Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Trauma Center Series. All rights reserved to Atlus.
Summary: Two years after the Rosalia Virus Incident, the doctors at Resurgam First Care seem to be leading normal lives. In a similar way, Doctor Erhard Muller (a.k.a. CR-S01) is requested to give a conference in Boston. However, a sudden reencounter with his past may be the catalyst for catastrophic events.
The Darkest Bond
Chapter 1- New Opportunities
April 2022
Resurgam First Care medical center
Portland, Maine.
Peace was the only thing one could think of when looking at the pristine white building of the Resurgam First Care medical center. The air was clean and the sun was bright, yet gentle on the earth, inviting all living creature to bathe in its golden rays. Inside Resurgam, activity was constant, but not to the point of being overwhelming.
An ambulance was speeding through the streets, giving dangerous turns which caused several pedestrians to look at the vehicle. The siren was an ill omen resounding through the once quiet space. Suddenly, the ambulance reached its destination and a team of paramedics proceeded inside, pushing the stretcher with a constant speed. They dashed through the hallways, requesting immediate assistance with a loud voice. At first, some of the nurses seemed to be in a state of shock, but the screams of a certain hot-blooded paramedic made them come back to reality.
"Move! Out of the way, you twits!"
Paramedic Maria Torres made her way inside and almost crashed onto the Chief inside the Operation room.
"Watch it, Maria!" said the woman, clearly upset about almost being crushed by her subordinate.
"Ngh…! Sorry, Chief, but this patient's got severe blunt trauma on her legs, arms and chest, we need to treat her now!"
"I understand… Where the hell is Hank?"
Just as the chief pronounced the Orthopedic surgeon's name, the giant walked in-or ran in, to be more precise- being careful not to run over the fragile woman.
"S-sorry I'm late, chief! How's the patient?"
The man was panting and sweating, but he kept his calm demeanor. Maria was the one who filled him in with the details while accompanying him to the operation area.
"It's a mess. An electric failure in an apartment building caused several explosions which damaged the building's structure. Some people were crushed under the rubble, while others got some first and third degree burns. I stabilized most of them, but this one got hurt badly."
"Well, then, let's begin the treatment!" said the noble giant with a confident expression.
"Right, every second counts!"
With that, both doctors began the treatment, taking each step cautiously. The patient, a woman in her middle thirties, had severe fractures in both her legs and a couple of broken ribs threatened to pierce one of her lungs. Hank Freebird, Resurgam's Orthopedic specialist, made each movement skillfully, retrieving bone fragments and placing them back in their rightful place, then, placing some fragments of synthetic bone where needed and finally, fixing the bone with a plate and screws.
Once all treatments were concluded, Hank and Maria went their separate ways. Hank went to the gardens to tend to the plants and flowers growing there and Maria went to the old ward to collect herself and prepare for any incoming calls. The old ward was dark and eerily quiet. Maria's footsteps echoed on the weathered floor as she made her way to the lockers room. She then reclined against her locker and let out a heavy sigh, sitting down with a thump and pressing her legs against her chest. She remained quiet and thoughtful for at least fifteen minutes. She remembered all sorts of things in that short amount of time; how she had fought with her fellow paramedics, how she had learned the true meaning of "teamwork" and…
She then whispered a name that made her both smile and tremble; a name filled with sorrow and raptured innocence.
"Rose…"
She remembered the chaos which unfolded during the Rosalia outbreak and how she had to work together with her colleagues in order to save hundreds if not thousands of lives. Then, the memory of a certain doctor came to her mind. She remembered the horrible things she said to him when she found out he was involved in the Cumberland Incident. However, the bad and painful memories were replaced with images of him sitting all alone in a tiny cell, kept at freezing temperatures, completely secluded from the world. The worst part of it was that he was innocent. She discovered that while helping him find the cure to the devastating pandemic that threatened to wipe out all of the country. Unfortunately, as soon as the pandemic was controlled, he was taken back to prison and she had no chance to truly apologize to him.
Months passed and she heard of him from Gabriel Cunningham every once in a while. That was until he came back to Resurgam about a year ago. At first, everyone was shocked to see him there, being un-handcuffed and still dressed in the same white prison outfit. But as soon as he reassured them that he actually was there, they all welcomed him as the family he never had.
Maria could see the way his expressions slowly turned warmer and his demeanor became more open and relaxed, but every time she came closer to him, he seemed to look away. She obviously misunderstood, but he was also to blame, for he didn't know how to talk to her. After everything that had happened, he had no words to say to her. Fortunately, with some "friendly intervention" the two of them began to get along surprisingly well, and before anyone could tell, they had something serious and promising going on between them.
Now that her thoughts were focused on him, she stood up and opened her locker, revealing, perhaps, the only physical thing that helped her remember him; a single photograph was posted to the locker's door, right in a spot where Maria could look at it anytime she wanted. When she thought of him, on where he could be or what could he be doing, her heart jumped to her throat. Even if she tried to hide it, she wanted to see him one more time.
If only I…
She pushed the thoughts away and grabbing her gear, she headed out for her next round.
Boston University School of Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts
"Calm down already!" he scolded himself for the hundredth time "You´re a doctor and you're here to give a simple conference. That's all there is to it."
But no matter how much he told himself that, Doctor Erhard Muller could not hide the fact that he was terrified of speaking in front of hundreds of students and medicine professionals. It was the first time he had a chance to speak to an audience and to the media, but he was unsure of how would the people react to him. He was aware that he might be hated by people, since he was involved in the terrorist attack in Cumberland College, and still considered guilty by most. However, he had been invited by the university's authorities to give a conference in a manner of advice to future generations, so catastrophes like the Rosalia outbreak never happened again.
"Yes. I do this so nothing like that ever happens again."
As the principal was finishing his speech, Erhard felt the cold metal of the handcuffs against his skin. He then noticed that their grip in his wrists became loose. Agent Ian Holden took his shackles away and gave him a soft pat on his shoulder.
"You ready?" said the man with a rather calm voice.
"Yeah." replied Erhard a bit hesitant.
"Don't worry. Just get up there, say what you have to say and get out."
Erhard nodded at each of Holden's instructions, but as he felt his time for giving the conference was drawing nearer, he began shaking. Holden noticed him and gave him another reassuring pat on the back.
"You'll be ok. Now, go."
With that final push, Erhard, also known as Prisoner CR-S01, walked to the podium. He was pierced by hundreds of inquiring looks from the audience, and some seemed disgusted by his appearance, since they had recognized him as the one responsible for the Cumberland incident. He took a deep breath and started his conference.
"Good afternoon. I am Doctor Erhard Muller and I'm here to…"
After what it seemed like an eternity, the conference was brought to a close, with a general level of approval from the audience. Erhard couldn't breathe deep enough to calm his accelerated heartbeat. Agent Holden came to his side and helped him down the podium. People were gathering around him in order to ask questions related to the topic he had just exposed, however, they became a little alarmed when Holden placed the handcuffs back in his wrists.
"Doctor Muller still has some unfinished business with us, ladies and gentlemen. I advise that you make a line and ask your questions in an orderly fashion."
Then, a group of police officers got close to Holden and formed a wall around Erhard. He felt claustrophobic at first, but adapted shortly after. He answered the audience's questions with simple explanations and did his best not to take too long in doing so. He was finishing his Q&A when suddenly; an attendant began vomiting. Erhard quickly approached the man and requested Holden to remove the handcuffs.
"You're not cleared for this. It won´t help you reduce your sentence."
"I'm not abandoning him. I will treat him anyway."
Even with his hands bound, he kneeled next to the man and began examining him. Two attendants keeled down next to Erhard in order to assist him.
"Does it hurt? Where?" asked Erhard, hoping it was nothing serious.
The man struggled to get the words out of his mouth, but ultimately said:
"My… My stomach…!"
Erhard felt his blood burn and his heart sink. He needed to act quickly.
"Holden, you have to un-cuff me!"
Holden was looking at Erhard with worried eyes. He had known the surgeon for quite a while now, and he knew he wouldn't do anything rash. But he couldn't risk letting him loose now that he was close to working off his sentence.
"Please!" said Erhard pleadingly.
Holden clutched his knuckles so tight, they turned white soon after. There was no denying the fact that that man was in excruciating pain and right now, Muller was the only person who was really up to the task of saving his life.
Still handcuffed, Erhard palpated the man's stomach, to which he howled in pain. Erhard quickly determined the man's condition, remembering some of Gabriel Cunningham's explanations.
"He's suffering from a severe case of Appendicitis, I need to operate immediately! Someone get him to a proper place so I can treat him!"
"Paramedics are on their way!" said one of the men near him, who then, got out of the conference room to pinpoint the place of the emergency to the paramedics.
As soon as the man was on the stretcher, Erhard and Holden followed him through the University's hallways. Students and professors alike turned their eyes to the ominous procession in fear and curiosity.
"We'll take you to the Infirmary." said a paramedic.
Erhard nodded and requested sterilized utensils to another of the paramedics. Once in the infirmary, Holden removed the handcuffs and said with a somber voice:
"Do what you can. We'll be waiting for you here."
"Thanks." said Erhard; genuine gratitude in his eyes.
Holden placed one hand on the young surgeon's shoulder before turning to the door. He turned back one last time and said:
"Good luck, kid." before closing the door shut, leaving Erhard alone with a couple of nurses. Immediately after, Erhard began preparations for the surgery, selecting the proper equipment while giving a fast de-briefing.
"OK, listen carefully. The patient suffers from Appendicitis, but we don't know how serious it is. However, since he started vomiting, we can assume that his condition is bad. I'm going to extract the appendix and hope there are no serious complications.
"Doctor, What if the Appendix happens to burst? We don´t have enough equipment." said one of the nurses, clearly fearing for the worst.
"In that case, we must minimize the risks. Let us hope it doesn't turn into a serious Peritonitis. Well then, let's begin the operation!"
Erhard relaxed his hands while a nurse used antibiotic gel to disinfect the operation field. Once clean, Erhard took a deep breath. Both nurses seemed to trust him implicitly, something that made him feel more confident. Then, after collecting his thoughts, said in a solemn tone:
"This is it; scalpel."
As soon as the blade was in his hand, he traced the opening incision as a perfect straight line. As he moved further in, he realized the patient's true condition; it was worse than he had thought. The appendix was partially damaged and the toxins were damaging nearby organs. Erhard quickly excised the appendix and used several medicines in order to stop a possible infection. Once the situation was controlled, Erhard proceeded to close up the operation field, using the sutures at incredible speed.
Once treatment was complete, Erhard let out a heavy sigh.
"That's done. Let this disease pass from this world."
"Amazing, I've never seen anyone perform a surgery at such speed!" said one of the young nurses.
"Thank you both for your assistance. Excuse me."
With that, the master surgeon took off his gloves and walked out of the operation room, where Holden handcuffed him again before taking him back to his cell.
Being kept at zero degrees Celsius was nothing unusual for Erhard. He was used to the numbness in his face and limbs, but if there was one thing that bothered him, was the silence. As soon as he found himself completely alone in his cell, his mind raced back to the days he spent in Resurgam. Even if it was hard in the beginning, he finally found a home among those people; especially if she was there.
The sound of the door opening made him push his thoughts away. Holden appeared in front of him, a tired expression in his eyes. However, he wasn't upset or worried. His face showed a certain degree of content.
"You ok?" he said in a casual tone.
"Yeah, thanks."
Holden walked a little further in.
"Wow, it really is freezing in here. How can you stand it all day?"
"I get used to it. Besides, better safe than sorry, right?"
Holden chuckled ironically. He now understood that prisoner number CR-S01 was in fact suffering because of his confinement. And even if their relationship had improved over the course of two years, Erhard always tried to keep his distance. His words were twice as true now; better safe than sorry.
"Listen, uh…" Holden stumbled over his words, something that was very odd, for all Erhard knew. "You… did pretty well back there, treating that man. Even though I was against it and it wouldn´t have helped reduce your sentence, you still went on and did it."
"I'm a Doctor. My purpose is to safe as many lives as I can."
"How selfless of you…"
There was a brief silence, the soft hum of the cooling engines ruled once more over the cold steel cell.
"Look, I just wanted to say… thank you, for doing what you did. I have to admit that at that moment, you were the only one who could have saved that man. I knew it all along, and still, I wanted to hold you back. I'm also sorry for that."
Erhard's eyes lit up with compassion and understanding.
"There's no need for that. It's what you taught me…"
Holden's lips twitched into a wry smile.
"…and… It's the only way I will be truly able to atone."
Holden's eyes also shun with understanding, even though the dark glasses hid his eyes.
"Just hang in there, kid. Tomorrow might bring new opportunities."
Erhard nodded in thankfulness and Holden left him alone. Seeing that the day had practically come to an end, Erhard laid down on his bed, covering himself with the thermic blanket and drifting away into his dreams.
Doctor Gabriel Cunningham was sitting down on his couch, watching the butt of his cigarette burn away in his teeth. He had lost all track of time and didn't care to know what time it was, however, an unmistakable voice brought him back to reality.
"Doctor Cunningham, are you alright?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, right! I'm alright. Thanks, RONI…"
"I detect a sudden rising in your stress level. Also, your caffeine level is unusually high."
"Hey, hey, hold it; How do you know that?"
"I applied the ´to hell with that´ algorithm when searching for data.
Gabriel smiled wryly. She was a quick learner.
"You don´t say!"
"I found something interesting."
"Then, shoot." said Gabriel sarcastically.
"You've been making several calls to the Portland FBI division, specifically, trying to contact agent Ian Holden regarding a colleague who was here in Resurgam two years ago. Doctor Erhard Muller."
Gabriel was about to get up and dismantle his robotic partner with his bare hands, but remembered the only one time he ever did that. He ultimately decided it wasn't worth it.
"Yeah." he said in defeat.
"You do care for him, don't you, Doctor Cunningham?"
"Yeah, after what happened and what he's been going through, I just feel like I gotta do something to help him out. You saw the way he operated; he's not a killer.
"I understand doctor—"
RONI then beeped as if something important had just come to her database.
"Doctor Cunningham, you have a mail."
"Can't it wait? We were discussing something serious."
"It is a maximum priority message from… agent Ian Holden."
"What? Open it up!"
"Yes, doctor."
A few seconds later, Gabriel's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, especially when he saw the picture on a copy of the local diary's digital version, right on front page. A wide grin crossed his face.
"RONI, send a high priority message to all Resurgam personnel. Also, write this reply to our FBI friend…"
A couple of minutes later, RONI had finished.
"Anything else, doctor Cunningham?"
"For now, let's make sure he doesn't find out. I´m really going to love the look on his face when he does…"
AN: Thank you for reading! This is my first Trauma Team fanfic. It's going to be a little long, but I'll try my hardest to make the story as intense and the characters as real as this great franchise deserves. I have some chapters mapped out already, but I still need to polish the story further. In any case, this is chapter one. Be sure to let me know what you think of it and also, notify me of any mistakes I might have made.
Be seeing you! (and Happy Holidays!)
Shin-Izanagi
