#ybj

Young Black Jack Special Cast Dialogue - Episode 4 Guest: Otsuka Akio (YBJ Narrator / Original Black Jack)

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[Cw for brief references to drugs/addiction]

"Stop picking," Hazama says for what has to be the tenth time that evening, not looking up from his books but aware of the rustle of movement from the other side of the clinic office. "You know what'll happen if that scab comes off."

There's an audible gulp as Yabu processes the warning, freshly reminded that the mechanical, compulsive scratching the meth drives his fingers to can unleash his worst fear. Get it all over him, warm and red and never quite gone once he sees it. He doesn't want that. "R-Right..."

"Right." Hazama turns to the next chapter. Halfway through, the rustling starts up again, and this time he does look up. The defunct ER he spends his cram time in provides an all-hours study hall, but while he's prepared to deny it if anyone should so accuse him, he also comes here to keep an eye on his friend. As much of an eye as he can afford to, anyway... and today he can afford it a little less, with exams in a week. He gets an idea, and digs the tape recorder out of his bags. He pops in a fresh tape and slides it over to Yabu. "Grab something to read and read it into that. If your fingers are on the buttons they won't be tearing up your scabs. I don't care if it's Gray's or a romance novel. Hell, read an instruction manual. Something. Go."

There's a frantic clanging of drawers and cabinets. Finally things quiet down and Yabu clears his throat, reading in his halting, shaky stammer. "A-Ana-natomy, Descriptive and Ap-plied... by Henry Gray and Henry Vandyke Carter. To... t-to Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, BART., F.R.S., D.C.L., S-Serjeant-Surgeon to- to the Queen, corresponding member of the Instit-titute of F-France, this work is..." He trails off. "Hazama, are you sure I'm not bothering you? Reading out loud?"

"You'll be bothering me more flailing and wailing if you pull those scabs off," Hazama replies. "I can tune it out, your voice is quiet enough. Go. Keep going."

Yabu sniffs, then with a mumbled M-hm! he tackles the old text again.

***

Years later, young Dr. Hazama staggers into his apartment, every badly-rerouted nerve in his body in flames. Residency at Tokyo General is everything he could have asked for--rewarding, challenging, educational. It's also a couple things he wouldn't have asked for at all--brutally punishing, on days he's in the OR back to back to back, days like today.

The reputation he's gained already is a double edged sword. It gets him where he wants to be, gets him trusted with the tricky stuff he wouldn't want to leave to his peers. But it also means his usual speed--born of a need to economize the small, detailed movements of surgery to finish before this happens--is the only speed he can afford to go. Ever. Or he'll have to explain.... and he's made up his mind to never put himself in that position.

The routine he follows now, now that the door is locked and there's no chance of even an accidental witness to the disability the world thinks he put behind him as a teenager, is familiar enough by now for him to stumble through it with his eyes half-focused. He pulls the electric blanket from the linen closet and plugs it in. Dropping to the floor, he wraps himself in it like a wincing, bleary-eyed caterpillar, then tosses back 800mg of ibuprofen with half a glass of water. The last thing he grabs before the antiinflamatory chrysalis is complete is his old tape recorder from med school. Groaning softly, he presses play and closes his eyes, trying to focus on the familiar, comforting sounds long enough to fall asleep despite his pain.

"A-Ana-natomy, D-Descriptive and Ap-plied... by Henry Gray and Henry Vandyke Carter. To... t-to Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, BART., F.R.S., D.C.L., S-Serjeant-Surgeon to- to the Queen, corresponding member of the Instit-titute of F-France, this work is de-dedicated, in admiration of his great talents, and in... in remembrance of many acts of- of kindness shown t-to the author, from an early period of his prof-fessional career..."

***