Chapter 3
Doctor's Order's
The sound of a boisterous laugh from one man filled the air as several other men stared down at what was a game board. A small Pai Sho piece adorned with a carving of a lotus was the focus of the men's attention. Like a chorus, the men groaned in defeat as the man who was laughing grinned triumphantly.
"I win again!" he laughed, his wrinkled hands placed on his round stomach and his wise and aged golden eyes filled with mirth and laughter. The other men groaned at their defeat and held their heads in their hands. The old man's laughter died down and turning his attention away from the Pai Sho board he gazed out the control room's window to see the vast ocean before him. "Such a beautiful day," he sighed as he gazed outward at the sparkling blue sea. Glancing downward, the old man caught a glimpse of a young teenage boy, his nephew, as he delivered a barrage of firebending based attacks at an invisible opponent. "He isn't going to learn much if he continues training this way. . ." the old man sighed as he stared down at his nephew. Suddenly the door to the control room opened and another crew member stepped into the room.
"General Iroh," said the man as he entered the room. The old man turned around and smiled.
"Ah, good morning," Iroh smiled as he greeted the man who stood in the doorway, "is there something I can help you with?"
"Actually," the man hesitated for a moment before speaking up again, "Yes. Me and a few other men were taking some crates down to storage and. . . well, we found something." Iroh, looked at the man, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"What exactly did you find?" The man didn't answer, he only gestured for Iroh to follow him. Iroh followed the man without complaint. Staying behind the man by just a few feet, Iroh made his way down the stairs and through the labyrinth of hallways until they were standing outside on the deck. The two men made a turn once they exited and made their way towards the back of the ship, catching the eye of a young man.
"Uncle," called the young man as he turned to watch his Uncle walk away, "where are you going?" The young man's voice was harsh and somewhat demanding as he looked at his Uncle with golden eyes that were fierce as they glinted in the sunlight and seemed to be stuck in a permanent glare. The old man didn't answer, he merely walked away ignoring his nephew's question. The young man furrowed his brow in frustration and spoke louder, "Uncle!" he called a second time. His uncle didn't answer him still. A low and throaty growl managed to escape his clenched teeth, annoyed by his uncle's ignorance. "UNCLE!" the boy roared as he stormed after his Uncle. Gruffly, he put his hand on his Uncle's shoulder and forced him to turn around a bit.
"Oh, hello, Prince Zuko," smiled Iroh, his eyes full of kindness with no signs of hostility, "and how are you this morning?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Prince Zuko grumbled under his breath since he did not want to discuss the morning's occurrences with his uncle, "Where are you going?" he asked in a demanding tone that his uncle and the crew had grown accustomed to over the years.
"This gentleman said that there was something that I should see in the back," Iroh said with that same gentle smile.
"What exactly are you showing him?" Prince Zuko demanded of the crew member. The man looked at Zuko and sighed.
"I think its best that you see for yourself. . ." he said, hesitance filled his voice. The young Prince raised a frustrated eyebrow at the man and in response he shrank back, intimidated by the young prince's demanding gaze. Letting out a frustrated sigh he followed the man.
Hidden in the shadows of the ship's tower, the three men stood in front of a pile of crates. Silence filled the air as Iroh and Prince Zuko waited on the man to show what ever it was he wanted to show them. Several moments passed and the young Prince growled in annoyance.
"So, are you going to show us what you found? Or are you going to just stand there?" he barked. Iroh put a hand on his nephew's shoulder to calm him somewhat escalated temper. The man maneuvered his way through the vast amounts of barrels and crates, occasionally pushing a few aside to make way for his higher ups. What Iroh saw before his eyes was nothing he expected.
Before the three men was a young girl almost completely covered in blood. Not only were her clothes, or what remained of them, stained with the dark red color of her blood, but her face and skin caked with it. Underneath the outer layer of dried blood they could see the numerous lacerations and wounds that were still leaking small amounts of blood, like a faucet that hadn't been completely turned off. Underneath the brilliant red color that covered her skin, the young girl's skin was extremely pale and almost showed no signs of color. Upon seeing the unconscious girl, Iroh stopped in his tracks and stared at her fallen figure wide eyed. Because of his sudden stop, Prince Zuko bumped roughly into his Uncle.
"Uncle, why'd you sto-?" Prince Zuko's voice trailed off and he too stared at the girl wide eyed.
"Why didn't you say that b this /b was what you wanted to show me?!" Uncle Iroh shouted, his eyes filled with worry as his gaze shifted between the girl on the ground and the man.
"I'm sorry sir; I didn't know what to do,"
"Is she still alive?" Iroh asked as he quickly knelt beside the fallen girl.
"Yeah, she looks like she's still breathing. . ." Iroh took hold of her limp arm and pressed two of his fingers against her wrist. Despite the fact that it was very faint, her pulse was there. Without wasting anytime, Iroh turned to his nephew who still remained standing, staring at the girl dumbfounded with his mouth slightly agape.
"Prince Zuko!" he called to his nephew, trying to grab hold of his attention. Prince Zuko snapped from his slight trance and looked at his uncle. "Don't just stand there take this girl to the infirmary!"
Prince Zuko looked down at the girl and knelt down. He reached over to her slowly and lifted her limp body carefully in his arms. She was fairly light, but she dangled from his grip in such a way that made him wonder if she was really alive. Prince Zuko, adjusted the girl's body making her flop around like rag doll for a bit until he finally found a comfortable way to carry her. Slowly he stood up, trying not to lose his balance, holding the girl tightly against his chest. Uncle Iroh soon got up from the ground and hurried him in the direction of the infirmary.
"Hey! Watch it Uncle, you're gonna make me drop her!" he barked at his uncle as he pushed his nephew down the hallways of the ship. Prince Zuko's golden eyes gazed down at the girl as he continued to walk down the halls of the ship. Her face, underneath her black hair and blood caked skin; he could see her sunken cheeks and dark rings that lay underneath her eyes. Zuko's arms moved slightly underneath her body and suddenly she began to groan and writhe in pain. Her groans of agony echoed through the hallways and reverberated through Prince Zuko's ears as he looked down at her. He stopped for a brief moment to adjust her body in his arms and soon the girl quieted down.
Zuko's eyes were filled with worry as he looked down at the unconscious girl. However, his concern was not for the girl. He was more worried about what he was doing. The slightest movement seemed to bring the mangled girl great discomfort and agony. She was like a porcelain doll in his arms, so delicate that one wrong move would shatter her frail body into pieces. Iroh walked ahead of the prince and held the door open to the infirmary and Zuko quickly went in.
The doctor, who was asleep in his chair with his head thrown back and his mouth agape, letting a small trail of drool escape his lips, woke suddenly from the sudden intrusion of Prince Zuko, his Uncle, and the unconscious girl.
"Er, wha?" the doctor mumbled as he awoke from his stupor, "General Iroh, Prince Zuko. What bring you here-" the doctor stopped talking when he saw the blood covered girl in the Prince's arms. His eyes widened behind his spectacles at the sight. Just to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating, he quickly removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. "GOOD GODS!" the doctor exclaimed, "How the hell-?!"
"We don't know!" Prince Zuko barked sternly at the doctor.
"One of the crew found her at the back of the ship," Iroh explained, "She was already like this when we found her."
"Well, don't just stand there Prince Zuko put her down!" he shouted, his eyes wide with panic and worry.
"Don't order me around like that. . ." growled the Prince, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the doctor who dared to give him an order, "You would do well to mind your place and-"
"Prince Zuko!" interrupted his Uncle, "You would do well to mind the fact that you are carrying a dying girl in your arms!" Iroh let out a sigh and held his hand to his face, "Just put her down, my nephew. . ." As his Uncle left the room, Prince Zuko sighed and put the girl down on the cot that rested up against the wall. The doctor took a minute to feel for her nearly non existent pulse. Suddenly, and much to Zuko's surprise, he tore the girl's shirt open, exposing her injured torso. Prince Zuko gawked at the doctor in disbelief.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he asked, incredibly surprised by doctor's actions. A light pink shade tinted his cheeks as he glanced down at the girl, her almost bare chest there for him to see.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" the doctor asked, unaware of how strange his actions seemed. He looked down at the girl and suddenly realized what the young prince was thinking about, "Ohhhh. . . NO! I'm not gonna do THAT if that's what you're thinking!" the doctor almost laughed a bit at the Prince's clueless behavior.
"Then what exactly do you think you're doing?!"
"I'm going to treat and close up those wounds hers," he explained, turning his attention away from the girl. He began to push Prince Zuko out the door.
"Hey, let go off me!" Prince Zuko barked as he was being pushed towards the door.
"Sorry, but you gotta leave," the doctor said with a smile.
"Why?! I have every right to stay in this room!" Prince Zuko barked. He quickly turned around to face the doctor. The doctor raised an eyebrow and leaned against the door frame.
"Do you have a reason to stay here?" inquired the doctor.
"Well. . ." Prince Zuko thought about it for a moment. Now thinking about it, he didn't have any reason to stay. He didn't even know why it was he wanted to stay in the first place.
"Exactly," sighed the doctor.
"Well . . ." stammered Prince Zuko, "I dunno. Maybe I could help?" It was clear to see that Zuko was trying to find any reason to stay. Perhaps it was some fear that the doctor would do something to the girl if he wasn't there.
"Uh-huh. . ." the doctor nodded as he raised an eyebrow, "So you want to help?" Zuko nodded, "Do you know how to perform a blood transfusion?" asked the doctor as he extended his arm, letting his hand rest against the other side of the door.
"Well, no . . ." Prince Zuko mumbled.
"Okay then. BYE! " said the doctor in a cheerful manner before a sliding door closed right in front of the young prince.
"What the-?!" exclaimed Prince Zuko as he looked around and found he was standing in the hallway, "When did I end up here? Wait! Let me in dammit!" he exclaimed as he banged on the door.
"Sorry, Prince Zuko, but you're gonna have to stay outside for now! Doctor's orders!" called the doctor's voice from inside the infirmary. Prince Zuko growled angrily and stopped banging on the door. Suddenly, the door opened revealing the doctor. Only instead this time he wore a serious expression on his face. "Look, I'll call you and your Uncle down here when I'm done if you want, okay?" and without another word the door closed slowly, leaving Prince Zuko to stand alone in the hallway.
Author's Note
Oh my god… I am so sorry about this sorta crappy chapter. Yes, I know it's not quite as good as the last two, but gimme a break! T.T –bows head in shame-
I'm just hoping that the slight input of comedy at the end made up for it… and if it didn't well… here's a picture of what I think the doctor would look like
http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/5286/dochottiedrhatoriblackft2.jpg
I PROMISE that the next chapter will be better
-BeautifullyAbstract
P.S review would be much appreciated
