Amestris General Hospital, 7:02 am
Ed strolls down the halls of the hospital, grumbling and sipping his coffee. He'd just gotten up from a nap and it was time for rounds. He was in his second year of residency at Amestris General, the youngest doctor in the history of the hospital. It was really pretty impressive, having graduated medical school at the age of 20. He'd been told he was a prodigy, which he probably was, but really he'd worked hard to get where he was.
His leg was sore from sleeping awkwardly and he tried to stretch it out as he walked toward his department- Diagnostics. He'd interned in several other departments briefly, like a quick stint in pediatrics (which he'd enjoyed working with kids, but he ended up getting mistaken as a patient far too many times for him to genuinely consider sticking with it). His most annoying appointment had been in the burn ward under Dr. Mustang. He hadn't spent particularly long there, but Dr. Mustang had been such a thorn in his side, and their departments were close enough that they crossed paths frequently. It was always a bother when Mustang would stroll over and mention some kind of strange infection one of his patients was dealing with and practically order Ed to take a look at it. He understood that technically Mustang was his superior, being the head of the Burn Ward, but he didn't have to be such a dick about it.
He finally made it to Diagnostics and checked in with the nurse there. He and Maria Ross had had a bit of a rough start when Ed had first started at the hospital. She didn't know he was actually a doctor at first, and when she did, she'd been way too stiff about being respectful to him until she'd caught him sneaking around the hospital at odd hours. She'd slapped him and ever since then, they were friends.
"Morning, Dr. Elric," Maria greeted when he approached the nurses station. "Everything has remained normal since your last check in, but you should stop in to see Mr. Reedel. The antibiotics don't seem to be working for him."
"Morning, Maria," Ed grumbled back, taking the patient files and continuing down the corridor to his patients' rooms.
As he checked in on his patients- directing Heinkel and Darius to change Mr. Reedel's antibiotics from one form to another- he couldn't help but dread the next couple of hours. His group of interns was due to arrive at 9. They were overall alright, but there was one insufferable annoyance who was always sneaking off to get snacks during his shift. Besides, even though Alphonse was interning at this hospital, he'd decided to dedicate his time to pediatrics for the time being, and they didn't see much of each other.
/
Amestris General Hospital, 8:33 am
When Roy arrived at the hospital that morning, he was greeted with a one Dr. Riza Hawkeye standing in front of his office, a stern look on her face.
"Well, Dr. Hawkeye, aren't you a sight for sore eyes this morning?" Roy said as he unlocked the door.
"You didn't finish your paperwork from your last patient's release, sir," Hawkeye reprimanded. She thrust a file at him. "I had to hear about it from Jessica. She said you promised her you would have it done by today."
Roy rubbed at the back of his head. "Oh, yes, of course. I'll take care of it right away." He grabbed the file and tossed it on his desk. "But first, I need to check in on how our patients are doing."
Roy strutted down the hospital corridors with a dignified march. Prior to working at the hospital, he'd been an army medic on the front lines. It was there that he'd first started treating burns- it seemed like every other day someone had gotten hit with an IED. After finishing his tour, he'd decided to step away from the military and pursue medicine, which led him to ultimately heading the burn ward at Amestris General.
Of course, that's not where his ambitions ended. He knew that there was more that his hospital could be doing for the people of Amestris, and he'd rumors of some of the unsavory dealings the hospital had been involved in, and Roy aimed to uncover them and reform this hospital. To do that, though, he'd have to make it to the top and become president of the hospital. He was lucky to have several people in the hospital on his side; namely, Hawkeye and his friend Dr. Hughes in pediatrics.
Hawkeye fell into step beside him. She was his unspoken second-in-command in the ward. When Roy wasn't around, she was the undisputed leader (although, many would argue that she was the true leader, even when Roy was working). She had the steadiest hands in the hospital, and the surgery department had tried to recruit her while she'd been interning, but she ultimately ended up following Roy into the burn ward. She could now wrap burns with the gentlest and most precise care.
Jessica was working the nurses station, and Roy sauntered over easily.
"Good morning, Jessica, how are you today?" Roy asked smarmily.
Jessica shot him an exasperated look. "You didn't finish your paperwork, Dr. Mustang."
"I know, I know," Roy said. "Dr. Hawkeye already got after me. I just want to check up on the patients and then I'll get started right away."
Jessica gave him a look that said 'I'll believe it when I see it.'
He shot her a smile and then walked away.
/
Amestris General, 10:17 am
Alphonse loved pediatrics. His brother had been mad at him when he'd decided to start his internship there, rather than in Diagnostics, but he can't say he regrets the decision. Al loved working with kids, even if seeing them so sick made him upset. He wanted to do his best to make sure that they received the best care and got better quickly. He also loved his superior, Dr. Hughes. Even though Hughes talked a little too much about his wife and daughter, he really was a great doctor who could seemingly solve the most difficult case in a flash. He'd recently learned that Dr. Hughes had previously worked in Diagnostics before switching over to pediatrics after his daughter had been born a few years previously.
Dr. Hughes, Alphonse, and his fellow interns had been making rounds when Dr. Hughes was paged by the ER.
"Al, come with me," Hughes directed. Al ran after Hughes in a jog.
When they arrived, Dr. Hughes met up with Dr. Armstrong. She was standing just outside of a curtained-off area of the ER, her arms crossed with a sour expression (although, if Al was being honest, it was rare to see her without a sour expression).
"Dr. Hughes," she hissed when they arrived.
"Dr. Armstrong," he greeted cheerily. "Why did you call me down here?"
"I have a child patient. She's going to require a rather lengthy stay, from what I can understand. I can't make heads or tails of what's wrong with her. Take a look for yourself." She turned to open the curtain and entered the area. Dr. Hughes and Al followed her.
Inside, a small girl lay in bed, asleep. A disheleved looking man sat beside her. He was balding and needed a shave, his round glasses slipping down his nose. He looked over at the doctors when they entered.
"This is Nina Tucker. She was brought in after she reported not feeling well at school and passed out. I can't seem to detect any usual infections or illnesses, and she has some unusual patches of hair, so I'm transferring her to your care," Dr. Armstrong explained.
Hughes approached Nina's bed. He regarded the man at her bedside. "Is this your daughter?" he asked him.
"Yes," the man answered, his voice quiet.
"Don't worry, we're going to take good care of her." Then, he began to examine her, looking at the strange patches along her arms. He made a few notes, Al writing them down for him. After a few moments, he stood up straight and crossed his arms.
"Frankly, Dr. Armstrong, this seems like a more appropriate case for Diagnostics." Dr. Hughes said.
"Tch," said Dr. Armstrong. Her dislike of Ed was no secret at the hospital, finding him annoying and a smartass. "I assumed that might be the case. I paged him as well, but he's not yet made it in."
Just a few second later, Edward entered the curtained area. "Dr. Armstrong, you paged?" he asked as he entered. His eyes fell on his brother. "Oh, hey, Alphonse!"
"We have an unusual case here, Dr. Elric," Dr. Hughes said. He repeated what Dr. Armstrong had told him.
"Do you have any idea what this might be?" Dr. Hughes asked.
Ed thought for a moment, wracking his brain for what could be causing her symptoms. "I'm not sure yet. Let's move her to Diagnostics and I'll get working right away running tests. I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete yet. We can work this one jointly, Dr. Hughes."
"Right," Dr. Hughes agreed. He turned to Nina's father. "Ok, Mr. Tucker, we're going to have Nina transferred to the Diagnostics ward. She'll be looked after by Dr. Elric here. He's the best diagnostician we have in Amestris, so she's in good care." Mr. Tucker seemed apprehensive at Ed's appearance, but just nodded.
There was something familiar about Mr. Tucker to Dr. Hughes, but he couldn't quite place him. He shook it off, dismissing it as just one of those faces.
"Alright, Al, let's head back to pediatrics. Dr. Elric, let us know if you need any help," Dr. Hughes said.
"Of course," Ed confirmed. "I'll be heading back to Diagnostics and start working out this case immediately. Come by when you have time, Al."
"Okay," said Al.
With that, the three of them departed the ER. It seemed there was an interesting case coming to Amestris General.
/
I hope you all enjoyed! I'm going to update soon so please let me know what you think! Make sure to review/fave/follow! Thanks guys!