Chapter 12 — No tears. Just gloves.

8:05 a.m. — elidora hospital, general medicine ward

The day had barely begun, but already, the air of the ward felt heavy with tiredness in advance.
Dana noctielle walked through the automatic doors with a steaming cup of coffee in hand, hair still damp from her morning shower she hadn’t slept much but she walked as always upright, alert, focused barely a sip in, a nurse's aide called to her from the front desk:

“Doctor noctielle, there’s a trainee waiting for you. she’s already crying a little.”

Dana raised an eyebrow.

“Great…”

She dropped her bag against the wall, exhaled once, and walked to the desk.

She spotted her immediately thin, almost fragile arms crossed like an improvised shield, eyes shining with held-back tears a white coat two sizes too big hung on her like ill-fitted armor Dana approached, expressionless.

 “Name?”

“A-aurélia… second year medical student…”

“You’re shaking.”

“I… i’m afraid of making mistakes. of hurting someone. of… disappointing.”

Silence Dana set her coffee on the nearest tray table she stepped forward not threatening just… real.

“listen carefully, aurélia here, patients can smell fear like a scent and you, you reek of panic from five kilometers away.”

Aurélia blinked, disoriented.

“S-sorry…”

Dana raised two fingers.

“You have two options one take a deep breath, swallow your tears, and learn two you clean toilets all day.”

“What?”

“No blood, no responsibility. just latex gloves and bleach.
your choice.”

Aurélia swallowed her sob her shoulders lifted slightly.

“…I want to try.”

Dana nodded, already reaching for her coffee.

“Good. first test take a patient’s blood pressure without breaking the cuff.”

They entered a room a patient greeted them with a toothless, cheerful smile.

Aurélia took out the device her hands shook, but she tried she approached the bed.

“Stop,” cut dana.“start over breathe.”

Aurélia lowered the cuff closed her eyes. Inhaled.

“You’re not handling a bomb. you’re treating a human.”

She nodded, opened her eyes again, and resumed movements slower more assured.

“one-twenty over seventy. pulse seventy-six.”

Dana checked the screen.

“Correct not bad.”

A discreet blush rose to aurélia’s cheeks she gave a shy smile a real one.

Late morning, they were cleaning tools in the sterilization room hot water ran the scent of disinfectant was almost comforting.

“You know, dana i’ve always wanted to be a doctor but i don’t feel… strong enough.”

Dana dried an instrument, then gently placed it aside.

“that’s normal want the truth? no doctor is, at the start but we learn, we fall and we get back up.”

Aurélia hesitated.

“And if i fail?”

Dana looked at her no pity in her eyes but real warmth.

“Then you try again and if you cry… i’ll hand you the gloves.”

Aurélia burst out laughing.

"I don’t want to scrub toilets.”

“There you go now yo_u’re ready.”

In the hallway  later on, Dana was taking a break, leaning against the tea machine, pen tucked in her hair Rae, in a colorful coat, stopped in front of her, arms crossed.

“You traumatized another trainee?”

“I woke her up. big difference.”

Rae raised an eyebrow.

“You say that like you’re not a little proud.”

Dana took a slow sip of tea a discreet smile, barely perceptible, tugged at her lips.

“She stopped shaking she even smiled.”

Silence.

“I think i’m allowed to be proud, right?”

End of chapter 12 — No tears. Just gloves.