The hospital was always busy. Some months were busier than others but there was never a shortage of sick people in the world.
Among those people, there were two types- the kind that listened to the doctor and got better quickly and the kind that liked to do the opposite for whatever reason. Dealing with the first kind was a blessing but the second kind were more frequent in variety and so diverse that they all had their own reasons for disobeying. Being a star doctor at the hospital meant empathizing with all these different kinds of people and helping them live with good health and-
"Screw this nonsense! If they're going to be like this then what did I quit smoking for?!"
"Doctor please lower your voice." Nurse Emmy pleaded. The doctor was good work-wise but wasn't a fan of people which made their days eventful to say the least. Just yesterday, she had stunned a patient by swearing so much that the patient actually took their medication on time. That was lucky for them because if the patient had gotten mad or worse- threatened to sue them- then they would have had quite a lot of damage control to do.
"So how many more rascals who went against me are left on the list?"
"Um..." Emmy took a look at the list in front of her. The doctor was a bit difficult but kind- somewhere deep in her heart. She made lists of patients who had rebelled against her orders or gotten themselves in trouble and made sure to set them straight but Emmy couldn't help but feel like the list looked more like a hit list that the mafia put out.
"We're dealing with most of them but the college student is still missing."
"Right, what's his name again?"
"Rahey."
The doctor tapped the railing thoughtfully. They were standing on the roof of the building which was where the doctor came to relieve tension and to ponder. The day was slower than others so they could afford to go upstairs and although Emmy didn't necessarily want to be up there playing the role of assistant to the maniac, she still considered the doctor to be a trustworthy co-worker.
"He's the one who overdosed, right?" The doctor frowned. Bad memories, perhaps. "Any contact information?"
"He didn't leave anything behind. We had his parents number but I think you remember how that went."
There was silence and only the sound of the wind blowing. The world below was a cityscape full of buildings and people. The doctor had interesting facial expressions as she thought- sometimes her eyebrows were knit together in frustration and at other times it looked like she had achieved enlightenment.
"Oh!" Emmy suddenly remembered something, "But there was some guy matching his description who asked for directions to Resain's college."
The doctor didn't reply immediately so she wondered if she shouldn't have mentioned it but then the doctor turned to her, her shoes loud against the rooftop. "Damn that's brilliant, Emmy. I knew I could count on you to go around searching for gossip!"
"Er..." Well it was gossip but it was what they needed.
"Do I have tomorrow off?"
"You should, it's your grandmother's death anniversary after all-"
"Then call up Resain's college. I'll be visiting."
Emmy's jaw dropped. "Huh?" The doctor had been very close to her late grandmother so she would usually take the day off but now she was going after some random kid who didn't sign the necessary paperwork?
"Well I should." The doctor said with a sigh walking to the door that led into the building. She was already raring to go back to work. "I mean if not me then who else is going to go? All these idiots in the world who don't know how to look after themselves really..."
And her voice was already fading away as she was going down the stairs. It was Emmy's turn to sigh. The somewhat mad doctor who always walked ahead without noticing if anyone was even there was actually kind too in her own way- stupidly kind, one might even say.
***
Azil woke up to someone patting his arm. His eyes struggled to adjust to the sunlight that was pouring through the windows and he looked up with half-closed eyes to see the barista looking at him with disdain.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" She asked and he remembered the events of the previous night. The table was covered with textbooks and papers in a disorganized mess and a quick glance at the world outside made it evident that it was already morning and he was probably late again.
He thanked the barista for waking him up, gathered all his things in a rush and then ran out of the cafe without any clear direction or purpose. He supposed that his stupidity was the root of all the messes he had dragged himself into. Somehow, he ended up retracing the steps from last night and reached the college.
His body was aching from sleeping in an uncomfortable position and because he had barely gotten any proper rest but eventually he climbed up the stairs and shuffled to the room where he had written his exam.
However when he flung open the door, the room was empty save for Professor Lyne and three students sitting and writing something.
"And that's why you should always cite check-" Professor Lyne was saying, suddenly trailing off upon seeing Azil.
"Rahey? Why are you here?"
"Um...for class?"
The Professor shot him a look that meant he was not very happy to be seeing him and Azil winced a little.
"It's 9 in the morning and my class with you is at 11. I'm glad that you're showing more enthusiasm in attending my class but I would like if you could do the same with your other Professors."
"Huh?" Azil stood there disoriented and unsure of what to do. The three other students looked confused as well because they had stopped working and were giving each other questioning looks instead.
The Professor sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialed a number, giving Azil a look every now and then while talking to the person over the phone.
'You called for him yesterday, right? I didn't get the call because I was conducting the exam...he didn't show up to his classes? He's absent?! No...No I'm telling you he's right here. Someone wants to meet him?"
The fast paced conversation kept going on and Azil couldn't really follow what they were talking about when the Professor finally moved the phone away from his ear and put it back in his pocket.
"Go to the administrations office. There's someone who wants to meet you." His tone had changed from perplexity to something more concerned.
"You know where it is, right?"
"Um..."