Title: Unexpected Meetings
Summary: Two guests visit the hospital. One Lynus finds intimidating but interesting. And the other…? Not so much.
Pairings: None
AN: Ok, bit of an explanation is needed. Gabriel belongs to thispleasestormod from tumblr and his story can be found here through their logs. This came about after a few late night conversations about eo and fanfiction, and talking about how our characters would interact with one another. So it couldn't be helped~ Now this is what you might consider slightly AU from CtS. In any case, let me know what you think~
The hospital was in a bit of a…tizzy, for a lack of a better word. It wasn't much of a surprise. They were set to receive two rather famous visitors today, around the same time. High Lagaard was renowned for being a state of the art hospital, the best on the continent. So it wasn't all that unusual for the hospital to receive visitors.
Although, this was going to be the first time Lynus was present when a guest walked the halls and inspected their equipment and files. He was a little nervous to be completely honest. He hoped that his embarrassing nickname wouldn't be mentioned or that he would be dragged into meeting them without warning. He wasn't…all that comfortable around people he didn't know. Especially those with highly regarded reputations.
In all honesty, he wanted to hide out at the inn until the visitors had gone, but that would be rude and unfair as he had been specifically asked to work a shift today. Also he was curious to at least get a glance at the two men that was causing such a ruckus at the usually calm but professionally hectic hospital.
"I'm not exactly thrilled that Hennessy is here," Darrell commented with a slight tone of annoyance in his voice.
Lynus turned his gaze away from his fellow medics that were bustling about to look at the red-haired medic standing next to him. He, along with Angie on his other side, the three of them choosing to stand back away from the crowds and simply observe. "Hm? Why not?"
Darrell pulled off his glasses and cleaned them with a corner of his shirt. "Arrogant SOB," he said as if it was a matter of fact. "Thinks he knows all there is about healing. Don't know why he's bothering to visit. Dr Stiles can't stand the sight of him."
"To throw his none existent weight around?" Lynus offered.
Darrell snorted lightly and replaced his glasses. "Probably."
"I totally can't wait to meet Gabriel!" Angie suddenly piped up, causing Lynus to turn around to face her on his other side.
But before he could ask why, Darrell interrupted. "Hoping to drool over his reportedly good looks?"
"No," Angie immediately replied before a flush crept onto her cheeks and she sighed in defeat. "Ok, maybe a little, but I heard all sorts of rumours about him. And not just about how hot he is supposed to be."
Lynus hadn't heard much of Hennessy from Dr Stiles (and he knew why now), but he had heard the man speak of another called Gabriel. He was apparently an associate of an associate, and in the world of healers and medics they were interconnected in some way, so they had formed an acquaintance.
Dr Stiles had mentioned Gabriel several times to Lynus directly. Usual after Lynus did something that was vaguely familiar that prompted Dr Stiles to remember him.
The man known as Gabriel was apparently a prodigy, an incredible healer, and veteran explorer, one who was said to have reached the very bottom of the labyrinth in Etria.
"I also heard he fought against a god!" Angie continued with a sense of awe in her voice. "And won!"
A god, huh? Lynus had to chuckle to himself. Yeah, he would have to take whatever gossip Angie heard with a grain of salt. The rumour mill around Lagaard could be a little…creative at the best of times.
Though the man's healing abilities must be on point if Dr Stiles held such interest and regard in him. That was actually one of the reasons why Dr Stiles specifically asked him to work at the hospital today. In hopes of meeting this Gabriel.
Lynus couldn't help but feel nervous.
But…if he was as talented and skilled as Dr Stiles and the others were saying, why would he want to meet someone like Lynus? He was…still learning as much as he could about healing. Would it be ok for him to ask him questions about his own healing skills? Lynus didn't mind other healers talking to him about healing in general or asking him questions on what healing was required for what injury, but others may not like it as much.
Besides Dr Stiles, Lynus hasn't had much experience with highly regarded and reputable healers before.
"That's him!"
Angie's excited voice pulled Lynus from his musings and he turned to look but only managed to get a glimpse of a young man in a white coat and long orange hair, strikingly similar in shade to his own. The man seemed to be walking around idly, inspecting his surroundings with a genuine sense of interest. But he appeared to be keeping to himself, content to look around on his own.
His sight of him lasted probably no more than a couple of seconds but Lynus felt something touch his chest. An overwhelming feeling of a powerful presence. He looked and felt…somewhat intimidating. Lynus could tell from a glance that he was a skilled healer. The way he carried himself, his presence, his aura…he wasn't just a medic, he was also an explorer. Quite the veteran if he were to take a guess.
He felt as though…he really had traversed the entirety of the labyrinth in Etria.
"And there's Hennessy," Darrell unexpectedly mumbled with a distrustful expression on his face.
Lynus turned to look where Darrell was indicating and saw a man with sandy blond hair slicked back from his face and dressed in a white medical coat. He was also at the centre of a group of visitors, looking somewhat bored. Even from a distance, Lynus could see him all but sneering and rolling his eyes at those around him.
And Lynus immediately felt dislike toward him. It was instantaneous, really. He just…carried himself so conceitedly, unlike that of Gabriel. The opposite, honesty.
"I think I'll steer clear of him," Lynus found himself muttering.
"Good idea," Darrell said before he pushed away from the wall he had been leaning against. "But we better get to work. With two snooty guests loitering around, getting other medics to do their job might be a bit difficult. We might have to work overtime."
Lynus chuckled as he nodded his head. "Right. Catch the two of you at lunch."
"Kay, work hard you two!" Angie said enthusiastically before the three of them parted ways.
Lynus waved the two off before he focused his attention on what chores and errands needed to be done in order to ensure the hospital stayed working efficiently. And he allowed himself to fall into his comfort zone, to simply do what he always did. Though he kept an eye and ear out for the two new guests to…well, avoid them honestly. Hennessy's presence was irksome while Gabriel's was somewhat intimidating. He was sure the latter was a decent enough man, but he was still…yeah.
The next few hours went by easily and Lynus quickly fell into the usual rhythm of a normal shift even with the chatter and gossip regarding the two new guests. And he had to politely smile and shake his head in answer to a few queries of whether or not he had spoken to either new man.
While Lynus did his rounds of ensuring that the examination bays and wards had their equipment and stock up to date, he noticed a commotion in one of the rooms. Hennessy had seemingly invited himself into one of the examining rooms with an entourage of other medics and healers. No doubt he wished to offer a possible diagnosis of a patient or perhaps witness another medic in action. Lynus was interested himself, but held himself back as he didn't feel comfortable getting involved or interrupting.
However, he did need to retrieve something from that room. So Lynus slipped into the examining room to quickly retrieve a few medical notes before slipping out unnoticed. But he found himself stopping when his gaze fell toward the elderly patient sitting on the edge of a hospital bed, his hand on his chest. He wasn't pale, but his breathing was a little laboured and he was idly flexing the fingers of his left hand.
"Costochondritis," Hennessy said in a commanding but somehow infuriatingly disinterested voice. "Just give him an inflammatory and send him on his way."
That…that was wrong.
Before Lynus could stop himself, he found himself turning to the man and stare at him with a confused and frustrated look. "No, you're wrong."
Hennessy immediately turned toward him and gave him such a cold and pointed look. "What was that?" he asked him slow, his voice as harsh as his gaze as the other occupants also turned to look at him.
Lynus felt himself hesitate for a moment but he shook his head nonetheless and lifted his chin up a little higher. "I…I said you're wrong. It's not his ribs. He does have costochondritis as well, but that's…not the cause for his current symptoms. It's his heart. He's experiencing the beginnings of a myocardial infarction. He needs medical treatment. Now."
A fake smile appeared on Hennessy's lips and he barked a short, patronizing laugh as he turned his posture to face him completely. "Are you really questioning my diagnosis?" he asked him in a conceited manner, even going as far as taking a few powerful strides in his direction, causing Lynus to unintentionally back into the wall behind him.
Lynus felt so small under the man's gaze, but he…couldn't back down from this. "…I'm not questioning it, I making a statement of fact. If you want the best for this patient then he needs to be taken into the cardio ward."
Hennessy rolled his eyes so conceitedly at him and huffed with sheer annoyance. "Don't be absurd," he said in a purely belittling tone as he took yet another step closer to Lynus, now towering over him in a display of sheer intimidation. "It is nothing more than the inflammation of his chest. Don't waste hospital time and staff on such a petty symptom."
Although Lynus was literally backed into a corner, he couldn't stand down and let the man have his way. Not when there was a life on the line. "It's not petty!" he insisted.
"He's right," a new voice suddenly cut in with confidence and authority.
"Huh?" Lynus spluttered as he jumped slightly and turned to see another man a few steps back, one hand in his pocket of his coat, the other hanging idly by his side.
It was…Gabriel.
An expression of smug satisfaction appeared on Hennessy's face and he continued to stand directly in front of Lynus, prolonging his intimidating tactic. "Of course I am."
"You?" Gabriel said with a smile on his lips, but his eyes were narrowed in a fearsome, honestly frightening manner as he regarded Hennessy calmly. "No, I'm agreeing with the actual medic in the room."
Hennessy looked genuinely surprised by Gabriel's retort that his head reeled back and he whirled around to face him, thankfully taking his attention away from Lynus, to allow him to slip away to a safer distance.
"What?" Hennessy demanded.
Gabriel remained calm and unfazed as he gave Hennessy a piercing look. "Check his vitals from his left arm this time. It will prove to be more accurate. Also his heartrate is increasing as we speak and oxygen levels dropping rapidly."
Startled, Lynus turned his gaze back over to the elderly man to find him slumped forward uncomfortably with his hand how clutching at his chest, his breathing growing more laboured.
He…Gabriel could tell all of that by a mere glance?
"Unless you want to manually restart his heart in this underequipped examination room, I suggest you take him to the cardio ward," Gabriel continued, his confident stance not faltering, even under Hennessy's now withering, hateful glare. In fact, he gave him a somewhat superior smile before he glanced over at Lynus and seemed to regard him sincerely. "Am I right?"
"Y-yes," Lynus stuttered out in surprise and shock before he quickly snapped himself out of it and turned to look out into the hallway. "Darrell, Angie, please arrange for a bed in the cardio ward."
"We'll get a bed ready immediately," Darrell responded as he and Angie, along with a few other medics hurried into the room.
"Thank you," Lynus returned with a grateful smile as he meekly took a step back and turned his attention to the two hospital guests.
Hennessy was all but seething in his own skin while Gabriel looked disinterested, yet Lynus could sense a small hint of exasperation and annoyance in his aura. Though the man wasn't intimidating by him in any manner, he was starting to grate on his nerves.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Hennessy spat out at Gabriel, his face an unhealthy red, either from embarrassment or anger.
"Hm?" Gabriel hummed lightly as he tilted his head to the side and smile condescendingly at him. "Just the man who saw the bottom of Etria's Labyrinth, that's all. And you?"
Hennessy didn't answer that. Not coherently at least. Instead he huffed and puffed for a few moments, seemingly on the verge of having a ranting, raving meltdown. Instead he stormed out of the room, his head held high despite the hastiness in his departure.
Lynus felt better at the man's exit and he breathed a sigh of relief. However, his nervousness quickly returned and he turned to regard Gabriel, only to find the other man already looking at him with a somewhat curious gaze.
"Ah, t-thank you for supporting me," Lynus said as his hands gripped the hem of his shirt nervously.
Gabriel's eyes unexpectedly narrowed and he made a slightly disproving click with his tongue. "Hm. You should to put conviction in your voice."
Lynus immediately tensed and hunched his shoulders as he unconsciously took a meek step backwards. "I…I'm sorry."
"Come on; hold your head up high," Gabriel continued as he unexpectedly reached out to slip a finger under Lynus' chin in order to lift his head up. "And straighten your posture."
Lynus' heartbeat immediately increased and he did as he was told. "Ah, yes!" he said obligingly, though he felt somewhat…queasy in his stomach. He was…a little scared to be honest. He didn't know what to do.
Gabriel's stern expression suddenly faded and a warm smile spread across his lips, and he tilted his head endearingly to the side. Equally unexpected, he reached up to place a hand on the back on Lynus' head and tugged him forward so that his forehead was resting against his chest in a friendly, comforting manner.
Lynus' eyes widen and he froze, absolutely clueless as what he should do. He had never experienced anything like this before! W-what should he do?
"I'm just messing with you," Gabriel chuckled as he lightly ruffled his hair before he released him and took a step back. "No need to be so tense around me. Am I that intimidating?"
Lynus stared dumbfounded at the other man as his hands instinctively rose up to soothe down his hair. "Ah, a little. I mean, sorry, that was rude. I mean, it's-"
Gabriel arched an eyebrow at him. "My reputation?"
No…no, that wasn't it. That wasn't all.
"Well, no. It's..." Lynus hesitated before he abruptly looked to the side and gripped at the hem of his shirt once more. "I've heard that your ability to diagnose a patient is incredibly efficient and accurate, and Dr Stiles praises the speed of which you heal. Your talent in the surgery ward is rather infamous I suppose. It's just...I'm trying to become a better healer myself and I guess...I'm just realising how much further I have left to go."
Gabriel was silent for the longest time and Lynus felt foolish for saying what he did. He was about to apologise and excuse himself from Gabriel's presence when the other man suddenly chuckled.
"I see," he said as he slipped his hand under Lynus' chin once more and forced him to look up at him again. "I'm flattered, but reality is, I have plenty of room left to grow myself. Realising that we still have limits yet to reach means that we have the ability to push beyond them when it matters most."
Lynus felt his breath suddenly hitch in his throat when he saw…something in Gabriel's gaze. For a moment there was a flicker of regret and remorse in his eyes. It was slight, lasting only for a short moment, but it was so significant. And he couldn't help but wonder about that pain. That pain…had he lost someone close to him?
Gabriel suddenly smiled at him, the pain in his eyes replaced with a slightly playful glint. "I've heard about you too, Miracle Medic," he said as he kept his finger under Lynus' chin.
Lynus immediately blushed a deep red and he stuttered; "P-please don't call me that."
"Hm?" Gabriel said as he tilted his head to the side. "Why's that?"
"B-because it's embarrassing," Lynus found himself stuttering once more.
"Oh? Why is that?"
Lynus was unable to respond to that, flustered by the way Gabriel was obviously teasing him. He hadn't encountered anyone quite like him before, so he honestly didn't know what to do or say.
"Ah, Gabriel," Dr Stiles' voice mercifully interrupted. "Long-time no see."
Gabriel immediately dropped his hand from Lynus' chin and plastered a polite smile on his lips as he glanced over Lynus' shoulder. "Derek. How have you been?"
"Same old, same old, I'm afraid" Dr Stiles responded as he stepped near the two of them. "Ah, Lynus, good, you've met Gabriel then."
Still sporting a flustered blush to his cheeks, Lynus nodded his head and unconsciously took a half step back. "Y-yes, we were just talking."
Dr Stiles arched a questioning eyebrow at him, either confused or amused by his frazzled state. Thankfully though, he simply nodded his head and smiled at him instead of questioning him. "I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. But I'm afraid I'll have to steal him for a bit. Hope you don't mind?"
Lynus shook his head. "N-no, not at all. Sorry if I was keeping him."
"Not at all," Dr Stiles chuckled before he turned his attention to Gabriel. "Shall we?"
"I do suppose so," Gabriel said in response before he turned his gaze back to Lynus and…winked at him. "I'll see you around, Miracle Medic. Maybe we can sit down for a drink later?"
"I, ah, I don't drink," Lynus murmured meekly in response.
"Hm?" Gabriel just chuckled. "Then I'll drink for the both of us."
Lynus simply nodded his head and watched as the two older men walk away from him, chatting comfortably as they headed in the direction of Dr Stiles' office.
"Found my way to Armoroad, believe it or not."
"That's quite the detour."
"Indeed it is."
That…wasn't something he had expected. Gabriel was vastly different from Hennessy for certain. He was still somewhat intimidating, though, and he made Lynus feel…flustered. But…But Gabriel seemed nice enough.
Maybe he could try to have a chat with him as well?
… … … … …
A few hectic hours at the hospital had passed and Lynus was thankfully drawing the end of his shift. After Hennessy's swift departure and with Gabriel still seemingly chatting with Dr Stiles, the hospital staff went back to their daily routines. Though they were gossiping a little more than usual.
And, unfortunately for Lynus, some of them were chatting about him. About how he (meekly) stood up to Hennessy and told him point blank that he was wrong. And, after a few tests, found out that Lynus was indeed right. That elderly man had been on the very verge of a myocardial infarction. And things would have ended so badly if the nurses had followed Hennessy's instructions instead of Lynus'.
They were also gossiping about Gabriel, and how he looked like a slightly older version of Lynus. Same orange hair, same violet eyes. They actually wondered if Gabriel was actually Lynus' long-lost brother or something.
Lynus was fairly certain that he didn't have a long-lost brother out there, but he couldn't be one hundred percent sure since his memories of his childhood were vague at best.
He was pulled from his musings and chores of tidying up the staff room when he heard someone step into the room and stop right behind him. He jumped slightly and turned around, expecting to see one of his fellow medics there.
Instead, Lynus found himself freezing under the piercing, intimidating glare of a man he barely knew but had exchanged words with.
It was Hennessy.
Lynus immediately felt sick to his stomach and he subconsciously backed away. The way Hennessy was glaring at him. There was such hatred in his gaze. His jaw was clenched painfully tight, his eyes unblinking, his shoulders tense, and his hands curled into fists by his side.
"Did you think you could humiliate me and get away with it?" he snarled at him.
"I wasn't-" Lynus tried to respond but the words got caught in his throat when Hennessy raised his hand and…backhanded him across the face.
Lynus' head whipped around to the side from the impact and he staggered to the side, unintentionally knocking over a stack of newsletters and papers from the bench behind him. As the papers fluttered to the ground, scattering in all directions, Lynus fell to the floor as well, landing heavily on his side. His vision dimmed from the shock of the attack and his ears rung lowly from pain.
As a sharp pain radiated from his cheek where he was struck, Lynus numbly pushed himself onto his hands and knees before twisting to sit on the floor. He rested his back against the wall behind him as his hand reached up to touch his cheek. And he immediately felt a sticky, warm substance that was rolling down his cheek.
He pulled his hand and saw that there was blood on his fingertips. He was bleeding. He had been injured.
With wide, frightened eyes, Lynus looked up at Hennessy to find the other man glaring at him with such vile hatred. "W-why…?"
Hennessy began screaming and snarling at him like some kind of deranged monster, but Lynus wasn't able to fully hear what he was saying. The memories of the last time he had been hit in such a way were causing him to pull back into himself.
The…the last time some backhanded him so spitefully was when he was…a hostage.
Tears appeared in Lynus' eyes and he pulled his knees to his chest and covered his head with his hands as he tried to make himself as small as possible. He couldn't take his eyes off of Hennessy, though, as he waited for the man to start hitting him and kicking him. To start hurting him. Because that's what they do. Whenever someone looked at him with utter hatred they would try to hurt him.
He didn't want to be hurt again. But he couldn't stop him. Fighting back only made things worse.
Just…get it over with!
As Hennessy raised his leg as if he was making the motion to kick him, a hand suddenly grasped his shoulder and spun him around. Caught off balance and by surprise, Hennessy staggered to stay on his feet, which gave enough time for someone else to step in, to stand between Hennessy and Lynus. Someone with orange hair and a white medical coat.
Gabriel?
Hennessy looked mildly surprised to see Gabriel before that soon turned into rage and he made a motion with his arm as if he was willing to strike out at Gabriel as well. However, Gabriel reacted first. He pulled back an arm and with an oddly calm but focused expression on his face, punched Hennessy on his left cheek. Hennessy's head whipped to the side and he staggered to stay upright when he fell against the coffee counter.
Uttering a sound that was akin to a feral animal, Hennessy suddenly pushed forward and feebly swung a fist in Gabriel's direction once more. Lynus squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face against his knees. The sound of glass breaking and furniture being moved about filled his ears. He didn't want to see someone else getting hurt because of him. And he winced with tears rolling down his cheeks when he heard the distinct sound of something hitting the floor. The sound of a body slumping to the ground.
Then there was silence before…someone knelt down in front of Lynus and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Lynus whimpered as he kept his hands covering his head and knees tightly against his chest. "Please don't hit me again. I won't talk back again."
"It's all right," a soothing voice replied as another hand rested on his shoulder. "You're ok. Breathe with me, ok? Breathe in. Hold it. Breathe out. Breathe in. And out."
Lynus did as he was told and tried to regulate his breathing. As he did so, he peered up to find that Gabriel was the one who was comforting him. He was instantly relieved to see that he was unharmed, but where was Hennessy? Did he flee?
"D-don't let him hurt me again," Lynus found himself whimpering.
Gabriel unexpectedly pulled him into a hug, threading his fingers through his hair as he pressed Lynus' face against his shoulder. "No one is going to hurt you again."
Oddly enough, Lynus did feel comforted by those words and he found himself clutching Gabriel in return. "B-but, Hennessy…?"
"I smashed a bottle of a sedative into his face," Gabriel unexpectedly replied, almost sounding smug, as he idly ran his fingers through Lynus' hair. "He won't be conscious, let alone moving any time soon."
Lynus wanted to laugh, but he couldn't.
"I'm sorry," Lynus whispered as he pulled away from the other orange-haired medic. "I'm so pathetic."
Gabriel smiled gently at him as he rubbed his thumb over Lynus' cheek, softly healing the wound that Hennessy had inflicted upon him. "No, you're not."
At that moment, guards and security flooded the room, and Lynus felt Gabriel ruffle his hair once more. "Maybe we should go out for a drink to settle your nerves?" he suggested as he twisted to sit down next to him, casually leaning his back against the wall behind them.
Lynus idly rubbed the tears from his cheeks. "I don't drink."
"Ah, then I'll drink for the both of us."
Lynus had to smile at that. "…Ok."