Details about the fanfiction:
As the word limit came in the way in the above summary *rolls eyes,* I decided to quickly introduce my work via this little section just before the story starts so that all of you who read could have a rough understanding of what exactly you'll be reading so if it's not suited to your tastes, you do not have to waste your time reading that bulky chapter lol
I have scrolled through many CB fanfics on here already that were to my liking (the talent is real lol) and so I'd say compared to them, mine is a little strange (lol) in that it is a fiction that is solely written in the style of a novel. As I've never written a short or "heavily dialogue induced" concise piece of work, and only endless literature essays for school (lmao I know), I've picked up on a writing habit which is therefore lengthy and descriptive. Plus, even though this is my first fanfic, I have translated a lot of chapters of Japanese light novels into English as a part of a translating group and so prefer to continue to write these plot stories just as how a light novel would be written. To me, such writing is easier to sink in given the coherent content and therefore fully enjoyable! . just my taste^^
Now onto the plot! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
The "Novel series" will be a continuation from where the events of the last episode from season 3 ended off. My stories will subsequently always be developed and built upon from previous events hence why the first chapter is a follow up from the events of ep 10. The content itself is going to follow events that were canon because I strongly believe in preserving the authenticity of the original plot/charterers. Yes this is in fact an Aizawa/Shiriashi inspired story but is not restricted or exclusive to them as I will sometimes choose to focus a little more towards other characters as well so as to keep the original Code blue feeling and build a better story with everyone together :)
I want to stress that since I'd like my work to be truthful to the original story, the way the charterers will develop and act is going to be the exact same as how they would have in the series.
Now since, this is a fanficiton, I do plan to somewhere in my chapters, unite our A/S ! T_T I strongly believe they will end up together in an undeniable way in the future because of the solid foundation season 3 laid out for an inevitable union with the two of them based on Aizawa's little confession in ep 1, his views on marriage (how he believed it's a means for two people to share each other's pain together), and then Shiraishi's corresponding thoughts to his view of an ideal marriage in ep 7 when she wished to carry his burden together, and lastly because well ...they've been close buddies since scene 1 ep 1 season 1 Lol
My chapters will be "episodic" with different medical cases each time just as how its depicted in the Tv show.
What I do hope to convey in my stories, will be everything I wish would have been added or done differently throughout the show (while still remaining in the bounds of whats acceptable for code blue), to convey the beautiful imagery in the episodes in the form of words as best I can, and greatly expand on the adventure aspect as our flight doctors work their miracles on different sites. I am also super excited to do include very cool and detailed medical cases that are inspired by real life situations or documentaries I've seen (I'm a pre-med student lol) and integrate them with the plot of Code Blue. The characters themselves will of course go through various developments and situations to test their abilities and all in all you can expect these readings to be very similar to the manner of how the show would illustrate everything to you with a touch of extra descriptions or other newly inserted situations to add my own to touch because well, it is a fanfic heehee
I cannot pick a firm date as to when each chapter would be updated since I am a university student whose life is a crazy mess lol And because I want to write these as light novels, it'll take a bit more time to comprise the chapters as well as of course to edit them. All I know is that I've developed a passion to write them and will work on it whenever I can! - ps this chapter took me 2 weeks to complete.
Thank you for bearing with me..! If you do decide to read through the whole chapter, I applaud you lol and would like to know of your thoughts on it if you're willing to share :)
Lets stay strong and hold out until the movie okay?! (ง ͠° ͟ل͜ ͡°)ง
Enjoy!
コード・ブルー 第１章
Tangible sentiments in the Rain
The heavy rain pattered against the large glass window that was concealed behind embroidered white curtains of Shiraishi's living room window. It was a heavy shower that started out as a light drizzle in the early evening just after sunset but had shortly turned into an intense shower as the nightfall began. Shiraishi was wrapped up cozy in her bathroom robe after managing to take that long bath she had been desiring since the subway tunnel collapsing incident that took place two days before. She was strained by the long day and then got caught in the rain shower when she tried to hurry home after getting off the bus, so a bath was a must for tonight. The reason why she took her leave early from Shohoku was because she was able to finish the last of any updates on her inpatient reports as well as any following write ups from the large scale incident of the collapsing subway tunnel. Before laying her comfy cushion on the ground and taking refuge on it, she slowly pulled the last drawer of her work desk out, grabbing a small lighter, and lit a vanilla scented candle atop the desk. Shiraishi closed her eyes listening to the loud yet also soothing pattering sound of the raindrops that bounced off her window as she waited for the candle's scent to disperse into the small living room area which was softly illuminated by the gold hue of her lamp situated beside her three seater couch. When she was satisfied by the fulfilling aroma, she gently clipped her still partially damp hair up into a tiny messy bun and planted herself cross-legged onto the huge cushion lying on the floor right after grabbing a small glittery box from the nearby shelf. Shiraishi was still accompanied by the rain sounds which caused her to momentarily gaze up at the window in a daze.
"Ah, that's right…September is coming to an end and October is right around the corner. I guess it's not strange that the weather would start to get cooler."
Shiraishi's focus then shifted back to the petite box in her hand that still glittered being reflected by the lamp's golden hue. She slowly pulled off the lid and picked out an envelope from within it. Shiraishi took a moment before sliding her hands in it to take out the contents and then smiled at the revelation.
In her fingers she held a thin pile of a few photographs. The one in front of her was one in which she saw herself from 6 years ago standing in a lecture hall lobby with a long coat and hair neatly falling down below her shoulders. She looked sophisticated, but a lot less sure of herself than she was now; her expression in the photograph seemed unsettling and she could only guess why as her eyes rolled to the other end of the photo where another person stood distant but also not too far off from her: her father. The photo was dated back to 2011, the year her father had passed away after battling stage 4 of lung cancer, and a year after he had disclosed his illness to her. They were attending one of his lectures he presented as a senior physician and his condition was deteriorating by the day. That day in particular, he was coughing and panting a lot and she remembered being in so much distress because of not being able to bear him in such a condition. Still though, he insisted on a picture as he felt it was one of his most impressive lectures he had given, and a lecture that his daughter took time out to attend to. His expression was stern with a small smile across his fatigued face and he stood straight and tall with his arms crossed behind him. His demeanour looked honourable and elegant as ever and she could not help but slide her fingers overtop his picture as tenderness filled her heart just gazing at him. His strong attitude towards his work and patients and his habit of always putting others first before himself would always remind Shiraishi of herself and how she had naturally become that way too, too much in fact that she was eventually told it was a 'bad habit,' as it often led to her pulling the burden on her own and forgetting to work others hard too.
Although it had been 6 years already, she still found it hard to swallow without a lump in her throat when she was faced with the memories of her dear father who until the end, sacrificed himself to his patients and work that benefited others. From time to time, although it was like pouring salt on a cut, she still liked to pull his pictures out from where she neatly kept them hidden like a treasure, and tell her father about the day's event or complain to him if it was a hard day. She could not do such a thing when she visited her mother since her mother was a lot weaker when she was reminded of her husband, so she always pulled out his pictures alone, in minimal light where it was peace and quiet.
In a quiet voice she spoke, "I'm sorry father….I haven't been able to find time to meet you like this again, just the two of us. It has been quite hectic at Shohoku for the past 3 months. There have come new interns and I've been responsible for them on top of carrying out my usual duties as staff leader. But still….I can feel that you're always watching over me no matter what I'm doing or how busy I get. Recently, there was a serious accident that happened on site during our flight duty. It was a time that almost made me lose sight of my straight path. It…it truly was horrifying. See, one of our flight doctors and also my friend, Fujikawa sensei, almost lost his life trying to protect the patients. Though, if it wasn't for my instructions, he would have not even gone that route to provide medical care. I know I couldn't have had control over a collapsing happening but the thought of almost losing my friend, and causing my other dear friend to lose her husband because of my instructions as staff leader, makes me shudder with horror and lose composure. At that time too, I became obstructed by my emotions and could have caused another incident if I had left my duties but then he came. He always manages to bring me back down to a state of security when I'm about to fall victim to my own shortcoming. He is….so very much strong, father."
Shiraishi quietly continued to gaze at the photograph with a slight smile but yet a sad expression.
"But not anymore. I will not falter anymore and keep on causing others as well as him further trouble! I have decided to become a staff leader with a LifeSaving only I myself can create; not as the invincible Shiraishi, but as the compassionate yet slightly absent minded me who shall prove to be headstrong in time of need and have my colleagues also depend on me! That is what I've decided and promised him earlier today as well so I can't go back on my word from now on. I shall be as honourable just as you in this photograph right now father….So please continue to look after me."
Shiraishi stared at the picture for a few seconds more before bringing it up against her chest and closing her eyes as she took in what she had just resolved on. That's right, from here on out, it was the blowing of a new wind, a brand new challenge was awaiting her as a staff leader as things were about to change rapidly once her most strong colleagues would leave her from LifeSaving. She would be left to maintain the management of the interns (though they had relatively improved their performance working well without guidance…for the most part) on her own while facilitating operations in the LifeSaving department as staff leader. This was her choice. It was also her dream, so no matter how rough it seemed at the moment, she knew she had to overcome the obstacle and pave the way for her juniors so they too could give back to society as competent physicians; that's why this path wasn't hers alone either. She was adamant on her decision to take up Lifesaving as her own forte and construct its environment in perfection so that medical treatment could be provided accurately and efficiently. It would be ok, she had the interns who were learning every day and proving to be useful in their own ways and then there was still Tachibana Sensei who took care of affairs just as how a secondary staff leader would. She had reliable nurses in the room and could call back up from professionals of other departments should any need for consultations arise.
As Shiraishi fired herself up with overflowing positive thoughts about herself as an independent staff leader in the near future, she almost didn't notice her phone ringer go off in the peaceful room still filled with sweet vanilla aroma. She let out a little squeak as the loud sound startled her causing her to drop the photographs on her lap. She quickly gathered them in a mess and set them gently aside on the ground by her cushion and frantically reached over to the coffee table to grab her phone that was still persistently ringing. Plastered on the whole of the screen of her phone was Hiyama Mihiko.
Shiraishi took a second to let out a little sigh at the sight of the name before answering the call.
"Hello, Hiyama Sensei..?"
"Shiraaishi..!" Her voice on the other end of the call sounded as crisp and demanding as ever.
Hiyama on the other end of the call, was waiting for her ramen's water to boil as she slipped the phone between her shoulder and ear while mixing the contents of her instant noodles with both of her hands. Her smooth wavy hair had been let down from her usual loose pony tail- an indication of exhaustion overcoming her. It was currently almost 12:00am and her shift for the night at Shohoku, though currently, she was taking a break in the main office. Hiyama had also suffered extensive fatigue due to the collapsing incident that happened 2 days ago but the root of her stress was mainly stemming from the fact that she had now also become affiliated with the Perinatal Care Center a few days ago when she accepted the offer to come back to the clinic as none other than the head of the medical office. Though she was assigned to leave the Emergency Care unit of Shohoku in a 3 months time, suddenly accepting the offer as Head of office increased the amount of work she had already on her plate as a flight doctor; there were preparations needed to be done like transferring paperwork, attending meetings for the Perinatal centre, and setting up her office while at the same time committing to her last remaining shifts at Shohoku and working around the clock for them! Being this stressed out was not normally like her unless the push was hard, and that was exactly what was going on with her. Earlier in the day when she had to visit the Perinatal clinic to meet with Takeuchi Sensei, she went together with Ogata and had lunch there with him. Though it was supposed to be a carefree lunch enjoyed outside in the fresh breeze of the clinic's cafeteria patio, she could barely finish her food once her mind started getting worked up about currently having to do practically two jobs! Though she tried to boast about it instead and act like it was no big deal in front of Ogata, her nervousness was not about to go unnoticed as she paced around the patio in front of Ogata who picked up her uneasiness in a second.
The thought of going back to the work that had quickly become her dream job right after she left Shohoko 7 years ago, was very much thrilling to her, especially after the amount of years and effort she spent on doing research in gynecology and developing beneficial relationships with others in the field like her senior Takeuchi Sensei; that's why returning to such a place was like turning a new leaf in life and she was absolutely in great anticipation to start. However, at the same time, suddenly leaving Shohoku in the usual chaos that it always was in, also left an unsettling feeling in her, especially if it was her best friend Shiraishi, who was the one being left alone to shoulder the responsibility of such a chaos. For that reason, so as to not leave everything in a complete mess, Hiyama worked her best to efficiently complete the medical reports on relevant patients, train the interns whenever she could, and aid Shiraishi with any matters that dealt with her work as staff leader. And besides, Shiraishi had also been letting Hiyama stay with her for almost 4 months now (and she still needed to convince her to let her lodge for another 3 months..!) for free so that was the least she could do, carry out her duties properly as a flight doctor again for the last time! She thought if she could pick up the pace with their staff work, she could do away with some of Shiraishi's debilitating burden that'd hit as soon as staff members left.
But nonetheless Hiyama was still a human being and could only take so much stress, and doing night shifts in particular, was not something in the scope of what was very tolerable for her, especially if she was craving a hot bath. The rain which had poured down the city in a roar just 40 minutes ago, had died down a little so the office became quiet and there was only the sound of the water boiling on the small induction stove. There were papers lying around everywhere and Mac desktops sitting atop the desks with all the lights shut off-that was Hiyama's preferable atmosphere in the office during her break. But as the blinds were not shut, rays of narrow light pierced the dark staff office from outside the large hall of the ER ward; it was just enough light for Hiyama to see what she was doing.
"Ne, how long do I have to keep ringing before you finally answer Staff Leader san?" She said in a composed yet still irritated tone.
"Eh? Er, um, sorry the ringer just caught me off guard and it took a while to actually reach my phone. Ah! Are you now on your break?"
Hiyama finished preparing her light dish and threw herself down on the large couch towards the side of the office with the ramen cup in her hands and the phone still pressed against her ear and shoulder. She kicked her legs up.
"Why else would I be able to call you like this? Anyways, did you manage to reach home before getting caught in the nasty shower?"
Shiraishi situated herself on her couch comfortably and slightly smiled before replying to Hiyama.
"Well I was trying to avoid it but it started to pour as soon as I just had 5 minutes left to walk home after getting off the bus. But, it hasn't rained in awhile so I'm not complaining that much, plus it gave me a good reason to have a nice steamy bath."
"Ehh, well isn't that good for you...that's the first thing I'm planning to do too as soon as I crash at your place after work." Hiyama said, still focused on twirling her chopsticks around in the cup of ramen.
"...well, ok, but please don't leave a pool of water on the floor again with my towels scattered on the floor…."
There was quiet on the other the end of the phone except for the crunching of Hiyama's food. Before not too long Hiyama spoke up again,
"Hey can you believe this Fujikawa? He's pretty much already better now but bailed out on doing tonight's shift leaving me with Haitani and Yokota again! As if this headache of mine wasn't enough, I've also got to keep a constant watch on those two. Ah! Which reminds me, I should clean up soon from here and check back on them, they're currently attending to patients at the inpatient clinic. Last time it was night shift for Yokata she almost inserted the IV drip to the wrong patient."
Shiraishi let out a little laugh and then sighed.
"Why is this funny? You're the one who's going to become shorthanded if they don't smarten up." Hiyama remarked.
"They're learning everyday Hiyama, and if one's tired, it's a given the risk for making mistakes elevates, especially if you're a novice. I will keep training them, in the meantime though, thank you for looking after them. Ah! And for Fujikawa Sensei, I was the one who told Saejima San that it would be fine if he required a little more rest until resorting to finish up the last of his flight doctor shifts before transferring departments."
Hiyama pushed herself up from the couch and properly grabbed hold of her phone after throwing out the empty cup.
"I see. So you're still back at it, back to giving everyone some slack even though it's the time where they should be giving their most for you-I mean seeing as how the staff is decreasing from Lifesaving."
Hiyama set the phone on speaker as she set it down on the counter in front of her and fiddled with her elastic, neatly tying her hair up again.
Shiraishi paused for a second on the other end and pressed her lips together before softly speaking up again.
"Everyone is currently trying to pull the weight they can. What each person can do is limited, and...each person has a certain level of tolerance for what they can do therefore I don't want to force anyone and push them beyond their limits."
"Ah, is that so... Expect no less from our gullible staff leader. Even though that's your title, don't go on thinking it makes you invincible. As you said, each person does have their own limit, you included. This workplace is a team orientated facility, it cannot function otherwise Shiraishi. That's what I'm saying."
"I understand that well, but me being the staff leader, I must also abide to other roles. I need to see through the needs of my staff as well. I appreciate your concern and you guiding the interns, but I will be fine. Anyways, finish up any reports you can, I'll take up the rest tomorrow as I start early morning."
Hiyama sighed and took a hold of the phone again.
"Whatever you say...but! The reason I actually called you, you know, was to remind you to fix up something simple and delicious for me so I can come home to a fresh meal tomorrow, ok?! Ah! Thanks so much staff leader san I expect no less from you! Gotta go before Haitiani and Yokota kill someone and create more work for you so just do this tiny favour for me ok?! You're the best!"
"Eh-"
Hiyama finished her sentence with a wide smile and quickly hung up on Shiraishi before she could speak anything more than that.
"Yosh, mission accomplished~" she said under breath. She then grabbed her clipboard and stethoscope and was about to leave the staff room in a hurry when she slammed into something after opening the door swiftly.
"Ouch!" She let out an annoyed sound while pinching her nose that slammed onto a broad surface. Her clipboard fell on the ground and before she could kneel down to pick it up, someone had already grabbed it from there and was pointing it towards her.
She clicked her tongue, "Aizawa!"
The 32 year old flight doctor stood there tall in front of her in a grey oversized hooded jumper and dark jeans. His bangs were down today and face looked as exhausted as anyone who had worked overtime and was now finally off his shift. It was always like him to stay late after his shifts to most properly and adequately finish up examining his patients as well as writing up the medical reports and other documents of administration. Recently though, he had been spending more time after his shifts in the staff office working on the desktop finishing up additional reports and scheduling in his tasks for the next day and anything else he could possibly get done. Hiyama guessed that he was already done post shift reports since he had changed out of his scrubs and had his work bag strapped around his shoulder.
"That composed face of yours again, watch where you're going will you?"
"I think I'm more in the right to say that," he slowly muttered as he slid past her when she took her clipboard back.
Aizawa flickered on the lights, illuminating the whole office to which Hiyama scowled, and walked over to a grand desk with a Mac computer sitting on top it; he pulled out his laptop from the last drawer of the desk and searched for the charger in the same drawer."
"Ne, are you coming down with something? You sound awful~" she let out a little snicker as she watched him neatly place the large laptop into his bag.
"Probably."
"Ehh, I guess the incident of the collapsing tunnel did have an effect on the invincible Aizawa after all," she said as her expression changed into teasing a grin.
Hiyama turned around and and was about to leave the office still half snickering at her comeback when she heard him speak again in a gruff yet still modulated voice:
"More importantly, I see you've been taking advantage of your landlord again."
She stopped on her way out immediately and swiftly spun around hugging the clipboard to her chest.
His eyes were fixed on some papers he was sorting from the desk .
"Ha?...you..!" Hiyama's eyes widened in disbelief and she chortled under her breath wagging her finger towards him while he seemed indifferent to her reaction.
"Ahhh, I see." She said in a dramatic tone, her voice cracking into an awkward laughter as she still pointed towards him.
"Not only did you just sneakily eavesdrop on us again, but you spoke up and finally admitted to it too" She huffed under her breath and then grinned widely as she tilted her head in a mocking gesture.
He shot a look up at her for a brief second and then averted eyes again after blinking a couple of times.
He had been caught by Hiyama.
"Tsk tsk," she shook her head, "and there you go acting all innocent again with that composed face."
Hiyama clicked her tongue again, and spun around to leave the office after shutting the lights off again, and claiming victory.
Aizawa took about another 10 minutes at the ER staff office to gather all his paperwork before exiting from the ward's main entrance outside towards Shohoku's parking lot.
He had completed his evening shift but had stretched into the overnight shift due to the long patient follow ups he had to report on and then it took another hour to help Haitani out with an elderly patient who'd entered the ER with an acute infection in his chest. The diagnosis wasn't very difficult, but since it was a fairly drastic treatment with the patient at high risk due to the vulnerability of his age, Aizawa thought it would be better to lend a hand to Haitani who could from the beginning learn adequately from Aizawa's fast methodology to treat the infection, and in doing so, perform the procedure himself without any guidance should another similar case arise in the future. He tried his best to guide the interns in a way which was stern to really instill the main focus of principles into the minds of the interns, but he had also learned to become perceptive of their individual learning profiles and so tried to accommodate their needs as novices. He realized that if he didn't change that about his teaching methods, although the interns still responded due to fear, they weren't as indulgent as he thought they should be to fully benefit from his teaching. That's why now, he gave the interns time to see how they wanted to handle each case and then if acceptable, he let them act upon it as they desired while he watched over them. It's true such a method may come across as carefree, and he'd be responsible should the interns mess up, but he learned that it was the only way to pull the interns out from their comfort zone and put them in a battlefield-like situation where they could struggled on their own and taste real leadership. In such a way, he thought they would become confident more effectively and become capable future doctors to help out in Lifesaving as it will be much needed.
Before he knew it, Aizawa stopped midway underneath the shelter of the entrance to the parking lot while pondering on his own. As soon as he became aware of his surrounding he flipped his hoodie on and reached out with one hand beyond the shelter. He turned his palm upwards and felt the slight tingling of the soft rain drops prickling his fingertips. Shortly after sunset, a heavy rain showered the city but had faded into a light drizzle by late nightfall. The drops that smoothly glided off his long slender fingers were light but nonetheless still apparent. The drizzle also cascaded off the edges of the entrance's shelter and softly dropped atop the front tips of his black leather boots. Aizawa didn't have passion for many things other than his career, nor was he someone who knew how to "let loose" and really relax but he did find a unique serenity from the essence of a rain shower ever since he was young. For some reason, it calmed him when he fell victim to endless thoughts. He didn't close his eyes, but breathed very slow and long breaths as his eyelids became heavier just gazing up at the dark sky. He inhaled the fragile scent deeply to guess its fragrance. It was clean and crisp like mountain air and not too strong. It didn't really have a striking aroma, just a tinge of sweetness that was less subtle than an herb.
The coolness surrounded his shoulders and before long, he began to smell the fresh earthy natural scent which he enjoyed the most after a cool pouring. It was Aizawa's favourite kind of smell, something that soothed him, one of the very trivial and so usually unnoticed thing he always took care to notice. Gazing out into the sky and the scenery beyond his immediate surroundings was the best way he alleviated himself from mild distress he experienced when work got the better of him. Though it was peaceful just gazing into the far distance surrounded by nature all by himself, he realized by the coolness of the autumn rain that when there was another presence in the vicinity alongside him, he often at least downcasted his distress if not forget it completely. That's right, the presence of another person's voice, of the soothing words, and the attempt to pull him back up to his usual elevated state-all of that, he only experienced with her presence- just like how he did earlier in the day when the sun was setting and he'd been sitting alone until she found him. They had a peaceful conversation at the heliport whilst he gazed upon his favourite scenery. The scenery was already magnificent as it always appeared to him, but when that particular person emerged into the scenery without him even knowing, it was like giving colour to the artwork that was beautiful, but not yet alive until her presence loomed over. While the scenery provided a superficial escape for him in times of discomfort, it didn't provide a touch of security as her presence in combination with it did. Today, he somehow managed to express his gratitude towards her when he told her he felt blessed from the bottom of his heart to have met her. It didn't really take much thought, he just saw her standing there in the glazing light of the sunset and thought that it was good she was able to be there with him during his hard times, during when he needed words of solace, during that sunset. He just felt really blessed at that time and deemed it essential to convey it to her as she deserved to know, so his lips moved on their own and he let her know of what she may have not known otherwise. Those were the utmost of his feelings, his raw thoughts conveyed to her in the most concise yet straightforward manner. He recently began to take notice that he deviated more towards where that presence of hers was, so he began to take interest in it, an interest in something which made him steer in such a way. Because it was able to affect him in this way, he reasoned it was a blessing and that was why today, he finally let it slip that encountering such a presence as hers, was in fact influential to him. That's right, Shiraishi was someone who was influential- she was logical and uplifting; she was natural and down to earth, she was real, and in the strangest way, he felt protected and reassured, the very concept of a blessing.
Aizawa recovered his senses from the void of his thoughts when heavy drops of rain pinged down on his half covered bangs. He blinked a little by the cold touch and before he knew it, the rain had become heavy again falling sharply from the clouded sky.
Again….he thought to himself.
He straightened his hood and shortly after, stepped out into the sheet of the falling rain and headed towards the large parking lot.
"Ughhhh~~ Harukaaaa, my back hurts again…."
Fujikawa had nestled up underneath his covers but was having a hard time falling asleep due to the annoying rain drops that smashed against his bedroom window infinitely. He had taken today's shift off of work as Shiraishi had insisted since he was still in the healing process after getting injured from the collapsing site that happened about 3 days ago. He had felt alright again a day ago hence gathered his courage to help out at the ER room yesterday afternoon but he soon learned that was a big mistake since he was already pushing himself and now due to the exertion, the pain had worsened and he broke out into a fever. He was only trying to help Shiraishi out a little but ended up giving her more work by skipping out due to his body deteriorating again.
After a couple of minutes, Saejima peaked her head into the room.
"Ha? Did you say something just now?"
"Ah, Haruka," he said in a low voice while breathing heavily and keeping his head down on the pillow.
"I said my back is aching again and I'm breaking into a fever, can you grab some medicine along with the snack you're fixing up right now?"
She rolled her eyes and walked into the room sitting beside him. She then pulled off the covers and rested her hand against his forehead.
"See this is why I told you not to act like a hotshot and get up after barely 2 days of healing. How could you have thought to work again in this condition?"
Saejima and fujikawa had both been sleeping until when Fujikawa awoke from the sound of the rain and found out after the grumbling of his stomach that he was hungry. His fidgeting disturbed Saejima who had work tomorrow, but seeing as how his stomach roared continuously, she thought there would be no peace and quiet until he actually had something to eat and so she had been out in the kitchen frying some salmon for him. She wore a long white frilly apron over her pajamas and had her hair in a messy bun.
"Just wait here ok? Don't keep calling me anymore or I'll burn your food. I'll be back with the medicine too."
As she was exiting the room he slightly got up and started waving his hand towards her gesturing her to come back.
"Oh Haruka, how cruel you are~ all a husband asks for when he's sick is the love of his wife yet you're so cold to me." He propped his head back onto the pillow when she left.
The rain still slammed against the bedroom window and he moaned covering his head with his pillow to its unforgiving sound.
Hiyama had just finished checking the vitals of a 35 year old woman who was one of the patients severely injured from the tunnel collapsing incident.
"Good~ they seem to have stabilized." She slowly said in a low voice so as not to wake the sleeping patient.
She then walked over to Yokomine who was finishing up her report.
"Alright Yokota, let's go down the cafeteria and get some hot soup, it's about your break time anyways."
The usual cheerful but now fatigue stricken girl just looked up at her confused.
"Eh? But didn't you just have ramen during your break moments ago Hiyama Sensei? I saw you bring it to the office."
Hiyama smiled sheepishly before replying, "I'll go myself if you don't feel up to it."
As Hiyama started to walk away Yokomine understood the meaning of her words in the midst of her exhausted state of mind and quickly ran up behind her. The two walked the quiet hall together before Hiyama stopped midway as her attention shifted towards the pouring rain's pattering on the large glass window.
"Ehhh, it got heavy again….we really must be heading towards a super cold winter soon."
"Ah! You're right!" Yokomine gazed out with her.
With a dull vibration from the pocket of her scrub, Hiyama's eyes shifted towards her phone as she pulled it out. On the screen was a text from Ogata.
Sender: Ogata
How's the night shift holding up for this formidable Sensei huh? I couldn't fall asleep right away so I spent some time doing light arm exercises. Anyway, I was just gazing out at this uncalled for rain and was baffled at the intensity! To think it was so sunny out some hours ago when we had lunch! We really must be heading into a cold winter season hey?
Be extra careful to not overexert yourself and then catch a cold due to the chilling weather.
I know if it's Sparta sensei, she can easily overcome her task, so try your best but also keep warm!
Hiyama knitted her brows and then let out a little giggle.
"Why is he doing exercises at 1am?" She mumbled to herself still looking at her phone. Then she looked back up towards the window in which only her distorted reflection could be seen due to the endlessly zigzagged trails of the raindrops seeping down.
"Can easily overcome the task if it's me huh?" She smiled slightly and then titled the phone a little inwards when she noticed Yokomine gazing at it too.
"Ehhh wow who's cheering you on so passionately Hiyama Sensei?" Yokomine's eyes widened with sheer curiosity and amusement as she leaned in closer.
Hiyama blinked a little and cleared her throat before pulling away and stuffing the phone back into her pocket.
"Ah! Could it be the one you were having an affair with!?"
Hiyama quickly turned her head to look at the girl whose face beamed with excitement as her complexion didn't reflect that of an intern working tirelessly at an overnight shift anymore.
Hiyama eventually gave up and sighed loudly before walking ahead of Yokomine towards the cafeteria.
"Shiraishi…" She bitterly muttered under her breath.
"Huh? Hiyama Sensei please wait! Answer me~"
"Quiet Yokota."
"Eh? It's Yokomine!"
The persistent girl caught up with her equally persistent senior as they both headed straight for some hot soup.
Shiraishi let out a small sneeze as she was refrigerating the last of the side dish she had cooked along with Hiyama's main course of meal.
"I wonder why I've suddenly started sneezing for the past little while..," she softly said while burying her face into her sleeve.
It took her about an hour and a half to properly prepare everything just as how Hiyama requested so that she could eat it right after coming home. Shiraishi had changed into a long night gown with a thin cardigan to keep her warm from the chilliness she felt due to the dropped temperature caused by the cooling rain.
"Haaa… finally done with this late night cooking session...though I wanted to sleep earlier.. jeez! This Hiyama is going to really drive me crazy before she's gone for good."
Shiraishi pouted to herself crossing her arms as she pondered over how she always let Hiyama win over her. She was totally planning a soothing-candle-lit-Hiyama-free evening just reading her book peacefully before going to bed early, yet it conveniently ended up in Hiyama's favour as she spent the evening working for Hiyama, the very person she wanted a peace of mind from.
"Oh jeez guess it can't be helped."
Shiraishi cleaned up her kitchen nicely before heading towards her room. She threw off her slippers and was about to jump onto her bed when she noticed consistent tapping sounds on her window become violent.
"Ehh? What is this? When did it get heavier?" Shiraishi stared at the window with her shimmering round eyes and then soon walked up to it, lifting it half way. The street was dark down below; she reached her hand out to feel the cooling droplets that felt as though they may have pierced through her fingers if they hit with any more force. The wind slowly brushed up against her bangs and she took a deep breath.
"Oh my~ the air is so cool and fresh! Ah, the earthy smell is so captivating! I need to find a scented candle like that soon."
Shiraishi smiled to herself before pulling her hand back in. She then gazed at her wet hand.
"Its nice and fresh, but somehow the coolness makes me feel lonely."
She walked over to the switchboard and turned off her lights and slowly crawled into bed.
"Guess I'll just have have to keep myself busy then by the endless lifesaving duties tomorrow!"
She let her short hair fall gracefully over her neck and face with one gentle pull of the hair tie and then turned on the dull table lamp. She closed her eyes and didn't take more than 10 minutes before falling into a slumber.
End of Ch. 1