, easier even for Spring Meadow. She talked a bit more about herself, what books she enjoyed and so on. She couldn’t really tell them about her favourite movies, ponies were still way behind humans on that department. She also couldn’t tell them about the strange craving for a chicken sandwich she had last week. So, she stuck with talking about work, most of the time. The others didn't seem to enjoy that topic too much, so at one point, Rhyme asked her "So what do you do after work?" "After work?" "Yes, you know, when you get home." "Oh, right. Well, um, my sister isn't big with chores, so I end up doing most of the housework." "Let me guess, you're the big sister?" Another round of chuckles broke through, but Rhyme's curiosity wasn't stilled yet "You can't just do work and housework every single day. What else do you do?" Spring rolled her eyes, but with a smile "Well, I sink a lot of time into my weekly assignments, probably more than I would need. But I want to learn as much as I can to become a better nurse." The other three exchanged a glance and seemed confused "What sort of assignments do you mean?" "From Doctor Clover. For my nurse training. Didn't you get them as well when you were new?" They all shook their heads and Sweetheart explained "Redheart gave me some books to read, but I never had to do anything at home for the doctor. He's giving you a special treatment." Spring Meadow flinched involuntary and pulled back from the others. As soon as Sweetheart had said that, she was reminded of how her last colleagues had reacted, how they had accused her of brown-nosing with the doctors to cash in favours. After a while, she had been on her own, as none of the other nurses nor the doctors helped her anymore, all because of some rumours. She flinched again when she felt a touch on her shoulder. Tenderheart had placed her hoof around her and like the other two, she had a reassuring smile for Spring Meadow "I think it's great you're working so hard even when you're not on duty. It shows how much being a nurse really means to you." Sweetheart and Rhyme nodded with emphasis, and Spring Meadow found her voice again as she blurted out nervously "I'm not trying to upstage you, I promise! I just want to know how to help when somebody is hurt!" She was babbling again, mixed in with some half-finished apologies, but suddenly she had to stop. Tenderheart wrapped her other hoof around her as well for a hug and Rhyme was around the table to join her. While the two held her, Sweetheart spoke to Spring Meadow in her most soothing voice "We know that, Spring Meadow. We see it every day. You really don't have to worry." Spring took a deep breath. For a moment she felt even more afraid, it was so unfamiliar that others reacted this friendly and positively towards her. But then, the smiles from the others reached her and her anxiety just melted away. These ponies had seen her for a while now and even through this hiccup, they were here to support her still. She was in Equestria and not on Earth anymore. Spring Meadow opened her eyes again and looked at the three mares around her. Their smiles were kind and reassuring, she had nothing to fear from them. Her own smile broke through, small and shy, but they just affirmed with a nod. They went back to their seats, but Tenderheart scooted a little closer to her, Spring could reach her hoof easily if she needed. Rhyme floated Spring's drink towards her with magic and before she could blush from embarrassment, Spring took hold of the glass with her hooves and took a big gulp, ignoring the straw this time. The others giggled, but with no ill mean, and Spring could smile again "Thank you." It was only a shy mumble, but she knew they heard her since their smiles stayed kind and friendly. When Spring said nothing else, they went back to chit-chat and gave Spring a moment to recompose. They didn't ignore what had happened, but Spring had the impression that even after an embarrassing moment like this, they didn't think less of her. After a minute and another, more moderate sip of her drink, she joined back in. It wasn't as awkward as she feared it would be and another minute, she could laugh with them again. They sat together for another half an hour, nursing their drinks between stories. When their glasses were almost empty, Berry Punch brought another round none of them had ordered, but none of them protested either. Spring Meadow took a sip from her new favourite drink when she heard a familiar voice from behind her "Nana Schwesterherz, und das soll gesund sein?" She laughed, most of all from the confused expressions from the other three. With a big grin, and without turning around, she answered loud and clear it the same language "Ruhe da hinten auf den billigen Plätzen!" She turned around and joined into the roaring laughter from her sister. Blue looked happy, she looked like this far more often than ever before. Spring Meadow saw her relaxed posture and the carefree and sincere smile. The way Blue grinned back at her, Spring realized that she had to have the same smile as well. "Was machst du denn hier, Blue?" "Das Gleiche wie du nehm ich mal an." Spring saw the small group of pegasi, probably from the weather team. They had the same surprised expression as all ponies whenever they heard Spring and Blue talk German with each other. They quickly got over it though and greeted Sweetheart and Rhyme as they joined them at their small table, apparently the nurses and some of the pegasi knew each other as well. Spring sat down next to Blue and frowned a little when the others ordered from Berry Punch "Aren't you a little too young for drinks in a bar, Blue?" As expected, Blue rolled her eyes and the others chuckled "Seriously, Sis. I'm not a filly anymore." Spring froze for a moment when she noticed that Blue had used the pony term without even thinking about it, but then she smiled softly "Kann schon sein, aber du bleibst immer meine kleine Schwester." She put her hoof around Blue's shoulder and Blue leaned in a little with a grin "Mich wirst du so schnell nicht los." They laughed and the others joined in quickly, fascinated and curious by the foreign words "What kind of language was that? What did you say?" Spring Meadow just winked to Blue who blushed a little "Just a little talk from sister to sister." More laughter filled the room, but Rhyme was still curious "That sounded so interesting. Can you say something else? Please?" Spring and Blue looked at each other. Spring noticed again how happy Blue looked, not a single worry on her mind and none of her usual walls up anymore. She grinned and started to sing a song she just felt would fit perfectly, and Blue joined in after only a few words Schau dich um und dann in dich hinein denn jeder braucht den Platz zum glücklich sein wir laden dich und deine Leute ein um heute da zu sein wo man sich liebt, in der Stadt die es nicht gibt. Sind endlich dort wo Harmonie regiert am Ort wo Recht und Ordnung deplatziert weil das mit Regeln eh nicht funktioniert hat man kapiert das hier die Liebe siegt, in der Stadt die es nicht gibt. They all laughed together before the questions started, most of which remained unanswered as Berry Punch came to Spring Meadow's rescue at the perfect time and brought drinks for the pegasi. The conversations quickly went to lighter topics and Blue joined in quickly. Spring watched her little sister as she argued about something with the stallion next to her, but always smiling and without any anger. Tenderheart touched her hoof and Spring looked up, returning the smile. Joining in with the mares had been a good idea. Maybe her friends would invite her again next week. She was looking forward to it.