Chapter Text
“That’s your 5th cup of coffee of the day. Since you’re a doctor you’d know better than to drink that much poison.”
Sethos rolled his eyes, which made them hurt. “Better coffee than those teas that you make, they taste like piss.”
Cyno, his senior and supervisor, gets closer to his desk, leaving a pile of documents on top of it. “Since you’re caffeinated, you won’t mind taking over a few patients of mine.”
Sethos was only a resident doctor, still ways away from finishing his education, so he had to take any task his superiors put on his hands. “Of course I don’t mind, Doctor Cyno.” he gave him a forced smile. “Not like I haven’t been working for 18 hours already.”
“You were the one that was so eager to learn, you practically begged me to give you more patients.” Cyno adjusted his glasses, even though he doesn’t need them, and pointed over to Sethos’s medical file cabinet. “See, there’s more than enough space for those files.” he smiled and put his hands on the pockets of his coat. “Now, I need to sleep, any emergency tell them NOT to call me.” he waved as he exited the room.
“But-”
His words were lost to the wind, he put his hands on his face and rubbed his eyes, wincing at the stabbing pain. He went through his desk drawer and took some eye drops, putting them carefully.
After a few deep breaths, he finally took a look at the documents on the table, from the size of the files he thought there would be more people, however, at least three of them were from the same person.
‘Scaramouche, 28 years old’
That name seemed familiar to him, even though it was so rare, especially in Sumeru.
Also, Scaramouche? The gods were not smiling down on him when he was born.
He went through the first set of files, and quickly realized the amount of x-rays this person had taken over the course of 10 years. However, there was no information about the cause.
Cyno being as meticulous as he is, even though it wouldn’t seem so at first, would never leave so many blank pages, although, right at the end of the three files, there’s a page full of notes, his handwriting all jumbled.
Some of the notes stuck out and made his curiosity spike.
12.02.12 ‘Three broken phalanges on right hand caused by blunt object, severe damage to soft tissue with severe muscle damage. Patient refuses further treatment.’
30.06.12 ‘The patient refuses physical therapy.’
04.05.15 ‘Two fractured fingers on right hand, cause unknown, the attending doctor suspects they were caused by a blunt object.”
15.08.15 ‘ Ring and pinky finger rebroken after remodeling, moderate soft tissue damage, still no information of the cause.’
19.01.20 ‘Successful operation on bone and tissue restauration, visible changes on mobility and muscle strength’
11.01.22 ‘Fracture of the thumb metacarpal on right hand, accompanied by an incision and cut, eleven stitches required. Patient uncooperative.’
That was the last note, Sethos looked at the calendar on his desk, today was January 30th 2022, and from what he read, Scaramouche’s here to take off the cast in his hand.
Sethos looked once more at the very first x-ray, he figured the injury was caused by a metal baseball bat, the angulation of the fractures and the damage caused pointed to that. Ten years ago, Scaramouche was in highschool, and since baseball was one of the most popular sports in Sumeru, it made sense.
Sethos scoffed to himself, pinching his nose bridge and smiling. “I’m a genius.”
However, something else plagued his mind.
Was Scaramouche bullied?
His thoughts are interrupted by the attending nurse. “Doctor Cyno has asked me to hand you the most recent x-ray from the patient, Scaramouche, we removed his cast as well. Shall I send him in?”
“Of course.” he took the x-ray into his hand, wincing at the amount of remodeled fractures, most of which hadn’t healed probably.
Just how many times did Scaramouche break his hand?
There’s another knock at the door, and Sethos quickly organizes his desk, before calling “Come in.”
The door opens and he’s surprised by the man that enters, he’s handsome, young, and has a much smaller frame than what he initially had thought. From the several broken bones, he had thought that maybe the man was a gangster, or just someone who worked in manual labor.
The patient sat right in front of Sethos’s desk, studying his face carefully, and then soon losing interest, looking out the window.
“May I take a look at your hand?” Sethos asked carefully, his voice made something stir in the man in front of him, his face showing surprise. “Swear I won’t hurt you.” Sethos smiled to dissipate some of the tension in the air.
Scaramouche looked sideways and rested his hand on top of the table. Sethos moved his worn swiveling chair to the side of his desk, wanting a closer look.
He picked Scaramouche’s hand and studied it carefully, trying to move his fingers. When he finally reached his thumb, the man winced, pulling his hand back.
“It hurt.” Scaramouche said coldly.
“Never trust a doctor who swears they won’t hurt you.” Sethos smiled before returning to his desk and imputing some information into his computer, also taking the time to annotate everything on Scaramouche’s files.
The patient rubbed his hand, a deep scowl on his face, however, his eyes looked a little softer. “So now what?”
“Well… looking at your files, I’m sure you’ll refuse physical therapy. Although, I think it would really benefit you, metacarpal fractures can be tricky.” Sethos pointed at the x-ray, showing the barely healed fracture. “One more hit, no matter how small, and it might make a clean break.”
Scaramouche gave one glance at the x-ray, and then at Sethos’s face. “Fine.”
“Fine…?”
“I’ll do the therapy thing, and I’ll also be careful with my hand.”
After 10 years of uncooperation, it couldn’t be this easy.
Sethos squinted his eyes, giving an untrusting expression to the man in front of him. “So, if I make an appointment, right now, will you make sure to show up?”
“Are you the one doing it?” There was some hope and interest in Scaramouche's eyes, which took Sethos aback, the expression so innocent.
“No... I don’t have a PT license.” he felt bad saying it, because Scaramouche’s expression immediately fell. “However… I could supervise it?”
Scaramouche looked up once more, but this time, he showed suspicion. “And why would you do that?”
Sethos was extremely sleep deprived to understand anything that was happening so he sighed. “Then let’s do this, I’m scheduling a PT session for you, for next week. If I don’t have any surgeries or consultations I’ll go and take a look… You’re not the only patient I have doing physical therapy.”
Scaramouche sighed deeply. “Fine, how many sessions do I need?”
“At least six, I would assume, but it’s the PT that will make the final decision based on your progress… and motivation.” Sethos looked at him with intent. “Just make sure to show up and do everything they say.”
“Anything else?”
Sethos felt like maybe they had formed some sort of understanding, so he decided to dig a little further. “What caused the fracture on your hand?”
Scaramouche paused for about ten seconds. “Moving stuff around in a warehouse, a box fell on my hand.”
“And what about the other times?”
Scaramouche doesn’t respond, simply looking at Sethos with a blank expression on his face.
Sethos decided to pry a little more. “You broke three fingers about 10 years ago, they were caused by a metal baseball bat, right?”
Scaramouche suddenly jumped up from his chair, his whole complexion turning white. “What is it to you? Just because you’re a doctor doesn’t give you the right to know every single detail about my injuries, you’re just like that last doctor. You’re nothing but trash, fuck you and this hospital.” his breath was rapid, and his cheeks were red with anger. “I don’t want to see you ever again.”
Scaramouche pushed his chair with force, hitting Sethos’s desk and then the floor. He sent one last furious look back before slamming the door with all his might, to the point the hinges almost got displaced.
The silence that filled his office was deafening, his heartbeat being the only thing he could hear in the now empty room.
The nurse knocked on the door and made sure he was okay, Sethos gave her the information he collected doing the consultation. The nurse, who had been working since Scaramouche first came to the Hospital, was used to seeing this behavior.
In spite of that, she seemed a little relieved, and when Sethos noticed, he decided to ask her why.
“You see… this is the first time he has lasted more than 5 minutes with a doctor.” the nurse smiled to herself, checking the watch on her wrist. “I need to go, I’ll send in the next patient.”
“Surely, thank you.”
Even throughout the whole consultation with the other patient, Sethos couldn’t stop thinking about Scaramouche. He was curious about what had caused so many injuries to his hands.
What if he had more broken bones that the hospital didn’t know about?
He shook that thought away, there was no way a person could deal with a broken bone without any treatment.
But with a fracture however…
After the consultation was over, he couldn’t help but look at the old x-rays again, putting them against his desk lamp to inspect them a little closer. No matter how many times he looked at them, he couldn't see any details he missed.
It was killing him with curiosity.
He swiveled around in his chair, looking at the city view and the beautiful lights decorating Sumeru City. There was no view like this one, except for the temples in the desert. In his hometown, the stars and galaxies paint the night sky in beautiful colors, the cold sand welcome whenever he layed in it to find constellations.
He missed everything about the desert, and more than just the scenery, he missed its people.
He missed his true home.
**
Sethos still hadn’t slept more than 3 hours at a time, on his 36 hour shift, and his body was starting to resent it. His bones groaned whenever he moved, his eyes were as dry as the desert, and his stomach growled violently anytime he thought about food.
It’s after a long surgery that he finally had the opportunity to go to the cafeteria, his legs dragging on the floor, the long white hallways neverending.
His eyes were barely half-way open when he heard a familiar voice calling for him.
“Sethos, over here!”
He picked up his tray and made his way to the table where one of his friends sat, Tighnari. “‘Hm here.”
“That was not a real phrase.” Tighnari joked, pulling at the sleeve of Sethos’s labcoat. “You look like hell.”
“You’ve looked worse.” Sethos smiled, keeping his eyes closed as he picked his chopsticks to eat, the food failing to stay on them. “Why did you call me over?”
“Do I need a reason to eat with my friend?”
Sethos looked up at Tighnari, his face blurred by his aching eyes, but he could still see the scowl that he wore. “Has anybody told you that your features are like… very pronounced? Your facial bones are amazing, your zygomatic and palatine are undescribable… who were your ancestors?”
Tighnari stayed silent for a few seconds, breathing deeply. “I won’t assume anything, I didn’t hear anything, I am calm.”
“Very mature… A few years ago that would’ve gotten me a kick in the shin.”
“Be glad that I too have just come out of a huge surgery and can barely lift my fingers.” Tighnari smiled, relaxing into his chair, however his body still seemed tense. “I also wanted to talk to you about something else… people have been saying that you got into a fight with a patient?”
“Well…”
“You manage to make friends everywhere you go, it’s not like someone would openly hate you, or the other way around as well.”
“It wasn’t exactly a fight… I just pushed the patient’s boundaries by mistake. I was at fault on this one.” Sethos pushed the palms of his hands to his eyes, tiredness catching up to him. “I feel so guilty that I can barely think straight.”
”You’ve always been like that for as long as I remember. Even if it was a mistake, you would always feel guilty, especially when others got mad at you.”
“How could I not?” Sethos let out one more sigh before getting up from his seat, Tighnari following suit. “You like me or something? Why are you following me? You haven’t even finished your food.”
”Just wanted to make sure you can actually make it to the break room without passing out.”
Sethos smiled and put his arm around Tighnari’s shoulder, appreciating the warmth that seeped into him, slowly healing his soul.
Deep down, Sethos knew that there was nothing more he could’ve done for Scaramouche, and that the only thing he could hope for, was that he would seek the treatment that he needed, even if it was at another Hospital.
**
Sethos was on his fourth cup of coffee when his computer pinged. Even though he knew that he should check it right away because it could be the x-rays he was waiting for, he just can’t seem to energize and motivate himself enough for that.
A week had passed since the incident with Scaramouche, and the whole Orthopedics department was still talking about it, hushed words and whispers anytime he walked by.
He, however, didn’t have the patience to clear his name. Even though he prided himself in his pristine reputation, it was not like he was making an effort to uphold it, he was just being himself.
The only person he should explain this situation to, was Cyno. When he came back from a conference the day before, Sethos was sweating nervously, wondering if his superior had heard the rumors that had been circulating.
His worries subsided as soon as Cyno entered his office, an understanding smile on his face and a pack of TCG cards in his hand, which he dropped on top of Sethos’s desk.
Even though most people would not like to receive these cards as a gift, Sethos knew that it was Cyno’s way of showing that he had heard everything, but that he trusted Sethos.
That he knew the stories that were circulating were simply that, stories.
‘I don’t even play TCG.’ Sethos said playfully.
’Then you need to start. I will not approve your thesis if you don’t play with me at least once.’
’Always so annoying, your boyfriend must love you.’ Sethos said sarcastically.
’We might not be socks, but we do make the perfect pair.’
’Ugh!’
Sethos smiled into his cup of coffee, he hated Cyno’s jokes, but at that time, it was all he needed to hear to feel relaxed. He swiveled in his chair and admired the orange hues that were starting to form in the sky, the pink clouds making the prettiest picture.
He took his phone out and snapped the moment, posting it immediately.
Not even 30 seconds later Tighnari replied ‘Glad to know the orthopedics department is working hard.’
After that, Sethos does gain the courage to check his emails, only to be surprised by a reminder, one that had completely slipped his mind.
‘Scaramouche - Supervising 1st session of physical therapy’
A cold chill ran through his spine, breaking into sweat right after. It had completely slipped his mind that he had actually scheduled the appointment, being quick to punch it in as soon as the patient had said yes.
He got up from his chair and checked his calendar, making sure he didn’t have any appointments scheduled. When he confirmed that he’s in the clear he made way to the gyms that host the physical therapy sessions.
Still, just as soon as he got on the elevator, realization hit him.
Scaramouche wouldn’t show up.
There was no way he would come after what had happened, and even if he did, he wouldn’t want to see Sethos’s face.
‘I don’t want to see you ever again.’
It still ringed in his ears even after a week, because he had never heard those words in his life. Even though it was hard to admit, it was hard for Sethos to deal with anger and rejection, things that had been mostly absent from his life.
So much so that he had no idea how to react after a fight.
Should he apologize? Should he forget about what happened and try to keep the peace? Should he stay away until the other person seeked him out?
He felt inadequate in that aspect.
Even though people had always praised him for his social skills, whenever someone had been angry with him, he dealt with it like a rejection, and usually stayed away. Most of the time, he had hoped that it would pass, but deep down, he felt too insecure and embarrassed to actually seek them out, wanting to isolate himself.
Things hadn’t changed much since then, he still didn’t know how to deal with the Scaramouche situation. If he were to see the man again, what would he say? What if Scaramouche rejected his apologies and made everything worse?
When the elevator doors opened, there was no one on the other side, the hallway empty and silent. Even though he was nervous, he still stepped out, taking a deep breath as he walked the long hallways that led to the gyms and pool.
As he walked he started to hear the familiar noises of exercise machines working, people talking, grunts of pain and effort. Even though he was an orthopedist, he actually didn’t have much knowledge of what happened inside of these rooms.
Once he looked inside one of the rooms, he quickly realized just how much he had missed. One of his other patients was working hard to recover from a car accident, his muscles weak, but he still had a big smile on his face as he completed another milestone.
Once the patient spotted him he smiled even more, waving at him.
Sethos waved back, his eyes getting watery, the patient soon returning to his exercises. He walked through a few more rooms, searching for more of his patients, he found none, but right at the end of the hallway, he spotted a familiar face.
Scaramouche.
Sethos froze on the spot, shocked that he had actually shown up for his appointment, especially after years of resisting and denying further treatments.
The man was carrying a towel, his face unreadable as he entered the room and introduced himself to the physical therapist. Since the others hadn’t noticed his presence, Sethos decided to stay hidden, looking through the door hinges to gauge Scaramouche’s mood.
However, what he ended up seeing was completely different from what he was expecting.
Scaramouche took off his workout jacket, only to reveal scars along his arms, in tow with some unhealed cuts and several bruises. Just what had caused this many scars, and just what was going on in his life?
Scaramouche sat down at one of the chairs inside of the gym, letting the physical therapist examine his wrist and hands. Scaramouche had defined muscles, something that was not visible through his clothes.
He hated to admit it, but the man in front of him was just his type. Sethos also hated to admit that because he was his patient, and it probably broke several codes of ethics.
Except, Scaramouche was actually Cyno’s patient, Sethos was just a stand-in.
He rubbed his chin, questioning if the gray area he just created was worth exploring or not. He decided to ignore it, monitoring silently as the man struggled to lift weights with his right hand.
Just how much damage had that hand suffered through the years? With what purpose? Why did he never seek help?
He shook his head again, there was no point in this sudden interest, Scaramouche made it pretty clear that he didn’t like when people pried into his life, especially his past.
Just as he was about to form another useless thought, his body decided to give out and he lost his balance, hitting his forehead on the door.
The physical therapist and Scaramouche both turned at the same time, their expressions blank, until both of them recognized him, their reactions completely different.
”Dr. Sethos, what a rare sight, what brings you to our gym?” the physical therapist smiled, getting up from her chair. “Is Scaramouche your patient?”
Scaramouche scoffed at that, rolling his eyes, dropping the weight on the floor gently.
“Actually I’m just a stand-in for Dr. Cyno, I came here to monitor this session.”
”Or to spy on me…” Scaramouche hissed through his teeth, barely audible.
“I didn’t tell you to put that weight down, and stop your whining and mumbling.” The physical therapist said sternly.
The tone must’ve worked because Scaramouche picked it up again, protesting and saying profanities through his teeth.
“It’s so nice to see doctors taking interest in their patients beyond the office, it’s so rare these days. By the way, my name is Faruzan, nice to meet you.” she extended her hand, which Sethos took and shook lightly, only to be surprised by the force of her grip. “I still need to finish this session, give me 30 minutes and you’ll be able to speak with him.”
Sethos didn’t really need to talk to Scaramouche, he would rather avoid his wrath. But he still motioned with his head in agreement, taking that as an opportunity to exit the room.
Just before he turned the corner, he decided to take one more peek in, he was surprised by Scaramouche’s eyes on him, his expression curious, but soon turning into a frown.
At that moment, Scaramouche reminded him of a cat, seemingly curious, but feigning ignorance and disinterest as soon as someone showed some attention. He smiled at the visual that formed in his mind and made his way to the coffee machine, searching for coins in his pockets.
Damn, no luck.
”Need change?”
”Tighnari?! What the hell are you doing here? You scared the shit out of me.”
”Damn, I could say the same.” he smiled, taking some mora from his wallet and picking the strongest coffee. “Be glad that you’re getting caffeine.”
Sethos smiled, relaxing his body onto the wall. “Do you have a patient here?”
”Not really, Collei gives swim lessons to the kids… the ones that can.”
Sethos knew right away what he meant, pediatrics and oncology sometimes crossed paths in awful ways. “Collei is really strong. I would get too attached to them…”
”So far, she hasn’t said anything, but my sister was never one to just give up, she was also in their place at one point.”
Sethos remembered the times Tighnari had to miss class to help Collei, the nights where even Sethos would stay next to his friend, hoping for the best after every complex surgery she had to go through.
“She’s still in remission right?”
”One more year… and she’ll be considered cured.” he smiled to himself, taking the coffee from the machine and handing it over to Sethos. “Now it’s your turn, what are you doing here?”
”That patient… showed up to physical therapy.”
Tighnari immediately changed his whole demeanor, a sly smile on his face. “Why are you being shy? Did something happen?”
Sethos hid his face in the coffee, turning his body sideways. “N-nothing happened…”
“Come on, tell me something good, my life has been so dry lately…”
”It’s not like that, I was just surprised that he showed up at all.” Sethos sighed, trying not to give it too much meaning. “But he still looks at me like I insulted his ancestors, he literally hissed at me.” he joked, dramatically putting his arms over his head.
Tighnari laughed, clutching at his side. “Not the hissing.”
”Swear.”
“Now be serious. You only joke like this when you’re trying to avoid something.”
Sethos finished his coffee and crumpled the paper cup with his hand. “Even I don’t know what I’m feeling… How do you expect me to tell you?”
”Fine! I need to go anyway, stay here and wait for your crush.” Tighnari stuck his tongue out, running before Sethos could deny it.
Scoff, a crush, how childish.
After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Faruzan exited the gym, seemingly scolding Scaramouche, his eyes rolling, arms crossed around his chest.
After another five minutes of nagging, which Sethos was thoroughly enjoying, Faruzan beckoned him with her hand. “He’s all yours.”
Scaramouche looked as happy as Sethos felt, they were both dreading this interaction, but Sethos decided to just jump into it.
”First, let me apologize for my behavior in our last appointment, it was indelicate of me to make assumptions and pry into your past.” he said in one breath, bowing his head to deepen the apology.
When he lifted his head and looked at Scaramouche, the other seemed surprised, but a scowl still remained in his features.
”Yeah, it’s fine, I guess.”
After about three seconds of silence, Sethos started to walk, waiting for Scaramouche to follow.
“Honestly, I had heard rumors about a physical therapist that was more like a drill sergeant, sorry I scheduled you with her.” He was trying really hard to lift the mood and disperse the awkwardness but it was hard.
”I’m also sorry… I broke your chair.”
A little delayed, but Sethos still smiled. “No worries, now my appointments are much shorter since I make my patients stay upright.” After a few seconds of silence and slow walking, he continued. “That was a joke, we always have a spare chair somewhere.”
”Yeah I got that.” Scaramouche sighed and then stopped his walking, looking sideways. “Are you going to be here next week as well?” it was barely audible, it was no more than a mumble.
It still made Sethos smile. “Only if you don’t mind me being there.”
”I mean, I’d rather not, but I wouldn’t stop you.”
“I’ll be there then.”
”No need.”
”You just said you wouldn’t stop me.”
”Changed my mind, don’t go.”
”I’m going.”
Scaramouche finally locked eyes with Sethos, his cheeks the faintest pink.
“Fine.” he walked off after that, turning right for the lockers, his whole body tensed up, and the back of his neck extremely red.
Sethos probably didn’t look any better, his cheeks were burning up.
He had to speak with Cyno.
**
“Wait… did you…?”
”It’s not like that.”
”It has to be like that, you never turned away a patient before.” Cyno sighed, perching his glasses on the tip of his nose. “There has to be something more.”
”Don’t pretend to be a detective now.”
”Something is amiss here.” It seemed like Cyno was ignoring him, taking a small writing pad from his desk drawer. “Let’s look at the clues.”
”There are no clues-“
”Last week, there were rumors of Dr. Sethos having a fight with a patient. Me, being as benevolent as I am, believed that it must all be a lie.” he scratched at his chin pretending to write in his notepad.
”If you just let me-“
”However!” He cut through Sethos’s words. “After being spotted at the physical therapy gyms, the suspect was seen speaking with the patient, one has to wonder if the exchange was peaceful.”
Sethos sighed. “May the suspect speak now?”
Cyno beckoned him with his hand, pushing his glasses up and crossing his arms.
“Scaramouche was originally your patient, there were several attempts made for him to actually go to the PT sessions, now that he’s going, it makes sense that he should return to the specialist.”
”That is the most half-assed excuse I have ever heard from you. I am disappointed… Are these your rebellious years? The lying, the running, the avoidance…”
Sethos could do nothing but sit on the chair in front of Cyno’s desk. “Sometimes you just can’t… click, with the patient, and it’s better to refer them to another doctor.”
”Now we’re getting somewhere.”
”Yeah I finally met someone that I just can’t seem to get along with…”
”Boohoo, someone doesn’t like you for once.” Cyno joked, a soft smile forming in his lips. “If you truly wish, I will take him back… But you should know how this will look to the patient.”
”Like what?”
”Like you’re abandoning him.”
That sent a jolt through his body, a sense of dread filling the air around them.
”Before you say that he probably wouldn’t care… Try and remember who managed to get the help he needed, and who actually showed up to monitor his physical therapy, just like they promised.”
”It was me.”
The realization hurt him deeply.
”I would like you to reflect on this… You can give me an answer tomorrow. Now go, I need to prepare my class for tomorrow.”
Sethos didn’t want to leave this conversation unfinished “He’s my patient…” he bowed and exited the room with a weight on his shoulders.
How could he forget something so simple… The oath he had taken, the promise that he had to keep in his heart as long as he was a doctor, and even after that.
Even though he doesn’t know how he feels about Scaramouche, he first should've thought about the needs of the patient, and not trying to get to know the man.
First and foremost he was a patient.
Secondly…
Secondly… he might’ve been someone worth fighting for.