So, this is my first Resident Evil story. Was a bit inspired by the idea of Chris being a doctor – a different way of saving lives but I still wanted to attach his military background to his impressive résumé of being the head of surgery with several success stories. I think I really like this new, gruffer angle of Chris where he smokes and drinks. Knowing him and all the paperwork he has to go through and all the patients he sees he'll be stressed out and having to experience middle age.

Anyway, hope you guys like it and enjoy reading!

C.E.

One: New Breath

Grey streams of smoke colored the darkening sky, the dreary shade contrasting against the bright, warm pink, orange, yellow and indigo as the sun was being lulled to sleep. It curled about playfully before dissipating completely, out of sight and mind. Another successful surgery had been completed that day, the patient and their family remaining in the hospital with baited breath despite the good news that had been delivered to them a few hours ago. Chris tapped at the new cigarette butt he slid between his chapped lips that evening, using his other hand to remove his reading glasses and slide them into his breast pocket. Releasing a calm yawn, the surgeon felt his phone vibrate, jarring him from his much needed break.

Retrieving it and not bothering to look at the caller ID, he answered, "Yeah."

"Dr. Redfield, you're needed at your office."

'No rest for the weary,' he thought, shifting the dying butt to the other side of his lip, "Okay. Be there in five." Ending the conversation, he smothered what remained of the sweet nicotine in a nearby ashtray before he palmed a small container of breath mints, quickly popped one in his mouth and then turned to go back inside.

Strolling about the long, whitewashed halls of Juno Hospital, Chris Redfield, a renowned surgeon, took his time to make his way back to his office since he had to cut his break a few minutes shorter than he wanted. He knew what was waiting for him at his destination: paperwork. He was reluctant despite knowing it had to be done, which just made the task all the more dreadful to go through. Passing by the reception desk, one of the new hires caught his attention for a moment.

"Doctor, this came in for you. Mr. and Mrs. Parker are here and would like to speak with you about their daughter's condition."

"Okay, I'll get to that now before I drop these off at my office." He replied, tucking the manila folder under his arm, sliding his other hand into the pocket of his white coat, his hollow steps sounding down another long hallway to one of the various visiting rooms. The parents were more than relieved once he approached them. He shook the father's hand, his larger palm enveloping the smaller one with ease and even moreso with the mother.

"Evening."

"How…how is she?"

"Slow and steady recovery; her surgery is in fourteen hours, and I will be the one to perform it," Chris nodded, craning his neck just enough to feel the knot come undone. "All that we're going to do is carefully flush out the blood that has flooded her left lung, and once that is done I'll be able to remove the dead tissue and quickly sew her up."

His demeanor maintained a calm air as he explained his method of action; he was known for being informing his patient's family of what he was going to do just so they were all on the same page. He never felt he had a reason to withhold any information, and was more than happy to offer as much as he could within legal boundaries.

He noticed how nervous the couple was and reassured them he was going to do his best in this surgery because failure was never an option with him.

"Thank you, Dr. Redfield. We're so grateful that you're going to take good care of our daughter." The mother, Mina, gave him a shaky smile, tears filling the corners of her eyes to the brim. She couldn't help but hug Chris, surprising the burly man, but he gracefully reciprocated the embrace, patting her back and pulling away to nod to the two of them.

"Patricia will be good as new; I will make sure of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, if you have any other questions, you can refer them to my nurse or leave them with my secretary. Have a good night you two, I will see you in the morning." Making his exit, Chris then tended to the file that was still pressed against his side.

Reaching his office, Deborah Harper, his secretary greeted him with a content smile. "Evening, Doctor."

"Miss Harper."

"Miss Valentine left a message again tonight; she was inquiring about your availability tonight."

"Dinner?" Chris swiftly removed his lab coat as he opened his door, holding it ajar with his foot and leaning in to place it on the rack nearby.

"Yes. She was proposing at ten-thirty."

He furrowed his eyebrows, grimacing at the stack of paperwork sitting in the tray upon her desk, his name marked upon the apparatus that housed the documents. "Thanks, I'll call her." He managed to get his doorstopper in time to keep the door open without his foot then, moving to get the heavy tray and then closed the door behind him.

Setting the tray down at the left-hand corner of the fine oaken wood, Chris released a long exhale and slid the manila folder into the center of the desk, moving around to practically throw himself into the soft leather seat. "Fuck." He muttered as he rubbed his temple using his forefinger and thumb, moving the pads in a circular pattern in a poor attempt to alleviate the oncoming headache.

Kicking his feet up onto the smooth surface, Chris sank into his chair, already feeling his muscles slowly relax from all the tension they had stored up despite his earlier cigarette break. His hand lay atop the manila folder, his curiosity beginning to whirl as he flipped it open to gaze at the contents. Inside was what appeared to be a letter of recommendation—he assumed a profile and a stapled résumé would be underneath it. Quirking an eyebrow, he brought the pile closer by holding it in both of his hands.

His eyes scanned over the letter:

Dr. Christopher Redfield,

It is with great pleasure that I highly recommend you hire another surgeon to fill the open spot in your Eastern Wing Division. The Board of Directors finds his qualifications and large amount of experience can be of great use to you in your new establishment. I would be honored for you to accept Dr. Piers Nivans as part of your ever growing staff; I assure you that you would not be disappointed if you are able to employ him. I have absolutely no hesitations or second thoughts as I have personally written this letter of recommendation for him as per his request, and especially do this as you and I have known one another for quite some time now. Please look into Dr. Nivans' credentials and see if he is fit for your division at Juno Hospital. Thank you.

Respectfully,

Dr. Robin Torrence

Titan Hospital

Chris noticed the familiar wax symbol at the bottom of the parchment paper, knowing it was easy to recognize this as pure and authentic. Furrowing his brows, he set the manila folder down on his desk again, leaving his open as he pulled out his phone to dial Jill's number.

After two rings, she picked up.

"Chris."

"Jill."

"I might run late—paperwork."

"If you had gotten that done earlier this week, you wouldn't have to deal with a mountain of it."

He smirked in response to her gentle teasing before shaking his head, "Ha ha. What's the occasion for dinner? You hardly have time for something like this ever since your promotion."

Jill had recently become an ambassador for the United Nations, quickly going through the ranks with her strong linguistics background. Chris couldn't be happier for her, but was surprised that she had time to leave him a message ever since she told him that she started her new job two years ago. He knew she had placed her career before everything else, rightly so, and hearing from her was pleasant.

"I had just flown in from Prague last week; we were establishing some agreements and I was there as a liaison between the two countries. So I thought I'd pay you a visit since I'll be here in Raccoon for a couple weeks."

"Okay. I could spare some time for dinner before my surgery tomorrow morning."

"Surgery?"

"Lung surgery on one of my patients. A teenage girl."

"Busy playing hero, aren't you?"

"Look who's talking."

The two laughed mutually as they caught up for a few more minutes, eventually bidding each other goodbye. Chris glanced at the file once more before loosening his tie, deciding the "Leaning Tower of Pisa" had priority tonight if he planned to only make Jill wait half an hour longer than she requested. Clearing his throat, the surgeon set to work, all the more motivated that his reward for doing his paperwork was dinner and a beer. He kept trying to bring down the large pile as he worked diligently, taking the manila folder and sliding it into his briefcase to read through later.

He still couldn't believe that he had known Jill for about fifteen years now, having met her in college when he had to travel out of state for school due to also training to be an Air Force pilot. They were both nineteen then, fresh meat in university despite their radically different majors somehow found themselves creating a close friendship. His pursuit for a medical degree while also serving as an Air Force pilot certainly kept him busy, but they somehow managed to make time for one another; it paid off when after eight years of serving he was honorably discharged, spending the next eleven years in the field of medicine to perfect his craft as a surgeon. Looking at that length of time reminded him of the bits of grey hair that was starting to show in his natural dark mahogany.

The rest was history, predictably.

After getting through more than half of the pile, Chris stood to stretch his tired muscles, craning his neck. He would complete his paperwork tomorrow after a break from the surgery, for sure this time. He moved to begin closing up his office, grabbing his briefcase and turning to lock his door, bidding his secretary good night. He checked his watch again once he exited the hospital, trying to get to his car as quickly as possible to meet up with Jill.