FireCacodemon: Hello, welcome to my new Trauma Center story called Trauma Center: A New Beginning. I decided to write this story of 'books' based on how the chapters are divided up in Under the Knife/Second Opinion. So the story covers chapter 1 episode 1 to chapter 1 episode 8. That's the episode where Derek's Healing Touch activates for the first time. As this is an AU, there will be differences between the original work and this story. But for now, enjoy~

Trauma Center: A New Beginning

A Trauma Center Fan-Fiction

Written by FireCacodemon

Disclaimer: Trauma Center belongs to Atlus

Cover was created by Aileen-Rose (from Deviantart)

Warning: This covers Under the Knife and Second Opinion. This is also an AU so elements have changed.

Summary: AU. Derek's ready to take a step into his medical career, after finishing his residency at Hope Hospital he's ready to take up the scalpel and save the lives of patients. Derek's not the perfect surgeon but he does his best to meet the expectations of Greg Kasal and Angie Thompson; especially when Angie can see through the fake smile that Derek shows when talking to others.

Chapter 1:

Prologue

Angeles Bay was a city near the ocean where nature and civilisation seemed to have a perfect balance with each other. Many people lived their happy lives knowing that the local hospitals, GPs and clinics always had their backs if they were needed for anything. It was better when the staff at the local buildings always had a warm, friendly smile on their faces each time they saw new customers or patients. That was one of the better elements while living in Angeles Bay. The beach was never too far away from you but the annoying seagulls were something to be wary of. They were near enough becoming a pest in themselves with their constant taking of food from people but every town, city or village had their own problems which were dealt with by the government.

At the heart of Angeles Bay was a hospital known as Hope Hospital. It was run by a man named Robert Hoffman, at the age of sixty-two, he still looks after the hospital as well as all the staff that work inside the building. Everyone was treated equally and quickly become a hospital that any patient would like to go to when or if they had a medical problem which their GPs cannot help with. Robert was once a surgeon working there too but after an accident that had occurred more than twenty years ago, he hung up his surgical hat and never operated on a patient again, taking a step back while letting more 'talented' surgeons take his place. Robert takes on any complaints that patients have (which is hardly any) or that the staff have about the hospital. Makes sure that the stock is replenished when required by the technicians that work in the labs that the hospital had, he also enjoys taking on fresh doctors and nurses out of medical schools to help them in the path of life they chose. He's worked close with the current senior surgeon at Hope Hospital, Dr. Greg Kasal. Greg was aware that Robert had a special gift of his own, something he called the Healing Touch and most doctors who knew Robert when he operated on patients believe that the gift might have been the cause of the accident that made Robert take a step in another direction.

Greg waited outside Hope Hospital. It was that time of year when medical students were applying to hospitals to start their new journey. There was one graduate that had caught Greg's eye. A young graduate that didn't pass with flying colours like others but had something special about them, Greg could see the rare talent that desperately wanted to come out but yet remained trapped. Call it intuition but Greg knew that the graduate was going to be the one that was going to surprise everyone. He kept an eye out for the graduate to arrive. He was aware that the graduate had scored higher on the practical exams instead of his written exams but the reports that he wrote for the classes showed that he was capable of writing them well. When he heard the sound of running footsteps, he looked around to see that the graduate was running towards the hospital. Greg looked down at his watch to see that he was five minutes late.

"I'm sorry!" The graduate apologised as he reached Greg. The graduate was a nice young man with light-brown hair that usually looked messy. He had tried to tame it through brushing and combing but it always looked messy. His eyes matched the colour of his hair with square-rimmed glasses to help him see. He wore a pair of brown shoes too, fitting with his hair colour and eye colour. He was dressed professionally in a smart shirt and a pair of navy blue trousers. Today was his first day so he'll be getting the scrubs and ID badge later on but he was dressed to impress.

"You're late," Greg told him.

"I know and I'm sorry sir."

"You should apologise to the patients. For the first few months, you'll be shadowing me and Nurse Fulton who you'll meet later. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask or if you have any worries about the patients then let me know too. Your opinions and worries matter when they involve the patients."

"Yes sir," he nodded at Greg. He was ready for today.

"So Derek, are you ready for today?" Greg asked. Derek nodded again and flashed a smile at Greg. When he was pleased, they went inside where Derek's new journey started. Greg didn't immediately drop Derek into hot water like some other doctors did but for the first few days; Derek shadowed him while also stating any concerns that he had about the patients that they helped. Derek met with Nurse Fulton and much to their surprise, she enjoyed working with Derek, Greg was delighted as Nurse Fulton was going to be Derek's assistant when he was ready to stand on his own two feet.

"So, why did you want to become a doctor?" Nurse Fulton questioned Derek while they were on a break.

"I want to help people. As cliché as that sounds...I don't want to sit back and watch people suffer when there's something I could do to try and either make it easier for them or to cure them of the disease." Derek told Nurse Fulton, she smiled at the answer but Greg could hear the hidden pain in those words. It did sound cliché but then again...isn't that why many of the staff here wanted to work in the medical field?

As time passed, Derek became strong enough to stand on his own two feet but still needed Nurse Fulton to give him the helping hand and to guide him in the right direction. Greg smiled, Derek was still learning but he had bloomed quickly, Derek had questioned him a lot and sometimes pointed out things that Greg had missed but there was something that bothered Derek. Something that bothered him very much but it wasn't bothering his work nor the patients so for now, it was best to leave it alone. Derek had been given his own office to work in as he was near completing his residency at Hope Hospital. Greg opened the door into the office to see Derek trying to work through a mountain of paper work.

"You're going to be here all night," he told the younger male.

"Didn't you say paperwork was the worst part about being a doctor?" Derek questioned him. Greg nodded.

"Yep, but you still have to do it."

FireCacodemon: Well, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Bye readers!