"Sometimes I honestly wonder how are you a doctor and not a patient here!" a loud yell was heard down a long hallway with white walls. All the people outside of their rooms turned their heads towards the sound, only to see the young white-haired doctor rushing out of his office, followed by a taller male with an innocent grin plastered on his face. It was quite a usual pic around here and since there was nobody new on this floor, everyone was already used to yelling and fights these two always had. Sometimes it started even before the morning coffee! The older, yet shorter, male was no one but the senior consultant at this hospital. The other one was just one of the regular doctors. The two of them often disagreed even over the silliest things and the only reason the taller of them was still working here was the difficulty of finding someone to fill his position.

Michael, the consultant, immediately headed to the office of another doctor while the other doctor went to see some of his patients. Michael shut the door behind him, looking at the tall hard-working figure behind the desk. Although his pride didn't allow him to admit it, he was glad the other was here.

"So, Uriel," he spoke up, getting the other to look up from the pile of papers he was currently filling, "When is the new patient coming here? I would hate to miss his arrival. That would be rude and would also increase the chance of him showing them around which is something I want to avoid at all costs."

Uriel nodded, serious as ever when it came to work. Especially in front of Michael, he almost never took off the cold mask. Although he respected the other as his senior and higher-up, he had problems respecting him as a person. Always demanding perfection, the white-haired doctor was very hard to please. One wrong step and anyone could be fired... if only there were enough people willing to take over all the work. Which there weren't and Uriel was sometimes really happy for that. He had no doubt Michael would fire half the staff if he could do so with no consequences. At the same time, he was sure he was safe in his position. Dealing with most of the paperwork of the hospital, he was the person who knew about everything going on. He only got the opportunity to this all because Michael trusted him, maybe even more than he should, considering who they worked with. And today, there was going to be yet another person to come and get locked here, in the golden cage as the other doctors sometimes called it.

"He will be here around noon. I already sent Jeanne to prepare his room." Uriel answered, refering to one of the nurses, "Basing on the report, I think it might be paranoia or hallucinations."

"Or multiple personality disorder." Michael added but not really smiling, "That one is always a possibility though. But we can't just dismiss that idea. I really hope it's not the case. Well, anything else I should know about him? If not, I'll just-"

"The name, Michael." Uriel held up a paper with the new-comer's information. He had his reasons to do so and as much as his superior doubted he'd find anything interesting about the name at all, he indeed did. Not only interesting, it was something that left him breathless for a while, just staring at the sheet in front of his very eyes. He ripped it from his coworker's hand and immediately left the room. The taller man let him go. After all, he knew how Michael felt. It was the same for him when he saw the picture and saw the name too. The name of a certain woman both he and Michael knew and had very close to.

"Wait for me, Gabriel!" I called after the running woman, who kept laughing as she ran. It was only a few days after the two of us met in the class. She was pretty much like me, perfect marks, strict parents and going her own way despite everything else. Although we've just got out of high school, she had a clear idea about her life. I adored that about her more than anything else. Helping people. She made me think of my life. Why was I studying medicine? It wasn't like I was intersted in it much. More like my family wanted me to do so. I was always a perfect child so of course I couldn't disappoint them. But she was here on her own, from a family of lawyers. Unlike me, she went here from her own will, deciding to help. I later learnt that she'd been through something tragic before, which left her completely on her own and even with a baby. That was probably one of the reasons for her desicion.

I'd only seen her son once. I didn't really have any desire to see him anymore after that. I never liked small kids but he was somehow more annoying than anyone else, knowing he was her child. I used to think I loved her but if I really did, I suppose I would act different towards Grigori too. She often mentioned not having anyone to look after him and I usually made up an excuse so she wouldn't ask me to do it. If I knew what was about to happen that afternoon, I would certainly react to her invitations in a different way. But I was kind of an idiot back then. I didn't realize how easily could she be taken away from me.

When I saw it, it was already too late. Red got in the way of my sight and I remember feeling as if it were me who was ran over by a truck back then. The dull pain at the moment wasn't the worst. I didn't believe what I had seen with my own eyes. I spent some time staring at the huge red stain that remained on the road even after she was taken to the hospital. The rest of that day, and following weeks too, had long been covered in a pleasant blur. I don't remember hearing she won't be coming back to school, nor do I know how her funeral was like. In place of those memories is now only a black emptiness. Since then, I have heard nothing of the child of hers, nor her or the family. Or maybe I have but I pushed it all out of my memory.

Looking at the paper in his office, all the memories ran through Michael's head. There was no mistaking it. The one coming to his hospital was Gabriel's very own child. He had to take care of him now, no matter how many times he refused to do so in the past. Those few years changed them both. Grigori was no longer the little boy he used to be, he was a teenager and resembled his mother in every possible way. Michael on the other hand did not change in appearance one bit, safe for dark bags under his eyes from long sleepless nights. But inside, he made a huge change since that incident with his beloved friend. He decided to change the topic of his study, much to his family's disliking, and focus on the one Gabriel chose herself. Helping people maybe wasn't his own dream, but it was hers. If he could do one thing to make her happy in the afterlife, it would be this. Especially now when he was to have Grigori here.

Uriel walked down one of the halls, coming from the pharmacy, he held a small box of pills in one hand, a list of today's visits in the other. Less and less people were coming to see their loved once in here, it was a truly sad thing to watch. He walked around the communal room, noticing a dark-haired male inside. He quickly made a step back to make sure said young man wasn't by himself. Unluckily, that was just the case. With a light sigh, the doctor made his way inside and gave the man a smile, "Good morning, Camio. You're up rather early today. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

He got a small shake of the head and let out aonther sigh, shaking his own head too, "It's not good to skip meals. Come with me, I'll eat with you after I give doctor Michael some medicine. You can't just stay here all by yourself, it can't help your recovery. Michael said he'd transfer you to a different doctor soon so just for this last time please come with me."

Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder why did Michael even accept Camio here, in the first place. The fact he was a family was actually the real opposite of any explanation since the head doctor seemed to hate even just talking about any of his relatives, especially about Camio's father, his own brother. On the other hand, the young man was abandoned by that family so maybe Michael simply felt sorry for him, although his illness was different from the other ones they were trying to cure here. But Camio had already been here for a few months with no signs of getting better so Michael decided he needed a different approaching.

Arriving to the cafeteria, Uriel let Camio pick a place to sit and then set his food next to him. Only a very few patients here were allowed a bit of freedom to walk around at morning. Camio needed socializing, that was all, Uriel supposed. Michael thought other way and that was another one of the key reasons for the change of doctors. Camio's new doctor was a kind lady of the name of Maria, who started working here pretty recently. Uriel had not met her properly yet but from what he heard and knew, thanks to his position, he could tell she was a reliable person. She wouldn't give up on Camio for sure. Not at least he was at least a bit better at least.

He returned in his memories to the morning meeting with Michael. The short male surely did seem puzzled by seeing Gabriel's son in the files. And with something so serious too. It was harder to hide than the other might had thought. Gabriel left so suddenly Michael had to spend a week in a hospital himself. Maybe that was what made him make up his mind about working in this part of medical industry? Of course, Uriel couldn't just go and ask about that. He knew just how sensitive that topic was. But Grigori was coming here so sooner or later, Michael would be forced to face the past. No matter how painful it may be.

Camio wasn't eating even now so Uriel reached over to him to hold his hand gently. The other looked at him with a blank expression but finaly reached for a piece of bread to fill his growling empty stomach. He knew Uriel wouldn't give him a rest until he had eaten properly. He honestly hoped the new doctor would be different at least in this. He didn't like being forced into anything. Being on his own pretty much for his entire life made him know well enough when he had to eat and when he could keep going without that. He forced a slice of bread down his throat before the annoying doctor finaly gave him his space.

Standing up from the table now, he was lead to his room and sat down on his bed again. As soon as Uriel left, Camio slipped a few pills from his sleeve. He managed to steal those from the box the doctor had for Michael. That's right. They weren't for Michael's patients. The bitter taste of them made him smile as tears escaped the corners of his eyes. It was the same medicine he knew so well. He swallowed them dry and closed his eyes, laying his cold body on the pure white sheets. Did he really ever have the time to properly appreciate the color? Looking around the room, he noticed everything was the same. White walls, white floor, white sheets. Now he really wished he took more time to look around before he ate the pills. His eyes started closing and his mind drifting away into sleep. He needed rest for a long time. Yes, all he wanted to do was rest. Nothing else was needed now. He could just forget everything.

Maria had just arrived to the hospital, meeting with William, a rather young doctor, on her way from the parking lot. Saying their good mornings to each other, they parted ways right at the enterance. The woman headed immediately to Michael's office to get a key of her new patient's room. She went around a few rooms and unconsciously looked in them through the glass part of the door. What she saw could pretty well shock most people, yet she was used to the same sight. A young man, sitting on his bed, nibbling on his own fingers and staring at the opposite side of the room. He was shivering and once in a few minutes, his body shook more violently. He was one of William's patients. The one with the longest way to a complete recovery.

The blonde boy was coming now from behind her where he had his office, heading straight to this door. With a gentle smile she wished him luck, earning the same from him. Luck was really all they needed in here. No amount of knowledge, no school could ever prepare them for the real deal. She stayed just for a while to watch William greeting the patient and having a morning chat with him, as he usually did. Somehow, this very scene before her eyes was more calming than anything else she has ever seen. The patient calmed down as soon as he noticed the doctor inside and the chat went on in somewhat peaceful atmosphere. How she wished all of her own patients were like this!

Finaly coming to Michael's office, she noticed immediately he was out. The door was slightly opened. She didn't look inside, knowing all too well her superior hated it when someone did so. At least she closed the door and leaned against it as she was waiting for him. It probably wouldn't take long anyway. Knowing Michael, he was only scolding one of the doctors or the nurses and that usually kept him busy for only small amount of time. Not to mention it was almost time for his medication. Maria herself had no idea as of what kind of treatment it was, nor why was Michael willing to swallow that many pills, but she knew he would never miss the right time. And the time was just coming.

She heard quick steps from the corridor and, looking up from the floor, saw exactly the one she was waiting for. He was always exactly on time, the other doctors sometimes even said they could use him instead of wristwatch. The doctor replied to her polite greeting and before he asked what she needed, he invited her in his office and took the pills prepared on his table. Though, he did have kind of a puzzled look as he only counted three of them. He then gave her the key she needed together with the files of the patient and let her go do what she needed to.

The patient's name was Camio Caxton. Maria was sure she had never once seen him or his room since it was in another part of the hospital than her office. But arriving in there, she found a young man she saw a few times during lunch or breakfast, when she sometimes spent the night in here as well. Right now, he seemed to be sleeping. However, the doctor decided it would be safer to check. She opened the door, stepping in. Camio's quiet breathing was all she could hear. Yet, something was off about this all. She stayed quiet, looking around the room before it suddenly hit her. The breathing was too quiet!

She ran to her patient and tilted his head back, relaxing his neck like that. Oxygen started flowing in his lungs again and she sighed in relief. This could had ended in a tragic way if she didn't happen to check on him right now. He was still in deep slumber but she couldn't help a smile making it's way up to her face. She had just saved his life. It was a pleasant feeling. Maybe one day he would even thank her for that. She let him sleep while she filled the report chart and put it beside other files in his folder. Everything had to be recorded in here. She also wondered what was that boy Isaac doing when he was supposed to watch the camera records to see if everyone was alright. But he, too, was just a human and she could understand a simple mistake. She decided to hand the report to Uriel rather than Michael so that the later doesn't have to get mad. She was sure he had enough of his own problems with his own patients. Ah, that's right! Wasn't there a new one coming today?