The coffee at the medical center was free, and Rin took complete advantage of that. She didn't remember the last time she had drunk so many cups. But right now, she needed it. Desperately.
For a woman in her late sixties, Doctor Chiyo had the energy of a child and Rin found it hard to keep up with her. Considering it was her very first day, Rin arrived forty minutes early in order for Human Resources to process her work schedule and payroll. Afterwards, she was provided with a standard uniform before meeting Doctor Chiyo in person. Chiyo was a short woman with short hair. And although she wasn't as intimidating as Doctor Tsunade, Rin knew that she would still need to work hard in order to leave good impressions.
"You'll be shadowing me today," the short woman said, and Rin nodded before following her.
The first couple of hours consisted of visiting different patients - an old man with lung cancer who wouldn't quit smoking, a mother overreacting over a pimple on her son's face ("I think it's cancer!" she would exclaim, and Chiyo would just roll her eyes), and a teenage boy who ate too much marijuana-laced cookies.
As they visited the different patients, Rin paid close attention to each case. Some cases weren't serious, and those coming in would leave a few hours later. But the event after lunch proved Rin that things could get messy quickly, in just a matter of seconds.
She was paged just seconds after finishing her lunch, and Rin hurried as fast as she could to the third floor. It was during her hurry that she noticed the pain in her feet, and knew that by the end of the day, she would have a few blisters by the back of her foot and over her big toe.
Upon entering the room, her eyes almost widened as she noticed the machete protruding from the back of the man's skull. Surprisingly, there wasn't much blood coming out from the back of the head; as if the machete was holding everything together.
"Well, don't just stand there!" Chiyo exclaimed, causing Rin to apologize, "Get your perky little behind over here and help out!"
Two other nurses snickered and Rin ignored them, mentally kicking herself for stalling. If she was going to be a doctor, she would have to do better. She had to mentally prepare for these types of situations.
"Doctor, I'm telling ya'!" the man said, shaking his head, "I'm fine!"
"Just your mouth, stupid. You have a damn machete lodged against your skull!"
"Mark, listen to the doctor and be quiet!" the man's wife said, wiping her tears away.
"How did this even happen?" Chiyo asked the wife, who suddenly turned angry as she glanced at the buffoon of her husband.
"Him and his idiot brother were playing with these two machetes in our backyard! You would think that two grown men would have some sense on what not to do with machetes,"
"Hmm, that's why I divorced the idiot of my ex-husband years ago," Chiyo muttered before changing the subject, "We need to get him x-rayed. I'm not sure how deep the blade is. Surprised he's awake. Any headaches?"
"Nope, nothing! I'm telling ya', doctor, I'm fine. I can even move my fingers and toes. See?!. I'm sure all you gotta do is operate me, and take it out. I'll then stay here for a night or two… and then I'll go home with my beautiful wife and finish remodeling our home for our baby,"
"You're pregnant?" Rin asked her, and the wife nodded.
"Yes, just made it to four months,"
"Alright, enough with the chit chat. Rin, come with me. We'll have to perform surgery right away. Lisa, you stay with the wife. Alex, go prepare the surgery room,"
Removing the breaks from the bed (it was something she learned within the first hour of the job), Rin and Chiyo began to move the bed to the end of the hallway, towards two wide doors.
"How long will the surgery take?!" the wife asked in a hurry, clutching her chest with her hands.
"It depends on how bad this is," Chiyo replied, "Will definitely be a couple of hours...minimum,"
"Don't worry about me, honey!" the man with the machete on his head said with a thumbs up, careful not to turn his head too much, "All of this will be over soon, and when I get out of here I'll take you to that restaurant you like so much,"
"The one with the Indian buffet? So I can eat whatever I want?"
"Yes, baby, that one,"
Rin smiled at the interaction, thinking about Obito. She couldn't wait until her shift was over and she could see him again.
The patient was finally placed in the operating room, and Rin started following procedure. She tied her short hair back, put on the face mask, and scrubbed her hands and arms carefully.
Another doctor and his team came in seconds later, taking the man to an enclosed area of the room for x-rays.
From the glass wall, Rin studied the situation as minutes later, the man was wheeled back into the room. The x-rays were produced immediately, placed on a screen by the wall. She saw how the blade went into the skull, already touching that part of the brain by no more than an inch. The fact that the man was still talking and acting as if it was only a scratch amazed her. Yet again, she's studied some of these medical mysteries and knew that it could end in different ways. She just hoped that, for his wife and unborn baby's sake, the operation was successful.
"Alright, let's get started," the male doctor said, and his team readied.
The nurses removed the patient's shoes and shirt before laying him down on his side, careful not to move the machete around. The anesthesiologist injected the liquid, and the patient began to feel drowsy in seconds. Several instruments were brought out in order to help the doctors with the critical operation.
The man was fast asleep, and the procedure started. Pulling her small notepad out, Rin took notes of the action from each person in the room. She still had not decided what specialty she wanted to do. For now, she wanted to see what interested her the most. One thing was for sure - she didn't want to deal with the heart.
Her eyebrow raised as she noticed the man's toes move. Unless some part of the brain was being triggered to do that, the man should have been asleep.
Again, the toes wiggled. But this time, the foot jerked just lightly and Rin knew that she had to alert them.
"Excuse me-"
The male doctor glared at her, "Excuse me, but what are you doing in here-"
"His foot is moving!"
"What?"
"I said his foot is moving. You haven't even pulled the machete out yet, and his foot is moving,"
The male doctor checked and gasped, noticing how the foot was moving quickly.
"Impossible, he's sedated," he looked at the anesthesiologist, "Did you not give him enough?"
"He is asleep," the woman replied, annoyed.
Seconds later, the machine began to beep loudly. Heart was racing, and the team changed procedures.
"He's having a heart attack," Chiyo exclaimed.
The resuscitation process was difficult with the machete still lodged on the back of the man's head. The beeping produced by the monitor got worse, and the resuscitation process started with the man still lying on his side. It wasn't too long before the beeping changed, a flat beep sound being audible. The staff continued for another three minutes, but no change.
Then there was silence, before the doctor sighed and looked at the clock. "Time of death, thirteen fifty-three,"
xXxXx
Rin rinsed her mouth and watched her face, remembering the wife's hurling screams upon being told the news about her now deceased husband. Watching that almost made her break down as well, her mind going to Obito… Obito, who was buried underground for days overseas.
"You ok, Kiddo?" Chiyo asked, entering the bathroom.
Rin nodded, "Yeah, sorry. I just needed a moment,"
"It's fine, it happens. You'll get used to it in a month. There's death every day in this place. You just gotta do your best. Good job on noticing the foot. Even though it was too late, it was good that you spoke up as quickly as you noticed it,"
Rin nodded without saying anything. She still thought of the pregnant woman, and her unborn child who would never be able to meet the father. It made life more unfair than it was. There were men like Mark. Yes, stupid for playing with machetes. But caring and loving to their wives. Yet, there were men like her father…
"I'm guessing neurology is something you don't want to do?" Chiyo asked, and Rin gave a sad smile.
"I actually rather avoid the brain… and the heart…"
"I see," the older woman said before turning around, "How about I show you something that may interest you?"
Rin stood up straight, nodding before following the woman out of the restroom and towards the other side of the building. The closer she got to the other side, the more colorful the walls became. There were paintings of cartoons all over. The area no longer resembled a hospital, but more of a daycare or school.
Chiyo stopped in front of a large window, and Rin stood next to her. Her large brown eyes widened upon seeing no more than ten or eleven infants, each in their small pink or blue cribs. Her lips widened into a smile as a few of the infants had their eyes opened, and she giggled as they made strange cute little noises.
"I expected that reaction from you," Chiyo said with a smirk, "You're a sucker for the babies. Got any kids of your own?"
Rin continued to stare at the babies as she replied, "No, no kids,"
"Good. A young lady focusing on her career first. I have to leave early today, but let me introduce you to some of the nurses in this wing,"
Rin spent the next four hours meeting the staff and some of the women already in labor. She was later told that these women would have complicated deliveries of their child, and extra precaution would be in place. One of the pregnant women was to give birth via cesarean to conjoined twins. The fetuses were conjoined by the head. After their birth, x-rays would need to be taken immediately to better understand how to safely separate them.
Some of the other women were single mothers, a few of them battling drug addiction or having just escaped a violent relationship. By that moment, Rin knew that she wanted to be part of these women's lives. Helping them not just physically, but mentally. Mentally, so they knew that they mattered and would not have to be with men who would abuse them. She would do this so another young boy or girl would have a better childhood than she had.
By the time she left work, her feet were killing her. The shoes were terrible, but that didn't surprise her. Just like the majority of her clothes, she had bought the shoes several years ago at the local thrift store. Nonetheless, she couldn't wait to take them off.
Luckily for her, she didn't have to wait that long for that. Upon exiting the medical building, she spotted Obito's car in the parking lot. She hurried over to it, standing by the passenger side as he looked at her. Their heated kiss from yesterday played in her mind as she entered his vehicle, her heart racing. Would they kiss like that again today?
"Hey,"
"Hey. How was your first day?" he asked, not taking his eyes off her.
"...Not what I expected. I'm glad the day's over though,"
He drove them to his place, which didn't take more than fifteen minutes. It was the second time Rin was over to his home, and she missed the cozy feeling it brought.
As Obito changed, Rin sat on the couch and took off her shoes. As expected, the back of her feet had small blisters. The top of her right toe also had a blister, and it looked like it was ready to pop.
"Want something to drink?" he asked, coming out of his bedroom wearing a dark blue gym tank top and gray sweats.
Rin eyed his biceps just briefly before nodding, "Water's fine,"
He came back seconds later with a glass of water, handing it to her before sitting beside her. He leaned back on the couch, spreading his arms on the back. She studied him from the corner of her eyes, blushing as her eyes went from his face to his upper body and then lower. He exerted this sexual energy, which intimidated her. Placing the water on the coffee table, she turned towards him and lightly poked his cheek. His right eye opened, and he smiled down at her.
"You looked like you were asleep just now," she commented.
"Couldn't sleep last night…" he replied, "It happens, and I forgot to take the pills…"
"You have insomnia?"
"Yeah," his hand came to the back of her head, giving it a light massage.
"I should be the one giving you a massage,"
Kneeling on the couch next to him, she massaged his temples and forehead with her thumbs. Obito's face relaxed, his arm dropping to her waist as she continued.
"Stay the night, Rin…"
Her eyebrows shot forward in surprise, "Wh-What?"
His eyes opened, his other hand coming to her cheek. "Stay over, please,"
"I can't. I have work tomorrow...and I don't even have any clothes here,"
He looked disappointed, groaning as he rubbed his eyes. "Fine… I'll drop you home later…"
She felt her heart drop, her own smile dropping. "No, it's OK Obito. You're very tired. I can get home myself,"
Her hand covered his mouth as soon as he was about to speak, "I can take care of myself," she continued with a smile, "And right now, it looks like I need to take care of you. Stay here, I'll make us some dinner,"
She hurried towards the kitchen, scavenging through his pantry and fridge for whatever she could find. Eventually, she gathered enough ingredients to make them both a sandwich.
Obito, in the meantime, watched her as she hummed while preparing the meal. He imagined a life with her; one where she lived with him. One where all of her dreams would be fulfilled. She would become a doctor, her mother would be found, and her father wouldn't be in the picture. Watching her as she toasted the breads in the oven made him feel as if she already lived with him.
"Dinner's almost ready!"
He sauntered over to the kitchen island, sitting on the stool as she finished assembling the sandwich.
"I used all of your lettuce...and tomato… and some leftover chicken breast and cheese,"
"It's fine," he replied, "I usually eat out for dinner,"
"That's not healthy," she said, taking a bite of her food.
"Then maybe you should stay over more often...and make sure I'm getting some good nutrition,"
The piece of chicken slid down her throat, causing her to cough. Obito patted her back, bringing her some water as she tried to clear her throat. Either he had very sexual plans in mind, or her mind was marking everything as sexual.
"Sorry," she said with a giggle, coughing several times before clearing her throat, "...Choked on a piece of chicken…"
"Seems like I need to watch over you," he said with a smirk, and Rin rolled her eyes.
"You really want me to stay over that bad?"
"Yes," Obito's answer was serious, and he grabbed her hand, "Rin...the day you slept over here...after the club...I didn't experience any nightmares… I slept peacefully…"
She looked surprised at that, and he continued, "I know we haven't been dating for long...but I promise that I won't...overstep my boundaries. I just...need you close…"
Such a request was too soon to ask. Did she trust him? Of course. But the idea of sleeping next to him made her nervous, as it made them move too fast. What if, three or five months later, the romance was no longer there? Or he didn't feel the same for her anymore? As much as she wanted to stay over, next to him, she worried.
"I...I don't know, Obito… I'm worried that we may be doing too much… too soon…"
He sighed in defeat before nodding. "I understand. I'll get you home then,"
Her heart broke at the tone of his voice, and she quickly pressed her lips against his in a reassuring kiss. He remained still for a moment before kissing back, pulling her closer to him.
"I'll stay next time, though," she whispered before pulling him into another kiss.
Later in the evening as they finished their dinner, he dropped her off home. And although he wasn't frowning, Rin could tell that he wasn't happy either. But she needed them to not rush things. Afterall, the honeymoon phase was just three months long. They made out in the car again before she departed.
Walking into her small room, Rin sighed and took off her uncomfortable shoes. The blisters got worse, but she would deal with the pain. She was just glad that Obito didn't notice them and questioned her. As much as she deeply cared for him, more than she could ever imagine, she didn't want him to see her as a girl who needed saving.
Changing into her pajamas, Rin lied on her hard bed and looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed a crack on a small area of it. Knowing that in maybe four to five months, the crack would grow before falling off, Rin shifted her bed away from the area as much as possible. The last thing she wanted was part of the ceiling falling on her face.
Author's Note:
thank you all who read and reviewed last chapter! it means alot!
This chapter is short, and not as eventful. But of course, more drama to come in the near future!
Stay safe and happy holidays!