Disclaimers:
1) I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters.
2) I am not a doctor.
Chapter 1: A Break From Routine
A delicate hand, belonging to one Mizuno Ami, braved the bitingly cold morning air to silence the blaring contraption without thought. With a sigh, the blunette sat up and draped her long legs over the side of the bed, before rising gracefully to her feet.
She moved directly to the bathroom. She turned the shower to hot, let her small clothes fall into a puddle at her feet, and then stepped into the luxurious steaming stream.
She stepped out clean and refreshed precisely seven minutes later. She slipped into a simple cream colored blouse and a longer dark grey pleated skirt that she had set out on the bathroom counter the night before. She tousled her hair dry with the towel before hanging it up. She put on some simple pearl earrings and ran her fingers through her hair bringing order to the blue frazzled strands.
She silently moved to the kitchen careful not to disturb either of her roommates who had a tendency to sleep in much later than herself. Ami cracked two eggs expertly on the side of a bowl, tossed the shells aside, and quickly beat them until they were a warm uniform yellow in color. The simple breakfast was ready to eat two minutes later. She ate it without fuss alongside a cup of herbal mint tea sweetened with a dash of honey.
She rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher, picked up her bag that already sat waiting at the door, slipped simple walking shoes onto her feat and exited her apartment at exactly 7:46 AM to arrive to her 8:30 AM class ten minutes early.
…
An arm fell across his back startling him awake. Zevon peeked an eye open and took in the petite dark girl that shared the bed – her bed if the pastel lavender comforter was anything to go by. He took in his unfamiliar surroundings – the wall just a little too close, the lacy drapes over the window that did not block out the sun, a dresser covered in pictures of the girl and her friends at various stages of their lives.
He blinked for a moment at the girl, trying to remember her name, but it alluded him. He smirked at her narrow frame. She certainly was a cute little thing. She had liked his accent and his dancing.
He slipped out from under her arm, careful not to disturb her and began scrounging for his clothes. His underwear was found hidden halfway underneath the heavy comforter that had draped over the bed onto the floor. His pants had fallen across the little table light on the nightstand. His green collared shirt that worked wonders to bring out his emerald eyes lay abandoned in the hallway, and lastly his jacket was carefully sprawled over the back of the couch.
He dressed silently and exited without a word or note.
…
"Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways, lung tissue, and pulmonary blood vessels caused by exposure to inhaled irritants, most often smoke from tobacco or marijuana smoke, though you will see a fair number of cases resulting from long term exposure to industrial pollution as well," the professor explained referring to a diagram of the pulmonary system in the lungs with red and blue labels of various parts and cells.
Ami's hands danced furiously across her keyboard taking detailed notes of the lecture. The slide changed to a bar graph spouting statistics of the various forms that the disease could take.
"COPD usually manifests in one of two ways: either as chronic bronchitis or emphysema. In your lab this afternoon, you will be working with patients that suffer from COPD and you will need to be able to distinguish between the two conditions…"
At that moment a blue LED at the end of a matching blue pen sitting beside her laptop started pulsing. She closed the laptop silently and made her way out of the lecture hall, leaving all her belongings at the desk except for the pen.
Once in the deserted hallway she pressed her finger precisely into her earlobe activating a hidden earpiece and microphone. "This is Mercury," she announced softly.
"Sorry to pull you out of class Mercury!" the familiar high-pitched feline voice of Luna resounded into her ear. "You were the closest."
"Think nothing of it Luna," she said calmly. "Senshi duty always comes first. Where am I needed?"
"There's a youma four blocks southeast of your position, wrecking havoc on the market there."
Ami started running.
…
Zevon dialed in the combination to his locker without thought and practically jumped into the blue scrubs.
"Nice of you to show up Zevo-kun!" his black haired fellow resident greeted. "Rounds start in four minutes," he warned.
"Only need two!" the green-eyed blond called back.
"Don't you know Daiki is first on the list for rounds?"
Zevon rolled his eyes. Mamoru worried and over prepared far too much. Especially about patients that he was not responsible for.
"Relax Chiba! He's my patient." Zevon Stone might not be able to remember who he slept with last night, but he knew his patients' charts forwards and backwards.
"See you in thirty seconds."
"Yes dad," Zevon mockingly agreed. He checked his hair in the tiny mirror before marching across the hall.
"This is Daiki, a six year old male admitted yesterday with acute abdominal pain," Zevon dove into his report as he walked into the patient room slipped his way through the circle of attending and resident physicians surrounding the young Japanese child who smiled up at him. Zevon offered the dark haired child a fistbump without stopping his explanation and was delighted when the boy silently returned the greeting. "Mom reports he has been complaining of a stomach ache for three days and that it seems to be getting worse. The child describes the pain as a point localized pain rather than a generalized pain. We're running tests on his urine to check for a urinary tract infection and potentially following up with an ultrasound to check his appendix and gallbladder.
"Why are you choosing the ultrasound over the CT scan?"
"The ultrasound can pick up a much broader range of disease and infections and is actually better at detecting most of them with the exception of appendicitis, but it has a good chance of catching that as well without any exposure to ionizing radiation."
"Excellent. Thank you Dr. Stone," his attending stated before turning towards the family and asking if they had any questions.
When the woman shook her head the herd of experts shuffled slowly out of the room and onto the next. The next patient was Mamoru's and Zevon made a point of grilling his peer by forcing him to justify each of his diagnoses and treatment plan before their attending could get a word in edgewise, though the older man nodded along with each of Zevon's questions.
Mamoru returned the favor for his next patient. But Zevon delighted in this game they played – it kept them both sharp.
"Nice one Zevo-kun," Mamoru commented into his ear as they moved on from their last patient.
Zevon smirked. He was never in any danger of not making it through rounds, and he found himself wondering if Mamoru enjoyed their game or was irritated by it. He was going to ask, but before he could a code went off across the hall, and without a word, or even a shared glance, they launched themselves into the room ready to work.
…
To an outside observer she ran impossibly fast – but to the well-trained power infused senshi, it was an easy jog.
"Do we know what this creature is after?" she asked into her mouthpiece.
"Honestly Mercury, it doesn't seem to have any specific target – just wanton destruction."
"I see what you mean," Mercury whispered as she took in the inhuman beast as it ripped through the shops on the strip like they were made of paper. Bodies and debris alike littered the ground.
Her nimble boots darted between the casualties that she regretfully did not have time to grant further consideration. She drew on the chill and moisture in the very air around her willing an ice lance as sharp and cold as a winter's blizzard into existence between her arms.
The projectile pierced through knotted mud brown fur matted with filth into the beast's torso. With an inhuman shriek of protest, the monster turned toward her fuming with more anger than pain. The creature as fearsome as a bull, charged her with pounding thuds.
She easily sidestepped the blundering strides as long white-gloved fingers pressed into her a crystal sapphire studded earring, activating her visor covering the world with a blue filter. Annotations flooded her field of vision. She didn't like using the Mercury computer when she fought alone as the information could be distracting, but she needed information.
She cursed. The beast was human – though infused with strength and chaos. His electromagnetic aura spiraled and centered around his crown chakra.
She masterfully taunted the beast with icy projectiles and disoriented him with mist, leading him away from further potential victims. She leapt to window scaffolding above the clumsy monster, before striking downward on the focal point of power located at the crown chakra. The energy pattern shattered and the beast slammed into the ground unconscious, but he didn't revert back to his human form.
She bit back a curse maintaining her dignity as always. "Luna, I need Sailor Moon for healing."
"She's already on her way," the small voice reported.
She kept half an eye on her incapacitated adversary as she moved to check its victims. Thirty-six victims total. Thirty-four wounded and unconscious. Two dead. She was surprised that the others were all unconscious. It reminded her of their first battles almost a decade previous – where the Dark Kingdom had been harvesting energy. But their energy levels were normal.
The computer showed that a handful of the unfortunate victims had some kind of physical trauma consistent with their lack of awareness, but the majority of the others had no obvious explanation for why they weren't conscious. She sighed, wishing she could subject them to various lab tests herself before they were admitted to the hospital.
Before she could get too swept up in the mystery, Sailor Moon arrived with a two-fingered salute as greeting. The golden blond approached the beast cautiously, tapping it with her red boots.
"He's unconscious, but I'd prefer you healed him before that status changes," Mercury reminded her friend, trying to mask her amusement at her best friend's childlike wonder and fear that still occasionally came to the surface.
"Right!" the other girl agreed whipping out her wand. The device served as a channel only – to focus the lunar senshi's power to a purpose and to a point. Mercury never ceased to be amazed at how much raw energy her friend could bring to bear. She watched as matted fur faded away to an ordinary looking dark haired man. All signs of chaos and supernatural powers had faded from her scans. Hopefully, whatever affected him was no more, but she would keep monitoring him from afar.
"Jupiter wants to know if you're going to home for dinner," the blond commented as they dragged his limp body to join the his victims, hoping that he would be mistaken for a civilian.
"Uh… not tonight. I have a date. But tell her thank you for thinking of me."
"I will! See you later Mercury!" she said with a wave.
Then both girls dashed off in opposite directions as the sirens approached in their wake. The authorities unfortunately had their hands full.
But then, so did she, she thought with a sigh as she slipped silently back into her seat in her regular clothes once again for the last twenty minutes of lecture. She sighed thinking of how much reading and independent research she would have to do later to make up for the missing the majority of the lecture.
…
Zevon and Mamoru moved to either side of the little dark haired girl, pushing the crying and panicking woman at the girl's side out of the way. She was gasping hard – with her head and back arched. A glance at the monitor revealed her oxygenation had plunged to eighty-one and her heart rate was climbing. Her skin shone with profuse sweating and her lips were turning blue. She was effectively not breathing.
"She's in acute respiratory failure. Heart rate one-forty-five and climbing, oxygenation at eighty one percent," Mamoru reported, effectively handing the reins over to him knowing that he was more than an expert in these kinds of cases.
"We need to intubate," he ordered softly.
That much was obvious to everyone involved. The nurse already had the tray prepared. Zevon took the endotracheal tube, removed the girl's oxygen mask, tilted the girl's head back and slipped the thin tube into the girl's mouth and throat. He felt for the correct placement then nodded to Mamoru who already had the ambu bag attached to his half of the device.
"The tube is placed," Zevon reported as he nodded to Mamoru. His partner manually pumped the air with slow measured squeezes as the nurses scrambled around them setting up the ventilator. It was only a minute before Mamoru was able to defer his critical support to the machine.
"I want pure oxygen, see if we can't get that oxygenation level up and heartrate down," the blond doctor said out loud as he watched the blue numbers climb up immediately, which was reassuring. "Who's her assigned physician?"
"Dr. Nakajima," the nurse told him.
"Page her."
"Already done."
Zevon smiled. He loved an efficient nursing staff that followed protocol. "Does she by any chance have a history of epilepsy?"
"Not that I know of. She has GERD."
"Ahh… So this is aspiration induced pneumonia?"
"I believe so, yes."
At that point Zevon moved toward the distraught woman.
"You're mom?"
She nodded.
"I want you to know that she is responding well to our intervention. We will watch her closely and Dr. Nakajima should be here momentarily."
As if summoned by his words, the diminutive Japanese woman who he secretly feared arrived demanding a report.
They gave her their report including the initial and improving vitals.
"She's a good candidate for a Nissen Fundoplication," Zevon finished.
Almond brown eyes narrowed into slits of impatience. "She's scheduled for the procedure next month Dr. Stone," she said. "Though if we can't get this current infection under control it will not be safe to conduct surgery."
Zevon bowed his head in respect, knowing that Nakajima probably did not appreciate standard and obvious advice from third year residents. He ducked out of the room quickly before the attending could take his ego down another three notches and headed back to the lounge area with the intention to work on some patient charts with Mamoru trailing behind.
"Do you want to come out to the club tonight?" Zevon invited. Mamoru joined his group of friends every now and then and Zevon always found himself looking forward to those nights. He didn't know why – he just had more fun when Mamoru was there.
"Why? So I can drive your drunk ass home?" his friend shot back teasingly.
"You won't need to drive me home Mamoru-kun. That's what the ladies are for!"
"Right… how could I forget the part where you are fantastic company until some poor girl falls victim to your hypnotic gaze. Then you abandon your friends completely."
"You make it sound like I'm some kind of sexual predator," Zevon complained. "I can't help it if I'm exotic and attractive! Not all of us can be doey eyed in love and totally whipped!"
Mamoru rolled his eyes. "You're the one missing out of having a real relationship."
"You know what? You're no longer invited," Zevon shot back with a playful grin. "Your disapproving glares will ruin all my fun."
Mamoru laughed. "What time?"
"What time to we get off?"
The alarms went off again. Doctor Nakajima walked in and stopped them both with her dark almond eyes, "We just got word of an attack in some district and have multiple traumas coming in," she explained quickly. "Get yourselves down to the emergency department. They're going to need help."
The blond resident sighed as they moved quickly in compliance.
"Nevermind… Maybe tomorrow instead."
It was looking to be a long night.
…
"Sorry I'm late," she said with a warm smile sliding into the booth opposite her long time boyfriend.
"It's fine Ami-chan. I heard you had a pretty filled day," Urawa Ryo said smoothly, his dark eyes dancing merrily under his overgrown dark locks.
She released an appreciative sigh. "Unfortunately yes."
"Everything okay?" he asked, with a small frown of concern.
"Yeah, it was fine. Just weird. I haven't been able to meet with Luna yet to compare notes."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," he said with absolute confidence. Ami wished she could be that certain.
"So, what's going on?" she asked, changing the subject as she dove into the platter of gyoza that had just arrived. "You seemed excited on the phone," she commented through a mouthful of steaming hot dumplings.
"I got in Ami-chan," he said softly.
She choked in surprise. She had completely forgotten he had even applied. She forced herself to swallow the painfully hot piece so she could speak. "That's fantastic Ryo-kun! This is the American University yes?
He nodded confirmation.
"Congratulations!" she exclaimed.
"Do you think I should go?" he asked, interrupting her enthusiasm.
"How could you not?" she countered, surprised by the question.
"It's a three year program Ami," he bit back coldly.
Her eyes flew to him, startled at his sudden anger.
"Are you mad at me?" she whispered, doubt coloring her tone.
"No!" he snapped immediately pushing his hair back with both hands. "I just… I guess I thought you might be more upset. Do you even care?" he demanded.
"Care about you? Of course I do!" she insisted, feeling hurt that he would doubt the fact.
"No, do you care that I'd be gone for three years?"
"Of course I care," she countered automatically.
"Honestly Ami-chan, it doesn't feel like it," he contradicted.
"Do I have to prove it to you somehow?" she fired back, suddenly feeling defensive.
"No, I guess not," he said rising to his feet. "Thanks for making this decision so easy Ami-chan. I can't believe I was obsessing over it."
"Ryo-kun!" she objected. "Do you expect me to get in the way of your dream?"
"You don't get it Ami! You are my dream, but I know it has never been the same for you. I kept hoping that maybe one day it would be. But I should've known better..." he finished sadly, his eyes falling back to his hands.
Ami felt her throat constrict and she pushed back the tears that threatened to burst forth, urging herself not to lose control now.
"Are you breaking up with me?" she whispered not able to look at him either.
"I… I think I am," he stuttered. The words hit her like a kick to the gut.
"I love you, you know," he added, but it did nothing to ease the sudden knot in her stomach. "Kami-sama Ami! I love you so much. You are my world! But I know that I will always be second in your life. And I can't keep doing this to myself."
She looked at him then – at the curve of his boyish face – with dark dark eyes too bright with his own suppressed emotion. How many times had she hurt him without even realizing it?
"See! You can't even argue with me!" he broke into her continued silence.
He stood at that moment. Ami urged herself to stop him. To reach out or say something. Anything!
But she didn't want to keep hurting him either.
"Good-bye Ami-chan," he whispered as he turned and left.
She watched him go, frozen in her seat unable to move. Breaking out of her emotional paralysis she threw down the napkin and ran after him.
"Ryo-kun!" she shouted once she had exited the restaurant.
He stopped, but did not turn around. She ran in front of him and he turned away unable to look her in the eyes. He was crying.
"What is it Ami?" he asked distantly.
"I… I'm sorry Ryo-kun… that I could never be what you needed."
He stared at her for a moment and then just nodded, before he pushed past her.
"Good luck!" she called after him. "In… America."
He didn't respond. Just kept walking.
It didn't hit her until he had turned the corner – out of sight. Then, she almost fell to her knees as the devastation and shock finally hit her system. The torrent of tears she had managed to keep at bay broke past the dam and she cried.
She cried harder than she ever had since the night she realized her dad was not coming back.
…
Dedication:
This story is dedicated to my son. He has brought so much light and love into my life and definitely has pushed me outside of the world that I know and forced me to learn so much and find an inner strength that I definitely did not know was there. This story is dedicated to him because at four months old he started having a rare type of seizure called infantile spasms and at five months old he was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. Together, we have spent more time in hospitals in the last year than I had my whole life prior to his being born, so it has become a setting that I am sadly more familiar with than I would like to be. And that's where a lot of the details, medical knowledge and hospital routines come from.
Other stories:
I know! I know! You wanted me to update Going it Alone – not start a whole new story! But I've been working on this one off and on over the last four chapters or so of Going it Alone so I promise it's not distracting me anymore than it was! Some of these themes are just spiraling around in my head and I need to put them somewhere!
And I know I said I would have more time over the summer, and this summer that has just not been true. Too much dealing with bureaucracies, training new teachers, and trying to complete some online grad school courses so I can get paid more!
The good news is that I got a really nice review there that helped me dive back intro writing and get through some of the things that I was struggling with in all three of my stories! And over the last three days I made some huge leaps forward in writing that next chapter in both Going it Alone and Fighting Fate (and this one too! Hence it's being posted finally!) And hopefully I'll be posting some more evidence to support that claim soon!