#traumasurgery

It felt good to be home. After all of those years serving on hostile grounds, it felt good to be back in your beloved hometown, Lucky Bay. The name comes after the city's borderline that contoured a lucky clover shape. It wasn't a perfect drawing but it worked to give it some meaning, after all, people from all over would move there to try a better life.

Eight years have passed since you left to serve your country's ally in war as a Military Doctor, now that it was over not only you'd receive a Medal of Honor but also an incredible job offer as the new head of Trauma Surgery in one of the greatest hospitals of the country, the Hiruluk Institute of Medicine and Scientific Research.

The timing couldn't be more perfect and also the circumstances; they gave you a top floor apartment in one the best districts of the city, they borrowed you a car and they had beautiful scrubs ready for you to slip in and work. After eight years of experiencing nothing but pain and agony, you deserved to be spoiled a little.

And it wasn't like you were alone, you had an older brother and a friend who could keep you company and update you on the changes. Your brother was a businessman, owner of hotel chains, casinos, and luxury restaurants. Your friend, Tashigi-chan, was actually the sister of a late comrade, you kept in contact with her after he passed and you became friends eventually. You heard she joined the Police Task Force.

¨Tashigi-chan!¨ you smiled from ear to ear and waved your hand.

¨Y/N-san, I'm not a kid anymore you can call me just Tashigi...¨ her cheeks blushed and you pulled her to a tight bear hug.

¨You keep calling me Y/N-san! I'm not that old!¨

¨Of course! This is not what I mean, Y/N-san!¨ her eyes widened ¨Y/N. Y/N-san!¨

You were amused with her clumsy way, you knew she'd never stop calling you by ¨san¨ mostly because of the respect people had towards militaries.

¨So you'd feel better if I called you Tashigi-san?¨ her eyes almost fell out of their sockets, probably thinking she wasn't worthy of such respect.

When you came to an agreement that you would call her just ¨Tashigi¨ she led the way to one of her favorite bakeries so you could gossip.

¨How's the job?¨ you asked, mouth filled with pastries.

¨It's good, it's difficult to get them to see me as equal sometimes. Not my boss, though, he sees me as any other of his men.¨

¨Vergo's still working at the Police Task Force?¨

¨No! I mean, he is but, they added another Commander for special cases, Smoker-san.¨ you tried to remember any rookie by the name of Smoker, but failed greatly. Either you're memory from eight years ago is not as fresh as you thought or you never met him.

¨I hope I get to meet him one day, it's always good to know we have competent men on the field.¨

¨Uhm, he is! He's the best at what he does.¨ she sipped her coffee ¨But, anyway, where are you staying, Y/N-san?¨

¨Oh, it's a lovely place, once it's settled you have to come by! It's a building called Drum Tower, close to the Hiruluk hospital.¨ she seemed a little surprised.

¨Drum Tower? At Grand Avenue 1746?¨

¨Hum...yeah. How do you know?¨

¨That's where Smoker-san lives.¨

~

¨So, what do you think? How was your first night call shift?¨ the head of General Surgery, Dr. Marco, asked, placing a cup of coffee in front of you.

¨Oh, thanks!¨ you took a sip ¨Easy peasy, actually, not a lot of trauma and the residents seem pretty adequate. ¨

¨You shouldn't say things like that, Y/N-ya.¨ Dr. Law, head of Cardiothoracic Surgery, said when he entered the break room. He took off his white with dark spots surgery cap and poured himself a cup of coffee.

¨Didn't know you were superstitious, Dr. Trafalgar.¨ you played with him.

¨Not superstitious, Y/N-ya, carefulstitious.¨ he somehow managed to say this with a straight face and you chuckled, shocked to see him making jokes, not great jokes, but jokes nonetheless.

¨This is not good, you said that there's not a lot of trauma and you just made a joke. Something really bad will happen, I can feel it coming.¨ the blonde rubbed his temples.

¨Well, whatever it is I'm leaving for you guys. My shift ends in seven minutes and I am going ho-¨ you were ruthlessly interrupted by all of your pagers beeping non-stop. You looked at each other, skeptic.

You gathered with the other attendings and staff on the Emergency Department where the Chief of Surgery, Dr. Kureha, was delegating duties and recapping some protocols.

¨...mass casualty and our Trauma One Center's been asked to respond. We don't have enough information about the accident, but I'll keep you posted. Dr. Y/L/N, you'll be conducting and leading a triage team on the field and Dr. Marco will be in charge of assigning the incoming wounded, the Isshi-20 will be at your disposal. Minor injuries will be redirected to Dr. Muret at the clinic. Dr. Trafalgar, I want you for Rapid Response, you'll have Tony to assist you if needed. ¨

¨My unit can handle it, Dr. Kureha.¨ he was calm, showing no sign of concern. The old woman just gave him a nod.

¨The other attendings will help take care of the injured. We're gonna need all hands on deck. Come on, people!¨

The Emergency Department became a mess of doctors running around, opening as many beds as they could, getting new charts ready, and waiting for the first wave from the scene to arrive.

¨...trays, intubation carts, and central line kits.¨ you heard Dr. Marco tell his team. He looked nothing like he was in the break room, no lazy eyes and no jokes.

You decided to give your crew a pep talk while the ambulance was on its way to get you.

¨Do you all have your kits?¨ your team nodded ¨Hold them on your laps in the ambulance, IDs outside your jackets, and don't disturb the rescue team. I won't hold your hands once we get there, so I expect each and every one of you to have your shit together. Those people will be in pain and fear so we don't get to freak out. I don't know what kind of scene we'll find in there, but I'll make sure the person who chickens out doesn't see the inside of an OR for 3 months. Was I clear? ¨

You too became a different person and maybe tougher than you had to, but they needed to be prepared for the worst of these triage calls. Especially because you had among your residents future Military Doctors and on a battlefield, you can't expect someone to cover for you if you fail. Comrades die and you might get killed.

¨How long until we arrive?¨ you asked the driver.

¨Three minutes.¨ he let you know that the accident happened on a district across town, that was the reason of the relatively long trip. 

The city was divided into five different districts, all equally wealthy but for different reasons.

 At eight o'clock were the Light District, the district of extravagance, fine pleasure, and splendidness with all of the daintiest restaurants, opulent hotels, and luxurious casinos. That's where your brother held his businesses.

At ten o'clock lived loudly and full of nostalgia the Shadow District, home of pubs, clubs, and eclectic bars. The sanctuary for gangs and teenage rebels with their bright hair colors and flashy clothes.

Moving on to twelve o'clock you'd find the Commercial District, a place for fun and joy with the libraries, museums, martial art dojos, and paintball arenas. Anything and any service could be found in there.

At two o'clock was your current home, the Justice District, it was also a lively one with the hospital, the base unit of the Police Task Force, and courts. Besides these busy spots, you had the majority of policemen, judges, and doctors living in there.

Last but not least, the Noble District, a place where not everyone could just walk into. It was mostly residential, all houses were named mansions like the Polar Mansion, where your coworker Dr. Trafalgar lives, and the Blue Whale Mansion, where Dr. Marco's family lives.

All of these divisions were connected in the center of the city by the Lucky Lake, a romantic point where dreamful hearts would throw their coins and make wishes. The districts were connected, altogether with some other important points, by a subway line. The only exceptions were the Light and the Noble Districts where the subway line would only take people to their entrances. People who could afford the Light District wouldn't take the subway and you needed identification to enter the Noble District.

The accident occurred across the town, at the Sora, Warrior of the Sea Theme Park, between the Light District and the Shadow District. The place didn't exist when you lived there eight years ago and it was a shame that that's how you'd get to know it.

¨Alright,¨ you noticed the ambulance stopping and sirens wailing around you. ¨we're here. Remember my words. I'm not gonna have my eyes on you the entire time, so if you need help come to me or someone else, just don't stop, ok?¨

They agreed and you opened the back door, letting not only the light come in but also the sight of chaos.

Police tapes were closing different perimeters, paramedics had already started the triage process separating the life-threatening injuries from the non-life-threatening ones.

It looked like a calamity had passed by, the long and large path of wrecked asphalt ended inside of a burning store, together with what you thought was a roller coaster cart.

The fire team was occupied trying to shut down the fire and rescue people who were trapped in. You suspected you would not have as many problems as you thought, giving that the majority of rescuers carried lifeless bodies. In any way, you were ready to save lives and bring people back from the gates of heaven. You wouldn´t let them go that easily, not on your watch. 

You gave your team final instructions and rushed into the ocean of paramedics, policemen, and wounded victims.

~

When was the last time that I slept? you asked yourself while chugging an energy drink. You didn't love the taste but desperate times call for desperate measures.

You rolled your head making some bones pop and your shoulders stiffen. Your legs were swollen, your mind was foggy and you could feel a bit dehydrated, nothing you weren't used to, but it didn't mean you enjoyed it.

¨Heading home?¨ Marco tossed his white coat in his locker.

¨Yeah. You?¨ he nodded.

The break room became silent while you collected your things, both too tired to cheat chat. It was about two in the morning and you had received permission to go home since the situation was taken care of.

¨Y/N.¨ you turned to the blonde who stood at the door with his eyes lazier than usual ¨Welcome to our hospital.¨

Despite the exhaustion, you couldn't help but smile.

~

¨Hold the elevator!¨ you screamed before the door closed and jumped in ¨Thanks.¨

The man hummed ¨Floor?¨

¨Oh, it's pressed already, thanks.¨

He just hummed again, just like you he'd had a long day and didn't notice anything peculiar with your statement.

When the door opened the two of you left and walked down the hallway alongside each other, without even realizing. It was just when you put the key in the porthole that the information got processed.

He also had the same reaction, turning around surprised - although his ¨surprise¨ look was more grumpy.

¨You//You!¨ you spoke in unison.

¨Yes, me! Nice to meet you!¨ you gave him your hand to shake.

¨Yeah, you too. Uhm, thanks for the cigars, by the way. And welcome to the building.¨

As a Good Neighborhood Policy gift, you had given him a box of cigars. The doorman had told you about his addition when you asked what kind of person he was. The hope was to give it to him in person, but he seemed to be never at home, so you just left it at his door.

¨Yeah, thanks!¨ a moment of silence ¨Yeah, goodnight, then. It was a pleasure.¨

¨Goodnight.¨ he smiled shortly before entering his place, you did the same.