Graveyard Shift

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/title"> (link: "Start your shift")[(goto: "Intro")]

(link: "Dan Hunt")[(goto: "Patient 1")] (link: "Amira Reeves")[(goto: "Patient 2")] (link: "April Banks")[(goto: "Patient 3")] (link: "Arthur Hayes")[(goto: "Patient 4")]

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/dan%20hunt"> Dan Hunt DOB: December 13th, 1998 Addmitted: Jan 21st, 2019, 22:39 Discharged: Jan 22nd, 2019, 4:24 Notes: Patient arrived intoxicated with a visible laceration on the left side of the head. Reported injury occurred after walking into a street sign and this account was confirmed by accompanying friends. Patient was loud and unsteady, and had a small limp on the right leg. X-ray showed no fractures or farther concerns. Patient also insisted they were fine. No other open wounds or significant injuries observed. Treatement: X-ray performed to rule out fracture on the leg. Wound site cleaned and anesthetized. Administered antibiotics. Four stitches applied to close the laceration. Observed until patient was sober and stable. Advised to visit his primary care doctor at the soonest convience. Discharged back to waiting friends. Signed off by: <img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/IMG_3468.png">

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/Amira%20reeves"> Amira Reeves DOB: July 7th, 1973 Addmitted: Jan 21st, 2019, 16:42 Discharged: Jan 22nd, 2019, 8:33 Notes: Patient arrived after a fall at home, reporting severe pain in the right arm and limited movement. Swelling and deformity visible near the wrist area. X-ray confirmed a fracture. Patient also reported mild dizziness, possibly from shock. No loss of consciousness or other injuries detected. Treatment: X-rays taken to confirm suspicon of fracture. Arm stabilized with a temporary splint. Pain medication administered (ibuprofen and mild opioid). Patient kept overnight for observation due to dizziness and pain. Follow-up appointment scheduled with orthopedics in three days. Signed off by: <img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/IMG_3468.png">

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/april%20banks"> April Banks DOB: March 23rd, 1986 Admitted: Jan 11th, 2019, 19:17 Discharged: N/A (Last seen Jan 20, 23:21) Notes: Patient brought in by local authorities after being found wandering in traffic, disoriented and unresponsive to verbal questioning. Upon arrival, patient appeared anxious and paranoid, repeatedly stating she was being “followed” and that “the lights were speaking.” Vital signs stable. No visible injuries. Patient refused initial medical examination and declined to answer most intake questions by replying with silence. Treatment: Offered mild sedative (refused). Psychiatric consult requested; evaluation not completed due to patient’s noncompliance. Observation initiated while awaiting psychiatric clearance. Extra: At approximately 22:05, patient exited the facility without notifying staff. Security was informed; patient could not be located on hospital grounds. Local authorities notified for a welfare check at given address. Signed off by: <img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/IMG_3468.png">

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/authur%20hayes"> Arthur Hayes DOB: March 23rd, 1945 Admitted: Jan- Oh right, he's my last patient for the night. (link: "Go to Room 431")[(goto: "Bedroom")] (link: "Check Locker")[(goto: "Locker")] (link: "Check Window")[(goto: "Window")]

Arthur lies in bed, staring at the ceiling. His breath is shallow, eyes catching the dim light. The way he looks almost like your father still gets you every time. “What a night,” he says softly. “The rain… it never seems to end.” [[Check in with him.->ComfortPath]] [[Check monitors.->ColdPath]]

“You seem restless tonight,” you say gently. As restless as an old man on his last few months could be. A more shakey breath escaped him with his eyes seemed to be focused elsewhere. “Restless… maybe. You could call it that." Awaiting death, you wondered if you'd be restless or content with lying around in your last moments. Wasting time with notes really doen't seem important right now... but you scribbled a few down anyways. [[Sit by the bed and hold his hand->SitHand]] [[Adjust his blanket->AdjustBlanket]] [[Check monitors->ColdPath]]

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/window"> (set: $rain to true) It's raining. Classic January weather. A month of transition.

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/IMG_3508.png"> You check the monitors. Blood pressure, pulse, oxygen all stable. A few subtle dips and rises in numbers catch your eye but at this point they've become normal. Do you really expect a man of this age to have perfect numbers across the board? Arthur shifts slightly. “Checking numbers… makes you feel safe, doesn’t it?” he seems used to the lack of small talk. "Something like that..." You scribble notes down to the exact decimal. It’s easier that way... numbers, lines, rhythms you can control. [[Adjust the screen.->Monitor]] [[Look out the window.->Window2]]

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/handholding"> You take his hand. It’s frail, a bit cold but surprisingly steady. Maybe he's right. Arthur’s eyes soften. “You're always are far warmer than me." He moved to put another shakey hand on top of yours, grasping the top of it with the gentlest of touches. "I think my age makes the wind blow right through me, settles in my bones and keeps me cold.” "You won't be blowing away on my watch, don't worry. Ill make sure to keep the window shut." It's a reassuring tease, a way to comfort him but also subtly jab at how dramatic his statments are. The window stays open as you can't bear to let go of his hand. Your warmth should be enough anyways. [[Any Plans?->Plans]] [[Been watching anything?->Gameshow]]

You adjust the blanket around him. He nods. “It’s the little things,” he says. “I never thought they mattered, especially when the feelings they gave faded away so fast.” He paused. Just for a moment. "When your old, there's a severe lack of big moments. The little things are all you got." You nod quietly, at this point you were so used to the unsoclicited, but (usually) welcomed life advice from old people. It always made you feel better. [[Any Plans?->Plans]] [[Been watching anything?->Gameshow]]

You blink, and the walls seem to drift away. The monitors are gone, the whirling of machines fading. The faint smell of antiseptic is replaced by wet grass and stone. Arthur’s voice softens, distant now. "You never stopped visiting, You just couldn’t bear to see it clearly." You look down. There’s no hand to hold — only a cold granite edge beneath your fingers. [[Realize where you are->GoodCont]]

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/IMG_3520.png"> The window is open. You always hated this view. It seemed insulting. [[Close it.->CloseWindow]] [[Leave it.->Leaveit]]

You lean closer to the display, as if the small green digits might give you the answer to all your problems. Nothing does. Everything is fine. Everything is ending. “Always fixing things. Why do you waste your time with something you can't control?” he says, a cough interrupting him. You hear the smile in his voice though, knowing that his words come from a place of pure fondness and nothing more. [[Ignore him.->Ignore]] [[Pause, then reach for his hand->SitHand]]

The machines hum. Arthur’s breathing slows, barely audible now. You keep your eyes fixed on the display until the sound steadies — and then falters. You don’t move. You don’t speak. You just stand there as the line flattens into silence. [[Fade.->BadFade]]

The whirling sounds of man-made machines fade, swallowed by the sound of rain. You close your eyes. You'll just... try again tommorow. The world around you blurs. You can feel the colors shifting into something new from under your eyelids as you stand there with your eyes squeezed shut. A desperate attempt at hiding from the inevitable that you know is waiting for you. [[Open your eyes.->BadCont]]

You’re standing outside. Rain drips from your sleeves. The air smells like wet soil. There’s no hospital behind you... only rows of stone markers, stretching across the hill. Your shoes sink into the mud but they have already been stained brown by many visits back here. There will be more stains tomorrow. [[Look out and on->Grave]]

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/bad%20ending"> You withdraw from looking down and addressing what's at your feet. Rain slides down the stone surface, tracing those same letters you refuse to read. Your eyes hold a stare just above it, on the dark line of trees beyond the cemetery fence. The forest rises in silence with black trunks in the shifting mist. You focus on it, anything but what’s in front of you. You tell yourself the world is still moving. That somewhere out there, things are alive. You never look down. Maybe you will tomorrow.

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/IMG_3519.png"> Rain starts to let up. Like it's leaving with the hospital that was just here moments ago. You’re kneeling in front of a gravestone. The inscription reads something you know by heart. Your hand trembles as you trace the letters. The warmth you thought you felt is gone, replaced by the chill of night air. [[Listen one last time.->FinalTalkwithDad]] [[Stand and leave.->ExitCemetery]]

You rest your forehead against the stone. "I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me," you whisper. The rain answers in soft percussion against the earth. You close your eyes. "I came back, Dad. I didn’t forget this time." For a moment, you think you hear his voice again... gentle, forgiving. Then only the last drops of rain falling from leaves. [[Leave alone.->ExitCemetery]]

You rise, brushing rain from your coat. The cemetery is silent except for the life of the forest and slight wind that refuses to end despite the rain's disappearance. As you turn to leave, you glance back one last time. The headstone gleams faintly as though smiling.

"How's this place been treating you?" You ask gently, after some time has passed. Arthur chuckles, low and dry. "Better now that you’re here. I thought you’d stopped visiting." [[Shake head and reassure.->Continuewarm]] [[Bring up the rain again.->WarmthCont]]

You mention the rain outside. A convenient change in subject for you. Arthur smiles faintly. "You always liked the rain, didn’t you? Even when it ruined your shoes as a kid and came home all covered in mud." Something feels wrong. You don’t remember ever telling him that. [[You were there?->GoodPath]]

(text-colour:#666)[//"What will you do with all those numbers once I'm gone?"//] He's talking but you don't seem to listen. If you could just prevent the ending that has replayed over and over again in your mind. This time could be different. It would be. It had to be. Just a few more tests to keep him going just a little bit longer. [[Work consumes you.->IgnoreCont]] [[Come to your senses->ComeBack]]

A wave of emotions hits you like a truck. So much so that you gently grab onto the bed to steady yourself. What are you doing. Nothing ever changes when it goes like this. [[Take his hand.->SitHand]]

Arthur watches you closely. "You don’t remember, do you? The hospital lights. The call you missed." The facade is breaking and he begins to sound like your own thoughts. You shake your head. A headache forming behind your eyes, digging into your temple. He sighs. "It’s all right. We all forget, sometimes. But you came back." "Don't be so hard on yourself." The beeping slows. The light shifts. Is it really a hospital room? The rain is... //so// much louder. [[Come back.->FadeGood]]

You close the window like you always do. [[Check monitors.->Monitor2]]

Wait you always close the window. Why leave it open now? If its closed, you don't have to look at that damn view anymore. A voice snaps you back... being so fixated on a view that you can't change when you could just focus on something right in front of you. [[Check in with him.->SitHand]]

(set: $rain to false) 6:23 am. January 22nd 2019. Just 2 more hours of your shift left. 2 more hours until that drive home. Maybe the weather will clear up by then. (link: "Check Clipboard.")[(goto: "Clipboard")] (link: "Check Locker")[(goto: "Locker")]

Everything seems to be how it usually is... That top shelf really needs to be dusted and sometimes it makes a creaking noise when you open the door. My coat seems to be missing, must have left it in the breakroom or something. [[Photos.->Photos]] [[Trinkets.->Trinkets]] [[Flowers.->Flowers]] [[Back to hall.->Midway]]

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/cardashboard"> A collection of things usesless junk you've collected over the years and displayed on the topshelf. Some of them them given by family, others by patients. It feels bad to just throw them out. [[Photos.->Photos]] [[Flowers.->Flowers]] [[Back to hall.->Midway]]

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/photos"> There's a collection of photos on the inner door of your locker. Coworker parties, pictures of mom, pictures of dad. It's nice to have the facade of human pressence during the late night shifts like this. [[Trinkets.->Trinkets]] [[Flowers.->Flowers]] [[Back to hall.->Midway]]

You shut the locker and shift your focus back to work. (link: "Check Clipboard.")[(goto: "Clipboard")]

<img src="https://file.garden/Zv2rdAp6PRvVkwfm/flowers"> You always bring a spare bouquet of flowers into work with you for the people who don't get visitors often. It seems odd but it's just a habit that feels normal at this point. [[Photos.->Photos]] [[Trinkets.->Trinkets]] [[Back to hall.->Midway]]

“When I get out of here,” he says, very matter of factly, like he knows without a doubt that hes getting out of here. “we’re going fishing. First thing. No excuses this time.” He lifts a hand, like he can already feel sunlight warming it. “I used to take my little girl there,” he continues. “Every summer. Dawn till dark... She always wanted to hold the line herself. Said she could feel the fish thinking.” He smiles at the memory, a proud, private smile. “You were just like that,” he murmurs. A beat passes. “When I’m better,” he repeats, settling back into his pillow, “we’ll go. Just like the old days.” His hand rests on the blanket, palm open, like he’s waiting for someone small to put their hand in his again. [[Change the subject->Warmth]]

Arthur chuckles to himself, the sound is rough like hes struggling to get it out. “You remember that show...” he says. “The one with the spinning wheel?" You sit there, knowing he'll get it eventually so you just nod and listen carefully. He shakes his head fondly, then squints, uncertain for a moment. “What was it called? With the...the prizes. And the lady with the red jacket. Or was it blue…” His voice trails off. A gentle frown creases his brow, as if the memory has slipped just out of reach. [[Remind him->GameCont]] [[Change the subject->Warmth]]

"I think it was called something dumb like Wheel of Prizes. They were very literal with their names back then." You laugh, thinking back a bit in your own life. "I remember my dad used to tell me that if I stared hard enough, I could control the wheel with my own mind." That little tradition had carried with you to your adult life, as you often found yourself staring at things wishing they would change. Arthur laughs again, softer now. “I always said I’d go on that show someday. Win a great big boat.” He pauses. “We never did get that boat, did we?” His eyes linger on you like he’s waiting for the answer to come from your face instead of his mind. [[Change the subject->Warmth]]

"I never stopped," you whisper. "I just.. it’s hard sometimes." Arthur smiles faintly. "It’s been hard for both of us. But you came back. That’s what matters." [[Pause and breath.->GoodPath]]