Chapter Summary: Finally seeing Anna again after a week-long emotional and mental torture was Yoh's salvation, but something tells him that she wasn't as equally happy. Unbeknownst to the world, Anna is also trapped in her own form of limbo.
WARNING: Mention of teenage pregnancy.
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AN APPLE A DAY – Chapter 13: Undoing
"Nii-chan!"
Seyrarm practically leaped into her big brother's arms as soon as she noticed his presence. Anna, on the other hand, stiffened upon hearing a certain man's voice but still managed to loosen her hold on the little girl just in time.
"Hey there." Yoh drew his little sister into a warm embrace and patted her head gently. Seyrarm did not hesitate to circle her arms around her brother's neck as far as she could reach. Her face, once ladened with tears, was now replaced by a cheerful expression. "Are you okay?" Yoh followed.
"Yesh!" The girl's voice was muffled against Yoh's shoulders. "I'm with Doctor Pretty. She saved me from the evil witch."
"Is that… so…?" Yoh's voice trailed off after realising that the said doctor was still in the room, only a few metres away from them. His cheeks remained pinked as he tried to steal a glance. God knows how he wanted to acknowledge her, even a simple "hi" would suffice, but his little sister excitedly narrating her day full of mischief prevented him from doing so.
The other two pediatric nurses who accompanied him to the room signalled Yoh that they will just go back to the nurses' station since the situation appeared to be well controlled by now. Yoh just nodded his head towards them politely.
"I almost had it, nii-chan! I just wanted to visit you, but they locked me in this room afterwards," reasoned Seyrarm.
"That's because you tried to get away without permission, dummy!" Redseb interjected his sister's story with narrowed eyes.
"I did not!" Seyrarm defenced.
"Did, too!"
"Did nooot!"
"Did, too! Plus, you've been refusing your meds again! Now explain that to big bro!" Redseb finally blurted out all his worries in one go. Even though it wasn't his intention to scold Seyrarm, his frustrations got the better of him because he knew the reason why his sister ended up staying in the hospital for the second time in a row in the first place.
"Hey! Whoah! Whoah!" Yoh frantically waved his free hand in the air. "Everybody just calm down. Let's all just chill, okay?" He placed his other hand on top of Seyrarm's head to encourage her to lean against his shoulder once more, then he threw a wink at Redseb to let him know that he would like to take over the situation and the teenager just rolled his eyes. The surgeon then slowly tried to peek at the girl's face to see if she was ready to talk. "Come on, Sey. I'm sorry for not being able to visit you soon as you came here. It's big bro's fault," he waited but there was no response, so he just continued, "but is it true, what Redseb said? Were you being naughty with your medicines again?"
Meanwhile, Anna remained as a spectator to the tender-comedic moments courtesy of the three Asakuras while she quietly tidied up Seyrarm's things on her bedside. She hid a smile while observing how Yoh was trying his best. It wasn't every day that she got to see him filling in the 'big brother' role especially back then when he always had Hao around him. Despite the case, she debated admitting to herself that Yoh was doing a great job while at it.
A minute went by without a single reaction and the brunette was about to talk again when he noticed Seyrarm sniffling against his chest. Both Yoh and Redseb started to panic when they saw their sister trying to control her sobbing.
"I hate you." The two brothers froze upon hearing the words. "I hate you, Redseb-nii, Yoh-nii! You always don't understand me unlike Doctor Pretty!" The two brothers had their eyes bulging out from their sockets due to the impending hell of a tantrum they knew was about to come. Their eyeballs slowly shifted to glance at the female doctor. Seyrarm, with her lips pouted, also waited for a reaction from her temporary 'mother of the day'.
Feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the siblings, it was Anna's turn to open her mouth without a word coming out. She was in deep thoughts about Yoh being the role model brother and was disarmed by the sudden declaration of the little girl. It wasn't always her thing to meddle with other people's sibling business, but then again, Yoh isn't actually 'other people', is he?
Also, Anna knew that if she didn't act fast, she would be stuck in the situation and that meant Yoh would get more chances of approaching her about the events of 'that night'.
"Well…" the blonde doctor started, feeling nervous with all 3 pairs of eyes focused on her, "perhaps I should remind your Yoh-nii about his promise to take you to Tokyo Disneyland when you get better?" She would be reinforcing the importance of taking medications with the little girl later on but first, she had to gain her trust further, even at the expense of Yoh's convenience.
Seyrarm's eyes glowed into radiant pearls. She whipped her head to look expectantly at her eldest brother who was still holding her in his arms.
Yoh felt cold sweat slide down his spine, his mind quickly calculating his free time from his work schedule in the near future which was next to none. He knew Sey had become adamant about going to the 'happiest place on earth' for the past weeks, but he got so caught up with his job and with some 'matters of the heart', that it slipped his mind every time.
The remorse began to bite him.
"Err, yeah, sure! Why not?" Yoh's voice croaked coupled with a nervous chuckle.
Besides Seyrarm's, even Redseb's eyes glowed at his big brother's approval. Since meeting Yoh, Redseb knew that he was fun to hang out with- the 'cool big brother' as he would describe him. He always spoiled him and Seyrarm whenever he spends time with them, yet he also knew that Yoh was always busy and on the go because of the nature of his job and due to the heavy responsibilities bestowed on him as the next head of the Asuakuras. So much so that he sometimes tends to forget his own well-being. Redseb's countenance softened after recalling all the sacrifices Yoh has done for him and his sister in the past.
"Yay!" Nobody would be able to describe the way Seyrarm's mood turned full 180 degrees. Unexpectedly though, the girl faced Anna once again, her long pigtailed hair flipping cutely in the process. "Can Doctor Pretty come with us?"
It was Yoh's eyes turn to glow, comprehending the possibilities, while Anna held her breath, realising she had doomed herself.
"Don't be absurd, Sey. Doctor Anna clearly is very bus—ow!" Redseb felt a kick on his shin, and he threw a menacing glare at Yoh for acting like nothing happened.
"I'm pretty sure Doctor Pretty would love to, especially if Seyrarm promises to be good with her medications… like… forever… right?" Yoh, still with an excited smirk, chirped in, not missing every single word to make his point.
Anna's eyes turned into slits against Yoh, but she decided to play it cool. "Oh, I'm sorry, but I think Seyrarm should first learn the heavy responsibilities that come with making a 'promise of forever' before actually doing it, don't you think?" The blonde doctor threw a challenging grin against her ex.
Yoh's throat went dry after hearing Anna's retort and seeing his siblings' puzzled stares. He produced another uneasy chuckle before hastily reassuring Seyrarm that he will grant her wish and take her to Disneyland.
Redseb felt the tension between his older brother and the blonde doctor. There was a gnawing feeling down his gut that told him those two were hinting at something way deeper than drinking medications on time or Disneyland trips and whatnot. Feeling the atmosphere getting heavier by the second, he cleverly convinced Seyrarm to come with him to the nearby vending machines to grab snacks, then excused themselves immediately when her sister agreed without a fuss.
Yoh was quick to hand over Seyrarm to his brother with a grateful look despite the offer coming out of nowhere. On the other hand, all the colour seemed to have drained from Anna's face. She knew what she was going to be in for once the young ones are gone.
"Seriously, I can't imagine you working with children all the time but being powerless in front of your siblings." She mocked the brunette to shake off the nerves.
"Well, you know what they say… you become powerless when it comes to your loved ones."
There came the uncomfortable silence.
The look Yoh gave her was so meaningful, Anna shifted uncomfortably, heaving a sigh.
"Yoh, if this is about that night, can you please just keep your mouth sh—"
"Anna, we need to talk."
"There is nothing to talk about!"
Anna's mind went blank which inevitably brought her to a memory of the night they shared together.
She fought to lift her eyelids that felt incredibly heavy from the mixture of comfort and exhaustion. Gradually regaining her consciousness, Anna tried to move her hand which she later realised was thrown around someone else's torso—a man's torso.
Blinking the sleep off, she felt her right cheek was leaning onto something warm and sturdy, and the evident heartbeat coupled with a steady rise and fall of said object she was leaning onto was indeed a man's bare chest—her ex-fiancé's bare chest.
Memories of that night finally came crashing back to her half-awake brain. She was grateful for her ability to recall things as it helped her calm herself down, completely resigned to the fact that she had, indeed, just slept with Yoh.
She felt happy, and content… and stupid.
Anna couldn't even fathom how one could feel all those emotions all at the same time, but she genuinely did. Since she gave up to reality, anyway, might as well admit to feeling good about what happened between them— the fire that rekindled after a night of intimacy.
Yet there was also this annoying guilt that ate her from within.
As an attempt to get rid of her torn conscience, she shifted gently in bed to get a better look at her companion's face, her arm gathering the silky sheets to cover her naked bosom. This way, she had a good view of Yoh's face.
He is truly handsome.
In fact, she thought he was even more attractive than the last time she saw him years ago, before things ended between them. His face symmetrical, paired with his thick brows, deep-set eyes, and masculine jaw. He even wore a smile as he slept making him seem so carefree and innocent.
Anna didn't notice her hand was already traveling from his chest, now reaching to cup his cheek. Yoh's soft breathing remained unbroken as he continued his slumber, yet his charms over her soared above the roof.
The blonde produced a genuine smile as she continued to watch the man before her. Unbeknownst to herself, her face was already lowering towards his in a gradual manner. And just as her lips were less than an inch away from his, Anna caught herself amidst a deed that she considered a big mistake.
She pulled her face away, careful not to wake Yoh up with such swift movements. She didn't even notice she was already crying until she saw a teardrop reach his cheek. While she was grateful that he hasn't awakened yet, she focused on trying to control her sobs that were threatening to persist as her eyes continued to flood.
Not understanding where her sudden strong emotions were coming from, Anna slipped out of the bed to run towards the room's ensuite, picking up a white shirt that laid on the floor which she figured was Yoh's due to its size swallowing her frame.
But she didn't care.
She needed a temporary safe haven to conceal her tears and muffle her sobs, and she needed it quick.
Anna splashed cold water onto her face as she tried her best to compose herself. Her sight fell against her reflection on the mirror in front of her—a woman so broken, she couldn't even recognise.
A chuckle escaped her quivering lips as she continued to stare at the lady in the mirror.
"Stupid…" she whispered. "So… so… stupid."
More silent laughter came in a form of sarcasm targeted against herself. "I feel stupid for being happy with this. For being with you." She continued sobbing. "Why, Yoh? Why did we spend all these years apart and why did it only take one night for me to realise that I never stopped missing you? I don't understand. In the past, I've always put you first—put us first and I—"
She couldn't finish her monologue because more tears came rushing down her eyes. She recalled how she heard Yoh telling her he loved her while they were making love. And while it felt all so good at that time, it didn't help with the tornado of feelings that are now devastating her.
Anna reached for the tap to wash her face once again, hoping it would remedy her messed up emotions. Reaching for a nearby towel, she dried her face as she took control of her crying.
Feeling the plush cotton against her skin as she stood there still contemplating, she threw a fierce, almost emotionless glare against her reflection. Resolve now formed in her head.
'But I won't do that anymore,' she carried on with her thoughts. 'Because more than I used to care for you… I also hate you.'
Anna threw the towel aside as she straightened her posture, giving one last look at herself at the mirror.
"And for that… I'm sorry."
She made her way back to the bedroom keeping her thoughts focused on her new chosen path. She's made-up her mind, and there's no undoing that.
The woman's sudden outburst startled Yoh. Personally, all he wanted to do was to have an earnest conversation with his ex-fiancée in hopes of sorting their feeling in a more civil way. He didn't anticipate that she would be this upset about the recent events, and it was no way in his intentions to make her feel this jumpy.
Observing Anna all emotionally worked up—torn expression, teary eyed, shaky breaths— just being next to him, he decided the second most painful thing for himself: to take a step back.
"Oh, uhm, no," Yoh cleared his throat, "I was meaning to discuss about the training program." He lied. He realised that he still knew her too well after noticing Anna's shoulders ease up upon hearing his 'white lie'.
'It's my third wish, after all,' he wanted to say, but the last thing he would want to do was to upset Anna further and pressuring her about his 'three wishes' which he asked from her last New Year's isn't exactly going to help with their current situation.
The brunette made up his mind. He would have a tête-à-tête with Anna regarding their messy personal lives at some point, but he agreed that now is not the right time.
He spoke again when she kept silent. "I mean, today's the deadline for submitting your expression of interest to your chosen department for the apprenticeship." Yoh struggled to remain calm behind every word that escaped his mouth, his eyes never leaving Anna, assessing her every move.
"Oh," was all that escaped Anna's lips. Yoh could say she looked pensive more than anything after hearing his reminder. He added a few words in hopes of convincing her to finally work with him.
"Not that I'm trying to pressure you or anything, but I always knew it was your dream to work in Pediatrics so I'd hate for you to pass up this great opportu—"
"People change, Yoh…" she replied immediately, "even I am not immune to change." Her stare against his was sharp and truthful.
"I… I know." It was all he could say.
Anna exhaled after seeing Yoh's defeated countenance. It wasn't her responsibility to make him feel better, but in the end, she still felt the grave need to alleviate his disappointment.
"We'll see," Anna mumbled. "You still need to convince me, remember?" And with that she turned her heel to leave.
A streak of hope painted Yoh's face, a wide beam once again plastered on to his face. "Wait!" He was lucky the blonde made the effort to halt her movements. She regarded him with a side eye. "Thank you…" Anna lifted a brow after hearing Yoh's words of gratitude. "…for treating my little sister today, Doctor Pretty."
He was thinking it would've been nice to hear the words: 'you're welcome,' from her, but Yoh felt that the authentic smile she flashed him before leaving was way better.
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"I'll finish up, doc." Anna muttered against her surgical mask, her palm already held up to receive the suturing scissors from the scrub nurse.
"You sure? You already look pretty beat-up, Kyoyama." Ren teased. He only received an eye roll from the blonde. "No, seriously. It's your first day back from a week of leave but you don't look like you had rest at all." Whilst Ren meant to ridicule, he said it with concern.
"I'm fine. Just leave me alone or I'll hand this back to you." Anna retorted but with a smirk. Her skilful hands continued their work on stitching-up the man whom they just performed a Coronary Artery Bypass via Minimally Invasive Surgery on.
Ren snorted but straightened up to thank everyone else in his surgical team and the members cheered happily for a successful operation. He winked at Jeanne from a distance who was Assisting her senior Anesthesiologist inside the operating room.
Preparing to leave, the people in the room heard a static sound from the microphone connected to the spectator's room where senior surgeons, specialists, and hospital executives sit and watch some of the surgeries performed. It's like a mini theatre situated next to or on a slightly elevated level, overlooking the operating room through wide one-way view windows.
"Ehem," a raspy voice reverberated. "Congratulations, Doctor Tao, Doctor Kyoyama… and team." It was the Head of Neurology, Tao En. Everyone bowed in front of the mirror despite not being able to see their senior clearly.
Ren groaned after hearing his father's voice. Of course, he would be there watching him. Of course, he would find a way. After suddenly realising a single thought though, Ren started to sweat buckets as to another possible reason why his father was there watching a not-so-complicated surgery such as the one they have just attended. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard his dad talk through the two-way mic once again.
"Doctor Kyoyama and Doctor Tao really are the dream pair for the Cardio department, aren't they? So efficient! So perfect!" The senior neurologist produced a hearty laugh. "Doctor Kyoyama, please don't forget! Today's the deadline to submit your expression of interest for the apprentice surgeon role. I'm sure Professor Mikihisa would be thrilled to receive your letter."
By this time, all the other staff in the room were giggling at one another, mostly agreeing that Doctors Ren and Anna really do look good together as a team, except for Ren's secret fiancée, Jeanne, who was silently fuming at the corner.
Ren cursed under his breath with his eyes shut. The last thing he needed before his workday ends was his father humiliating him in front of his colleagues, and most importantly, Jeanne. Surely, En was doing this all because of his mighty plan of pairing him with Anna, and no, it isn't purely work-related.
"Don't be absurd old man. I already know where Anna wants to train, and it isn't with us." The junior Tao tried to end the conversation hastily, anticipating for the best.
Anna sniffled at Ren and the latter raised a brow at the blonde who was finishing up with her job.
"What?" Ren asked, curious as to why Anna was seemingly contradicting him despite his efforts to save both their faces.
"Don't be too sure. Who knows? Maybe I'll decide to annoy you for the next six months." Anna simply stated as she cut the surgical thread signalling that she has finished the surgical suturing. Her amber eyes were directed haughtily at Ren. She then stood up and acknowledged Tao En from the other side before leaving, "I will take your advice into consideration, Doctor Tao."
Ren opened his mouth to speak, frantic with what was taking place around him. He knew Anna did that to mock him in return, but he was growing worried that his father might get more ideas. Meanwhile, he was oblivious to the fact that his fiancée was now throwing daggers against him through her death glare masked in a sweet facial expression from across the room.
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In the late afternoon, Anna found herself sipping her fourth cup of coffee while gallivanting around the E.D. like a chook without a head. It was pretty normal for her to stay back than her usual rostered hours due to being on-call, but she at least hoped she could cut herself some slack on her first day of going back to work.
Maybe Ren was right. Maybe she really did look exhausted as much as how she felt bummed right now. She now regretted offering to stitching up their CABG patient earlier. Although it was quite normal for the assisting surgeon to finish up a surgery, she didn't realise that she still had some time left on duty at the E.D. and that maybe it was smart if she had saved her energy instead.
Plus, she was sure Ren was vacant enough to be able to finish it up on his own and she would've avoided hearing Tao En's shameful antics.
Her mind travelled back to the training offers that she received earlier that day. One from Ren's father, who was ironically not even the head of Ren's department; and another from Yoh, who has technically been inviting her to train under his tutelage since the start of the year. She was secretly thankful for them, though, for she almost forgot about the deadline if wasn't for them. If her expression of interest letter wasn't already sitting in her locker, ready to be handed to the department of her choice, she would be desperately speeding up through her day just to finish writing it on time. Yoh was right. She could dare to pass up such an opportunity.
Question is, where does she want to go, really?
Would she do the honours of fulfilling her ex's wish of working with her and all of its complications, or will she choose to suck it up and try to survive co-existing with Ren for the next few months just to get away from Yoh?
She probably just wanted to pick a random department that isn't Pediatrics or Cardiology then run away and never look back, to be quite honest.
It was almost closing of business hours, and thank God, she is about to see her final patient for the day. She could only heave another sigh while she strolled her way back to the Pedia ward.
But speaking of her patient, she recalled how she had the weirdest assessment in all of her career as a doctor. Just about an hour ago, they received a 15-year-old female patient with complaints of dizziness that led to an episode of syncope, nausea and vomiting, with severe abdominal pain.
Upon interviewing, she had her guardians present in the room— the mom and her current partner who isn't the teenager's biological father, both middle-aged— due to the patient being a minor.
What's odd was that in the whole duration of the interview, it was only the stepdad who kept on answering the questions about the kid's background, health history and other information needed for hospital admission while the patient herself, and her mom, appeared very aloof.
Understanding that the girl, named Eira, has a medical background of speech impairment which may be the reason behind her all too reserved demeanour, something still didn't sit quite right with Anna. She even invited the mother of the patient to have a private dialogue with her, but the mother adamantly refused after receiving a stern look from her partner, claiming that all the questions had already been answered and all the necessary information had already been collected. The mom even had the audacity to comment, while not being able to maintain eye-contact, that her child had probably just been eating an unhealthy amount of junk food which was the reason why she fell ill, in the first place. The woman seemed to be in a hurry, muttering about needing to tend to her 'shop' which she was running all by herself. Anna didn't pry any further because first, she was already too tired to argue, and second, she did have all the necessary data that she needed.
Still, she ordered a few 'extra' tests to be done following the patient's admission and alas! She confirmed her suspicions. The patient was 4 weeks pregnant.
This was the reason why the blonde doctor, with a nurse in tow, was in a hurry to return to Eira in the hopes of catching both her parents still present with her. However, upon entering the room, Anna noticed that only the stepfather, who jumped at the opening of the door, was present with the patient. Eira remained tense, even more after seeing Anna and the nurse enter.
After greeting both the patient and her guardian, Anna raised the tablet device to prompt her discussion about her patient's test results.
"I was hoping that Eira's mother was here as well so that I could discuss the results to both of you," she addressed the man.
"It's alright, doctor. I am also Eira's legal guardian."
Anna paused for a second before considering the stepfather's words. "Very well."
She was about to start talking again when she noticed how Eira had tears welling up. Her shaking eyes spoke volumes, as if they were trying to convey her an urgent message.
Something clicked within Anna's mind and for some reason, her gut feeling told her to try and stall reporting. Not before confirming one single thing.
She excused herself from the occupants of the room which left the stepfather baffled. Anna hastily tore a small piece of paper from the small notebook she always kept in her white gown's pocket, scribbled something really quick, then handed it over to her patient. She then counted a few seconds while she waited for the teenager to read her short message completely. Anna made sure she stared directly at Eira's troubled eyes the whole time.
First blink.
Second blink.
Anna's eyes widened at the size of saucers after receiving the answer to her question. One blink meant 'no', and two blinks meant 'yes'.
But before she could even take the time to blink herself, an arm already went around her, and a pair of surgical scissors already pointed on her neck.
"Don't scream."
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A/N: Quicker update than usual. Hihi.I hope you remember that the "third wish" Yoh was talking about was the one he asked from Anna in chapter 9.
Thank you all for you continuous support! More crazy chapters coming soon! Tell me your thoughts. Don't be shy. :3
Medical Terminologies/ Abbreviations:
Scrub Nurse – a nurse who handles sterile equipment while assisting a surgeon during a surgical procedure.
Coronary Artery Bypass (via Minimally Invasive Surgery) a.k.a. CABG - a standard surgical procedure for treating blocked or narrowed arteries in the heart. The surgeon accesses the heart through a small incision between the ribs. There's no need to stop the patient's heart, and most patients don't have to be on a heart-lung bypass machine. The procedure is as effective as the traditional method, but there's a much faster recovery time, a lower risk of complications, and less pain and scarring.
Syncope - a medical term for fainting or passing out. It happens when you have a sudden, temporary drop in the amount of blood that flows to your brain. Most of the time, a harmless, short-term cause makes you faint.
E.D. – Emergency Department (come on, you should know this by now. Hehe.)