"Have fun!" Dan leans against the doorpost, when I walk down the stairs. I look back one more time. His lazy smile makes me almost run back to kiss him again.

The introduction week of my internship starts today. It's a ten-minute walk through the park to the hospital and the early morning beams of the sun warm my skin.

If his brother hadn't been in the hospital, this week could have been perfect. Most of his promotion work for the movie was done and Dan was traveling back and forth between my apartment and his brother. One night he stayed over in the hospital, so his mother could take a rest. The distance from my apartment to the hospital where his brother was treated, was slightly smaller than to his own house and he decided it was more convenient to stay at my place. It's not like we planned this, it just happened.

One day journalists were waiting for him at the hospital. That's when the hospital staff took serious security measures and they placed security officers around the room of his brother. Luckily, they haven't found us here yet, and I fear the day that they do.

I haven't received any letters yet and I think that whoever writes them, hasn't found out yet that I moved. Megan told me she still got some of them, but not as much as before.

I wave at Laila, who's sitting behind the reception desk. She smiles when she sees me.

"My favorite intern!" She looks at me expectantly. "Did you bring me some cookies?"

"Not today, I'm afraid." I say.

"Too bad. I guess you were to busy with that hot boyfriend of yours." She winks at me. "He's quite the catch. Do you think he wants to come over someday? I think the ...  kids would love to meet him."

"I think he would love to meet you too, Laila. I'll see what I can do." I grin and I check the letter with the exact location of the first meeting.

"So I guess I can't hook you up with my Tyler anymore." A long sigh leaves her mouth. "I can't believe he can't find a girl to settle down."

"I'm sure he'll find someone, someday." I smile and I show Laila the crumpled paper. "Do you know where I have to go?"

She quickly points out where I have to go and I promise to tell her everything about Dan when I'm on my break.

Most seats are already taken when I enter the room where the introduction takes place, and I quickly make my way to an empty chair somewhere in the back. I look around. There are about twenty-five other people, all looking fresh and eager, notebooks, and pens ready. Some of them have tablets they use to make notes.

Some of them look up as I walk to my chair, but most of them are looking through their reverence books and preparing their apps to keep track of patients. I've barely unpacked my bag when a man enters the room. It's Dr. Morgenstern. I remember him from my visit earlier. He wasn't the friendliest man of all the people I met that day.

He looks around with an arrogant smile on his face.

The girl next to me curses softly. "Damn, I thought Kowalski was in charge of us."

Dr. Morgenstern clears his throat. "Dr. Kowalski is away for a symposium, so I have the honor to welcome you all to our program."

Did he hear her or something? I thought her remark was barely audible.

Apparently he isn't done yet. He walks around in front of us with his hands on his back. "Look around you."

He's silent for a couple of seconds, while we stare at each other. "Fifty percent of you won't make it to the next year. They will give up under the pressure of this work, the things they will experience. They will find out this work isn't for them."

As if I don't know that already. It was the single sentence that they played on repeat during medical school: 'Internship is hell, better be prepared or you won't make it'. I think I'm prepared in the best way possible. He's not frightening me.

"For the people that are afraid to make their hands dirty, I have bad news for you. Sometimes this job is dirty, and all of you spoiled princes and princesses, better be ready for it." He's staring directly at me when he says those words.

I'm not impressed and I send him my most sugary smile. How did he think I ended up here? I worked my ass off, got the best grades possible, and I certainly didn't let people like him intimidate me.

His eyes scan the room as he fills us in on the program. There are still tests we have to pass and the biggest one of all; how will we survive on the work floor? This first week is all about getting to know our fellow interns and getting around in the hospital, but next week we will start to work with real patients.

I think we are all excited about that prospect. That's what we wanted, that's what we worked for.

"We have some tasks for you, to get you all started. It has nothing to with patients yet, but it will prepare you a bit for the next week." The smile of Dr. Morgenstern is a bit too sweet.

When he's finally done talking, we make a round through the wards. Another doctor takes over the introduction and shows us around. First, she shows us where the locker rooms are and where we can find the most elementary things like gloves.

Then she takes us to the actual wards. We don't have any contact with patients yet, but it's nice to see the place. She tells us quickly how to find our way around here and introduces us to some of the nurses and doctors.

At the end of the tour, Dr. Morgenstern is waiting for us again.

"I hope you paid attention. You will all get a research assignment. We will bring you to your designated area. Good luck."

One by one he calls my fellow interns. They all get an envelope with instructions and leave in small groups with a nurse or a doctor until I'm the only one left. There are no envelopes anymore and I wonder what my assignment will be.

"Come with me, I have something special for you." Dr. Morgenstern walks with a firm pace through the hallways.

I don't like the satisfied smile on his face. I have the feeling that his smile means bad news. We pass several doors and I try to memorize the route. I wish I had a map, to see where we are going. Finally, he enters an office. It's a regular office, with several desks, computers, and file cabinets.

He dumps a big pile of files on a desk. "I've got some paperwork to sort out for you."

I stare at him. Is he serious? "I thought I had to do a research assignment."

"Learning how to keep track of your patient's records and how to deal with the amount of paperwork is a great assignment, don't you think?" The right corner of his mouth is pulled up into a mocking smile.

I'm sure this isn't an assignment and that he made it up to annoy me. I grind my teeth, but I will be damned to let him know how I feel about this.

"Patricia will explain how the system works." A girl who was hiding behind a computer screen smiles at me.

"Good luck." And with those words, he marches off.

Patricia looks at me and I can read the pity in her eyes. Her appearance can only be described as eccentric. Her hair is electric blue with a hint of purple and it stands in peaks on her head. Her lower lip is pierced with a silver ring. "Call me Pat. What have you done to piss him off?"

I shrug. "No clue. I guess it was hate at first sight."

Patricia puts one of her blue strands of hair behind her ear. "He's a twat. Can't wait till Kowalski's back, so I can continue my research. Morgy is so afraid I will damage the reputation of this hospital, he keeps me locked in here."

I snigger at the nickname she gave him. "And what did you do to him?"

She grins. "I think he doesn't like the color purple. Okay, let's get you started."

She shows me all the shortcuts of the patient logging system and more. At the end of her explanation, I'm actually glad he gave me this task. Of course, I would have learned how this system works eventually, but Pat knows a lot of tricks on how to make this system work for you.

Slowly I work my way through the files. Sorting them out, filing them, putting them back in the right drawer.

Before I know it, it's lunchtime and Pat takes me to the giant canteen.

"Don't take the green stuff, it's vile," she says as we stand in line for the self-service restaurant. The choice is immense. "The enchiladas are nice."

"I think they can't beat my grandmother's enchiladas," I say, as I pour myself a cup of soup.

I search the canteen for the other interns, but I don't see any familiar faces. Pat found a free table in the crowded restaurant and I join her. We talk about her research project until I found out she's a gamer as well. We talk about our favorite games and forget everything around us.

"Who let you out of your cage?" a voice interrupts our conversation.

A tall man, who looks familiar, stands next to our table, his tray stuffed with food.

"Sit down, Tylie, before the hyenas tear you to shreds." Pat nudges at one of the empty chairs around our table.

With a broad grin, Tyler picks a chair. "Like I can't handle them."

I'm confused. "Hyenas?"

Pat's eyes float to one of the tables, filled with nurses. As soon as they notice us staring at them, they start to giggle.

"Hyenas," Pat says. "This hospital is worse than your average high school, Elise. I actually prefer high schools over the micro-community of this hospital."

I still don't get it. Okay, the comparison of laughing people with hyenas is clear, but the rest of what she says puzzles me.

Pat must have noticed my confused gaze. "People love to gossip, Eli, especially in this hospital. For instance, our lovely Tyler here is apparently a womanizer, who slept with every woman in this place. And he fights bears with his bare hands."

Tyler rolls his eyes. "Puhlease, only the women in this hospital? I think I already heard I slept with the whole town."

"You filthy man whore." Pat grins. "Wait till you heard what they say about me."

"What was it this time? That you eat babies for breakfast?" Tyler stuffs all the food of his immense plate in his mouth, filled with almost everything edible at the service desk.

"I think it was puppies this morning," Pat says. "Or at least, that was what I heard."

"It must be the blue hair. Or your lip ring." Tyler stares at the little silver band. "Definitely the lip ring. Everyone knows people with lip rings eat puppies for breakfast."

"Careful Ty, stop staring at my mouth! Before you know it I'm preggers with our love child." They both start to snigger and I feel a bit weird as if they share a secret.

"Is that what they say about you two?" I say.

"Yep, if not worse. You better shrug it off and laugh about it," Pat says.

"Sometimes we fuel the fire ourselves," Tyler says.

"Why would you do that?" I really don't know why you would do something like that.

Pat sighs. "It's a bit of a social experiment. I hate being put away in that office, it's so boring. We started it when I heard Tyler was apparently sleeping around with every woman in the hospital. And I wondered how fast a rumor would spread through this place."

"Well, I can tell you, it spreads fast. Like the speed of light-fast." Tyler grins.

"Are you two dating?" I eye them up and down. They don't look like a couple. Pat looks like she could be a hippy and Tyler is dressed immaculately, like he's going to a fancy party after work.

"Hell, no." The two words flow from their mouths as if they rehearsed it.

Pat rubs her chin. "It could be a good one to try out the next time, Ty."

"Pat's in a longterm relationship since like forever. And I'm... We're friends. We met in Med school and somehow we both ended up here." Tyler says.

"So this whole gossip stuff, it's all in the name of science." Pat and Ty give each other a high five. "Yay, science."

They keep telling their weird stories until it's time for Pat and me to go back to the office again. We walk through the hallways when I hear someone call my name.

"Elise!" Laila waves me over.

"I'm so sorry," I say. "I just had lunch with... some people."

"It's okay, I guess you're busy with your introduction. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about." She smiles. "I think you don't have a mailbox yet, but a letter arrived for you today. Probably from your parents, it happens to more interns."

She hands me an envelope. The address label is printed. Laila looks expectantly at me.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

My fingers tremble as I tear the envelope apart. It contains a picture of Dan and me at the parking lot of the hospital after we visited his brother. I know enough and I don't want to read the words that are scribbled on the picture, but it is as if I'm looking at an accident. I can't turn away my gaze, I have to read its message.

"I can find you anywhere," it says.

"Elise? You're really pale. Are you okay?" Laila grabs my arm.

I shake my head. "No, I don't think I'm okay. I think I haven't been okay for a long time."

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AN: Thanks for reading this story. Vote/comment etcetera. I changed the ending of the former chapter slightly, for those of you who read it. I added one or two sentences.