THE PATIENT IN ROOM 17

Chapter two

THE PATIENT IN ROOM 17

CHAPTER TWO: THE MAN WHO WOULDN'T TALK

The following morning, Natalia Williams arrived at St. Augustine Medical Centre earlier than usual.

She had barely slept. Daniel Carter's question from the previous day kept returning to her mind.

Do you believe people can start over?

She wondered what he was hiding, but she reminded herself that he was her patient, and her responsibility was to care for him.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Grace, her colleague, greeted her at the nurses' station.

"Sleepyhead? I'm the first person here!"

"Exactly. That's suspicious."

Natalia laughed. "You're impossible."

Grace grinned. "And you're acting strangely. Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Nothing at all."

"Fine. I'll find out eventually."

Natalia shook her head and headed toward Room 17.

Daniel was awake, sitting against his pillows with a book resting on his lap.

"Good morning, Mr. Carter."

"Good morning, Nurse Williams."

"How are you feeling today?"

"Better."

She checked his vital signs before noticing his untouched breakfast.

"Why haven't you eaten?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Your body needs nourishment to recover. You can't get better by refusing to eat."

Daniel smiled faintly. "Do you always lecture your patients?"

"Only the stubborn ones."

For the first time, he laughed softly.

Natalia was surprised by how different he looked when he smiled. However, the expression disappeared almost immediately.

"Your condition is improving," she told him. "The doctor will review your progress today."

"Does that mean I'll be leaving soon?"

"That depends on your medical assessment."

He looked toward the window.

"Is something worrying you about going home?" she asked.

"No."

His answer came too quickly.

Before she could ask anything else, he spoke again.

"Have you ever stayed somewhere because you were afraid of what was waiting for you outside?"

Natalia paused.

"Sometimes, uncertainty is frightening," she answered carefully. "But avoiding a difficult situation doesn't always make it disappear."

Daniel lowered his eyes.

"That's what I thought."

He opened his book, silently ending the conversation.

Natalia left the room wondering what could frighten a man who seemed to have everything under control.

By noon, the hospital corridors were crowded with nurses, patients, and visitors.

Natalia was returning from the nurses' station when she heard an argument outside Room 17.

"I told you I'm here to see Daniel Carter!" a man snapped.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I need to confirm that he's ready to receive visitors."

Natalia approached them.

"Good afternoon. I'm Nurse Williams. May I help you?"

"I'm Michael, Daniel's friend."

Before she could respond, the door opened.

Daniel appeared, and his expression changed the moment he saw the visitor.

"Michael. What are you doing here?"

"I've been trying to see you for days. We need to talk."

"No."

Michael stared at him. "Daniel, don't be ridiculous."

"I said no."

"We need to discuss what happened."

Daniel's jaw tightened.

"Not here."

"Then where? You've been ignoring my calls!"

Natalia sensed that the conversation was becoming personal.

"I'll give you some privacy, Mr. Carter," she offered.

"Please stay," Daniel said unexpectedly.

She hesitated but remained near the doorway.

Michael stepped inside.

"You look better," he began. "Your family is worried about you."

Daniel said nothing.

"Your fiancée has been asking questions."

The room fell silent.

Daniel's expression hardened.

"Don't bring her into this."

"She's your fiancée, Daniel! She deserves to know what's happening."

"Not from you."

"Then stop hiding from everyone!"

"Enough!"

Daniel's voice echoed through the room.

Natalia stepped forward.

"Mr. Carter, please remain calm."

Daniel closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Michael shook his head.

"You haven't changed."

He turned toward the door.

"I'll come back when you're ready to behave like an adult."

"Don't bother."

Michael left without another word.

Natalia looked at Daniel. His hands trembled slightly as he reached for his glass of water.

"Would you like me to call your doctor?" she asked gently.

"No. I'm fine."

She knew he wasn't, but she respected his silence.

As she left the room, one word lingered in her mind.

Fiancée.

Daniel Carter was engaged.

She reminded herself that it was none of her business. She was his nurse, nothing more.

Later that afternoon, Natalia sat with Grace in the staff room.

"All right," Grace said, studying her. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing."

"That word again! You've been distracted all day."

Natalia sighed. "It's about a patient."

Grace raised an eyebrow. "A patient?"

"Don't make that face. I'm simply concerned about him."

"Of course."

Natalia ignored her teasing.

"He's recovering, but something is troubling him. Today, a friend visited him, and they argued about his fiancée."

Grace's expression changed.

"His fiancée?"

"Yes."

"And you're concerned because...?"

"Because something about the situation doesn't make sense!"

Grace leaned back in her chair.

"Then perhaps you should remember that whatever is happening in his personal life isn't yours to solve."

Natalia fell silent.

Grace was right.

She needed to maintain her professional boundaries.

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that Daniel's silence concealed something important.

That evening, Natalia returned to Room 17 to check on him before ending her shift.

Daniel was staring at his phone.

"Everything all right, Mr. Carter?"

He quickly turned the screen off.

"Yes."

She nodded and checked his chart.

As she prepared to leave, he called her name.

"Nurse Williams?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think someone deserves forgiveness even when they can't forgive themselves?"

Natalia studied him.

"I think everyone deserves the chance to make things right. But forgiveness doesn't erase the consequences of our choices."

Daniel looked away.

"Then perhaps some mistakes can never be corrected."

She wanted to ask what he meant, but he had already turned toward the window.

Natalia left the room with more questions than answers.

Just as she reached the nurses' station, her phone vibrated.

It was a message from an unknown number.

Stay away from Daniel Carter. You don't know who he really is.

Natalia stared at the screen.

Before she could respond, another message arrived.

Ask him what happened the night before his accident.

Her heart began to race.

She looked toward Room 17.

Behind the closed door, Daniel Carter was hiding a secret.

And somehow, someone believed she was getting dangerously close to discovering it.