04 / A Quick Visit

I was a little beat up from the fight with that possessed monster, so I figured I'd stop by the doctor's office. He had a little office set up in the slums to help everyone there. His prices were far underpriced for the services he provided, but I could tell he genuinely wanted to help. He was the only person I went to for my wounds.

 I turned down a long alleyway with a set of metal stairs that led up to a dimly lit door on the side of a high-rise building. The door had a digital sign on it that glowed with the words "vacant" across it.

 I opened the door and stepped inside. An older man sat in a beat-up chair in front of a computer. His hair was mostly gray with some touches of white near his temples. He wore thick glasses that made it hard to see his eyes.

 "Ah, Mr. F I hope you have been well!" He said in a deep raspy voice.

 "I wouldn't be here if that were the case, Erkko."

 "That's true," the old man let out a low chuckle.

 I removed my outer garb and sat down at a tiny examination table. I could see my arms were bruised from the battle I had just partaken in. The old man walked over and looked at my arms.

 "I see, Kaisa!" He yelled, "Come apply some ether oil to these bruises."

 From an adjacent room, a girl ran in carrying a small tub of blue oil. She was petite and had her red hair tied up. She pulled a small medical device from one of the cabinets and filled it with oil from the tub.

 "This shouldn't hurt too much..." she said quietly.

 She was the only granddaughter of Erkko Pesola. Once Erkko had told me that when she was little her parents had fallen into a life of crime and drug use, so he took her in to take care of her. Not too long after he did both of her parents died during a drug deal gone bad. Erkko promised to raise her to become a doctor so she could have a much more stable life.

 I flinched from the pain of the oil penetrating my skin.

 "I'm sorry…" she said in a soft voice.

"It's fine," I grumbled as I bit my lip.

 After a few more flinches the treatment was finished. Ether was a miracle worker for the medical field; all my bruises were completely healed.

 I put my covering back on and reached into my pockets counting my credits.

 "How much?" I asked the old man.

 "Hmm, let's see… Seven credits should do," he said stroking his white beard.

 I shook my head. "That won't even cover the cost of the oil."

 I pulled out 40 credits and dropped them on his desk.

 "You're always too kind, Mr. F," he said putting his hand on my shoulder.

 "If you didn't undercharge everyone else, I wouldn't have to be."

 He looked up and smiled at me. I knew that he'd never change his way of doing things, and to be honest I didn't want him to. He was one of the kindest men I knew, and this dark city needed that.

 I made my way back to my sad excuse of a home. I passed through the street where the monster had been to see if the Guardians were still hanging around. Thankfully they had left.

 The street had been cleaned up as well. Not a single remnant of the previous fight could be found anywhere, just the overwhelming smell of bleach. But hey, they had at least picked up a lot of the trash that had once called this street home.

 I arrived without any more surprises and made my way up the flight of stairs to my apartment. I opened the door to find the damp cool room welcoming my return. I took off my mask and lay down on the worn mattress. As I stared at the ceiling I slowly drifted off, letting the sounds of the city put me to sleep. Looks like I might finally get some sleep.