Jaffa: I feel special. We have finished the second chapter, people. All thanks to the inspiring little co-author Galenchia.
Galenchia: -Giggles.- Aw. It's a group effort. Although we've had trouble getting in contact with each other since school has started, Jaffa and I perservered! –Pumps fist victoriously.- :3
Jaffa: -Dances.- We will struggle through to bring this Strifentine to the Reviewers! And ummm, the people who don't review, too, I guess. xD
Galenchia: So without further ado, we present chapter two! –Snickers.-
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Fanfiction basis: Final Fantasy VII
Rating: T (for teen) ------------------------- Genre: Romance/Angst
Pairing(s): Vincent/Cloud ------------------- Type: AU
Warning(s): AU, blood, possible language and yaoi content.
Disclaimer: Neither of us own, nor claim to own Final Fantasy VII.
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Chapter 2: Medical Exasperations
"Strife," a voice, gruff with frustration addressed, "Bring me the syringe, 30 CCs of morphine." The speaker turned back to the sobbing woman lying on the table, relatively young, as it would seem, with an incision in her abdomen that bled profusely as the nurses and doctors in white face masks and caps readied a needle to stitch the wound.
One particular young man -dressed in a white lab coat that its wearer had neglected to button, revealing a blue scrub shirt beneath- was broken from his apparent trance and leapt suddenly, finally tearing his gaze from the pained expression on the patient's face. It shouldn't have affected him anymore, not after two years of experience as a doctor's assistant. It shouldn't have...but it did.
After fumbling around a bit for the designated item, the man returned to the bed, attempting to be silent and inconspicuous. This proved to be a lost cause, for Cloud was not the most inconspicuous of people: The young man's fair face held nearly dissipating signs of boyhood, but lacked any mars or wrinkles of age, causing him to appear around twenty-one years old. Unruly blonde spikes of hair protruded from beneath his mandatory surgical cap; and his far most noticeable trait was a pair of stunningly blue eyes, which remained calm in such a heated situation.
With an ungrateful scowl, the doctor who'd requested his aid grasped the syringe and took it from the blonde's gloved hand. The elder man's nametag shone under the reflection of a bright lamp light suspended over their heads: "Dr. Gerald Fazae" was what it read. He returned to his work without a second glance at his assistant Cloud, shoving his wide-rimmed glasses further up the bridge of his nose.
Cloud ignored this gesture. He had been reassigned to the Kalm Regional Hospital under the mentorship of Dr. Fazae approximately six days ago. Cloud internally frowned in disdain: It had been less than a week and the doctor already had him at his wit's end. The hospital was not anymore hospitable than Dr. Fazae himself. The gray, bulb-lit hallways were crude and unwelcoming. Cloud was grateful he'd never acquired such a serious injury as to need to attend this place as a child, rather visiting a medical center in his home town of Nibelheim; he had a feeling that, as a child, Kalm Regional could cause more anguish than one's initial injury.
The blue-eyed man sarcastically noted that he was increasingly optimistic this week.
After cleaning up the medical area from surgery with a few of the other aides, Cloud returned to his locker, removing his lab coat and hanging it on a hook for safe-keeping during his lunch break.
He stepped through the heavy metal doors that lead outside, blinking in adjustment to the sharp difference in light as he inhaled the fresh quality of the air. The city bustled passed in the immediate distance, oblivious to the hours of blood and gizzards he endured in the name of science. He almost scowled at his thought patterns. It wasn't as if he was forced to being here; and it wasn't as if they forced him to stay. His pride did that, providing the blunt determination that people often saw.
It would be that determination that one day propelled him to success. Cloud knew that there would come a time when his name was embossed in gold on the door plaque, that he would be giving the orders (albeit more kindly) to new assistants, and that he would be saving lives. He would succeed: Because, after all, you can't truly fail a dream without being a failure yourself, correct? And Cloud was sure that he was no failure.
The streets of Kalm were as normal as any other town Cloud had worked in, the stores all lined up the same and each looked as neat as the one before it. He blinked in surprise at the shop before him, an exception to this thought. Rainbow colored wood and a hand-painted sign reading 'We now sell food' made the blond step into the cafe with interest and a possible source of lunch before returning to his monotonous job.
The interior had a quaint feel to it, possessing an old-fashioned scenario. The man was grateful for the obvious amount of vacancies; he'd never much been one for the crowd aspect. He took a seat near the tranquil window, glancing over the menu. A hand fell to his pocket quickly to assess the amount he could spend. Cloud supposed 190 gil was enough for a decent lunch. It would be his safest bet to hurry; Dr. Fazae seemed simply cheerful when he had a chance to reprimand Cloud before other members of the staff. The assistant had to admit, he'd not yet truly discovered the foundation for the doctor's dislike.
Again distracted by his roving thoughts, it took Cloud an embarrassingly long moment to realize he wasn't alone. He jerked his head to one side in surprise.
'And people say my hair looks like a bird,' Cloud thought immediately, then glanced further down to the man's amused eyes.
"What can I get you?" he asked in a tone that truly rivaled the definition of 'chipper.'
Cloud's own eyes searched for a name badge: 'Zack,' it read. "I'll just have a garden salad, thanks," he responded after spending a moment of contemplation.
"Alright," the man responded with a shrug. He blinked as he bent down to inspect the security card hanging from Cloud's neck; it was used by employees to enter the back entrance of the hospital without having to struggle through the crowded lobby. "Ohhh," Zack stated knowingly, standing back up to attention with a grin that caused Cloud to wonder what joke he'd missed, "You work at the hospital, huh? We get a lot of customers from over there." He nodded as if reaffirming his own statement.
The blond allowed himself a slight smile at the platonic chatter, nodding.
"So it must be pretty interesting over there," Zack decided, as though speaking to himself.
Cloud shrugged in response to this. "Actually, it's rather…repetitive, I guess. I mean, the cases we deal with and all are different, but the people are all the same –and they're the real reason I'm there. I don't have the opportunity to speak to them much. I don't know if they want someone to sympathize with them, or simply talk to them for a bit. Even when I do have the chance to visit, patients usually aren't interested in talking very much."
The cheerful waiter frowned at this, sighing lightly. "Well, I'm sure they appreciate it, whether they let you know or not!"
Cloud smiled slightly at the man's statement. "I'll be right back." Zack promised and stalked off, most likely to give the chef the order. Sure enough, he quickly returned with a salad, easily sliding into the seat across from the blond while setting the plate before him. "So, what is it that you do? A little young to be a doctor, it seems." The waiter smirked loosely, lounging back. Cloud shrugged.
"I'm just an assistant right now," he explained, lifting a forkful of greenery to his mouth before hesitating.
Zack blinked at him, before coming to the realization of his actions. "Oh, don't worry about me. I just ate." He waved a hand to dismiss the impolite worry.
Cloud nodded slightly and proceeded to eat in silence for a moment before Zack spoke up again, seemingly unable to keep quite. "Assistant, eh? So you're just a rookie, then!"
Cloud hesitated, then nodded. "Guess I am. It seems I have a long way to go yet," he confessed. Zack grinned. "Ah well, we all start off somewhere I suppose." Cloud had to smile before glancing down at his watch. "Damn," he hissed. Zack stood with him. "I have to go," the blond apologized, gesturing to his watch in signal of the time.
"That's alright," Zack confessed with a smirk, "You'll be back tomorrow, right, Spike?" Cloud raised an eyebrow at the nickname but inclined his head in assent. "Good!" The waiter grinned, slapping him on the shoulder amicably. "I'll see you then."
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Shuffling in return to the locker room, the young assistant replaced his white coat, buttoning it furiously and hurrying down the hall. He was a bit later than he'd intended; this was likely yet another opportunity for Dr. Fazae to reprimand him. As though he'd been summoned, the doctor was standing in the middle of the hall, speaking with a few nurses. They all turned to glance toward the boy who was scurrying along, a few shaking their heads disapprovingly.
"Nice timing, Strife," the doctor scowled at him, "What if we had needed you?"
Cloud opened his mouth grudgingly to respond while keeping his temper in check, but was cut off by the bustle of movement approaching the group quickly.
The young doctor at the head of the commotion glanced up to the assembly, pushing a hospital bed gingerly before him. "Dr. Fazae, we need a surgery, now," his voice was strong with dire emergency. A few assistants were checking the patient's blood pressure and such while in motion, apparently mortified by the extent of the damage.
"What's the damage?" Fazae asked, swiftly striding over to the bed and glancing over the forms handed to him. Cloud moved up to stand beside the doctors, looking down as the bed was wheeled forward into the room. "The damage is severe. The main objective is to keep him alive, and even that will be difficult…" Fazae thought aloud as he scanned the forms. There was blood everywhere, it soaked through cloth and splattered across a pale face.
Cloud couldn't tear his gaze from the crimson droplets pooling onto the starch white linen. One hand, the right, was clenched in the fabric, while the other lay motionless against the man's chest. It was far too drenched with blood to assess the damage, and had been wrapped in a crimson-soaked cloth.
Vaguely, as he darted about grabbing instruments for the surgeons who had already begun their work, Cloud heard a conversation behind him; the young doctor who had pushed the bed into the ER quietly resolved the curiosities of a spare nurse.
"I don't know most of the details, Lily," he spoke quietly, as though his very voice would shatter the bloody man's life, "A security guard over at Shinra labs brought him a few minutes ago; he's in awful shape. Apparently there was an accident, and one of the scientists there attempted to patch him up…but it was no use, so they thought we might be able to do something."
Cloud was soon too busy to hear the conversation, though, as Fazae suddenly began shouting orders and Cloud found himself suited for the medical front line along with whatever nurses, aides and other surgeons Fazae ordered about in an attempt to save. Cloud wasn't given time to think or worry, he only had enough time to listen for the call of "swab," "suction," or "stitch."
This was most likely to his own benefit. He didn't want to think of the flesh that was being sliced and sown as human, really. It was a bitter feeling. Cloth was cut away to get at hidden wounds and acid burns and the smell of burnt flesh was a new and disconcerting experience.
A startled conjoined gasp escaped from several of the surgeons at the revelation of a hastily amputated hand, formerly covered by a cloth; it would seem the scientist had nothing within easy access to replace the appendage with, but…The sight still struck a horror in their minds: the sight of a metal, claw-like hand attached to nerve and flesh. Cloud noticed it as well when he returned with additional wrappings as makeshift bandages, and cringed visibly. If anything, it caused their patient to seem less of a human, and more of a mutilated corpse.
But the blond dealt with it. He dealt with it because it was his duty; because he wanted to save a life. No one was sure if that would happen or not.
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Galenchia: We hope you enjoyed chapter two. Keep your eyes open for chapter three, dammit! ;D