"Are you a terrorist?"
Those are the first words Dr. Bashir Hamed hears when he walks into a hospital room containing an unconscious teen and his friend sitting vigil by the bed.
Bashir picks up the chart at the end of the bed, which says the patient's name is Fred Sangster. He pretends he didn't hear the accusation that was just thrown at him and begins to check Fred's vitals on the monitor, comparing them with what is already written down. He pens the vitals onto Fred's chart and moves to put it back on the end of the bed.
"Are you a terrorist?" Fred's friend asks again, his piercing blue eyes glaring at Bashir. "Can I get another doctor?"
"No, I am not a terrorist," Bashir replies calmly. "My name is Dr. Bashir Hamed, and you are…?"
"Percy," the teen sneers, crossing his arms and glaring once more at Bashir. "So, can we have a different doctor, or what?"
"I am a qualified doctor," Bashir tries to reassure the teen. "I am not a terrorist."
Abruptly, Percy stands from his chair and stalks over to Bashir. "I don't believe you," he snaps, stabbing a finger into Bashir's chest.
Bashir steps back to regain some personal space and stares at him, then shrugs and pulls out his phone to text Dr. Magalie Leblanc.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Don't bring any more of your friends in here! One is enough!" Percy cries out, a tad too loudly. He is silenced by a reprimanding glance from the doctor, who points to his friend on the bed.
"You said you want another doctor." Bashir waves his phone. "I am asking a co-worker to come and assist you."
Five awkward minutes later, Mags enters the room. She casts a curious glance to Bashir, wondering why she was summoned. The text has simply stated: need your help with a patient. Please be fast.
"Hey, Bash," she says, trying to take in the situation. "What do you need help with?"
"This young man requested a different doctor, and I think you're the best person to take over," he responds robotically. Mags sends him a concerned look. She had heard this tone of voice only once before, when he had revealed that he had treated enemy soldiers at gunpoint. This is what he does to control his emotions when he in distress.
"Thanks for your confidence, Bash, but wouldn't Theo be better? He is a pediatrician. And this teen looks younger than 18," she points out.
"Right," Bashir affirms softly. "I'll text him and see if he's busy." He clumsily unlocks his phone and starts typing.
Red flags pop up in Mags's head. Bashir does not forget things very often. She eyes the angry teen before her. He must be the reason for Bashir's sudden timid behaviour, she muses.
Percy turns his glare to Mags. "Do you seriously believe this guy? Are you sure he's a doctor? Does he even have official papers? How do you he's not going to blow up this building?"
Mags's jaw drops open in shock. She had been mistrustful of Bashir at first because he had waltzed in one day and claimed to be a doctor, 2 weeks after running away from the hospital. Not because he's from Syria. She turns to Bashir and tries to make eye contact, but he is steadfastly staring at a point over the boy's - George? Ron? - shoulder and avoiding her questioning eyes.
Dr. Theo Hunter strides into the room at a leisurely pace. He is one of the best pediatricians in this hospital and a close friend to the other two doctors. His steps stutter when he sees Mags already there and not looking happy. His steps stop completely when he sees Bashir's hunched shoulders and lowered head. This is the complete opposite of the confident young doctor he works with on a daily basis.
"Hey, Bash, heard you need a hand with a younger patient," Theo announces. "It looks like you already have some help, though..." he trails off uncertainly, sending a puzzled gaze over to Mags. She shrugs helplessly at his wordless questions.
"I don't want my friend treated by a terrorist." All three doctors whip their heads in Percy's direction, seemingly forgetting his presence in the room.
Theo closes the distance between him and the teen, stopping mere inches away from him. "Let me get this straight: you think my friend, Dr. Hamed, is a terrorist?" Each word is slowly enunciated, giving the teen time to take back his words.
"Yeah, look at him! He barely even knows English, and he's so twitchy, like he's going to press a button and run!" Percy looks Bashir over from head to foot. He smirks condescendingly at what he sees.
"Empty your pockets," Percy demands. "Or do you have something to hide?"
Mags and Theo meet each other's horrified gaze, too stunned to say anything. Then the spell is broken, and they loudly protest, tripping over their words.
"Young man, I don't know who you think you are - "
"How dare you demand a doctor to empty his pockets - "
"Magalie. Theo." Bashir speaks up quietly. He lays a gentle hand on their shoulders. Then he turns to stare at Percy head-on. "Yes, I will empty my pockets."
He steps over to grab the little table that is at the end of Fred's bed. Grasping it with trembling fingers that only Mags and Theo notice, he pulls it towards himself, making sure to keep a sizable distance between himself and the suspicious teen.
"Bashir, you don't need to do this - " Mags starts but falls silent as Bashir meets her eyes over his shoulder with an unreadable expression.
"Yes. I do have to this," he replies, turning to face her completely. "I knew what I would have to deal with, moving to this hospital. I will not be fired under the accusation of being a terrorist," he practically spits the last word, baring his teeth slightly. Bashir closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, he smiles slightly at Mags and Theo before turning his back to them and facing Percy again.
Reaching into the left pocket of his pants, the doctor pulls out his phone and places it carefully on the table. A notepad, three pens, a pack of hair elastics, and a die soon join the phone. His other pocket contains gauze, a covered scalpel, medical tape, another pen, and a crinkled piece of paper.
Percy snatches up the paper and unfolds it to reveal a note saying, "Have a great day Bashir! I'll see you after school. Remember: I get off 30 minutes LATE, so don't pick me up too early. Love, Amira." Smiley faces and very unflattering pictures of the doctor himself are placed all around the text.
"Who's Amira?" He wrinkles his nose. "Her writing is awful."
"She is my sister," Bashir forces out through gritted teeth. "Do not insult her, please."
Heaving an exhausted sigh, he reaches in his shirt pocket, which only has a notepad and two elastics which had been twisted together too tightly to be separated. He smiles softly at the memory of a young girl laughing at him and Dr. Bishop threatening to fire him when she had sent hundreds of elastics to the hospital, perfectly joined.
Bashir spreads his arms to indicate that there is nothing more to see. "Are you happy, Percy?" Percy merely scowls.
With that, Bashir begins to pick up his stuff, messily shoving them in his pockets. His hands are shaking enough to knock his phone to the floor. Cursing his bad luck, Bashir bends down to pick it up, but freezes when the familiar weight of his father's stethoscope disappears from his neck.
"Hey!" He yells. Bashir quickly stands to face the teen and immediately wishes he had stayed down.
Percy holds the stethoscope in one hand, and the scalpel in the other. He places the stethoscope around his own neck mockingly, while slowly removing the protective covering of the scalpel, revealing the sharp blade. He stares at Bashir the whole time, daring him to do something.
Bashir's eyes widen fractionally but he otherwise seems calm. "What are you doing?" He asks in a soft voice, hands held where they can easily be seen in the universal surrender sign.
Although he appears calm, Mags and Theo know better. They observe their friend's hunched posture, the way his shoulders rise and fall just a bit too fast to be healthy, the slight tremble in his hands that are still held up.
Bashir takes a slow step towards Percy. "Percy, please put down the stethoscope. It is very important to me," he whispers. "Please put it down."
Percy stares into the man's eyes and is taken aback by the raw panic in them. Hands shaking, he slowly removes the stethoscope from around his neck, noticing how the man relaxes fractionally and heaves a small sigh of relief.
Anger crawls up Percy's throat, and he suddenly slices through the rubber tubing of the stethoscope with as much strength as he can.
Everyone freezes. Time stops.
The chest piece of the stethoscope falls to the floor with a dull clink. Time restarts.
Smirking, Percy looks to the doctor, hoping to see anger and frustration on his face. Instead, there is anguish and absolute terror. He steps back, startled.
Bashir's face threatens to crumple, but he forces it to remain calm. He is unsure how calm it is, though; he knows his lips are trembling with the effort and he can barely see the teen through his tears. He pinches the bridge of his nose, forcing back his emotions.
Without a word, Bashir stoops down and retrieves the chest piece of the stethoscope, gently cradling it to his chest. He stands and walks over to Percy, who tries to back away. What if the doctor beats him up?
The doctor raises his hand and holds it at chest height, waiting for the rest of the stethoscope.
"What? You want this?" Percy dangles the broken stethoscope by the broken tubing, swaying it back and forth. He whips his arm suddenly, and the earpiece smacks Bashir directly in the mouth. The doctor grunts in pain as a trickle of blood runs down his chin from his busted lip.
Instinctively, Bashir raises a hand to his face and applies pressure to stop the bleeding.
At Bashir's grunt of pain, Theo runs out of the room to get Dr. Bishop. He'll know what to do. Mags quietly begins to gather the rest of Bashir's belongings.
Bashir once again holds out his hand. He says nothing, but Percy knows that this is not a request. Reluctantly, he shoves the stethoscope into the doctor's waiting hand. He risks a glance up and flinches from the coldness in the man's eyes.
Bashir turns on his heel and practically runs to the door, colliding into Dr. Bishop, who had returned with Theo.
Dr. Bishop's arms shoot out to balance the younger man who immediately stiffens in his hold and backs away slightly. Bashir mumbles a thanks and hurries out. His blank stare deeply unsettles his boss, who watches Bashir leave with a touch of concern to his otherwise stoic face.
"What is going on here?" Dr. Bishop demands. He nods curtly to Mags and Theo, who promptly exit the room to search for their friend, leaving Percy alone with the furious Chief of Emergency Medicine.