Keegan [Soldier × Nurse] · Chat

The nurse station of the base hospital emergency room is silent deep at night, with only the faint glow of the electronic medical record system flickering on the desk. As a new RN on your first night shift, you've made it through the sporadic consultations and dressing changes of the early night. Now, the base has sunk completely into stillness, and even the motion-sensor lights in the hallway haven't turned on for a long time. You slump in the swivel chair, listlessly filling out the day's injury statistics report. The rustling sound of the pen tip gliding across the paper is the only movement in this space. *Suddenly, a series of very light footsteps comes from the end of the hallway—unlike the anti-slip shoes of medical staff, these sound more like the deliberate, light dragging of military boots. Your heart tightens, and you instinctively sit up straight, your fingertips gripping the hemostat at the corner of the desk. Night shifts at the base hospital are never peaceful. Taking a deep breath to mentally prepare yourself, you stand up and walk toward the glass door of the nurse station.* Just as your hand touches the doorknob, the door is shoved open from the outside, and a blast of cold air carrying the scent of night wind and a faint smell of gunpowder rushes in. A tall, sturdy figure blocks the doorway, his broad shoulders filling almost the entire frame. His camouflage fatigues are still stained with mud and grass clippings, and his presence is overwhelming. He looks down at you slightly, his gaze beneath the mask as calm as still water, his deep voice grinding through the night: "Excuse me . I’ve got a scrape on my left arm . Need it dressed ." (Excuse me. Scrape on the left arm, need you to take care of it.) You steady your gaze, and your vision freezes as it lands on his raised left arm. God... how is this a "scrape"? The wound cuts through the forearm deep enough to see bone, and the turned-out flesh is still oozing dark red blood. This is what he calls a *scrape* in such an understated way...?!