What Ails You...
Disclaimer: I don't own Suikoden IV or its characters - it all belongs to Konami. I named my hero Kit, the ship Paradise, and the army the Dauntless.
Yu sat back behind his new desk and looked around the room, beaming at the freshly painted walls and rows of empty shelves just waiting to be loaded with tools and supplies, all provided by the king to ensure free medical care for his people. Lino en Kuldes was truly a generous man.
"Isn't it great?" the doctor asked the world at large, heaving a blissful sigh.
"It's wonderful!" Carrie agreed from where she crouched on the floor, unpacking jars of medicine from wooden crates that arrived that morning. Now all that was left was to wait for their first patient to walk in. "I wonder who it'll be," she said.
Yu was about to reply when he heard something outside. Carrie saw him tense up and slowly turn his head to look at the door. Dread, horror and disbelief showed clearly on his face.
"What's wrong?" the nurse asked, standing and dusting herself off. "You look like you just saw a ghost!"
"Didn't you hear that?" Yu demanded. He thought briefly about putting up a sign saying the clinic was closed for lunch, but knew that wasn't an option, if only because it was still early morning.
"Hear what?" Carrie looked genuinely puzzled.
"That... that cough!" the doctor almost shouted. There was only one person in the world who coughed like that.
"All this work setting up must be getting to you," Carrie said earnestly. "Maybe you should lie down..."
Yu waved her suggestion aside and continued staring at the door as if he expected a big, hairy monster to crash through it any second. A moment later it opened, and his worst fears were realized.
"Hi, doc!" the newcomer cried. He was a tall, strong young man, not at all the type that usually hung out at clinics. Yu quickly masked his expression and struggled to replace it with a happy smile, but social skills could only go so far.
"Why, hello, Trishtan!" Carrie said in her usual cheery way. Yu shot her a look, but couldn't tell if she was acting, too. "What can we do for you?"
The man opened his mouth to answer, but instead fell into a highly theatrical coughing fit. He gripped the edge of Yu's new examining table for support.
"Would you like a glass of water?" Carrie asked, pouring one without waiting for an answer. She thrust it into his hands and he gulped it down.
"T...thanks," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "What a relief you're open - I just ran out of medicine." He looked at Yu hopefully.
"I'm sorry," the doctor said, finally finding his voice. "We didn't get that shipment in yet."
"What!" Trishtan cried. "You're kidding, doc... right?"
"Well, we didn't know you were in the area," Yu pointed out. That was certainly true enough. He still couldn't believe his rotten luck. "We didn't know we needed any."
"I live here now," Trishtan explained. "Didn't you know? King Lino appointed me captain of the Royal Guard."
"Despite your... condition?" Yu asked.
"Well, why not? It's under control now, thanks to your medicine. You really don't have any?"
"Come back in an hour," the doctor said. "We'll have it ready by then. I promise."
"An hour?" Trishtan's panic-stricken voice rose shrilly. "I need it now! I haven't had it since last night!" He started coughing again.
You'll be just fine," Carrie reassured him, patting his shoulder. She firmly seized his arm and led him outside. "Why don't you go home and lie down? We'll bring the medicine to you... you won't have to worry about a thing."
When she returned to the clinic a few minutes later, Yu was seated at his desk again, cradling his head in his hands.
"And everything was going so well," he moaned. "Why did he have to come back? Why?"
"What's wrong?" Carrie asked. "It was only Mr. Trishtan. He's a bit eccentric, yes, but nice enough."
"You don't understand," Yu said. "That's exactly what the problem is!"
Carrie frowned. "I don't get it."
"You know as well as I do there's nothing wrong with him," Yu told her. "If anything, he's better off than most. Every time we play along with him, I feel like we're playing some vile trick..." then the doctor perked up. "At least we run a free clinic now. I won't feel so bad if we don't have to charge him."
Carrie left to buy a sack of flour.
When she returned, Yu measured out a few spoonfuls and put them in a professional-looking paper packet. "There, that'll do." he said, folding it shut. "Thank you, Carrie."
"The equipment shop owner thinks I'm getting into baking again," the nurse told him. "He made me promise to bring over a plate of cookies later."
"Give this to Trishtan first," Yu said, handing her the packet. "Then you can bake to your heart's content. Better make some for the King, while you're at it. To thank him for all he's done for us."
Carrie laughed. "That's funny. You know how much I hate baking." Then she realized he was serious. "You're still upset over Mr. Trishtan?"
Yu ignored the question. "You'd better hurry up and bring that to him before the poor man chokes to death."
Carrie set off again, feeling slightly worried. But it was a fine evening for a walk, so she didn't rush. She took her time, greeting some friends and stopping to chat with a few of Yu's patients along the way. When she finally reached the palace, she stopped. Lino en Kuldes was sitting on the palace steps, dressed in his usual civilian attire. Carrie couldn't enter the building without asking for him to move first. She knew there wasn't any real reason to be scared, but couldn't help being a bit intimidated by him. He was a king, after all.
"Hello, Your Majesty," she said tentatively, making a little curtsey. He didn't seem to hear her. She stood there awkwardly for another minute before he finally looked up, with an expression that rivaled Yu's for moroseness.
"What's wrong?" Carrie demanded before she could catch herself.
"Oh, it's nothing."
"Are you sure?" Carrie asked. "Is there anything I can do?" She couldn't stand to see anyone so unhappy, undoubtedly why she chose to be a nurse in the first place.
"Nothing," Lino repeated. He slowly got to his feet and moved out of her way. "I was just thinking about my son."
"I wasn't aware you had one," Carrie said. She and Yu were familiar with Princess Flare, of course, but Obel had no prince. That didn't matter as much in this particular kingdom, since nobody had a problem with a female ruler, even Setsu. In fact, he had a reputation for biting the head off of anyone who dared suggest such a thing. Even Desmond would join in, stammering a retort in Lady Flare's defense.
"Not anymore," Lino agreed, with a sad smile at her surprised look. "I lost him shortly after he was born." He briefly told her the tragic story.
"How terrible," Carrie cried, imagining the king's sorrow after losing not only his son, but also his wife.
"I still think of it from time to time," Lino said. "But after I met Kit... if my son was alive, he'd be about Kit's age by now. And if my son was still here, I don't think he could be any better than Kit. I can't help being reminded every time I see that young man."
Carrie nodded, remembering how, after the battles at Fort El-Eal, they all gathered at the pier to send Kit's body off in a rowboat for a proper burial. Then she couldn't help breaking out into a grin when she thought of how Kit later woke and was picked up by a passing ship. The boy wasn't too happy about that, which was understandable, but he wasn't the type to hold grudges.
"A miracle," Carrie said, echoing everyone's sentiments on the matter. For now, the brave young hero was staying at the palace, helping Setsu and Desmond out with routine tasks until he decided where to go with the rest of his life. Too much had changed for him to settle back down in Razril, and he still wasn't sure he wanted to take Hervey and Sigurd up on their offers to teach him how to be a pirate.
"Well, you'd better go on." Lino en Kuldes said, stretching. "It does feel good to talk about it once in awhile, though. Thanks."
Carrie realized that she'd gotten so wrapped up in the conversation she forgot who she was addressing. The idea of talking to the king was longer so frightening. But now that the king's mood had been lifted somewhat, he was inclined to be chatty. "What brings you here, anyway?" he asked, noting the packet in her hands.
"I'm looking for Mr. Trishtan."
"Trishtan, eh? Shouldn't be too hard to find - he came back an hour ago, locked himself up in his room, and nobody's seen him since."
"He has his own room?"
"All my captains do."
"But nobody's seen him since?" Carrie asked. "Aren't you worried?"
"Not really," the king confessed. "Especially since it's all in his head. Not that I'd dream of saying that to him, of course," he hurried to reassure her. "He's a good guy, though. Does his job well enough. I can't complain."
Carrie bid his Majesty farewell and entered the palace. She followed his directions for a bit, but they soon became unnecessary when she heard the loud coughing coming from the end of the hall.
"Oh, good, it's Yu's assistant," a guard said as she passed. "Do us all a favor and shut him up, will you?"
Carrie ignored him and rapped on Trishtan's door as hard as she could without making her knuckles bleed, so he could hear her over the racket.
"C-come in!" the captain gasped between coughs. "It's not locked..."
Carrie let herself in and wasted no time dumping her packet's contents in a glass of water. Trishtan drained it and spent a few minutes catching his breath and rubbing his aching ribs.
"Thank you!" he cried. "You're an angel - an absolute angel! There, I feel better already." Carrie felt herself blushing as he gave her even more praise. He crossed over to his desk and rummaged in a small pouch for a moment and pressed some coins into her hand. "Go on, take it."
The nurse had an inkling of how Yu felt.
Things continued in this fashion for a few weeks. Every morning, just after the Obel infirmary was opened, Trishtan would come to pick up more of his medicine. Carrie was usually the one to deal with him, since Yu always found some errand to go on before he showed up. The nurse didn't mind so much - she liked the routine. She'd offer him Trishtan some freshly brewed coffee and they'd chat a bit before he left. She always waved aside his offers to pay for the medicine, but he insisted on giving her a tip, paying no attention to her refusals. Carrie kept the potch in a jar on Yu's desk, not knowing what else to do with it. She thought about giving it to charity, but as far as she knew, there were so such organizations in Obel. It quickly added up. One afternoon, when there was a lull in patients, Carrie emptied the jar out and counted the contents.
"You don't look happy," Yu observed, walking in from a house call. Then he noticed the pile of coins on his desk. "What's this?"
Carrie tearfully explained the situation. "Six thousand potch!" she cried. "I feel so guilty."
Yu stood there awkwardly, not sure what to tell her. "Well, you shouldn't be," he said. "You deserve it for handling him, right?" When that didn't work, he sighed. "Maybe you need a vacation," he suggested. For all the time she worked for him, Carrie had never taken a day off.
"But we just had one!" she pointed out.
"When?"
"On the Paradise. Don't tell me you forgot that already!"
"That wasn't a vacation. It was fun, yes, and quite an adventure, but not a vacation. I'm saying you should step back and take a break for a week or two. Go out and lie on the beach. Visit Nay or Na-Nal. Chat with your friends." Yu frowned. Now that he thought of it, he'd never seen her talking to anyone outside of work. She was a kind, social creature, but she spent too much time working to do any of the things girls her age were supposed to like. It reminded Yu of Perrault, the ship reporter who was dragged to the doctor's cabin by a frustrated Gareth when he couldn't stop speaking in headlines.
"What will you do?" Carrie asked. "Will you be able to manage without me?"
"Don't worry," Yu said. "Things here are slower than I thought they'd be. I'll be fine."
"But..." Carrie started searching for another excuse. Yu wouldn't hear it.
"It's settled," he said. "I'll see you later, Carrie! Now get out there and enjoy yourself!"
The nurse wandered off, looking like a lost child. Yu smiled and closed the door behind her.
Trishtan arrived at his usual time the next morning, but he had to wait a few minutes for Yu to open the clinic. The doctor found himself running late, and realized just how much he depended on his nurse, but he knew it was for her own good.
"Good morning, Car - " Trishtan began. Then his face fell. "Oh, it's you."
"Sorry," Yu said, moving to let him inside. "Nurse Carrie is away for the week."
"Is she okay? She didn't mention anything like that yesterday."
"It was rather spur of the moment," Yu admitted.
"Why? Did somebody do something to upset her here?"
"No, it's nothing like that! She's just overworked - needed a break, that's all. Now, you want your usual?"
Trishtan nodded. "Doc, would you mind upping my dose a little?" he asked, watching Yu scoop some flour out of the clay pot he put it in, to match the rest of his medicines.
"Whatever for?" Yu demanded.
"I noticed lately it just doesn't seem to work like it used to," his patient said. "After I take it, I'm still coughing. I'm sure you know best, but..."
"All right," Yu said. He'd never heard of anyone becoming addicted to flour before, but stranger things happened. It wouldn't hurt anything. He added another spoonful for good measure.
A week later, Yu returned to the clinic after picking up supplies. He held the bags in one arm and reached to open the door, but quickly yanked his hand back when he heard voices inside.
" - don't you think so?" Carrie asked.
"He's okay. Certainly no Konrad or Izak, though," another girlish voice replied. Satisfied that it wasn't robbers, the doctor entered.
Carrie and a second girl, who seemed familiar, sat at Yu's desk having tea. Carrie put down her cup and stared at him guiltily, but her friend continued sipping.
"So you're back!" Yu said, beaming at his nurse, who looked relaxed, tanned and lovely. The vacation had done her good, just as he knew it would. "Where did you go?"
"Mordo Island," Carrie replied. "That's where I met Lo Fong, and we came back to Obel together. It was great! But all the same, I don't mind being back in Obel. And we're just in time for the party."
"What party?" Yu asked.
"You don't know?" Lo Fong demanded incredulously. "I can't believe you haven't heard! Have you been under a rock the past month? It's all anybody wants to talk about!"
"Well, tell me already!" Yu said, struggling not to snap.
"Kit is really the king of Obel's son!"
Yu dropped his bags with a clatter. "What?"
"It's true," Carrie said. "We didn't hear the details about exactly how they found out, but Lino en Kuldes is throwing a feast to celebrate! Everybody's invited. Princess Flare and Desmond are sailing to every island, sharing the news with anybody who'll listen."
It took a minute for it to sink in. Yu knelt down to pick up his packages, relieved that only a few jars were broken. "So... Kit is a prince?"
"Amazing, isn't it?" Lo Fong daintily finished her tea. "I bet it came as a shock to him as much as it did to us."
"When is this celebration?" Yu asked.
"Tomorrow night!" Carrie cried. "That's why we came back in such a hurry."
"You really didn't know?" Lo Fong asked. "I thought you'd be the first, being a doctor and all."
"Has it been busy here?" Carrie asked.
"Not really," Yu assured her, glaring at her friend. "Just the usual."
"Like Mr. Trishtan?"
Yu frowned. "Now that you mention it, he hasn't been here the past few days," he said. "He's probably so busy with the festival preparations that he forgot to be sick."
"Maybe..."
Kit and his father stood to the side of the main hall, graciously greeting their guests and accepting their congratulations. Most were for Kit, but a few remembered to address Lino for finding his son, too. Setsu rushed about, terrified that their preparations weren't enough, but several guests didn't mind helping out. Tal, Ugetsu and Shiramine set out to catch more fish before the rain came, and Funghi headed straight to the kitchen.
After an hour, Lino realized that Kit was getting tired and let him leave to visit the buffet Pam and Kevin just finished setting out. Ten minutes passed before Kit finally pushed his way through the crowd, accepting even more good wishes, and arrived at the table set up at the back of the room. Just when he picked up a roll, someone tapped his shoulder. The young hero jumped and slowly turned around.
"So you're a prince now," Snowe remarked, bending to pick up the roll Kit dropped, which was now covered in dust people had tracked in, despite Setsu's efforts. Kit just nodded. He'd wondered whether his old friend would actually come, and worried over how he'd react to the news. Kit watched him put the roll on the table and tried to interpret his expression.
"Do you remember when we were younger, and we used to guess who your parents were?" Snowe asked. Kit nodded again. He remembered Snowe suggesting that his father was really a notorious pirate, or that his mother had been a beautiful, famous actress from the Scarlet Moon Empire, but Kit could always tell that his friend didn't believe any of it. "We never even mentioned that you might be royalty."
Kit didn't answer. This time the awkward pause lasted over a minute before something else ended it.
"Kit!" Keneth exclaimed warmly, after giving Snowe a curt nod. "All of the Razril Knights are happy for you. Katarina couldn't leave on such short notice, but she sends her regards, too."
Then Tal joined them, soaked and slightly breathless. He dripped and left a trail of puddles across the floor. Kit saw Setsu, who had spent the entire morning and much of the afternoon polishing the stones until they sparkled, glaring and clenching his fists as if they were around Tal's throat. The fisherman shook himself off and splashed Kit and Keneth, completely oblivious.
"It's getting bad out there," he told them. "Shiramine says the storm's going to be a lot stronger than he thought. But we've got enough fish for an army twice this size! I even hauled in three nets full of sardines by myself!"
"Lady Flare says our ship was definitely the last one to arrive, and she doesn't know of any others," Keneth said, scratching his chin.
"I know I wouldn't want to be out at sea tonight," Tal agreed. Then he noticed Snowe for the first time. "Heeey, look who's here!" he cried, clapping him on the shoulder hard enough to almost knock him over. "So you've heard? Kit's a prince now! That means he's in line for the Obel throne!"
Kit looked at Snowe's face closely and sighed in relief when his friend actually grinned back at him.
"And he's welcome to it!" Snowe said firmly. "I've had enough of authority to know now I'm better off without it."
Kit opened his mouth to finally speak, but then Dario strolled over and snatched the dropped roll. Before anyone could stop him, he took a huge bite.
"This isn't half bad!" the pirate mumbled approvingly, chewing. "Hey, Pam! What kind of spice did you put on these?"
They all laughed at the appalled look on Pam's face and Kit relaxed for the first time that night.
When Yu, Carrie and Lo Fong left for the party, it was only early evening, but the sky was covered in thick clouds and it seemed almost dark. Halfway to the palace, it started raining lightly. A few minutes later, the sky opened up and drenched them. They headed for the palace gates at an undignified run. Once they were inside, Yu headed to the kitchen to dry out. Lo Fong and Carrie dashed off to the powder room to assess the damage.
"Urgh!" Lo Fong cried, running a hand through her hair. She and Carrie had been too excited to do any work at the clinic that morning, so they spent the whole day working on each other's hairdos. Now hers resembled a drowned rat, and Carrie's blonde locks were plastered to her cheeks. Their clothes weren't much better. Other ladies were there, equally bedraggled and trying to salvage their appearances, including Millay.
"I wanted to impress Sir Kit," she explained, looking down at her silk dress, which was spattered with mud. Lo Fong lent her Carrie's pocket comb sympathetically.
"We know how you feel," she said. "Carrie wants to impress somebody, too."
"Oh, who?" Millay asked eagerly.
"Nobody! Lo Fong is just kidding!" the nurse cried, blushing.
"Don't be such a wallflower," Lo Fong said. "How do you expect to win him over if you're going to act ashamed about it?"
"Who?" Millay asked again. "I won't tell anyone!"
Lo Fong flashed Carrie a wicked, teasing smile, but before she could speak, the door banged open. The three girls forgot all about the secret and stared as Reinbach strode in. His hat barely fit through the entryway. The nobleman greeted them, perched on a wicker stool and leaned close to the mirror to powder his nose. Lo Fong, Carrie and Millay hurriedly finished their grooming and rushed out into the main hall.
An hour later, after waving to Kit and helping herself to a crab cake, Carrie stood on her toes and peered over the crowd, but she didn't see the person she was looking for. After wandering through the hall, accidentally stepping on Chiepoo's tail and giving a truly sincere apology after hearing the bloodcurdling yowl the Nay-Kobold gave, she decided that there was nothing to be done but ask someone.
"Princess Flare!"
The young woman turned around. "Miss Carrie! Are you having a good time?"
Carrie nodded, then swallowed. "Princess, have you seen Mr. Trishtan anywhere?" Flare shook her head.
"Mr. Trishtan? Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him. But that doesn't mean much with this many people. Why don't you ask my father?"
Carrie thanked her, and managed to corner the king by the buffet.
"Trishtan," Lino said thoughtfully. "I don't think he's here tonight."
"Why not?" Carrie demanded sharply, disappointed that all of her worry and effort was for nothing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap."
"That's all right." King Lino said good-naturedly. Trishtan didn't want to leave his room. I didn't press him."
Carrie thanked the king and left the hall, into the rest of the palace. She still remembered where she was going from when she delivered Trishtan's packet weeks before, although her memory wasn't perfect. She took a few wrong turns and knocked on the doors of a few empty rooms before she finally came to the right corridor. She looked at the row of doors, trying to remember which was the right one, when a sudden cough left her in no doubt. She knocked, but got no answer.
"Trishtan! Are you all right?" Carrie asked. She rattled the doorknob, but it was locked. "Mr. Trishtan?"
"Who's there?" a voice asked faintly, two seconds later.
"It's me, Carrie!" She heard a click and flung the door open. Trishtan looked up from where he was sprawled on the bed and tried to stifle another cough.
"You look horrible," she cried. Then she clapped a hand to her mouth. "I didn't mean that! I meant - " But he did. She placed a hand on his forehead. "And you've got a fever. How long have you been like this?"
"I don't know," he answered miserably. "I've been taking the medicine Yu prescribed every day, but - " He fell into a third hacking fit. It sounded nothing like his usual dry, fake cough.
Carrie began to realize what happened. "Can you hold on a minute? I'll bring Yu here."
She found the doctor chatting with Lino en Kuldes about the clinic. The king seemed pleased with how effectively Yu had spent his funding. "What happened?" Yu demanded. "Why the serious face?"
"It's Trishtan," Carrie said. "You should come see him right away."
"You mean that this time, he's actually sick?" the king asked, following them down the hall.
"It looks like it." She and Yu entered Trishtan's room, and Lino stayed outside. About five minutes later, Yu joined him and closed the door.
"Bronchitis," he said, before the king could ask. "And he's had it for awhile, by the look of it. I feel awful."
"I understand completely," Lino replied. "When he told me he didn't feel well enough to join us, I should've looked into it. But I assumed he was just overreacting again and didn't give it another thought. What will you be able to do for him tonight?" They listened to the wind howl outside.
"He can definitely hold on until tomorrow," Yu assured him. "For now, I'll just need some things from the kitchen to make him more comfortable..."
"It's all at your disposal," Lino said. Then he left Yu and Carrie to their work and returned to the festivities, before anyone could notice his absence.
The next morning, like many that followed ferocious storms, was almost eerily calm and peaceful. Most of the king's guests were still asleep, since the feast hadn't even begun to wind down until a few hours before dawn. Yu walked to the clinic to pick up some medicine, stepping around the tree limbs scattered along the path. The king and some volunteers would spend the afternoon clearing them away. Trishtan slept most of the morning, until Lo Fong walked in, slamming the door behind her.
"Good morning, Carrie!" she caroled. "I've been looking all over for you!" The doctor's fists clenched and Carrie put a finger to her lips.
"Huh?" Lo Fong asked, moving a box full of glass instruments off a chair and dropping it onto the floor with a crash. "What are you making snake noises for?"
Yu and Carrie had to engage in some really skilled pantomime before Lo Fong understood.
"You want me to be quiet?"
Carrie nodded emphatically. Yu threw up his hands.
After a few days of Carrie's exceptionally devoted care, Trishtan swore that he felt better than ever and refused to stay in bed like Yu ordered. The doctor knew better than to make him, and was more than busy dealing with other patients, since the island was crowded with visitors. Yu still felt guilty about his mistake, and decided to atone for it by resolving never to take Trishtan's, or anyone else's, complaints lightly again. During the next few months, Carrie began to mysteriously vanish for hours at a time, only to appear later in the day. She would only blush and stammer something when Yu asked where she had gone. He assured her that he could handle the patients himself, and couldn't help smiling when he saw his nurse and Trishtan walking along the pier.
He wasn't very surprised when Carrie came to him early one morning, wringing a roll of bandages in her hands.
"There's something I need to tell you," she said. "Trishtan and I... we're..."
"I know," Yu said, beaming. "And I wish you two the best of luck. You deserve it, Carrie."
"I'm so glad - wait, how did you know?" Carrie took a step back. Yu didn't tell her that it was obvious to anyone who saw them, and that he knew all about it for months. Instead, he pretended to be floored by her tongue-tied announcement that she and the handsome young captain were going to be married on Mordo Island.
"But nobody knows except you and Lo Fong," she finished. "Don't tell anybody! We don't want people to - " she broke off and walked over to the window to investigate a sound outside. She stared in horror for a moment, then stomped her feet.
"Oh, that Lo Fong! She promised to keep it a secret!" Carrie ran out, only to be greeted by a huge mob of well-wishers, including Kit, Flare, Chiepoo and Lino en Kuldes. She could even see Reinbach's ridiculous feathered hat bobbing around at the back of the crowd.
Yu shook his head and went to pack his suitcase.