Hello all!
I'm so happy to see some of you have either joined the story or have been loyal to it so far, so big THANK YOU to all! We're on chapter 20, OMG and Yoh's not even in the competition yet =)) Thanks so much for all your reviews, they really helped me get here, so again, thank you, they make my day and it's nice to know you enjoy the new plots I add in!
Sorry for the delay, work's been really busy lately, so if I'm ever late with a reply, just assume work's been harder on me than usual. Or life. Or both.
Nervous about your thoughts on this new chapter, but I hope you enjoy it!
Summary: Yoh and Anna get to the hospital where they met an accomplice of the Asakura family whom they are reluctant to trust.
Chapter 20: Special treatment
Elizabeth - Amanda Cath, commonly known as Lizzy or Cathy by her co-workers, was staring at the screen of her computer, moving the virtual cards around to match the last row of hearts. The screen started showing fireworks as she finished another game of spider solitaire and she stretched her hands above her head satisfied with her victory against the four different decks of cards.
She looked at the ticking clock on the wall from her shared office with Doctor Sato Haru, her boss, and smiled knowingly upon seeing there were less than 10 minutes left till her shift would finish. She had already completed all her duties and even checked on some patients twice, so she rewarded herself with a quick game on the computer after she updated some patient's records and made some notes for doctor Haru to read when he would come back from his holiday.
'Something's definitely gonna happen. It always does on those last minutes.' She thought as she rolled on the wheeling chair towards her bag to check her phone for any messages, yet nothing showed on the screen. No one usually messaged her anyway aside from her family. After all, she had moved to this part of Tokyo and this hospital for less than one year and a half, and with such a demanding job as hers, it was hard to make any friends aside from her sister who lived in the block next to hers.
Lizzy heard a knock on the door followed by a timid voice.
"Nurse Cathy?"
She eyed the clock - there were less than 5 minutes left.
"Yes Ayumi, come in!" She replied encouragingly to the young intern known for her shy attitude, yet very organized personality.
"I know your shift is almost done, but we could really use your help if that is OK. It's an emergency. Actually two."
"What happened?" Lizzy's brows suddenly furrowed in concern - what idiots almost killed themselves this time?
"There was a terrible gang fight and five men got seriously injured. They will be brought by ambulance in the next 10 minutes or so and doctor Sora said she'll need everyone's help to make sure those people live to see tomorrow." Ayumi explained trying to keep eye contact with Lizzy, yet she failed a few times looking at her feet or walls around.
Lizzy couldn't blame her - sometimes keeping eye contact was intimidating especially when speaking to your superior.
"That is fine, Ayumi, I can just work a bit later tonight, as doctor Sora said, it's important to…"
"Excuse me for interrupting, but I was actually sent here to make sure you don't actually go to help with those patients but with others. If anyone asks, please don't come and tell them to request other nurses' help! Doctor Sora insisted you deal with Doctor Haru's patient instead."
"Oh, had one of them come in? Whom?"
"Yoh Asakura. He apparently got stabbed this time and he's having a panic attack, but one of the nurses got him settled in room 47 downstairs for a checkup and made sure he's not bleeding all over the place. And Doctor Sora said you are the only one who has permission to check him since he's a minor or something like that, I didn't quite get it and she wasn't very happy when I asked for details…" Ayumi trailed with uncertainty.
"Thank you, Ayumi! Don't worry, I understand, I'll hurry there while you should better go give a hand with those injured men you mentioned coming." Lizzy smiled encouragingly towards the intern's way and she beamed back shyly in response before she left.
Lizzy looked at the clock showing it was past her shift already, but she didn't really care. She would have usually stayed a bit more if a patient needed or if she was asked - especially if her boss asked, but this time she also wanted to stay because she was genuinely intrigued to treat this patient in particular. She closed the office with the key and headed towards room 47.
Ever since Doctor Haru found out his wife will have triplets on top of their existing twin daughters about 6-7 months or so, he'd changed his 'work plan' or rather 'ethic' according to her sister, but Lizzy didn't like this term as she highly respected and admired her boss. On top of his existing patients, he also took in 'special requests for special patients' which meant he would offer extra care and confidentiality towards those cases in exchange for a considerable amount of money.
The hospital respected the fact certain patients requested certain doctors and closed a blind eye at times towards those incidents as it was most commonly known as donations from 'benefactors' and not 'bribe'. And everyone knew doctors always donated it 'all', yet in practice Lizzy knew they actually kept most of the money, but she had no proof other than the rumours around which she refused to believe.
Instead, she was proud doctor Haru trusted to share with her those patients while he was away. She usually came along with him at times when he checked on them, but she never interacted with them because she had strict instructions to let him do the talking. However, now all was on her and she was intrigued to meet Yoh Asakura, whose family was one of those hospital 'benefactors' who were under doctor Haru's care.
Of course, her boss left her meticulous instructions about keeping to small chat and not putting many questions, so she hoped she won't disappoint despite her genuine curiosity for the boy. She knew this wasn't the first time the young Asakura came to the hospital - he even came once almost cut in two. She was really worried, yet doctor Haru barely blinked or put any questions and just treated him. After all, that's what the whole 'special treatment' was about - confidentiality between parties regarding the whereabouts of such wounds.
As much as Lizzy knew, Yoh Asakura generally got involved into gang fights, but she assumed he was just a victim. She had seen the boy, he didn't look like a troublemaker even the slightest, so she was sure that people picked on him. She knew from his records he came from a remote village and from an old traditional Japanese family, so she could only assume that he wasn't very liked for that or just lacked social skills. People can be really mean when you are 'different' and don't fit society's pattern and Lizzie, unfortunately, understood that very well.
She actually shouldn't have known his background at all, but doctor Haru lacked any computer skills, so since she was almost an expert, she didn't mind helping him manage that. She might have seen or read more than she should at times while going through those records because she was the one updating them for him. So it wasn't necessarily her fault her eyes landed on such information - the important thing was not to share this information and she had a strict internal code of values. She would never do such a thing, so she didn't feel bad for having "accidentally" eavesdropped on some information on Yoh Asakura.
Lizzy entered the room expecting to see the stabbed boy in panic and pain, yet she was met with a pair of cold eyes that almost made her stop at the door to check if she was in the correct place. However, she didn't get a chance as the 'not so stabbed at all looking boy yet definitely in panic' appeared in front of her waving his hands frantically.
"Doctor, thank God you're finally here, check on her, she's bleeding a lot! Will she be OK? Please have a look quickly!" He spoke so fast she barely caught all his words.
"Oh for goodness sake, Yoh, would you stop embarrassing us both, I am fine." The girl said between her teeth and Lizzy wasn't sure if it was because she was in pain or because she was that annoyed.
Judging from those cold eyes that still looked at her murderously, she assumed a bit of both.
Anna was laying on a hospital bed in a rather sitting position, arms crossed and legs stretched. Her right leg had a bandage that was already starting to colour in red. Yoh had been sitting next to her eyeing the door anxiously until it opened and he almost jumped on the first doctor that entered.
"Hello both, my name is Nurse Cathy, but you can call me Lizzy if you want. Let's get that wound checked. What are your names?" She said smiling hoping to warm that angry look from the girl and ease the nervous boy.
However, to her surprise, the girl was looking, if possible, even more murderously towards her. Lizzy actually felt confused and slightly hurt by this display of visible hostility.
"I'm Anna, she's Yoh. Will she be OK?" Yoh asked from Anna's right while the nurse made her way on the opposite side of the bed.
To Lizzie's surprise, the girl suddenly grabbed the pillow from behind her and hit the boy quite violently before she shoved it behind her back fuming at him, totally ignoring her or how she could have made the wound worse from the movement.
"I am Anna, he is Yoh. And I am perfectly fine, just a bit tired, that's all." The girl growled towards the boy yet the answer was obviously for her.
"Well, that explains why I was told Yoh Asakura is bleeding…And, I am the expert here Anna, so I will assess that for you."
The girl continued to eye her coldly, barely blinking. She looked quite intimidating for a teen who just got stabbed in the leg!
Lizzy assumed that the boy must have told everyone Anna is him intentional or not judging from his state of panic. Probably the nurse who took care of the wound didn't know him, so she didn't question the name, especially because it was Doctor Haru's special patient and those should never be doubted or disrespected.
Anna stiffened when she saw the nurse approach - she didn't like her personal space invaded. She'd never been to a hospital before as a patient and she knew this was supposed to be an expert, yet she felt afraid. However, she tried to hide her feelings putting up her best murderous looks and angry behaviour not as much for this stranger but for Yoh who seemed already very worried for her. It pained her to see him like that almost more than the wound which really hurt - she could barely feel her leg.
"So, are you two together?" Lizzy asked trying to make small chat attempting to calm them down from their own turmoil.
She noticed Anna inhaled and saw her hands going into fists, but she also saw Yoh seeing that - his eyes went wide and his hand was immediately on hers.
"Fiancées." They both replied tensely.
"Fiancées?" She replied surprised.
"Yes, have a problem with that?" Anna snarled between her teeth.
"You know, it's OK to say if it hurts, I can give you something for the pain you don't need to…"
"I am fine." Anna snapped at Lizzy, yet the nurse saw she glanced at Yoh too who looked at her as if he was also in great pain.
A thought suddenly crossed Lizzy's mind.
"Yoh, could you please do me a favour and get me two bottles of water and three bars of chocolate from the vending machine on the second floor? I'll give you my card, you just have to select your choice and scan it. It should be numbers 10 and 15 on the vending machine." Lizzy asked as she took her card from her pocket with her free hand who wasn't checking Anna's bandages.
"I…I…" Yoh mumbled looking at Anna questioningly, not wanting to leave her.
"I'll be fine." Anna said although Yoh could see fear briefly cross her eyes - she felt uncomfortable being left with this stranger, yet she didn't want to show more weakness than she already did. "If this nurse thinks those things are necessary for her right now so she can get me done and we can get home faster, then go do that for her."
"But Anna…"
"I'll be…"
"If I may interrupt…" Lizzy cut in and she felt the piercing eyes of the girl once again on her. "…I do need those things, yes, and it won't take that long, so don't worry, sweetie, you'll be back to her in no time."
That seemed to barely put Yoh at ease, yet he nodded and took the card from the nurse.
"Go Yoh, I'll be fine, it's not a nice part to see anyway…" Anna said bored and after the boy took one more look in her direction for reassurance, he left the room dashing.
"He really loves you." Lizzy said smiling taking the bandages away, preparing to inspect the wound.
Anna winced at the touch, despite the nurse's attempts to be gentle.
"You bet he does." The girl growled and Lizzie looked at her in wonder, a thought suddenly crossing her mind, before she took on a professional tone.
"Missy, let's get two things straight here."
She felt Anna froze under her touch and she saw fear briefly crossing her eyes before she continued to stare at her coldly.
"One, although I am single and I don't like it and I do love spending time with children, I am not some paedophile who likes kids in a romantic inappropriate way, so there's no need to worry I'll go for your boyfriend. I'm about 13 years older than you if you and he have the same age."
Lizzy saw with the corner of her eyes that Anna seemed to have slightly slumped her shoulders in some kind of relief or maybe reassurance that she was not in danger. Something in the way her body reacted made her think the girl feared her and that's why she had this rather harsh attitude towards her, but experience with such patients told her there was also another reason.
"And two. I sent him away shortly, yet intentionally because it's important for me to know if the wound hurts you in order to properly assess the situation and give you something for it if needed. You don't have to suffer through it more than you already are." Lizzy smiled kindly and was happy to see the girl's cold façade slightly broke as her eyes looked at her surprised. "If you love him as much as he does, I am sure you didn't want to worry him more than he already is, so I assumed you are keeping it in. Please make the most of it while he's away, I won't judge you. It's part of my job to make it better for you and there's nothing wrong in showing me it hurts. OK?"
Anna tried to look coldly again at the nurse, yet something in that kind smile and serious tone made her just stare back at her in wonder. She didn't trust her, but she didn't doubt she was good at what she was doing, so she decided to risk it and be honest regarding the wound. Despite not wanting to admit it to herself, the way Lizzy put out things to her, did earn a little of Anna's respect for her as it put some of her stupid worries at ease.
"Very perceptive." Anna sighed. "And yes, it hurts. It hurts so much I can barely feel my leg and my teeth hurt from holding them so tightly to keep the pain in because yes, I don't want to worry him further. I was careless and got hurt and he doesn't deserve to suffer because of me because yes, I do love him too."
"Great, I mean, not, but that helps! I'll give you some painkillers and then I'll check your wound because I don't want to make this worse. I actually don't think you can handle it any longer considering how high your pain is right now. I'm impressed with how much you lasted! Do mind, the pain killer might make you a bit sleepy."
"Then I'll wait for Yoh to come back."
"You'll bleed out by then and I can't let that happen." Lizzy said as she pressed on the bleeding wound and Anna yelped.
"He should be back any minute, I know him. Just give it another two minutes or so and if he's not here, I will take the pain killers." Anna replied between clenched teeth.
"OK, OK…" Lizzy sighed not believing that she was actually agreeing to this - yet felt pity for the girl's fear and wrapped the bandage back earning another cry from the girl. "How come you got into this situation? I know Yoh's the one usually getting himself into this kind of events…"
Lizzy knew she shouldn't go past small chat, but the rules left by Doctor Haru said to not break the Asakura confidentiality and this lady wasn't yet one of them unless she would really take seriously this so-called engagement they mentioned. She was impressed by their young love and strong feelings as much as she found it cute.
"None of your business." Anna growled in response.
"And here I thought we were making progress! Are you always this bitey? Or is just because you don't like strangers or particularly hospital staff? You must be quite the challenge for your parents." Lizzy said teasingly.
Anna's eyes widened and hurt clearly reflected in them. She looked away from the nurse, trying to control the wave of emotions she felt at the mention.
"Are you always this nosey? Yes, I don't like strangers and I don't like hospital staff. I actually hate you all and I would appreciate if you would just do your job without all this fake chit-chat. I won't complain to your superiors if you just shut up and do your job in silence." Anna said harshly, still not looking the nurse's way, eyes focused on the clock on the wall, waiting for Yoh to be back.
Despite her experience with previous difficult patients, Lizzy was taken aback by the venom in the girl's voice. She never remembered having to deal with someone so hateful before - even the bullies from school didn't seem to bite this bad. She felt hurt and bit back tears because it would be as much unprofessional as silly to cry because a 'kid' hurt her. Instead, she tried to convince herself it must have been what she deserved for trying to find out more about the girl.
Feeling genuinely guilty and realizing her previous words must have somehow hurt Anna, Lizzy tried to apologize, using her usual voice tone, instead of her professional one. After all, if she would have gone past the rules left by her boss, she wouldn't have gotten herself in this situation where a young teen brought her on the verge of crying.
"Yes, I am a rather curious person and actually I didn't ask because it's part of my job to be nice to the patient and talk to them, but because I am actually a caring person and like chatting to my patients. I can give you my word, it's not fake the slightest. But then again, we just met so I can't blame you for not knowing me. I've only heard once about you if I think now. Some time ago the other nurses were chatting a girl came to visit Yoh in the hospital, but I didn't get a chance to see you, nor knew your name. And my boss, doctor Haru was taking care of Yoh, so he wasn't part of my patients either. But back to what you said, I am really sorry if you had a previous bad experience with hospital staff that made you hate us all and made you think we're all that worse to deserve your hatred. I can't speak for my colleagues, but I hope by the time you leave, you'll have a different opinion at least on me." Lizzy made a small pause to make sure her voice didn't sound shaky before she continued looking genuinely sorry towards Anna who still didn't look at her.
"And…"
"I don't need your pity." Anna snarled cutting her.
"It's not pity. It's my attempt to excuse myself for my indiscretion and to sincerely show you that I am sorry if I did anything wrong towards you that could have made you feel worse than you are already feeling."
When no other response came from the girl, so Lizzy continued.
"And about your parents, I apologize, didn't mean to insinuate your parents didn't like you or that you are difficult. I meant it as in you are a challenging character to deal with because you are so determined. When you speak your mind, you really mean what you say, you don't quiver and for someone like me who isn't as confident, well, you sound like quite a challenge to deal with, but I honestly didn't mean it bad. I'm rather blunt and I know my words get often misunderstood, but I am genuinely sorry if I did hurt your feelings in any way. I am sure your parents are actually really proud of you considering what a strong girl you are for your age and for this confidence in your decisions. It's really impressive. I'm sure even Yoh must really love that about you."
Lizzy felt a bit better for saying that, but it wasn't enough to wash away the feeling of guilt for making a patient hurt more than they already were. Also, she found hate quite a strong word to use, but then again teens - was she a teen? Kid? Young teen maybe… - were still a mystery for her with all their different moods and attitudes and questionable behaviour. However, she was determined to prove Anna she didn't need to hate her.
Anna didn't reply or turn around and Lizzy feared she didn't even listen to her speech, yet she noticed the girl's cheek had coloured proving that she at least heard the last part. That earned a small smile from the nurse.
Somehow, Anna managed to fight the tears that almost broke at the mention of her parents and she was surprised at how much it hurt to hear that she would be 'a challenge' to them. Her 'inner demons' always told her that and part of her believed it, but hearing it out loud really hurt her. So she made sure to shut the nurse out and just hoped she will stay like that, mentally begging for Yoh to come back.
However, to her surprise and almost annoyance, the nurse had started to speak again and initially, she didn't want to even listen, yet her voice sounded different. It didn't sound professional like before, not lecturing, not authoritative, but somehow genuine, maybe just a bit hurt. That perked her interest enough to tune it at least to see what she wanted to say now and hoping she won't have some breakdown on her - she really had enough of hers and Yoh's.
The more Anna listened, the more bewildered she felt. Why did it matter so much to this nurse how she felt? Was this also part of her job? She expected her to put her in place or exert her authority, but not to actually feel sorry for having said something wrong or even because she hated them all. Anna felt her anger building because of her kindness. She didn't want to be pitied, yet the nurse surprised her again with her reply.
Anna felt puzzled - why did it matter so much to this stranger how she felt or how their words affected her? Hearing the name of her parents again, made her heart shrink, yet the words that came totally overwhelmed her. She couldn't even stop the tears that immediately felt at hearing the kind words that she felt she didn't deserve considering the cold treatment she'd been giving to this stranger. If she wouldn't have felt this drained, she would have turned her powers on because she wanted to understand why it mattered to this stranger how she felt. She was certain she was genuine, but why?
She brushed her tears aside before Lizzy could notice, yet Anna suddenly felt her cheeks heating up both from the praise and mention of Yoh. What was wrong with her? Since when did it matter to her that someone was nice to her aside from Yoh? Amidamaru was genuinely nice mostly. Manta was sometimes nice. Most of her classmates were nice to her, but for ulterior motives. Then why did it matter to her so much this person was nicer?
'All the rest have a reason to be nice because I am Yoh's friend and they don't want to upset him, but this stranger doesn't know me at all and they seem to be nice to me because maybe they are nice? Are there nice people aside from Yoh? Nice humans? That can't be because according to Yoh good people can see ghosts…' Anna thought.
"Anna, I am afraid I need to give you the painkillers." Lizzy broke her reverie, making her flinch.
"No, I said to wait for Yoh." She replied turning around finally facing her, only to pale at the sight of the needle in the woman's hands.
"I actually gave you three not two minutes as you asked, but I really need to get that wound disinfected and checked before bandaging it properly because there's that much the current ones can do to stop the bleeding." Lizzy said sadly approaching her with caution. "Give me your hand, it's only going to hurt for a second or so, but I'm sure you're strong enough not to feel it."
"No. Just do whatever you have to do without painkillers. I'll be just fine." Anna replied panic visible in her voice and eyeing the door.
Lizzy put the needle down and raised her hands up in surrender.
"Anna, please don't move, you'll only make your condition worse. Yoh won't be happy either if he finds you bleeding. Calm down, I am not going to do anything to you that you don't want." She told her in a calm voice.
"I am very calm. And keep Yoh out of this." Anna shouted back inching slowly towards the edge of the bed.
"Anna, please don't run away, it's OK, I'm not fooling you." Lizzy told her taking a step back, yet moving closer to the door. "But I really don't want that wound getting bad, just take a deep breath and I'll disinfect it without pain killers if this is your wish."
Lizzy needed her to calm down and then she'll decide the best course of action, but the last thing she needed now was chasing through the corridors after a bleeding teen.
"I'm not running away. I am not scared." Anna said a bit too pitchy for someone who was trying to prove the contrary of her words.
"OK, then I will come and clean the wound with alcohol and then assess how deep it is. It will hurt worse than it hurts now, are you sure you don't want the pain killer?"
"Yes." Anna hissed between her teeth as the pain crossed her from her movements.
Lizzy moved to get the alcohol and saw with the corner of her eyes that Anna jumped out of the bed dashing for the door. Before she had a chance to fully turn around to stop her or even shout after her, the door opened and Yoh entered with his arms full of the things she asked for. Unfortunately, Anna ran into him at full force not expecting the sudden obstacle and they both fell on the ground with a loud thud. The bottles of water and chocolate dropped on the floor around them.
"Oh, my God, are you two OK?!" Lizzy cried in horror coming next to them.
She also quickly closed the door not wanting to attract any attention from the outside.
Yoh barely got a whine out when Anna just started screaming. He froze, looking in horror at her.
"On the bed, quick!" Lizzy instructed grabbing him from behind his shoulders urging him to get up.
Yoh nodded quickly before he got up holding Anna and placed her back on the bed. She had stopped screaming, but only because she was violently biting her lip in an attempt to stop any other cries. Her hands also had a strong grip on his arms to the point they were getting red, but she just couldn't let go. So she just sat on the edge of the bed, legs dangling on either side of him and clinging to him while he kept his arms around her.
"I need to give her the pain killer, just hold still, Anna." Lizzy told her in a serious tone approaching with the needle.
Both Anna and Yoh's widened in fear at the needle and she saw them tightening their hold on each other. Lizzy found herself thorn between awing or sighing. Despite being and acting rather mature for their age, at the end of the day those teens were still very young and it was showing. Especially together, they were so hard to handle. There was a reason she tried sending one away and it was because both just seem to increase each other's inner anxiety, making her job harder. It's challenging to deal with one difficult patient, but two at the same time!
"It will only hurt for a second, but considering the pain you are on, you'll barely notice it, so please, stay still. If it helps, just close your eyes and I'll tell you…I mean he can tell you when it's over?" Lizzy said calmly gently approaching them.
The last change in the sentence seem to appeal more to Anna who nodded between gritted teeth and closed her eyes, holding on to Yoh's arms for dear life. Yoh also continued to hold her and closed his eyes, trusting the nurse's expertise - it wasn't his first trip to the hospital, so he was used to letting the hospital staff do their job.
Lizzy finished quick, yet none of the teens move, so she rolled her eyes good-naturally, before she ever so slightly bopped Yoh's nose smiling. The boy opened his eyes scared before he saw her expression and relaxed, beaming back before he addressed Anna softly.
"All good."
She opened her eyes, yet still didn't let go, content to rest her head on his chest.
"Anna, I need you to lay down so I can properly do my job and get that nasty wound of yours sorted." Lizzy smiled gently before she added jokingly. "Also I can handle one patient at a time, so I would appreciate if you would free your boyfriend's arms before he'll need new ones."
"Fiancée." Anna hissed, but let go of his arms and laid down on the bed.
She moved towards the opposite edge of the bed so it was also enough room for Yoh to sit and grabbed his hand. The boy immediately climbed next to her in a sitting position.
"Talk to her please and keep her distracted while I tend to the wound. The pain killer is rather strong, so it should kick in soon." Lizzy informed them as she took her gloves on.
"Is it serious?" Yoh asked worried.
"I shall find out and tell you both." Lizzy assured them.
"And would you stop calling him my boyfriend? He's my fiancée!" Anna snapped.
"OK, ok, sorry!" Lizzy apologised sweat dropping.
For her it felt such a serious commitment, yet those teens were already so into it. So young! At least, they really seemed genuinely fond of each other. Lizzy briefly wondered if their parents pushed them into it and if any of them had any choice…
"So what took you so long?" Anna asked after she let out a hiss between her teeth from feeling the bandage removed from her wound.
She also didn't want to see or think that there was someone that wasn't Yoh so close to her personal space. It made her feel very anxious and uncomfortable. She felt the taste of blood in her mouth.
"Anna, stop biting your lip, it's bleeding!" Yoh said concerned reaching for a tissue to give he. "I went to get the things nurse Lizzy asked and, oh, I'm so sorry I left them on the floor!" Yoh suddenly realized and was about to go pick them, but Anna pulled at his hand while she pressed the other on her lip.
"Lizzy is just fine unless you're asking at the reception for me. And please let the stuff be, they're all wrapped, focus on her for now. You brought my card back, right?" She said without shifting her attention from Anna's wound while briefly glancing at her bleeding lip.
"Yes, it should be somewhere on the floor!"
"I see it!" She replied after quickly scanning the floor before she returned her attention to the wound. "I will now disinfect your wound and that, unfortunately, might really hurt, though it should start feeling numb by now from the pain killers. Please just don't break his hand or your lip. One wound and patient at a time." Lizzy added winking and smiling warmly towards them.
Anna huffed, trying to look dismissively and not amused by the remark, but Yoh smiled back gratefully for the heads up. She did feel her leg less and less as well as she felt rather drowsy. She tried to ignore the latter.
"You were saying?"
"Oh, yes, when I was coming back with all the stuff I heard some nurses talking about some men brought in…"
Anna inhaled sharply both from hearing the information as well as from the pain she felt from the wound. Lizzy look apologetically her way briefly.
"Go on." Anna encouraged him between gritted teeth while looking annoyed at Lizzy who decided to pretend not to be aware of her mean stare.
"So I went to ask those nurses about them and it seems they're all in stable condition which means they're all good, Anna!" Yoh said cheerfully and Anna let a breath out she didn't know she'd been holding on ever since he mentioned it.
"Do you mean the five men caught in a street fight that were brought in tonight?" Lizzy cut in surprised they knew about them, before her brain instantly connected the dots. "Oh, my, you were caught up in the same attack, didn't you! They attacked you too, poor baby!"
"I'm no baby and I don't need your pity!" Anna hissed at her both from the irritation and pain.
"It's not just pity, but also genuine concern! A street fight with so many men involve it's dangerous, I would be terrified myself! You also got hurt, it's terrible! And about calling you baby, I didn't mean it as in small child or an insult, but as in a way to show that I cared for what happened to you."
"Since you're a nurse and see accidents and people in pain every day, shouldn't you be colder and more detached than 'babying' your patients?" Anna narrowed her eyes at her trying to ignore that she actually felt somehow touched she cared about her.
She suddenly felt like yawning. She also didn't feel the pain as bad as before.
"Anna!" Yoh cried at her bluntness, and she turned towards him, silencing any further comments with one signature look.
"It's OK, no need to fight! That's actually a prejudice and it's up to each individual what 'mask' they want to show to their patients or colleagues. We're human too, you know? We are bothered by what we see or hear and even cry, but we do tend to hide some emotions or reactions from our patients to not cause them further distress. However, in your current situation, I think it's appropriate and OK to be myself because you've just gone through a lot and I thought a warmer approach would work better than putting on some cold 'official face', don't you think? But yeah, I do sometimes get lectured for being too much myself and not so much professional because the fact that I care or get too invested shows…" Lizzy said awkwardly, expecting another snarky remark, yet to her surprise both teens nodded thoughtfully, expression full of seriousness as if they understood what having to wear a mask at times meant.
"How did you get this wound anyway? People generally get stabbed in the upper parts of the body, not the lower. I mean it's not impossible, but just job curiosity, I guess." Lizzy mused out loud as she carefully inspected the wound and also trying to distract them from their sudden uneasiness.
"One of the other hmm, guys…" Anna made a pause and Yoh understood immediately that she was referring to the oni. "Grabbed him and dragged him down, but not before he lunged for me. I was too much in shock to react otherwise I would have kicked him."
Yoh's eyes went wide. Even Lizzy stopped to look at her surprised.
"You tried to fight them? Why didn't you run away, Anna?"
"I was surrounded Yoh, I didn't have much choice…" Anna admitted not wanting to look at him and she felt his hand squeeze around hers in worry.
"You must have been so scared, it sounds terrible that you got caught in this men's violent fight! What were you doing out so late on a street all by yourself? And in this outfit, aren't you cold? Or you, your shirt is open, button up!"
"I'm not cold." Both Yoh and Anna said.
Another yawn escaped Anna's mouth and her eyes started to close. She tightened her hold on Yoh's hand, earning his attention, as she realized with fear that trying to stay awake was becoming increasingly hard.
"You said those will make me sleepy, not make me fall asleep." Her voice tried to sound angry, yet the undertone of panic was visible.
"They might have been a bit too strong for you then, but it's OK, at least you won't feel the pain anymore. I am almost done anyway, I just need to bandage you. The wound is…"
"I don't want to fall asleep here." Anna insisted feeling frustrated at her sudden panic and annoyed at the plea she was sure it was showing in her eyes.
"Don't worry, I promise I won't go anywhere till you wake up. Not even to the toilet!" Yoh assured her looking softly at her and squeezed her hand back.
"And I promise I will lock him up with you if I leave the room." Lizzy chimed in noticing her distress.
Anna bit her lip trying to suppress another yawn as much as to try and hide her sudden fear. She trusted Yoh will make sure nothing will happen to her, yet after all the events of the day, she just felt so vulnerable and uncomfortable. She just wanted to go home with Yoh and move on from the events of the day, though she did want to clarify some things before that too.
"But…" Anna said in a sleepy voice, head leaning more on the pillow, yet her gaze never left Yoh's.
"I promise I won't let go of your hand either." Yoh said in a comforting voice as he placed his free hand on top of their intertwined ones.
His words seem to be the reassurance she was unknowingly waiting for, so she nodded, a ghost of a smile briefly crossing her features before she finally gave in and closed her eyes. She felt asleep instantly while Yoh watched her tenderly, yet worry was still visible on his features.
He gave her hand another squeeze before he moved his free one to gently brush a lock that had fallen on her face.
'Get some rest Anna, I promise I won't be going anywhere from your side.' He thought as he watched her sleep.
A grateful feeling washed over him because of her deep trust in him and at how much comfort his mere presence seemed to bring to her. And despite still feeling rather nervous about everything that happened and that was still happening to them, that on its own helped him also relax a bit at her peaceful sight.
He gave her hand another light squeeze as he smiled softly at her.
