As the light of evening began to wane, the staff at New Rydynn Hospital were hard at work. Medic Mirandahh was one such dedicated staffer. Known as Ash by most because of her hatred of her name, she was also called Mira by some of her colleagues. Under any name, she was all business and dedicated to her work at the hospital. The night found her sitting at the front desk of the hospital, entering data into the E-7 supercomputer. As her slender fingers flew across the keys, she was guarded from the outside noises by thick double glass doors. Over her head, syrupy music played that she barely heard. The lobby doors opened with a quiet gust of air and a man walked in. His motorcycle, caked with dust from riding the deserted Sabatt streets, was visible parked curbside for a moment before the doors shut behind him. Ash darkened the computer screen and watched the helmeted man approach her. When he reached the counter, he undid the chin strap and pulled the helmet off. Ash recognized Gray Phoenix, a regular hospital visitor and sometime aid.
"Hello, Shad," she said, taking note of a box under his arm. He sat it on the counter and leaned against it. Ash rolled back in her chair and raised an eyebrow at the box.
"I brought some medical supplies," he said, his voice a quiet timbre.
Ash nodded. "What kind of supplies? You know, we can always use fresh goods," she said, somewhat suspiciously. The hospital was always low on supplies, but it made her curious as to how Gray got them and, even more so, how he knew what they needed.
Gray shrugged. "A donation from the Church of the Nuclear Messiah. They forgot to give it to you, so I humbly went to their nearest base and offered to deliver them personally."
His voice was sarcastic, confirming what Ash had been thinking. He had taken the supplies and, most likely, killed for them. She could hardly look the other way at the gift when everything was in such scarce supply these days.
She smirked at him, standing. "Just what is in there?"
Gray began to count off on his fingers some of the contents as the sound of light footsteps caused them both to look up. Nurse Terra Skye had just come on shift. She leaned up against the counter, her face looking a bit tired.
"Good evening, Terra." Ash said before dipping her head to paw in the box. Terra echoed the greeting, then stepped closer to see what they were looking at. Her lab coat was somewhat noticeably larger then it had been before.
Ash looked up at Gray. He had managed to get some gauze, bandages and other equipment. "I can see your quite good at getting supplies. This is all going to have to be sterilized."
Gray nodded, peering over at the box. He glanced at Terra's coat, then at Ash "They weren't extremely clean over there. I was actually a bit disgusted."
Ash tapped her hands on the box, then looked at him. "What do you want for all this?"
Gray shrugged. "I owe this place a debt that I'm only beginning to realize." He looked aside at Terra, then gestured at the box. "I brought in some medical supplies from the church."
Terra's eyes widened, looking at the box. "Oh really? That is wonderful! We can always use more."
Ash leaned back on her heels, arms folding across her torso. "So, what? You're just giving this to us? I don't believe it." She knew he must need something.
Gray rubbed his chin. "Well, You wouldn't happen to have any fuel, would you? I'm running a bit low."
Ash shook her head. "No can do. I don't deal in fuel and what I do get, stays here."
"Do you have any clips for an old .45?" he asked hopefully. Ash did not seem to hear him, her attentions on the box.
Terra, lost in her own thoughts, suddenly turned to Ash. "Strange evening in here last night."
Ash continued to sort, though it was evident her heart wasn't really in it. "Yeah? What happened?"
"Do you remember that whatever he is with the fangs? The reverend from the church who has bothered me from time to time?" Terra asked. "Well, he showed up here last evening bent on harassing me and Justice intervened."
Ash tilted her head. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
Terra frowned. "No, I'm fine. Justice shot him in the head. He was dead, Ash. But the thing is, the medics who came to take him away, they came back in and said he attacked one of them and then was gone!"
Gray gasped "What the? How is that possible? Regeneration?"
Ash held up her hand for calm. "Did he have any vitals?" she asked.
Terra shook her head. "The medics said no. I didn't check. All I can figure is a bullet grazed him. So I guess it is safe to assume he will be back."
Gray looked at Ash and raised a brow. He knew what she was considering. A patient with no vitals could mean many things, but there were always the rumors of the walking dead.
Ash flashed him back a no-nonsense look, reading the query in his eyes. "A myth … that's all."
He just looked her defiantly. "What about me? Still, that does sound odd. I've heard of such things. In this world, anything is possible."
Ash snorted and rolled her eyes. "Give me a break."
Gray pressed his point. "I'm sure that a shot to the head pointblank would do me in. I'll stick around, though. Just in case." He smiled at Terra.
Ash smirked. "Depends on the caliber, Shad." Then she turned to Terra. "How are you? All right?" She picked up the box and moved it behind the counter.
"Me? Oh, I'm all right. No complaints, " Terra said.
Ash looked at her, then leaned against the counter. "Not shaken up or anything?"
Terra blinked "From yesterday? No, I'm fine." She then changed the subject "I am testing Quentari for the possibility of having his nerves reattached in his arm."
"Ain't that an old wound?" Ash asked, then looked over at the sudden movement at the lobby doors. Bliss Lovejoy had just stormed in, half carrying and half dragging Terra's savior from the other night, Justice. She was cussing him out for being so head strong as she yelled repeatedly for a medic. Justice just groaned.
"Elliot, get me a medic now!" Bliss yelled again with a slight edge of panic in her voice.
Ash sighed and moved towards the injured man. Terra and Gray were close at her heels.
Justice was grabbed at Bliss. "I'll do as I damn well please!" He gasped for air with each word and clutched at his belly.
Ash took over the situation as everyone tried to find out what happened at once. "Lets get him on the table and see what is what," she said, her voice firm and not to be argued with. She snapped on a pair of rubber gloves, then glared at Gray who was trying to examine Justice. "Hey, Shad? Did you hear me?"
Gray looked at Ash sheepishly. "Sure."
Ash moved around behind Bliss and looked at Gray. "Take his shoulders, I'll get his legs." Gray nodded and took Justice carefully by the shoulders. Blood was seeping through the wounded mans stomach and over his fingertips. Ash nodded to Gray. "On three. One, two. Three." They both grunted as Justice was lifted and deposited on the table. Ash shook her head, pulling the man's hand back from his stomach. Justice groaned loudly as she removed the makeshift field bandage from his belly. "Damn ... stomach wound."
Behind her, Terra had begun to ready a tray of instruments. "Shall I start an IV?"
"Yeah. We got a blood type on this guy," Ash asked. She readied a new supply of bandages before she started examining the wound.
"Uh. I will do a match, stat," Terra said, then began writing down notes on the chart. She took a vial of blood and slipped it into her pocket.
"That's what you get for going off without me, " Bliss said to Justice. She tried to hide her fear with some humor.
Justice smirked weakly up at her. "Too dangerous for you."
"I can help," Garth said, then turned to Bliss. "How did this happen?"
Bliss shook her head. "I don't know, really. He went without me." She scowled at Justice. "And too dangerous for you too, apparently!"
Gray shook his head at Justice. "Look, just because yer the Son of Derell doesn't make you some Solo Hero." Ash grimaced at the wound as Terra began the IV.
"I do as I please," Justice said quietly, his eyelids fluttering. "And that goes for you kids, too." The man's voice grew quieter as a soft curse escaped his lids.
Gray touched his friends hand. "Come on, don't leave us that easily." He looked at Ash.
Ash looked up at Terra. "We're going to need some major surgery." Terra nodded and a frightened Bliss took up Justice's other hand.
"Don't you dare die on me and leave me with just Caine to consider as an employer!" She hoped jealousy would spark Justice's fighting spirit.
Justice's eyelids wavered, then he smiled weakly. "I don't pay."
Bliss leaned down to Justice. "You also don't expect me to sleep with you. A very nice trait in a boss these days."
His smile continued to grow weaker. "I already … have … someone. Another would just complicate matters," he said, grinning slightly at his soft joke.
"Elliot, Get the OR 7 ready! We've got a bullet wound … possible internal bleeding. And find me a freakin' surgeon!" Ash barked out orders, her mind intent on saving Justice's life. Behind her, Gray stopped for a moment and began to concentrate. Then, as if in his own world, stepped forward and began searching Justice for the entrance wound. Ash looked at him incredulously. "What are you doing?"
Gray poked on. "Looking for the source of the wound."
She shoved him out of the way as Terra spoke. "Perhaps we should do a scan to locate the bullet."
Ash nodded. "Good idea. No telling what he has punctured inside."
As Ash and Terra continued to work, the front lobby of the hospital doors opened again. Grendel and Ed Archer made their way in, almost simultaneously. Grendel lumbered rather then walked and immediately began looking for Bliss. Ed walked a bit slower as he dug his nails clean with his knife. Grendel spotted Bliss and moved towards her. Ed stayed put, content to watch from the far side of the room the furious activity swirling around Justice.
"Dead man on wheels?" Ed said softly, his usual humor as horrid as ever. He then shrugged to himself "If it was going to be anyone."
Bliss looked up from where she was bent over Justice. "Gren?"
As Nurse Terra moved past him to ready the X-ray, Grendel looked at Justice. "There you guys are. What happened?" Ash moved back from the X-ray as Terra slid on a lead apron.
"Justice went out without us and got himself hurt." Bliss's voice was edged as she filled in Grendel.
Grendel looked at Justice. "Why?" The question was simple, but clearly the one everyone wanted answered. Terra moved Justice under the machine and took several pictures of the wounded area.
Bliss watched, her mouth set in a thin line. "Because he is stupid and listens to his own PR too much!"
Terra finished up her work and turned off the machine. She removed the apron as another nurse walked in bearing six units of blood. Ash stepped back around the cubicle and waved all of Justice's friends to the lobby. "Out now, please. We have work to do."
Grendel lumbered back out into the lobby. "If he lives through this, I'll kill him myself."
Gray followed Grendel, but looked back over his shoulder. "Hey! We still have that appointment remember. With our little friends." He watched as Justice nodded slightly, then set off to see if he could find a surgeon for the medical team. Bliss said nothing, save a small growl at Ash, before moving to the exterior room.
Grendel paced the room. "There are times when I wish I was a medical tech."
Bliss looked at her hands. "There are times when I wish I was twelve years old, but it doesn't change anything." Beside her on the couch, Ed balanced a knife on the tip of his finger. It would fall after a moment, then he would pick it up and resume the strange ritual over again.
Grendel watched him, then looked at Bliss. "Yes, so it would appear. Who injured him?"
Bliss leaned her head back. "Church, I think."
Back in the OR cubicle, Terra laid one of the pictures on the counter, then called Ash over. "OK. Here is where the bullet is."
Ash laid it on the light board, flicking it on. She studied it for a moment, then nodded. " I see it." She ran a hand over her spiked hair. "Sheesh…" She turned and upped the dose of morphine into his IV drip.
"That bad?" Justice's voice held a hint of humor, but he was soon lost in his medication haze. Near the ER door, Gray returned with one of the surgeons. He was a tall dapper man, already dressed in scrubs. Gray left him to confer with Ash.
In the lobby, Grendel stood. "I must go." He made his way out the door as Bliss nodded.
Bliss stared at her hands and whispered softly to herself, "I'm gonna be left alone again, all cause he is stupid."
Gray sat next to her, wondering when Justice's talents were going to kick in. "I think he's going to be fine."
In the OR cubicle, Terra moved quietly around when Justice slowly opened his eyes from under his mirrored sunglasses. "Terra?" he called, his voice very quiet.
"Justice?" Terra moved to his side.
"I did it for you," Justice said as he sighed heavily.
Terra squeezed his shoulder lightly. "You will be fine, Justice. I promise." Behind them, Ash held the X-ray out to the surgeon. He took it and began to nod, making some notes on a pad of paper. Terra took a cold cloth and patted Justice's forehead. "I won't leave your side," she promised quietly.