Chapter Thirteen (13.2) - Two Steps Forward... (Part 1)


 * 1) **Part Thirteen (February 13th)**  ##

 20480580 

Hey, /b/. I know it may seem like it's been a while, but I tried posting last tuesday afternoon: the tread died without a single response, while I was writing the third entry or so. After that rather blunt statement of how welcome it was at the time, I didn't try again until sunday, when 4chan seems to have been down, and I gave up. Anyway, I figured I'd give it one more go for now, and I guess we'll see what happens

 20480758 

Anyway, I suppose I'll recap with last week's updates first, though I don't really feel like going into the detail I did back then, just in case it dies a quick death again. My lawyer cousin had lunch with a friend of his that works in family law, and got his advice on someone in my/her/our situation, and the viability of guardianship in said situation. Apparently, I'd have a considerably better chance with her than I would with a healthy, well-adjusted kid, which is kind of sad in a way, suggesting 'well, nobody else wants her, you'll do, I guess' or something. Still, it's good news, for the simple fact that it suggests that it's quite possible, rather than a miracle being required. His friend even gave my cousin his card to give to me, and said he might be interested if I do pursue the matter, so I have it in my wallet right now.

 20481173 

I also went to her social worker, and then to the head administrator at the home, with my idea on mentoring her on my own time. Since I had the resident shrink's approval and recommendation of it being a good idea (in theory, anyway), I felt a bit more confident about doing so, and, well, did. Her social worker seemed to take me seriously, and said that she'd consider the possibility, having worked with a number of other such programs in the past, though not with someone in her/my particular situation. But she admitted that it was a somewhat unique one, so strange arrangements might be necessary. So, it was a somewhat positive 'I'll think about it' from her, anyway. My boss (the administrator, I guess 'boss' is easier than typing out that 13 letter word every time) was a bit less welcoming of the idea, first point blank asking me if I was even sure I wanted to really suggest doing this, then when I said that I was, and offering up the shrink and social worker's varying levels of approval (pending or otherwise), she said that she'd think about it as well...and check with the facility/company's lawyers on the subject. Since I'd been thinking about this for a while, I'd asked my cousin to bring up this situation with his friend as well, and he'd said that he didn't see anything that'd condemn it, though he admitted that I'd probably have to expect being watched by a hawk by my 'own' legal-types; I'd expected this, since it only makes sense that they would, so it wasn't a big surprise. Anyway, final talley with my boss: Maybe, with a capital M. Better than no!

 20481431 

As for you-know-who herself, she'd had more nightmares than usual (which for her, means every night, rather than every two or three nights) since the incident with the geriatric superman. This made me somewhat angry, since she'd been a bit better before then, but it's not like I was going to do anything to him, so all I could do was be there for her. I've been printing out online instructions for origami (she now has a small army of multicolored penguins gathered around her bedside lamp), and I got her a copy of 'Cooking Mama', too, which she seems to be enjoying. Seems she used to 'he;lp out' with her parents when they'd make dinner pre-accident, so it's nice in that way...though she got a bit depressed when she told me about that at the time. It was only a temporary state of affairs, thankfully, and as I said, has been enjoying it since. (I suck at it when I try it left-handed with her, but then, I'm not much of a whiz in the kitchen in real life, either.)

 20481890 

There hasn't been an astounding amount happening in the week since last, with all the previous stuff I just mentioned having happened since then (except for Cooking Mama, which I got her last thursday), which may be a good thing, I suppose, in some ways. A bit of peace is hardly detrimental to recovery in general, and her nightmare/stresses factor has dwindled, to the point where she's more or less back to her 'normal' set of affairs...having one last night, after not having one on sunday, for example. Ah, well... I did hear back from the social worker, however, yesterday. She gave her probationary approval to set up some sort of mentoring plan, pending approval from my boss, of course. I haven't managed to talk to her about it yet, but I did send her an email on the subject and the worker's approval, so hopefully things will progress on that front as well. I haven't actually spoken to the girl at the center of this rigamarole yet, because I didn't want to get her hopes up (if she would even want it to happen at all, really...) only to have them dashed later; even if I get approval for all this, I still need to ask her if she's even interested...if she isn't, well, it stops there, I suppose.

 20481996 

In any case, other than all that, nothing really big has happened with her...it's been a decent, peaceful week so far, so, um, that's about it, really...open to questions as usual, but that's about all I can pry out of my own recollections for the time being. So, um, yeah.

 20482600 

The System, which was set up to protect the kids nobody else was caring about, in the wake of charity-run institutions that couldn't keep up with a population boom, increasing urbanization, and an increased set of protections for children from dying in factories and chimneys and such. Sometimes, it has to hurt you to show it cares, you know.

[nurse-kun had requested this image.]

 20482738 

Awesome. Thanks, both of you, I really hadn't expected such a fast response, let alone two of them. And to answer the question in the first of the two posts...well, if it does happen, things in my life will change...almost completely, I'd imagine. I mean, I'd probably have to find a bigger place to live that's close to the various facilities she needs; I'd need to quit my job to take care of her full time; I'd need the he;lp of my family more than I do now, though I'm not estranged from them or anything, just, you know, a grownup. Dating prospects would probably be pretty rocky for a while at least, though I'm not a total lothario as it is, really. I could go on, but...well, it'd be a sea change. I have a feeling it might be worth it all, though, but I suppose I can't know that till I live it.

 20482950 

>"Well all love you nurse-kun, do your best. We all support you and will suck your cock if you dress her as suisekei and then post pics." "How much money would you get from the government to help care for her?"

Probably enough to cover expenses, though I doubt I'd be retiring anytime soon, or buying her a pony (not that she'd have much use for one, at least at the moment...). There's also the settlement from the family/estate/whatever of the guy that hit her family's car. Anyway, we wouldn't be facing life in a cardboard box in an alleyway somewhere after a string of medical costs or something, at least...no nanahood for her.

 20483699 

>"Will you consider buttesecks with her once she is legally yours and that the vultures of administration forget about you?"

It seems rather unlikely, old chum. I won't rule it out completely, lest I lose my /b/adge entirely, but unlikely, yes.

 20484111 

>"speaking of nana, have you considered getting her to dye her hair that way?"

Okay, I'll be honest: I've never actually seen Elfen Lied. I've never been much of a guro fan, even horror movies, really, which might be considered funny, I guess, considering my stint as an ER nurse working on trauma cases. Still, there it is. I did finally read through NEL, like, a month or two ago, since people kept making so many references to it, but...yeah, I don't have a particularly large Nana fetish. Does she actually die in the series? Because I've seen the screencaps of her laying there with her limbs sliced off, and that's a fair amount of blood, and...that's about the extent of my knowledge. Whole thing just seemed too depressing for me (which may also be considered funny, I guess.).

 20484195 

>"Souseiseki is much cooler anyway. If she weren't, we wouldn't like your stories so much."

Well, I've always thought so, too. Of course, she is extremely intelligent and used to play the violin at a prodigy-type level, too, but she's too cool to be cast as Kanaria...no egg fetish, either.

 20484248 

And, uh, yes, I guess I just outed myself as a Rozen-fag (mild, I assure you) that isn't a guro/Elfen Lied fan. Some /b/tard I am. How embarassing.

 20484290 

>"You should buy amputan some of the GBA Final Fantasy ports, they're easy to play one handed, as I'm sure all of /b/ knows."

I suppose they would be, at that, though I haven't tried them myself..are they good ports, or PSX-level shitty ones? They are a bit before her time, so I guess they'd be new to her, too...good recommendation, anonymous.

 20484387 

>"Does amputan have a TV in her room?"

No. None of the patients do, due to some regulation that's never been explained to me in a way that makes much sense, but which probably exist just as a method of control. You'd be surprised what you can get away with in a 'care' facility that you can't in a hospital room someone is only going to be living in temporarily. The only tvs are in the rec rooms and other public gathering areas (which are guaranteed never to be showing something she'd like to watch, so she's given up on trying, last I'd heard...)

 20484500 

>"Elfen Lied is overrated. Nana doesn't die, she lives happily ever after."

...seriously? Geez, I never expected that outcome, I'll admit. Maybe I do still have the requisite /b/astardlyness

 20484869 

>"A 1-handed DS is perfectly viable if you disregard stylus useage. The package would be considerably thicker due to some reroutes, but definitely doable. I would be proud to engineer this for Nurse-kun."

Huh. But then, most of her favorite games use the stylus, and most of the best games (in my experience) use it as well. Would it be 'deactivated' somehow if it were altered? And I can't ask for that, certainly not now, anyway...I'd need to discuss it with her, first, anyway, and we'd need to come up with a spare DS, in any case. But all that said, I still appreciate the thought, like I appreciate all the (positive) thoughts people offer.

 20484957 

>"much of the humour of the series comes from her attempts at coming to terms with her new artificial limbs.though she has an easier time than most quadra paraplegics due to her being able to control these artificial limbs using the power of her mind."

Huh, so she's actually in the show beyond the part where she loses her limbs? When I'd heard discussions in the past, nobody ever mentioned her past that point, it was all just about Lucy, or Nyuu, or whoever the other horned girl is, so I got the impression Nana wasn't a recurring character. Learn something new all the time.

And yeah, mind/superpowered-controlled limbs would be nice, I'd imagine, considering the alternatives.

 20485113 

>"Let her play (Final Fantasy)5 and 6, 6 being the best. They're very lengthy games, and very fun with a good story. Especially 6, even though the super nonlinear second half could turn off little kids."

I know, man, I played VI (III) when I was a kid, myself. Well, older than she is now, but still a kid, all in all. Geez, I feel old now. Anyway, yeah, I'll consider them.

 20485901 

>"You should find out if she likes animu or other tv shows. She may have been following a series before her accident or something. Even if she can't have a TV, you could probably get a portable DVD player or something. the prices are lower now. Also, show her Rozen maiden as a precursor to making her dress up as boku."

I've thought about it, particularly since she's fluent in the language, and seems to have been somewhat internet savvy and such. I'll bring it up to her, I suppose, I was just a bit worried about her feeling 'stereotyped' somehow, like 'hey, you're half-japanese, you must LOVE anime, right?' or something.

 20486045 

>"Nana ends up being a major character. [sic]. That aside, I have to say I've been following this whole saga since it started, and despite the fact I'm a /b/tard, tred and true, seeing how much YOU'VE changed over the course of these months is definately interesting. You went from someone who wanted to simply stick it in a loli's pooper to someone who has actually grown to care for this girl and I think you would make a great father for her if it works out for you. But seriously, the BUTTSEX? After chicks see what a caring guy you are, they'll be begging you for BUTTSEX. Stick to them and keep being the person that amputee-chan needs."

Well, I could protest and get into the whole 'I was joking' thing, but that'd probably just prompt fifty posts or so from people quoting old posts at me or something. So I'll take your post in the spirit it was intended, and thank you...and yeah, I haven't given up all hope for future romantic relationships should the adoption go through...yet. And huh, I didn't know that she remained a main character and such, and as someone else earlier said, they use her getting used to prosthetics in the story...might have to check it out, now. Hm.

Anyway, I need to afk for 10-20 minutes or so now, hopefully the thread will still be alive when I get back.

 20488900 

>"It's not an important question, but how does playing Mario Kart DS work? You said she does directions, and you do buttons. Does that take a lot of coordination, or does she tell you what to do, or what? Reminded me of playing Mario Kart and switching my Wavebird's channel to my brother's so I could wreck him while I was on a straight-stretch."

Well, it's certainly a teamwork thing. But yeah, she takes the left side of the DS, I take the right, and we do our best. She does have priority in the braking/accelerating command structure, though she doesn't tell me when to do each and every one, but occasional outbursts of 'brakes!' or 'power slide!' (Multi-track drifting!?!) will escape her lips. Oh, and she tells me who to shell or when to banana, and such, too. It's a lot of fun, actually, reminds me of playing the original mario kart with my brother, way back when. We may not be ready for any international tournaments yet, but we've steadily gotten better, and I see no reason that trend won't continue! (There's an idea...a Mario Kart themed picture...)

 20489094 

>"If she likes to read as you say, get her The Art Of War, the Improvised Munitions Handbook, The Zombie Survival Guide and Starship Troopers. That's some good readin' right there. Educamational too."

She's smart, but she's still 7.

 20490610 

>"I woke up on Valentine's Day filled with hatred and malice towards my fellow man. Because let's face it, people are fuckers. After this thread, however, I am forced to add "except for Nurse-kun and his loli" to the end of that statement. Have a happy V-Day with her, Nurse-kun!"

I'm fairly sure that giving her a valentine, even an entirely age-appropriate platonic classmate/friend one, wouldn't turn out well. I am considering some candy or chocolate, though.

 20491478 

>(replying to two posts) "Have you thought about the cost of modifications you'd have to do to your place to accommodate her? That ain't gonna be cheap, you know."

Well, I'd probably wind up moving, but yes, I've considered that. I could probably write it off on my taxes, at least, but I'd get better advice than just that before I went ahead with it.

>"Get her another one of those chocolate oranges"

Hm. I'll consider it. Might be seasonal, though.

 20491815 

>"Also, how much time will you have to spend with her? If being a nurse in the States is anything like being a nurse here, you'll be leaving home early and coming back late."

Well, as I've said previously: if it goes through, I'll very likely have to quit my job to look after her full time. But people adopting kids (particularly those with serious problems) are given compensation to take care of them, along with various other sources it should be enough.

 20491865 

>"So Nurse-kun, when you do finally adopt her, you are gonna post her picture on /b/, right? There would be no harm in that, she would be your daughter then. DO IT."

Well, we'll see then, won't we?

 20492377 

>"That would be totally fuckawesome. I can't say that quitting a job would be a wise move, but in this case it would be worthwhile"

Well, there's always work out there for a nurse. Always. I could be in a hospital, a clinic...only reason I'm in the 'home' is because I chose to go there, for personal reasons I don't really want to get into right now...anyway, it's not as much of a problem as it is for some sort of corporate professional or something. Besides, assuming things go well, she'll keep progressing, and eventually require less fulltime care, go back to school, etc...nothing is forever, right?

 20492730 

>"This is the first Nurse-kun thread I've seen. And I'd just like to say that you've rekindled my faith in humanity. It may be somewhat pathetic, but reading your posts (on wikichan, naturally) have given me a wide range of emotions that I haven't felt in a long, long time. I just hope this is all true (even if it isn't, I'll continue to believe it is) because it really is a beautiful story. Densha Otoko has nothing on this. Anyway, this is one Anonymous who wishes you luck in the future. I'll even go so far as to say I'll say a prayer or two."

Thank you. You really give me too much credit, all of you do...if I was really worthy of it all, I wouldn't even be telling anyone about any of this, or wasting my time on the internet; I'd just be doing it, and spending my time doing more to he;lp other people.

That said...thanks, again. The support I get here really does he;lp me in moments of doubt, in the face of the overwhelmingness of it all...thanks, all of you (non-dicks).

 20493167 

>"Just be her big brother. Better than 90% of the shit you'll have to take as a medical nurse. Hell, it was bad enough being a combat medic and my friend doing his attachments for his nursing diploma is saying that it's about ten times worse for him. Playing with triple amputee loli chan > performing debridements or catheterizations"

Well, yes, I could happily go without inserting (or removing) another catheter for the rest of my life. But I'm afraid it's too late for me, I've been ruined for a normal life, much like a ravished girl for marriage.

 20493747 

>"When did this thread turn into an emotional circle-jerk? Let's get back to normal discussion. Hey Nurse-kun, when are you going to develop the proof pics you promised us before Christmas?"

They're around here somewhere. As I've said numerous times, I'm not much of a photography person, so the roll of film is still around here in some nook or cranny. I keep forgetting about it. I'll try to do it relatively soon?

 20501908 

>[Replying to two posts] >In response to a longish Valentines poem:

Wow. Um, on that note, I really need to get going for work. I'll sign back on tomorrow to see if there are any other entries of the valentineish sort, though I'm not sure how one could...top...this.

>"did she have any friends before the accident? do any of them try to visit her?"

Yes, she had friends, no, they don't visit her anymore. I've been told she lashed out a fair bit and burned a lot of bridges post-accident when they showed up, and kids don't tend to like dealing with disfigurations, even if they're gifted little angels, even if parents don't like to admit it, or that they don't particularly like such people either. I guess. Not a shrink myself. Gotta go now. Night, /b/!