A Day with the Doctor
Everything
was rather calm after that night with Yankaka. She was much more clingy than
usual, which I could take a guess why, but as the selfish individual that I am
I was more focused on the farm work and making sure everything was going
smoothly. Once Bang had returned, we both went about fixing the barn up a
little bit. Because of all of the snow that had been accumulating on the roof,
the added weight eventually caused the panels to start to bend and break under
the weight… Not to mention the improper sealing of the boards was causing the
ice to wreak havoc.
It was easy
enough getting up on the roof with all the tools and everything and while Bang
was helping me with such a thing, Yankaka was being left to tend to the animals
and make sure the fields weren’t clogged up with any branches, holes, or random
rocks. I had never actually done any roofing in all of my ears, but Bang
apparently had some experience and, as Fia had sent us a few instructions, this
shouldn’t be too difficult. Slow going, but not difficult… Well, it was fucking
cold, the wind was heavy high above the ground, and it probably wasn’t a good
idea being up here while the roof was slick, but it needed to be done before a
real hole was created.
To Bang’s
credit, he did know some basics of construction and we were getting the
hazardous job without any true, unexpected issues. However, as I was carrying
one of the small packs of shingles, I managed to slip on some of the ice. One
foot went off to the left, causing me to drop down into the splits in the
process (I love bodymod sometimes.), my body sliding off toward the edge
unimpeded.
“Tadek?
Hang on!” I heard from Bang as he heard me fall and then leaped for me. He
managed to grab my ankle, but because of the snow and ice, his hand slipped,
causing me to jerk when he caught me and then slide right off the side. My foot
caught the edge, my body coming to an abrupt stop, a sharp pain going through
my hip with a small pop. Just as I was about to fall off the side, Bang caught
my ankle and, while I was gritting my teeth as a choked gasp escaped me from the
excruciating pain of being hung by a dislocated hip, I was just glad not to be
falling head first to the ground below.
Within
about half an hour, which I was thankfully in the town with the one doctor, I
was at the clinic where Lina was working. As the doctor, I think her name was
Ayame, stepped out with her assistant to aid another patient, Lina stepped in
to do her job. Granted, she rarely stayed more than a few inches away when she
had the chance, but as long as she was doing her job, I left it be. “Tadek, why
were you on a roof? You have a terrible habit of falling off things and hurting
your limbs.” She chastised me, which I simply accepted with a small huff. While
I did have a thing with getting my limbs hurt, rarely did I actually fall off anything.
“Right… So,
when will I be out of here? I have to get back to work on the barn… Bang can’t
do it on his own.” The copper-haired woman reached over and poked the side of
my head as she spoke. “Didn’t answer my question. Why don’cha just stay put and
heal for once? Your leg is alright, but the tendons were stretched and your
muscles were torn in a few places from having to hold you up without warning.
Just stay put till tomorrow at the least, okay? Remember, you don’t regenerate
or have your mechanical limbs here.” Once she was finished speaking, I pushed
away her hand and turned around in the bed so that I was at least sitting.
Well, the
pain that went through my leg was enough to keep me in bed at the very least. With
a sigh, she moved to sit down on the bed and wrap an arm around my shoulders. I
cleared my throat to remind her of my stance on personal space, which she
quickly took her arm back and simply turned a little. “Look Tadek, we all care
about you, alright? Fia, Celestian Arlissa, Cierra, and me. I am sure that the
two new initiates do, as well, if Yankaka’s constant affirmation that you
actually return the care is anything to go off of and Bang’s focus on your
drinking habits, of course. Just don’t overdo it, okay?”
“They
aren’t initiates. But, thanks. I appreciate it. I will be fine, however… You
and I both know this isn’t the worst thing that I have been through. Should be
back up and on my feet by tomorrow.” Lina pursed her lips and gave a little
shake of her head. “Mmm… No, but you can try. For now…” She suddenly got a grin
and hopped up, running off into the room she was using for a moment. The
copper-haired woman came back with her paint supplies, thankfully without a
sheet this time, and set everything up. “While you can’t move, I am just going
to take advantage of the situation. Don’t worry, you’ll have clothes!”
I gave her
a flat look and simply rolled over, pulling the blanket along as I did to hide
my visage. “Only in your dreams.” I responded and I could just imagine Lina’s
head hanging in disappointment.
To my
detriment, I was stuck in that clinic for the rest of winter, sadly. I tried to
walk out a few times, but within about twenty four hours I would always end up
back in the clinic with Ayame just glaring at me every time by the fourth
instant. Lina was welcoming at the least, and everyone visited me while I was
stuck in place. Yankaka and Cierra both made a habit of it, as they were close
by, but Lina was the one to keep me company more often than not.
While her
antics were a little wearing, more than a few times I had to send her away
whenever she got much too close for my personal comfort or the one time she
tried to be romantic. That was an odd day, but it was one that did put a few
things in perspective.
While the
doctor and her usual assistant were away to Bluebell for a day to help the
mayor, Lina took the chance to setup a few candles and flowers while I was
taking a careful walk through the clinic, having to lean against the wall the
entire way to stubbornly try and keep my joints loose and help my muscles
recover. When I returned, I found her sitting on the bed in a, uh… classy…
nurse’s outfit. While it caught me off guard at first, I simply gathered myself
and gave a little shake of my head to try and show disinterest.
“Come on.
Not a fan of the classic, pre-dark age look?” She stated and, honestly, while I
would say that she was attractive, I was simply not interested. Lina was a
wonderful woman, but I was still more worried about keeping the group dynamic
working. Once she saw the obvious disinterest in my face, she let out a sigh
and stood up. “Look, Celestian Arlissa told us. We all know that you are just
trying to keep all of us happy. Heck, Cierra already knew. She isn’t blind.”
With a
small huff, I slowly made my way over to the bed and dropped down next to her
with a light groan on my part from the soreness in my leg. “Right. Didn’t
expect her to not take notice. I am sorry, alright?” Lina reached over to give
me a much-too-tight hug and a kiss on the cheek, which I quickly blocked with
my hand. The medic gave me her usual pursed-lips expression and simply stood
up. Though, she did offer me her usual, much-too-wide grin with a slightly
unhinged look in her eyes. “I personally don’t care who you eventually choose.
Just always remember that I will be around no matter what to keep you alive.
Can’t have the target of my artistic expression and love die, right?”
The medic
threw a wink my way before walking off, which honestly sent a chill up my spine
in the process. I sometimes forgot that she was a little obsessed and, while
she was completely harmless, that obsession did bring a few dangers with it.
Granted, Yankaka was a yandere… I really had a habit of attracting crazy
people, didn’t I? She did have a point, though… I was going to either have to
choose one, the many, or break everyone’s heart eventually… Not something I was
happy about, but it would have to be done at some point. Honestly explains why
I found a blue feather in the tool shed… Never was one for marriage.
“Hey, Lina!
Why do you like me, anyways?!” I called out, the thought finally running
through my head as I really did have to wonder why the medic was so obsessed
with me from the first time we met. She came back, her lips turned into a bit
of a frown. “Cause you helped. You have to remember where I and the other
sisters came from… Help is odd, it isn’t given even when deserved, yet you
responded to our distress and did what others never would. We needed a savior
and you were that savior… We save your hide on occasion, but you do your best
to stand between us and anything that can truly hurt us.” The medic stated
firmly, her hand reaching up to pull together the front of her shirt as this
was a more serious issue.
“Hmm…
Right. Thank you… and I simply did what I thought was best. Thanks for saving
my ass, of course. I never did thank you all for that.” She offered me a smile
and stepped away once again, leaving me with my thoughts and the dull ache in
my leg.
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