Beach, Life....

She laid on the bed and felt the sun on her face. Listened to the woosh hiss woosh noise of the waves rolling in and out. The sounds of them coming and going. She matched her breathing to them. Woosh her lungs would expand, hiss they would deflate. Relaxing on the beach. She could feel the sheet under her fingers. Woosh....hiss...

She tried to go deeper, relax even more, but somewhere close by there was a truck backing up. Beep, beep, beep...she wished they would finish what they were doing and leave.

Woosh...hiss...woosh...hiss....

beep

beep

beep

She tried again. She turned her face up a little to the sun. Catching the warmth. Relaxing on the bed. Wait, not a bed, that wasn't right...relaxing on the lounge chair. That was it. It was a lounge chair. Her fingers touching the sheet. No. Not the sheet. The towel. The terrycloth loops under her fingers. The sun on her face. The woosh hiss of the waves. 

And that damn truck

beep

beep

beep

She had really needed this vacation. She had been working so hard. Trying to handle a job that used to be covered by four people. Every time someone would leave they would just divide their duties among those that were still there. It had gotten busier and busier. Just too much to bear. Almost. Almost too much to bear. She had borne it though. She had handled it. Because that's what you did. You handled things. When there were four of them it was easier. Now that it was just her? It was impossible. 

Almost. 

Almost impossible. 

But she did it. 

Woosh...hiss...woosh...hiss...

Relax. You're on vacation. 

beep

beep

beep

She sank lower into the bed. Lounge chair. She sank lower into the lounge chair. The sun warming her face. And her shoulders. The heat traveling down her arms. Even her toes were warm. It was good to get away for awhile. To relax in the warmth of the sun with the sheet spread under her. With the towel under her. Relaxing. 

Woosh...hiss....

beep 

beep

beep

If that damn truck didn't finish soon she was going to go crazy. How fucking far did it need to back up anyway?

She took a deep breath and tried to just let it all go. So warm. So relaxed. Just what she needed.

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

He checked the patient's chart. The fever hadn't broken yet, but at least it wasn't any higher than when he went off duty last night. He did his routine checks on the ventilator and the heart rate monitor. Everything was working like it should. Keeping her alive. Until the fever broke the coma was actually better for her. At least this way they could keep her calm and still. And hope the infection that had spread through her office didn't take her as well. 

He made some notations for the next nurse. Then he stood and listened. For some people the sounds of an ICU were anxiety inducing but he found them to be relaxing in their rhythms.  

Woosh, hiss

Woosh, hiss

Woosh, hiss....

Beep...

Beep...

Beep...