Trauma Center [closed] [Trigger Warning: Blood]

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

Nik was on edge.


Mondays didn't normally do that to her. There was no reason for it, considering that few of the usual suspects applied to Mondays; rarely was it the night of a full moon (and it was daytime now), it wasn't often the thirteenth (that wouldn't be for three more days), and never was it a Friday. People were grumpy on Mondays, certainly, but unless there was a serious accident or a natural disaster, Monday was a very calm day.


It'd even started out like that. She hadn't had a single patient in all day, allowing the albino woman to catch up on her files, edit Takchawee's school records to present situations, and continue her studies into genetic diseases and disorders. Nothing had happened all day; not even a child faking sick to leave gym or a hyperventilating choir student. Not a single patient had walked through that door.


And yet, she was nervous.


Something was in the air and Nik didn't know what. It was a tension, like water just before the final drop caused it to cascade over the edge of the glass. So, after school hours, she waited, watching the door with her hands in her lap and uncharacteristically still.


Any moment, it would come through that door, and she would be ready.


Sure enough, a short knock at the door alerted the pale woman to someone entering just before the door flew open, revealing Orion Urswick (the school astrophysics and astronomy teacher). Other footsteps were heard out in the hall as he explained there was an emergency, and Nik's expression became grim. She knew it; somehow, her instincts had told her that something like this would happen.


When Vincent came through the door, her eyes flickered first to his and then to the boy cradled in his arms. It was Lei Do Chu, whom the half-Japanese woman had treated little less than a week ago for injuries relating to a power backlash. This time, however, the damage seemed worse.


Shallow breathing, wheezing: throat is likely constricted or blocked by blood or bruising. Bruises visible on arms and neck - possible power backlash, given subject's ability of hemokinesis. Immediate attention is required.


At her husband's nod, the ghostly woman motioned to a bed. "Lay him down and stay out of the way," she ordered briskly. She was already grabbing a stethoscope and gloves, as well as a breathing bag should she need it. Working in a hospital had one preparing for everything. "Orion, close the door and lock it. We don't need any students wandering in on this."

[Vincent Meian]

Vincent knew how Nakia worked. She took charge in situations like this because of her career; even as a regular physician, days in the clinic and ER were a requirement to allow extra hands for emergencies. Thus, he followed her order without question, laying the now unconscious boy down on the nearest bed. He winced in pain as he did so, but for the most part his own damage was ignored; Lei mattered more.


The trainer then backed away and kept his arms behind his back, watching the other adults in the room from the corner of his eye. You are in the best of hands, Lei. Don't let me down.

[Orion Urswick]

Dammit, Lei, I told you to stay awake, Orion thought to himself, as though it was the boy's fault for falling unconscious. He could only imagine what was going on internally; he wasn't sure he wanted to know. While he was a scientist at heart, astrophysics were his specialty. He had never been good with trauma events like this. Especially after how much time he had spent in the hospital with Sophie before she passed.

At Nik's order, he nodded, going to do as she said before quickly coming back over to see if he could help at all. Lei looked absolutely horrible, and he fought against being sick again. He hated infirmaries, hospitals, anything to do with sick people. But he was determined to stay here and help in any way he could. As Nik worked, he turned to look at Vincent. "What happened?" he whispered, his eyes dropping down to the other man's injuries. He didn't know about Lei's ability, and he was absolutely bewildered about what could have happened in that office to cause such grave injuries.

[Vincent Meian]

"Powers backlash," Vincent stated simply, not really in the mood to talk about it just yet. "He was hurting himself and his powers turned on me when I tried to snap him out of it." For now that was all he said, but the look on his face told more; the tension in his eyes, the firm set to his mouth... the trainer regretted that this happened. There was some kind of deeper hurt there as well, but he kept it shut away. His eyes remained on the boy, refusing to look away from the damage that had been done because of his foolishness.


"He will be all right," he murmured softly. "Nakia will fix it. She always fixes my mistakes." Despite the pain, his fingers still fiddled with the silver band on his hand, though the bruising had swollen the slender fingers enough so that it wouldn't move. She could fix this. She had to fix this.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

As the doctor turned back around, she saw that her patient was in the right place and Orion was doing as she asked. The physicist looked ill and her husband stoically calm; natural reactions to things like this. Moving with speed but not hurrying, she knelt at Lei's beside and used the stethoscope to listen to his heart rate and breathing, pushing the cold metal under the boy's shirt for a better connection. Briefly, she heard the men discussing what happened, but her focus settled entirely on the patient once she heard those first few beats.


Pulse is normal; slightly slow, no signs of damage, no appearance of blood pools. No murmurs, meaning no clots or threat of arrest. Breathing is shallow and tight; most likely throat constriction around the trachea. Wait... that sound...


"There's fluid in his lungs," she stated, pulling the earpieces out and resting the stethoscope around her neck. Pale hands turned blue as she snapped on the hypoallergenic gloves and felt around the unconscious boy's neck carefully. Minor flinches of pain told here there was bruising deep under the skin - his throat was closing from the swelling. "I need to give him an airway. Vincent; there's a thin plastic tube in a plastic bag with a metal instrument and a breathing mask in the upper left cupboard. Key is on the counter."


Assured that her orders would be followed, the doctor then gestured for the other man to lift Lei so that she could remove his shirt completely and see the damage.

[Leiken Chu]

The darkness was consuming. Eating away the light as he fell unconscious. The sounds of chains echoed in his mind, but this time it was different. They were attached to him. Weighing down his body so much that he felt he wouldn't be able to pull free. "Help me! Please help me !" he would scream in his own mind. Laughter echoed in his mind as he screamed for help. "Why do you need help? Everything you need is here." the voice rang out. It was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

Leiken tried his hardest to see within the dark there was the candle. The flame flicked alive and showed it'self to lei, giving him some sense of relief, until he saw the chains that were shackled to his limps. "Who is doing this!? Why are you keeping me here!? I haven't done anything! Isn't it bad enough without these nightmares?!" he exclaimed in his own head. The voice suddenly came from behind him, "Why shouldn't you be kept here? Everything you need is here. You have your light. you have your stars. The blood you spill so freely. You have your love. " Leiken turned, but there was a cold breeze and noone was there.

Leiken started to walk, the chains dragging on the hard surface of the bloody ocean that had appeared in his dreams many times before. they scraped as though the surface was solid, though it sloshed lightly around his feet, allowing him to stand upon it. "Come lets go somewhere more comfortable." The voice echoed as it started to drop him through the ocean. however, there was a sudden cold wind and the ground beneath him turned to ice. A deep crimson sheet of ice that he fell upon with a firm impact. He exhaled a foggy breath upon the surface.

"Oh? That is surprising." the voice stated as the sound of footsteps hitting the ice echoed beside him. Lei turned his head toward the sound and there he saw a pair of blood stained feet. "Two new items in our world. " he stated kneeling only far enough down to place a single star before lei's eyes. It was a stereotypical star shaped star, but it was a dream so it didn't truly have to make sense. "I am jealous Dolei." the voice rang out as he the foot kicked the star far across the frozen ocean. "And a third." he mentioned as he slid his foot along the ice.

---------------------

In reality leiken's body remained still minus the pained reactions from the touch. He wheezed, laying quietly otherwise, but far from peaceful. With every jolt of fear in his dream his fingers would curl and his body would tense. "Ay..k" he wheezed unconsciously.

[Orion Urswick]

"Oh..." Orion stated simply. That made sense. He had had no idea Lei's ability had such incredible strength. No wonder he had flinched away from his touch when he had offered a supportive pat on the shoulder. Vincent was obviously doing better than the unconscious Lei, but his injuries still looked very severe. Still, Orion wasn't going to tell him to get help - he was capable of doing that himself, and it was obvious that his attention was elsewhere. "Well, I'm glad you kept him from doing anything worse," he murmured quietly.

"Of course he'll be okay," Orion agreed, bobbing his head. Internally, he was still panicking, but at least Nik was at work and seemed to know exactly what she was doing. When she motioned to him, he did as she asked, lifting Lei up as carefully as possible so she could undress him. Orion's eyes widened at the horrendous bruises underneath, and had to look away, though he kept his grip firm until the boy was settled once more. "Do you need me to do anything else?" he asked quietly; if she didn't, he wouldn't be offended if she just ignored him. Lei needed all of her attention.

[Vincent Meian]

What could be worse aside from his death? the trainer chided himself, remaining silent as Orion spoke. There was much that could have been done, but he had not the strength. This was a punishment for his failings to the boy.


When Nakia ordered him to find the bag she needed, he did so quickly and without question, fumbling briefly with the key before he was able to open the cabinet. There they were, stacked as she had asked, and the soldier took the items without a word and brought them to her. He hoped she had all the tools she would need; Vincent did not want anyone to die this night.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

Nik payed no attention to the men other than to order them about when she needed. Taking the bag from her husband, she ripped them open after giving his hands and face a cursory glance. He could be helped later - Lei needed her more. Using skills given to her by years of working in a hospital, she secured the airway, setting the tube down Lei's throat and directly into a lung. It would give her time to work and a clear path to breathe but little else.


Quickly, she checked his abdomen, searching for points of high pressure to seek internal bleeding. Thankfully, there weren't any, and she snapped the gloves from her hands to place ice cold fingers on the boy's neck. Now then, let's see what we can do. Releasing her control, the pressure under her fingers lessened and the pale doctor could feel her patient's breathing becoming less labored. Her throat became parched and ached slightly, but her powers did not destroy her as they would have in the past. She moved quickly, touching each of the most major injuries with speed and efficiency, healing them from black and swelling masses to the greenish-yellow of knitting flesh. With each pass, she became more and more weary, and her control was harder to hold, but finally the boy seemed to rest with little pain.


Binding the control of her healing gift, Nakia passed a shaking and frozen hand over the boy. Aside from the pains she had taken from them, no other injury of the body affected the boy. He breathed with help and would until he woke, but Lei would be fine. "It is done," she breathed, her voice hoarse. Standing shakily, she looked to the two men and nodded. "He will be all right."


Hesitantly, the ghostly woman looked to her husband, meeting his golden gaze with her azure one. A minuscule shake of the head was all she needed, and the woman sat down, allowing her battered body to relax. "You may both stay here as you wish," she murmured. "I must rest."

[Leiken Chu]

That nickname had been so familiar to him, but he couldn't quite remember who had used it. No it was still a mystery to him. "My name is Lei. Don't call me that." he stated firmly. As he looked up toward the figure who's feet he'd seen he recognized the features of the man's face. A youthful figure stood there, only slightly taller than himself, stained in blood. His hair fell over his face and somewhat bleached an awkward orange-blonde color. Leiken's lips parted with a slight surprised scream. "I.. impossible! You're.. you're " he began.

"I am dead? I know, you killed me, remember? I loved you and you killed me~ What kind of monster are you? " he laughed. Approaching Lei who was now facing him, crawling backwards along the frozen ocean of blood, "I .. i didn't mean to!" Lei stated to him as tears rolled down his cheeks. "Oh please. You still believe that bull? tsk tsk tsk. what did i ever see in you." he stated as he approached lei. Grasping him by the face, jerking him upward to his own, exhaling a smoke-scented breath to his skin. "Ayko.." he stated with a saddened tone. "I never loved you. You were just there to keep me company until i found him. Don't you remember when we first met? What I said?" he questioned. Lei nodded faintly, though tears streaked his face further, "You said--Why does a monster like you exist."

The figure released leiken and laughed. "yes ! beautiful memory! that is exactly what i said. " Though the figure flopped down on the ice next to Lei. "You've blocked out alot since then, but it's t ime for you to remember you know. " Ayko stated softly. He picked the candle from the shadows and sat it down next to a star that twinkled upon the frozen ocean of blood. "Such a mess. none of these things belong here." He stated as he poked at that star which seemed to glow brighter.

"Do you remember the day you killed me? " He questioned firmly. "some of it." Lei stated casually. the chains on his limbs rattling, though he was taken by surprise quite suddenly as the ice melted briefly, sending him falling into the ocean of blood. The weight of the chains made it difficult for him to swim, he couldn't breathe, he grasped onto the chain, pulling himself along them trying to find their source. He felt as though he was going to drown, but just as he felt that sensation a hand grasped hold of him. Jerking him from the ocean into a room of pillows.

The chains upon him rattling as he hi the surace. He coughed, choking on the blood form the ocean somewhat, however he relaxed. Soaked in blood as he laid upon those pillows. Ayko appeared above him, startling him to say the least, "Do you remember yet?" he questioned Leiken. "Remember what?" he stated aloud. "I loved you. I didn't mean for this to happen. I had no control and you told me you wanted to be with him instead."

"Remember better."

Leiken's expression drew somewhere between anger and pain, "WHY!? WHy must i remember what i did?! I know i'm a monster! I know you're right! Leave me alone! Why can i not forget you!? Why did i have to love you so much!? " he would scream at the other male. Though his arms were grasped by the chain, tugged back against the pillows. Akyo slid over Lei's body as he spoke to him.

"Remember NOW." he demanded in an angry tone.

---

Leiken would shiver slightly, a small distressed sound escaping him as, but otherwise he was unusually silent. Which was the most true way of telling that something was not right with him. Though today it was more clear than ever before what was wrong. With his injuries treated and tube that aided his breathing he would most definitely survive. however, he would continue to breathe pathetically with help as his dream continued.

---

Leistared at the figure as the stars twinkled around them. The candle light flicking upon his skin. The cool breeze of air frosting his skin. He laid silently within his own dream. He gave a small sound after a few moments.

"You...begged me to kill you...you hit me. Over and over again until i lost control.You knew how i was, how it wouldn't stop. but you did it anyway. I hit you i. i lost it.. i stopped your heart." Ayko sighed happily.

"See? It's all bullshit. Stop being so pathetic. " he stated as he stood up. The chains falling away as he did so. "I knew you couldn't control yourself. I used you. I wanted out. That's what i told you. Why didn't you remember? " With that the man walked into the darkness.

Lei sobbed softly as he curled into the pillows within his dream.

---

Leiken's would remain unconscious for the better part of the night. Though it was sometime in the early morning hours that the empty darkness of his bloody ocean filled dream would be replaced by the light of an unfamiliar room. how did he get there? Where was there? Why did it smell of leather and incense? Why was it so cold? Why did his throat hurt? Leiken started to stirr, but he was still very unfocused. His eyes slowly staring around the room. Trying to make sense of where he was and what had happened to get him there.

[Orion Urswick]

Yeah... At least Lei wasn't dead. Yet. But Orion refused to believe that that was an option. He watched quietly as the woman went to work, looking away as she began to heal the wounds; he just couldn't quite handle that, no matter how much he wished he could.

When she was done, he let out a huge sigh of relief, his entire body shivering as he released the tension he hadn't realized was there until it was gone. "Thank God," he breathed. Leiken was going to be alright. He still looked pretty bad, and was still unconscious, but at least he was going to be alright. Nik looked exhausted, though, and he scooted aside to make sure she had room to rest.

He wanted to be there when Lei woke up, so he went over to his office for a few moments to grab his papers that he needed to work on before returning and settling down on one of the cots to wait out the time. He didn't have another class to teach for the rest of that day, which was good, because he wouldn't have been able to concentrate anyway. It was a long night, and he dozed off a few times, waking only after the whispers returned to him, haunting his dreams. He had been so focused on Lei that they had gone for a while, but now that Orion was relaxed, they had come back. One of the main reason he hated hospitals so much was because of the pain-filled whispers he heard in them; though this wasn't a hospital, there were still pretty painful memories in here. It kept him awake for the better part of the night.

When Leiken finally began to stir, Orion was by his side in an instant, making sure he would see a friendly face as he slowly came back to the waking world. "Hey there, lad," he greeted him lightly, as though he had just woken up from a nap. "Don't you worry about anything. You're going to be just fine."

[Vincent Meian]

Vincent let out a breath of relief as Nakia said that Lei would be all right. He knew his icy bride could fix this. He only worried at what cost to her own health. Catching her eye as she stood, he noticed the same longing to heal his own wounds and shook his head. These injuries were well deserved, and he would allow no more harm to come to anyone else because of his foolishness.


So, as the doctor took a seat in her chair, he moved to a cot next to her and spoke softly so not to disturb the boy or other teacher. They spoke quietly for some time, the lilting Japanese words giving them both some comfort in this time of need. He called their daughters, warning them that the two of them would be home late, then took to the staff room to bring coffee to his wife. She would need the warmth.


As he returned, the tall man coughed suddenly, dislodging something from his throat. Tasting copper, he made a face and swallowed it. It seemed he was hurt worse than he thought, but his own injuries could still wait. If a bomb at close range couldn't kill him, what damage could a boy do?


Caffeinated beverage retrieved, the trainer returned to find Orion half-asleep and Lei still silent, minor twitches from the boy being all that moved him. Vincent stared at them both for a moment, then gave the mug to Nik (much to her gratitude) before settling onto a cot himself. He felt dizzy and weary, and after only a few moments did he slump over, fast asleep as a sentry.


He was still asleep when Lei awoke, though the doctor had moved him to lay on the far too small bed. It was, perhaps, one of the only times the trainer had ever looked so young and so at peace.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

Nakia accepted the coffee from her husband without comment, though her eyes held deep thanks. With how her powers worked, she would need not only the energy but the warmth to continue her vigil into the night. Even after both older men had fallen asleep in the deep night, she drank coffee and filed reports on both Vincent and Lei, making sure the documents were altered correctly to show what had happened this day. She did her work quietly, then cut off the three cots from the rest of the room with curtains. Other students or staff could be by, and she would not tolerate an intrusion into privacy.


Hours passed and she checked on her patient multiple times. The boy was quite sound asleep, and by what she read with a gentle touch to his forehead, he had plummeted deep into delta-waves; the lowest energy of all sleep modes and the one the body fell into most often when healing. Any dreams he was having prior to this would have ended by now, and he would be thinking only of blackness. Or, more likely, he would remember little of the last few hours of sleep. All that mattered to the ghostly woman was that the boy would live.


As her husband slept, Nakia looked over him as well. His hands were a mess, as was his chest, neck and face on his right side. The swelling in his hands was fading, though the appendages were still hot with pooled blood and healing histamines. She took the wedding band from his hand to make sure it wouldn't restrict the circulation and placed it on her thumb. Though it was loose, she would not lose it.


The clock read 2:35 am when Lei finally awoke. It was Orion'd words that alerted the pale doctor to the moment, and she walked to him quickly, leaning over from the other side to make sure that he saw her. "Welcome back, Leiken," she stated with a smile. "Don't talk for a moment, just answer in nods, all right? Can you breathe all right? Is your throat still feeling tight at all?"


Her questions and orders were because of the breathing mask on the boy's face. If he could breathe again, she'd remove it and allow him to talk normally. If not, he would have to be silent and rest further. Recuperation was more important than voice.

[Leiken Chu]

It took a few moments for lei to notice what the surrounding room around him was. The infirmary, once again, he was there. Had he been carried that entire way by the other man? Lei was still disoriented and groggy, his body ached something fierce, he couldn't quite describe this type of pain. His lips shifted as if he were to press them together though he felt the awkward shape of the tube and his heart began to pound in his chest.

What was this? Were his lungs bad now? Had he injured himself to the point that he'd forever be burdened with disability? Much to his relief he could still feel his limbs, so that much he could be thankful for, however he wondered silently if the tube he could feel making his body itch would be something permanent in his life. He sincerely hoped not. It was hard enough for him to be taken seriously.

Though it was that familiar voice and the image of the star-gazing man that he first woke to see. He was surprised, he had lost consciousness within vincent's arms so it made him wonder where vincent had gone and how he ended up with Orion at his bedside. The man looked exhausted, like he needed to sleep, or perhaps just woke up. He had nearly spoken when he saw the pale image of the woman he'd come to see far to frequently for his own tastes as of late.

Hearing her voice, trusting in it merely for the fact that she'd not lead him wrong thus far, he nodded toward her slowly. His body aching from head to toe, but at least he was alive. For a moment he would have nearly thought his former lover had come to take him to the world after death. however, he was thankful that was not the case. The darkness that had fallen in his dreams after that was almost peaceful. It was relaxing and when he woke he did not feel his ability trying to harm anyone. Not even himself. It was silent. Perhaps from the exhaustion of his own form both mentally and physically.

He nodded when she asked if he could breathe alright. He took in a few breaths of air to be sure, though he was somewhat afraid that it was because of the tube that he was only able to do so because of it's help. Though he shook his head 'no' when she asked if his throat felt tight.

Leiken coughed rather harshly as she removed the equipment from his body. His throat felt dry as the rest of his mouth did, but he breathed out and took air in much more smoothly than he had before. His chest ached however due to the pain. "Or.ion... " he stated as he stared up toward the teacher who stood over him. He exhaled slowly, swallownig hard, his throat was so dry feeling. "Did.. you carry me ... here?" he questioned wondering if vincent had abandoned him there completely.

It was then that the pain flooded back to him and he let his eyes fall closed for a moment. His mind flooding with the reminders of what had happened before his own ability had nearly killed him.Tears pushing out of the corners of his eyes before he opened his eyes again as he stared up toward the figures above him. Exhaling slowly, "can i.. have some water..? "he spoke out shakily.

[Orion Urswick]

Orion wrung his hands together behind his back as Nik pulled the device out of Lei, but tried to keep a calm expression as the student became more aware. He needed all the support he could get right now. "Shhh," he told Lei as he said his name, pulling a chair over so he could sit down. "Don't talk if you don't have to." At his question, he smiled thinly and shook his head. "No. Vincent wouldn't let go of you. I just followed." He motioned over to where the other man was laying. "He's resting now. But he stayed here, too. We all did."


Orion reached for a washcloth as the expression on Lei's face turned to one of pain, and he dampened it slightly before brushing it gently against his tear-strewn cheeks. "It's okay, you're going to be fine," he repeated quietly. He glanced at Nik to see if she would get him some water; he wasn't sure if that was okay or not, but she would know. He was just here for moral support, and to help in any way if it was needed.