Aqua looked over the wrap job she had done on her patient. It wasn't bad but she was amazed over how he was still alive with that much lead in him. Someone had really wanted him dead. Which means, if they found out she saved him, they would want her dead too. However, a patient was a patient. He needed her if he was going to survive. After his initial flirtations and her rather painful reminder that she was the doctor and in charge, her patient had been rather obedient.

Once she was finished she removed her rubber gloves and sat back with a heavy sigh. She didn't know if he needed a blood transfusion for how much blood he had lost. The man oozed luck. Lucky to be alive, lucky to not be a pin cushion, lucky to have such powerful friends that could take a doctor whenever they wanted. She didn't want to know what he did to deserve that kind of 'luck' but she did know one thing.

"He needs to get his sugar levels up."

After drawing blood, the person was always woozy afterwords. So the doctors at her hospital combated that with sugary snacks and treats. Particularly juice. However, Aqua came with the clothes on her back. Everything for this man's treatment was supplied for her. Including her instruments and the bowl with all the bullets... She counted three. One came from his stomach, another had grazed his side, but was lodged near a bone (though he was lucky it hadn't gone through the bone) and the third had come from his shoulder.

"Sugar?" North asked.

"Juice. Soda. Candy. Snacks. Sugar." she said impatiently.

North left to get as Aqua requested, though he did shoot her a wary glance as he left the room. She couldn't help but be offended by that. She was up well into the morning, having worked all day at her work and then all night saving his colleague. She had done as they asked. She only hoped they would keep their end of the bargain. She longed for the safety and warmth of her bed. She could pretend (at least for a little while) that she hadn't just saved some mob boss' life. That she hadn't helped them eventually kill more people.

"So, gonna tell me your name?" her patient asked.

"No."

She got to her feet. Walking away from him gave her some confidence back. So long as she wasn't close, she felt safer. She already knew he was unarmed. He probably had enough strength to grapple a kitten. Still, she wasn't about to let him 'thank' her by strangling the life out of her. She had to play her cards right. If they went back on what they promised, she vowed she would fight as hard as she could to take as many of them down with her.

"I'm Jack."

"I didn't ask."

"Feisty."

She barely contained an eye roll. She wasn't there to babysit. And yet, there she was, watching, waiting, fighting the urge not to squirm in impatience. They both knew she wanted to be as far away from there as she could possibly get. However, he seemed to derive some twisted sort of pleasure out of watching her twitch with impatience. She hated the smirk he was sending her way. As if he knew the full extent of her discomfort.

"I'll just find out later," he said.

Aqua held her breath. He could do that. He could make her life miserable all because he knew who she was. She had to bite back any smart remarks. She was tired, hungry and angry. All of which could land her in hot water. Not somewhere she wanted to be with men who decided guns spoke louder than words. She sat against the opposite wall of her patient as exhaustion crept over her.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"According to my watch? 5 am."

Aqua closed her eyes painfully. She had a morning shift. She was expected at the hospital at 8 am sharp. She had to help Doctor Yen Sid with another surgery. She would be all thumbs in the operating room. But she couldn't sleep now. It wasn't safe. Now that she had done what they asked, they had no reason to go through on their end of the deal. She was nothing more than expendable at this point.

She would never see her flatmates again. Ven was sick and Aqua helped Elsa pay for his medicine. The three of them lived together to cut down on costs because none of them made enough to live alone. All of them had lost whatever little families they had left. Only Ven and Elsa had each other by blood. Would they be able to get by without her? She hoped they didn't look too hard to find her. She didn't want them to find her after the Guardians ended her. They deserved better than getting saddled with the debt of her funeral.

Jack just sat there, watching her quietly. As if waiting for her to break the silence first. She couldn't tell what was going on in his head. Normally, she prided herself on being able to tell but she could barely keep her own head upright. Her eyelids felt so heavy. Adrenaline was wearing off. She had to get away somehow before she completely collapsed.

"Are you okay?"

"'m fine."

Her words slurred with weariness. She winced since it gave away weakness to the mobster. She tried to sit up straighter but everything ached as she moved. You don't work long days like her without taking some form of rest. However, she was snatched off the streets before she could get her rest period. If they had grabbed her first thing in the morning she would have been fresh and rested. But Jack wouldn't have made it. He was just lucky he didn't need a transfusion. Because Aqua doubted they had a ready supply of blood unless they kidnapped someone off the streets for that too.

"I don't know about you, doll, but I'm beat."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. She wouldn't let her guard down for a second. She couldn't trust these gangster types. She had read too many papers with gruesome pictures of the people who had crossed the gangs. None of them had clean hands. The worst part was it all seemed like a competition on who could outdo the other in gruesome murder after gruesome murder.

"I need to go," she said.

"But patching me up took you all night!"

"I have work."

"Call out."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

Aqua smoothed back her hair. He didn't understand. Arguing with him wasn't going to get her point across. He wouldn't know what it was like to actually have to work for a living. To live paycheck to paycheck. She was saved from witty retorts as Nick came back in the room with the sugary items that Aqua told him Jack needed along with an exotic beautiful woman. Her creamy skin was adorned in the brightest, softest looking fabrics that had an odd sheen to them. They weren't found in this country so Aqua could only assume international wear.

"Miss Aqua, this is Tooth. She will take you home," North said.

"Aqua…" Jack murmured.

The way he said her name made her shudder. Like he was tasting the syllables on his tongue. A little boy in the candy shop that was getting exactly what he wanted even though he had been denied previously. She had to ignore him. Hopefully, this was the last she would ever see of Jack. She would never have to deal with mobsters or hitmen or digging bullets out of people without proper equipment ever again.

"I can… go?" she wanted to double check.

"Of course dear! A deal's a deal!"

Aqua decided to play along for now in case they were leading her on. She had no proof they meant what they said.

"Let's go then."

Tooth nodded and motioned for Aqua to follow her. Aqua didn't hesitate in following. She was going to death or she was going to freedom. Either way it would be over soon. The only way to find out was to leave. But as she turned to go, she felt unsettled by Jack's eyes boring into her back. He knew her name. He knew her occupation. And because of his coworkers, he could find her work. She could only hope this was the last she saw of him.

She tried to control her breathing as she trailed after Tooth. Calm, steady, like she was already at work in an emergency situation. She was good at being levelheaded in tight situations. People relied on her to be that way when they needed her in the ER. People's lives were on the line. Only this time she was the one in distress. She just had to think rationally. She could have an emotional breakdown once she was safe. That was at least something to 'look forward' to if she did manage to get out of this alive.

"Okay, I'm going to have to ask you to put this on!"

Tooth held up the same sack that had covered her head on the ride in. With shaking hands, Aqua too the fabric. It had been hot and smothering. Not to mention the most frightening experience she ever had when she was stuffed in the car earlier. She didn't know what they had wanted from her, now she did. They wanted to use her like anyone else did for her skills. She had saved a life, hopefully that would get her a little leverage. She could almost feel her knees wobble from the sheer effort it took to remain standing.

"C-Can… Can you drop me off at my work?"

Pretend. She had to pretend that she was going home. That she could go home and act like this never happened and would never happen again. On her day off, she could go about her normal business and go back to her regular life. So that way, if they were really just blindfolding her before her death, she could convince herself otherwise. It would be the only comfort she could have.

"If that's where you want to go then, sure," Tooth shrugged.

Swallowing thickly, Aqua put the sack on over her head. Once concealed in darkness, she fought back against the urge to cry. Tooth gently guided her into the back of the car. As they drove, she tried to follow the turns but it was just as difficult as last time. At least she was in a seat and not the trunk. That had to be a good sign, right?

Eventually the car came to a stop. Aqua was guided out by gentle hands. When the sack was removed, she nearly sobbed in relief when she saw her work place in front of her. It was almost reassuring in a 'the last few hours of her life has been turned upside down' sort of way. Tooth flashed her a pearly smile that should have been comforting on some level. If Aqua didn't know the woman's affiliation, it might have been.

"Thanks so much for helping Jack, Aqua. We don't know what we would have done if we lost him."

Aside from go into an all-out gang war against whoever killed him, Aqua thought dryly. However, refrained from saying so. "I'm a nurse. It's sort of what I do."

When she was pulled in for a hug, Aqua went stiff. She half expected a dagger in the back or a bullet in the belly. Instant pain and death. None of that happened. Tooth really did seem grateful for Aqua's part in helping Jack through the night. Aqua couldn't hate the woman for that sort of sincerity, even if they were criminals. It was her job to save lives. Even if they were of criminals. People were people no matter what they chose to do for their profession. But by saving Jack, she had likely just sentenced others to die. It was a moral conflict she would have to deal with.

"You're welcome."

With another dazzling smile, Tooth let Aqua go. The cloth bag was taken from her hands. Aqua tentatively smiled back. She supposed this was better than she could have expected all things considering. As discomfort settled over the both of them, they went through the motions of civility. Aqua had to remind herself that despite her seemingly gentle nature, there was a reason Tooth was a head in the Guardians.

"Have a good day at work!" Tooth chirped.

The woman got back into the car. Thankfully, she drove off without another word. But that left Aqua outside the hospital in the uniform from the night before, covered in dried blood, bone tired and starved. She took a deep breath. No one had noticed her yet so she had that in her favor. First order of business was to get cleaned up. They had locker rooms for the staff and she had a change of uniform inside.

Washing up and changing did help her feel more refreshed. After this shift, she would then have one of her days off so she could sleep like the dead and try and clean her blood stained uniform. She could use the time to recover. But in order to get through her shift, she needed a little food and a catnap. There was only one place she was going to get either. She headed to the cafeteria.

The food was decent for hospital food. It was at no fault of the chefs. They did amazing work on shoestring budgets. Her apple turnover and generic black tea would have to suffice until lunch. She would have to run out and get something for that too. She didn't have time to pack something like she normally did. Nor did she have time to go to her apartment, get something and come back. She would cross that bridge when it came to it.

"Aqua, a moment of your time?"

Aqua turned and froze dead in her tracks when she saw her boss – Doctor Yen Sid – as well as the Man of the Moon himself. She thought her heart stopped right then and there. Manny had followed her to her work. He was talking to her boss. She wanted to faint. She had thought it was all over. That she could go back to her normal life but it seemed… nothing might ever be normal again now that she helped them once. She wanted this day to end.

"Of course sir."

She followed both men into Yen Sid's personal office. Somewhere nurses only went if they were to be fired. The entire time, she hoped her hasty breakfast didn't make a reappearance. She felt ill. She didn't want to follow them, but she couldn't afford to lose her job. There were plenty of other nurses who would have killed for her position. Some of which she was certain had contemplated it. Times were tough on everyone. Jobs were lean and money did not come easily.

"Were you intending to work your shift today, Aqua?" Yen Sid asked.

"Yes sir."

"After working all day yesterday and all through the night?"

"Sir?"

He knew she worked through the night? How? She fought to keep looking at only Yen Sid. If she looked at the mobster, she might have broken down into tears. There was only so far she could be pushed before she broke and the man was pushing her limits as far as they would go. Her expression betrayed nothing of the panic she felt inside. Her chest was tightening, the beginnings of one of those breathless attacks that left Ven weak. He described it as running so hard his heart and lungs were going to pop, but without actually having run anywhere at all.

"Mr. Cresent told me about the emergency procedure you preformed last night," Yen Sid said. "While I commend you for your heroism, working on no sleep is dangerous to your health and the health of my patients."

Aqua flinched, looking down and feeling properly scolded. She had been so focused on not losing her life (and then her job) that she forgot she was supposed to put her patients first. She knew she wouldn't have been completely functional, but in their line of work, mixing a medicine could kill someone. Or falling asleep on the job would have serious repercussions to someone else's health.

"I'm sorry sir."

Yen Sid nodded slowly, accepting her apology. "Now… we have to decide what to do with you…"

She felt a spike of fear. Was this it? Was she being fired? Let go? All because she helped the awful Guardians save the life of one of their men? They hadn't left her much choice. Help or die. She could almost feel her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't lose this job! She was the breadwinner of her apartment. Elsa's singing jobs were at the whim of the clubs. Ven could only work when his health was good. Without her, they would end up on the streets! Ven could die if he didn't get the help he needed!

"Might I recommend a day off?" Manny asked, all kind smiles and gentle tones, "And perhaps a raise?"

Yen Sid seemingly considered it. Aqua could barely believe her ears. She went from thinking she was being fired to a raise? A raise meant a lot of good things for them. They could finally get Ven a coat that fit and shoes that didn't have newspapers in the soles. Better food or maybe a new bed. The one the three of them shared had a spring popping up out of the foam. She almost felt dizzy. Or maybe she was and it was just the whirlwind of things catching up with her.

"I do believe that would be in order… She did go above and beyond the call of duty."

"And perhaps when she's back she can look after young Frost. He responded quite well with her assistance. I'm sure being around her would help him recover from such a traumatic event."

A protest was about to rip through her lips when Yen Sid nodded again. Once again she was being backed into a corner. Manny knew how to play his cards, because if Aqua protested, it would seem she was ungrateful for his kindness or trying to play things humbly. She would officially be on Manny's list of workers at this rate. Despite her saying it was only 'the one time' he took that as a literal 'won't kidnap you to treat my men' sense. He would do it legally.

"Have him check in tomorrow. Aqua can lead his recovery."