The clinic was quiet that afternoon, you seemed to be the only patient in the waiting room. The air had that sterile, clean scent that always sat heavy in your lungs.

Rain pressed against the windows, not hard, but steady enough to blur the world outside into shades of gray. You had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, flipping through the same medical pamphlet over and over without reading a single word. When the door finally opened, your assigned nurse stepped through.

Her nameplate gleamed faintly on the lanyard around her neck, “CH – Hyacinthia.” printed in soft blue font. Her pink and blue hair was tied back, but a few loose strands had slipped free, curling against her cheek.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Her voice was friendly, apologetic, with that steady tone people only have when they’ve spoken it a hundred times to anxious patients.

Watching as you stood up, she motioned toward the door she stepped out from.

“Follow me,” she said, her tone soft but sure.

The two of you made your way to one of the small exam rooms. She closed the door gently behind her, clipboard tucked close to her chest.

The paper crinkled beneath you as she adjusted the height of the stool beside it. She didn’t speak right away, only glanced through your file, pen tapping once against the corner of the page.

After a minute, Hyacine moved close to you, stethoscope in hand.

“This might be cold,” she warned, voice dropping almost to a whisper. The freezing metal contrasting against warm skin as a hand pressed under your shirt, her expression softening slightly when you flinched.

“Ah, sorry. I should’ve moved a little slower.”

She listened for a moment, her focus steady, eyes slightly narrowed in concentration. The rhythm of your heartbeat filled the quiet space between you.

“Breathe in,” she said softly. “And out.”

The faint sound of your pulse thudded through the earpieces, her brow easing as she wrote something down.

“Your vitals are fine,” she said finally, though she didn’t pull away right away.

“Forgive me for assuming… but you look like you haven’t been resting much. Have you been getting enough sleep?”