WARNING: This chapter contains a very weird and mildly graphic dream sequence. You were warned . . .
Trauma Center: Illness
Victor: Fever
Victor Niguel did not get sick. It just did not happen. His colleagues got sick, his patients got sick, but he did not. It just never happened.
And yet, on what was to be an average Tuesday morning, he found it especially difficult to open his eyes. An involuntary moan escaped him after the initial struggle to open them and it did not take him long to figure what had prompted it.
"Dammit . . ."
Another groan followed his whispered curse, his head pounded and his flesh burned mercilessly. He was forced to close his eyes again as a means to protect them from the glare of the digital clock by his bed. His vision swam so much that he was not even able to decipher the time.
"Dammit . . ."
With great effort, he managed to shift on his back and throw off the suffocating blanket. He had a brief moment of relief as the room's cool air contacted his skin, but a sudden jolt of nausea put an end to that. Forced to his feet, as he had no desire to vomit on his sheets, he made a struggled haste for the bathroom and collapsed before the porcelain throne. He spent the next several minutes throwing up violently and mentally stringing together every curse word he knew.
Victor angrily ripped off a small section of toilet paper to wipe his mouth as his body relaxed its regurgitation. Now shaking in the aftermath of it all, he slammed the toilet lid shut and rested his head on it. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" he growled as he dizzyingly slid to the restroom floor. Gravity pounced upon him quickly, holding him to the spot. Any and all struggles against it proved futile, but the cool tile floor was rather therapeutic against his fever. Under the current circumstances, he would not be going anywhere regardless.
"Fan – freakin' – tastic."
Several minutes of the forced rest later, he found control of his limbs again and managed to get to his feet. Victor dragged himself back to bed through the daze and vertigo. He collapsed on his mattress with a soft thud and desperately wrapped his sheets around his shivering body. No work today, obviously. Even with his intellect, he would be of little help in the lab if he was barely able to walk. Fortunately, his subordinates were competent enough to function without him for a day – or so he hoped. Nothing to do now but rest and let his body take it from there.
Still drowsy from his early awakening, Victor felt himself falling back to sleep. He let out one last aggravated sigh before embracing it and drifting off. Perhaps he would feel better when he woke up. . . .
Or not.
-----
Victor walked briskly down the hall, his right hand buried in his pocket while his left arm swung lightly with each step. A sudden tug on his free arm broke his tempo, causing him to growl quietly and pull on the rope tied to his wrist. Tiny hoofs clattered against the tile before gently falling into rhythm beside him.
"You're late."
Sidney Kasal stood next to a set of double doors that appeared before him. "Sorry." Victor replied in his trademark monotone. He reached down to pick up the small goat he had been leading down the hall. He handed it to Sidney, who in turn acknowledged him with a small nod, before he pushed the doors open.
Derek and Angie were diligently operating on the other side. Victor approached them, seeing the chest cavity of an unidentified patient pried open. "How is it going?" he asked.
"We're almost done. Those test results really sped things up." Angie replied.
Derek gave the aorta quick and clean slice. Melted cheese began pumping from the punctured vein and he took a tortilla chip, scooping up a generous portion. "Where have you been, anyway?" Derek asked as he turned towards Victor.
"Ran into some trouble on the way over here. Where's the chips?"
Derek crooked a thumb to an opened chip bag before removing his surgical mask and eating his own. Victor helped himself to a handful as Angie scooped up more cheese from the patient's heart. They ate in silence for several minutes before a small beep sounded. "I have to check on something." Victor mumbled as he checked his wrist watch. "Save me some for later."
Derek and Angie responded only with subtle nods as they continued to eat. He walked towards an unmarked door and pushed it open, his normally half closed eyes widened slightly in surprise. He had expected to see his familiar laboratory await him on the other side. He was instead greeted by what appeared to be a red tinted hotel room. However, it was not so much what but who was there that had caught him off guard.
"It's been a long time, Victor."
He felt an unusual flutter in his heart at the sound of the strong, feminine voice. "It's good to see you again."
"Cybil . . ." he responded, watching the former police woman approach him. There was a faint whisper of a smirk on her lips as she grasped his hands and pulled him into a kiss. There was no protest from Victor as she explored his mouth with her tongue and invited him to do the same. He complied and she wrapped her arms around his thin waist, pulling him further into the room.
Cybil lowered herself down onto the double bed, pulling Victor down with her. He slowly pulled out of the savage kiss and began sucking passionately at her neck. A deep moan rumbled in her throat and she leaned her head back. Her hands carefully worked to remove his uniform and Victor was only vaguely aware of his hands doing a bit of exploring of their own. Cybil had courteously worn only a slip on silk robe, making his job that much easier.
He carefully peeled it off of her shoulders and caressed her exposed flesh. He moved to entrap her in another kiss as he felt his own clothes slip from his body. Cybil ran her hands through his hair before moving them to hold him closer. A groan escaped from Victor, forcing him to break off the kiss. "C. . . Cybil . . you're . ."
"Victor. . ." she purred back, her sultry voice causing him to shudder. She captured his lips again, and the flurry of actions that followed washed his body with a pleasure he never thought possible. Once finished, he collapsed beside her on the bed, their Caduceus uniforms back on their bodies. She turned towards him and traced a finger over his chest. He felt her warm breath on his cheek as she leaned closer. "Are you up for a second round?"
Victor? Victor! No . . . !
"The patient's in critical condition!"
Derek and Angie were pushing a gurney down the hall. Victor and Cybil were running after them, barely able to keep up, as other various staff members of Caduceus poured from the doors that lined the hall and joined their sprint. They burst through double door after double door, being rewarded only with more tiles and stretched hallway. Not a word was spoken among them as the roar of echoed footsteps filled the air.
Another set of doors was slammed open, and Victor felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind. "Don't worry, Victor. I've got you." Cybil's voice whispered in his ear. The stampeding footsteps faded away as he felt himself falling backwards.
"Cybil . . ."
-----
Victor's eyes blinked open, his vision and mind swimming horribly. Regretfully, his fever was still raging and the strange dream did not help his disorientation. He only really took in that the room was much brighter than before he went to sleep. He closed his eyes, waiting impatiently for the spinning to cease, before reopening them to gain his bearings. His mind was still foggy, but it took only one glance at the unfamiliar ceiling for him to realize that he was no longer in his bedroom.
Or apartment for that matter.
What the . . .? Where the hell am I?
Victor moved his head from side to side, attempting to get a better look at his surroundings, but succeeded in only giving himself a headache. He groaned irately and pressed a hand to his forehead as the room spun once again. He closed his eyes as he waited for the sensation to pass, when he heard muffled footsteps from outside the room. Vaguely familiar voices accompanied them.
". . . Will my brother be okay?"
"Of course. It's nothing life-threatening, but it's still good that you got him here when you did."
"How long will he be hospitalized?"
"A few days, at least. We need to monitor him and make sure his fever doesn't go out of control again."
". . . I see . . ."
He moved his hand and opened his eyes, turning towards the sound of a door opening. Two women entered, the younger of them giving an almost unseen smile upon meeting his gaze. "You're awake. That's a relief." she said indifferently, though her half lid eyes held obvious concern. Victor blinked. "Jessie? What are you doing here?"
Jessie's whisper of a grin vanished as she approached him. "Don't tell me that fever's fried your brain." She said. She pressed her hand against his forehead and flinched slightly at his burning temperature. "I've been transferred to the Angeles Bay weather center for the research project, remember? I just flew in early this morning and got to your apartment after I assumed you left for work. Imagine my surprise when I found you sick and unresponsive."
"Right, I remember now." Victor mumbled. "Where are we?"
"Hope Hospital."
He took a moment to digest the information. Hope Hospital . . . isn't that where . . .
"It's good to have you back with us, Victor. You never told me you had a little sister." The second woman said now that the touching sibling reunion was done. Victor recognized the voice immediately, but that did not stop his heart from jumping once the woman came into his field of vision. "Dr. Myers . . . you're looking . . . well."
"It's a shame I can't say the same about you." Cybil replied. "You've got a pretty aggressive strain of the flu. You're lucky that Jessie found you when she did. I doubt you would've died, but I hate to think of what would've happened if you went untreated."
He vaguely took in her words as it was hard to not concentrate on his pounding heart. "I hadn't realized it was that severe." He felt Jessie encircled his neck with a small hug, taking his focus away from his restless innards. "Jessie . . ." he hissed slightly but only prompted her into squeezing him tighter. "What? I can't give my own brother a hug?" she asked.
"It's not that." He sighed. "I don't want you getting sick, too."
"Fair enough, but just give me a moment to express how relieved I am that you're okay."
She gave him a light kiss on the cheek before releasing her hold on him. A small growl of protest came from him and Cybil stifled a short laugh. "I've gotta call the weather center and let them know I'll be late tomorrow. Please take care of yourself, Victor. Thank you, Dr. Myers." As Jessie excused herself, he felt Cybil smirking at him. As if it were not uncomfortable enough being alone in a room with the woman he had just dreamed of having intercourse with. Not to mention the same woman he had secretly been in love with. "Well, you two are close, aren't you?" she said, clearly amused.
"True, we are." Victor grumbled as he turned away from her. He gritted his teeth in frustration, though he could not find it in himself to be angry at his sister, even if her actions had caused him similar embarrassment in the past. "My sister can be quite . . . affectionate. I've gotten used to it."
Victor felt Cybil's fingers against his right hand. He looked up and jerked slightly in response, earning himself a mild yank on the arm. "Hold still. I need to readjust your IV." Cybil snapped. Victor forced himself to still, though it was not easy when the most subtle of her touches sent his heart fluttering. He looked away again in an effort to distract himself only to feel her touch upon his forehead. For once, he was thankful for the fever as it easily disguised his blush.
"Cybil, if you want to keep your hand, you will remove it this instant." He growled. Her eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance, but she smirked that horrible smirk of hers again.
"You better watch it there, tiger. I haven't decided which way I'm going to take your temperature."
Victor growled softly again and shivered as she brushed his hair behind his ear. She arched a brow slightly at his response to her touch. "Are you cold?"
"No, I'm fine." came a forced reply between clenched teeth.
"If you say so." She said and proceeded to take his temperature. He could not help but clench up slightly as she gently pulled on his ear and hope that the lightheaded sensation was a direct cause of his illness. Her mouth twisted oddly as she read the temperature, leaving her expression somewhere between relief and disappointment. "Hmm, 102. Not exactly good, but better than 106." She said.
That had taken Victor off guard enough for him to stop fretting about his emotional dilemma. "It was that high?"
"It was." She replied grimly. "You know, it wasn't very nice of you, scaring me like that."
"You were worried?" Victor mumbled automatically.
"Of course. I worry about all of my patients, especially if one of them happens to be a former colleague."
"That's understandable . . ." he mumbled and closed his eyes.
"Is everything all right, Victor?"
Victor gave himself a mental reprimand for the whisper of disappointment in his voice. Even if he could not help how he felt inside, that was where his petty feelings were supposed to stay. It was already bad enough that he would allow himself to experience inevitable heartbreak. It was inexcusable that he would let it be known to anyone. No one needed to know he was being so foolish.
"Yes, I'm just . . ." he bit his lip and forced himself into silence.
Don't you dare finish that sentence! Just. Keep. Quiet.
The thought echoed in Victor's mind, and the more reasonable part of him focused on the strong repetition. Though, even with the summon of his will power, his emotions were putting up a good struggle. In normal health, he may have had a chance to suppress his inner voice as he had done so in the past. His fever had other plans. The internal heat deluded his will, caused a nauseating vomit from his pounding heart and, before he could stop himself, he heard his own voice betray him. "I'm glad I got to see you again, even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances."
He winced. That was it. The words may have sounded innocent enough to the untrained ear, but Cybil's were anything but that. He had given her all the information she needed. You idiot! Do you want to be humiliated?!
He kept his eyes closed tightly, unable to face the consequences of his stupid, male hormones making him say what he had kept secret for two years. The fever, the dream, landing under her care and his bottled up emotions – he had not a chance against them all. Still, what perturbed him the most, was the absolute futility of his confession. With Cybil working this closely to Greg Kasal, there was no chance she would even consider any other man. All he had done was caused discomfort between them both. Karma was a bitch like that.
"You know," she started as Victor braced himself. "you didn't have to make yourself so sick just to see me. You can visit anytime you want."
". . . . ."
"It's always nice to see old friends, isn't it?"
". . . . yeah . . ."
"And Victor?"
He timidly peeled his eyes open and gave her an uneasy glance.
"I'm sorry, but, thanks for understanding."
" . . . . of . . .course. . ."
"For what it's worth, I'm sure we would've had a great time."
" . . . I . . . appreciate that. . . . Thank you."
"I'll let you rest. I'll be back in about an hour to check up on you."
Victor closed his eyes again, unable to bring himself to watch the doctor as she excused herself. Rather, his ears followed the sharp clicks on her shoes, which became muffled and distant as the door closed behind them. He relaxed against the pillows after her departure. "Cybil, you have no idea." He mumbled quietly. He let out a soft breath and kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling. His thoughts lingered back to his dream. While her caress within that realm may have been nothing more than hallucinations caused by the fever, the feeling of them being together was very real. At least, it was as real as he would ever achieve with her.
Drowsiness once again trickled into his mind and he welcomed it. Anything to escape his ill feeling was welcomed. Yet, even as he drifted to sleep, there was a tiny whisper of bitter sweetness that pulsed within him. He may never be able to be with Cybil in the way he wanted to be with her, but he could always dream.
-----
A/N: Eh, that last line was kind of depressing, wasn't it? Poor Victor, being the odd man out and in love with a woman he could never have. One sided love is never kind. I always kind of figured that Victor was attracted to Cybil but kept it inside. After all, being head of Research and Development probably doesn't leave a lot of time for a personal life. Not only that, but the way Cybil was always talking about Greg, he figured she still had feelings for him. No point in trying to win a heart already captured by another man, ne?
Even if that were not the case, I imagine Victor would have a difficult time being touched and taken care of by her when he literally just woke up from dreaming about her.
Obviously, I was aiming for no higher than a T rating, so I know you may have noticed how I went out of my way to secure one.
Another note for those who've only played the Wii version: In the DS version, Cybil decides to quit Caduceus because things have calmed down and she feels it time to move on. Basically, she just wants to be a normal doctor. Tyler mentions that she has connections at Hope Hospital – that being Greg of course. They did briefly touch on the fact that she went to work at Hope in Second Opinion, but it was so short that it was easy to miss. So yeah, Cybil works at Hope now.