The One that Got Away ( MewGulf AU )

Thoracic Surgeon

Chapter 12

It was running to 3 in the morning. The door to the emergency room opens and almost everyone looks in its direction except for Kana who was sweating buckets as he sutures the heart artery Bow has mistakenly cut. He has blood on his face, staining his face mask reaching to his forehead.

"Cut" Kana said holding a loose thread and everyone returned their attention to him. A nurse rushed to help Mild put on his extra scrubs, face mask and his gloves. Kana looks at him and he saw relief crosses his eyes; "switch the first assistant." Mild said authoritatively.

Bow hands down the scissor she was holding to the scrub-in nurse, then holds her bloody gloved hands up in the air, which was shaking a little, Mild stands a step next to her; his back facing the operating table. Bow took a step sideward meeting Mild's back and Mild turns to the side in Bow's former position. "Do you want me to continue this?" Mild asks Kana; voice filled with worry. "No. Just be my first assistant." Kana answered.

Before they can proceed, they heard a thumping sound indicating a fall. Kana and Mild heard gasps and when they turn to where the sound came from, they saw Bow collapse on the floor just when she was about to open the door. "Get her out of here," Kana commanded the attending nurse in the corner who seems to be frozen in place. "Forcep." Then he continues the surgery wasting no time.

SUPPASIT was waiting outside the area where there are benches lines for any guardian of the ongoing surgical patients can wait and it face a glass sliding door which has a sign saying 'For authorized medical staff only.' He chose a seat a little farther from the 2 people there which he assumes was the patient's family. His head hangs in an awkward angle facing downwards and it tilts a little to the right. Everyone who sees him can feel how uncomfortable his sleeping position is but no one dared to wake him up.

When Kana steps out of the OR area, he was met by the patient's family. He told them how the surgery went and the important things they have to know and he took responsibility saying his sorry for Bow's mistake to cut an artery  that almost leads to a death table.

The patient was wheeled out to the ICU and the family trails the medical team's way. Kana then feels his heart tugs in a good way as he saw Suppasit's uncomfortable sleeping position. He crouches in front of him and caresses his face. Suppasit's eyes flutters open at the contact and Kana smiled at him saying "Let's go home." Before his eyes rolled back, losing his consciousness and if it weren't for Suppasit's fast reflexes he would have banged his head to the floor.

"Mild!" Suppasit shouts at the first person he saw. Mild is startles and when he sees Kana on the floor, limbs lifeless while Suppasit cradles him in his arms; he rushes to Kana and Suppasit's side "What happened to him Mild?" Suppasit asks Mild who swings one of Kana's arms around his neck. "Fatigue," Mild answered simply. "Don't help out in carrying him. You're still not well." Mild stopped him when he attempts to put the other arm of Kana around his neck.

Mild looks around trying to see if there's anyone who can help them; "Tae!" he calls out his colleague, too frantic to even utter honorarium. Tae runs to their side and he supported Kana's side. They went to the nearest ward to the ER and place Kana next to Bow's bed while Suppasit follows quietly.

"Please call Doctor Phana." Mild asks Tae and the other just simply nods.

Suppasit looks like he was in a deep conundrum while he looks at Kana's unconscious body before he breaks into quilt saying "I think it's my fault that he overworks himself." Mild looks at him like he just said the most ridiculous word in the world "what?" he asked forehead creasing and a frown on his lips.

"It's just that it's quite the opposite.  Him being your house doctor has ironically given him more rest he has in the past 10 years." Suppasit was about to ask what he means but the door opens and Doctor Phana enters and gives an overall checkup for Kana.

Mild and Suppasit knew each other because they were High School classmates and their house is just a few blocks away from each other. Mild was the exact opposite of Suppasit but he was someone who never backs out in trying to be friendly with a person that people oftentimes avoid like a plague.

They had a year of great friendship until their communication got cut off as Mild chose to study abroad while Suppasit went place to places building his own studio.  He was the one Mild called asking him to hire him the instant he knew Kana decline to sign the contract from Cambridge and John Hopkins. They did not catch up well enough and Suppasit didn't know Mild's reason but he granted his request.

"He just needs a rest, lots of it." Doctor Phana informs the two. Mild and Suppasit just nodded then Phana excused himself because he needs to take routes of his patients and Doctor Kana's patients.

Suppasit was sat at a chair next to Kana's bed while Mild sits at a bed next to Kana's bed.

"So?" Suppasit prompted. "He overworks himself. He barely sleeps sometimes and when he does it's times like this." Mild started casting his gaze on Kana.

"When I met him, he was a surgeon at Mayo Clinic. He looks arrogant at first look but well just like you, he becomes a different person when he gets comfortable. I'm in the Thoracic department and he shows some interest and it was later that I had found out why." Mild shifted in his position as he sighs. "And it was because of his mother." Mild looks at Suppasit's eye to see him intently but curiously looking back at him; "She needs a heart transplant but the thing was she didn't want to. She was adamant but Kana changes her mind when he said he'll be the operating surgeon."

Suppasit feels something will about to go downhill but he didn't stop Mild or asks questions. He was willing to wait until Mild's finishes giving the info he knows first hand.

"So Kana was under my wing for a few years of residency in the Thoracic department while still being one of the General Surgeons. It was all well, we all saw Excellency in his residency years because he was very determined to do the job right. Then came the day of his mother's surgery, mind you this was years of surgery being postpone, and so his mother was falling really ill at that time. But Kana was so positive and confident that the surgery will be successful but unfortunately his mother died on the table." Suppasit can clearly see the sadness in Mild's eyes and his voice sounding resigned.

"We never saw him cry in the operating room. His voice broke a couple of time as he recites the time of death but that was it. He never does thoracic surgery every again not unless I asks him to be my first assistant." Mild pauses and looks at Kana again; "Not until today's operation." Mild continues and Suppasit can't help but to asked in astonishment "What?! Did he do a heart transplant surgery?" Mild shakes his head saying "No." he heaves a sigh again; "It was Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery."

When Mild sees Suppasit caught on to it he explains "He was supposed to be my first assistant and our surgery was scheduled last night at 10 PM. But there was an emergency surgery and I thought I'll be finished at 10 but the situation was more serious than I thought. They were already in the operating room waiting for me and the patient cannot reschedule so I asked him to do it. He called Doctor Bow to be his first assistant." He gestures his head to Bow's "But she's a General Surgeon so it became messy." Mild said not going in details about what really happens.

"Why did he choose Bow? As what I've known we had plenty of resident Doctors under Thoracic." Suppasit confusedly asked and Mild sighs again for the nth time; "Because he needs to find comfort inside the OR and he finds it with people he's comfortable with. I knew him. That's why even if Bow made a mistake he was able to handle it; not losing his composure. I know it's weird but it's his coping mechanism. He passed out due to stress and pressure and maybe a trauma he buried resurfacing." Mild finishes.

Suppasit just nods trying to digest all the information he has gotten from Mild then he realizes the trauma Kana might have in a surgery that he wasn't prepared for yet "Did he talk to a psychiatrist?" He asks Mild and the latter nods; "A few months after his mother's death. He was in denial at first but his dad had convinced him." Suppasit was left with no words and a heart full of worries for Kana. How I wish I can take all the traumas away.

"You can stay here and use this extra bed. I'll be sleeping in the on-call room. It's near 6." Mild stood up and stretch. Suppasit just nods again saying a simple "thank you."

He stayed seated for a few minutes before he feels the tiredness slowly consumes his body. He stood up, went next to Kana's side, brushed some stray hair on his forehead before he leaned in and kissed his forehead. He then went to the extra bed inside the ward and lays down facing Kana's side. You can always lean on me, love.