Nikita

[NIKITA]

"Hey director, you got a minute?" Nikita asked when he walked into Liza's office. There was never a need to knock, so he didn't even bother anyway. As usual, it was beautifully decorated, and everything was in the right place, and her library was the best thing about this office.

The director was a woman who loved reading, and more often than not, when she wasn't in the patient rooms or operating on someone's heart, she was reading.

She and Nikita had developed a culture, a competition on who would read the most books, and it was a healthy one because, at the end of every book, they would have their small book club. It was kind of an intimate thing for them.

"Oh Nikita, You? Here? What happened to your leave?" Liza asked, hoping that he would make small talk with her. However, he was really ready for anything other than what he wanted today.

All of this was taking a toll on the good doctor, and as much as he wanted to complain, he knew it was a necessary sacrifice.

"You know what? I'm here for Liza; let's not beat around the bush anymore," Nikita said as he walked to the beautiful stack of books that made the office heavenly. It was a sight to behold, the day the books were well arranged.

Anyone would think that most of the books were unread, but that wasn't really the case. The two doctors had always stocked books after reading them; otherwise, they were never shelved.

"I was hoping you'd change your mind," Liza said, her voice finally settling with understanding. Of course, she knew why the doctor was making the decision, but still, she wanted to hope, and that is all they had ever done lately anyway.

I hope that Nikita will be better.

I hope that the world wouldn't be so cruel.

I hope that the good doctor will get everything dėsɨrėd.

I hope that it wouldn't be too harsh on him, but that was all it was.

Hope.

"I'm unfit to be practicing right now. Besides, there are things I need to work on, on my own," Nikita said.

"So you're here for the signature, huh?" Liza asked before adding, "the hospital is technically yours; you know you didn't have to follow the procedure, right?" Nikita definitely knew that even before he stepped into the office, but he had been raised to be a respectful man by Yelena.

If he went against his mother's teaching, there was a chance that she would be rolling wherever her soul was at the moment. Yelena was a strict mother, but she always loved her kids, and she had trained them in ways no one would ever be able to train them.

She always said she was ready to defend her kids and everything they did because, according to her, those were the lessons they learned from her. In response, her children had unanimously decided not to embarrass their mother.

They loved her just like she did them, which is why they tried their best at school despite their different interests and capabilities. It was okay because they were born in doctors who understood what it meant to have additional children and different attitudes.

All of this wasn't new to them anyway.

"Everyone deserves to be respected for their work Liza. The owner or not, there are due processes vital going, and I don't want to exempt myself from them," Nikita said politely, making Liza look at him amusedly.

Nikita was a doctor that wouldn't ever be found anywhere.

He was kind, and understanding. He was humble and respectful thanks to his mother's teachings, Yelena Pavlenko, the cavalry herself. He was the best at what he did, and no matter how many misfortunes had befallen him, he had never lagged behind.

People had expected that he would screw up because the crash messed him up. However, he had single-handedly proved them wrong more than once. He was the top surgeon for a reason, and it was never because of his last name.

That was something he had learned from his father, Dazai Pavlenko. His father had taught him to earn his name, to get people to respect him for who he was. And that was also why Nikita came up with the Rostova legion.

"If only we had ten more like you," Liza said, making Nikita look at her like she was crazy. Ten more like which version of him, really?

The broken doctor who wanted to give up everything and hold himself up at the ever so huge residence?

The best friend who had nothing more to lose and had already given up all hope? Which version of her wild Liza needs ten of them, really?

The brother who stayed back while his whole family and even best friend flew right into their crash, or the son who was so lost and was still hoping that there was some hope that his dead brother was alive?

Which version of him did she really want because Nikita was now confused.

Everyone out there was busy crucifying him and trying to ensure he stayed on the cross for the longest time possible. There was nothing for him, and he didn't need to be lied to because he was not even sure of who he was at the moment.

"I mean smart doctors, not the one who looks like he wants to kick my ȧss right now," Liza added, interrupting the intense confusion of the good doctor. Well, she should have started with that because it now made sense.

He was a good doctor and one who loved his patients. If that were the version that Liza wanted to be replicated ten times over, then Nikita would agree with her. He just needed to take a breather and ensure his whole life wasn't going to turn out to be a mess.

Technically, it already was, but there was no challenging that anyway. He was tired, and he was lost, and he needed a recharge. However, even though he had visibly let out a sigh of relief, Nikita didn't want the doctor to know that he had been skeptical of his value earlier.

"I know what you mean, but still," Nikita said as Liza approved his resignation. This was the hardest thing he ever did in his entire life, but such were the circumstances. He had to make a choice, and right now, this was the best one for him and everyone else.

"I'll be back, that much I already know. Besides, you know me, and I can't stay away from the OR for so long," Nikita added.

"Okay, I guess this is it then," Liza said as she handed the doctor the signed copy. It was pretty hilarious how Nikita was already a signatory on his own resignation letter, and it was all just crazy.

"Goodbye Liza," Nikita said as he walked out the door. He knew he didn't have to pack much since his office always remained with him. After all, he was the head of the hospital.. So when he had told maggie he would be packing up, he meant picking his notebooks and a few things that meant the world to him.