'Tis my first fanfic here! Enjoy!
Summary: Even the Healing Touch couldn't save him this time…
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After the operation, Derek Stiles was nowhere to be found. Riddled with shame at his loss, he ran off, attempting to disappear from the face of the earth, never to be found again.
The Medical Board was notified, and very much displeased at this information. Nothing more is to be said on that matter.
Angie was distraught, as was the rest of Caduceus USA. The loss of the surgeon at the head of the fight against GUILT hit them all hard, and it was as if through his loss, all of them had lost something in the process.
And so, Angie was sent out to retrieve the poor doctor, for they knew that if anyone could bring the bespectacled doctor back to his senses, she could.
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"Dr. Stiles!" Derek heard a feminine voice shout out to him as he sat on the park bench. He didn't dare turn his head or respond in any other way - he couldn't bear to see any of them again, not this soon! He did his best to stay inconspicuous, keeping his head down and his hands in his pockets. Changing his clothes or appearance before leaving probably would've helped him stay hidden. But alas, he hadn't, and so as his long-time assistant came closer, it became rather obvious he was in fact the same doctor that ran off earlier that day. Said doctor was also ignoring her. Oh, dear.
"DEREK!" she shouted again, this time much louder, making it hard to keep ignoring her. The added proximity did not help his poor eardrums. Derek flinched. Angie was slightly hurt by this, unaware of her volume - did he hate her now for not assisting in his most recent operation? She'd heard the operation had gone sour - she assumed this to be correct, for she couldn't think of anything else that would make him react this way. But it hadn't exactly been her fault - the hospital had been short on people at the time, and she'd gotten pulled into another operation before anyone even knew Derek would be operating. She still felt a bit of guilt, however, for not being there to support him when he clearly had needed it.
"Derek, are you alright? Everyone's worried about you…" Angie tried again in a softer, gentler voice, once she'd come within reach of the bench. He refused to acknowledge her (partly because his ears were still ringing).
"Derek, if this is because I didn't assist you in that last operation, I'm sorry, okay? The hospital was short on staff because of how early it is… There was nothing I could've done about it."
"It's not that."
"Then what? Is it because you lost a patient?" Peculiarly, this prompted Derek to look at his watch.
"Gee, thanks for reminding me… It's been exactly thirty minutes…," he said sourly.
"Since what? Since the time of death?"
"No. Since the patient woke up and lost the game." Angie was stunned for a moment, then…
"Darn it! I lost the game too!"
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Be honest: How many people saw that coming?