Secrets of the woods

The trip

Katerina POV

It was 4:45 am when I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock ringing. My shift wasn't until 6 and Cornerstone Hospital was only a 10-minute drive from my house. I don't take too much time when i shower and all my scrubs have been prepared to accommodate all 4 of my workdays this week so that gives me ample time to prepare breakfast. 

I used to skip breakfast before my mom made me understand how vital it is to eat before a shift. How will you take care of your patients if you ended up having a growling, or worse, upset stomach while on the job? I have so much respect for my mom that every time she tries to tell me something, I always make sure to take her advice. Since then, no breakfast has been skipped, except maybe on some occasion where it can't be helped.

After taking a shower, I put on a pair of scrubs and pinned my hair back so not a strand gets in front of my face. I put on some SPF cream and a little bit of tint just to highlight my lips then put on my rubber shoes before heading downstairs. The house was eerily quiet but i immediately shook off the feeling. I needed to get used to this and I can't keep moping around as if i wasn't going to see them anymore. I went to fry some bacon and had some toast and jam. It was still pretty early but I decided to head to the hospital since I no longer had anything else to do.

When I arrived in our department, I went directly to where my locker was so I can tuck my bag inside before i started working on the patients that were scheduled to have their scans taken at 6:30. I then found my co-worker Dave, sitting in a corner with his elbow propped on his knees and his hands holding his head. He kept rubbing his face back and forth as if he was highly bothered with something. Normally when I sense someone having a bad day, I try to steer clear from them as I understood their need for space. But something was compelling me to talk to him and see what was up, however in the end, i decided against it.

I made my way to the scan room and was already thinking of warming up the machines and review the charts to assess each patient's individual risks during the scan, I plan to take on as many patients as I can so Dave wouldn't have to do so much, it's the least i could do for him. When i got inside, I was surprised, to see a lot of my co-workers there together with our Chief who was surprisingly, a couple of hours early as his normal shift usually starts at 8.

"Hi Chief, everything okay at work?" I looked around trying to read the room. Some of them looked away and some seemed to be deep in thoughts.

"Hey Kat, good thing you came in early too. We need to discuss something."

"Oh, what's it about?"

"Dave's wife gave birth yesterday."

"...is everything alright?"

"His wife had problems delivering the baby and unfortunately, she hasn't woken up until now. The baby also has a lot of health problems so he's currently in the NICU." My heart instantly sank. So that was why Dave seemed to be crying earlier in the locker room.

"How can we help him?

"Well, he asked to be given more overtime work as he will need a lot of money for both his wife and baby's medication..." He trailed.

"However, we only have a few slots for overtime this month since nobody requested any vacation leave. So yeah, I'm asking around to see if anyone had any unforeseen plans so i can make some changes on his work schedule."

The meeting went on for the next 20 minutes. We have such a wonderful working environment in our department and everyone wanted to see how we could help Dave. By the time our Chief concluded the meeting, he told us to approach him should any of us decide to use our vacation leave this month.

_________________

It was lunch break so i decided to head to the cafeteria. I was deep in thought when Ryan came to sit on the chair across me. 

"Hey hun, i heard about Dave." He said sincerely. 

"I know. I'm actually thinking of using a couple of my leave credits so I could give him the extra shifts he needs." It's true that I wanted to help him get more shifts, i just needed time to think first as to how I'm going to spend my days now that I'm living alone. 

Before, my parents use to be who i spend my days off whenever Ryan and I don't make any plans. I used to go with them for their doctor's appointments, document processing, and grocery shopping. So now I just needed an itinerary before I go tell the Chief I'm planning to use my leave credits for the rest of my shifts this week.

"You know what? That would be perfect!" Ryan exclaimed gleefully.

"What?"

"I mean darling, i came here to file for an emergency leave. We were overstaffed anyway given that the hospital is not too busy these days, so our department head didn't really mind and gave me the rest of the week off... and if you are giving away your remaining shifts, that would mean you're free for the next 6 days right?"

"Right. But honey, what is this about you going on an emergency leave? Is everything alright at home?"

"Oh everything's fine hun! It wasn't really an emergency-emergency. It was more of an abrupt leave so we can go to this celebration in the countryside where we have relatives and also, there was just no other term available for my case." He said, excitement building-up in his voice. "Sooo, i was thinking, since you plan to take the week off too, you should come with us! You know, breathe fresh air, appreciate what nature has to offer, celebrate life!" 

A trip to the countryside? Oh my, yes please! Ryan was right, this was, indeed, perfect!

"Well if your family doesn't mind, then I would love to go with you dear!"

"Of course they won't! You're practically the daughter-in-law they wanted... if I didn't turn out to be gay!" We both laughed.

I didn't realize how much i needed a vacation until now. The idea of being somewhere where there are fewer people, cars, and buildings gave me a sense of peace. I don't really go on trips a lot. I'm usually content just staying at home, reading books of novels and poetry. I also have other friends besides Ryan, but I'm just not interested in their idea of unwinding so that's the reason why i mostly keep to myself. 

"Okay, so when do we go?" I asked Ryan.

"Yeahh, about that... We're actually going today hun, will you be able to ask your chief to let you go earlier? It would be great if I could pick you up at your house by 1. I just need to go home and get my things before I pick you up." My mouth was now hanging open in shock. This was too sudden!

"I'm pretty sure chief would be okay with that but really? Ryan? an hour? An hour to pack 6 days' worth of clothing?" Ryan was now laughing hysterically because I called him by his first name. I only did that when I'm dead serious about warning him not to do something or when I can't believe something he says.

"Yes, hun! I'm serious! But i understand your dilemma though. So how about I'll go get my things and arrive earlier so I can at least help you pack some of your stuff."

"Okay." I agreed. The longer we talk about this the less time I'll have to pack.

I went straight to our chief's office and told him about my plans. He was more than happy to let me go. 

By the time i left work, it was already a little over 11:30. This is good, I'll still have a full hour to pack when i get home. 

Ryan arrived 30 minutes after i did and true enough, he made the whole packing of stuff faster. I brought all different types of clothing because I didn't have an idea what kind of celebration we'll be attending and what kind of places we'd decide on exploring. Ryan also made sure to throw in some heels which was a little bit over the top for me. I raised my brow at him and said "Really? we're going to the countryside and you're bringing heels?" He rolled his eye and chuckled.

"Darling, it's better to be ready than sorry. You already brought all sorts of clothing, why not some heels?"

"Because there isn't a gown among all those clothing included?" I answered sarcastically. He just waved his hand off and proceeded to close my bag.

At exactly 1 pm, an older man, probably around his 50's came to knock on our doorstep. Ryan said we'd be riding with him since his parents already went ahead earlier.

"Hello, Rich! Good to see you still snapping!" The old man chuckled heartily then shook his head. Once we got into his truck, I learned that Rich has been their go-to driver whenever they had to go somewhere far. He was a pleasant man and I could tell how much he loved his job. He basically became our tour guide! Whenever we reached a new town he would tell us of all the great places we'd find in the area. It was a very long trip but Rich made it fun and a little bit educational as he would also give us history lessons whenever we pass by a town where there is one.

After almost 4 hours, we finally arrived at this town called Dale Springs which was located really, really far from civilization. I remember we had to get off the main road and followed a rough path throughout the mountains. We have not even passed any houses for miles now. Rich has been here a couple of times so he was pretty much familiar with the road. So this was the reason why we had to leave as early as possible, it'd be dangerous to cross these paths in the night. 

When we finally got through the mountains, my eyes couldn't believe what they saw. This had to be the most beautiful town i have ever seen! The town is right in the middle of really huge, green, glorious mountains!

"Oh my God, this is spectacular! Why haven't i heard about this place from you before?" I questioned Ryan in disbelief.

"Ha-ha, well maybe because i too have not been here hun! OH.MY.GOD.KAT. Ready your outfits darling because we are going to take pictures in every corner of this heavenly place!"