Rosewood Hospital 4

"Time will heal all wounds." It was one of the sayings I admired most, and it came to my mind as I reflected on my situation. Over time, the employees at the hospital began to change their attitude towards me. Many became friendly, except for two individuals.

They were a pair of nurses who had spoken to me on my first day at the hospital. Initially, they were quite amicable, but their attitude gradually turned negative. "You are from the town and can leave anytime you want, but we?" one of the older nurses would mutter repeatedly. I couldn’t quite grasp what she meant by that.

"They’re insane, doctor," a young nurse whispered to me one day after overhearing the older nurse’s comments.

One evening, a few staff members came to my office. The two older nurses happened to be out of the hospital that day. I was ready to listen. After hearing their accounts, I realized there was something deeper going on than I had imagined. According to them, the two older nurses were peculiar and responsible for many inexplicable incidents occurring in the hospital. I struggled to agree with their perspective. Surely, there could be other reasons for the nurses' rude behavior. They were both single, seemingly isolated, and partially ostracized by society.

This new understanding of the people around me gave me a renewed sense of purpose. In particular, the young nurse who had confided in me stood out. Her name was Clara, a recent addition to the department. She was from the town and exhibited the demeanor of someone accustomed to urban life. I found myself drawn to her, but professional ethics held me back—though I suspected it was only a matter of time before those boundaries blurred.

The older nurses seemed to notice this shift long before I did, and perhaps that was another reason Clara became their arch-nemesis. Despite my efforts to make the older nurses aware of their responsibilities and position within the hospital, I could never fully get through to them. They would listen, nod, and then revert to their usual abrasive behavior.

I felt ashamed of myself—powerless and lacking courage. Yet, amidst my frustration, I harbored a certain respect for those two women deep in my soul. It was a strange and unexplainable emotion, a mix of fear and awe. I couldn’t understand it fully, but I had an unshakable feeling that something strong and ominous was looming.

And so, I waited...