#crcelly

Soooo, hi, the brain rot came back hardcore and the Trauma Team itch, happened during vacation and Aileen gave me a swift kick in my ass... so, we're having fun.

WELCOME TO TRAUMA TEAM: EXONERATION.

An AU in which, we take a look at both the early days and post Rosalia outbreak life, of Erhard Muller, in his childhood neighborhood... and the lives he touched.

In particular, the person he's known since his early childhood, his best friend and eventual med school sweetheart... Celeste Solano.

Celeste grew up in the same neighborhood as Erhard did, when Sartre moved him out there, after the adoption was finalized. One day when he was at the park, Erhard was being bullied and Celeste in all of her fiery rage 9 year old Celly had, managed to tackle the guy and their friendship bloomed from there.

They know everything about each other... and as they grew, that friendship grew into a fondness...

Each other's closest confidants...

Each other's secret keepers. When he graduated early, she was his loudest cheerleader. When he got into med school, he was so shaky opening the acceptance letter... she was ready with two cupcakes just in case. (A "YAy you got in" and "Boo they suck for not seeing you're that smart" cupcake)

When he wasn't so caught up in work and study stuff, she'd drag him off to go do regular teen things...

And when he became a big brother, she adored Rosalia like her own...

And then everything went wrong...

She got a text one day, when she was heading out to pick Erhard up from Cumberland College, to not even go near it.

To stay far away.

She wasn't a stranger to what had been happening in the Sartre home...

but by the time she got out there, all she saw were police vehicles, ambulances... and a sea of white sheets...

And one shell shocked Erhard who didn't remember anything, who was being questioned by police. She wasn't allowed past the barrier... She was questioned, she even testified in court, but no one believed her. With Albert and Rosalia gone in this strange phenomenon...

Celeste began to wonder.

Who was really pulling the strings?

She knew Erhard wasn't capable of this.

So...

At 16, she made a decision.

It was time to study law.

Celeste had always wondered where she was going to go after highschool... Erhard's situation, shattering what she knew as normal, was a wake up call.

Celeste is a wrongful conviction lawyer, who specializes in wrongful conviction for homicide, but she's also worked on several convictions as well.

All for the effort of freeing the one person, she wanted to see one more time.

To hope... maybe, now they can have one more chance.

One more chance to make it all right.

For Erhard, his memories of her are warm... she's one of the few things in his life, that's from his past still living... and she's a good reminder, that there's still people outside of Resurgam who see the man, not the monster.

The one who fought for him all those years ago.

The girl who, bashfully asked him to be her date for many a school function.

The girl who would listen to him ramble about medicine or video games, his words like honey to her.

So...

The Spirit of Justice calls out to them....

"I need that for Class!"

"Mm… Nah! I'm keeping it!"

"I'm not kidding!"

"There's spares, I'm sure!"

(Two hours later, Albert would be struggling not to laugh as his son realized, that it's not a coincidence the pretty girl down the road, suddenly was taking little trophies. From one of his jackets to this.

"My son… You realize, that means she's taken a shine to you?"

"… Celeste?! She does?!"

"Is it that much of a surprise, she's developed a little crush?"

"…."

"My son?"

"Erhard...? What's going on, it's two in the morning!"

"I.... Celeste, I..."

"Something happened... I thought I did everything right... but it still happened... I.... I can't talk about it. I don't WANT to..."

"What can I do?"

"Just... just let me do this...."

"Oh Eri..."

"Just... let me hold onto you for awhile..."

"Of course I can..."

"Thank you..."

"I'll always have you're back... you know that right?"

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There's pressure with being a teen doctor... with being a prodigy...

There's also realities, that one so young will face before he's ready...

And when you have a night where you're worst case scenario happens for the first time?