[Fanfic] Code Blue - An Extended Epilogue 9
Title: An Extended Epilogue
Fandom: Code Blue
Warning: Disclaimer: Nothing in this fic belongs to me... except the plot.
Author's Note: The ninth chapter is here! Aizawa makes an impromptu decision. The hospital tongue wags. Somewhere, someone's heart is trampled on. Oh the drama.
Medical staff liked to count time periods in weeks. It was not as much as days and more accurate than months. Bone fracture recovery? Eight weeks. Broken bones? Sixteen weeks. Chemotherapy intervals? Four weeks.
Kousaku counted that it had been two weeks since he last had any proper contact with Megumi in the breakroom, right before her senior came to lunch. That bump outside Neurosurgery and the few seconds in elevators didn’t count. Whenever he came down to ER for a consultation they never said a word to each other - other than necessary, and he always left quickly.
The distance was painful, but not so much painful as the web people were tightening around her. Apparently the hospital grapevine was starved for news, for by dinnertime virtually everyone had heard that news that Megumi had lunch with a young and dashing lawyer who called her ‘Little Meg’. The story varies from department to department, but unknowingly for the female doctor, she had become a celebrity overnight.
“I thought she was getting it on with Dr. Aizawa.” A pediatric nurse whispered to her colleague as they pushed a child to rehab.
“Aizawa? Are you mad? Sure he’s good-looking but have you even tried to talk to him?”
“Isn’t she the one who cost Dr. Kuroda his job?” Another confidentially asked in the hallway.
“Maybe she used her lawyer boyfriend to worm out of a lawsuit. I’d not put it past her, that goody-two-shoes-fake.”
Unfortunately for Megumi, the grapevine extended as far as the usually closeted Neurosurgery department, and hence to the ears of one very irate surgeon. In fact it was all he could do to keep his temper in check and not strangle the nearest whispering nurse. He had heard wildly untrue versions that bordered on the insane, and yet there were people who believed them.
Do you believe them?
She said he’s her senior. She wouldn’t lie.
Not unless that was the thing she wanted to talk to you about. The other guy in her life.
He clenched his pen so hard it cracked. A nurse nearby scuttled away in fright. He sourly threw the pen away and stared at his ink-stained hand. He almost wished it was blood, not ink.
The change in behavior did not go unnoticed.
“Aizawa,” Senior Surgeon Saijou called him over. “Come here for a sec.”
He pushed away from his desk and approached his superior, wondering if there was a surgery scheduled. He was already thinking of an excuse not to do it. But instead Dr. Saijou pushed a folder towards him. “Me and the other surgeons have discussed at length, and we’d like you to represent Shohoku this year. You’ll be leaving for Bethsea next month. How about it?”
Kousaku glanced down at the folder and read the cover. “New York?”
“Yes.” Dr. Saijo set down his pen and regarded the last addition to his team seriously. “The Neurosurgery department of Shohoku is under St. Helen’s Neurological Insititute’s wing, so to speak. Once a year we send surgeons there to learn the last techniques firsthand, and this year I’ve decided you should go with Dr. Kurosaki. The knowledge you will gain will be invaluable and your future here at Shohoku... well anywhere actually will be much brighter.”
Kousaku stayed silent as Dr. Saijo handed him the necessary documents. “ “Is something wrong, Aizawa?”
He had heard of the exchange program but to his knowledge they had always sent more experienced doctors. To have been chosen is an achievement. Yet strangely Kousaku did not feel anything, not even satisfaction. The human in him doesn’t consider this an honor at all.
But strictly speaking as a surgeon…
“I accept.” He said flatly. “I’ll go.”
“Bethsea? You can’t be serious,” Kazuo pushed up his glasses. “That bastard...! How did he get to go?”
The Neurosurgery nurse lowered her voice; “It seems Dr. Saijo thinks he’s got a lot of potential. That’s why he was recommended to go eventhough he just joined the department. Some of the senior doctors are not happy, y’know.”
“Keep this up and he’ll have the entire hospital as his enemy,” Kazuo sighed. “Oh well. Is this top secret or...”
“It’s super top secret. Hush hush.”
Kauzo nodded eagerly. “Right, right. My lips are sealed.”
... or not.
“An exchange program!?” Mihoko exclaimed and Kazuo quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. “Not so loud!!!”
Mihoko quickly looked around. The rest room was deserted. Megumi was doing her rounds, Mitsui was in the outpatient clinic and her ex-husband was nowhere to be seen. She wrenched Kazuo’s hand away. “How long will he be gone?”
“Um, two weeks at least.”
“Oh, that’s not long at all,” Mihoko sighed in relief and Kazuo frowned. “What’s with that reaction? Don’t tell me...” He slyly leaned in; “You have a something-something for Aizaw - oof!”
For Mihoko had pushed his face in with an ugly look. “Don’t finish that sentence.”
She left the room with a slightly injured Kazuo but that was the last thing on her mind. The hospital grapevine will spread fast, she thought. In a week everyone will know Aizawa’s going on this exchange program. Everyone.
Does Megumi know?
Megumi most certainly did not know, until Ruri dropped the bomb on her. The three of them were having dinner in town; Megumi had been reluctant but you really cannot say no to Ruri. “..What do you mean New York?”
Ruri nodded as she happily swirled her sundae. “I heard it from Fukushima, who heard it from a Neurosurgery nurse when Dr. Saijo was talking with Dr. Aizawa. Actually I think the whole hospital knows by now, cuz I heard one of the girls in Obstetrics...”
Megumi had unconsciously tuned Ruri out as a coiling dread clenched her stomach. He was going to New York. And he didn’t even tell them.
You don’t know that. Maybe he didn’t tell you. Only you.
“Oi Megu, you alright?” Yuusuke’s voice penetrated her thoughts. She blinked and noticed Yuusuke and Ruri were staring at her in alarm. “... huh?”
“You’ve been tearing that tissue to shreds. You okay?” He indicated the mess that littered her side of the table. Only then did Megumi realize that she had indeed been ripping the serviette to shreds. “Just... annoyed, I guess?” She forced a laugh. “He got such a great opportunity, I’m really jealous.”
Jealous, hurt hurt hurt
“Hmm must be great to be Dr. Aizawa,” Ruri sighed. “Young, handsome, talented...”
“And I’m not?” Yuusuke pretended to be affronted and Megumi forced herself to laugh along with them. Of course the don’t know, they can’t know...
Nobody must know that her heart is shattered now that he’s closed the door on her.
Fandom: Code Blue
Warning: Disclaimer: Nothing in this fic belongs to me... except the plot.
Author's Note: The ninth chapter is here! Aizawa makes an impromptu decision. The hospital tongue wags. Somewhere, someone's heart is trampled on. Oh the drama.
Medical staff liked to count time periods in weeks. It was not as much as days and more accurate than months. Bone fracture recovery? Eight weeks. Broken bones? Sixteen weeks. Chemotherapy intervals? Four weeks.
Kousaku counted that it had been two weeks since he last had any proper contact with Megumi in the breakroom, right before her senior came to lunch. That bump outside Neurosurgery and the few seconds in elevators didn’t count. Whenever he came down to ER for a consultation they never said a word to each other - other than necessary, and he always left quickly.
The distance was painful, but not so much painful as the web people were tightening around her. Apparently the hospital grapevine was starved for news, for by dinnertime virtually everyone had heard that news that Megumi had lunch with a young and dashing lawyer who called her ‘Little Meg’. The story varies from department to department, but unknowingly for the female doctor, she had become a celebrity overnight.
“I thought she was getting it on with Dr. Aizawa.” A pediatric nurse whispered to her colleague as they pushed a child to rehab.
“Aizawa? Are you mad? Sure he’s good-looking but have you even tried to talk to him?”
“Isn’t she the one who cost Dr. Kuroda his job?” Another confidentially asked in the hallway.
“Maybe she used her lawyer boyfriend to worm out of a lawsuit. I’d not put it past her, that goody-two-shoes-fake.”
Unfortunately for Megumi, the grapevine extended as far as the usually closeted Neurosurgery department, and hence to the ears of one very irate surgeon. In fact it was all he could do to keep his temper in check and not strangle the nearest whispering nurse. He had heard wildly untrue versions that bordered on the insane, and yet there were people who believed them.
Do you believe them?
She said he’s her senior. She wouldn’t lie.
Not unless that was the thing she wanted to talk to you about. The other guy in her life.
He clenched his pen so hard it cracked. A nurse nearby scuttled away in fright. He sourly threw the pen away and stared at his ink-stained hand. He almost wished it was blood, not ink.
The change in behavior did not go unnoticed.
“Aizawa,” Senior Surgeon Saijou called him over. “Come here for a sec.”
He pushed away from his desk and approached his superior, wondering if there was a surgery scheduled. He was already thinking of an excuse not to do it. But instead Dr. Saijou pushed a folder towards him. “Me and the other surgeons have discussed at length, and we’d like you to represent Shohoku this year. You’ll be leaving for Bethsea next month. How about it?”
Kousaku glanced down at the folder and read the cover. “New York?”
“Yes.” Dr. Saijo set down his pen and regarded the last addition to his team seriously. “The Neurosurgery department of Shohoku is under St. Helen’s Neurological Insititute’s wing, so to speak. Once a year we send surgeons there to learn the last techniques firsthand, and this year I’ve decided you should go with Dr. Kurosaki. The knowledge you will gain will be invaluable and your future here at Shohoku... well anywhere actually will be much brighter.”
Kousaku stayed silent as Dr. Saijo handed him the necessary documents. “ “Is something wrong, Aizawa?”
He had heard of the exchange program but to his knowledge they had always sent more experienced doctors. To have been chosen is an achievement. Yet strangely Kousaku did not feel anything, not even satisfaction. The human in him doesn’t consider this an honor at all.
But strictly speaking as a surgeon…
“I accept.” He said flatly. “I’ll go.”
“Bethsea? You can’t be serious,” Kazuo pushed up his glasses. “That bastard...! How did he get to go?”
The Neurosurgery nurse lowered her voice; “It seems Dr. Saijo thinks he’s got a lot of potential. That’s why he was recommended to go eventhough he just joined the department. Some of the senior doctors are not happy, y’know.”
“Keep this up and he’ll have the entire hospital as his enemy,” Kazuo sighed. “Oh well. Is this top secret or...”
“It’s super top secret. Hush hush.”
Kauzo nodded eagerly. “Right, right. My lips are sealed.”
... or not.
“An exchange program!?” Mihoko exclaimed and Kazuo quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. “Not so loud!!!”
Mihoko quickly looked around. The rest room was deserted. Megumi was doing her rounds, Mitsui was in the outpatient clinic and her ex-husband was nowhere to be seen. She wrenched Kazuo’s hand away. “How long will he be gone?”
“Um, two weeks at least.”
“Oh, that’s not long at all,” Mihoko sighed in relief and Kazuo frowned. “What’s with that reaction? Don’t tell me...” He slyly leaned in; “You have a something-something for Aizaw - oof!”
For Mihoko had pushed his face in with an ugly look. “Don’t finish that sentence.”
She left the room with a slightly injured Kazuo but that was the last thing on her mind. The hospital grapevine will spread fast, she thought. In a week everyone will know Aizawa’s going on this exchange program. Everyone.
Does Megumi know?
Megumi most certainly did not know, until Ruri dropped the bomb on her. The three of them were having dinner in town; Megumi had been reluctant but you really cannot say no to Ruri. “..What do you mean New York?”
Ruri nodded as she happily swirled her sundae. “I heard it from Fukushima, who heard it from a Neurosurgery nurse when Dr. Saijo was talking with Dr. Aizawa. Actually I think the whole hospital knows by now, cuz I heard one of the girls in Obstetrics...”
Megumi had unconsciously tuned Ruri out as a coiling dread clenched her stomach. He was going to New York. And he didn’t even tell them.
You don’t know that. Maybe he didn’t tell you. Only you.
“Oi Megu, you alright?” Yuusuke’s voice penetrated her thoughts. She blinked and noticed Yuusuke and Ruri were staring at her in alarm. “... huh?”
“You’ve been tearing that tissue to shreds. You okay?” He indicated the mess that littered her side of the table. Only then did Megumi realize that she had indeed been ripping the serviette to shreds. “Just... annoyed, I guess?” She forced a laugh. “He got such a great opportunity, I’m really jealous.”
Jealous, hurt hurt hurt
“Hmm must be great to be Dr. Aizawa,” Ruri sighed. “Young, handsome, talented...”
“And I’m not?” Yuusuke pretended to be affronted and Megumi forced herself to laugh along with them. Of course the don’t know, they can’t know...
Nobody must know that her heart is shattered now that he’s closed the door on her.