Chapter Text
As an underground surgeon, it was expected to more than often receive patients who wished to conceal their identity. It was a minor part of the reason why Dr. Black Jack charged so much money for his operations. So it was no surprise when a mysterious man arrived at the house asking for an operation and wanting to keep information about himself to the minimum. He wanted the doctor to fix his hands, which had been injured in an accident that reduced their range of movement.
Black Jack, of course, accepted as soon as the man agreed to pay the full price. He and his wife performed the operation successfully and after a month or two of therapy, the man was as good as new. For most of the time, however, Pinoko was cautious of the man. Initially, she had trusted him and didn’t see a need to fear him. But one day while they were checking up on him at his house, she thought she saw a suspiciously large and human-esque shape within the man’s shed. When her curiosity pushed her to take a peek, the image before her scared her to the point where she ran over to the doctor and yourself to warn you that you all were in the midst of a murderer. The man, of course, chalked it up to a kid’s imagination (which angered her to no end) and demonstrated to everyone that it was just a dummy that he used to practice his boxing. Pinoko could have sworn that she saw a dead body, but she decided to let it pass for now. It didn’t seem like any of the adults believed her anyways.
On the last day of the therapy, Pinoko decided to see once and for all if the man was truly a murderer. While everyone else was busy discussing the details of the progress and payment, she decided to look around some more. For a while it seemed as if maybe she had been imagining things that day, but then she stumbled across a hidden room. Peeking inside, her eyes widened and she almost let out a shriek at the sight of the woman lying on the floor in a pool of what was most likely blood.
She had been right! The man definitely killed this lady! She needed to warn you and Black Jack right away!
Her little feet pounded on the floor and she almost slipped several times on the smooth wooden planks. Once she saw two familiar figures sitting on a couch (thankfully the man wasn’t there) she released the breath she was holding and yelled out.
“Doctor! Big sis! We need to leave right now!”
The couple looked at her in curiosity, but when they noticed that she was panting and shaking, their faces quickly shifted to worry. You stretched out your arms and pulled her into a comforting hug, asking her what was wrong. As much as she wanted to stay within your embrace, she knew that she had to show you her startling discovery.
“Big sis, I told you guys that he was a killer! And now I have proof that he is! You have to believe me! Come look!”
She grabbed the hands of both adults and dragged them over to the room, and when you both saw the violent mess in the room, you let out a gasp whereas Black Jack’s eyes widened in shock.
Looking over to you, he said, “We need to leave. Now,” and you hurriedly nodded.
But before you could even make a single step, you heard the familiar voice of the owner of the house.
“I’m afraid that won’t be happening.”
The man lunged at Black Jack, taking advantage of the fact that he had caught him off guard, and they began to wrestle each other. You tried to help your husband by grabbing onto the murderer’s neck and making him fall off balance, but he quickly remedied that by throwing you off and slamming you against the wall. The impact of the throw made you crumble to the ground and you tried to regain your bearings. In an instinct to go over to you, Black Jack hesitated with the punch he was about to land on the murder. This only led to his downfall since the man clobbered his jaw, briefly knocking him down.
As he fell, he noticed that Pinoko was too frozen in fear to move.
“Pinoko! Run!” Black Jack yelled out, snapping her out of her trance. She quickly obeyed and ran away, but unfortunately for her, the man went instantly on her trail.
“Jack! Are you okay?” You called out to your husband once you collected your bearings and rushed over to him to help him up.
“Yes, are you?” He held your hands in his as he looked over your face for any injuries, thankfully seeing none on the surface.
You responded that you were fine, albeit a little sore, and then you both ran out after Pinoko and the murderer. While you both followed the pair of footprints on the dirt path, the doctor pulled out his phone and hurriedly called the police, alerting them of the criminal they had been searching for.
When you found them, you noticed that they were near the edge of a steep, cliff-like hill and to your utter horror, he held the young girl over the edge, warning you and the doctor against taking another step lest he throw her off.
You saw the crippling fear in Pinoko’s eyes and it made your heart clench in worry. You couldn’t imagine the kind of fear she was feeling— that at any moment, she could be released to her doom below. As a doctor, you know that her young, underdeveloped body would not be able to survive the fall.
Black Jack tried to reason with the man, but he only spewed out more threats and went on rants. However, you saw this as an opportunity to sneak closer and closer to the pair; almost reaching the point where you could run and grab her. Your husband noticed this as well and continued to distract the murderer as much as possible. Unfortunately, there had to be a point where he eventually noticed.
Glaring at you, he bellowed, “Did you really think that you’d be able to trick me?! I’ll show you! I’ll show you all!”
And to both your and Black Jack’s horror, the man’s already unreliable grip on the girl was released. The last thing you heard was a youthful shriek and a yell from the doctor before you shoved the criminal aside and dove for Pinoko. For a moment, the world stopped and your body felt weightless. But that feeling faded fast when time resumed and you began to feel the pull of gravity work again. You stretched out your arms as much as possible to reach the girl— only being able to grab ahold of her through the fabric of her dress— and when you finally had her in your arms, you wrapped your body around her in a tight ball and braced for the sharp impact that would begin shortly.
You cried out each time you felt the sharp edges of the rocks and sticks stab and cut into every part of you, but you never ceased your hold on the female and endured it all to keep her safe. She was your precious “little sister” Pinoko, and you would do anything if it meant that she could be happy and healthy.
You thought you’d be fine in the end, or at least, as fine as you could be with all the cuts, bruises, broken ribs you no doubt had, and other injuries you’d receive from this fall; but you didn’t expect the concerningly large, sharp rock at the bottom of the cliff-hill, nor did you expect the searing pain that you felt when your head struck that rock.
And everything went black.