Featuring special guest appearance of Alexander by bladezmad over on Tumblr.
Matt felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs as he was flung aggressively to the ground, landing on the cushioned floor on his back.
"Oh my… are you alright?"
He looked up in a daze, his head spinning and stars dancing across his vision as he peered up at his sparring partner who towered over him worriedly.
Matt winced. "I think so?"
"I'm really sorry! I tend to get a little carried away during training." His partner - Alexander, as Matt's gaze quickly flitted over the name tag on their uniform - apologized sheepishly. Their shoulder-length wild light brown locks cascaded around their tawny olive face, with red rimmed glasses over pale eyes that blinked down at him kindly. They reached out to Matt with one hand to help him up.
Matt gratefully accepted the offer. "No harm done. To be fair I wasn't exactly paying attention to the fight."
It's been two days since Matt applied his services to the Infirmary and he's gotten no response back as of yet. Matt was anxious to quit his soldier training and start learning medicine, but until he hears back from Tord or Patrick he was still a cadet in training.
"You'll get the hang of it eventually." Alex murmured, noticing Matt's lack of focus on the current task at hand. "Just you wait! You'll be able to pin down your opponent before you know it."
Matt grimaced. "I guess."
"Are you worried about the rebellion?" Alex queried, their voice low. "It's crazy that there's actually a group of people out there who can pose a threat to us. It's really sad what happened to all the soldiers stationed in the UK at the time of their uprising."
"Yeah…" Matt hung his head uncomfortably.
He didn't like to be reminded of the rebellion… or the fact he can't go home to them anymore.
But it will be okay. Matt thought. Edd and Tord are going to talk things out soon enough, make amends, and hopefully the war will finally end!
"Excuse me!"
Matt and Alex both looked up. All the other trainees immediately ceased sparring with each other as a young woman with short, curly dyed green hair and monolid black eyes stepped into the training gym. Matt had no idea who she could be, but he recognized Patrick flanking her and all the other soldiers stopped to salute them.
"General Helene. General Patrick," The training drill Sergeant dipped his head. "What can we do for you?"
"Pardon us for the interruption." Helene murmured. "We came to borrow one of your trainees. Cadet Matthew Prince, we need you to come with us please."
Matt perked up at the sound of his full name.
Approaching the Generals, Matt tried not to pay attention to the curious glances gliding over his skin from all the other soldiers, presumably wondering what this was about.
"Yes?" Matt looked up at Patrick and Helene shyly.
"Cadet Matt, this is General Helene." Pat introduced. "One of the five generals in the Red Army and the head of the Recruitment program."
"It-it's an honor to meet you, ma'am." Matt saluted.
Helene smiled. "At ease, please. General Patrick and I have come to escort you to the Infirmary. It has come to our attention that you submitted a formal request to become an official nurse." She began to explain as she led the way through the Red Army corridors. "Well after much consideration we're here to tell you your request has been accepted."
"Really?!" Matt's eyes widened.
"Indeed! And now we're going to escort you to the Infirmary to start your medical training at once." Patrick finished.
"I- I don't know what to say?" Matt gasped. "Thank you! Thank you so much for this opportunity! I promise I won't let you guys down."
Patrick and Helene shared amused glances. "Come along now."
They accompanied Matt to the other side of the base where the Infirmary was located opposite to the training gym. The familiar pristine white marble wall and floors greeted Matt as the glass doors slid open. Doctors and nurses rushed to and fro, going from room to room to aid their sick or injured comrades. A few soldiers sat in the waiting room, patiently waiting their turn for a casual checkup.
"Pat! Hel." Yanov approached the three of them, surprise in his eyes. "What brings you here?"
Matt's eyes brightened. He greatly admired Yanov's skills as a doctor during his time spent confined to the infirmary, and he knew he was also clever and thoughtful. He would be honored to be taught by someone like him!
Patrick dipped his head to the Lieutenant. "We have brought you a new nurse to train." He stepped aside and gently nudged Matt forward. "Are you up for another student under your wing?"
Yanov's gaze shot toward Matt, eyebrows flicking with interest. "Coming back so soon? You just couldn't stay away from here, could you, cadet?" He joked, gazing at Matt for a moment longer before turning back to the Generals. "Yeah, I'll be pleased to train him. I could always use an extra set of hands around here."
"Excellent." Helene nodded. "We'll leave him in your capable hands, then." She and Patrick turned and walked away, leaving Matt at the mercy of the Russian medic.
Yanov eyed Matt up and down. "Follow me. I'll show you around the Infirmary."
Eager to start his training and learn everything he could, Matt obediently trailed after Yanov.
"Alright, Matt… so right at the entrance is the main desk, along with the nurses' station. Over there to the left is the doctor's lounge. There are eighteen treatment rooms on the East side, and fifteen trauma bays on the West." Yanov instructed, nodding at the row of occupied rooms on either side of them. "Drug dispensers are located in the North and South end of the E.D, extra gurneys, and isolation suites are in the back."
Matt flinched back when pained screams came from one of the treatment rooms. Peering in that general direction he found a soldier lying on a gurney, his arm twisted at an awkward angle, and crying out as the doctors and nurses surrounded him to try and mend his wound.
"You're still with me, kid?"
"Yeah! Sorry." Matt snapped out of his thoughts.
Yanov leisurely followed his gaze and smirked. "Get used to it. Broken limbs are going to be the least of your problems around here." He beckoned Matt to follow as they resumed their tour. "Band-Aids, wound dressings, gauze, and extra weaponry can all be found in the supply closet in the spare room between treatment rooms eight and nine, which brings us right here to the command center."
"Say, Yanov, what exactly do youspecialize in? I mean, like…"
"My department?" Yanov finished for him. "I don't have one per se. I am an expert in all fields, sort of like a jack-of-all-trades if you can catch my drift. My whole life I always dabbled in a little bit of everything. Oncology, neurology, pediatrician, gastroenterology, trauma, etc."
Pediatrician? Matt thought confused, momentarily halting in his tracks. Isn't that related to the care of infants and children? Why would he even mention that in a place like this?
Matt didn't voice his questions out loud as he continued to follow Yanov through the Infirmary.
"Farther North we have five operation rooms, the MRI, and the X-ray machine room." Yanov suddenly whipped around to face him. "Surprise exam! Quick; what's the nurse's motto?"
"Uh… do no harm?" Matt guessed.
"Close. It's actually: cure sometimes, treat often, and comfort always." Yanov told him. "That's the code all nurses must live and abide by. Remember them always."
"Nuh-uh!" A woman with tanned skin, freckles, wavy brown hair and brown eyes chimed in beside them suddenly. "The real nurse's motto around here is: don't kill your patient, cause that's the doctor's job."
"Thank you for your words of wisdom and the everlasting faith you have in the rest of us, Sarah." Yanov droned, unamused.
The other nurse, Sarah, giggled knowingly and walked away.
"Now most hospitals and healthcare facilities warn their attendees that they aren't there to make miracles. That they are simply there to do what's possible to save lives with the current limitations that they have available." Yanov continued on. "Well thankfully here in the Red Army, while we can't save everyone all the time, I can confirm that we indeed work with miracles."
Matt blinked. "How so?"
"See for yourself." Yanov pulled back a curtain to one of the treatment rooms.
Inside Matt found several wounded soldiers practicing with their brand new prosthetic limbs with the help from nurses. Fully functional robotic arms, legs, and organs. During his stay Matt remembered nurses encouraging him to eat with his new jaw and testing out his new eye for glitches.
"It is thanks to the Research and Engineering department and Red Leader himself that we are capable of such a feat. Usually, soldiers who lose limbs in battle or have some debilitating condition would be promptly kicked out of the army and left to fend for themselves. But here we are all about second chances. We give all of our comrades the means needed to come back stronger and better than ever before, and still afford to help them sustain their families back home" Yanov explained. "One day we hope to implement this groundbreaking technology to the rest of the world, and help people with disabilities regain what they once lost without having to sacrifice everything else in return."
Matt gasped in awe. "Is this something already being implemented in the countries the Red Army has control over?"
"Not yet, I'm afraid." Yanov replied. "Until people calm down, stop actively protesting in the streets against us, and realize we're only trying to help, we are not allowed to intervene more than necessary with their lives. We must wait until things calm down in order to provide their societies with the necessary changes."
The Russian medic paused to catch his breath, turning to Matt.
"Are you ready to take on your very first task?" Yanov sighed. "If the Green Rebellion is planning something, you'll need all the skills I can teach you right away."
Matt nodded eagerly. His first lesson! He felt a thrill as Yanov led him away, glancing back at him briefly over his shoulder as they entered a secluded room off to the right.
"Are we going to be tending to any patients?" He asked Yanov.
Yanov shook his head. "We have something much more important to do."
Matt tried not to feel disappointed. After all, apparently there is something out there more important than tending to patients in the Infirmary, and maybe it could be exciting!
"Really? So what are we going to do?"
Yanov turned the lights on in the room and walked over to the table that had a sheet draped over it, and a distinctively humanoid shape obscured beneath it. The medic pulled back the sheet to reveal a mannequin lying on the table. "First; I am going to teach you the proper way to perform CPR."
"What? A dummy?" Matt couldn't keep the disappointment out of his voice as he stared at the doll incredulously.
"Don't be like that. His name is Annie." Yanov explained with a tone of amusement. "And he is going to be your first patient!"
"B-but… I thought we were going to be doing something important?"
"What is more important than learning the basics of healing?" Yanov argued. "I need to teach you first aid before anything else."
Matt lifted his chin. "I know a little bit!" He declared. "I know how to perform the chokey hug."
Yanov tipped his head in confusion. "Chokey hug?" He echoed, before his eyes sparked with understanding and amusement as he gasped. "Oh, you mean the Heimlich maneuver! Ah. Well, at least I can rest easy knowing no one is going to die choking on a piece of chorizo with you around here."
Is he teasing? Matt narrowed his eyes.
"I understand you are eager to start your services in the Infirmary, and I like that about you, but I have to make sure you are ready for the real deal. I can't simply let you roam around treating patients without proper knowledge, you understand?"
"But I want to be a real nurse and help!"
Yanov's lips twitched. "I'm sure you'll do your best, but only training will make you a true nurse, and you've had none so far."
Matt suddenly felt very small. What in the world had made him think he could help? Coldness crept under his skin.
"I guess…" Matt crossed his arms over his chest sullenly, swallowing back a whine of protest he heard rising in his voice. He didn't want Yanov to think he was selfish, or change his mind about taking him in as a nurse. Still, he couldn't help feeling resentment itch at his skin as he approached the dummy on the table.
"Now, quick quizzing. What does CPR stand for?" Yanov asked him.
"Cardio… something resuscitation." Matt grumbled.
"Close enough. It's actually cardiopulmonary resuscitation." Yanov elaborated. "And when should CPR be performed?"
"When the patient's heartbeat or breathing has stopped."
Yanov nodded in approval. "Very good! Now show me how you perform CPR on Annie."
Matt leaned over the dummy and pressed both his hands down on its chest repeatedly the way he saw done in movies and TV shows.
"Wait." Yanov gently placed his hand over his. "Your chest compressions are too shallow and slow, you won't restore the blood flow properly this way. Let me show you."
Matt stood back and watched while Yanov demonstrated. "Place the lower palm of your hand over the center of the person's chest. Place your other hand on top of the first hand. Keep your elbows straight and position your shoulders directly above your hands like this." With swift, delicate precision he began to press down on the dummy's chest. "Use your whole body to push straight down, not just your arms. You have to press at least 2 inches deep, but no deeper than 2,4 inches. Now you try it."
Taking Yanov's place, Matt copied him as best he could; pressing the heel of his palm over the dummy's chest and leaning his entire body weight to perform the compressions.
"Very good!" Yanov nodded encouragingly. "Keep practicing."
He leaned back and observed as Matt kept up with the chest compressions at a steady rhythm.
"And how do you manually check a patient's pulse?" Yanov quizzed.
"Either two fingers pressed to the side of the windpipe, or two fingers between the tendon and the bone in the wrist." Matt panted. Pausing his work, he looked at Yanov, hoping for his approval, and was pleased to see his eyes glowing.
"Well done! You're a natural at this." He told him. "Though it may seem like the bare minimum, you will be of great help to us when the time comes."
Matt smiled, pleased by the small lesson. "What's next?"
"Now you'll be helping out on the front desk and calling patients within the Infirmary for our doctors to take a look at them." Yanov said, opening the door to the room for Matt to exit first. "Later I will teach you how to organize the labeling of all the meds in the drug dispensers."
Yanov took the lead and Matt trailed after him obediently, eager to learn everything he can from the Russian medic but also frustrated by how little he seems to do around here.
Sarah crossed paths with him again. "Busy?" The nurse peered at Matt curiously
Matt smiled and stared steadily back at her. "I've learned how to keep a patient alive and now I am off to help at the front desk."
"In other words, you've been learning CPR and became the Infirmary's newest errand boy." Sarah sniffed.
Crossly, Matt turned away from her without another word as Sarah was summoned by one of the doctors in the treatment rooms. Matt hurried to catch up with Yanov, who stood by the doorway and waited for him, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement. Growling under his breath, Matt stomped across the Infirmary to join him.
"You'll have to excuse Sarah." Yanov said. "She gets under everyone's skin, especially the rookies."
The Russian medic proceeded to explain to him what his new duty entailed; checking the tablet for available treatment rooms and calling the next person in line. Simple enough.
Matt had gone and went about four times to lead the awaiting soldiers outside into a treatment room under an interval of one hour when he spotted Tord watching him from the shadows of the main entrance. His one gray eye was unreadable. Matt quickly checked the timespan before the next patient's turn and he eagerly approached the Norsk.
"Hey." Tord said softly. "How's your first day going?"
"Good! Though I wish I could be in there treating patients already and not out here. So far all I managed to do was keep a dummy from dying, help people with the vending machine, and escort sick soldiers into the Infirmary one by one." Matt admitted. "By the way, is there something in the rules that says you're not allowed to put needles in your comrade's bed?" He asked, glaring over his shoulder at Sarah.
Tord shook his head, chuckling. "No, but I'm sure you wouldn't be the first nor last to try." He reached out to ruffle Matt's hair affectionately with his robotic hand. "I wish I could assure you the job gets more glamorous, but it doesn't. I know you are eager to help and learn as much as you can, but everything you go through in your nurse training is important and there for a reason. You'll be inside the E.D. helping patients before you know it. Just keep working hard."
His reassuring words lifted Matt's spirits. "Have you come to check on me or is there a reason for your visit?" He asked. Then his mismatched eyes widened. "Did Edd get back to you?" He lowered his voice.
Tord frowned. "Not a word from him yet. I sincerely hope our plan works." He replied. "I came by to see how you are doing… and mostly to get away from the rest of the Generals."
"What about Paul and Pat?" Matt pointed out. "Surely they can't be upset with you too?"
"No, they support me in that regard..."
Actually, surprisingly enough, it wasn't that difficult convincing the Generals to go along with his insane plan in the end.
Paul and Patrick would always side with him, even if his methods are questionable at the best of times. Erica and Helene, although pretty resistant at first, settled down when they realized this was a chance for them to handle matters peacefully with their enemy and avoid fighting for once. Keaton, perhaps most shockingly of all, changed his mind pretty quickly; he started out disagreeable and confrontational at first, but then swiftly backpedalled and encouraged Tord to go through with it. Seeing everyone on board with the plan, Yuu raised no complaints and happily conceded as well.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Matt pressed.
"Not really." Tord said bluntly, but then shook his head as though to dismiss his own words. "Don't worry about it. I will handle everything and you'll definitely hear about it if we get a response from the rebellion."
If? Doesn't he believe Edd only wants to talk to him to make amends? Matt thought incredulously.
He wondered why Edd was taking so long to get back at them; especially after Matt suggested to Tord they outlaw their friend's favorite beverage in the world just to get his attention. Edd wants this, so why isn't he taking the bait?
If only I could go back to the Rebellion and tell them to talk to Tord. That would be way faster and more efficient.
"It's almost lunch time." Tord's voice shook Matt out of his thoughts. "You've been working hard. You should take a break and grab a meal with the rest of your comrades."
"But-"
"I'll notify Yanov where you are, don't worry. Just move along now."
Dipping his head gratefully, Matt walked past Tord and exited the Infirmary to make his way to the Mess Hall.
Finally, he is on his way to becoming a real nurse!