Chiara bursts into endless tears upon seeing the finished dress.

"It's beautiful...and it's so pink!" She runs her hands through the skirt made out of tulle and traces her fingers along the beads embroidered along the bodice. She looks up in awe at the nurse who is holding the dress across from her. "Did this take you all night to make?"

Adrien beams at her then glances at the doctor who is busying herself with reading through the patient's charts, though he knows that she is overhearing their conversation. "I had someone important who helped."

Doctor DC eventually found out about Adrien lying to the ICU nurse regarding the visiting agreement of Roland but she decided to play along with it instead of calling out his lie, something the nurse is very thankful for.

"Did...did my dad really design this dress?" Chiara cannot take her eyes off the dress.

"I tried remembering most of its design, but yes, he told me that he has always wanted to make a dress for you."

Chiara purses her lips and breaks into tears again, hiding her face from the nurse.

Adrien grows worried. He brings his head down to check if she's okay. "Chiara? I-If ever you're worried with the fact that I went out of my way to do this, you don't have to be!"

She shakes her head, finding herself chuckling lightly with the nurse's words despite her tears. "No, no. I'm...I'm just really thankful for what you are doing for my dad. How could I ever repay you?"

"You don't have to. As long as we make your father happy, you do not need to repay me with anything."

Chiara breaks off into a half smile. "Let's make his last days here worth it, then."

She decided to sign the DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) papers a day ago. It brought pain to her when she signed them, but Chiara told the nurse that it hurts more for her father. She does not want to prolong his pain, it would be inhumane to do so out of her selfish desires.

After putting on the dress, Chiara comes out of the washroom and presents herself to Adrien and the other nurses in the ICU (they have grown used to his presence in the area almost every day). Doctor DC also notices the small show Chiara is putting out and becomes intrigued with the newbie's neat handiwork.

Chiara pats down the skirt a bit then bites her lip, nervously smiling at them. "Well?" She starts off uneasily, "what do you think?"

Adrien could only stare at the dress that perfectly fits the body of the woman. It encapsulates her figure that shows a daring kind of modesty which is ironic, yet fitting at the same time.

The blond nurse could only murmur under his breath, "Your father is clearly a genius in the world of fashion design."

"I'll tell him that when I see him in a few moments from now."

Doctor DC takes a step forward and pulls out the hairtie holding up her ponytail, making her hair cascade down her shoulders. "We should fix your hair to match the dress then, Chiara." She hands the tie to the woman.

Chiara thanks the doctor then takes it, and fixes her hair into a neat ponytail. She takes a few seconds to run her fingers through her hair, tucking in any of the stray strands of hair. After letting out a deep breath, she gazes at Adrien. "Nurse, will you stay with me inside his room?"

Adrien smiles at her. "Of course, Chiara."

The daughter then turns to Doctor DC and asks, "Will you also accompany us, doctor?"

Doctor DC feels Adrien's gaze on her through the corner of her eyes, though she keeps her eyes on Chiara. "If that is what you want, then I will be there in the same room." The doctor makes sure to grab three new masks from the box on the counter and hands one each to the nurse and Chiara.

The three put them on, adjusting them to make sure their noses and mouths are covered. The doctor instructs the other ICU nurses before entering the room, "Make sure to give us around 15 to 20 minutes alone. If ever there are any of Roland's doctors who want to check up on him, inform me. Got it?"

"Yes, doctor."
"Noted, doctor."

The ICU nurses answer, complying to her request.

Doctor DC smirks at them even if she knows that they won't see it since it is hidden behind her mask. She rests a hand on Chiara's shoulder and gently gives it a squeeze. "Are you ready?" She quietly asks.

Chiara nods at her and whispers, "Let's do it."

"Remember, Chiara, you can always tell us when you would want to step out, okay?" Nurse Adrien reassures her.

"I'll tell you, but I'll also do my best to stay strong for my dad."

The door opening grabs Roland's attention, making him look directly at who is entering his room this time.

Just when he thought that it was another doctor doing their rounds or a nurse who needs to check if they need to change his diaper, his eyes widen when he sees that it's his daughter wearing...the dress he has always dreamed of making for her.

Chiara sees how her father quietly reacted to her dress. She walks nearer to him and once she arrives by his bedside, she takes his hand and intertwines their fingers together. "Do you like the dress, papa?" The daughter murmurs.

Roland could only nod quietly before tears start to spill out of his eyes. They fall down his face silently and Chiara reaches out her other hand to gently wipe them away with her thumb. "You are such a good designer, papa. Mama was right. She said that your designs were always phenomenal, better than those that we see in fashion shows." She cups his cheek and Roland moves his head a bit to lean into the touch of the daughter he finally got to reunite with only days ago.

Nurse Adrien has to look away again, his heart still aches every time he sees his patient. And it hurts all the more when he sees the tears he sheds, one of the only things he can do. Adrien knows how much he wants to talk to his daughter and what a cruel reality it is for Roland to have that taken away from him.

The doctor, on the other hand, chooses to continue to watch the interaction between the father and daughter. It causes this kind of longing she knows she can never get back. If she cannot live through such an experience again, the closest thing she can get is from seeing something similar to it.

"Papa," Chiara begins again, "mama left us earlier...so it makes me happy to know that you'll see her again. Every day until she passed away, she always told me how much she misses you so much."

Roland squeezes his eyes shut and cries all the more, badly missing his wife. Scared that it might cause a strain to his heart, Chiara continues, "But we don't hate you. We never did." She gives her father's hand a squeeze and he opens his eyes to look at his daughter again. "That's why I'm here," her voice cracks as tears start to well up in her eyes, "I-I may be late...but I'm here, wearing this beautiful dress you made only for me."

Roland gently lets go of the hold on his daughter's hand and weakly reaches out to touch her dress. He is amazed to see his biggest dream become a reality, and feels lucky enough to see it before he leaves this world.

Watching her father feel the fabric of her dress between his fingers, she whispers, "Nurse Adrien put this altogether for me. He remembered most of the design you showed him and worked hard on this. There are a lot of people here who want to make you happy, papa."

Upon hearing his name, the nurse gains the courage to look at Roland and finds it as a surprise to see him looking back. Roland's tearful gaze meets his and he nods as a way of showing his heartfelt gratitude.

Thank you, Nurse Adrien, my boy.

Nurse Adrien could only nod back or else his emotions will get the best of him.

You are very welcome...Roland.

Roland Leon passed away two days after. His body succumbed to sepsis and there was no way to save him.

It was a peaceful death. Chiara did not let go of his hand even when he let out his last breath. She gave him a long embrace as the doctors announced his official time of death.

Adrien was not there when he died, he had other duties that had to be taken care of. It was Doctor DC who informed him. He did not cry when he found out, he merely pursed his lips, thanked the doctor for telling him, and then muttered a short prayer for the eternal repose of the soul of Roland.

He wanted to make sure that he holds up well. Especially now that he is sitting across from Chiara at one of the empty tables in the hospital.

"I'm sorry for your loss. He's in my prayers every day, Chiara," the nurse tells her.

Chiara, dressed in black and with eyes that indicate how hard she has been crying for the past day, musters to smile at him. "Thank you. He is with mama now, so that gives me a sense of comfort," she whispers and exhales deeply. "If you have the time...you can always visit the wake. I'll write down the address for you."

The nurse nods, and lets his gaze fall to the table. "I would...appreciate that."

"My fiancé just arrived here after taking care of my work back at home. He's taking care of the wake now to give me time to meet with you again."

Adrien's curiosity grows despite the somber mood radiating off their meeting. He looks up at her to ask, "Is there something that you would like to discuss with me?"

The daughter only shakes her head slowly before reaching into her handbag and pulls out a folded piece of paper. She places it on the table and slides it in front of him. "I was going through my father's things. And he...he left something for you."

Adrien furrows his brows and picks up the piece of paper. He carefully unfolds it and once he sees its contents, he had to choke down a sob.

It's a piece of paper from Roland's sketchpad. On it are some pencil sketches of blouses with different designs, and there is even a design of a dress, which could pass as a summer dress, placed among the other designs.

At the edge of the bottom part of the paper, there is a short note written on it:

Nurse Adrien, my boy, these might look nice on the woman you like!

"My father must have took the time to draw those before he was brought to the ICU." Chiara half smiles at the nurse who was still gaping at the piece of paper he is holding in front of him. "My father lived a miserable life all alone...and even if I do not want to feel it, I regret not finding him sooner. So, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking care of him and letting him pass away with good memories."

Adrien could only look sadly at the drawing of the designs again. He swallows down a lump in his throat and forces out a smile to show to Chiara. "You are very welcome," he whispers.

------------

He rushes in the same storage room Manon showed him, where there is a corner for the nurses to cry when work takes a toll on them.

Adrien crutches down to his knees at the corner and starts to break down, crying. He clasps a hand over his mouth to keep the noise at bay. He wouldn't want anyone walking in at this exact moment.

His other hand is holding the folded piece of paper and he clutches tightly onto it, bringing it to his chest.

The loss of a patient's life was something they tackled on during nursing school. But it's different when one is experiencing it for the first time. Adrien has to learn it the hard and painful way.

He continues to sob, not even bothering to wipe away the tears since such an action is useless when more would fall down his face. His shoulders shake as he cannot control his tears anymore.

Adrien knows that he does not want to be emotionally invested in his patient's lives, but he also knows that he cannot help it. It's his nature to always be there for other people, and it's his nature to grow empathetic for them in an instant.

The nurse truly hates the ache it gives to the body and mind. Even if he only knew Roland Leon for more than a week, he still did spend valuable time with him - time and experiences that can never be brought back.

This is his first death of a patient working as a nurse. Through his tears, he realizes that there will be more instances like this. This will not be the last death he will encounter. Will he continue to act like this after every death or will there come a time wherein he will get used to it like most of the doctors and nurses here?

He feels like he is the only one hurting here because he sees how the other workers with him are acting normally, like nothing has happened. That thought alone brings more sadness to him, causing him to cry all the more.

He sniffles and buries his head in his arm, drowning in his tears, that he only notices late the feeling of someone's hand gently rubbing his back.

Through his tears, he slowly looks up to see Doctor DC standing beside him with a blank expression on her face. She continues, making sure that her hand reaches down to rub his back, as her other hand goes through the supply of the different sizes of syringes in front of her.

The nurse instantly grows conscious and ashamed for breaking down in a storage room when he should be working. But the doctor does not say anything. She does not scold him nor even whisper a word at him. Doctor DC continues to rub his back, hoping to bring him comfort. And when she finally pulls out the syringe she's been looking for from its box, she leaves the storage room in silence - like as if a crying nurse was never there.

After he finishes his shift for the day, Adrien made sure to gain the strength to confront the doctor tonight regarding the storage room mishap.

He did not want her to see him in such a vulnerable state. He knows that none of the nurses should even be in such a state. They work in a hospital where death is an inevitable event, of course, one would always have to prepare to witness it.

Hence why he is standing in front of the doctor's apartment late at night, again. Adrien is ready to apologize for acting that way back at the hospital. He presses the button of the digital doorbell and fiddles with his fingers as he waits for the doctor to open her door. He hopes that it won't be her roommate or else things will get awkward between them.

The door flies open and Adrien meets the eyes of the doctor, already in her pajamas. Instead of glaring at him, this time the doctor looks low-spirited. She does not greet him as she stands at the doorway, separating the nurse from her apartment.

The nurse immediately goes straight to apologizing, "I-I'm sorry if I wasn't acting normal back at the hospital. I promise...I promise that I'll be well tomorrow. I-I just want to know how I should act normal? Should I learn how to be stoic like everyone else-"

The doctor suddenly pulls him down to wrap her arms around his neck. Adrien freezes due to the sudden close proximity, but it does not stop Marinette from making sure that she keeps a tight hold onto him.

"Doctor?" He questions quietly.

The doctor whispers, "We are all hurting."

Adrien's face falls when he hears those words.

"It is not only you who is mourning over his death," she continues and draws back a bit to peer into his eyes, starting to well up with tears. "So, it's okay to cry...you can cry, and I'll comfort you."

His lips quiver before bursting into soft cries which eventually become a bit louder. Adrien rests his head on the doctor's shoulder and even wraps his arms around her waist as he sobs into their embrace.

And for a few minutes, they stay that way with the doctor continuously rubbing the nurse's back in hopes of comforting his heavy heart full of grief.

"Here. Drink some water." Marinette places a glass of water on the coffeetable in front of where Adrien is seated on the sofa.

She invited him in when he wouldn't utter a word, even when he stopped crying. The doctor knows that he is in no state to be alone and ruminate over his feelings. If he has no one to talk to about them, then she will act as that person.

In a daze, Adrien reaches out to grab the glass and brings it to his lips, sipping only a bit of it before placing it back on the table. "Is your roommate here?" He quietly asks.

"Alya?" Marinette sits, taking up the space beside him. "She's sleeping out tonight. So, it's just me."

He nods and keeps his eyes downcast, looking at his hands clasped together on his lap.

Marinette notices his still sullen mood and places a hand on top of the nurse's left knee. "Everyone is affected. Even if you see the rest working like it's a normal day, they still have Roland in their thoughts. He is in mine, too."

"Are you used to it, doctor?" Adrien whispers then looks up to meet the eyes of the doctor, "All those...deaths?"

She answers truthfully, "I wish I wasn't."

Adrien only blinks and his lips part to say something, but he stops himself midway. "I...I see," he murmurs instead, looking back down on his lap. The doctor's hand is still resting on top of his knee.

"No matter how hard you work, there are still lives you cannot save," the doctor starts, "But no matter how much you hate your helplessness, you can never give up on your desire to save patients. I saw that from you for these past weeks." From resting her hand on his knee, she raises it to gently hold underneath his chin. She moves his face to look at her then cups her hand on his cheek. The bold move from her causes both of their hearts to beat erratically against their chests. "You did what any human should be capable of doing..." she murmurs, "giving comfort to the lonely."

"I want to be like you, doctor," Adrien confesses, "I want to not feel afraid like you."

Marinette tilts her head, letting out a soft chuckle under her breath. "I did not say that I was not afraid. I'm afraid every day, Adrien. These hands of mine can make such a small mistake which could lead to the death of a patient..."

"B-But you still do your job."

The doctor's other hand cups the other cheek of the nurse. Now with both hands on him, she pulls him a bit nearer to her then whispers with pure sincerity, "It's not about being unafraid. It's being afraid, yet still doing it anyway."

Adrien's face is completely flushing by now, and he's sure that she can feel it against her palms. But he does not let it mind him for a moment. Being with her now and feeling her genuineness is something that he will cherish forever.

"...do you mean every word you say, doctor?" He asks reluctantly.

"Sometimes one has to be real to truly mean what they say to another," she replies and smiles at him, "And what you are seeing now is only the truth."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Short chapter huhu.

I published a new book (it's an original novel) entitled 'Upside, Downside'. I hope you won't mind checking it out hehe. It makes me shy and nervous just thinking about it.

Also, I hope you liked the chapter :)

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