Chapter Text
The room was small and practically empty save for the mattress and the two drawer bedside dresser that were both shoved into the far right corner. In the left corner of the room was a door that led to a washroom.
It only took me five minutes to unpack my bag. First I grabbed out my assortment of jars from the top and set them neatly on the bedside dresser. My rocks, my bottle caps, my dirt, my moss, then my empty jar. Then I took out my baggie of weed along with my rolling papers and tossed them onto the dresser as well. Then my toothbrush and a half used up tube of toothpaste were thrown onto the bed. The last thing I took out were my clothes- An Alice Cooper shirt, an AC/DC shirt, and a Metallica shirt along with one pair of pants and my underwear. I folded up the bag and stuffed it into the dresser with my clothes.
This is my home for the foreseeable future, might as well get comfortable. I shucked off my vest and hung it on the bathroom door. I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste from the bed and brought them into the bathroom, which was more like a toilet room, because the only things in it were a sink and a toilet. I set my things down on the sink and walked back into my room, grabbing my baggie of weed from the dresser..
I sat down on my new bed and took the empty jar off the dresser. I unscrewed the lid and placed the jar between my thighs to keep it still. I opened the baggie and took a deep breath, smelling the air and sighing. Then I carefully poured the contents into the jar and screwed the lid back on. I set it on the dresser before standing and making my way back to the door. I should probably talk to Pauling and Medic about that surgery.
I peaked my head out the door and looked down the hallway into the rec room. I couldn't see anyone in the hall, but I could hear indistinct chatter from the large room at the end. I made my way down and got a close look at the hall as I passed by. Name plates adorned every door in the hallway. Next to my room was Spy’s, then Medic’s, Pyro’s, and Engineer’s. Across from my room was Sniper’s, then Scout’s, Heavy’s, Demo’s, then Solly’s. Along with their names, their class symbol was carved into a plate as well. My door, however, was plain.
When I finally made it to the end of the hall, I could see Medic and Pauling still chatting away while Demo and Engie were drinking together on the couch. Medic noticed me first, “frauline! You're just in time, we need to get started right away,” he spoke. I glanced at Pauling nervously and she gave me a reassuring smile.
“You'll be perfectly fine, Cookie, Medic has done this procedure nine times. Once on himself!” she reassured me, “you're in great hands.” I gave a nervously awkward smile to the woman, then followed Medic who had begun walking toward the wide hallway while muttering in german. He threw open a set of double doors and gestured broadly to the room,
“Welcome, to my lab!” he announced, “please. Get comfortable, we must start right away.” he offhandedly pointed to a surgical table in the middle of the room before rifling through a large cabinet on the far side of the room. The floor here was covered in peach colored tiles and the walls were painted white with red outlines. Cabinets lined the walls along with a fridge and a large sink with a steel basin. The most noticeable thing in the room was a large laser-like contraption that was suspended from the ceiling. The end of the ‘laser’ was pointed at the surgical cot in the middle of the room.
I took a seat on the cot while I waited for the doctor to finish whatever it was he was doing. Finally he turned around and pushed a gown into my hands. “undress and put on this gown…” he hesitated before adding, “please.” We held an uncomfortable amount of eye contact before he turned around and walked through a door labeled “storage” . He muttered “let me know when you are covered,” before he disappeared behind the door.
I began to strip, first taking off my shoes and socks. The tile was freezing, but it quickly warmed up under my feet. I unbuckled my belt and began to peel my pants off of my legs, struggling slightly to get them over my thighs. I folded the pants neatly and placed them on the floor next to my shoes. I whipped my shirt off over my head and folded that as well. He had not specified whether or not to remove my underwear, so I decided to keep them on. Not wanting to look at myself any longer than needed, I quickly threw on the paper gown and hoisted myself up onto the cot.
I waited a moment before calling for the doctor, “Medic!” I called out to him, “im ready!” as if he had been waiting impatiently behind the door, he swiftly swings it open and begins talking about the operation. I didn't understand most of what was said, just that I'd be awake for the process and that it ‘shouldn't hurt’. But by the time he had gotten to that part, he was already manhandling me to lay down on the cot. His sweater vest was now covered in a lab coat and his hands were swallowed by enormous red rubber gloves.
The next few minutes were a blur. The german managed to cut the gown I was wearing down the middle, exposing my sternum and ribs, while also speaking erratically about the local anesthetic he had created. Then, he cleaned my chest and abdomen with wipes. He pulled out a large syringe filled with clear liquid. When he pinched my skin to inject it, I visibly winced and shut my eyes. But nothing happened. When I opened my eyes, the medic was looking at me in concern. His blue eyes looked almost stern when he asked, “are you okay, frauline? There is nothing to be afraid of, it's just going to be a pinch.”
I took a deep breath to calm myself. “I'll be fine,” I said, “just not a fan of needles.”
“Ah, I understand,” he hummed. although his words were reassuring, his eyebrows furrowed as he noted the large variety of tattoos on my chest, torso, and arms. “Some of the others dislike needles as well… would you like me to tell you when it's over?”
“No, please just get it over with. Don't even warn me, just do it…. Please,” I said..
He hummed as if what I said was very interesting. “Then would you like to look away?”
“No, I'd rather see it happen, but thanks,” I replied. He nodded at me but he looked rather confused. Nevertheless, he regained his focus and continued with his work. I watched stiffly as the needle punctured my abdomen, then my chest. When he set the needle down I let out a large breath and relaxed. “Sorry,” I apologised.
“You have nothing to be sorry for!” he laughed, “everyone has their dislikes. Needles happen to be a common one.” as he spoke, he turned towards a tool cart and began selecting his tools. “You should be completely numb in about thirty seconds…” he muttered, mostly to himself. Finally he selected a scalpel and turned back to me. The man poked my chest a few times with his finger before moving down and prodding at my abs, or lack thereof.
I decided to let him do his work and instead turned my attention to the ceiling. It was paneled in white tiles just like a hospital. The air smelled almost too clean and the lights were fluorescent. I closed my eyes to avoid the lights. Medic began humming to himself as he worked and I let myself be relaxed by the tune.
After about an hour of being lost in my thoughts, Medic gently shook my shoulder. “Frauline, how do you feel?” he asked, “Im almost finished, I just need to switch on the med beam and it will close you right up!” He sounded excited. Before I could ask what he ment, he continued on, “Engineer and I created this together! Once I switch it on, It can heal almost anything!” he claimed, gesturing to the ‘laser’. He briskly walked around the cot to switch it on.
The machine buzzed to life, emitting a bright beam of red light. It was startling to say the least. Medic happily talked about the logistics of the creation, but I didn't understand any of it. I nodded along anyway because he seemed happy to talk about it. However, it was hard to stay focused on his words when a beam of light was literally healing my open chest cavity. I should be more concerned about what is happening. Once my chest is closed up, the beam shuts itself off and the medic picks up my clothes from the floor to hand to me.
“All done! You are free to get dressed,” he looks at his watch, “its half past noon, I believe Heavy made sandviches! Please join us for lunch when you are ready.” and with that, he strutted out the double doors and left me to get dressed.