Chapter twenty two

           I woke up early the next morning with a growing list of things I had to do. 

           First on my list was my first visit to a hospital to 'perform miracles' disguised as a nun . My little torture session with Grekov had been very enlightening when it came to my healing powers and some other things in general, I was hoping that more healing will help me get more insight into the things I had discovered while breaking Grekov. As for what I had discovered while continuously healing the man, I found out that when I heal somebody using my powers it is more like I am helping the soul restore the body to its natural form. What this means is that I am not really the one expending energy, the person expending energy will be the person I am healing or more specifically their soul. From what I have observed the soul is very powerful, more like a nuclear reactor than a battery, which led me to believe that if someone could find a way to harness this power they would be quite formidable.

              But my nun impersonating gig had to wait until later. I got up to wash my face ,brush my teeth, and took care of the rest of my morning hygiene rituals. I then started to dress in my school uniform, believe it or not school was still going on and I had to go. I had considered dropping out but school was one of the things that dad was super strict about, so even if it seemed pointless to me at this point, I pulled on my red sweater vest and my plaid skirt, grabbed my bag and walked downstairs to go eat my breakfast while watching TV.

             An hour later Kazimir drove me and Sergei , who was staying in our guest house, to school. We said goodbye to Kazimir at the gate and went through the usual security check. Once inside we walked through the always impressive school grounds to our designated building. On the way we met some of our school mates and between the two of us we made every girl we passed blush. After a few minutes Sergei noticed something,    

            "Hey, how come more girls are blushing when you look at them than when I do?"

             "With my powers , I never miss. Think about it Sergei."

             "Wait, you don't mean......"

             "Yup, and word gets around so it is not that big of a mystery."

              "But that's cheating!"

              "I'm happy , they're happy , I don't see where the problem is."

              "But.....when you use your power..... unfair advantage..."

               While Sergei was muttering to himself we had reached our classroom. Today was the day of the first semester final exams but I wasn't worried. I am a very good student but I'm an even better test taker. Most of our exams were in a multiple choice format and you know what that means. I quickly went through the exams and Sergei mooched the answers off me like usual. By the end of the day we both went out with smiles on our faces.

              Kazimir was waiting for us by the gate like usual but unlike other days he didn't drive us to my house, instead he drove us to a dark and secluded corner of the public hospital. Kazimir then handed me the nun costume and like any gentleman walked away to give me privacy so that I could change, on the other hand I had to literally kick Sergei out of the car and promise that I would shoot his little toe off if he peeked before he would let me change in peace.

Stolen novel; please report.

             I exited the car dressed fully in the black dress and gray wimple which had a white veil that covered my face. I stood in front of Sergei and Kazimir to ask for their opinions. Kazimir simply nodded and put a chain with a cross on it around my neck.

            Sergei paused for a moment and said, "Is it wrong that this is turning me on?"

              *         *         *

       P.O.V change - Dr Bagrov

          I am not a religious man.

          Both my parents were devout catholics and I grew up going to church every Sunday but working as a pediatric specialist in this public hospital for forty years , seeing innocent children suffer the most gruesome fates day in and day out has robbed me of any faith in God or any other higher being. My work had broken not only my marriage but also my will to live. The only reason I didn't just take a fatal dose of sedatives and end it all is because of the children and what little good I could do for them. 

         Another day, another patient. Today I had to tell the parents that their new born child has a congenital heart defect that could only be fixed by an expensive procedure. The mother was a waitress and the man earned a living hauling crates at the docks, I knew for a fact that they couldn't afford it. I knew that I was simply handing out another death sentence but there was nothing I could do.

       As I got up to do my grim task a nurse came in and asked,"Sir, there is a nun outside trying to enter. She says she is from the order of mercy and has official documents that say I should let her in, what should I do?"

      Throughout my career I have encountered the order of mercy twice. Their prayers may not actually heal but they provide support and solace to grieving families. I might not be religious but most of the people were, when all hope is lost maybe praying will help them cope.

        "Let her in nurse. We aren't saving them , might as well give her a shot."

         An hour later I was still telling the Voloshins exactly why their daughter was going to die when a commotion broke out in the ward. I hurried over thinking that it was one of the children going critical and my fear rose as I saw many parents crying hysterically but when I arrived at the hallway leading to the rooms that held the patients there were none of the loud alarms that indicated that something was wrong. I was running to the first room when a nurse literally run into me with tears in her eyes.

       "Nurse Garanina what happened ? What is wrong?"

       "Nothing is wrong, they are all fine."

       "Then why are you crying?" 

       "You don't understand they are all fine. They aren't sick or dying anymore. She saved them, she saved them all."

        I left the crying woman on the floor and rushed inside the first room, a girl who needed a respirator to keep her alive. When I got inside the respirator had been disconnected and I started to panic but a closer inspection showed that she was breathing just fine. I checked every room after that, every patient was now perfectly fine. 

        For the first time in my life I heard children's laughter ringing through the halls of the hospital. Hearing that magical sound I couldn't help but to kneel down and cry from joy.

       My faith had finally been restored.