Kagayaki Days - Part 1
Author: emmachase
Requested by: No One
Title: Kagayaki Days - Part 1
Rating: PG
Genre: ???
Pairing: OkaJimaTaro
Summary: Ryutaro joins Kagayaki hospital as one of its new cardiology interns, when he discovers theres more to Dr. Okamoto than it seems...
Notes: I'm so nervous about this one... it's been such a long time since i've written anything so this one is a test of my skills!
“Don’t be nervous… don't be nervous…. Don't be nervous…..”
I remember saying it to myself over and over again. It didn't really change anything… but I had to say it anyway. Standing in front of the building that would decide my future.
I must have looked like all of those sterotypical student interns you see in those medical dramas, standing there, fidgeting with a backpack that may as well be the size of their bodies.
“Excuse me? Are you lost?” I nearly jumped when she asked
“A-Ah! A-Are you a nurse here?” I asked, noting her badge pinned to a neatly pressed uniform. She nodded and I sighed in relief.
“I-I’m the new intern that will be starting today, Morimoto Ryutaro.”
She smiled and greeted me with a bow, and she welcomed me into the pristine white building.
And so I began my tenure at Kagayaki University Hospital…
---
The moment I stepped into the hospital, I felt a chill run down my spine, as my hair stood on end. There were so many people bustling about, the sounds of children crying in he clinical ward, and the sounds of heels clicking along a cold stone floor all came to my ears. Still, this was the place I had to get used to…
Reporting to the ER department, I greeted the head of the department, Dr. Aki, and she welcomed with open arms. She was a nice middle-aged woman, with shoulder length brown hair and light hazel eyes. The small wrinkles at the sides of her mouth showed her wisdom and the many smiles I could imagine she had been giving to her patients.
“It’s been a while since anyone has specialized in Emergency Cardiac Medicine and I see you’ve also taken an interest in the surgical aspects…” She remarked, giving me a pat on the back.
“Y-Yes…”
“So what made you choose it? I have to ask…” She asked, setting a cup of steaming hot tea in front of me.
Instinctively, I guess my had must have flown to my heart, which she immediately noted.
“Did you have…. An operation?”
“When I was in high school, my very first year. I had to be admitted for a procedure. My heart was too weak to support me… “
“And it was because of that operation…”
“Ehm…. I guess…so…” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
“Ah well I suppose I’ve kept you too long. For today, please observe the ER department, and get used to your bearings. Starting tomorrow, you will be incorporated into rounds, so I would recommend studying some patient charts too. Oh, and just so you know, there is one other person here who is also an Emergency Cardiac Specialist. If you meet him, maybe you two could be partners in the department.”
“One other person?”
“Dr. Okamoto, Keito Okamoto.”
She smiled as she nodded with a dismissing sort of air, and I knew to take my leave.
I nodded and gratefully stepped out of her office.
Taking the time to at least drop my bag off at the department’s locker, and to change into my scrubs, I took a deep breath before I stepped out into the hospital ward.
The entire day flew by, and I didn't see a single mention of Dr. Okamoto, but the patients were all very nice when I went around to talk to them. Before I knew it, it was already six at night, and my shift was about to end.
But… that’s where it all went wrong….
“Emergency! All available medical personnel report to ER, repeat, All medical personnel report to ER.”
The announcement system rang in my head and I scrambled around, debating if I should go or not.
“What could they need with an intern anyway?” I asked, as I shook my head.
“Doctor! We’ve got to go!” A nurse called to me, and before I could explain who I was, she grabbed my arm and dragged me through the ward and out through doors that were clearly marked “ER Admitting.”
What I saw there, will always stick with me. A neat line of stretchers, with a nurse and a doctor standing on its side, all patiently staring at the door. The conformity of advanced medicine shocked me as I was pulled to one of the stretchers by the nurse. Just moments after that, the first ambulance arrived, and the second, the third… Just as they came, the stretchers flew into action, each receiving their patients. I barely noticed as my nurse flew forward with the stretcher, and a patient was transferred over. Only when I came face to face with the body of a man laying before me, did I snap to attention.
“Doctor, patient is 43, male, victim of major train derailment. Shot in the chest by the train’s hijackers and chest compression by suitcases when the train flipped.” The nurse reported, and I nodded, stuttering.
I froze…
“Doctor! We have to begin treatment! The patient’s pulse is weakening! Stabilize the heart! We’re losing him!”
“I’m-I’m just an intern! I don't know how to!” I said urgently, nearly dropping the tools she gave me.
“Enough,” A stern voice called, and I felt a chill wash over me, as a single entity, clad in a white flowing coat walked towards us from the hall. In one sweep, the syringe in my hand ended in his and with another blink the patient was sedated.
Somehow I felt inclined to follow them as the patient was wheeled from the ER to the OR. Standing at the observation deck just a floor above, my eyes focused at the monitors as the real operation was about to begin.
I watched as with bold sweeps and graceful movements, my savior sanitized, and created a small incision. His hands moved so quickly I could barely keep up. The bullet lodged against his heart was removed and in seconds, the blood flow stopped. All in a few minutes, the heart beat stronger and stronger, the hands that had saved him flew from side to side as suture sealed the incision in the body and the operation completed.
With just that, the surgeon left the room and I ran to follow.
“E-Excuse me…” He turned to look at me now and I froze
“Interns should be confident in their skills, know what you’ve studied and apply it to real life.” He said as he approached me, his tone wasn't angry, but rather sad, though for what reason I couldn't tell…
“S-Sorry.”
“Dr. Okamoto, the patient’s family is here.” A nurse reported, and I was shocked to realize who my savior was.
Patiently I waited outside the recovery room and when the same figure left the room I hurried after
“D-Dr Okamoto! Doctor!” He stopped and turned to face me
“Ah, its you…” He said with a soft polite smile. His soft white coat whipped around him when he turned around again.
“M-My name is Ryutaro… Ryutaro Morimoto” I bowed deeply, grateful for his help.
“Are you going to be interning here?” He spoke with soft tones, so different from before.
“Yes”
“Welcome aboard” He said, and without another word left.
“What was that….?”
My first day at the hospital was spent in orientation, learning the locations of the hospital’s departments, the head of each, and the few patients that would assigned to me and a mentor.
“For those interns assigned to Keito Okamoto of Cardiology, Morimoto! Kojima! Narimiya!” My eyes widened as I took my place next to Dr. Okamoto. He turned nodded to me.
“We meet again…”
Unfortunately for me, despite my eagerness to get started, the rest of the day held nothing but charts and patient progress reports…. Some of which I had no idea what was going on.
“Ne ne~ Ryuu-chan! Don’t stare so hard at the words or else you’ll mess up your sight!” One of the nurses, Miki teased.
The time ticked away and when I had finally finished reading the last chart the clock read a steady ten o’clock at night. Walking home didn't seem to be the most appealing thing at the moment, seeing how dark it was outside I took to the cardiology office to see if I could rest in there for a few hours until my next shift. Stepping outside of my small cubicle, I frowned as the hallways were dimmed now in the night time to allow the patients some semblance of night time.
A small dim ray of light came out of the barely visible crack in the doorway. Just as I put my hand on the knob, I heard someone on the other side talking.
“It’s been so long since you were here…” The voice sounded heavy and exhausted.
“I miss coming in here and seeing you running around, stopping only long enough to stuff a bento and a cup of coffee into my hands…” A deep sigh followed and I shuddered away into the darkness as the figure stood from the couch in the office and set something down on a nearby desk. Grabbing a khaki colored coat, he turned out the small light that had kept the room lit, and walked out.
When the door closed I peeked over the turn in the hallway to see the familiar outline of…
“Dr. Okamoto…” I breathed out and crept to the office door, gently prying it open. What… or who had he been talking to?
A single photo frame rested on the desk in the corner, and my curiosity got the better of me. The picture showed him, Dr. Okamoto, he was smiling with his arms around someone else. Flicking on the light at one of the empty desks I would have to choose from in the morning, I noticed the boy’s face was looking up at him and smiling just as happily. He was… beautiful, his white skin so carefully accentuated his, and those eyes that showed such adoration…
“What happened…?” I wondered, as my mentor’s words ran over and over again in my head.
---
At least I had the good sense to put the photo back because the next day I felt someone shake me awake and through squinted eyes I glared back at my disturber.
“Wake up Ryutaro, it’s already morning, jeez, did you fall asleep here?”
“M-Maybe….” I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
“Well… get up and get some coffee… today is just the beginning….”
“Thanks… Kojima…” I said, getting up.
Apparently in the time that I was still unconscious, my other fellow interns had chosen their desks, leaving me with the last one, right next to Dr. Okamoto’s. Which… by all respects was fine by me.
“My chest hurts after running for extended periods of time”
“I’m so worried my husband’s heart is going to stop if he keeps on with these bad habits…”
“Please doctor, tell me what’s wrong with my son?”
The day flew by as we watched the many faces Dr. Okamoto had to offer. He lectured on taking proper care of one’s body to the runner, made a worried wife laugh, and comforted a frantic mother. Patients came and left with a smile on their face, as we watched from the sidelines. New patients came and we took their history, were shown how to run tests and create charts for the doctors.
When the end of my shift came I suddenly felt more fatigued than I had ever before. Plopping into my chair at my oddly bare desk I sighed and glared at the huge stack of files I had just set down.
“If you’re tired Morimoto-san, you should rest, doctors are only useful to their patients when they themselves can think. Take your paperwork slowly but try not to overwork yourself if you can help it.” I bolted upright in my seat as I had failed to notice Dr. Okamoto at his desk, and bowed apologetically.
“T-Thank you…”
“Rest… I have a surgery scheduled, but when I come back, I can help you with the paperwork if you’d like.” He offered, taking off his white coat and setting it on the coat stand in the corner. He was dressed in scrubs now, and in spite of my questions I frowned and shook my head.
“It’s okay, Dr. Okamoto, I can handle it…”
He smiled at me with those eyes that had wisdom beyond my years and the minute his gaze left me I plopped onto my desk again.
“Ahh.. I wonder if I can do this…” I asked aloud.
“You’ll be fine.” Came a response, and again I jumped up from my seat.
“S-Saito-San!”
“We talked about this…” she said, giving me a threatening flick of her fingers.
“M-Miki-san..” I corrected myself, she had made it very clear to me on the first day that she wanted to be called by her name…
“You’ll be fine Ryuu-Chan… just don't over think it, and watch carefully.” She slid a monitor over to my desk and sat down. When it turned on, I could see the surgery room I had seen on my tour, a patient was undergoing an open heart surgery to repair a valve. As I watched, Dr. Okamoto walked in, and took his place at the table, in seconds the patient was sedated and the orchestrated harmony of the procedure began, with my mentor at the lead.
“He’s amazing isn’t he…” Miki commented
“Y-Yeah, those scalpel techniques and small things that he does are nothing like what we studied in school.” I watched in awe.
About half way through the procedure, my mind came back to me as I suddenly felt the curiosity I had the night before return. Miki had been here for a while, and she as much as anybody was close to Dr. Okamoto…. So… why not?
“Miki… do you know… who’s in the photo on Dr. Okamoto’s desk?”
Her face went white as her lips pursed for a moment, she turned to me gave me a hard look up and down before sighing.
“That… is Doctor Yuto Nakajima, he and Keito-Kun were….” She nodded as I suddenly realized what she was saying.
“Where is he now?” I wondered.
“He… died, one year ago yesterday. Why?”
“I just… wondered… I overheard Dr. Okamoto talking to the photo and he was kinda sad… kinda happy… all at the same time… you know what I mean?”
“I can tell… you’re not going to be paying attention to this anymore…” She grinned, turning the monitor off and swinging her chair around to face me.
“If you had been here two years ago, you would have seen them in action… in the operating room they were amazing, and in real life they were adorable. Yuto would pop around here hopping from desk to desk while he sat and smiled at him… I think at one point he even made Keito dress up as a cat for one of the kid’s birthdays…”
Her voice drifted away as she spoke.
“Still, they were the most amazing pair… both amazing doctors… “
“W-What was Dr. Nakajima’s..?”
“He was also a cardiac surgeon, but when they were together he preferred being the assistant and occasionally helped with the anesthesia. He also took care of the patients afterwards…”
“Oh…”
“They were amazing together… just glances at your heart could tell them your entire story… they never talked and yet they knew just what each other needed…”
“Sound like you’re talking about a comic book character….”
“Well.. whether or not you believe me, its true… when you get a chance maybe you should look through the records for surgeries, the tapes in the files can show you…”
Miki stared at the clock for a few seconds before standing up and grabbing her bag.
“Surgeries like the one he’s doing now… would usually be done by now…” She teased, dragging the monitor and turning it on in front of me again.
“Has anything else changed… since I mean…since he..”
“He doesn’t smile as much now…. And he stopped writing papers and doing research…”
“Papers? Research?”
“You see little Ryuu-Chan… our Keito has made quite the name for himself in the cardiology circles…. Only recently did he stop participating, it’s almost like… he’s lost faith in it though…”
“Faith?”
“Ja na~ “ Miki refused to answer the question.
Things had changed drastically in the short time we were talking, the procedure was halfway done, and I saw flashes as the bright lights gleamed off the gloves Dr. Okamoto wore. Delicate flicks of his hands sent instruments through the hands of the two assistants to his side and a quick check of the stitches closed the heart.
“Closing up.” The monitor’s sound echoed in the empty office
As I was watching Dr. Okamoto’s hands move, my eyes could barely comprehend the ties he was using, the delicate movements of string…
It was almost as if in the blink of an eye he was done.
A few minutes later the door to the office opened and Dr. Okamoto walked in, he had changed out of his scrubs already and wore a simple pair of jeans and a black polo shirt. I couldn’t help but think that it made him look closer to his age, he was younger now.
“Morimoto-kun, still here? Need help?”
“N-No… i-it’s okay, but thank you…” I stumbled over my words, throwing myself into a pile of reports I had started somewhere between turning off the monitor and now.
“You work hard don't you?” He asked
“N-Not really…” I chuckled awkwardly…
“Tomorrow… I have a relatively simple surgery scheduled, would you like to be my assistant?”
“W-What?!”
“You need to know, that being a doctor is not all files and simple procedures like drawing blood or doing interviews. See you tomorrow, Morimoto-kun.” He nodded, walking out of the office.
My work ethic flew right out the door with him unfortunately. Still, Miki’s words kept running through my head. A few minutes digging through the file archives yielded over 30 DVDs of surgeries, all kept for legal reasons, though now they would serve to satisfy my…curiosity. Sitting down at my desk again, I set the first DVD into my computer…
“We will be performing a Bentall procedure, patient is a 35 year old male, Yoshida Masao. Procedure begin, 2:45 PM”
Dr. Okamoto’s voice read the required case description, and with a nod, all the members in the surgical room shifted, and in mere seconds, the first incision was made.
“Yuto, let’s go.”
I heard the name, and my eyes stared intently at the scrub dressed figure on the opposite side of the table.
The slender hands that graced across knobs and buttons moved in tandem with the scalpel, instruments flowed through one hand and to the other, all while the other hand secured the operating site, maintained vision and just about anything else you could imagine.
Miki was right, not a single word was spoken, and anybody who had an ounce of knowledge about surgery knew, these two were in a world all their own, with the anesthetist and nurses lagging behind.
There was something so subtle about the way they moved, almost like water, every motion was deliberate, never wasted and never hesitant.. Watching them I lost track of time, until..
“Closing up now… Procedure complete, elapsed time two hours 43 minutes”
It was incredible… and almost unreal… I picked up the next dvd, watching Dr. Nakajima carefully as he moved the way he complimented Dr. Okamoto.
---
The next day brought the usual rounds, patients who had been live-ins for the course of their treatment greeted you, while patients who had never been here in their lives frantically shouted questions at you. Eventually though, time passed and four o’clock came, the scheduled time. I had spent the night watching surgeries like the one today, doing research, and I felt comfortable with the procedure, just performing it with Dr. Okamoto…
In time I found myself standing opposite him, and he gave me a reassuring smile as he nodded for the nurse to begin the recording.
“We will be performing a pacemaker insertion, patient is a 24 year old male, Nakagawa Kosuke, procedure begin 4:50 pm.”
He read and nodded to me, I sprang to life like I had seen Dr. Nakajima do, I flew my hands across the monitor, hitting the buttons like I saw him do, one hand out to the tools, and the other flew to help with the incision.
“Dr. Okamoto?” One of the nurses asked, and I looked up to see him staring at me.
“N-Nothing, continuing..” he said softly, and I performed my role just as I studied. Such a routine procedure was fascinating, the way they input the small almost disc like pacemaker…
In a short time, I was scrubbing out, and Dr. Okamoto stood beside me silently, turning only enough to tell me I did a good job.
“D-Dr. Okamoto…?”
“Call me.. Keito…”
“Oh I couldn’t… I-It’s too impolite…”
“Are you one of those then? How about this, in front of other people you can call me whatever you like, but when it’s just the two of us…”
“A-A-Alright…” I nodded, a little unsure still.
“D- Keito…”
“Yes?”
“I-“
“Where did you learn how to do everything you did in there?” He cut me off.
“I…”
“Miki told you didn't she?’
“Wha-N-no….” I was fairly sure I wasn't very convincing.
“She has a habit of talking about him… but I suppose it cant be helped, they were good friends too…”
“S-So…”
“So… good job in there today.” He smiled that same smile and walked away.
“W-“ I caught myself, maybe… now wasn't a good time to ask anymore….
---
Another week passed and I still wasn't sure how to approach the subject, then again, I didn't really know why I was so curious about it…
“Ryuu-Chan… you’re supposed to be up in 374 with Hiro-San, remember?” Miki tapped on my shoulder.
“A-Ahh! It’s that time already!?”
“Honestly…. So forgetful….” She tsked away as I dashed out of the cardiology office.
“Ryutaro-Kun, what took so long?”
Hiro-San was a nice man, in his 70s, fairly successful, and the absolute epitome of a grandfather.
“A-Ahh.. well…”
“You forgot didn't you…” He grinned.
“It’s not that I forgot…I was….”
He nodded along, pretending to follow my train of thought.
“I was…forgetting…okay I got nothing…” I sighed and he chortled.
“Well you’re here now, so…”
I nodded and sat down next to him, pulling out the chart to ask the usual questions before proceeding to the physical part.
“Okay Hiro-San, your stitches are all healing up nicely, everything seems to be recovering smoothly…” I mimicked the smile that I saw Dr. Okamoto use.
“It doesn't suit you…” He said to me suddenly
“What doesn't?”
“That face…”
“W-What?”
“Dr. Okamoto’s, that one…”
“I-I don't know what you’re talking about”
“That’s the same face that we share, the one where you’re still trying to smile, even though you’ve lost something so important…”
“A-e-eheh…talking in riddles again…” I laughed awkwardly.
“Ryutaro-kun, you’re still young, you shouldn't have to bear that smile…” He turned away from me and stared out into the small recreation area just outside his window. His silvery white hair tinted orange with the setting sung and his eyes gleamed as they closed, tired with age and fatigue.
Just as my foot was about to step out the door, my curiosity that had built up over the week got the better of me.
“How… did you know?”
“Hm?”
“How did you know about… Dr. Okamoto?”
“I was here…”
“What?”
“I’ve been coming here for treatments since three years ago, my surgery has been put on hold over and over again, either my blood pressure is not right, or I didn't have the money at the time…but Dr. Nakajima took care of me. When he passed, Dr. Okamoto took over and it wasn't until a weeks ago he told me he had scheduled a surgery room for me….”
“So… do you know… how he…”
“It wasn't hard to see… over time… Yuto-kun… he began having trouble…”
“Trouble?”
“He was doing his rounds, checking on patients, and… I wasn't paying attention, but I remember a clattering of tools and patients climbing out of bed to help him. They couldn't get him to breathe again. A small group of nurses picked him up off the floor and onto one of the treatment beds and began to do… I don't even remember. But we didn't think it was anything, he said he was tired.”
“But it wasn't just that was it?”
“It happened again another week later, Keito-kun was so worried… they walked together during rounds, Yuto resting on his arm… he was getting so weak, but he wanted to take care of his patients. That was the type of doctor he was…”
I nodded, urging him to continue.
“Another week or so later… we heard that Yuto-Kun had been admitted to the hospital and was staying in the cardiac intensive ward. The patients all flew to see him, and… it was terrifying to see him there… someone we never expected to see in that position. And when we were visiting him… he smiled at us, and told us about how everything would be okay… though… we never knew if he was talking about himself or us…”
“He was quite the doctor wasn't he?”
“Yes… and Keito-kun tried so save him, the week after, Yuto-kun went into surgery, but it was too late, there was nothing to do…”
“A-And…?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“One week after the surgery, Yuto-Kun passed away… and he was never the same… still gentle, but so lost…”
“Gentle but lost…” I repeated.
Leaving Hiro-San’s room that day, gave me a lot more to think about. Keito… was an amazing doctor, and… and…
“He’s… lonely…” It suddenly hit me. Walking into the small cardiology office I sat down at my desk and turned to face him.
“Doctor…I mean… Keito…?”
“Hm?”
“we’ve been… getting to know each other right?” I couldn’t really tell where I was going with this, but it felt like the right thing to say. After all, the three surgeries we were in together lasted a rather long time…
“Right…”
“Would you…like to come out to dinner with me one time?”
Keito set down his pen and closed the folder he was writing in.
“I… would like that…”
We set the date for tonight, since the hospital gave us early leave tonight as tomorrow would be an unfortunate mess of double scheduled surgeries.
Precisely at seven, we met at the hospital’s entrance, and walked to the small restaurant a few blocks away.
Unfortunately… that’s as much as I remembered. Dinner flew by, and now we found ourselves sitting in our little booth at the restaurant. His half-eaten ice cream melting away, and my slice of cake reduced to crumbles.
I told him jokes, we shared stories of our days in medical school, which by the way, were incredibly different experiences, and through it all, I could see that he was trying to laugh, but never quite got there. Somewhere in the midst of my story about almost fainting during my first surgery, his phone rang.
“Excuse me..” Keito said, picking up the buzzing phone from the table. From my place opposite him I could barely make out something that looked like “Nakajima House” on the phone’s front layout. In an instant my eyes darted up to his, they were staring at the phone with such intensity. What little bit of a grin I had coaxed out of him vanished and with slightly shaky hands he hit the button to reject the call.
“Are you… okay?” I asked
“It was… Yuto’s brother. They’ve been wanting me to go to their house to pick up some of the things he left for me.”
“Why don't you?” I asked, a bit insensitively. Seeing the look on his face, I knew I had gone a little bit too far.
“Thank you for your company tonight Ryutaro, but we have to rest tonight, tomorrow will be a busy day…” Keito got up and left.
---
The next day I was a bit nervous to see him, but unfortunately, the afternoon rolled around and it was time for our scheduled surgeries. Personally, I was a little surprised he didn't request a change of assistants….
“D-Dr. Okamoto, I’m sorry about yesterday…” I blurted out as we rode in the elevator from the office to the ground floor.
“For what?”
“For… digging… yesterday…”
He took a deep breath and sighed. Turning to face me, he looked into my eyes.
“Ryutaro, why are you concerned about me? It’s my job to be concerned about you, as your mentor….”
“I-It’s just… that you seem sad sometimes… a-and I saw you talking to the photo… and-and I think it might be good for you to talk it out.“ all the words kept flowing out my mouth and only stopped when he held up a hand. At just that moment, I felt like a little child, just spouting out words, hoping to find an excuse to explain myself. The door of the elevator opened and he took a step forward.
Pausing for a second he turned to look at me and gave another heaving sigh. Keito turned his back to be and continued walking forward. Had I finally gone too far?
“If you want me to have time to talk about it, you better make sure I get through these two operations in record time……”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry it's been so long minna, this is a story that was brewing in my head for a while already so I figured I had to get it out, whether or not it's good.... that's an entirely different matter.. haha just letting scenarios flow out my head..
As usual, comments are appreciated if you choose to share them <3
~Emmie
Requested by: No One
Title: Kagayaki Days - Part 1
Rating: PG
Genre: ???
Pairing: OkaJimaTaro
Summary: Ryutaro joins Kagayaki hospital as one of its new cardiology interns, when he discovers theres more to Dr. Okamoto than it seems...
Notes: I'm so nervous about this one... it's been such a long time since i've written anything so this one is a test of my skills!
“Don’t be nervous… don't be nervous…. Don't be nervous…..”
I remember saying it to myself over and over again. It didn't really change anything… but I had to say it anyway. Standing in front of the building that would decide my future.
I must have looked like all of those sterotypical student interns you see in those medical dramas, standing there, fidgeting with a backpack that may as well be the size of their bodies.
“Excuse me? Are you lost?” I nearly jumped when she asked
“A-Ah! A-Are you a nurse here?” I asked, noting her badge pinned to a neatly pressed uniform. She nodded and I sighed in relief.
“I-I’m the new intern that will be starting today, Morimoto Ryutaro.”
She smiled and greeted me with a bow, and she welcomed me into the pristine white building.
And so I began my tenure at Kagayaki University Hospital…
---
The moment I stepped into the hospital, I felt a chill run down my spine, as my hair stood on end. There were so many people bustling about, the sounds of children crying in he clinical ward, and the sounds of heels clicking along a cold stone floor all came to my ears. Still, this was the place I had to get used to…
Reporting to the ER department, I greeted the head of the department, Dr. Aki, and she welcomed with open arms. She was a nice middle-aged woman, with shoulder length brown hair and light hazel eyes. The small wrinkles at the sides of her mouth showed her wisdom and the many smiles I could imagine she had been giving to her patients.
“It’s been a while since anyone has specialized in Emergency Cardiac Medicine and I see you’ve also taken an interest in the surgical aspects…” She remarked, giving me a pat on the back.
“Y-Yes…”
“So what made you choose it? I have to ask…” She asked, setting a cup of steaming hot tea in front of me.
Instinctively, I guess my had must have flown to my heart, which she immediately noted.
“Did you have…. An operation?”
“When I was in high school, my very first year. I had to be admitted for a procedure. My heart was too weak to support me… “
“And it was because of that operation…”
“Ehm…. I guess…so…” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
“Ah well I suppose I’ve kept you too long. For today, please observe the ER department, and get used to your bearings. Starting tomorrow, you will be incorporated into rounds, so I would recommend studying some patient charts too. Oh, and just so you know, there is one other person here who is also an Emergency Cardiac Specialist. If you meet him, maybe you two could be partners in the department.”
“One other person?”
“Dr. Okamoto, Keito Okamoto.”
She smiled as she nodded with a dismissing sort of air, and I knew to take my leave.
I nodded and gratefully stepped out of her office.
Taking the time to at least drop my bag off at the department’s locker, and to change into my scrubs, I took a deep breath before I stepped out into the hospital ward.
The entire day flew by, and I didn't see a single mention of Dr. Okamoto, but the patients were all very nice when I went around to talk to them. Before I knew it, it was already six at night, and my shift was about to end.
But… that’s where it all went wrong….
“Emergency! All available medical personnel report to ER, repeat, All medical personnel report to ER.”
The announcement system rang in my head and I scrambled around, debating if I should go or not.
“What could they need with an intern anyway?” I asked, as I shook my head.
“Doctor! We’ve got to go!” A nurse called to me, and before I could explain who I was, she grabbed my arm and dragged me through the ward and out through doors that were clearly marked “ER Admitting.”
What I saw there, will always stick with me. A neat line of stretchers, with a nurse and a doctor standing on its side, all patiently staring at the door. The conformity of advanced medicine shocked me as I was pulled to one of the stretchers by the nurse. Just moments after that, the first ambulance arrived, and the second, the third… Just as they came, the stretchers flew into action, each receiving their patients. I barely noticed as my nurse flew forward with the stretcher, and a patient was transferred over. Only when I came face to face with the body of a man laying before me, did I snap to attention.
“Doctor, patient is 43, male, victim of major train derailment. Shot in the chest by the train’s hijackers and chest compression by suitcases when the train flipped.” The nurse reported, and I nodded, stuttering.
I froze…
“Doctor! We have to begin treatment! The patient’s pulse is weakening! Stabilize the heart! We’re losing him!”
“I’m-I’m just an intern! I don't know how to!” I said urgently, nearly dropping the tools she gave me.
“Enough,” A stern voice called, and I felt a chill wash over me, as a single entity, clad in a white flowing coat walked towards us from the hall. In one sweep, the syringe in my hand ended in his and with another blink the patient was sedated.
Somehow I felt inclined to follow them as the patient was wheeled from the ER to the OR. Standing at the observation deck just a floor above, my eyes focused at the monitors as the real operation was about to begin.
I watched as with bold sweeps and graceful movements, my savior sanitized, and created a small incision. His hands moved so quickly I could barely keep up. The bullet lodged against his heart was removed and in seconds, the blood flow stopped. All in a few minutes, the heart beat stronger and stronger, the hands that had saved him flew from side to side as suture sealed the incision in the body and the operation completed.
With just that, the surgeon left the room and I ran to follow.
“E-Excuse me…” He turned to look at me now and I froze
“Interns should be confident in their skills, know what you’ve studied and apply it to real life.” He said as he approached me, his tone wasn't angry, but rather sad, though for what reason I couldn't tell…
“S-Sorry.”
“Dr. Okamoto, the patient’s family is here.” A nurse reported, and I was shocked to realize who my savior was.
Patiently I waited outside the recovery room and when the same figure left the room I hurried after
“D-Dr Okamoto! Doctor!” He stopped and turned to face me
“Ah, its you…” He said with a soft polite smile. His soft white coat whipped around him when he turned around again.
“M-My name is Ryutaro… Ryutaro Morimoto” I bowed deeply, grateful for his help.
“Are you going to be interning here?” He spoke with soft tones, so different from before.
“Yes”
“Welcome aboard” He said, and without another word left.
“What was that….?”
My first day at the hospital was spent in orientation, learning the locations of the hospital’s departments, the head of each, and the few patients that would assigned to me and a mentor.
“For those interns assigned to Keito Okamoto of Cardiology, Morimoto! Kojima! Narimiya!” My eyes widened as I took my place next to Dr. Okamoto. He turned nodded to me.
“We meet again…”
Unfortunately for me, despite my eagerness to get started, the rest of the day held nothing but charts and patient progress reports…. Some of which I had no idea what was going on.
“Ne ne~ Ryuu-chan! Don’t stare so hard at the words or else you’ll mess up your sight!” One of the nurses, Miki teased.
The time ticked away and when I had finally finished reading the last chart the clock read a steady ten o’clock at night. Walking home didn't seem to be the most appealing thing at the moment, seeing how dark it was outside I took to the cardiology office to see if I could rest in there for a few hours until my next shift. Stepping outside of my small cubicle, I frowned as the hallways were dimmed now in the night time to allow the patients some semblance of night time.
A small dim ray of light came out of the barely visible crack in the doorway. Just as I put my hand on the knob, I heard someone on the other side talking.
“It’s been so long since you were here…” The voice sounded heavy and exhausted.
“I miss coming in here and seeing you running around, stopping only long enough to stuff a bento and a cup of coffee into my hands…” A deep sigh followed and I shuddered away into the darkness as the figure stood from the couch in the office and set something down on a nearby desk. Grabbing a khaki colored coat, he turned out the small light that had kept the room lit, and walked out.
When the door closed I peeked over the turn in the hallway to see the familiar outline of…
“Dr. Okamoto…” I breathed out and crept to the office door, gently prying it open. What… or who had he been talking to?
A single photo frame rested on the desk in the corner, and my curiosity got the better of me. The picture showed him, Dr. Okamoto, he was smiling with his arms around someone else. Flicking on the light at one of the empty desks I would have to choose from in the morning, I noticed the boy’s face was looking up at him and smiling just as happily. He was… beautiful, his white skin so carefully accentuated his, and those eyes that showed such adoration…
“What happened…?” I wondered, as my mentor’s words ran over and over again in my head.
---
At least I had the good sense to put the photo back because the next day I felt someone shake me awake and through squinted eyes I glared back at my disturber.
“Wake up Ryutaro, it’s already morning, jeez, did you fall asleep here?”
“M-Maybe….” I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
“Well… get up and get some coffee… today is just the beginning….”
“Thanks… Kojima…” I said, getting up.
Apparently in the time that I was still unconscious, my other fellow interns had chosen their desks, leaving me with the last one, right next to Dr. Okamoto’s. Which… by all respects was fine by me.
“My chest hurts after running for extended periods of time”
“I’m so worried my husband’s heart is going to stop if he keeps on with these bad habits…”
“Please doctor, tell me what’s wrong with my son?”
The day flew by as we watched the many faces Dr. Okamoto had to offer. He lectured on taking proper care of one’s body to the runner, made a worried wife laugh, and comforted a frantic mother. Patients came and left with a smile on their face, as we watched from the sidelines. New patients came and we took their history, were shown how to run tests and create charts for the doctors.
When the end of my shift came I suddenly felt more fatigued than I had ever before. Plopping into my chair at my oddly bare desk I sighed and glared at the huge stack of files I had just set down.
“If you’re tired Morimoto-san, you should rest, doctors are only useful to their patients when they themselves can think. Take your paperwork slowly but try not to overwork yourself if you can help it.” I bolted upright in my seat as I had failed to notice Dr. Okamoto at his desk, and bowed apologetically.
“T-Thank you…”
“Rest… I have a surgery scheduled, but when I come back, I can help you with the paperwork if you’d like.” He offered, taking off his white coat and setting it on the coat stand in the corner. He was dressed in scrubs now, and in spite of my questions I frowned and shook my head.
“It’s okay, Dr. Okamoto, I can handle it…”
He smiled at me with those eyes that had wisdom beyond my years and the minute his gaze left me I plopped onto my desk again.
“Ahh.. I wonder if I can do this…” I asked aloud.
“You’ll be fine.” Came a response, and again I jumped up from my seat.
“S-Saito-San!”
“We talked about this…” she said, giving me a threatening flick of her fingers.
“M-Miki-san..” I corrected myself, she had made it very clear to me on the first day that she wanted to be called by her name…
“You’ll be fine Ryuu-Chan… just don't over think it, and watch carefully.” She slid a monitor over to my desk and sat down. When it turned on, I could see the surgery room I had seen on my tour, a patient was undergoing an open heart surgery to repair a valve. As I watched, Dr. Okamoto walked in, and took his place at the table, in seconds the patient was sedated and the orchestrated harmony of the procedure began, with my mentor at the lead.
“He’s amazing isn’t he…” Miki commented
“Y-Yeah, those scalpel techniques and small things that he does are nothing like what we studied in school.” I watched in awe.
About half way through the procedure, my mind came back to me as I suddenly felt the curiosity I had the night before return. Miki had been here for a while, and she as much as anybody was close to Dr. Okamoto…. So… why not?
“Miki… do you know… who’s in the photo on Dr. Okamoto’s desk?”
Her face went white as her lips pursed for a moment, she turned to me gave me a hard look up and down before sighing.
“That… is Doctor Yuto Nakajima, he and Keito-Kun were….” She nodded as I suddenly realized what she was saying.
“Where is he now?” I wondered.
“He… died, one year ago yesterday. Why?”
“I just… wondered… I overheard Dr. Okamoto talking to the photo and he was kinda sad… kinda happy… all at the same time… you know what I mean?”
“I can tell… you’re not going to be paying attention to this anymore…” She grinned, turning the monitor off and swinging her chair around to face me.
“If you had been here two years ago, you would have seen them in action… in the operating room they were amazing, and in real life they were adorable. Yuto would pop around here hopping from desk to desk while he sat and smiled at him… I think at one point he even made Keito dress up as a cat for one of the kid’s birthdays…”
Her voice drifted away as she spoke.
“Still, they were the most amazing pair… both amazing doctors… “
“W-What was Dr. Nakajima’s..?”
“He was also a cardiac surgeon, but when they were together he preferred being the assistant and occasionally helped with the anesthesia. He also took care of the patients afterwards…”
“Oh…”
“They were amazing together… just glances at your heart could tell them your entire story… they never talked and yet they knew just what each other needed…”
“Sound like you’re talking about a comic book character….”
“Well.. whether or not you believe me, its true… when you get a chance maybe you should look through the records for surgeries, the tapes in the files can show you…”
Miki stared at the clock for a few seconds before standing up and grabbing her bag.
“Surgeries like the one he’s doing now… would usually be done by now…” She teased, dragging the monitor and turning it on in front of me again.
“Has anything else changed… since I mean…since he..”
“He doesn’t smile as much now…. And he stopped writing papers and doing research…”
“Papers? Research?”
“You see little Ryuu-Chan… our Keito has made quite the name for himself in the cardiology circles…. Only recently did he stop participating, it’s almost like… he’s lost faith in it though…”
“Faith?”
“Ja na~ “ Miki refused to answer the question.
Things had changed drastically in the short time we were talking, the procedure was halfway done, and I saw flashes as the bright lights gleamed off the gloves Dr. Okamoto wore. Delicate flicks of his hands sent instruments through the hands of the two assistants to his side and a quick check of the stitches closed the heart.
“Closing up.” The monitor’s sound echoed in the empty office
As I was watching Dr. Okamoto’s hands move, my eyes could barely comprehend the ties he was using, the delicate movements of string…
It was almost as if in the blink of an eye he was done.
A few minutes later the door to the office opened and Dr. Okamoto walked in, he had changed out of his scrubs already and wore a simple pair of jeans and a black polo shirt. I couldn’t help but think that it made him look closer to his age, he was younger now.
“Morimoto-kun, still here? Need help?”
“N-No… i-it’s okay, but thank you…” I stumbled over my words, throwing myself into a pile of reports I had started somewhere between turning off the monitor and now.
“You work hard don't you?” He asked
“N-Not really…” I chuckled awkwardly…
“Tomorrow… I have a relatively simple surgery scheduled, would you like to be my assistant?”
“W-What?!”
“You need to know, that being a doctor is not all files and simple procedures like drawing blood or doing interviews. See you tomorrow, Morimoto-kun.” He nodded, walking out of the office.
My work ethic flew right out the door with him unfortunately. Still, Miki’s words kept running through my head. A few minutes digging through the file archives yielded over 30 DVDs of surgeries, all kept for legal reasons, though now they would serve to satisfy my…curiosity. Sitting down at my desk again, I set the first DVD into my computer…
“We will be performing a Bentall procedure, patient is a 35 year old male, Yoshida Masao. Procedure begin, 2:45 PM”
Dr. Okamoto’s voice read the required case description, and with a nod, all the members in the surgical room shifted, and in mere seconds, the first incision was made.
“Yuto, let’s go.”
I heard the name, and my eyes stared intently at the scrub dressed figure on the opposite side of the table.
The slender hands that graced across knobs and buttons moved in tandem with the scalpel, instruments flowed through one hand and to the other, all while the other hand secured the operating site, maintained vision and just about anything else you could imagine.
Miki was right, not a single word was spoken, and anybody who had an ounce of knowledge about surgery knew, these two were in a world all their own, with the anesthetist and nurses lagging behind.
There was something so subtle about the way they moved, almost like water, every motion was deliberate, never wasted and never hesitant.. Watching them I lost track of time, until..
“Closing up now… Procedure complete, elapsed time two hours 43 minutes”
It was incredible… and almost unreal… I picked up the next dvd, watching Dr. Nakajima carefully as he moved the way he complimented Dr. Okamoto.
---
The next day brought the usual rounds, patients who had been live-ins for the course of their treatment greeted you, while patients who had never been here in their lives frantically shouted questions at you. Eventually though, time passed and four o’clock came, the scheduled time. I had spent the night watching surgeries like the one today, doing research, and I felt comfortable with the procedure, just performing it with Dr. Okamoto…
In time I found myself standing opposite him, and he gave me a reassuring smile as he nodded for the nurse to begin the recording.
“We will be performing a pacemaker insertion, patient is a 24 year old male, Nakagawa Kosuke, procedure begin 4:50 pm.”
He read and nodded to me, I sprang to life like I had seen Dr. Nakajima do, I flew my hands across the monitor, hitting the buttons like I saw him do, one hand out to the tools, and the other flew to help with the incision.
“Dr. Okamoto?” One of the nurses asked, and I looked up to see him staring at me.
“N-Nothing, continuing..” he said softly, and I performed my role just as I studied. Such a routine procedure was fascinating, the way they input the small almost disc like pacemaker…
In a short time, I was scrubbing out, and Dr. Okamoto stood beside me silently, turning only enough to tell me I did a good job.
“D-Dr. Okamoto…?”
“Call me.. Keito…”
“Oh I couldn’t… I-It’s too impolite…”
“Are you one of those then? How about this, in front of other people you can call me whatever you like, but when it’s just the two of us…”
“A-A-Alright…” I nodded, a little unsure still.
“D- Keito…”
“Yes?”
“I-“
“Where did you learn how to do everything you did in there?” He cut me off.
“I…”
“Miki told you didn't she?’
“Wha-N-no….” I was fairly sure I wasn't very convincing.
“She has a habit of talking about him… but I suppose it cant be helped, they were good friends too…”
“S-So…”
“So… good job in there today.” He smiled that same smile and walked away.
“W-“ I caught myself, maybe… now wasn't a good time to ask anymore….
---
Another week passed and I still wasn't sure how to approach the subject, then again, I didn't really know why I was so curious about it…
“Ryuu-Chan… you’re supposed to be up in 374 with Hiro-San, remember?” Miki tapped on my shoulder.
“A-Ahh! It’s that time already!?”
“Honestly…. So forgetful….” She tsked away as I dashed out of the cardiology office.
“Ryutaro-Kun, what took so long?”
Hiro-San was a nice man, in his 70s, fairly successful, and the absolute epitome of a grandfather.
“A-Ahh.. well…”
“You forgot didn't you…” He grinned.
“It’s not that I forgot…I was….”
He nodded along, pretending to follow my train of thought.
“I was…forgetting…okay I got nothing…” I sighed and he chortled.
“Well you’re here now, so…”
I nodded and sat down next to him, pulling out the chart to ask the usual questions before proceeding to the physical part.
“Okay Hiro-San, your stitches are all healing up nicely, everything seems to be recovering smoothly…” I mimicked the smile that I saw Dr. Okamoto use.
“It doesn't suit you…” He said to me suddenly
“What doesn't?”
“That face…”
“W-What?”
“Dr. Okamoto’s, that one…”
“I-I don't know what you’re talking about”
“That’s the same face that we share, the one where you’re still trying to smile, even though you’ve lost something so important…”
“A-e-eheh…talking in riddles again…” I laughed awkwardly.
“Ryutaro-kun, you’re still young, you shouldn't have to bear that smile…” He turned away from me and stared out into the small recreation area just outside his window. His silvery white hair tinted orange with the setting sung and his eyes gleamed as they closed, tired with age and fatigue.
Just as my foot was about to step out the door, my curiosity that had built up over the week got the better of me.
“How… did you know?”
“Hm?”
“How did you know about… Dr. Okamoto?”
“I was here…”
“What?”
“I’ve been coming here for treatments since three years ago, my surgery has been put on hold over and over again, either my blood pressure is not right, or I didn't have the money at the time…but Dr. Nakajima took care of me. When he passed, Dr. Okamoto took over and it wasn't until a weeks ago he told me he had scheduled a surgery room for me….”
“So… do you know… how he…”
“It wasn't hard to see… over time… Yuto-kun… he began having trouble…”
“Trouble?”
“He was doing his rounds, checking on patients, and… I wasn't paying attention, but I remember a clattering of tools and patients climbing out of bed to help him. They couldn't get him to breathe again. A small group of nurses picked him up off the floor and onto one of the treatment beds and began to do… I don't even remember. But we didn't think it was anything, he said he was tired.”
“But it wasn't just that was it?”
“It happened again another week later, Keito-kun was so worried… they walked together during rounds, Yuto resting on his arm… he was getting so weak, but he wanted to take care of his patients. That was the type of doctor he was…”
I nodded, urging him to continue.
“Another week or so later… we heard that Yuto-Kun had been admitted to the hospital and was staying in the cardiac intensive ward. The patients all flew to see him, and… it was terrifying to see him there… someone we never expected to see in that position. And when we were visiting him… he smiled at us, and told us about how everything would be okay… though… we never knew if he was talking about himself or us…”
“He was quite the doctor wasn't he?”
“Yes… and Keito-kun tried so save him, the week after, Yuto-kun went into surgery, but it was too late, there was nothing to do…”
“A-And…?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“One week after the surgery, Yuto-Kun passed away… and he was never the same… still gentle, but so lost…”
“Gentle but lost…” I repeated.
Leaving Hiro-San’s room that day, gave me a lot more to think about. Keito… was an amazing doctor, and… and…
“He’s… lonely…” It suddenly hit me. Walking into the small cardiology office I sat down at my desk and turned to face him.
“Doctor…I mean… Keito…?”
“Hm?”
“we’ve been… getting to know each other right?” I couldn’t really tell where I was going with this, but it felt like the right thing to say. After all, the three surgeries we were in together lasted a rather long time…
“Right…”
“Would you…like to come out to dinner with me one time?”
Keito set down his pen and closed the folder he was writing in.
“I… would like that…”
We set the date for tonight, since the hospital gave us early leave tonight as tomorrow would be an unfortunate mess of double scheduled surgeries.
Precisely at seven, we met at the hospital’s entrance, and walked to the small restaurant a few blocks away.
Unfortunately… that’s as much as I remembered. Dinner flew by, and now we found ourselves sitting in our little booth at the restaurant. His half-eaten ice cream melting away, and my slice of cake reduced to crumbles.
I told him jokes, we shared stories of our days in medical school, which by the way, were incredibly different experiences, and through it all, I could see that he was trying to laugh, but never quite got there. Somewhere in the midst of my story about almost fainting during my first surgery, his phone rang.
“Excuse me..” Keito said, picking up the buzzing phone from the table. From my place opposite him I could barely make out something that looked like “Nakajima House” on the phone’s front layout. In an instant my eyes darted up to his, they were staring at the phone with such intensity. What little bit of a grin I had coaxed out of him vanished and with slightly shaky hands he hit the button to reject the call.
“Are you… okay?” I asked
“It was… Yuto’s brother. They’ve been wanting me to go to their house to pick up some of the things he left for me.”
“Why don't you?” I asked, a bit insensitively. Seeing the look on his face, I knew I had gone a little bit too far.
“Thank you for your company tonight Ryutaro, but we have to rest tonight, tomorrow will be a busy day…” Keito got up and left.
---
The next day I was a bit nervous to see him, but unfortunately, the afternoon rolled around and it was time for our scheduled surgeries. Personally, I was a little surprised he didn't request a change of assistants….
“D-Dr. Okamoto, I’m sorry about yesterday…” I blurted out as we rode in the elevator from the office to the ground floor.
“For what?”
“For… digging… yesterday…”
He took a deep breath and sighed. Turning to face me, he looked into my eyes.
“Ryutaro, why are you concerned about me? It’s my job to be concerned about you, as your mentor….”
“I-It’s just… that you seem sad sometimes… a-and I saw you talking to the photo… and-and I think it might be good for you to talk it out.“ all the words kept flowing out my mouth and only stopped when he held up a hand. At just that moment, I felt like a little child, just spouting out words, hoping to find an excuse to explain myself. The door of the elevator opened and he took a step forward.
Pausing for a second he turned to look at me and gave another heaving sigh. Keito turned his back to be and continued walking forward. Had I finally gone too far?
“If you want me to have time to talk about it, you better make sure I get through these two operations in record time……”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry it's been so long minna, this is a story that was brewing in my head for a while already so I figured I had to get it out, whether or not it's good.... that's an entirely different matter.. haha just letting scenarios flow out my head..
As usual, comments are appreciated if you choose to share them <3
~Emmie