Summary: Being a doctor comes with a lot of responsibilities and challenges, because when you’re at work, your first a doctor, than a human. When MC meets a person that she didn’t want to see again, she have to face one of her biggest fears. Even is she gave the Hippocratic Oath, she is still a human.
Trigger warning: Detailed description of leg injury, mention and slight description of sexual harassment
Word counting: 1907
The day was hectic because near the Hospital was an accident - a driver ran over a pedestrian. Hopefully, the pedestrian survived, but he had a very bad leg injury. His limb was nearly flat and the bone was nearly a 3D puzzle that reminded just from afar that in the past it was a whole.
Every normal orthopedic surgeon would have amputated the leg, but Takado decided that it could be saved and in no time he, MC, Ekuni and other nurses were in the operating theater, doing their best to save the patient’s leg and life. MC didn’t have enough time to look at the patient’s face or to find any information about him. They had to act fast and correct, putting aside any feelings they could have.
It took them a lot of times to make a limb out of all the small pieces which formed man’s leg. Of course, it wouldn’t be his first surgery, but the entire team did everything possible to stabilize his state and to save the leg.
After some hours, when they already finished, some of the staff members found the patient’s family members and contacted them. MC, exhausted, had to talk to them. His wife looked somehow familiar, but she couldn’t remember from where she knew her... Until she finally said her name - Sato. It is a pretty common surname in Japan. but this missing piece put everything in place in MC’s mind. She wanted to enter the patient’s room to see if she was right, if he really was the person she thought he was, but she didn’t have enough energy to do it after hours of operating.
When she returned to other doctors, she did everything possible to look as usual, so they won’t be worried. They were tired too and her problems didn’t have anything in common with them. For the time being, she would be alright. She’d think about everything the next day. She still had to make sure that her patient was the person she thought he was, before starting to worry.
“Wanna go home?” asked Takado, bringing her back to reality.
With a soft smile, she nodded. He was her lover, he cared about her. MC didn’t need anything else at this moment, beside him. His presence made her feel protected, loved. Nothing that could remind her of what happened in high school.
“I love you” he whispered, hugging her from behind while laying on his sofa.
“I love you, too,” she was happy. With her beloved near her, having a career she always wanted, working hard to achieve it, saving others’ lives.
But when she felt Takado’s warm and caring touch, under her clothes, she tensed. He wasn’t her teacher, he didn’t saw in her just an opportunity, but her brain didn’t want to process it. Not knowing what else to do, she just pretended to be asleep. He would understand, the day was really tiring. Not insisting, Takado just picked her up bridal style and put attentively on the bed. Kissing her, he laid beside her.
The next day, MC thought that everything returned to its normal state. But this feeling disappeared when Takado told her to go see the patient. She still hoped that it wasn’t him and that the woman she talked with wasn’t the one she thought.
When she entered his room, the man was asleep. She wanted to verify everything without looking at him. In that case, she could convince herself that it was another man and give her best to be a good doctor. But when he groaned in pain, she couldn’t just avert her eyes.
“Is everything okay?” MC asked with a shaking voice, seeing in front of her the teacher she didn’t want to see ever again.
“What happened?” was everything he could mutter.
She explained to him how he got in the hospital, what they did and that his wife was here, an hour ago and that she can call her. She really hoped that he didn’t recognize her and she was right. At least, he was in too much pain to understand who was sitting in front of him.
When she finished what she had to do and went back to the doctors’ room, the only thing she could think about was how she really felt. She wanted to be a good doctor and to draw a line between her personal life and her work, but in that case it was impossible for her. She felt sorry for him, she didn’t want revenge, but she was afraid, so afraid that everything could happen again, just as in her last year of high school.
She knocked on Kasumi’s door and before he answered, she entered. He just looked at her questioningly.
“Can I ask you something?”
Kasumi nodded.
“What makes a doctor good? Is there a line which a doctor can cross, to the detriment of the patient, and still be a good doctor?”
He frowned. Now the boss was worried. He could tell that something wasn’t alright with MC, but couldn’t tell what exactly, besides the fact that it had to do with her patients.
“What happened?”
“There’s a man... The one from yesterday. I don’t think that I can be his doctor. What can I do?”
“Talk to Takado. He’ll help you, I’m sure...” and before MC left, he whispered “Everything will be alright, MC”.
MC waited till Takado returned, fidgeting. She was paler than paper. When he appeared, she nearly jumped from the chair.
“I don’t think I can continue with the new case we have. Can I give up?” she asked when they finally were alone.
“What is the reason?” he was annoyed from the moment he entered the room, but seeing his girlfriend act cowardly infuriated him.
“I... I can’t... don’t know... I don’t have a reason for this...” she just whispered.
“Then don’t run away! You’re a doctor! You have to save lives! I don’t know what’s up with you. Just put yourself together!” and slammed the door without looking back.
That hit hard. MC wanted to help people. She knew what are doctors supposed to do. But she couldn’t. That moment she was simply a human being, not a doctor. She was afraid, ashamed, confused. Looking at her watch, she understood that she had to check on the patient again.
He was alone and awake. His wife was supposed to appear in two hours, after work. MC checked on his stats and asked him how he felt. Before she could leave, he grabbed her wrist and pushed her on the bed.
“I see you grown up as a beautiful young lady. You always were intelligent. Did you think I wouldn’t recognize you? I still have dreams about you.”
Saying this, he touched her chin to lift her head, looking directly in her eyes, he leaned. Before he could do what he planned to do, MC slapped his face and run away. She wanted to feel protected, important, loved. And there was only one place she could get this. She hoped that Takado was in the in-call room, but even if he wasn’t, he’ll be there soon. So she would be able to hug him tightly and just feel the warmth of his body.
Entering the doctors’ room, she took the sanitizer from Kasumi’s desk and started to rub her hand and chin. She wanted to get rid of the feeling of that pervert’s touch.
***
When he slammed the door after the conversation with MC, Takado went to ask nurses about another patient. He was angry and wanted to work till get fatigued, so he won’t be able to think about everything that was happening.
Walking on the corridors, he heard two nurses talking: “Do you know that the man who was hospitalized yesterday worked as a teacher and was accused of sexual harassment? My sister was a freshman in high school when a girl said that he touched her repeatedly. But no one believed her. And then, was found out that he had a relationship with another girl, that was in the same class as my sister. He then left that school. And when you think that he is married and has two children... What an awful man!”
The moment Takado approached them, they nearly choked, being taken aback.
“What school was that?!” he nearly shouted. The response what the one he feared the most. Was the same high school his lovely girlfriend attended. Without waiting for another second, he ran to find her. He saw how his girlfriend was entering the in-call room, rubbing her hand and chin with the sanitizer.
Takado followed her and closed the door with a slam, to let others know that he didn’t want to be disturbed.
The skin on her chin was already red when she looked at him. Her eyes were glossy and she looked terrified.
“What happened? What has he done to you? Please, tell me. Please...”
MC wanted to meet his gaze, but didn’t have enough force to face him. She wanted to cry. The first move she could do was to hug him as tight as she wanted when she escaped the man’s grip.
Takado waited till she was ready to talk, gently touching her back and kissing her hair.
“I was in my last year in high school” she started. “He was our homeroom teacher... He was loved by everyone... Some girls even had a crush on him, but they knew that he was married... Though... One day he stopped me after our lesson and wanted to talk about something... I don’t remember what he was saying, but he then started to touch my hair... I felt uncomfortable, but he was a teacher... And then he touched my thigh... I don’t know how I escaped, but after that I thought that it was just a coincidence, that he didn’t do anything... But it wasn’t the last time he did this. Each time he had the possibility to be alone with me, he did something like this... Till one day he... He... unzipped my skirt... I was terrified and hit him... I didn’t have enough courage to tell someone about it immediately. So I talked with the principal after a week. But she said it’s my fault and that I just want attention... I am still afraid of him... That everything will repeat... I know that I have to be a good doctor, but I don’t think I can do it,” she was crying so hard, that she couldn’t even talk coherently.
It broke Takado’s heart to see her like this. He felt so guilty for not listening to her when she wanted to leave the case. He took her hand and kissed it tenderly.
“You’re a human being. Sometimes you’re allowed to show it. I won’t let him touch you again. You don’t have to be near him again. I want you to be happy. If you are not ready to take care of someone like him, you don’t have to. You’re a good doctor for understanding that you can’t be the best one for him. Don’t push yourself too hard. Please. I’ll always be near you. Trust me.”
While hugging her, he understood that now he had another problem. He was the only one competent enough to make that monster healthy again, but he didn’t have the will to do it.
