(This chapter is also posted on my deviantART website- my username is SomeRandomGirl. If you have an account there and feel the urge to leave a comment there... please do!

Trauma Center is my newest passion, and I want to celebrate it before it temporarily keels over and dies a bloody, Deftera-induced death. Deftera causes tumors, so it's painful. Ask Amy Chase.

Those of you who know my writing style will wonder why my chapters are so short. Shorter chapters means less writing, which means it's more likely I'll really finish this time.

Things may happen suddenly. Don't like it, too bad. I tend not to pay attention to negative criticism. xD

Also, there's a discrepancy between what I write for Adam's X-7 comment in the game and what Derek "remembers." Keep in mind that I am writing this while sitting in the back row of my Human Anatomy class(and in fact, all of my classes), so there will be some errors. Oh well!

Characters © Nintendo

GUILT(Gangliated Utrophin Immuno Latency Toxin) © Nintendo

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Perfect Death

Chapter One- Deftera: The First Day

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Derek was so happy to be working at Hope again, even if it was only for a little while. He had found out during his time at Caduceus that he much preferred the calmer pace of Hope Hospital, as opposed to the constant stream of critical patients in Caduceus.

"Dr. Stiles, have you finished your paperwork yet?"

Derek looked up from his desk to see Angie Thompson entering his office.

"Ah... not yet, Angie..." Derek chuckled nervously, pointing towards the pile of paperwork sitting on his desk. "I kind of got a lot of it today..."

Angie sighed, shaking her head gently. "Do you need any help?"

"I-If you're willing, that'd be great," Derek's face brightened as Angie took a seat across from him, taking one of the many forms, filling it in with her nearly-immaculate handwriting. For three long, quiet hours, no sound filled the office except for the that of moving paper and pens writing.

"...oh, wow. It's already eleven?" Derek finally spoke again, looking up at the clock on the wall. "We should get going soon..."

"Well, we're almost finished with the paperwork," Angie eyed the much smaller stack of papers. "I'll get us some coffee, then we'll finish up the rest of the paperwork, and you can give me a ride home. Deal, Derek?"

"Sounds great, Angie," Derek smiled as his nurse got up and left to retrieve the aforementioned caffeinated beverages. Once he could no longer hear the sound of her heels clicking on the tiled floor, he leaned back in his chair, stretching his limbs. He didn't particularly care for sitting in one place for so long.

He remembered the times when Angie would berate him for slacking off on the job, failing to properly care for the patients.

"Pay more attention to your patients' post-op treatment, and try to take care of your paperwork sooner rather than later."

Well, he had certainly applied that bit of wisdom. It definitely made a difference for Linda Reid when she came to Hope. Her depression... the mysterious gashes in her lungs reforming... Kyriaki, the first GUILT.

"I'm back, Dr. Stiles."

Angie reentered, holding two cups of pure, unadulterated coffee. As she sat down, she placed one cup in front of Derek.

"Thanks, Angie," Derek replied, still somewhat lost in thought. "...do you remember the first time we encountered GUILT?"

"How could I not?" Angie nodded, filling out yet another piece of paperwork. "It changed our whole lives. Caduceus, my father, Dr. Kimishima... Adam..."

"Yes..." Derek took another form, picking his pen off the desk once again. "But... do you think that GUILT is really gone, as a disease?"

Angie paused, deep in thought.

"I think..." she slowly began. "...I think that as long as they continue GUILT testing... there will always be a slight risk for GUILT outbreaks, no matter how tight the security may be."

"Yeah.. but that reminds me of something. Remember the results of the testing that Victor showed us?"

"That was pretty amazing," Angie agreed. "How they actually found a way to make Triti attack only dangerous cells..."

They continued discussing the benefits that arose from GUILT research- the healing it has caused, despite the undeniable deadliness of the disease.

Eventually, within minutes to midnight, all the paperwork was filled out, put into files, and filed away.

"I'm beat..." Derek sighed. "Good thing we don't have to start until noon tomorrow, huh?"

Derek grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and pulled it on as Angie straightened his desk. They left the building together, headed for the parking lot.

The ride home was quiet. Traffic was always lighter in the evenings, so Derek was able to drop off Angie in a record seventeen minutes. He drove the last ten miles in complete silence, without either the radio or Angie's incessant attempts at conversation.

His apartment was unusually quiet; Derek paid no attention to the fact as he hung up his coat and headed towards the bathroom. Shedding his scrubs jacket in favor of an old t-shirt, the brunette surgeon brushed his teeth. After putting the toothbrush back, he looked into the mirror, contemplative.

"There will always be a risk for future GUILT outbreaks..."

"But what if I told you it lived inside of every human? I have merely given it shape. This is the death that lies in all humans..."

A small pain crept into Derek's chest, but he ignored it as Adam's words haunted Derek's mind. Death that lied in every human... what if it were true, and not just the ramblings of a madman...?

Derek's chest suddenly became engulfed in blinding pain. Crying out suddenly, he clutched frantically at his chest, gasping for breath through his agony. He could feel his heart pounding, the blood rushing to his head...

The world faded to black as Derek collapsed to the floor and did not rise.

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(Chapter One, complete!

Please don't go saying "OMG HE'S DEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAD" because he's NOT. Yet. xD

Constructive reviews are always welcome! However, if you're going to leave a comment, leave something longer than, "cool, I like it, more plz"! That gets you NOTHING!

And if any of you can catch my musical reference, I will give you a cookie...

Also, before I forget! If you can figure out why I started with Deftera as a chapter title instead of Kyriaki, or at least have a guess with a certain amount of reason in it, I'll pimp your account on my deviantART journal. )

Please review!)