Chapter 185 - My CO Stash #85 - Doctor Maelstrom by Houkaru Kisaragi (NarutoXDCU) (2/2)
”Because I made a promise to a girl. A promise that involves me saving her dad no matter what. Now, are you going to help me keep that promise or are you going to be a hindrance?”
The intern grimaced. ”I-I need to report to my supervis -”
”We don't have the time for that!” Naruto retorted heatedly. ”Make a decision now!”
”Fine!” Barbara started pushing the hospital bed to the doorway. ”Let's go! I'll bring you to the operating room!”
Naruto smiled and nodded. ”Good girl.”
A wave of nostalgia washed over Barbara. His charming, yet soothing voice that somewhat calmed her nerves triggered a fragmented memory to resurface; she could have sworn she had heard his voice before. Shaking her troubled thoughts away, Barbara was determined to get her task at hand completed. Her conviction only grew stronger when the charismatic blond offered her a kind smile. ”We need an anaesthesiologist. You know one?”
Barbara blinked. ”Umm…”
”I'll help.” The source of the husky, yet enchanting voice belonged to a bodacious woman with coiffured black hair. Her beauty was elegance personified, and when she raked a hand through her silk-like hair, it was as if she was shooting for a Victoria's Secret commercial. As a doctor, she surely didn't dress like one, because her white corset, black mini-skirt, fishnet stocking, and high-heeled shoes made her looked more like a seductress than a physician.
Perhaps Naruto had watched too much movies, but this woman standing before her, with sparkling emerald eyes that let off a vibe of mischief, was what a femme fatale in a typical 80s spy movie would look like. Brushing a few strand of ebony hair behind her ear, Doctor Zatanna Zatara's crimson lips curled up into a Cheshire grin. ”I know I'm attractive, but if you keep your eyes on me for too long, your patient will die soon.”
”Careful, squirt. This one screams bad news. She's a magician.”
”…Pardon?”
”Instead of pulling bunnies out of hats, these magicians prefer pulling hats out of bunnies. You catch my drift?”
”How do you pull hats out of bunnies? I mean, where do you even pull it out- O-Oh… Oh! That's fifty shades of nasty.”
”Exactly.”
Zatanna was used to guys falling head over heels in love with her, but when Naruto unexpectedly took a bold step forward, erasing the distance between them, and plucked a bead of rice from the side of her plum lips, all the while schooling his expression, she found herself intrigued with the man. ”When it comes to my patients, I'm never distracted. So I take it you're an anaesthesiologist?”
Nodding slowly, Zatanna fixated her curious gaze at Naruto.
Barbara harrumphed loudly, breaking the tension in the air. ”Operating room 2 just free up. Shall we?”
To say Naruto was one of the most skilled neurosurgeons Barbara and Zatanna had ever seen was the understatement of the century. He was able to perform a flawless craniotomy in record time, but he had bolted out of the operating ward afterwards like his life depended on it, leaving Barbara and Zatanna awestruck and confounded.
”What happened here?” Diana's domineering voice echoed within the chamber, her voluptuous figure loomed ominously before a trembling Barbara and an annoyed Zatanna.
”As you can see,” Zatanna retorted, pointing a finger at the unconscious patient lying on the operating table. ”We saved this man's life.”
Diana raised a brow. ”Who was the surgeon in charge?”
Her predatory eyes shifted to Barbara, who almost jolted in fright when her hawk-like eyes were cast at her. ”I-I wasn't the surgeon in charge.”
”Then who gave the green light to this surgery?”
Shrugging nonchalantly, Zatanna removed her gloves, all the while avoiding Diana's gaze. ”Some stranger demanded to operate on the patient. Since all the other doctors had their hands full, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth when he offered to help operate, especially when said horse is way better than any neurosurgeons I have worked with, and that's saying something.”
”And you just let him do as he pleases?” Diana said, venom was practically dripping from her tone.
Zatanna glanced up and met Diana's unforgiving glare. ”He saved the man's life. That's all it matters.”
”And what if he couldn't?”
Anybody would have succ_u_mbed to Diana's smothering aura, but not Zatanna. She stood tall and proud without exuding any traces of fear. ”I'll take full responsibility then, Professor Diana. But, as it seems, the stranger not only saved this patient's life, but the hospital's reputation as well. If news got out that our hospitals were understaffed and unintentionally allowed a patient to die under our watch, guess whose head is on the guillotine?”
Diana scowled. ”Are you threatening me, Doctor Zatanna?”
”I'm stating facts, Professor Diana.” Zatanna responded with a devil-may-care attitude. ”Since when did we doctors put rules and regulations above our patient's life?”
Exhaling a seething breath, Diana regained her composure, pinched the bridge of her nose, and feigned a smile. ”Where did this stranger go?”
”Beats me.” Zatanna let out a yawn. ”He ran away after the surgery. You should see that man work. He's a miracle worker. No doctor can pull off that surgery without a decade worth of experience. Anyway, my shift is over. Barbara!”
Barbara straightened herself. ”Yes!”
”Clean up the mess and find a room for the patient.” The dark-haired beauty commanded coolly, gave Diana a respectful bow, and strode past her.
Naruto was strutting jovially across the hospital's corridor like Leonardo Dicaprio would, humming to Maroon 5's Sugar exuberantly. Grail appeared beside the blond, catching up with his pace. She noticed the blond was smiling as if he had struck lottery. Placing her hands behind her back, Grail smiled cheerfully. ”Thanks for saving Mary's dad.”
Fiddling with the fifty-cent coin in his grasp, Naruto smirked. ”I didn't do it for free.”
”For a mere fifty-cent?” Grail teased, pinching his bicep playfully. ”Admit it, Naruto! You're a big softie! You act tough and all that, but inside you is a teddy bear, waiting to be cuddled and hugged!”
”Shut up, Grail!” The blond exclaimed, his face flushed with embarrassment. ”I'll have you know that I have a reputation to uphold.”
The daughter of Darkseid quirked a brow. ”What reputation?” She erupted into a guffawing frenzy, all the while pointing a mocking finger at him.
Rolling his eyes, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. His clumsiness got the best of him though when the coin in his hand dropped, causing him to mumble obscenities under his breath. It was Deja-vu all over again; the coin bounced its way to a pair of grey Crocs. Gazing up, Naruto found himself face to face with a very angry woman.
Was it wrong for him to say that the woman looked incredibly s_e_xy when she was puffing in rage?
”Are you a horn dog who forgot to shag for ten millennium? Get your head out of the gutter and start using some common sense, you dunce! This woman is more dangerous than Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct!”
”…But she's hotter than Sharon -”
”You're missing the point!”
The beautiful woman with cascading mahogany hair was scrutinising him with dangerous eyes.
”Yeah, she's eyeing me out like I owe her a billion bucks.”
”Not that, you incorrigible fool! Her posture, her stance, and her physique scream seasoned warrior. She can conceal all she wants, but there is no hiding that divine power within her. Now that I think about it, there is something awfully wrong about this hospital. Don't you find it strange that there is an exodus of supernatural beings residing in this hospital?”
”What can I say? I'm a trouble magnet. If only I can say the same thing when it comes to hot chicks.”
Diana crossed her arms under her ample bosom. ”Are you the one who did that illegal surgery in my hospital?”
”Your hospital?” Naruto scoffed, before he took a squint at the professor's name tag. ”I don't see your name written on the walls, Professor Diana Prince.”
”Even if you're a doctor, you need a permit to operate at foreign hospitals. That's standard protocol.”
The blond scratched his scalp in frustration. ”That's because it was an emergency -”
”Your license can be suspended if we report to the American Medical Association.”
Naruto paused and shifted his frosty gaze at Diana.
The pregnant pause lasted for quite some time, even Grail was unsettled by it.
”Go ahead then.”
Diana stared in disbelief at Naruto. ”What?”
”Do it.” The dauntless blond closed his distance between him and the professor. ”If the media were to know your hospital relied on a foreign doctor like me to save your sorry a_s_s, can you imagine what the publicity would do to your hospital's reputation? I'm pretty sure your precious AMA will be more than happy to send down investigators to dig out whatever deep, dark, naughty secrets you guys have been hiding.”
Clenching her fists, Diana bent down to pick up the fifty-cent coin, stored it in her b_r_e_a_s_t pocket, and glowered fiercely at the blond. ”I do not respond to threat. I make them. Don't think for a second you can play with fire and get away unscathed, boy.”
Naruto elbowed Grail's forearm playfully. ”I guess someone is on her period.”
Without hesitation, Diana grabbed a handful of cloth from Naruto's shirt and pulled it violently to her. ”Do you think this hospital is a playground to you?”
An overzealous Kurama was drooling with anticipation as he chanted aloud in glee, ”Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight!”
The blond chuckled, unfazed by the brunette's aggression, and quipped, ”No, but I think you're overcompensating your sense of worth by wearing slightly masculine clothing, being too aggressive than your male colleagues for anybody's liking, which gives you a prickly demeanour. I guess your peers mistook your pride for being a dragon lady as arrogance, girl.”
His jest and anathematisation should have gotten him killed, so he thought, but Diana abruptly did a 180 and allowed an angelic smile to grace her lips. She let her firm grip over Naruto's shirt loosened, straightened his collar, and stood a little straighter. ”Men, always assuming, always criticising, but never reflecting. That's the fallacy of your DNA. You thought you can rile me up with small talks? Let me tell you this: I am not the sort of enemy you want to make.”
”Aww! Shots fired! Do you know when a woman stops arguing with you and starts agreeing with whatever you're saying, that's when shit is about to get real. Right now, she just went from Tony Montana to Miranda Priestly, and from what I gathered after watching Devil Wears Prada, you are about to get your nuts bisected.”
”That's awfully graphic, Kurama.”
”You're a doctor, Naruto. Crushed balls should not faze you.”
”Shut up! Even doctors feel pain, okay?”
Kurama snickered. ”You're in the danger zone~!”
”I think you have no idea who you're talking to, Kurama. Allow me to rephrase the great ol' Walter White. I am not in the danger zone, Kurama! I am the danger zone! A guy opens his door and get his b_u_t_t whooped and you think that of me? No! I am the one who whoops the butt!”
”Why are you not speaking?” Diana scoffed. ”By the Gods, do you really have that much audacity to ignore me when I'm talking to you? Has your testosterone deafened you? Answer me, barbarian!”
In the midst of Naruto's musing, the scent of vanilla lavender fragrance suddenly hit his nose. He would never forget that mesmerising scent, because it was the same scent Hinata used to have. Naruto's eyes widened when he realised that Diana shared the same preference for perfume like Hinata did. Swallowing down his apprehension, the blond chuckled. ”I'm starting to feel very butt-hurt by your s_e_xist comment.”
Naruto took a weary step back, grabbed Grail's wrist, and smiled uneasily at Diana. ”I think I need to go home now, get myself some antiseptic cream, apply it on my sore b_u_t_t, and rest for the day. See you around, dragon lady.”
Winking at a peeved and bemused Diana, Naruto spun around and attempted to make a dash with Grail to the exit of the hospital, but their path was obstructed by another imposing figure.
Any ordinary person would perceive the bearded man in a bland suit as a typical average Joe, but his mere presence incited tremendous fear from Kurama, and that's enough warning to drive Naruto on high-alert.
”What the f_u_c_k is wrong with this place? Did you just stumble into the Super-Underpants Association?”
Naruto swallowed. ”What's wrong, Kurama? You sound… afraid?”
”No time for chats and giggles, Naruto! This is goddamn DEFCON 1! Get the f_u_c_k out of here now! This guy is -”
”I'm James Corrigan, Chief Doctor of MPH. Please call me Jim though.” Jim chuckled while adjusting his spectacles. ”I happen to come across the footage of you performing surgery on a patient and I must say that you have a pair of marvellous hands. If I don't know any better, I might mistake you as Jesus's incarnate. That surgery was exceptionally hard to perform, I must say.”
Naruto narrowed his eyes. ”I'm not sure what you're getting at but I need to go.”
Jim diverted his attention to Grail. ”Do you want to be a doctor, miss?”
”Uh…”
The chief physician smiled. ”Let's make a deal, shall we?” Pointing a finger at Naruto, Jim offered. ”If you are willing to be part of our medical staff, we'll sponsor for her -” Jim shifted the target of his finger to Grail. ”- her tuition fees in Harvard Medical School. Hell, we'll even give her monthly allowance so she can start interning in our hospital immediately. The catch is simple.”
There was this dangerous glint in Jim's eyes that Naruto just didn't like.
”Join us.”
”Don't take up that deal, Naruto! There's no free lunch in this shitty world!”
”I never intend to take up such a shady deal in the first place, but why are you so afraid of this guy?”
”I'm not… afraid. Argh! It's complicated! I'll explain to you later! Just get out of here!”
Naruto cleared his throat and responded impassively, ”Nah, I'll pass. Let's go, Grail.”
Grail gasped, cursing inwardly at a missed opportunity for her to get herself a scholarship from one of the best hospitals in the world. She glared at the blond, fuming in umbrage, but his grim expression puzzled her. Although Naruto might seem like an impetuous d_i_c_k who recklessly cause trouble for his own twisted p_l_e_a_s_u_r_e, he never does things without reason, so when he ushered her to move, she dared not object.
That didn't mean she wasn't pissed.
”I understand my offer may come off as sudden, so how about this. If you do reconsider my offer, drop by my office anytime. I'll be more than happy to talk it out with you.” Jim smiled as he watched Naruto dragged Grail along with him to the exit of the hospital.
Diana shook her head and stood beside the chief physician. ”You're going to let them go? Just like that?”
”Professor Diana, I have an important task for you.” Jim's smile grew disturbingly wider. Unbeknownst to Diana, Jim's eyes were radiating an eerie green glow. ”You'll be representing Metropolis Paragon Hospital to recruit that man as our doctor. I don't care what it takes. Bring him to his knees if you would. Make him join us. He will make a splendid collection in our ranks.”
The bus ride back to Naruto's rural clinic was awkward to say the least. Grail was fuming in exasperation, disgruntled by the fact that Naruto had willingly given up an opportunity for her to get a scholarship in Harvard Medical School, but what aggravated her the most was that the blond didn't even apologise to her or bother to justify it.
An unnerving silence surrounded them, not the good kind, but the heavy one that made her held her breath. If there's one thing she was familiar about the blond was that he was anything but quiet. Crossing her arms, Grail gritted her teeth. ”Don't you have something to say to me?”
Naruto arched a brow, his gaze fixated intently at his phone. ”Am I supposed to say anything to you?”
Turning to the blond, the daughter of Darkseid pouted. ”Can you stop pretending nothing happened? You just turned down an opportunity for me to attain a scholarship in Harvard? Do you even know what that scholarship means to me?”
The blond sighed, locked his phone, and turned to Grail. ”I promised you I'll pay for your tuition, but I'll do it on my terms.”
”That guy may look creepy, but he just wanted you to be part of that hospital! Do you even know how many doctors will kill for that job?”
”I am not those doctors then.” Naruto retorted. ”Look, there are some things you don't understand and -”
”Then explain to me so I can understand it!” Grail countered heatedly. ”You always go and decide things for me. And then you make it seems like it's for my best, but why don't you ask me what I want to do? Huh? Why can't I decide what's best for me?”
Naruto sighed. ”Grail -”
”Stop treating me like a ten year old, Naruto! I'm no longer that girl who cries myself to sleep because mommy wasn't there for me!” Grail almost screamed, all the while forgetting the fact that she was in a crowded bus. Naruto shot subtle glares at those who were looking at Grail, before returning his attention to the exasperated girl before her. ”I'm old enough to differentiate right from wrong, so stop hiding things from me! Am I not… Am I not…”
Grail clenched her trembling fist hard enough to draw blood, something that didn't go unnoticed by Naruto. ”Am I not family to you?”
”You will always be family to me, Grail. But some things are better left unheard.” Naruto held Grail's hand and the self-inflicted bloody trenches on her palms were miraculously gone. He offered her a gentle smile, warming her heart in the process. ”I can't tell you what that man is. Frankly, I'm not even sure what he is, but my instinct tells me he is someone we should stay away from, and my instinct rarely fails me.”
”I can lift this bus with three fingers.” The daughter of Darkseid snorted.
”And you never once beat me in a spar.” Naruto smirked; he had always made short work of her whenever she challenged him to a duel, so that statement was equivalent to him pouring salt on her wound.
Grail pouted and crossed her arms. ”Shut up.”
”If everything is given to you so easily, you'll never truly appreciate what you have.” Naruto smiled. ”Now sit back down and enjoy the ride back home. It's always nice to have some peace and quiet.”
The daughter of Darkseid gazed out of the bus window with a frown on her face. The bus eventually pulled to a stop near Naruto's clinic; he had to drag a reluctant Grail with him off the public transport. The stroll back home was something Naruto cherished the most; the night ambience was soothing, the air carried the fragrance of morning spring, and the streets were usually empty.
Naruto wasn't able to indulge in that moment of tranquillity when he glanced up at the night sky and saw a blazing meteor blitzed across the clouds. Narrowing his eyes, the blond discerned the trajectory of the meteor's flight, only to gasp in horror when he realised where it was about to land. Grail came to the same conclusion and looked at him.
”Ya can run?” The blond quipped.
”I can't imagine how you can still be so carefree when that damn thing is gonna hit our house!”
”Race ya there.” Naruto gave Grail a playful wink before he vanished almost instantly.
When Naruto materialised his form into his house, the meteor had already crashed into his backyard. He surveyed the crash site warily, uncertain of what to make of the situation, because the meteor looked more like a spaceship. The fact that he could detect life within the foreign object confounded him. Hopefully, it wasn't some homicidal c_o_c_kroach alien from Men in Black.
Ambling towards the damaged spaceship, Naruto peeled off what seemed to be the door of the aircraft like peeling onions and took a peak into it. There was no deranged c_o_c_kroach alien or bloodthirsty xenomorphic creature waiting for him, just a beautiful girl with vibrant golden hair lying unconscious in within.
”You watch that old-school 90s movie called Species? Yeah? It's about a hot blonde chick alien killing guys while having s_e_x with them! You better watch out or your d_i_c_k is gonna end up in the ghetto!”
”I think we need to stop watching horror flicks. It's starting to make us paranoid.”
Naruto plunged his hand into the aircraft and tore a chunk of metal off so that he could effortlessly reach out for the girl. Placing a hand on her c_h_e_s_t, Naruto released a pulse of chakra into her body to assess her vitals, only to widen his eyes in dismay.
It was at that moment Grail appeared behind him and let out a whistle of awe. ”Wow, you don't see this every day.”
The blond turned to the still oblivious Grail and shouted, ”Go get the defibrillator! She's having a cardiac arrest!”
Dumbstruck, Grail's jaw remained unhinged as she tried to register the suddenness of the situation.
”What are you waiting for?” Naruto snapped, ”Go get it, now!”