#pre-party

Auscultation at the Pre-Party

Fairy lights lined the edges of the windows, casting a soft, golden glow over the living room. On the coffee table sat bowls of snacks and a few bottles of soda — the atmosphere was cheerful but still calm. Three nursing students, Madison, Chloe, and Riley, were already dressed for the evening. Their outfits shimmered under the lights, their hair and makeup carefully done.

On the shelf, three brand-new stethoscopes were neatly arranged side by side, as if waiting for their moment. Madison glanced at them, smiling to herself.

“I haven’t stopped looking at them all day,” Riley said, nodding toward the shelf.

“Same,” Madison replied. “They look like… we’re already professionals.”

Chloe twirled a lock of hair in front of the mirror and grinned. “And hopefully they’ll be put to real use soon.”

For a moment, they fell into a comfortable silence before Riley broke it. “Where’s Avery, anyway? She shouldn’t be taking this long — she doesn’t even have to stress about a party outfit like we do.”

“Maybe she’s planning a dramatic entrance,” Madison said with a mischievous smile.

It was almost as if Avery had heard her cue. The door opened, and Avery stepped inside. She wore a golden bikini top, ripped denim shorts, and a small, knowing smile. Madison and Riley turned to look — and for a second, the room fell silent before laughter and admiring exclamations bubbled up.

“Okay, wow,” Chloe said first. “That was definitely planned.”

Avery did a playful spin. “I figured if you’re going to be stylish nurses, you deserve an equally stylish patient. So… here I am.”

“This is perfect,” Madison said enthusiastically, resting her hand on her stethoscope. “It would be so cool to try them out before the party.”

Avery leaned casually against the doorframe. “Well, what’s stopping you? I’m ready.”

Riley grabbed the camera and set it on a tripod in the corner of the room. A tiny red light blinked on, and they all glanced at it, knowing this would be a moment to remember.

“We’ve got to document our first time,” Riley said.

Madison took her stethoscope carefully, drawing a breath as if about to perform something important. She stepped closer to Avery, slipped the earpieces in, and pressed the cold diaphragm to Avery’s chest. The room fell quiet. A gentle smile appeared on Madison’s face — the kind that can’t be faked — and she turned toward the camera, still smiling.

“I can hear it,” she whispered. “Your heartbeat.”

Avery laughed softly and placed her hand on Madison’s arm. “Glad it’s not just static.”

Next was Chloe. She brushed her hair back, slid on the stethoscope, and placed the diaphragm a little to the left of Avery’s sternum. She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked up at the camera — a smile that carried both warmth and calm.

“It’s so clear,” Chloe said softly. “The rhythm.”

Avery smiled back, feeling a strange mix of amusement and quiet importance.

Finally, Riley stepped forward. She placed the diaphragm right over the apex of Avery’s heart, leaned in slightly, and listened. Riley didn’t speak at first; she simply stood there, letting the heartbeat flow through her. When she finally turned her head toward the camera, her smile was perhaps the softest of all.

“Beautiful sound,” she said.

Once the last stethoscope was set back on the shelf, Madison checked the time. “We really have to go. The opening speeches start soon.”

They grabbed their bags and jackets. At the door, Madison turned to Avery one last time and said with a grin, “If you want, you can try listening to your own heart.”

Avery nodded as they left, the apartment falling into a comfortable, quiet stillness lit only by the fairy lights. She walked over to the shelf, picked up Riley’s stethoscope, slipped the earpieces in, and pressed the diaphragm against her chest.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

It was her heartbeat — just as clear and warm as it had been moments earlier when the others were listening. Avery allowed herself to linger in the moment, then lifted her gaze toward the still-recording camera. She took a few pictures of herself: stethoscope around her neck, a smile on her face.

As she set the stethoscope down again, a thought crossed her mind, making her laugh softly to herself:

They’ll be back to listen to my heart many more times.

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@storm-anon