An autumnal breeze swayed the trees, tearing the coloured leaves from their branch-like homes. A few female nurses tried their best to protect their well-permed, hair sprayed sodden curls from the treacherous winds. However, the wind seemed to know their ploy as a severe gust nearly swept the girls off their feet. It ripped through the set curls, making it as if they had been dragged through a hedge backwards. The frustrations of the girls was aired in the foyer, where John was in the queue debating what he should have.

He didn't have a good night's sleep as he was fretting about Asta. Roxanna had called him last week to tell him that she was breathing on her own now, which was a good sign. A sigh of relief filled him realising she was out of danger. A good cup of coffee was what he needed. He thought the girls were being insensitive as there were more important things at stake than bad hair. As he turned to look at them, he did chuckle to himself as the nurses made a beeline to the bathroom to fix themselves up.

The smell of cooking bacon and egg made John's mouth water. He'd forgotten to have breakfast, so he was positively ravenous. That and a cup of black coffee would set him up for the rest of the day. Looking at his rota, he had consultations in the morning with an afternoon of surgeries. To him, it was the perfect day. Having ordered his coffee and bacon roll, he recalled the first time he met Asta.

He remembered how shy and nervous she was about working with him. He saw overflowing potential in her. They made an excellent team. All the late nights, early mornings, nonstop shifts saw them become closer. Now their bond was being tested. Yes, Asta could breathe on her own, which was massive progress. But it could still go either way.

He knew that she was in the best place possible. Making his way to the lift, he took deep breaths to mentally prepare himself for the day. It would be tough for him, knowing that Asta was far away but he had to come back to reality. Pressing the button for the third floor, he eagerly anticipated today's challenges.

….

"Right, get the severe one to theatre and place the other 2 into side rooms. Quickly now!"

The broad Scottish accent went through John like glass. He had just finished his consultation with a patient when he heard the clattering of trolleys. He saw the dark-haired woman push the trolleys into their respective places. Feeling eyes watching her, she turned and walked towards John.

"What's the matter, Ms McKinley?"

"Severe RTC. Poor bastards got hit by a milk tanker."

"I see. Do you have their notes?"

"I do."

She handed John the notes of the patients. As he flicked through them, he immediately recognised the names. They were part of the group that caused the car crash in Lisbon. The ones who never faced justice. John didn't show it, but he was concocting a plan of revenge.

"John, you alright?"

"I'm fine, Katherine. Page Arthur, will you? I want him to assist me on this."

"Of course."

As Katherine went to the office to page the other neurosurgeon, John smiled. At last, justice will be served.

….

Arthur sat in the corridor, head resting on his hands, unable to comprehend what he had just seen. The surgery was successful in all three patients and they were all in ITU. However, the previous two nights saw the lads dead, apparently from sepsis. Given the state of the injuries, it wasn't uncommon to develop an infection. Arthur examined the bodies before they went to the morgue and he thought he saw two needle marks on both. He had worked very long shifts and his body ached for sleep. He pushed on though, for today was his last day before he went on a month's leave. Perhaps what he saw was a trick of the light.

He thought he saw John leaning close into the patient and something was shining in the light. Something metal. His eyes didn't like it and they became heavier and heavier.

Slapping himself to stay awake, his eyes focused more clearly, and he wasn't dreaming. Seeing the body jerk, he ran into the room.

"John, what in God's name are you doing?!"

John turned and looked at him blankly.

"I haven't done anything. Now call the crash team, quickly!"

Arthur did as he was asked. Now was not the time to call John out. A life was in danger. He ran straight to the button and pressed it, hoping to God that it wasn't too late.

He walked out of the door, praying to Odin to let the boy live as the crash team flew past him. They tried for hours to revive him, making Arthur pray more fervently. However, his prayers were met with the sound of a dead heart.

…

Asta opened her eyes. The light was so bright that she had to close them. Her body was like a block of lead. She had no idea what had happened to her or where she was. She looked down, catching a glimpse of her arm. It was all bandaged up. She could also feel them on her face. Whatever happened to her must have severe. She became accustomed to the light now. As she laid there, her mind began to flash pieces of memory before her eyes. Lana and she were at the traffic lights. The lights turned green and an engine roar coming from the left. The rest was a haze.

The only other thing she could remember was a warm feeling around her body. From then until now, she must have been in a coma. She tried to move her limbs, but she lacked energy. She heard the door open and struggled to lift her head up.

A face appeared over her. Her eyes were full of kindness and compassion. She had defined features, such as pink cropped hair and blue eyes. Asta guessed that she was the nurse who was assigned to her.

"Hello, Asta. My name is Sarah. I bet you feel well rested."

Asta only nodded as her lips were numb from the pain.

"You're probably wondering how long you have been out for. Well, it's been 7 months."

Asta's eyes widened. 7 months?! No wonder her limbs felt so heavy. Anything could have happened during that time. Did John still think about her? She thought that John would have waited for her to wake up. Perhaps he had things to tend to, or maybe he had forgotten about her.

She shook her head. John would never do that to her, she knew him well enough. She immediately wanted to get out of there and see that everything was alright. But she knew that it wouldn't be that easy.

"We're going to take off your bandages off today, Asta. I bet you're looking forward to seeing yourself. However, it may be a shock."

Asta understood. She had no idea what was in store for her. Knowing that she would never look the same again, she allowed the nurses to remove her bandages. As the rolls unravelled, she could feel the air touch her skin. It was quite a relief.

After a while, the bandages had been completely removed. The nurse handed Asta a mirror. She took it and placed it on the bed. Holding her arm up to the light, she could see the grafts had healed over. Even though they were the same colour as her skin, she noticed them. She held the mirror to her face.

It looked mostly normal apart from the patches of graft on her face. She was still her. There was nothing she could do to change it. This was her now. John would love her no matter what. It'll take time for her to get used to the stares and comments, but she'd manage. She had her circle of friends and they would support her no matter what.