What was there to utter but illiterate blubbers of distress?

Trying my best to breathe… to convince myself that one accusation wasn't true… I found myself struggling.

Both Markus and Valerie sat down, on either side of me. I soon felt both one feminine hand embracing my right arm and a thicker hand planted, once again, upon my shoulder.

Emily… Why Emily?! Why the one person I knew I could trust? Why the one person I shared similar interests with, therefore being able to have compelling conversations and sharing the joy of similar hobbies with?

Why a companion-in-advanced-training?

…Why Emily?

…Why hadn't I given in and called sooner?!

While comforting me, the two doctors conversed. I personally didn't mind, as long as they stayed on their subject. Being in the loop made me feel a bit warmer.

"Did you… get to… incise?" asked Markus. "Before she passed?"

Both of their voices shook rigidly with every word they spoke.

"I got to see the sheer horror, alright," Valerie responded. "Both Cheir and Onyx, just like you said. She had… just… way too many lacerations…"

"Was that how her vitals sunk?" asked Markus.

"I… think so," said Valerie.

My composure somehow floated directly in front of me, ready for me to grasp. Therefore, I did.

After clearing my throat, I shakily asked "Is… Is any of it my fault?"

"What?!" Valerie exclaimed. "What in the world is making you think that?! You were the one who gave her a chance-"

"Yes, but she would have had a greater chance if I had called sooner," I pointed out, feeling my throat close again. "I know I didn't know… I'm not the type of person who'd be authorized to look over operations. That page only had words…"

"The point is that you figured it out and called us," Markus tried to reassure me. "You took information that you found and… risked your life to use it for the sake of others. I'm not seeing where you went wrong."

"…What are you saying, Markus?" asked Valerie, as lost as physically possible.

"…See…" Markus sighed. "She found a page of information on Stigma that someone had posted on a wall in the sewer."

"There, of all places?" asked Valerie.

"Yeah," said Markus. "…That must have been his secret hideout…" His voice almost went down to a growl. "Of course! Across the country… in a relatively medium-sized town…"

"…You mean… Kidman?" asked Valerie. "That biologist of a mafia member that drove you to keep Stigma a secret?"

"That's him," Markus continued. "Anyway… He threatened her when he saw that she had discovered his research. He promised she'd die by his hand if she ever said a word to anyone else… When was that, again?"

"A-August," I nodded.

"Emily caught Stigma… less than a week ago, I believe," said Markus, beginning to grow a bit disgruntled. "…I just wouldn't think Kidman would be that stupid… He wouldn't be dumb enough to just… i-infect someone with Stigma and let them go out in public! What kind of stunt is the bastard pulling here?!"

Valerie looked at me and said "Your name is Rachael, right?"

"Y-Yeah," I nodded.

"How did you end up in that sewer, anyway?" she then asked.

"I fell through an open manhole," I answered.

"And not a scratch!" she marveled. "What?"

Those two doctors performed heart surgery without laying hand on a single scalpel. They left with the promise that they were going to make Stigma known and curable now. That every doctor would be able to combat the sickly pathogen to the absolute best of their ability. I absolutely couldn't wait for what healthcare would turn out to be.

Still, though, Markus pulled me aside personally, just as I was about to walk out of the room. Baffled, I turned around to watch Valerie walk out of the hospital, then turned back to Markus.

"Above a lot of things," he told me, looking sincerely into my eyes. "I'll be sure that Kidman is caught. You… probably heard that that's the name of the man who threatened to murder you, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"I'll do everything in my power to make sure he faces the consequences for it," he reassured me. "It may seem ridiculous, but… I'm absolutely sickened at the fact that he could just… threaten to off you like that. I'll see that he's punished, and I won't leave until I see it."

From then on, I… admired the one known as Dr. Vaughn. I still get butterflies whenever I hear the guy's name affiliated with medical journals or medical advice.

From there… the action of my turmoil seemed to fall, no matter how many tears were still left.

That Monday morning, though, came as a shock to me.

I sat, gazing at the news whilst preparing myself to be strong. To avoid giving in to the fresh sobs of despair that would most certainly radiate from the entire school… while fully expecting to shed a few tears at the same time.

Things would never be the same, that's for sure. The one person I felt I could truly connect with… Gone.

By my clumsy hand?

Suddenly "And there has been one criminal arrested over a scary bioterrorism case in Niles," boomed from the TV.

I would have appreciated it if all other noises were to… shush themselves for a moment.

Precious video footage of him being dragged to a courtroom was clipped to.

"Mr. Kidman Deveraux was apprehended after it was reported that he had actively been trying to create a deadly disease known as Stigma, then threatened murder upon a 16-year-old girl."

The station cut back to the studio, where the camera was focused just on the anchorman.

"The source tells the Niles Police Department that he would like to remain anonymous, but that he is a… friend of the threatened victim."

My... soul felt a bit warmer.

Friend? Someone who could actually be deeply appreciated?

Would I dream of seeing the man again?

…If I had called him sooner, could I have saved Emily?

Author's note: No matter how abrupt it sounds… next week is the final chapter.