"Oh Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be" Chapter two by Tris
A/N: Will you please tell me if you think Markus is OOC in this chapter? I know he usually puts up with junk and focuses on the patients, but…something's gotta give sometime! I think he must have to deal with lots of stress, and I thought it would be plausible for him to explode. Exploding doctors…nice…sigh. I hope I didn't make Val too overbearing, but she really can be a spitfire when she wants, eh? XD
"Stop. Markus, something isn't right. Please, Madame Director, we have to go back!"
Bringing the car to a halt, Director Quatro twisted around in the driver's seat and blinked in gentle confusion at Val. "What?"
Markus glanced at his coworker, who was beside him—and herself—in the backseat. "Val, we can't do this. He has to deal with his own problems."
"No! This isn't right! We have to go back. Markus." She grabbed his wrists pleadingly. "We're responsible for more than physical wounds, aren't we?"
"Val, we're not psychologists or counselors."
"Technically, we're not. But…in reality, isn't that what we do? What else would you call the way we comfort and reassure patients when a procedure frightens them? We care for the body, yes, that's what we studied. But the body is nothing without the soul and the mind—we can't turn a blind eye when we know something's wrong with those parts! I know you won't regret going back." She had not let go of his wrists.
"Why are you so…"
"There was something in his eyes. There's something we have to find out."
"Couldn't you have given me some kind of…notice?" Irene ran a hand through her platinum blond hair and fought back a weary sigh. "I have a tight schedule planned for today—"
"We're being forced to transfer; you could at least let us have a proper goodbye with our colleague, no matter how stuck up he may be!"
"Val!"
"No, she's right." Irene sighed and began pulling a U-turn. "We need you badly at Caduceus, but that's no reason to cut short a goodbye, especially with a colleague. I don't know the man, but I do know what it's like to part ways with a friend. I agree; we must go back."
"Thank you," Val whispered, sinking back into her seat and slowly releasing her grip on Markus.
"…for thou hast borne Christ the Savior, the Deliverer of our souls." Eyes closed, Luc straightened the thumb of his right hand; all five digits were now extended. Just as quickly he clenched the hand into a fist and converted the extensions into the naked ring finger of his left hand, which now had three digits extended. He drew a shallow breath. His tearstains were nearly dry by now. "Rejoice, O Virgin…" He paused and looked up at the sound of footsteps drawing near. "Hello?"
"Luc, it's me!" Val crossed the room and resettled herself in the bedside chair.
"Hey Dr. Rousseau," Markus seconded stiffly.
Luc knitted his brows momentarily. "Would you like to pull up a chair, Dr. Vaughn?"
"I'm fine, thanks." Markus leaned against the doorframe.
Luc shrugged, then hesitantly reached out and touched Val's hand, as if to be certain she was really there. His blind eyes looked in her general direction from under his brows. "Why…?"
"I couldn't just leave you like that, Luc."
"Hm. Dr. Vaughn could, at any rate." Luc glanced coolly at the doorway, where Markus' blurred form hovered.
"Um…well, he…Markus?"
"Yes, Markus, do tell us why you're so outgoing today." Luc's brows furrowed again, then slid into their habitual cocky position. "I've always wanted to improve my social skills, and you could be the poster boy for any etiquette school. Tell us, Markus. How is it you manage to exude such warmth and cheer?"
"Shut up, Rousseau," Markus spat, crossing his arms and scowling.
"Markus," Val's tone was warning. She moved her eyes from Luc to him, with a meaningful expression.
Markus gave a long, tightly controlled sigh. "I don't mean to be rude—I know it was pretty mean to leave without much of a farewell, but—you're so damn annoying!"
"M—"
"No, no, Miss Blaylock—let him have his say," Luc purred icily. "Maybe we will have some enlightenment."
"Enlightenment?" Markus twitched irritably and began pacing, his words too volatile to be held back. "Barring you, the whole hospital is already enlightened. What do you expect, that I'm gonna throw flowers and confetti at you as I leave? I'm happy I never have to work with you again!
What were you thinking, Rousseau, all those years? Was I a machine to you, able to take on more and more and more work, things you just didn't feel like doing? I'm human!" Markus rapidly stabbed his own chest with a forceful index finger. "I have limits! I need to sleep and eat once in a while! I put up with you for the patients' sakes, but to be frank I'm run down, exhausted, and you've gotten under my skin. You're—no—doctor!"
"And you are?" Luc asked condescendingly. "You packed your bags and ran to Alaska, leaving your patients with no one to take care of them. I operated on those patients, Dr. Vaughn, when Professor Wilkens was too sick to do work. That's how I because Chief Surgeon. I proved myself."
"Do you have any words in your vocabulary beside the first person pronoun?" Markus snapped, as Val buried her face in her hand. "I have never met anyone so narcissic. I think you spend all your time staring in the mirror, that's why you pass off your patients! And if you did such a glowing job while we were gone, why did you suddenly stop, huh? I haven't seen you do anything that makes me believe you deserved that promotion!"
"Look, Markus, just calm down," Val pleaded. "Maybe he was burnt out from all the extra work. Besides, he's right; we left quite suddenly and against the Professor's orders."
"Maybe so," Markus ground out, "but nothing is an excuse for acting like everyone should bow down to you. The fact that patients actually like you is nothing but a testament to your incredible powers of charlatanism."
"I did not get a degree from Feinberg by learning and doing nothing—" Luc began angrily, lunging to a sitting position.
"Luc, please, lie down," Val begged. "This is a pointless argument. Everyone has flaws and makes mistakes. Why do you want to compare?"
"Hey, I've heard you do some backbiting on Rousseau," Markus said, breathing heavily.
"Yes, it's true." Val dropped her gaze. "But after this whole Stigma disaster, I realize more than ever that life, saving lives, is more important than petty annoyances. I wish you would both realize that."
"You think you've gained wisdom, Dr. Blaylock, but you don't know anything!" Luc's voice was charged with a sudden, fierce bitterness.
"What…?! But Luc…I didn't mean…I was just saying—you're not being fair!" Her brown eyes spat sparks.
"I don't need your stupid life lessons. You've been through nothing scarring enough to sear wisdom into your brain."
"Right, and getting toasted gave you long-lost secrets." Markus scoffed. "Why do you think you're such an expert on the harshness of life? Come on, weren't you born with a silver spoon in your mouth?"
"I know, you think you're clever. I'd love to be around the day that illusion shatters for you." He turned his back and would speak no more.
Confused and embarrassed, Val followed Markus out the door and down the hall…again. "What on earth happened…? All of a sudden we were all made at each other…and I never—"
"I told you it was a lost cause," Markus said wearily, holding the door to the stairs for her.
"But I tell you…there was something in his eyes…"
To be Continued…
A/N: Wow. So Luc was starting to warm up to Val, but Markus' brusque attitude shut him off. And you can't blame Markus too much, Luc put him through a lot…but why did Luc pop his lid at Val? You'll see…
