Rose
With the uptick in attacks, Lorelai was putting in the work and then some. She was working overtime; dressing wounds, changing sheets, doping up all her patients to make sure they weren't in pain. It was the best she could do when it seemed like there was a never ending flow of people entering the hospital these days. 

She was grateful for the early morning; she'd been there overnight, and now that the grey morning was coming, she could have a rest and sit, ticking down on paper all the things Doctor Olander would need her to order. They were running low on gauze and she was going to have to check again on how much salve she had left in the cabinet... 

When the door to the doctor's opened, she felt her stomach drop, only to find Akira Hirano on the other side of the table she was sitting at. Her shoulders went down in relief and she plastered on a tired smile. "Akira," She said, standing up to look more professional. "I was curious when you'd be droppin' on by, I figured your papa's gettin' low on his medicine, ain't he?"
Lee
Once again, the Hirano residence endured the full moon. They were unscathed, but mentally drained. Akira had only a couple of hours of slumber before almost drowning in her own tears. 

Briar Ridge sounded like almost a warzone the night before, she could feel as if she was there, despite being in the safety of her own home. 

But she couldn't stay at home. Not when her father tried in vain to hide his own pain. The poor old man, he always was small and frail in comparison to his peers. As the years passed, the more he struggled, and the more he'd try to hide it.

But Aki was no child anymore. She knew her old man, she could tell when his joints ached, she could hear the sound they'd make especially during winter. She wasted no time in her attempt to return to her routine. Her new 'normalcy'. There was a town to rebuild, there were people who needed help from those who survived.

She couldn't ignore the smell of blood and gore the moment she set foot on the hospital. The scent was so strong that she wondered how the nurses and doctors could even stand it. She couldn't be as strong as them, as familiar flashes from a few months past rushed back into her mind.

Back in fall, it was her who was bedridden, bloody and... Smiling. She was smiling to her weeping father as he tried to hold her like she was a newborn again. It was her way to reassure him that everything was going to be alright in the end. 

What a scene the Hirano family caused. Akira sure left an impression as the poor nurses tried their mightiest to keep her in bed. The woman was as stubborn as her old man, and thus, would insist that she needed to return to work in the farm. 

_"My pa needs me! Just let me go_" She'd repeat. Now Akira remembered those words with shame, as she met with Lorelai again. 

"Long time no see." The small woman chuckled.

"You guess was right. He insisted he'd be fine! That he needed no help! Bah, he can be so silly at times." 

Aki then cleared her throat. She wanted to go straight to the point and not distract Lorelai from her duties. 

"I'm hoping they arrived? If not, I can always come another day. I understand ...The circumstances."
Rose
Lorelai cast a glance over her shoulder, back at the rooms where her current patients lay sleeping. That was good— sleep meant healing, and sound sleep was even better. She slowly turned back to Akira and flashed her a smile as best she could muster in these trying times— what good was a nurse with a sour or down look? She was supposed to invigorate *Hope* And *Healing*... She could save the despair for off the clock. 

"Long time no see indeed, I was startin' to think you were avoidin' me!" She said with a laugh, shaking her head. "Though these days, I think some people are plenty tired of seeing my face." Lorelai's hum was soft like a bee buzzing, and her voice was as warm and rich as apple pie; Briar Ridge born and raised, this place was her home and she loved serving her home. 

"No, no, they arrived, don't you worry about that," She assured her quickly and turned to find the brown paper bag with the medicine. She shuffled about a bit, sucking her teeth in annoyance before she made a noise of victory and drew out the correct package. 

"The circumstances aside," She said slowly. "We've been busy but the Doctor is the real hero, here." She said modestly. "I'm just the one who wipes up the blood and feeds everyone their pills!" Lorelai waved her hand around. 

"Though... I guess we do a little more with some of our patients," She said to Akira and winked. "Especially when they try to up and run out!"
Lee
As quiet as she always was, Akira sat down and waited as Lorelai went to check on her patients. The woman couldn't help her curiosity, and peeked after the nurse left, only hoping that the patients were having a speedy recovery. She wondered how people like Lorelai could live with the weight of life on their shoulders.

In Aki's eyes, doctors and nurses were amongst the strongest people she could ever meet. They built themselves to save lives, to live with death. The fact that this lady was still smiling was a miracle.

"Things have been busy back at home." She lamented. But surely, Lorelai knew well by then, her father's health had only declined over the years, and she could only do so much. The Hirano moved only five years ago, and while their past was never disclosed to the rest of the townsfolk, anyone who heard of them would figure they had one hell of a trip.

 They came from afar. Aki was just a child when the Hirano family sailed to America. They used to be a family of three with a numerous extended family in Japan. Now? They were only two, with no way to contact their relatives overseas.

Perhaps that was for the best in the end, however. Briar Ridge was their sanctuary, and now it needed to be defended. 

That was the reason Akira admired people like Lorelai so much. Those behind the front lines, underrated and yet they were vital for their survival. There was nothing glamorous about cleaning viscera off the floor, with changing diapers and moving patients twice their size who probably puked on them beforehand... Or with dealing with people like her, drugged and demanding to be discharged while half naked and still bleeding.

"You're so modest." The younger woman chuckled, only for her expression to shift into pure shame.

Akira couldn't just run away from the hospital or dig a hole to die from her embarrassment, she could only blush and stammer. Of course Lorelai would remember, she witnessed Aki's antics.

"Th-Those painkillers were very strong, that was all!" She said. "Though... I apologize again that you and the rest of the ladies had to see me like this..."

Akira then lifted her left hand, and used her index finger to scratch the scar on her cheek. A habit she picked up since September.
Rose
She was well aware of the Hirano's situation; how Mako's health had been declining, how Akira had been attacked a few months ago, and how scary it must be. Lorelai had a big family, and lots of people to surround her with love and care; if Akira lost her father, who would she have? It made her chest tight just thinking about it, and she bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep her emotions at bay. 

Things had been tough in the holler, and she didn't want to make things unnecessarily tense or awkward if she could help it. So she was glad the subject had changed to something a little more lighthearted, like Aki's attempted break from the hospital. "Of course, of course..." 

Lorelai waved her hand dismissively and smiled then, tilting her head. "It's not every day that you get a patient trying to run out, but it's always a little exciting when it happens." She laughed. "Let's just hope you didn't set any bad examples for some of the others, hm?" 

She looked over her shoulder again at the sleeping patients before she looked back to the paper bag of medicine. She slid it across the counter, towards Aki. 

"Sorry these took so long to come in," She apologized. "It's been harder and harder these days, with all that's going on..." She trailed off and grimaced. "You understand, I'm sure..."
Lee
Poor Aki, her face resembled a tomato as she remembered that day. The way she flailed on her bed asking for her father, the nurses holding her back as she almost ripped her bandages, and how could she forget the fact that they had to bathe her twice?

Akira was a mess, but at least she made Lorelai and the rest of the medical team laugh. She liked making people happy.

"Oh no no." She cleared her throat as the medicine was given to her. Clearly the bag was smaller in size than the last few months. She saw it coming however. 

"I understand... And trust me, my father understands as well..." 

Akira then glanced over the patients, feeling a lump on her throat as she smelled a mix of iron and medicine.

"Is... There anything I can do to help, though?" Was the first thing that came out of her mouth. 

"I mean, I don't know much about medicine but... If there's anything I can assist you with.."
Rose
She smiled oddly for a moment, before it vanished and she plastered on a normal smile. "Hm? Oh, no, no..." She waved her hand. "No, it's completely fine! I've got this all under control..." In reality, she was incredibly burnt out, but Lorelai didn't ask for help with her job. She sucked it up and persevered, despite the ache in her back and the fact that she could hardly keep her eyes open half the time today. But relying on another person, especially someone who wasn't the doctor or another nurse? Was she so obviously weak? Was there a crack in her professional armor? 

"I'm alright, really," She assured Aki, trying to pull her shoulders back and look professional and put together as she could. "Unless you can get the pharmaceutical companies in the city to send us more medicine posthaste. But that would take a miracle and a half. They don't care about little towns like this, even when we tell them that... Some beast is attacking us. Having to lie and say it's a bobcat or a bear, sure, but... The point still stands." Her brows furrowed and she turned to grab something from a cabinet, before her foot caught on the edge of the desk and she went sprawling, face first into the floor. Clumsy Lorelai...
Lee
Having her offer to help refused didn't affect Akira. She knew nurses could be stubborn, after all she mentioned she didn't have experience. 

And now that she pondered about it... Wasn't Lorelai a nurse during the Great War? Aki trusted her judgement, as the well seasoned professional that she was. 

"Hehe... Sadly it'd take me days to even reach the next town." The smaller woman giggled only for a bit. This was the dad reality for Briar Ridge, they were small, they were nobodies. 

For the Hirano, being nobodies was a blessing, as they finally found a town that would take them in. But now it proved to be detrimental for those that fell victims to the werewolves attacks. 

Akira was about to say her goodbyes to not disturb Lorelai's duties any longer. But destiny worked in various ways, as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, Aki saw the por nurse trip over and meet her face with the floor.

"Oh dear! Miss Roswell!" 

The woman was quick to reach out for Lorelai's. One of her callused hands grabbed the other woman by the sleeve, and the other by the shoulder on the opposite side. 

"Are you okay?!"
Rose
She wasn't usually so clumsy at work, but maybe it was the lack of sleep and the anxiety of the moons, but she was off her game today, clearly. 

"I'm alright," She assured Akira, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and looking closer to maybe crying than anything. She tried to be so professional at work, she really did. She couldn't get so emotional at work, but... It had been a long day. 

"I'm sorry, I'm just so clumsy," She said, sniffling a bit and brushing herself off. "I think I'm just a little tired is all, that's all it is..." Lorelai's hands were shaking, and she caught herself on Akira's arms to keep herself stable and upright. 

"How embarrassing!" She laughed through her embarrassment and wiped her eyes. "I've never fallen like that at work before, I'm usually more... Put together than this," She sniffled. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be getting emotional in front of a patient," She said softly and turned her face away.
Lee
Akira may appeared like an airhead, but she was observant to people's behavior. She spotted the way Lorelai's eyes had gotten misty, the way she sniffled... How fake her laughter came out her lips.

She didn't judge, however, she maintained her solemn expression as she helped her stand back on her feet. Her bad shoulder would still experience waves of dull pain, but the woman was able to still do her work. She was used to carrying her father around.

"Hey... It's okay." Aki whispered. "I can only imagine what you go through after each full moon."

Then, the woman paused for a moment to bit inside her cheek a little. She could only imagine what everyone went through, guilt began to built in once again.

"Well, I'm not a patient right now. And even if I was... You're allowed to be vulnerable."
Rose
She exhaled in a rush and shook her head once more. "No, no, you're awfully kind, Miss Hirano, but I can't... I shouldn't." She wiped at her wet eyes and inhaled, trying to collect herself properly. 

"Is there anything I can get you?" She asked, already switching gears desperately to avoid talking about herself. She didn't want to appear weak or fragile; she was strong. She had to tell herself that. "You have your father's medicine, but what about you? How're your wounds healing up? I know you've been out a while, but..." She went to pick up some papers from a drawer. 

"Have they fully healed? You know, some of our other patients still come in with problems, so if there's anything I can do for the lasting symptoms... Please, Miss Hirano, let me know." She looked up into Akira's eyes now, hoping that the woman would give her *Something* To focus on besides her stumble. 

Lorelai wasn't well when she was thrown off her usual rhythm. She needed order at work— it's what kept her balanced.
Lee
Akira watched as Lorelai kept her shield up. How could she blame her? She had never set foot on the battlefield, but she could still remember one of her uncle's faces when she returned from the war with Russia over twenty years ago. She was just a child, but she saw the light in his eyes fade the time he returned home. 

But Lorelai still kept that spark, when if for a little. How strong of a woman she had to be to relive such trauma now in Briar Ridge. 

Akira opened her mouth to speak up, but she was met with the nurse's question.

*What about you?*

*' what about me?'* She thought in those moments of split silence as she squinted. *'It doesn't matter what happens to me now.*' 

But Lorelai insisted, how could Akira deny her the chance of distraction?

"Well, now that you mention it ..." She sighed, moving her shoulder a bit as she grimaced. 

"It's been healing okay, I can still do everything in my daily life but... My scar has been bothering me a lot lately... The big one I mean." 

Aki's small hand gestured the area that was once most affected, the same where that werewolf almost bit her entire arm off.
Rose
She was relieved that the conversation had pivoted to focus on something else entirely; even if it was the werewolves. She would take work over her own emotions any day, and she was glad to be able to focus on helping Akira properly. 

"Would you mind?" She gestured for Akira to follow her out of the main area and into a private examination room. She was glad the patients she had were either sleeping or calm for now, because she was the only nurse in today. With the door shut tight, she looked to Akira now that they were alone. 

"Would you mind removing your shirt for me?" She asked her. "I'd like to take a look at your wounds." She was already grabbing what she needed; a rag and some alcohol, to clean up the scarred wound and see what might be the issue. 

"I'm hoping it isn't infection," She said softly as she waited for Akira. "But we should still have some antibiotics laying around somewhere. Maybe even some balm to put over it." Lorelai was talking aloud, mostly to herself, and to put Aki at ease. "How long has it been bothering you?" She asked her curiously. "You haven't been ignoring it, have you?"
Lee
"Oh, uhm... Sure." Aki hesitated a little bit. Going into a private room gave away the idea that she'd have to show her skin, that thought terrified her. 

But the more she thought about it, the more at ease it was. Lorelai was one of the nurses that treated her own wounds when they were still fresh, she saw her at her worst. She saw her try to run away from the hospital.

And yet, Lorelai still treated Akira normally. Nurses and doctors were used to this environment. Was there a person more fitting for this? 

"Hopefully not! It doesn't look red or anything..." Akira said, as she slowly took off her coat and shirt. Her scars were shown in their full glory, and as embarrassing as it was to do so... They looked way better than when she first came to the hospital while bleeding out. 

"I like to think I've been taking good care of it..!" She giggled, as she gestured the big bite mark on her shoulder. The joint didn't look the same as a healthy one for sure, but it wasn't hot nor tender to the touch. 

"It has been this way since the winter started.. It hurts when I move my arm up, especially when it's quick.."
Rose
The nurse took a look at the wound, biting down on her lip as she laid her hands gently on the woman's exposed skin. Her fingertips so barely brushed the nape of her neck, her thumb caressing the skin that had been chewed on. "Not enflamed..." She mumbled to herself. "It doesn't look infected... Maybe it's just healing oddly," She mumbled again, taking a step back for a moment to look in one of the cabinets. 

"I assume yer cleaning it? Trying to keep it from gettin' infected..." She pulled a bottle out of the cabinet and rattled it a moment. "I'll give ya a few pills; just some antibiotics, in case there's somethin' I ain't seein." She told her, putting the pills into another bottle for her to take home. "Let me see that arm again? Can ya lift yer arm up for me?" She asked her, directing her to move her arm up and down as demonstration. 

"It's been hard," She admitted. "Tryin' to figure out how t' treat people. Not every day do people come in, gettin' attacked by werewolves. Now, we got half a dozen people layin' round with wounds..." She sighed deeply.
Lee
"O-Of course I cleaned it!" Akira stammered, doubtful of her own self care habits. She knew she cleaned that wound, especially at the start. Now, how frequent she took care of it _afterwards_, was a mystery. The woman wasn't certain, as she came back to the work in the farm as soon as she began to feel better.

Granted, her body was responding well, she was healing quickly. In her mind, that was a greenlight to continuing her routine. 

Alas, now she was paying the price it seemed. She mimicked the nurse's motions and lifted her arm. It all went well until she tried to reach above her head. There it was, that dull pain that felt as if her muscles were being pulled.

"Owie..." She let out quietly, lowering her arm slowly by demands of her own body. 

"It's hard, but y'all keep on doing it everyday, even after full moons..." Akira said as she rubbed her affected shoulder. 

"I even heard you girls came for one of the beasts when it tried to attack a patient. It takes a special kind of strength to work here." Akira chuckled.

How did they do it? How did Lorelai do it, especially after witnessing hell once in the Great War?
Rose
She shook her head and lowered Aki's arm down again, her fingers on the woman's arm and shoulder. "You need to be taking it easier," She chastised her softly. "I know you're wanting to work, but ya know yer only gonna make it harder for yourself." She went to grab gauze and ointment, starting to smear the thick paste on the wound and rubbing it in gently with her delicate fingers. 

"It's part of the job— protecting patients, making sure that everyone is safe and healing... Even if it is terrifying," She whispered that last part. "But then again, once you've seen men with their legs blown off from grenades, nothing really feels so scary anymore."
Lee
Taking it easier, something Aki heard from her father a million times. But was there ever a time for breaks in Briar Ridge anymore? Everything was quiet now, but soon enough they'd face the beasts again. Once more the hospital would be littered with injured and maybe casualties, they'd have to rebuild the town again.

Akira frowned thinking about it, her hands tightened on her thigh as the gripped the fabric of her pants, only to loosen it when Lorelai applied the ointment on her scarred and sensitive skin. 

She flinched, not because it hurt, but because it felt *Cold*. Her small legs, which couldn't touch the floor from where she sat at, flailed a little.

"Ahhh- cold...!" Aki whimpered, but soon she started to feel relaxed as the unpleasant sensation was soothed by the nurse's fingers. They were soft and gentle, they felt warm. 

"...." Her attention went to Lorelai's comment about the war, Akira's expression softened while slightly turning to meet her eyes with the other woman's. 

"The war..." She whispered. " I've heard similar stories. If you're asking me, the more I heard about them, the more I feel like... That's real horror.."

Werewolves didn't think at least. They were mad creatures seeking to satisfy their primal hunger. Humans were self aware, yet just as willing to tear each other apart in many ways.

"I'm grateful to see that you came back home alive and well, Miss Roswell.."
Rose
She hesitated when the woman flinched under her touch, but continued on her work as the ointment warmed under her fingertips. She spread it evenly and thick, before she was grabbing the gauze and beginning to wind it steadily around the wound. 

She made brief eye contact with Akira for a moment and her cheeks tinted red before she looked back down at her task. She felt embarrassed being praised, being spoken to like that— but she preserved in her task. 

"I'm just glad to be able to be back and help everyone," She said softly, winding the gauze tight to make sure it stayed in place. "Now... Miss Hirano," She said, clearing her throat. "You really do have to rest if you want your shoulder to heal properly. And make sure you're cleaning it thoroughly. If you need assistance, I can always help with that, and changing out your bandages."
Lee
It was an innocent remark that Aki didn't pay attention, at least not as she said it. She mostly felt her body relax as her scar was being covered by the gauze, taken cared of by gentle, soft hands.

 The touch was so soothing that she was humming, turning around to check on the work being done by the nurse. The eye contact immediately sent Akira back into the reality as she quickly turned away, with her face red as a tomato. 

This was just a medical examination, but Aki was also being taken care of by another woman. Any kind of contact with them made her feel weak.

"Ah? I-I understand! I promise I'll take care of it more." She said, trying to focus on her shoulder. At least, the scar wasn't bothering her any longer. 

"Oh, but I'd hate to put even more work on you! Are you sure you're okay with that?" 

Akira knew that if she tried, she'd make a terrible work at changing her bandages. But who else would help her? Her father couldn't do much from his position.
Rose
"It's my job," Lorelai insisted, finishing up the bandages and helping Aki put her shirt back on properly. She'd met her eyes for that brief moment and saw how flushed her patient became, and she tried not to put too much stock in it. 

She wasn't sure Akira was... The same as her. She highly doubted it, in fact— even if she was a strong woman with a nice voice and all. Lorelai didn't put much thought into things like that since the war... She doubted anyone here in the ridge was quite like her in that way. 

"It's my job," She repeated herself, having tripped over her words in her own fluster. "I'd be delighted to have you back. And besides, I'd rather you be well on your way to recovery than to let it get infected or reopen the wound..." She pointed out. "So, please, I'd love to have you back to help change out the bandages." She folded her hands in front of herself. 

"Besides... I like the company. Most of the people here are passed out and drugged all to hell." She laughed a little behind her hand.
Lee
Much for Akira's relief, the work on her shoulder was finished and she was able to put her shirt back on. Clothes gave her safety, the bigger they were on her, the better. This way, no one would be able to see her scars. 

Sure, Lorelai must had seen worse things in the war. But Aki was a woman, and with that came the expectation of being pure and looking as such. That was the reason she even came to hate her own reflection, her scars were a remainder of one of her biggest fears, being broken. 

"That's very kind of you." A genuine smile curled up on her lips. Because of the fact that Lorelai had seen hell, she wasn't the kind of person to judge. That thought was enough to put Akira at ease.

It was part of a nurse's job to face the ugly time and time again. 

"You're starting to sound like my pa." Aki laughed. "But you got a point... If I don't take care of this, I won't be able to do anything when spring comes." 

Her eyes then glanced over the patients, all of them asleep or medicated enough to at least stay still and resting. Lorelai's job at time sure could be lonely, and while Aki didn't see herself as the right friend to be around... She wanted to help. 

"I'm pretty sure I can come by anytime, then!" She beamed. " Maybe I can bring you some lunch that we can both share? I'm sure my pa would be delighted to cook something for you and the rest of the nurses."
Rose
The nurse tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, which had somehow escaped from her tight bun. She flushed in embarrassment and cleared her throat as Akira offered to bring some kind of lunch around for them to share— she hadn't done anything like that in so long. The most she did was eat lunch with the other nurses, and they were often too tired to make much conversation. 

"And you promise you'll keep out of those fields until I say so?" She asked her, a slight pout on her lips. "I'll be changing out them bandages, so don't think I won't notice." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, expectant that Akira followed her strict guidelines. 

"If anything, I'll make the doctor nag you— and you don't want to deal with Doctor Olander." She shook her head before a teasing smile came to her lips. 

"I look forward to having you come back round, Miss Hirano," She said, a bit shy about the whole thing. "With or without lunch."
Lee
"I promise you I'll take plenty of breaks! With you and my pa AND the doctor breathin' down my neck, I got no choice!"

Akira playfully stuck her tongue out, laughing afterwards as she brought a his finger to the scar on her cheek. This new habit not only helped to hide the now dried scarring, but it also hid the fact that she was blushing. 

But Aki couldn't think of that now. She tried not to, all she was doing was offering a fellow Briar Ridge citizen help in these trying times. 

It was all she could offer these days, her kindness paled in comparison to the destruction that was brought to Briar Ridge. She had the hope that maybe, just maybe, it would one day be enough. 

But Lorelai's response got the woman stammering in her words, nervously fidgeting with the scar on her cheek yet again. 

"That's.. Very kind of you. So long as I'm not interrupting, of course!" Akira said. It was already uncommon to see the woman outside her home, and it wasn't that she didn't want to go out somewhere that wasn't the speakeasy.

But she couldn't, she shouldn't. 

"So long as you're okay with it."
Rose
"I'm more than okay with it, Aki. I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it," She promised her, folding her hands and directing her attention to the cabinet, busying herself with arranging bottles and tins and the like, so as to hide how flustered she was about the whole thing. She needed to be professional at work, she couldn't go around getting flustered or embarrassed! 

"Please come back soon, Miss Hirano," She insisted, turning to walk to the front door and pull it open for the woman. "I've got to work on a few things and I'm prescribing you with rest. So, run on home," She said, her eyes on the floor so as to not have to meet Akira's at any cost. 

"And please don't hesitate to come by. I'm here almost every day, except Sundays. But if you need help that day, you can just drop on by my place!" She insisted.
Lee
With a sigh escaping from her throat, Aki jumped from the hospital bed where she sat at. She stumbled a little and winced, thanking the fact that Lorelai was too focused on the cabinet. 

Aki didn't even want to conceive the nurse's reaction if she were to notice how badly her injuries actually extended. The woman expected a the very least a good ear pull. 

"I promise to come back again." She said walking to the front door as it opened, also keeping her gaze away from Lorelai.

"Thank you for your kindness." Aki added before walking outside, a small smile curled up on her lips. 

"Thank you for your service in this town."