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Quietly, Doc just escorted Chris to the room where Midori lay resting. The attending nurse was a bit nervous with the stranger but since Doc was escorting him, she said nothing of it.
"How is she?" Doc asked of her.
"No change," she answered.
Doc just clenched his lips together and nodded.
"We'll just be a minute," he said, "and yes, I know, she's not my patient."
The nurse just smiled and left the two men to their business.
Doc picked up her chart. Her vitals remained steady and the hemorrhaging was healing but she still remained asleep.
"We argued the night before," Doc explained dejectedly, "I feel responsible. She felt I spend too much time playing peacemaker." He sighed and hung his head, "maybe she's right. No, she IS right." He sighed again and shook his head, "Ah hell I don't know."
"Now, all I can do is visit, read a few stories," he continued as he picked up a book from a desk nearby, "Spoon River Anthology, a classic from long ago. I read it when I can, trying to bring the life out of each person read about."
For a moment, it was as if he forgot that Chris was there as he began reading the characters of Emily Sparks and Willie Metcalf. As he finished the latter, he remembered and put the book back.
The two men would eventually leave the room and back towards a lonely area of the lobby.
![[Image: 7Md2x4D.png]](https://i.imgur.com/7Md2x4D.png)