Chapter Text
- The lecture room sits 16 people, he comes in with a case file in his hand, a child with the following presenting symptoms and background medical history. But before he starts, he laid down the basic ground rules. He states while he has curated these 16 people, this is an interview in his style to hire who gets to be on his team. After all he's considered the best in the hospital, not just a surgeon but he's quick diagnostic skills that challenges others unfavorably yet saves lives.
- He pulls up a deck of cards, filters 16 cards, with major suites Q,J,K and ace. Shuffles and each pick a card.
- Split the team into 4, he says spades, diamonds, hearts ,clubs , 4 suits competing with each other. The card picked is the team they belong to. Draw the house and write the card letter Q,J,K,A onto the plain name tag everyone has.
- He makes it clear only 4 people get hired. Turning this into a competitive game. A game something like this feels familiar but this time he is the game master, how fun. Toying to see people's capabilities and how well they perform under stress. As long as he doesn't get caught doing this... oh he knows the director boss wouldn't like what he is doing. He smirks at that thought.
- After settling down, he begins and asks for diagnoses. Few ideas bounce ,he keeps a mental note and memorises who answered outside of the plausible diagnosis. That just shows they were not paying attention to the symptoms he just listed. He shoots down some ideas to eliminate the possibility. He facilitates the more possible diagnosis thrown in the discussion asking, what test then will we have to prove the child got this?
- You hear the ideas, some absurd, some plausible. You said your idea and a possible virus infection and you explained. Chishiya notices and pauses. He points to you, ace of hearts girl here, go with your team and start performing the test. Wasting no time as the other team are now lagging behind. One step forward for the Hearts team to win.
- The rest of the teams gets riled up, some calling it unfair and they should be doing the tests too. Chishiya steps in, ‘the game isn't over yet, in a card game when it is not your turn doesn't mean the game is over’.
- 2 members dispersed and self exited the hospital themselves on their own accord saying this is a sick game using a patient's life to determine who gets to be in his team. Other members took the hint and for starters, try by asking the family members of the child , probably giving clues to the child's behaviour and habits. They don't let the lesser number in their team as their disadvantage, this is a competition, unfair or what they have to do what it takes. Unfortunately for them, this is what Chishiya wanted them to think and feel.
- While all of these is happening, Chishiya takes a back seat observing and listening to all the information he needs. He goes into the lab and sees you performing a test, focused and clear. Your hands gloved elegant and precise, he wonders how such gentle hands found its way into the hospital. Your theory is what he also came to the same conclusion too. He felt that there is something more about you that stands out from the rest of the applicants.
- The ace of hearts in the deck of cards. Somewhere he remembers hearts among the suites toys emotions of people the most. He's feeling a lot of emotion for a normal girl that caught his attention. This has never happened before.
- the test came back negative, you sighed, is it something you missed? You heard someone shuffle behind you. 'Negative means we can eliminate a lot of the uncertain possible theories. They don't always say positive but it gives us a direction we should not be looking at.' Chishiya took the result paper and started examining it.
- You were confident about this theory you were right at first, but this case might be more complicated. If this is still the patient's life, you can't sulk around, ' We are racing against time each time thinking of diagnoses ,since the test is negative , then it narrows down to these possibilities from our presenting symptoms'. you pen down on the paper and voiced your thoughts. Chishiya smiles seeing you work fast.
- Chishiya looks around, 'The rest of the heart members are you going to stand around to wait for orders just because the test is negative?'
- They scrambled, grabbing a paper to write more theories. Having a head start on the lab test is good so to win, just need to think more about how they can solve the case and win chishiya's favor.
- Chishiya reads the answers the 4 of hearts team each wrote for the diagnosis. Truly you are the only one he finds most interesting and intriguing. He picks the queen of hearts paper and asks them to explain why they made these diagnoses. He wants to hear their thought process and what they have considered. He still has to assess other's abilities.
- But it isn't long his pager rings, the child is having seizures. No time to waste, the rest of the heart members including you tailed him behind and saw that clubs team started to act on the child's seizures.
- The child's parents admittedly get very concerned and are hoping for answers. Jack of clubs member raises to the parents, 'it could be this and we may need to do a biopsy on your child to confirm this, but it possesses a lot of risks. We need your cooperation for this if we proceed.'
- 'Could? Why are we risking a could possibility? You mean all 15 of you doctors haven't figured anything?' The parents grieved at the absurdity of the situation, tears rolled down their cheeks. You couldn't stand there, there has to be something you missed out. The guilt is eating you, if only you had the correct diagnosis first, the disease wouldn't have reached his neurological system.
- The director of the boss steps in , everyone makes way. 'Chishiya, really this? I told you to hire 4 members for your own team. Not play some game on a patient's life to see who gets to join your team or what not'. Chishiya grimaced internally but he doesn't show it on his face, this is a terrible timing right now.
- The parents heard what the director boss said and started to yell; treating their son as a game ? Who decides that to let their son live or not? What if some wrong test comes up, and he dies? There is no restart over a life not like a game.
- The director tries to calm the parents down, there is still time. While their son is still alive but unconscious, there are 15 very qualified doctors to help and they can definitely save his son. The director gives chishiya and the teams a day to fix this or at least show signs of improvement or the director will be handling the case personally. But he assures the parents that if anything that hospital can depend on is chishiya to help save the child, the director will even say he would let his own child case be handled by chishiya.
- At the cafeteria, you grabbed a quick bite , you aren't sure if you want to sit with the heart members you made acquaintances with today. Most of the suite team members sat together trying to brainstorm to solve the case. Some skipped lunch , some were elsewhere and maybe some quit... This whole thing is a mess.
- You sat at a bench in the nearby garden of the hospital. Clearing your thoughts , regardless if this is an interview or not, you wanted to save the boy. While deep in thoughts, someone sat beside you.
- The queen of diamonds member held her head high, the aura she gave off is commanding and confident. 'Give up, he's making a fool out of us in this cat and mouse game who gets to do what. You don't think this is stupid we are betting on the patient's life here in order for us to be in his team? Surely there are other hospitals you can apply to. I am going to leave and maybe you should too.'
- You got irked and annoyed by her response, 'I don't think he would deliberately risk a patient's life like that so recklessly. Maybe he's just testing us, giving a chance'
- She scoffs ,' giving a chance while a patient is at stake? You are crazy ,he's doctor chishiya. He is known to be cold with his methods and you expect every case he'd give sympathy for? He turn a patient into an interview game'
- 'He wouldn't have done this without a reason. Some sort of external factor is forcing him to set this up or something. He would have stepped in long ago if it goes too far, yes he's cold but he saves patients at the end of the day. If he has not stepped in so far, it means we can still save the child, we can solve this case.'
- 'Ugh whatever, your loss, you are so blinded at his image. For every patient he saves that the hospital can't solve, there are many more patients he surely could not have saved. He has killed patients that he didn't solve on time. Think about all the theories and lab tests patients have to put through. One mistake test and the patient will not survive, he killed them.'
- 'He is not what he is just on surface level. He does not kill intentionally. We do good and bad things. But I don't judge people on their bad experiences. Don ' t bother me again '
- She left promptly. Thank god, you were having a headache talking to her, you hung your head low recalibrating your thoughts once more. But again it isn't long it gets disrupted by someone sitting beside you.
- 'I thought I said to not bother-'
- 'You didn't leave? After what she said about me?' You swirled your head to face dr chishiya smirking at you. Damn his handsome face , he is so close to your face. Making you flustered a bit, 'N-no! Why would I? There is no benefit if I leave and the patient still won't get the appropriate recovery.'
- 'Mmhmm~ for the record, I did this on my own accord. There is no one forcing me to do this.' He pauses to see your slightly embarrassed reaction. He totally heard the entire conversation between you and the other member. 'But why stay , when I could have chosen any other participants, you could not be selected'
- 'Everyone is hiding something, whether it's good or bad, even the child we are supposed to save. We keep diagnosing until we find something.' If he had heard everything just now you might as well spill everything, 'The girl earlier, she is obviously hiding something. She would not have come here to just talk and demoralise me to leave, I am pretty sure she has done it to other members to leave to reduce the competition.' Chishiya is amused at your thought which was true she has been manipulating other members to leave.
- 'And for you dr chishiya, for whatever you are hiding, despite all these, you still prioritise the patient first. You don't let those things you are hiding get in your way. Hiding doesn't mean always bad things... It can be good things. You make a game, but is it truly what people think it is ? To make it like you are sacrificing a patient life to hire us? Maybe you do desire a connection with colleagues at the same level to mask your isolation... ' you paused a moment feeling a little shy ,'And maybe I want to see what you are hiding one day...' though you whispered really softly at that last sentence , you aren't sure if he heard you.
- Chishiya has observed a lot of members and you are the first to surprise him. You seem to solve his puzzle complex he struggles everyday. He may be cold and calculated but he is still human. He can present that he doesn't need social activities. Even an inch of human connection he buried himself saying he doesn't need , always beckons on his door asking him to open up .
- 'Come let's go, we still have a kid to save' as a personal invitation for you to come along with him.