Chapter 27 – Wrong Type

Death the Kid

"I was starting to wonder if putting you in charge of the Security Consul was a bad idea." I heard from behind me. "I'm disappointed to see I was right."

I turned to find Stein coming up behind Spirit in the hall. His white, stitched lab coat was spotted with blood. He came to a stop at Spirit's right, removed his glasses, and started wiping them with a clean section of the coat tail.

Spirit turned to him, and eyed his disapprovingly. "I'm just explaining the severity of the situation to him."

Stein sighed and shook his head. "Do you really believe he shot her? And…" He looked down, and started to rub the right lens of his glasses more firmly. "We have other issues to deal with at the moment." He finished wiping his lenses and replaced the frames on his face. "Kid, I'd like you to come with me for a bit." Stein turned away from Sprit, returning the way he came.

I assumed he expected me to follow him. Regardless, it was my intention if it got me away from Spirit and the still-blubbering Justin. It took only a few strides to catch up with him, at his right; I tried to relax my tense posture by resting my hands in my pants' pockets.

I was sure my voice still sounded anxious, however. "What's the situation?"

Stein came to a stop outside of one of the infirmary's doors, and reached for the handle. "Come inside, that's up for discussion."

My friends – Sai and I's friends – languished around the room. I recognized it as the room attached to where the patients stated from my visit a few weeks back. It was a sort of triage, or a simple appointment room. There weren't enough chairs, so Black Star sat on the floor cross-legged, while Maka and Soul stood at the window sill. Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty took up the three green, plastic chairs in the room. I got a number of looks upon my entrance, but no one seemed alarmed or irritated at my presence. Only Soul refused to make eye contact with me, choosing instead to keep his eyes fixed on the outdoors. His attitude towards me agitated me; I could feel myself standing stiff.

"I do believe this is everyone I need." Stein announced. He pulled a rolling desk chair out from under the nurses' station's desk, flipped it around, and sat backwards in it. "I am happy to say the surgery was a success, but I'm in need of blood for her. I'm not sure there's enough time to request it from the city's hospital, so I'm asking – if you're willing – to donate." He paused, gathering his thoughts, it appeared. "We're going to go through what the nurses pulled as far as blood types."

Everyone looked at each other, and light mummers seemed to be in agreement with his request.

Stein reached behind his back, and pulled forward a number of manila folders. He held them over the head of the chair's back. "I pulled the medical records of those in the room." He paused, and flipped open the top folder. "Soul is a match, and said he is willing to donate. Justin is as well, and he donated blood immediately following the surgery. Patty is a match, but she doesn't weigh enough, so I will have to decline her." He paused again, looking at the top sheet in the folder. "That…is all I have, unfortunately. No one else is a match."

It occurred to me there was no medical record on file for myself. I had never taken the general examination due to the confusion of the day of my entrance.

I coughed politely into my right fist. "My blood type is probably not on file. You're welcome to test me."

Stein shut the folder and stood up. "You can't donate Kid. You're blood is designed differently than a human's."

That wasn't the answer I wanted, and I was beginning to wonder if I could do anything besides stand around and watch the events take place. "Are you telling me I can't do anything to help?" I asked, my voice growing a little louder than necessary. "What did you want me here for then?"

He turned the chair around, and pushed it back under the table. "I figured it would only be right if I made you aware of the situation, considering your status in the school is riding on it."

I was split between anguish and anger. "My status is hardly my concern!" I huffed. "Why can't I donate? Why can't I do something useful as well?"

Maka looked at me, her green eyes sad. "Kid…"

"Eh, I'm starting to feel useless." I muttered, leaning against the office door, and rolling my head back to watch the ceiling.

Stein looked from Soul to myself, and back, and then adjusted his glasses. "Kid, Soul, come with me. I think we should have a quick talk."

***

"You know, Sai'd be disappointed to know you two are fighting." Stated Stein nonchalantly as he hooked Soul to line to feed the blood from his right arm into Sai's left. Stein was trying to attach a needle and line to his arm, feed it up through an IV stand, and down to Sai's arm. "I'll need you to hold a little more still, Soul." He complained.

Soul looked unconvinced at the hawkeyed setup. "Is this safe?" He questioned Stein, eyeing him cautiously.

"It won't feed back, so yes." He defended. "There's not enough time to run it though the separator machine, so we'll have to use whatever we can get this way." Stein turned the needle slightly, and Soul winced.

As Soul and Stein fought with the drip loop on the left of Sai's bed, I sat on the right, on a cheap wooden stool. Normally I wouldn't bring myself to sit on something as rickety, but it seemed inappropriate to ask for something like a better seat under the circumstances.

She had a breathing mask over her face, and seemed to be in pain, despite being unconscious. Her breathing was rough, and she was certainly paler than I was accustomed to. Her blood clothes had been discarded, which made me wonder where the coat and ribbons I had given her were.

And I have to just sit here…is that it? I debated.

"What if this doesn't work, Professor?" I asked, eyeing the set up myself. "Should I have my father put in the request at the hospital as a rush?"

Stein stopped fidgeting with Soul's arm, and took a step back. "There's no point. Also, there'll be too many questions as to the cause of the wounds."

Me again. Trying to make it about me again as an excuse.

I eyed Stein, who was adjusting the needle in Sai's arm. "Why do I get the feeling this is about me?"

Soul glared at me suddenly. "Heh. Isn't that a little narcissistic considering the situation?" He questioned in apparent irritation.

I went on the defense, which surprised even me. "Well…considering I can't do anything productive, and I've already been told what awaits me…"

Stein finished his work and looked up at me. "If we implant your blood into Sai, it could damage her cellular structure."

I wanted another answer. I wanted him to tell me something different.

I sighed. "Isn't there anything I can do? I'm sitting here being unproductive."

"You can make up with Soul, for starters." Stein stated flatly. "I have no intention of having the issues between you two disturb Sai after all of this."

Something about that sentence bothered me, and I stopped considering myself for a moment. "Why do you care so much? It's like you're trying to act like her father."

He adjusted his lab coat's labels. "She's still adjusting to life beyond living in the wilderness. She needs structure, and Sai has no parental figure. And…I want to know the full extent of her abilities."

I inhaled roughly. "She's still a science project to you."

Stein narrowed his eyes. "No, and I would suggest adjusting your tone of voice. I realize you're distraught, but you need to reign in the negative emotions for the moment."

"I…" I started, but ran out of appropriate words.

Soul sighed, and held his left arm to his forehead. "You're giving me a headache, Kid, seriously."

Stein eyed him. "Are you feeling alright, still?"

Soul grimaced. "Eh…no, I'm starting to feel a little like…throwing up, actually."

Stein proceeded to remove the line from Soul's arm. "Damn, I was hoping that would help, but I'm under the impression it won't." He sighed, and finished pulling the line. "This isn't working."

Soul looked queasy, and was holding the spot were Stein had pulled the line. "I'm going to lay down in one of the other beds." He mumbled, and sauntered over to the next cot on the right. Stein pulled the white hanging divider between the two beds as Soul climbed into it.

There was a moment of silence, and I chose to break it. "Professor…let me donate." I proposed again.

Stein shook his head and circled around to the side of the bed I was on. I turned on the stool to face him. "I can't do that Kid. We don't know what will happen."

I stood up from the stool and stood in front of Stein, with my hands in fists at my sides. "You don't understand. I need to do something. I need to donate."

"Kid…it won't work; it's just a volatile idea you're having." Stein stated flatly.

I rocked slightly on my heels. "I need to fix this. I need to do something."

He sighed and looked to his lower left. "And…it's probably too late, Kid…I'm sorry."

That was an excuse I wasn't prepared for. I impulsively grabbed the lapels of Stein's lab coat, honing his attention on me. "No. I need to do it. I need to make up for this! I need to change this!"

Stein's eyes were fiery. "Kid, you can't change this…it's too late for that!"

My eyes started to burn with moisture. "I don't believe that!"

"Then you need to start to!" With a quick shove Stein pushed me back, leaving his right hand on my left shoulder.

I squeezed my eyes shut, overrun with emotion. "Why are you going to let her die?!" I demanded, sniffing harshly at the end.

There was silence, and I could hear my heart in my ears.

"Kid…you're really serious about this, aren't you?" Stein's voice had lightened in tone.

I nodded slowly, but didn't meet his gaze.

Stein patted me on the shoulder. "Then let's go meet with Shinigami-sama. We have to have his approval to complete this kind of blood transfusion."