*Narrator's POV*

The perishing of one soul brought a lot of new beginnings to the medical field. A whole lot, especially within the span of around seven cloud-glazed days. The hospital saw a series of conversations in its conference room: rather, lectures led by Doctors Markus Vaughn and Valerie Blaylock. Simulations that seemed to go above and beyond, and while they did succeed in teaching the weaknesses of the pathogen known only as Stigma, they still failed to match the horror that must have stricken poor Valerie's heart when she looked upon the real thing.

Both of these compassionate doctors, however, had to return home after those two days.

And so, we skip to a day, one exact week after Emily's subconscious saw its last glimpse of life.

It was… somewhat of a melancholy drive through snow-glazed roads for Dr. Vaughn. He was on his way to the airport in a neighboring city called South Bend. He had been kept behind by doctors who still had numerous questions about Stigma. He nodded and gave his most honest answers; indeed, even to its father, Stigma was quite the mysterious man-made work of nature.

Therefore, Dr. Blaylock was awaiting him at said airport.

He couldn't help but glance around at all of the pristine snow whenever the car wasn't rolling. It was learned that there were four seasons in California: earthquake, fire, flood, and drought. The concept of this bitter thing called winter felt to almost be the most mysterious thing he knew, now that he actually had to stand in its chill, drive his car over its ice, and feel the crunch of said snow under his feet with each step.

Nevertheless, he envisioned himself stepping on a plane to the same-old within a matter of minutes.

He found a cemetery moving past his right side at one point.

Hmm… interesting… a canopy? A group of people, clad in blackened and browned coats? Aww, that group of people must have lost someone very near and dear to their hearts.

Right as he was about to look away, he thought he could catch a familiar shade of brown.

The brown of a girl's hair, to be exact. Who was that girl, and why did she seem so familiar?!

He came to a momentary stop, right behind a car that was turning into said cemetery. Gratefully, he took the opportunity to quickly turn his head in that direction again, squinting his eyes… trying to get a focus on this vaguely… actually, strangely familiar person.

Wait… Black eyeglasses… I-It was really her…

The poor, broken, tear-stained friend of the patient he couldn't save.

He turned away, making himself keep advancing the car forward.

A deep, troubled sigh emerged from his lungs.

The soul had been so brave. Who else did he know that saw Death ahead and decided to try to fight him just to rescue a best friend? It seemed like the dedication that could only come from true love… Oh, what Markus didn't know.

There was something absolutely sweetening in the girl's bravery. Her liveliness, too… She had that rare soul that could fend off thick and thin.

In some sort of strange way… He… innocently admired the girl.

Would her impression on him last for good?

Not even the science he studied could tell that for sure.

In the now, though, he was forced to press on toward the plane… home…

But then, his phone rang.

Turning onto a side street, he picked it up to find that Valerie was the one who needed to contact him. Probably to ask why he wasn't there… Even though he wasn't that terribly close to being late…

He accepted the call and said "Hi!"

"Hi, Markus," Valerie seemed to sigh in vexation from the other side. "Um… There's a huge blizzard just west of us, so… our… flight's been delayed."

"Really?!" Markus replied. "For how long?"

"…Two hours," said Valerie.

Markus sighed again.

"Alright," he then said. "Just… hang tight. I'll try to find us some good food somewhere, and… there's… s-something I need to do."

"…Well… alright," said Valerie. "Try to… be here around 6:30, a.k.a. an hour before our plane leaves."

"I'll see you then," said Markus.

At that, a tap of his finger ended the call.

He turned into the first driveway that he saw.

Rachael…

She… She faced so much, yet only half of it was the justice she had been searching for. That half only existed because of him, too, and he knew that he shared that sense of justice with her. She put so much on the line… Only to lose who she had even been gambling her life for.

And to top it off… She still beat herself up over it! Why was that? Yeah, so she couldn't just decipher that Emily had Stigma, and not a heart attack, right off the bat. So she had to work the timing so that she wouldn't have a bullet to her head.

She had the guts to call him in the first place!

He had to do something… This type of self-criticism hurt him as well as it probably hurt her.

He pulled out of that random driveway… proceeding to advance back the way he had come.

*My POV*

Even the body heat coming from the bodies around me failed to warm me up. I, and my heart, only grew colder.

I figured I could drown in my own tears.

Just an hour before, I had laid stone-cold eyes on Emily for the final time. Something in her complexion did not spell peace to me.

…Oh, of course not! The girl had died of an insane disease… and… W-Where could she have been if I had simply quit being a little coward, got my crap together, and looked over that paper the instant that I suspected a thing?! Dr. Vaughn's name would have clicked in my head, I would have hid in a corner and called him, he would have rushed up here (exactly like he had in reality), and Emily and I could laugh again! Our handheld consoles could connect in harmony, I could write as she drew… I had trusted her as the artist for the cover of the novel I hoped to publish someday…

But nope… I just HAD to take my own life, along with Dr. Vaughn's potential dismay, into account.

W-What was this life even doing in my hands?

At the burial… Everyone continued to hang silent as the final words to Emily were spoken.

"…May it be known, though, that her death shall bring imminent advances in medical science!" the man in the suit announced. "As fate may have it… as soon as she contracted the disease, her fate was sealed, for it was absolutely inconceivable. Her friend may have ended up giving her a chance… but her resistance was futile. The battle was lost, but thanks to this friend, Rachael, it was fought. God bless you, Emily."

At that, everyone started filing toward their cars.

I? I sat in the snow just a few yards away from Emily, letting the breeze flow gently through my hair… watching for a while as her obsidian-encrusted casket was lowered into the Earth.

"Rachael," my mother whined impatiently. "Let's go. It's cold out here."

"You go," I shook. "I can walk home, you know. I-I've walked to Family Video and back numerous times, haven't I?"

Family Video was the movie and game rental place that was simply a hop, a step, a skip, and a few trees away from the cemetery. We, ourselves, were only a few streets away from home.

"I need time to ponder," I sighed. "I… need to be left be."

"…Alright," my mother sighed. "Don't stay out too long."

At that, she walked away, leaving me alone with "What if?" and "I shouldn't have," and "I should have," and "Why didn't I?" Exactly as I had asked.

Just a few minutes later, I heard grimed snow crunch under the force of some tires. I realized exactly how cold it was, and that I had simply sat there, in a deep space.

I turned around out of curiosity, and-

Wait, WHAT?! I-I thought he'd have left AGES ago! Really, what business did he have here?!

Perhaps I truly didn't understand the medical field. Markus…

He stopped his car, then opened the door and stepped out, slamming it as he quickly paced toward me.

"H-Hi," I managed to greet. Was a smile appropriate right now?

"Hey," he responded, kneeling beside me.

At this point, pound after pound of dirt piled over… Emily.

I looked over at Markus and noticed that he seemed seriously disturbed. Not only the melancholy that the entire day had scheduled for a lot of people, but… a pure disturbance in order. Much like I had been going through, potentially…

"…I…" he spoke. "…I'm really sorry, Rachael. I am… s-so sorry that we couldn't save her…"

…Tears?! Nah, not quite.

"Please, don't w-worry," I managed to respond.

I then sighed, absolutely sadly.

"You guys are doctors," I explained, starting to feel just a bit warmer from within my heart. "I could tell that you were just as worried as I was. First off, you traveled across the land just to meet… this. You wanted to save her. I prayed that you could. Don't blame yourself, for… f-for I've… felt as if things could have worked out differently if I had called you sooner."

"How long did she have Stigma?" asked Markus.

"Before that day… at least four days," I winced, feeling myself begin to work up. "I know, that's… a while. I wasn't sure! All I knew w-was that she had cried out in pain before collapsing."

"It could have been a heart attack…" Markus began. "…Appendicitis… Aneurysms…"

"Yeah…" I nodded.

"You're not a doctor," he said. "I-It's like you think you were supposed to know what was going on just by looking at her!"

"Well, maybe not," I countered. "But I knew about Stigma… I realized that it could have been that which plagued Emily."

"It's amazing that you even picked up on it," sighed Markus. "Listen… I think you're being a hypocrite."

"…Because I told you not to blame yourself, right?" I realized aloud, looking straight at him.

"…Yeah," he nodded. "…But with the same rationale, perhaps I'm one, too. I think we need to quit blaming ourselves, Rachael. We're human; humans were bound to make mistakes… even doctors. Besides, I wouldn't even say you and I made any mistakes here. We're… not perfect. Or…"

"I get what you're saying," I said. "Thank you, Dr. Vaughn. You know… I agree. We're not perfect, and… Ah, you know what? This is fate's fault. It's all FATE'S FAULT! We fought for her! And you're right! I could very well have been a hero!"

My throat started to close again.

"But…" I began to sob. "Fate… killed her. And I miss her. S-She was the one friend I could really relate to and… laugh, a-and… be happy with… Why did that Kidman fiend have to choose HER?!"

Grief struck me with an iron fist. Without warning, I found myself bawling. Doing the mourning that I should have taken care of when I was busy questioning my self-worth.

Also, without warning, came the comfort I'd needed since the very beginning.

More than a bullet ever could, losing my best friend struck me.

Therefore, more than a simple pat on the shoulder ever could… an embrace healed me. Soon enough, indeed, I found myself crying very close to Markus's shoulder. He had one arm around me, and his other hand was simply planted atop my shoulder.

Yeah, I thought: Doing this on the job could risk him his career for sure… correct?

He wasn't at work per se, though. He had said it himself: He was my friend.

I could have sat there for hours. I wondered if I could have fallen asleep there…

Uh… Either way, I was simply helped through the pain of crying my tears off. Not an apology for such a demeanor could be made.

He had to leave after a bit… but that bit was about fifteen minutes long.

Friend… I was the man's friend?

Markus… Will I ever see you again? Could someone as distant as a patient's friend… really be a friend of yours?

You've brought me more comfort than anyone has ever dared try. You're the commander in the periodic fight against Stigma. If there's ever an outbreak, I know I can trust you.

If I were to contract it… I know I could trust you…

Author's note: If you're still with me, thank you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I'd really love it if you were to kindly leave a review on what you thought of this! And you know what? Do you have an idea that could turn into a compelling sequel for this? My Trauma Center knowledge is only expanding (I only have Trauma Team left to play)! Plot holes? Loose ends?