Urban Fantasy X
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
A/N: This has been sitting on my hardrive for awhile now so I thought I'd spruce it up and allow it to see the light of day. I would love to continue UFX but I'm working through four other projects not to mention my budding original work so we'll have to wait and see.
"She's suffered a blow to the head but there's little bruising and no concussion. We've put her on sedatives so she'll probably wake up sometime in the morning," Wayne reported. Wayne at a glance looked more at home in a garage band than in a hospital. Ten years Lucia's senior he looked not a day passed his mid-twenties with shaggy curly black hair and thick black glasses. A pair of hightop sneakers peaked out from under his white coat, similar to the kind one would find on the current punk bands, lacking only random doodles in pen to complete the image. He adjusted his glasses and flipped through the short novel's worth of papers attached to his clipboard. Lucia could only assume they also contained the files of the two other passengers, "Her father, and the second man were dead upon impact. Now I gotta tell you, Lu, there's a lot of weird stuff goin' on with this case. I mean, this is the stuff that 'Unsolved Mysteries' is made of. Now look here," he said, gesturing at a line halfway down the page, "the only reason we're calling the girl 'Yuna' is because it was written on her bag. It could be a brand for all we know. Her father, Brian, was singed when the car caught fire, along with his wallet. Every ID card except for one melted and the last name is indistinguishable on the only one left. The second guy, Jack? Same deal. Oh, believe me, it gets better," Wayne said in response to Lucia's disbelieving stare.
"Then how are they paying for the treatment?" Lucia protested.
"That's where it gets better. An anonymous benefactor is paying for the full treatment of the Yuna girl. Maybe the higher-ups know who this guy is but I sure don't. All I got is authorization to treat her for whatever comes up. I mean, is that even legal? The bottom line, two John Does, one Jane, all we've got are first names, not a surname amongst them and an equally anonymous millionaire is making sure that the Johns' get full burial rites and the girl full treatment. Let's not even go in to the fact they're being treated here. There's hundreds places close by that are better at taking care of accident victims than we are! Especially for the dough this guy's paying," Wayne flipped the papers shut and passed the clipboard to Lucia. "And now, Lu-me-dear, it's your problem. Your first solo, hands-on patient. At least until she wakes up. Then you'll have Doctor Whatshisname, the best money can buy leering over your shoulder. Can't say I envy you. I'm off," Wayne began unbuttoning his coat even as he moved towards the exit. "See you tomorrow."
Lucia snapped out of her daze, "Wait! Is there anything else I should know?" Lucia called after him.
"It's all right there in the file," Wayne waved and the automatic doors sealed behind him. Staring down at what looked like at least a hundred pages of files Lucia felt the cold urge to strangle Wayne rise from the pit of her belly. But all that emerged was a tired sigh as she headed towards the room marked at the top.
Yuna was still asleep when Lucia arrived, her soft brown hair was splayed over the pillow and her chest rose and fell evenly. Seeing nothing amiss, Lucia flipped through her schedule and finding no other appointments gave a small sigh of relief. I suppose I should eat now, she thought then glanced at her watch, As long as I make it quick.
Shaking her head she quietly left the sickroom, watching her step with her peripheral vision as she scanned the sheets on the clipboard. There was hardly anything new here that Wayne hadn't already told her. Name: Yuna(?), height: 5'4", hair: brown eyes: blue + green. Lucia's dark eyes flickered to a halt. Blue and green? Was that simply a messy way of saying blue-green eyes, or did she have heterochromia? She mentally tacked it on to the growing list of odd things that surrounded this odd girl and with a start that was quickly masked with icy composure realized she had almost walked past the patient's room. Wrenching her eyes away from the clipboard she gently opened the door and stepped into the darkened room. A slight form lay beneath the taught sheets and a rhythmic beeping proclaimed the girl's heartbeat regular. For a moment that felt stolen Lucia simply stood there, lulled by the cool darkness and the peaceful expression on the child's sleeping face. In truth the girl was in all likelihood only a few years Lucia's junior but there was something about her, perhaps her mussed hair or her delicate features, the bespoke an innocence that tugged at Lucia's maternal instincts. The poor child, she might as well get used to the name "Yuna", at least until proven otherwise, likely had no idea of the circumstances that had brought her to this hospital. In all likelihood one of the Doe's had been her father and Lucia felt her heart clench with a mixture of pity, anger, and that quiet empty feeling that filled her heart whenever she witnessed these sort of tragedies, which became more regular the further she advanced in the field. Someone was going to have to inform the girl of what had happened and for some reason Lucia felt personally responsible. Even if it breached protocol, she didn't want Yuna learning of the tragedy from an impersonal doctor or nurse, but from someone who truly cared and sympathized for her loss. Somewhere in Lucia's heart, she had already designated herself as this person.
Yuna shifted in the bed, a soft mewling sound escaping her delicately parted lips. For a moment Lucia thought her ward would simply turn over in her sleep, burying her pale face deeper into the sterilized hospital pillow, extending her dreaming ignorance a few precious moments longer. But the soft cry was followed by a more coherent sound, a sleepy, "Wha-?" brought Lucia to her feet as Yuna's eyes blinked sleepily open. "Lulu?"
For a moment Lucia was left speechless by the familiar use of her childhood nickname but her training quickly took over. "I'm sorry, my name is Lucia. I'm a physician's assistant here at Liberty Health. There was an accident," she paused, unsure of how to continue and was met by a look of utter incomprehension in Yuna's eyes. How strange, they are indeed blue and green, separately. "This is a hospital, you seemed to have sustained little to no damage but if you wouldn't mind I would like to take down some information."
"An accident? Was anyone hurt?" the girl questioned as Lucia readied the clipboard.
Lucia resisted biting her lip; she could feel the quiet numbness seeping into her heart, her inner wall against the suffering of others. "I'm afraid…you were the only survivor."
The girl's eyes remained wide and confused, her mouth alternately opening and closing at a loss for words. Lucia steeled herself further against the inevitable storm of raging or weeping. I shouldn't have done this, I should have let Dr. Fountain tell her all this… and now she had to deal, once again with the loss in another's face, she had to—
"Lulu, what in Yevon's name are you talking about?" the girl exclaimed and it was Lucia's turn to be struck by confusion. What on earth…? Surely she meant Heaven.
"Miss…Yuna, is that your name?" The girl nodded warily, "I'm not licensed to release further information on the accident. I have said too much already. If you will wait a moment while I call the doctor," "Dr. Fountain, paging Dr. Fountain, the patient is awake," she announced into her radio before returning it to her belt. Turning back to said patient she saw that the girl's eyes had gone if possible even wider.
"L-Lulu! You used a machina! A forbidden machina!" Yuna exclaimed then as if something had occurred to her she added, "I had no idea you had adjusted so quickly," Then, as if for the first time, she began to take in her surroundings from the blinking machines and sterile walls to Lucia's austere white coat. "Are we aboard the airship?" The girl pushed herself up her voice growing frantic. "Where is everyone?"
Lucia opened her mouth to reply though in truth she had no answer, she was not even sure she should if she could. It was possible the girl's mental health was in question when she was saved by the click of the door opening and the arrival of Dr. Fountain.
"Thank you Lucia, for keeping an eye on her," A middle-aged woman with short strawberry-blonde hair and kind brown eyes surrounded by fine wrinkles, Dr. Fountain brought with her a sense of certainty that Lucia was only too relieved to experience. "I'll take over from here. Why don't you get something from the cafeteria while I help Miss Yuna here," her smile was friendly but it brooked no argument. Lucia had just turned to leave when she heard a high-pitched cry from Yuna.
"No! Wait, Lulu! Where are you going? Where are we?!" Lucia turned and saw a veiled but pointed look of disappointment from the doctor for so upsetting her patient.
"Lucia will be back soon, Miss Yuna. Now I need you to relax," taking that as a dismissal Lucia fled as quickly and calmly as she could from the girl's frightened eyes and the swirling emotions they had unlocked inside her.
Before closing the door behind her she quietly whispered into the doctor's ears, "I have not taken any vitals but I think we may have a case for Psych here," Fountain nodded her thanks and with mixed feelings Lucia closed the door behind her. For a moment she leaned against it, allowing the tightness to go out of her shoulders. With a deep breath she resumed her stately posture and deciding that perhaps it had been too long since she had had anything to, walked towards the elevator that led to the hospital's small cafeteria.
Please review, I'm interested to see who still has any interest in this story.