Megumi eyed her next patient with a wry expression as she went to the door of the waiting room and saw him sitting against the wall holding his arm. "What is it this time?'

He got to his feet, smiling sheepishly. "I had a little accident."

"I can see that. Well, come on." They went to an exam room and he took off his jacket and showed her a jagged cut. "Is this all?" He nodded and Megumi turned to the small medicine cabinet. "It's going to need a few stitches. How did it happen?"

"Does it matter?"

Megumi looked suspiciously at the young man. "I wouldn't ask if it didn't. How did this happen, Sanosuke?" He fidgeted, then mumbled something under his breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

He sighed. "I fell out of a tree."

The young woman's eyebrows went up. "Aren't you a little old to be climbing trees?"

"I wasn't doing it for fun! There was this little girl and she was crying because her cat was stuck in the tree…."

Megumi poured antiseptic on the cut, ignoring his yelp of dismay. "Sanosuke, have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree?"

"What?" He gritted his teeth as she began to stitch him.

"People are always worrying about cats in trees, and cats always come down from trees when they are ready."

Sano said loftily, "I know that. But this little girl was really upset, so I just thought, you know….to ease her mind…."

"Of course." Megumi concentrated on her work. "And what happened while you were easingthis child's mind?"

Sanosuke resigned himself to telling her the whole story. "The cat kept climbing higher and higher and I kept trying to catch up with it until I grabbed a branch that was too thin and it broke and I fell. And while I was laying there the cat came down out of the tree all by itself. Are you satisfied?"

The young woman snickered. "Completely." She took a last stitch and reached for the bandages. "Next time don't be so eager to help a damsel in distress."

"I'll keep that in mind."

She wrapped his arm carefully and sat back. "You need to keep that dry until I take the stitches out next week. I suppose now I have to feed you?"

Sano stood up and slipped his jacket back on. "No, thanks. I have somewhere I need to be and I'm already late."

"Sanosuke Sagara turning down free food?" Megumi told herself firmly that she was relieved she would not have to fix lunch for him.

He grinned mischievously. "Guess there's a first time for everything."