A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I'm taking my sweet time with updating, this year is quite a lot. But I hope you enjoy the chapter.

2 Days Later:

Katara's POV:

I'm filling in for another doctor today in the acute unit rather than my usual position in the emergency department and I can't help the wave of anxiety that rushes through me as we continue on the ward round. The consultant, Dr Pakku, seems to notice as he quirks an eyebrow at me.

"Are you feeling alright Katara?" He asks gently. 'After our initial hostility, he's become something like a mentor to me since I landed my first job as a doctor in the hospital. I was his foundation doctor for the first year, but continued to see him when I did odd jobs in the acute ward.' I nod my head and smile in reassurance.

"Just a little tired is all." I say. He doesn't look convinced, but chooses not to ask again.

"Alright then. We only have one more patient left to see and then you can take a quick break if you want." Dr Pakku suggests as we walk into bay 3. I immediately spot Aang lying awake in bed. 'He woke up at some point yesterday. Or so I've been told.' And not only that, but both Sokka and Toph are here, chattering his ear off. 'Why couldn't the ground just swallow me up right now?' I beg silently. The consultant completely misses my unease as he strides forward to bed 12.

"Hello Aang, I'm Dr Pakku, the consultant. I heard you had a nasty accident." The consultant starts as I pull the curtain around us for patient privacy. It seems redundant when the next bed over could easily hear what's being said.

Both Sokka and Toph stare at me, probably because they were not expecting me to be here. 'Heck, even I didn't know until last night. It was such a last-minute change.' I try to keep out of Aang's line of sight, but he instantly sees me and a frown graces his delicate, but battered face. I hold my breath, almost expecting at least one of the three to say something, but to my relief none of them do. Outside of Sokka throwing me a questioning look, we all behave as if there's nothing different from any of the other patients.

"That's what I've been told..." Aang says, his eyes flickering between me and the consultant. My heart skips a beat at hearing him speak for the first time in years. His voice hasn't changed at all, it's exactly as I remember it.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Dr Pakku asks as he reaches forward to shine a pen torch into the airbender's eyes.

"I... don't know. It's all really hazy. I've got snippets of memories, but they don't really match. I definitely don't remember being in an accident." Aang mutters as he runs a hand over his bare scalp. I feel the organ in my chest smash against my ribcage at his response. 'Was what Kiki said right? No. Think carefully, this is normal. He only woke up last night.' I voice silently as I scribble down what's being said in Aang's notes.

"Hmm. Ok, do you know who these two lovely people are?" The consultant queries as he waves his hand over Sokka and Toph. The airbender glances over to them before fixing his stormy orbs on the older doctor.

"Yes. They're my friends from university and Sokka is..." He pauses as his eyes drift to meet mine, before snapping them away. "I'm pretty sure Sokka is my brother-in-law." Aang regales and my stomach twists. 'Ok, so he definitely remembers we're married.' I think to myself as he frowns deeply. "But the memories after that are blurry." He continues and my heart drops. 'Shoot. Has he forgotten about our fight?' I wonder anxiously. 'That will make things so much harder.'

"Do you remember what year you got married? We don't have your wife written on our records." Dr Pakku queries with pursed lips. The air nomad frowns slightly before nodding his head.

"2016. And I guess it's because I don't usually go to the doctors." The young avatar suggests. Again, his eyes find mine, but I quickly glance away.

"Huh. So that was 6 years ago now. You're missing quite a few years then. I'm not concerned at this moment of time, your CT scan shows the swelling is going down and you only woke up yesterday so it might take some time. But it's always helpful for anyone close to you to jog your memory with conversations or special trinkets. We'll continue to monitor you here for a few more days at least. Are you in any pain at the moment?" The consultant questions as he strokes his beard. The young avatar opens his mouth, only to close it again.

"A bit." He mumbles as he rubs his chest, presumably to ease the ache from his broken ribs. The older doctor nods his head and turns to me.

"Increase his regular oxycodone by 10mg and check that the morphine is written up as PRN. As for the plan, order another set of bloods and arrange another CT in a couple of days." He instructs as he takes off his plastic gloves. I bob my head up and down as I flick through the drug chart and amend the dose.

"Done." I utter, feeling slightly uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on me.

"Brilliant. We're done here." Dr Pakku announces with a nod of his head to me. "Take a break and then move onto the jobs we discussed today." The consultant says before waving goodbye. He's off before I can protest, leaving me with my brother, husband and friend. I exhale quietly and draw open the curtain.

"Katara." I freeze. It's been a long time since I've last heard my name on Aang's lips. I turn slowly to face him as he gazes at me with a frown.

"Yes?" I voice coldly. He winces and tries to sit up a little bit.

"Sokka told me we had a big fight. I... didn't want to believe him, but..." He trails off as he lifts one shoulder up uselessly. 'Great, so he just forgot all about it while I have to suffer and remember every agonising detail. Perfect. Just perfect.' I think inwardly. I breathe through my nostrils, knowing that I'm at work and that I must still be professional, especially since he's currently my patient for the day.

"You focus on getting better and I'll arrange the bloods and scans for you." I say smoothly, but he slumps back against his pillows.

"Money feathers. How badly did I screw up?" Aang asks with scared eyes. It almost makes a crack in the barrier that I put up around my heart. Almost.

"I apologise, but I'm here as your doctor for the day. Nothing else." I utter coolly, ignoring the way that his face crumples, even if it makes me sick.

"What did I do? I'll fix it." The airbender begs, but I'm already moving away from the hospital bed.

"Ask Sokka." I retort bitterly, letting my mask slip for just a moment.

"Lighten up Sugarqueen. The poor guy just got run over by a car. He could've died. If he had, you'd be eating a bucket load of guilt right now instead of being so ridiculous." Toph insults in her usual manner. The drug chart creases slightly in my hands as I grip the folder tightly.

"I have work to do." I announce as I try to pretend that her words didn't get to me, even though they did.

"But Katara..." Aang starts. I glare at him.

"No Aang. Just no." I utter tightly and turn to give them my back.

"Let her go buddy. Now, probably isn't the best time." Sokka urges lightly. I don't stay to find out whether Aang chooses to heed his words or not, because I'm walking out of the bay without a backward glance.

I pass by the reception area and stop. 'Great, it had to be so close to Aang's bay.' I mutter silently as I stalk back and take a seat at one of the empty seats.

I flicker my eyes around for the patient notes and grab the one from bed 1 before opening the computer and typing the patient number in. That's pretty much where I stay for the rest of the day, only getting up to take some odd bloods here and there. There was one patient where I had to go into the same room as Aang's, but I made sure to ignore him completely, even when I felt his burning gaze on me. Sokka and Toph left not long after and the only thing that the earthbender had said was:

"She better take her head out of the ground soon." Toph had muttered as Sokka steered her out, only sparing me a backward glance. By the time it nears 5pm, I'm ordering Aang's CT and bloods.

"Doctor, would it be ok if you took the blood from the patient in bed 12 please? I have to run home to pick up the kids." One of the nurse's requests. My stomach plummets and I get ready to refuse until she clasps her hands together in a pleading manner. "I know you're busy, but I would really appreciate it." She adds. 'Shoot.'

"Sure." I say statically and she runs out of the ward with a huge grin.

"I owe you one!" She hollers back and she's gone before I can take it back. 'Double shoot.' I glance back up at the clock to see that my shift is over in 5 minutes. 'I can do this.' I think to myself as I rise from my seat to go and grab the needle and blood bottles. I can tell I'm being extra slow on purpose, delaying the inevitable, but when I check the time again and it's two minutes to 5pm, I know I just have to get on with it.

I take a deep breath, reminding myself that as a doctor I need to be calm. Then I step into bay 3. Instead of those stormy eyes snapping to meet mine, I'm surprised to find that the airbender's eyes are closed in light sleep. 'I know it's only a light slumber because when Aang is sleeping deeply he always used to snore.'

I bite my lip as I tread carefully towards the young avatar. 'Should I wake him?' I wonder as I watch his chest heave up and down in sync with his breathing. 'He needs those bloods.' I try to convince myself as I stretch out a hand to shake his uninjured shoulder gently. He stirs, but doesn't open his eyes. I sigh and lean down slightly.

"Aang?" I murmur. It does the trick because a moment later the airbender's eyes flicker open. He blinks twice before his eyes widen in surprise.

"Ka-" He starts, but I'm quick to cut him off.

"Dr Aqua, remember?" I reprimand, not wanting to get in trouble for having my own husband under my care. The air nomad squints at me before nodding his head.

"Right. I..." He amends, but again I interrupt him.

"Mr Southern, I need to take some blood, is that alright?" I ask as I'm already turning to my blue tray with the needle. When I turn back, I find that Aang is pressing his lips tightly together until they tinge white.

"Are you really pretending like you don't know me?" The airbender asks quietly, his voice laced with pain. My stomach twists slightly.

"We can talk until I've finished taking your blood and not a moment longer." I compromise. The air nomad clenches his hand before offering his arm to me.

"Fine." He mutters as I wrap a tourniquet around his arm. "Sokka filled me in with what happened. Katara, I'm so sorry. I..." I shake my head at him, feeling frustrated as I look for his vein. He always had hard veins.

"Your memory is hazy, any apology you give me wouldn't matter." I retort bluntly just as I find a small bounce of a vein. I cluck my tongue. "I'm going to check your other arm." I say as I take off the tourniquet and fasten it around his right arm.

"What if I do remember?" Aang whispers. I freeze.

"Do you?" I force myself to ask. He looks away for a minute.

"What Sokka said, it jogged my memory." Aang voices quietly. I force my numb fingers to feel for the vein. As I press my fingertips at the crease of his elbow, I find it.

"So, do you remember how on earth you of all people got hit by a car? Aren't you meant to sense these things a mile away?" I question, brushing off the implication of his comment as I pick up the needle. The young avatar shakes his head.

"I can't remember anything from the day of the accident. There's still a lot of gaps in my memory." The air nomad explains, but his answer is half-hearted, as if deflated from how easily I brushed him off. I hum in response.

"Sharp scratch coming." I warn as I insert the needle into his skin. He doesn't even flinch. 'Years of cutting probably does that to a person.' I think grimly.

"Katara, I don't know why I did any of that. I just...I don't know what to say." Aang voices regretfully with sad eyes. I'm already inserting the second bottle and watch as the blood trickles down into it.

"You disappeared for five years, there's nothing to say about it." I mutter. Aang reaches forward to rest his free hand on mine. I would've slapped it off if a) he wasn't hurt and b) I didn't want to rip the needle out.

"Please remove your hand." I order quietly, not wanting to attract the attention of the other patients. The air nomad looks shocked, but he immediately complies, though not before I catch the hurt in his eyes.

"I don't know why I was gone for that long." He insists with a frown. I purse my lips as I remove the third bottle and then take off the tourniquet.

"So not all of your memories are back then." I conclude with a touch of irritation. The air nomad looks at me sheepishly.

"No. I remember most things up till our argument now, but after that it's a blur." Aang admits and I don't know why I feel annoyed at him, 'of course his memories wouldn't all suddenly come back like they do in the movies.' My thoughts are jumbled as I reach forward and press a cotton bud where the needle used to be.

"Hold please." I instruct as I tear a piece of tape.

"Can't I fix this?" Aang asks, his voice small. I stick the strip over the cotton bud, but my hands are trembling.

"This isn't something that can just be fixed Aang. You hid things from me for years and blew up at me whenever I tried to talk about it. Then you disappear for years and didn't reach out at all." I stop and glance from side to side as I drop my voice so that what I say will only be heard by the airbender. "You're essentially my husband on paper only." I end with as I collect the plastic wrappings and the blue tray. Aang flinches before re-opening his mouth.

"So, why didn't you ever divorce me?" Aang's quiet question makes my whole body go rigid. It's a long minute before I give myself a mental shake.

"My shift is over. Your care will return to Dr Pakku and another junior doctor." Those are the only words I'm able to get out before I flee from the room.

"But..!" I hear him call out after me, but I'm gone before he can say anything else and he's in no shape to come after me either. I dump Aang's file on the reception desk before grabbing my coat and bag from the locker room and rush out of the hospital. The thought of spending a moment longer anywhere near the young avatar has me feeling sick to the stomach.

When I'm outside, I head to the car park and unlock my car as soon as it's in sight. I chuck my bag onto the passenger seat and climb into the driver's seat. However, as I pull out of the parking bay my mind won't stop torturing me with what Aang asked.

"Why didn't you ever divorce me?"

'Now that's the million dollar question, isn't it?' I think sourly. 'At any time, I could've contacted a lawyer, sign the papers and be done with it all. Even my Dad had suggested it, but I couldn't bring myself to think about it, let alone actually carry it out. I may have stopped wearing my wedding ring and tell people I'm not seeing anyone, but the fact of the matter is that I could never see myself with anyone else. Marriage was something I always saw as it being for life and I didn't have it in myself to break away from that notion.'

My grip on the steering wheel loosens as my house comes into view. It was a house that Aang and I had bought together. We thought the extra space would be good for our various hobbies. But when the airbender left, it just made the place feel so ever lonely. However, it was close to the hospital so I never looked for something smaller. I roll the car into the driveway before switching the engine off.

Mindlessly, I grab my bag and open the car door before pushing it shut and locking the vehicle. I drag my feet towards the house door. 'The loneliness became easier to handle with time, but it never really went and now after seeing and talking to the airbender, those same feelings rise up within me once more.' I fish out the house keys from my handbag and unlock the door. Darkness and still silence greets me and I have to inhale deeply to rid the crushing sensation of solitude.

"Gah! This isn't what I wanted!" I mutter angrily as I dump my bag on the nearest chair and close the house door. "I always intended to get married and have a family, but all those dreams got thrown into the ocean." I complain as I throw myself onto the sofa.

I massage my temples, as if the very action could re-do the part of my life that went wrong, but no such luck. I don't get far in my sulking when my phone rings. I answer it without checking the caller ID, already having an inkling on who it is.

"Dr Katara Aqua?" The formal greeting exits from the speaker. 'Yep, I knew it.' I try to hold back a sigh as I reply.

"That is me. Is everything ok?" I ask, but I'm already getting to my feet and grabbing my bag.

"I know your on-call shift isn't until next week, but one of the doctors in the emergency department can't make it and it's too late for us to call in a locum, would you by any chance be available?" The ward manager queries. I rub my eyes before responding.

"Of course. I'll be there in twenty." I say easily before hanging up. I don't tell her that I've just finished from a shift or that I'm due to start at 9am the next day because in all fairness this was something I had asked for. Extra shifts to keep my mind occupied. It's running me to the ground, but at least it means I don't have time to think.

'I did this once before, when I first started working after graduation. But back then it was because I didn't know how to say no. A powerful word in medicine. I crashed so badly from the workload that my father, brother and Aang made me take a long break. Of course, I returned to that habit after Aang left, but I learnt to do enough work that it stops me from thinking, but not too much that I crash. Although that just means I'm in a constant state of exhaustion.'

I go to loo and splash my face with cold water to wake myself up and exit the house again. 'It's going to be another long night. I can feel it.' I yawn once and make my way back to the hospital.

"At least I know Aang won't be on that ward." I mutter under my breath.

A/N:

So Katara is running herself to the ground even though she wouldn't like to admit it. I suppose I've always seen Katara as a hard worker, so I felt this would totally fit her character. So, I know she does come across as quite harsh, but hey if my husband walked out on me for 5 years without a word, I'd be pretty mad XD I chose number 12 for Aang's bed as a homage to the age Aang was in the show XD Sorry there wasn't too much going on this chapter, but it will pick up more in the coming chapters. Hope you enjoyed it and let me know your thoughts please.

Med Terms:

-Bay = a room that usually contains 6 or more patient beds in a hospital ward . There's usually 4 or more bays in a ward.

-On call = working a 13hr shift and responsible for more than just one ward in the hospital.

1/10/22