Chapter Text
Maximilian was in love with her new life. It had now been three months since she graduated college and started her new job as an RN in the Anatol hospital. Anatol was a fairly quiet city with little to no crime, unless it had been brought in by criminals from other cities. Along with a serene horizon no matter the season, the mountains surrounding it had a multitude of wildlife inhabiting it.
Maximilian lived in a rented one bedroom home that was considered a “cottage,” along with her three cats Roy, Laura, and Ron. They were originally meant to catch the one guileful mouse back at the Croyso estate, one in which pest control couldn’t seem to catch either.
Consequently, both of their failed attempts caused Maximilian’s father, Ezion Croyso, to consider doing away with them. She would have never in a million years given up on those adorable cats as well, so she took them to college with her.
Today was a Friday night and although she enjoyed being a nurse helping everyone she could, this job proved quickly to be stressful at times.
It was also the day Maximilian had to work an extra shift after clumsily signing herself up for it by accident. Just earlier she was looking out for her replacement to clock in, but embarrassingly enough, her supervisor reassured her that there was absolutely no need.
The halls were much quieter at night, unless there was an emergency being brought in, so it was one less thing for her to complain about. Maximilian entered the room of her last patient for the night, Mr. Karon, who had been hospitalized after having a heart attack three days ago.
The only light in his room came from the dim lamp on the end table and the moon from outside his windows. The patient was propped up in his bed watching an older cooking show from the 70s with the volume past fifty.
“Mr. Karon, I’m sure everyone who passes by y-your room w-would know how to sauté m-mushrooms,” Maximilian jested. She put her medicine cart to the side, walked over to the tv and adjusted the volume a couple of numbers down, taking into consideration Mr. Karon's hearing abilities.
A slight smile was painted across his canvas face and proclaimed, “you jest, nurse Croyso, but these chefs made everyone’s dinner seem as if they came from heaven itself back in the good days.”
His statement elicited a bit of laughter from Maximilian. How could the good days have passed when she was currently living them?
“I-I see what you m-mean, Mr. Karon. Perhaps I s-should try out some of t-their recipes myself? You’ve m-made me curious to k-know what food from heaven t-tastes l-like,” Maximilian encouraged. She went back to her cart and rolled it to the side of the patient’s bed.
“Why of course! I myself have cooked the sautéd mushrooms and pasta primavera for my wife and I,” Mr. Karon explained.
He adjusted the brightness of the lamp just enough for Maximilian to read the label on the aspirin capsule, assuring that it’s for the right patient. After administering his medicine, she watched as Mr. Karon couldn’t help but show a grimace of pain.
“I k-know you don’t p-particularly like this, b-but think about your family, Mr. Karon. I’m s-sure they want to c-continue enjoying outdoor activities w-with you for as long as they c-can,” Maximilian proclaimed.
If it meant bettering his health, then she would come up with an infinite amount of reasons for him to continue taking his medicine, despite the pain that came with it.
“Yeah yeah, one more round of tennis and I’ll really take some years off the calendar,” Mr. Karon laughed.
“M-maybe you should try p-pickleball as an a-alternative? I’ve m-met a few o-other elders who play it w-weekly, and they s-say it’s good e-exercise,” said Maximilian.
She closed the capsule back while cleaning up the rest of the cart. After giving the nurse a slight grin, Mr. Karon gazed at the clock on the wall close to the tv and saw it read “9:18 PM.” Maximilian noticed too and thought about how her shift was coming to an end soon.
“Hmph, I’ll take it into consideration as long as you can sauté those mushrooms correctly,” said Mr. Karon.
Maximilian had only known him for four days, but because they had become close ever since, she could pick out the seriousness behind his jokes. This time Mr. Karon had turned off the lamp completely and continued watching his show. Him and Maximilian bid each other goodnight and she proceeded to exit the room.
In order to not leave early, Maximilian took her time returning the medicine cart, walking back to her room greeting the other healthcare providers, and packing her bag in her office.
It was a decent size and came with her own bathroom, that of which she was thankful for. There was one big window that didn’t encompass the entire wall, and the walls were all a cream color. Her desk had a gooseneck style lamp and mostly pictures of cats, along with friends from college she studied with.
She zipped up her bag and looked at the clock on the wall as it read “9:28 PM” and figured she could use those last two minutes walking to the timekeeping device where she’d clock out for the day.
Maximilian put her bag over her shoulder, flicked the light switch, and locked the door behind her as she exited her office. While on her way to the garage, the ambulance swiftly pulled into the drop-off area as the other medical professionals present swarmed in to help. They were loudly naming the patient’s injuries and saying how he had been in a car crash, all of which made her want to join and be of more help.
Maximilian decided to put her bag down on the closest counter and rushed in to help the others. Another nurse acknowledged her running in and told her to assist in transferring his body from the ambulance’s stretcher to the hospital’s.
She moved closer to the front and grabbed a hold of the man’s huge upper arm. Just from him laying down Maximilian could tell he was tall.
While doing so she had been observing his head injury as she and the other medical professionals successfully did such a small part of the job and began the move to the emergency room. They had been moving at a nimble pace, yet just enough for Maximilian to observe the new guy.
“Maybe I should’ve grabbed a coffee when I found out about this second shift,” Maximilian thought.
She and another nurse had done continuous monitoring of his severe injuries, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. A huge man with a stained uniform and a number of internal injuries had come into the hospital late at night, so she couldn’t help but try to figure out who he was.
For her, meeting new patients was one way she met the Anatolians whom she would be sharing a town with. As she observed his face more, the realization in her had finally clicked.
Maximilian already knew this man, yet she couldn’t remember where she had seen him before. It wasn’t some random used-to-be high school athlete that became her patient tonight, it was the sheriff of Anatol, Sheriff Calypse.