Standing in my father's office, everything they were saying to me fell on deaf ears. My head and heart had already decided that this was where I needed to be. My mother was livid, and talking with her hands like she always did when things were out of her control. My father sat calmly at his desk, displeasure on his features, but he spoke like the business man that he was. Finally, I held up my hand to quiet both of them.
"I understand your concerns; however, I am not asking for your permission. This is what I have decided that my skills in the medical field and medical research can be best used for. My research over the past year has provided countless extraordinary results, and I intend to put it to beneficial use. These citizens need my help," I said, keeping my tone calm.
Mother scoffed, not convinced. "They are not citizens, Kerstin. I agreed to allow you to study medicine when you were fourteen years old on the condition that you would not do anything reckless."
"Yes, mother, I remember, but I am not a child anymore. The decision is mine and tomorrow I am leaving for the Underground City to provide medical care to those unable to receive it elsewhere."
"Kerstin, this is ridiculous! You are an Sinclair, and I will not allow—"
"Meredith," My father scolded her, rising from his seat. He disliked when she used our name as an excuse to control me. "How long will you be gone?"
Straightening my back, I turned my gaze on my father. He didn't want me to go, but he would allow it. "For now, we are expecting to stay for a year," I started. Mother looked as though she might faint. "But, passage to and from the city will remain open." Most who traveled to the Underground City didn't make the return trip. I'd spoken to one of the owners of the staircases, and though his ways were distasteful, after paying a sizable amount, he agreed to allow us free passage of the stairs for medical personnel.
"This is truly what you wish to do?" Father asked. His words hung heavily in the air.
With a sharp nod and no hesitation, I answered, "Yes, Father, this what I want."
Contemplating my reply, Father took a long pause. Worry filled his features but he smiled nonetheless. "Then I shall support you in any way I can.'
That night we had our last dinner as a family. It would be quite some time before I'd return. Father and I discussed unimportant politics, like we'd done countless times before. Except, this time, it felt forced. It wasn't until I excused myself from the table that I realized no one had eaten a single bite.
The next morning, I made my goodbye quick and was on my way. The more we lingered, the harder it would become. Akiyo and Shinji were waiting for me at the top of the staircase. Both greeted me, eager for me to join them.
"Word has spread quickly that we are giving out free medical care. Shinji already treated a few cuts and scrapes," Akiyo explained excitedly. The two had spent the night at our new home last night, after spending most of yesterday transporting supplies down to the medical building, while I had spent my last day arranging all the funds and legal support we would need.
"I'd like to go to work straight away, as well. Lead the way," I said, smiling brightly. My mother's words still lingered in my mind. I might be an elite, but doctors in the capital were easily found. I wanted to help more than just the rich.
Shinji explained a lot about the city and how it ran. He'd been here quite a few times on call from residents who made enough money to get out of the city for a day. He'd requested that I always carry a knife with me while down here. Dangerous. He used that word a lot.
The city that housed so many people broke my heart. When I was child, I often questioned why these people weren't allowed to come up into the security of Wall Sina. Space was no issue. My father had explained it to me that there were politicians who made it nearly impossible for these people to rise above their poverty.
"This is it! What do you think, Kerstin? It's smaller than the buildings we're used to, but it's actually really nice," Akiyo said. He was two years older than me, and at 24, had quite the resume. He had a knack for healing broken bones with the most stable splints, and he had worked in physical recovery.
Shinji, on the other hand, was a skilled surgeon. He worked quickly and efficiently, and I had spent a year training under him to learn the craft. His one flaw would be his bedside manner could be a little lacking.
When I had decided on this job, there weren't a lot of applicants eager to move to the underground. It didn't take too long for me to decided on these two. We worked well together and I trusted them not to think about the money. It was made very clear that our clinic would run on donation only. It wasn't right to charge these people for basic medical care.
No sooner had we started unpacking, the door swung open and a timid middle-aged woman came in, trying to hobble over. "E-excuse me, are you open?"
I stood, brushing the dust off my pants. "Yes, ma'am. Is your ankle bothering you?" I asked, clearing a bed for her to sit on.
With a nod, she started to tell me what had happened. "Some kids accidently caused me to trip and I twisted it a few days ago. My husband insisted that I get it checked out, but I just thought it was a sprain, you know?"
Listening intently, I examined her swollen ankle, propping the heel of her foot on my knee. Each touch made her wince. It seemed much too tender to be a simple sprain. The bone under the swollen skin felt strange when I pressed against it with my fingers. "Akiyo, I believe it's fractured. Could you splint this for her and give her some crutches?" I turned my attention back to the woman and gave her a bright smile. "He'll take good care of you."
"How much?" She asked, digging in her pocket for whatever money she had. In her hand, she held seven coins. "Will this cover it? I can bring more next week."
Taking only one coin, I closed her hand. "This is more than enough. Stay off your ankle as much as possible and come see us again next week, okay?"
"Thank you. Thank you so much!" Tears pooled in her eyes but she smiled. That was more than enough for me. Akiyo took over, explaining step by step what he was doing so she could take it off for baths or showers. And then, he taught her how to walk with crutches.
The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly. Word was beginning to spread around, and more and more people stopped by for our treatment. We each took our time, giving the most privacy and best care, we could provide. By the time we closed for the night, all three of us were more than exhausted. It felt worth it. All the smiling faces and kind words said by those who came here made all the work completely worth it.
Our home was a little walk away from the medical building. It had been the only thing available at the time. Shinji started on supper, and Akiyo claimed the shower first, so I sat on the steps outside of the house to read over my research papers again. Soon, we'd get to start giving trials of this new drug that I'd created. The results were favorable, but human trials were hard to come by. Sighing, I took a sip of my cup of water.
"Oi, doctor lady," a male voice came from across the stairway. He was a taller man, dark blond hair. The thing that stuck out the most was the blood on his shirt. Akiyo told me not to worry about the neighbors, but that was slightly disconcerting. "You are a doctor, right?"
Right, I should answer him. "Yes, I am."
He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "I hate to bother you at home, but my friend needs some stitches. I'll pay you." Awkwardly, he tried to smile. A girl yelled at him from inside. "She's too stubborn to go to our usual guy."
Packing my papers back into the file, I smiled reassuringly. "Let me grab my things and I'll be happy to do it." Going into the house for only a moment, I made sure I had all the things I might need.
"I'm Farlan, thanks for doing this," He said as he let me into their home. "Isabel, sit down. She's going to stitch you up."
The girl he'd told me about was pacing in the kitchen and holding a towel to her head. Angrily, she said, "Levi is going to be so pissed that I got blood on the floor! No way am I getting it on the couch too!"
I pulled out one of the wooden chairs. "How about this chair then? I promise to help you clean up the mess," I said.
Reluctantly, Isabel sat down, removing the towel from her head. Farlan turned his head away. There was a pretty decent sized gash on her head that went back through her hairline. Numbing the area as best I could, the stitches didn't take long. The blood that poured out and onto both of us and the floor, however, would take a while to clean. "There, all done." I closed the stitches and rinsed off my tools in the sink. "Try to avoid getting it wet for a few days. I'll take them out at the end of the week."
"I have to keep these for a whole week?!" Isabel asked, shocked. She ran her fingers over the fresh stitches and hissed in pain. "Ouchy."
Farlan took out a bag of coins and held it out me. "Here. This is what we normally pay our doctor."
That's a lot of money! A little suspicious of how they got it, I shook my head. "No, it's free." The shock on his face almost made me laugh. That seems to be the genuine reaction of a lot of the people in the underground. Nothing is free here.
"You don't want any money?" He asked, shocked.
Before I could answer, a new voice spoke up. "She's a Sinclair. An elite from above ground. Why would she need our money?" His voice was cold, and his gaze sent a chill through me.
I had intended to keep my surname a secret for as long as possible. How did this man know that? Farlan introduced me to Levi, and explained that I'd stitched up Isabel's wound. The tension still hung in the air. Clearly, he didn't approve of me being in their home, much less treating a wound and taking no money. Whatever had happened to him in the past, it affected how he treated me now. And I'll be damned if I stand here and let him speak to me that way.