Out of Context Snippets

Bargain Accomplished

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Story: After attending a recommended, much needed, and very secret, medical appointment, Iliana receives a referral to a place that may be the therapy of her dreams... Literally
Context: Army of the Roses, a branch on an ongoing side story

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"How long has this hole been in your heart?" The physician she was visiting with was analyzing some tests they had taken, a very stressful hour or so of her being a lab rat, in her words, that lead up to this tense moment in their little private room of the hospital.

Thank the Seers the Army had insurance coverage, however her main worry was that the very same insurance was going to give her away when the bill will roll out for these tests.

G'ah, she didn't even consider-

Wait, she was still in the middle of the appointment, she'll have to worry about that later since she has someone staring at her waiting for her answer.

This was a question she certainly was afraid to have to answer to begin with, however if it meant she would keep up her bargain with Russell and avoid future complications, then of course Iliana had to suck it up and tell the truth, no matter how worried she would be about the outcome that may follow, "A few weeks, give or take. I recently had a 'parasite' removed, I'm guessin' she left a lot more damage behind than I thought."

Guessing didn't cover how peeved she was that she didn't know about this. Another issue to cope with, of course, but it was worse than everything else so far, and that was saying something.

Igni was still actively trying to kill her from beyond the grave, what else is new?

"This is more than what a parasite would normally do, this is quite the hole." The physician showed her a scan they had taken, displaying, well, yeah quite the hole in that scan for sure, along with several cracks that worried her just as much, "See how it's chipped and jagged in the areas surrounding the gap there? It looks more like your heart grew around it, and with the force of its removal chunks of the attached heart broke off with it."

Yikes.

"I'm guessin' that's the case, sure." To be fair, with her luck so far that thing has never been outside her body since the first time she died, so knowing that was how it looked at least confirmed she was still kicking, if by some small margin. It also explained why that sucker throbbed all the time, but that was an issue for later.

Noticing her unusual calmness, the physician leaned forward slightly in curiosity, "How exactly did this parasite get removed?"

"She, eh, removed herself...?" She wasn't sure about the extent Overcross medical professionals knew when it came to heart problems like these specifically, though she'd imagine they'd be plenty aware of a variety of scenarios, at least, "I'm not sure how, to be honest. She willingly untethered herself from me and popped out, from my understandin', and-" Iliana waved her hand in a vague gesture, "-left that in her wake."

"And you said you have periodic bouts of pain and nausea afterwards, correct?" No questions about the parasite herself, thankfully, just sticking to what's most important here.

"The chest pain is almost constant and somethin' I've learned to ignore, the nausea is periodic. Uh... Usually crops in after I'm excessively emotional, and it tends to end in me hurlin' up black bile," Igni Goo, she has affectionately named it now, just thinking about it brought an awful burnt taste to her mouth.

The physician was taking notes, jotting these things down with quick timing, "I see... If it won't trouble you, I would like to get a sample of that bile for testing."