Chapter Text
The first time she met that arrogant, stupid, wannabe detective…
Well, in retrospect, maybe it shouldn’t have been surprising at all, since her whole day had been pretty different from usual. Instead of sitting in her office peacefully, taking clients into her room turn by turn, hearing what was bothering them, and offering solutions, she had ended up onboard an ambulance, because there had been an emergency call: In Tokyo, there had been an event that got cut short by an explosion. Ran didn’t know anything further, just heard that there were serious injuries, and since there weren’t any other doctors free to go, she had volunteered. Not her specialty, but since there were people who needed her help, she would do it!
It couldn’t be too different from office work.
Well, maybe it wasn’t that different, but it was enough to open her eyes to the uglier side of a doctor’s job. The place looked much worse than she had thought it would. Most of the people looked so restless, wanting to leave, but not allowed to for some reason. Some of them waited nicely, but quite a few were angry and tried to fight against official authority. Police were everywhere, some just guarding, probably making sure that no one left before everything was fine, and some just calming people down. Some people just sat on the ground and waited. And what made Ran truly sad, was the sound of the children: Some of them looked so scared in their parents' or other adults’ arms. She heard some of them crying, which made something twist in her heart. Poor souls, they were the last who should’ve seen or experienced something so terrible.
But the good thing was that most of them looked to be in good shape and unharmed, even though it didn’t change the fact that they have experienced something terrible, and it would leave marks. Marks that some of them, maybe, would never leave behind.
“First aid is here, who needs help?” one of the paramedics shouted as they walked around to check people. Ran saw a woman, who cradled her hand like it was hurting, and a little boy who looked like he had hurt his leg. And then there was a man who seemed to need help the most. He was sitting on the ground, a painful grimace crossing his face for a moment while he held his left side. There were two other people, crouched beside him, and when he turned his eyes to them, Ran saw how he tried to hide his pain behind a confident smile. Like an assurance that he was fine. One of his watchers stood up and looked around until he saw her. His face lit up a little.
“Please, over here!” he shouted and raised his hand at her, waving frantically. “He’s bleeding…”
Bleeding? That made Ran speed up.
“Ah, it’s nothing, really…” the injured one said, and looked like he was trying to stand up, but apparently his side said otherwise since his pained grimace instantly returned. Ran went closer, dropped her first-aid kit on the ground, and pressed him back down.
“It seems it’s something”, Ran said gently and turned to look at the pair who had been with him. Man and woman, dressed up pretty formally. Probably with the police. They looked a little bit worried. Ran smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”
The woman started to smile, and then she stood up, looking at the man who was on the ground. “Okay, rest easy, Kudo-kun. We’ll wrap this case, don’t worry.”
Ran heard a gasp behind her, but she ignored it.
“But…”
“Let’s go, Takagi-kun!” the woman continued before turning and leaving. The man, evidently Takagi, turned to look at the injured one with a smile. “You’re in good hands”, he said and nodded before turning to Ran. He bowed. “Please, take good care of him.”
“I will”, Ran promised. Takagi stood up and glanced at the wounded man one last time before running after the woman.
“Um, Mouri-sensei…”
The groan that the man - Kudo - let out interrupted the question that one of the paramedics started behind her. Ran’s attention was back on the man, who - to Ran’s surprise - didn’t seem to be seriously pained or worried. Instead, he looked like he was bored and annoyed. Ran frowned.
“Okay”, the man let out and moved a little to take a better position. His blue eyes met Ran’s, and he smiled. “Thanks for your effort, but really, I’m fine. So… Go take care of others, and…” He tried to get up.
“Just stay there, okay”, Ran interrupted him, pressing him back to sit down. She realized that she barely had to use any force to get him back down, which probably meant that he was weaker than he looked. The man let out another groan, but ignoring that, Ran turned to look at the two paramedics with her. She still found it a little strange that those two hadn’t taken the initiative to go check the others. “And you two, go take care of the other ones we saw! Lots of people here need help.”
The man nodded with determination and ran towards the child who was holding their leg, but the woman still hesitated. Ran looked at her, waiting. The woman looked bothered when she turned back to Ran.
“Listen, Mouri-sensei…” she began and smiled nervously. “His wound seems pretty bad, so I can take care of him, and…”
“It’s okay, I can handle this”, Ran answered gently and turned back to Kudo, who was still grimacing and looking at his side, but still holding his hand over the wound so that Ran couldn’t see it. “Go take care of others. I’ll call you if I need help.”
She waited to hear footsteps, but she didn’t, and it seemed that the man before her noticed it too since he also raised his head and looked at them. Ran turned again to look at the woman, and noticed that she looked a little upset. Her mouth was curving like she would have liked to seriously argue, but when Ran opened her mouth to ask - demand - what was going on, the paramedic nodded and went over to the wounded woman. Ran watched her for a moment longer, still wondering what that was about.
“Well, you should go help her too”, the man’s voice said, making Ran turn her attention back to him. He was also looking after the paramedic. “She’s in worse shape than me, and…”
Ran frowned again. “Why are you fighting this?” she asked. The man stopped and met her eyes. “You are in pain, you are hurt… and you don’t want to be treated?”
It was his turn to frown. “It’s not that”, he answered. “But I’ve been in real scrapes, and this is nothing”, he explained and looked at his side. “I can treat this myself.”
“But I’m here, so let the professional take care of this”, she said gently and turned to look at his side. His hand was still covering it. “So please, let me see that.”
“It’s just a scratch”, he said, without doing anything to move his hand.
Ran met his eyes again. They were blue and pretty determined like he was absolutely sure that he didn’t want anyone to see that wound. She still couldn’t understand why.
“For a scratch, it seems to bother you very much”, she said. He just kept staring at her, without doing the smallest twitch to move his hand away. She just stared back. Okay, she admitted, he was a stubborn one, but she had met more stubborn clients before, and she had her ways. When she got into Medical school, she had sworn to help everyone , no matter what. And he wouldn’t be an exception. She wouldn’t turn her back on him, leave him untreated. She would make him show that wound even if all the Heavens declared it would be the last thing she would do.
“Listen, mister”, she started and smiled gently. “There are a few options that we have: First, you move that hand of yours, take your shirt off, and let me see and treat your wound, and after that, you are free to do whatever you want.”
“And the second one is where you try to move my hand and tear my shirt off, am I right?” he continued with a small, cynical smile.
“There won’t have to be much trying ”, she answered and glanced at his covering hand again. “I can see you’re already in pain, so to be honest, you don’t have much chance against me.” Then she looked into his eyes again and smiled sweetly. “But of course, if it makes you feel better and you want to lie to yourself, you can pretend that you have a chance of leaving without me treating that wound. It’s fine by me.”
Blue eyes stared at her, and the smile stayed, even though Ran had been sure that any sane man would have given up the fight. He didn’t. Ran stared back, keeping her smile equally firm to show him that she was serious about this, and she would not let him go before he was treated. Part of her was still worried that there would be many others who had been injured and she was just wasting her time with this one, but he was important too, and she still had two paramedics with her. They were more than qualified to treat anyone. And if there were someone in worse condition, she wanted to believe that they would have been shown to her already.
“Well, it seems there’s just no getting rid of you”, Kudo said eventually. Ran frowned but didn’t answer, just observed how he took off his hand. Against his white shirt, the red stain was like wildfire, spreading wider every second. Ran gasped and stared at it worriedly. It looked so bad…
“Are you sure you’re up to this?”
Ran raised her eyes to Kudo. He looked like he was doubting her.
“Take that shirt off or I will”, Ran said and turned toward her kit. She needed something to clean it…
“Well, you looked pretty terrified”, Kudo continued calmly.
“Don’t you bother yourself with that”, Ran answered, and searched for a proper cloth. “And you’re pretty bad at reading people. I wasn’t terrified”, she denied.
“Hmm-mm”, he hummed like he didn’t believe her at all. It almost made Ran want to take a deep breath, but she held herself. He was just one of those tough-customers who wanted to try their limits and pretended to be Hard and Manly but would turn around as soon as she began to treat them. Some people were just like that.
When she’d found disinfectant and cloth and set the bandages at the kit’s top, she turned back to Kudo. He had taken his dress shirt half off, just enough that it showed the left side of his chest and side. Ran grimaced. That wound looked even worse now. She heard him let out some kind of snort, but she ignored it. Instead, she took water and wet the cloth to clean most of the blood away so she could get a better view of the wound.
The wound itself didn’t look too deep, but big enough to have let out so much blood. Well, not too much, since Kudo at least seemed to be in talking shape. She took another cloth and started to clean the wound. It would heal itself, with luck, needing no specialized treatment.
“Why are you a paramedic?”
“What?” Ran asked, surprised. She glanced at the Kudo, who was pinning her with a serious expression.
“Why did you become a paramedic?” he repeated, raising another eyebrow.
Ran frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?” she asked and got her eyes back to his wound, which looked a little better now that she had cleaned it. It was still bleeding, but after she got a bandage on it, that wouldn’t last long. “Because I wanted to help people”, she answered while she took another, slightly bigger cloth to cover his wound with. “Because so many people need help and medical attention, and I have always known that if I can help them, everyone would end up happier”, she explained and moved a little bit so it would be easier for her to wrap that bandage around him.
“But there are many other ways to help people”, Kudo said nonchalantly.
“Yeah, and I chose this one”, Ran answered.
“But why?”
Ran stopped and looked at the man, who just looked down at the bandage that she had wrapped a few turns already. “What do you mean why? ” she asked, and when he met her gaze, she continued. “Because I thought this would be the most effective way to help people, and I like my job.”
He frowned. “I don’t think you’re suited to this job.”
Ran felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over her. She just stared at those blue eyes, and her brain suddenly couldn’t find any answer.
What did he mean that she wasn’t suitable ? This was her dream, to be a doctor, to help people! Heal them, make sure that they would escape their pain and feel better! See them smile again! She loved to work with other people! Teachers had praised her when she went through medical school, and she knew, thanks to all kinds of feedback, that she had been liked in her workplace. She had helped countless people leave their beds smiling, she had been patient with the hard ones, and everyone told her from time to time that she was always smiling and empathetic, which clients appreciated. She had never let it show if she was suffering a bad day, or took her frustration out on others, not even her co-workers.
She knew she was loved, and she believed that she was good at what she did.
She was suited to this job.
“Oh”, she answered as calmly as she could and turned to look at the bandage, continuing the wraps. “And why do you think so?”
“When you first came, I saw how you were looking around”, he answered. “You looked like you could burst into tears any second.”
Ran’s grip on the bandage tightened a little bit. “And what’s wrong with that?” she asked. “It’s only natural to feel bad for others.”
“And you looked horrified at my blood…”
“Because I was surprised how much there was”, she defended herself, and it was the truth. In that white shirt, it had looked like a nightmare, and she wasn’t prepared for it. “I thought your wound was going to be so much worse…”
“Mmmm”, he hummed like he still didn’t believe. “But I don’t think it’s exactly professional to show it to a client.”
“We are all humans”, Ran said. “And in any case, I’m still able to treat you. It’s only natural to react…”
“And it’s natural for these things to happen”, Kudo interrupted her. “A crybaby like you shouldn’t be a medic.”
Ran froze. She turned to look at Kudo, who was again peering at that bandage around him, like he was judging her work.
“Excuse me?” Ran asked slowly, with ice in her voice.
Kudo raised his eyes back to her. “These things happen”, he explained like someone observing the weather. “People get hurt, they get wounds, maybe something worse. And if you can’t hold yourself together, like you couldn’t right here”, he added, “maybe you should stay at home to clean and cook.”
Ran saw red.
How dare he?! She had so much to say, but no, she had to hold herself. She was professional and she shouldn’t let him get under her skin. And really, after this, she would probably never again meet this man. So she continued wrapping the bandage. The faster she got done with him, the better. “First, there is nothing wrong with being a housewife”, she answered as calmly as she could. “Second, this is my dream , to help people.”
“Mmm?” Kudo hummed.
“And third”, Ran continued. “I’m not a crybaby.”
Kudo hummed again. “Well, to me it looks like you are”, he said.
“I’m not”, Ran said, and wrapped another round.
“Yes, you are”, he disagreed.
Another round…
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
Last round. Ran bit the bullet and pulled the bandage as hard as she could to get it tight - maybe a little too hard. Kudo let out some noise. Ran looked at him from the corner of her eye, and even though he tried to look tough and nonchalant, she saw that it had hurt him. Good.
“And if my services don’t please you, maybe you should stop being such a baby and learn to take care of yourself”, Ran said calmly while tying the bandage. Her job here was done, he was treated and she could move on. She looked at the man, who still seemed to be in fresh pain, but she couldn’t care less. He deserved it! “And most importantly”, she continued, leaning a little bit closer to him. He turned to her with a wary look. It pleased Ran, and she smiled sweetly. “I’m not a paramedic. I am a doctor.”
When he didn’t answer, Ran leaned away from him. “Remember to observe that injury of yours”, she said coldly while packing all the remaining materials back into the aid kit. “If it’s still bleeding by evening, call Emergencies.” Then she took the bag and stood up, turning to look at him one last time. He was observing her with a serious expression. “Also, don’t get that wound wet if you can help it, and remember to change the bandage from time to time and clean it.”
She turned to leave.
“Aren’t you going to introduce yourself, in case I have to enter your care in the future, Mouri-sensei?” he asked. Ran turned to look at him and saw how he got a lopsided smile while observing her.
Ran raised her other eyebrow before shaking her head. “I believe there are many other, more suitable doctors in Tokyo for you”, she answered before turning and walking off. She tried to walk as calmly as she could, trying to pretend like there was nothing wrong. She wouldn’t let him have the pleasure of seeing that he had gotten on her nerves, and at the same time, it would be only professional to stay calm, regardless of what kind of patients she would have. Some people were easy, some just wanted to try their limits.
But God, underneath she was boiling! She wanted too much to try her fist on something, to get that stupid man and his irritating attitude away from her head, away from her memories! She wanted to get home and complain to someone about how irritating people could be! And how dare he! Was he saying that she should stay at home to clean and cook because she was a woman?! And she wasn’t a crybaby! It was okay to cry, and it was okay to feel bad for the people who had seen something terrible, who had experienced something that would scar them for the rest of their lives!
But it seemed that there was something wrong in that man’s brain! It seemed that he couldn’t understand. God, maybe he should be the one who should stay at home and clean and cook if he had nothing nice to say to other people!
She hated him. But luckily, she wouldn’t have to meet him ever again.
Ran came to the two paramedics who stood beside the ambulance. She tried to calm herself down. It wasn’t their fault that she was in a bad mood. So she let out a sigh and glanced around, trying to see if there still was someone who needed some first aid, but she didn’t spot anyone.
“Have you taken care of everyone?” she asked and looked at the paramedics.
“Yes, we did”, the man answered and smiled. “I think we can return to the hospital. Police will take care of the rest.”
Ran nodded and gave her aid kit to the man, who went back. The woman turned to go to the driver's side. Ran walked to the other side, almost wanting to glance towards that stupid man again, see if he had gotten up, but she stopped herself. No, she wouldn’t give that to him.
She got into the car and slammed the door behind her. She closed the seat belt, maybe a little harder than she should have, and then she turned to look out from the side window, waiting for the paramedic to drive away, get her away from this area, from that stupid man she would never see again. She would forget that man and pretend that this day never happened…
There was a sigh. And the car didn’t move.
“You know, Mouri-sensei… I’m a little envious of you.”
Ran frowned. “Why?” she asked and turned to look at the paramedic. The woman just sat there, hands on the steering wheel, staring straight ahead. Then she turned to look at Ran and smiled a little bit. “You got to treat the famous detective, Kudo Shinichi himself!”
Ran just stared at the woman, who looked so happy and dreamy when she turned back to stare ahead again, leaning on the steering wheel. “Oh, he is amazing! I admire him so much, he is intelligent, athletic, kind, good with words… And handsome. So handsome! Gosh, he’s got a charming smile and those eyes… So gentle and determined. So blue, like a clear ocean…” She shook her head a little and let out a sigh, looking like she was ready to float away. “I would have given everything to get a chance to treat him…”
Ran just stared at the woman. She wanted to puke. What were those words she’d used to describe that man? None of them made sense with him! Ran hadn’t seen anything great in that man! For the life of her, she couldn’t even see why anyone would envy her just because she happened to treat some wannabe detective who couldn’t say a single decent thing to her! God, he didn’t even thank her!
She wanted to let out a sigh and tell her that she should forget that “detective”. There was nothing great in him. But she was nice enough to not do that. Instead, she kept everything deep inside her and turned away, looking out from her window. “Well, if I knew that beforehand, I would have given it to you with pleasure.”