I stare up at the stars as l lay against a tree. It is the closest I can get to complete and utter peace. I just don’t see how one could possibly have created such a vast work of art. Not to mention the fact that I live in a small town far away from the city lights, so the night sky is purple, and I can almost see the rainbow of gases that float endlessly across the universe. I come here quite often, usually when there’s a problem with work. Sometimes I wish I’d never been a surgeon. I mean don’t get me wrong, I enjoy it. But it involves a ton of stress. I never get a vacation because if I try, someone would fall off a ladder or something, and there’s only one hospital in the entire town. Sometimes I wonder if I was actually meant for something else. For something not necessarily better, because doctors are pretty highly respected in this town, as there aren’t very many of them, but something…different. Perhaps a bit more fulfilling. I wish it were that simple though. I always loved reading stories about some crazy adventure an awesome hero would have. Perhaps because deep inside, I yearn for something more than just a nice safe life inside this bubble of a town. Oh well. Maybe one day it’ll become more than just a past hobby.
*RING* *RING* My heavy eyes open, and I’m back on my bed. If only I’d stayed in dreamland a little longer, I may have been able to finish it. I was in a jungle, and I was being chased by...something…I recall knowing what it was, but it was gone when my alarm rang. With more effort than normal, I pull myself out of my bed, and groggily fix a bowl of cereal, which I then proceed to guzzle down. Following breakfast is a rhythmic tooth brushing and hair-doing. The door creaks as I push it open and closed, and I am on my way. Only five minutes pass before I am standing in front of the hospital. However, I usually amble, since I am in no hurry.
“Doctor Stable, early as usual!” says Nurse Stweetheart.
“Good morning, Ms. Sweetheart. Are there any new patients?”
“Why yes, there is one, rather unusual patient today. He’s a Pegasus. Fell off a cloud, the poor thing.”
I pull out a file of x-rays that I presume would be this clumsy patient, and observe the breaks. There are multiple cracks in both wings and all four legs, not to mention a few ribs. “These look horrid! He’ll be here for at least a few months with these breaks!” I suppose aloud. Then I remember an important part of healing bones. “Has anyone realigned them yet?”
“Well, you are the most qualified to do things like that, most of us here are just nurses.”
I sigh heavily. It doesn’t take a difficult diploma to fix somepony’s broken wing. “You don’t need a qualification to align bones.” I say, still observing the x-rays. If I’d been looking at Sweetheart, I would’ve seen large, guilty eyes with a mix of skepticism. She fails to reply, so I ask her to lead me to the patient.
I make sure to put on a friendly smile before entering. “Well good morning, Mister…why is his profile blank?” I say turning to Sweetheart.
“Well, his bandages cover his mouth, so I couldn’t think of how to ask him anything.” she replies.
I have to do everything myself don’t I? I turn to the filly, “well then, since you can’t speak or sign, one blink is yes, and two blinks is no. How does that sound? Or rather, Do you like that idea?” One blink. Probably because it’s the only possible form of communication for him. “Excellent! Now, let’s find out your name, shall we? Uhh, A?” two blinks. “B?” two blinks. “C?” two blinks. “D?” we continue for around an hour or so, before everything is filled out. I start to get better at it, guessing the word he’s trying to say before we finish.
"Nurse! His name is Fracture, this is his address." I explain, handing her the completed profile. "Could you find somepony to tell his parents that he's here?"
"Oh, yes of course!" she replies, taking the profile. She begins to read through it as she trots away.
"Thank you so much for taking my little Fracky in, and dressing his boo boos! I was worried sick all night, I'll make sure nopony ever takes their eyes off him again!" Exclaims the mother of Fracture.
"Don't you think that's a little overboard, ___?"
"What do you mean, overboard? Our son could have died, and you just want him to play on those clouds all alone again?"
"Well no, but I just think there's a way to fix this without treating him like a filly."
"He IS a filly!"
Fracture exaggeratedly rolls his eyes as his parents argue. He's probably upset that he can't dispute his mother for insisting that he's younger than he thinks he is. I allow them to attempt to agree with each other for a small while longer before I grow impatient, and ask "What exactly happened to make him fall off a cloud?"
the filly's parents turn away from their debate, and the mom explains, "well, we sent him to a flying camp so that he could improve his flight skills, and I suppose the leaders weren't watching him when he fell."
"I see. Well, he should be fine after a month or two." I notice his eyes shrink to small dots on his face.
"Oh thank you, Doctor"
"Dr. Stable, there's a problem in room 105!" I hear Nurse Sweetheart say as she enters the room we are currently in.
"Oh dear, has Mr. ____ run off again?" That man loves to get himself into trouble. "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. and Mrs. _____, I must go. Feel free to talk with your son as long as you wish, one blink is yes, two blinks is no. Uhh, visiting hours end at 8:00, but if you want to stay longer, just tell anyone that asks you to leave that Dr. Stable allowed you to. Good day!" And with that, I shut the door, and begin the pursuit for old Mr. ____, whom I eventually find in the cafeteria attempting to steal ponies' food off their plate. By the time I get him back on his hospital bed, I’m late for the removing of somepony's tonsils, and a small wing surgery. By the time I complete both of those, I'm nearly on time for the daily checkups with the numerous sick patients, but I decide I would finish the list of patients tomorrow.