So, this took me quite a while to write...because I started and then got writer's block. So...yeah, this has been sitting on my laptop for quite a while and I've finally finished it. I started this while Resting Deeply was quite active so you can thank them for me having started this.

Welcome to Just Another Day at Caduceus, something short which made me remember why I loved writing operations and writing anything about GUILT in general...maybe I'll actually start to write more TC again? Who knows? But anything, as per usual, Trauma Center belongs to Atlus. I don't own anything here. Happy reading~

Just Another Day at Caduceus

Derek sighed as he dropped his pen and watched it roll on the paperwork. Angie was working across from him and didn't look like she was going to stop working but Derek felt that he had hit his limit. The words were starting to jump around and even as he wrote them, they sprung to life and jumped somewhere else on the documents. He needed a break and he needed one fast. He leaned back in the chair and stared up at the ceiling, just somewhere else from the documents. He spotted a spider crawling along the ceiling…or was that his imagination giving him something else to focus on? It was a welcomed distraction regardless. He could still feel the gears in his mind turning, his brain trying to pull up a daydream while also trying to process the information from the documents too.

"Derek?" Angie's voice cut through whatever his brain was doing and pulled him back to reality. He moved his head and looked towards Angie and smiled. She looked at him confused as to what he was doing before jabbing her finger at the paperwork on the desk. He knew what she wanted…him to finish the work that he had let pile up. It was a very bad habit of his and Derek would admit to that fault of his. This whole midnight session was due to him and his lack of motivation for the GUILT patient write-ups. He made sure that all patient's files were updated and both paper and digital copies were kept up-to-date.

"I know, I know," he admitted as he slowly returned to the paperwork in front of him. "Hopefully the words won't jump off the paper."

"This is the last document I'm getting you to do."

"I know."

The pen hit the paper once more and Derek began to work once more under Angie's supervision.

Angie continued to watch him, she had finished her work before him and with Derek working on the last file she didn't have anything to do. Once Derek had finished the document they would be officially up to date, that was something to celebrate and something she was looking forward to doing. That was only if she could keep Derek focused on the last. Her eyes never left him as she watched the pen move or the fingers moving to the keyboard to add something to a document. Once he seemed to have returned to the working mode she slowly let her eyes wander off him to somewhere else in the office. She had finished her work after all and most of Derek's work too.

"Do you think we'll have a quiet night?" Angie asked him.

"With GUILT still out there? I don't think so," Derek said as he continued to work, the pen scratching against the paper.

"Never any harm in wishful thinking, right?"

"I've been wishing that this paperwork would grow wings and take flight."

"Derek…" Angie sighed.

Trauma Center – Just Another Day at Caduceus

It had been a couple of hours since Derek had finished the last bit of paperwork and an uneasy feeling had formed in his stomach, the feeling that something was going to happen gripped his soul and refused to let go. The war with GUILT was still going on and they were no where near closer to finishing the war than when Kyriaki had first entered their lives. South America felt so far away and the threat of Tetarti inside his mentor (and father figure) happened a month ago. If the theory was correct then they had three more strains of GUILT to encounter before they had encountered them all. If they were really sticking with the days of the week. Thursday, Friday and Saturday were still unknown…who named a disease after the days of the week anyway? Before his mind could go any further he felt a hand on his shoulder and the sight of blond hair out of the corner of his eye. Angie had arrived.

"You're got a worried expression on your face Derek. What's troubling you?" She asked him as she turned her body towards him.

"I tried to keep it as neutral as possible," Derek chuckled slightly before he let out a sigh. "Just…I'm currently having a bad feeling…that something is going to happen soon…" he trailed off. Angie nodded. She too had that feeling.

"Whatever happens, we'll be ready for it."

The door burst open and one of the nurses flew into the room from the force of them opening the door. He quickly glanced up at the pair of them but his expression told them everything they needed to know. They had another GUILT patient to attend to.

"Confirmed strain?" Derek asked before the nurse could open his mouth.

"Kyriaki, patient has been brought in and heading straight to the OR. Her parents have already given you consent to operate. Patient's name is Samantha Shell and in OR 3," the nurse informed the pair and handed over the file to Angie.

"Let's get moving, I'll inform you on the briefing while we head there," Angie snatched the file from the nurse and flipped it open. The pair of them quickly thanked the nurse before heading directly to the OR.

"Where is Kyriaki located?" Derek asked Angie. She flipped through the pages before she jabbed her finger on the paper.

"Kyriaki has..." she started to read before she trailed off. Re-reading the notes to make sure she didn't make the error. "It seems that Kyriaki originated in Miss Shell's right lung but there have been indications that Kyriaki has migrated to the heart. I suggest treating the heart first before the lungs," Angie offered her advice.

"Noted. I was going to suggest the heart but my worry is that if we don't treat the lungs, more Kyriaki will reach the heart and other organs."

"Are you happy to perform two operations?" Angie asked before Derek nodded. Yes, he was ready and quite happy to perform the two operations one after each other. It felt like less paperwork if it was together rather than two different operations at two different times. It would also reduce the chance that Kyriaki could migrate to another organ as there would be less of them.

"I assume I don't need to brief you on the goals of the operations then?" She asked with a knowing yet soft smile on her face.

"The main objective is to remove the Kyriaki bodies from Miss Shell. If possible I'd like to keep a chiral scan running so if more Kyriaki spread we know immediately."

"That can be arranged. Remove Kyriaki from the infected organs and treat any injuries caused by Kyriaki. I will be monitoring the vitals and will alert you of any issues," Angie reported to him.

"Right." Derek glanced around before he felt ready. "Let's begin the operation."

Trauma Center – Just Another Day at Caduceus

Everything was ready, Miss Shell was under the anaesthetics so the operation could proceed. The surgical team waited patiently for Angie and Derek to get themselves ready. The humming of the machines and the gentle beeping of the vitals were the only comfort in the room. Derek walked towards Miss Shell and his eyes filled with determination. Angie held the pot of antibiotic gel in one hand with the lid in her other hand. She waited for Derek to mentally prepare himself for another battle against GUILT. She allowed her mind to wander slightly as she wondered what Derek felt whenever he came into the OR like this. Another GUILT patient for him to treat, another victim of Delphi who needed his help…how much pressure must he be under to treat them all? Before she could delve further into her mind and worries she stood tall with a smile behind the mask.

"Ready for you, Doctor Stiles."

"Let's get started," he said before dipping his fingers into the gel and disinfecting the target area. They were going to start on the heart, the pump of the body. If they could keep that going and remove the Kyriaki before they created their deep lacerations then there was a chance that the heart wouldn't suffer badly. That was the plan after all but if there wasn't enough oxygen for the heart to pump around then they would move to the lungs and treat them. Derek prayed that he was quick enough to prevent Miss Shell's from suffering as much. "Hang in there Miss Shell. Scalpel please?" Derek asked as he wiped the rest of the gel onto his gown before taking the scalpel from Angie. He made his incision.

Derek carefully opened Miss Shell's chest and made sure that he had access to the heart. The signs were positive though with only a few simple lacerations present. He couldn't let his guard down though as the Kyriaki could be hiding under the surface of the heart muscle and ready to create the deep lacerations. Angie, already knowing what Derek needed, handed him the sutures for the smaller lacerations. Once they were treated did the real battle begin. Derek took the sutures and got to work, suturing carefully but quickly to prevent more haemorrhaging. Once the last laceration had been treated, two more formed.

"Chiral reaction increasing, Kyriaki located."

"Ultrasound," Derek commanded and heard the machine been pulled over towards him. Taking the machine he started scanning the muscle, hoping that he activated the machine at the right time as a Kyriaki body darted past.

Bing…bing…beep.

A Kyraki body had been found. The tiny parasite turned once it hit the surface and stuck its tail into the air and darted. A long, thin laceration had been formed before the tail moved down and Kyriaki moved again. The ultrasound wouldn't last long on the parasite before he needed to use it again but just one time would be enough. With a scalpel in hand he watched for a second before making a tiny incision in front of Kyriaki. The parasite emerged. The tiny blue wings and tail wagging was all Derek needed to see before grabbing the ultrasound machine once more and searched around for another. There should only be one more for now…and hopefully the two were the only two on the heart.

Angie watched as Derek performed the operation. She could see the look of concentration on his face, the way his eyes remained on the task at hand. Half keeping an eye on Kyriaki while also locating the second Kyriaki body. He had such confidence in his abilities to the point where she knew that his skills wouldn't let him down. He had grown up so much since their first encounter…their first few operations where she criticised him for his playful attitude and his lack of skills. Yet he was the one who had pulled them together when that biker came into Hope with the critical condition. The second Kyriaki body had emerged from the body. She knew what he needed and reached for the laser and waited for his hand to reach out to her.

"You're doing great," Angie gave him encouraging words.

Buzzzzzzz…buzzzzzzz…buzz.

"How's the chiral reaction?" Derek asked as he finished incinerating the two immature Kyriaki bodies. Angie glanced towards the screen.

"Chiral reaction negative at the heart. Let's move onto the lungs."

"How's she doing?" Derek asked as he treated the lacerations created by Kyriaki. "I'm going to leave the heart exposed as there's a chance Kyriaki could migrate there again. I know it shouldn't really be done…" he trailed off, unable to finish his comment as he glanced at Angie.

"No problem but let's move onto the right lung. She's still stable for now and the vitals are within acceptable range."

Derek worked quickly to make another incision and to reveal the lung. The right lung was worse (as predicted) with three deep lacerations present and many long, thin lacerations. Blood was pooling out from the deep lacerations which was dropping the vitals rapidly. Miss Shell was loosing a lot of blood and fast.

"I'm going to need the drain and if someone could prepare the sutures and forceps please?" Derek asked and it wasn't long before another pair of hands came in to assist, holding the drain and draining the blood away from the deep lacerations and giving Derek sight he needed. With the forceps in hand, he clipped the sides of the deep laceration together and sutured quickly before moving onto the other two deep lacerations.

"Vitals are low," Angie reported.

"Can someone inject stabiliser into her please to raise the vitals?" Derek asked the team. The doctor removed the drain and instead was handed a syringe. The syringe was filled with a green liquid which was quickly injected into the patient. Angie watched as the vitals increased and let out a small sigh of relief.

"Here's the main source of Kyriaki, good luck Doctor Stiles."

"Do you want assistance with this?" The doctor asked Derek.

"If you wouldn't mind using the ultrasound to locate the Kyriaki bodies while I exorcise them to the surface, I'd appreciate it. They'll come around when I finish suturing these lacerations."

"Understood," the doctor nodded and waited for Derek to finish treating the present wounds.

Once the last laceration had been treated, did three new lacerations form.

"Chiral reaction has increased! Be careful!" Angie warned them. They all should have been aware that this would happen but it never hurt to remind. The operation continued. Derek and the other doctor worked together to locate and bring the immature Kyriaki strains to the surface, treating the lacerations they created and when needed, injecting the stabiliser to keep the patient safe. After the removal of seven immature Kyriaki strains did Derek take a step back to breath. He hadn't used the Healing Touch yet…and she could see it in his eyes that he didn't want to use it either. Taking a small break to catch his breath, Derek prepared himself for what was going to happen next. Seven immature Kyriaki bodies seemed a bit too much…but this case had been rather strange. Not once had a patient had Kyriaki that had migrated somewhere else in the body before…Kyriaki was either evolving or something else was going on.

"The mature Kyriaki strain will be surfacing soon…keep calm and everything will go okay," Derek informed the team. Derek only had a small laceration to treat, something that would be easily sorted by the antibiotic gel. He looked towards Angie. "How's the chiral?"

"Still abnormally high but its still focused here. Keep on your toes Doctor Stiles."

Derek glanced towards the supporting doctor and nodded. Once the small laceration had been treated did the fight start once more.

Three very long and very thin lacerations formed on the lung, cutting through some previous stitches from the other lacerations. The mature Kyriaki had appeared and it was ready to fight.

The treatment remained the same, ultrasound to locate the Kyriaki body and bring it to the surface. That hadn't changed until Derek fired the laser at it and watched as it burrowed back into the lung tissue. This was the main change from the immature strain and the mature strain of Kyriaki, the mature could burrow back into the organ while the immature strains couldn't. Suturing the lacerations the hunt for the mature strain started again. Everyone remained quiet as Derek worked. After burning the mature Kyriaki body three times did it finally die. Picking it up with the forceps Derek removed the body from the lung.

"Chiral reaction is still strong…?" Angie asked confused as she re-read the machine to make sure that she was reading it correctly. She was…which meant that…

A deep laceration erupted on the lung followed by a further three simpler lacerations in their usual pattern.

"I think we found the reason why," Derek commented before he got back to work. The supporting doctor brought the drain to the deep laceration to suck up the free-flowing blood. Angie handed Derek the forceps and sutures so he could treat it. Once the deep laceration was treated did Derek work quickly on the smaller ones. Angie checked the vitals and took a syringe full of stabiliser and injected it into the patient. Derek moved quickly, working fast to drag the mature Kyriaki body back to the surface before blasting it with the laser and repeating the same treatment. Finally, Derek had defeated the mature Kyriaki.

"Chiral reaction negative, that's a relief," Angie breathed a sigh of relief as Derek finished extracting the Kyriaki body. Derek was sweating slightly but he continued going as he closed Miss Shell's body, treating the incisions he made for the operation.

"We're done…" Derek breathed a sigh of relief now that the operation was over.

"Well, that was impressive Doctor Stiles," the supporting doctor smiled at Derek. "You and Nurse Thompson better go and get some rest. You both seem tired."

"Thank you, a nap sounds good about now…" Derek admitted.

"You go and take a nap and I'll start on the paperwork," Angie informed the surgeon.

Trauma Center – Just Another Day at Caduceus

Angie dropped the copy of Miss Shell's file into the patient tray with a smile on her face. She ended up finishing the paperwork instead of leaving some for Derek to do. That was a strange case of Kyriaki though…two mature Kyriaki strains in the right lung while immature had spread to the heart. She made her way towards Derek's office once more and pushed the door handle down and slipped inside. She made sure to be as quiet as possible as she entered. She glanced towards Derek's desk and spotted the surgeon at his desk.

"Can we go home?" Derek asked her.

"Paperwork is all done. Come on, I'll take you home. If you fall asleep in my car I'm going to poke you."

"That's fine. I left spare clothes at yours, haven't I?"

"Yes? Do you want to stay round mine tonight?" Angie asked him as they left the office and started to head home.

"I feel like I could sleep for a week…I'm that drained from that operation."

"You…didn't use the Healing Touch though?" Angie asked him confused.

"Oh, I didn't otherwise I'd already be out for three days, I'm just feeling that exhausted."

Spoiler, he does stay with Angie and they both get the rest they deserve.

Thank you for reading and take care out there~