Back To Life

Hey guys! This story takes place in the modern era. Hope you like it!

This story will be only a Two-shot.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters.

Chapter 1

"Close her up."

Sesshomaru ripped off both gloves, throwing them in the trash as he used his shoulder to push open the door and exit the OR. He went straight to the cleaning station where he washed his hands, something he had already done probably a dozen times that day alone. Small traces of blood spatter were on his wrists, where his gloves would not have been able to cover. He narrowed his eyes at the offensive droplets and scrubbed them vigorously until no trace of the red bodily liquid was left.

A few interns waited patiently to wash their own hands behind them, dirty hands held out carefully in front of them, smiles on their faces. A nurse handed him a towel to dry off.

"Another successful surgery, Doctor!" She said cheerily.

"Hnn."

"That one didn't take long at all," An intern spoke, smiling proudly. They always tried to gas him up.

Sesshomaru ignored the comments. His mind was already thinking about all the follow up reports he would need to write.

They were correct, though. The surgery had gone quite smoothly. Not that his operations ever didn't. Of course, there was the occasional fatality on his operating table, but if that happened it would have happened to any doctor. Unavoidable. Sesshomaru had never made a mistake in the OR. Born with natural intelligence coupled with years and years of training, studying, practice, and medical tests had gone to good use.

He strode swiftly through the wide hallways, nurses and fellow doctors nodding to him as he passed. He quickly made his way to his office, closing the door behind.

His office was large, with floor to ceiling windows that lined the wall adjacent his large mahogany desk. The ceilings were quite tall. This was a successful hospital, after all. A comfortable red swirly leather chair sat patiently behind the desk. Hanging above the chair on the wall was a massive glass display case, with a flayed cadaver preserved inside. The human body was split in half, and displayed in a way that allowed the viewer to study each layer of skin, its muscle structure, nervous system, veins, and organs. Sesshomaru's eyes settled on the heart.

He looked at the human heart silently for a moment. It always grabbed his attention. Perhaps that was why he chose to spend most of his life studying and handling such a thing. So small, so fragile. So gross looking. Yet, it was the key to life. 'Human life, anyway,' He scoffed to himself.

He let out a small breath and walked around the side of his desk. There in the center was a fresh stack of paperwork to be filed, singed, and initialed. The doctor slumped into his leather seat and tapped his fingers in the arm rest restlessly. His eyelids suddenly felt weighted. Just as he was about to doze off for the first time in over 30 hours, there was a knock at his door.

"Enter," He stated, annoyed.

"U-Um, excuse me, sir- I mean Doctor, I came to ask for your input on a, erm, patient, from the East Wing," a babbling young intern spoke. Sesshomaru could not stand young doctors who had no confidence. The boy could hardly meet his gaze. He appeared unusually young.

'They are letting children get medical degrees now, hm?' He thought to himself.

"The East Wing is hardly my area. What is this concerning?" The East Wing is where dermatology patients resided, as well as where major skin traumas were treated and plastic surgeries performed. Typically, only medical treatments for the skin. Burn patients, deep tissue lacerations, and the like. There was no need for a Cardiovascular surgeon in that wing. Certainly, no need for the head of said department. There were times when his assistance was needed in other departments, but for the most part Sesshomaru remained within his own stomping grounds; in the West Wing.

"T-There is a patient there, sir, who may have some heart trouble, sir," The nervous intern replied. Sesshomaru gave the young man a stern incredulous look. He looked down at his mountain of papers.

Sesshomaru gave a deep sign, "This better not be a waste of my time, Doctor...?"

"Um, my name is Tama, sir. Doctor Tama. We've met before... a few times. I was in surgery with you yesterday..." The man gulped.

"Doctor Tama. Very well, lead me to this patient."

The younger doctor lead the head of Cardio through the halls, toward the East Wing. It was certainly busier in this part of the hospital compared to the cardiology ward. The cardiology ward was usually quiet- it's not like people who required heart surgery could run through the halls. Here, patients were everywhere, some without even curtains or a room. They laid in cots that lined the walls. Sesshomaru noted that they were headed for emergency trauma. Doctor Tama peaked around the corner of one of the private rooms and saw an empty bed. His eyes widened in surprise and he looked around frantically.

"Hey! Where is Jane Doe?" He called to a nurse.

"She's being moved. They need to operate quickly," She responded.

"Oh, my, that was fast," He said.

"Am I needed here, Doctor?" Sesshomaru said, his arms crossed over his chest. He was beginning to grow impatient.

"Yes! Please, please do come," The doctor spoke as he quickly headed further down the hall, towards the East Wing's surgical ward. They rounded a tight corner, almost bumping into several residents pushing a gurney that held a patient with profuse bleeding speaking deliriously.

As Tama lead the way, he continuously looked back over his shoulder at Sesshomaru. He decided now was as any good of a time to brief him on the patient, "The patient, we are calling her Jane Doe, has no identification on her. She was found in an alleyway, apparently mauled by dogs. You know they say this city has a dog fighting problem? We see suspicious figures in here with deep dog bites all the time. It's fucked up, if you ask me; Fighting dogs. I myself have the sweetest golden-doodle. You know, I didn't think I'd want a golden-doodle but actually they make a great family dog. My wife insisted-"

"Tama-san, the patient, please," Sesshomaru said. This guy could sure talk. The two of them continuously dodged gurneys and nurses bustling about with gauze and IVs.

"Oh! Yes, well anyway, she should be right up here getting prepped. She is unconscious, but we noticed a murmur when we listened to her heart beat. It seemed most irregular. I wanted your opinion." As he began to speak about the patient, he seemed to gain confidence. So, the young man was scared of Sesshomaru but he did know what he was doing as a physician. That, Sesshomaru could understand.

Sesshomaru nodded. This seemed to be something that could have been handled by one of the residents or even one of his own cardio interns. But, in any case, they had come to the head of cardio and at this point why turn back.

They entered a prep room. Several nurses were bustling about the room, preparing the IV and machines. They slowed to a stop when they noticed Doctor Taishou Sesshomaru had entered.

"Let me see the charts," He stated. A nurse gave him the clip board.

He flipped through the pages and read every word. He could tell just by looking at the woman that she had been attacked. Her skin was ghostly pale, with a thin veil of perperation beading over it. Her breathing was labored and shallow. She had black hair, down to her chest, that was slightly matted with blood. She had multiple make-shift bandages on, some already soaked through. Clearly the EMTs had rushed the wraps in an attempt to stop the bleeding on the ambulance. The clip board said age was unknown, but she was wearing a school uniform, indicating she was a teenager. A pleated navy blue skirt, with a white long sleeved top and matching blue sailor jacket over her shoulders. She also wore black thigh-high stockings and a black choker necklace, with a gothic looking cross hanging from it. So, they had a little rebel on their hands.

Sesshomaru frowned and set the clip board down on its hook at the end of the bed. He gently lifted her left wrist and unwrapped a bit of the gauze. He saw several puncture wounds that appeared to be from fangs. It did indeed appear to be a dog bite.

"Unn," The girl moaned.

"Oh! She's waking up!" One the nurses piped.

The teen's bleary eyes looked into Sesshomaru's golden ones, or rather, her one good eye. The other was swollen shut. Her face was beaten badly. He still held her wrist in his hand and gave it a small reassuring squeeze. He noted to himself that he had never felt the need to 'reassure' anyone before. This girl, though... It was sad, even to the cold doctor. She was so young. Who would have done this?

"An angel...?" The girl spoke, so softly it was only a whisper. Her voice was raspy, as if she had been previously screaming and scratched the chords. Sesshomaru smiled down at her. Most people found him intimidating. Certainly, no one had confused him for an angel before.

"No," He told her, "I am a doctor. Doctor Taishou. Can you tell me what your name is?"

"R-Rin," She struggled.

"Rin. What happened to you?"

Rin felt herself slipping into unconsciousness, but heard his question.

She flashed him a smile that sparked something in him. Her vision went black as she passed out.

An alarm rang out from her heart moderator, and a fast-acting nurse slammed her palm onto the big red button on the machine, sending the 'SOS' signal to other available nurses to come running. They quickly flooded the room.

"She's bleeding again!" A nurse shouted.

"Get her out! Just prep her on the way; we have no time! Let's move!" Another, older nurse, replied with authority. They lifted Rin into a mobile gurney, one nurse climbed up and began chest compressions. They took off towards the nearest available surgical room.

A man pushed past the crowd and shook Sesshomaru's hand in greeting. Sesshomaru knew him well. The chief of plastics: Doctor Suikotsu. Doctor Tama was already up ahead, chasing after Rin's gurney, speaking urgently with the nurses and interns involved.

"I will be closing any significant wounds. My intern, Doctor Tama will assist. The superficial lacerations have already been sutured, but some were quite deep. Perhaps you can get a look at her heart in the OR," He said.

After urgently washing their hands and scrubbing in, the three doctors, four nurses, and one anesthesiologist got to work on the former Jane Doe.

Her clothing had been removed during prep, and she was fully passed out while under anesthesia. The difference in atmosphere between running through the crowded hallways, to the OR was astounding. There was nothing but peace and quiet in the OR. One of the reasons it called to Sesshomaru.

As Doctor Suikotsu got to work on her wounds, and Doctor Tama worked on sutures that had torn open, Sesshomaru listened to the girl's faint heartbeat.

With a stethoscope to his ear, and the receiving end against the girl's chest, he closed his eyes. The world around them went silent. Her heartbeat was all he could hear, nice and steady.

Just as he thought, 'this really was a waste of my time,' he heard Tama exclaim in the background, "Shit! It opened!"

"Christ, Tama-san, that was too much pressure," His Attending, Doctor Suikotsu, admonished.

Just at 'it' opened, her heart began pulsating irregularly and violently. Sesshomaru heard a faint gushing sound as the organ pumped frantically. Over his shoulder, nurses urgently provided Tama with fresh gauze, a second pair of tweezers, and towels. Sesshomaru took a last glance at the girl's face. So peaceful, with no idea the chaos her body was currently going through.

Sesshomaru popped out his stethoscope with an agitated sigh.

"It would seem you were correct, Doctor Tama. The girl indeed does seem to have a small tear in her heart. Most likely one of the atriums."

"O-oh, yes! I knew something was amiss there. I'm glad I called upon you, Doctor Taishou," He said, eyes acutely focused on the wound that was giving him so much trouble.

"I will operate today," Sesshomaru stated, already heading towards the door. A nurse followed him out. As they both removed their gloves and washed up, Sesshomaru continued, "Schedule a CT. Let's get a better look at her. Clear my schedule for the day."

"Doctor Taishou, you're scheduled for a 4:15-"

"Cancel it. I will see this one through."

"Yes, sir." The nurse scurried off.

.

Grey sinister eyes floated in the darkness. White, glowing fangs dripped with drool and hunger. A low growl reverberated through the room. It shook her entire rib cage.

"Shh. Nice doggy," She cooed. A tongue licked across the fangs slowly. It took a deliberate step forward.

"Rin-san."

.

Rin opened her eyes. The florescent lights blinded her briefly. She held her hand up to block the light for a moment, taking in her surroundings and allowing her eyes to adjust.

'A hospital...?'

"Rin-san! You're awake. I didn't mean to wake you, but it looked like you may have been having a bad dream. I'm your nurse. You can call me Chiyo-san," The friendly nurse smiled warmly.

"Y-Yes... A bad dream. What am I doing here?"

"You don't remember what happened?" Nurse Chiyo frowned, "You were found near death in an alley. Looks like you were attacked by dogs. There are marks on your wrists and ankles that appear to be from bindings. Does any of that sound familiar?"

Rin gulped thickly. She looked down at said wrists and noticed that indeed they did have angry red markings on them. The last thing she remembered was walking to the bus stop after school got out.

"Oh, wait. I do remember something. Taishou?" She said, unsurely. That didn't seem to make any sense.

"Oh! Doctor Taishou. He spoke with you earlier when you first arrived. He should be coming in shortly," Chiyo assured her.

Doctor Taishou. Rin remembered the name but nothing else. They spoke earlier? The girl felt incredibly disoriented. She looked down at herself. Forearms wrapped in gauze, blue hospital gown covering her naked form. White bedding laid over her, providing very little warmth. A tube ran out of her nose, another from the veins in her forearms. Several wires monitored her heart and were connected to a machine that stood beside her bed. The machine showed her heart rate and made a steady 'beep...beep...beep' sound. On the floor, she noticed a plastic bag that hand her dirty clothes and shoes. There was one large window in the room to her left, and Rin noted that the sky outside was pitch black. So, it was night-time already. A curtain blocked her view of the other bed beside her on her right. Beyond that bed must have been the door to the room.

She heard heavy footsteps enter as the door was pushed open. A figured walked over and pushed apart her curtains. The figure was a man, a tall man. He looked to be in his early 30's. He had gorgeous facial features that could have made him a model, if not for the obvious hospital uniform. He wore blue surgical scrubs and had short, wavy white hair. The hair was peeking out from under a blue surgeon's cap. Rin almost gasped at the man's beauty. His gold irises landed right on her own eyes. He scanned down the length of her, as if inspecting. Rin felt her face heat up. So, this was Doctor Taishou?

"I heard you were up," He stated.

"Um, yes..." She fiddled with her hospital gown. It suddenly occurred to her that she must look absolutely terrible.

"How are you feeling," The man said as he grabbed her clipboard.

"I'm well! How are you?" She smiled.

He gave her a curious look, one eyebrow cocked upward.

"Oh, I guess you mean how am I feeling, like, how am I feeling-feeling," The teen rambled, feeling stupid as her face began turning red. Sesshomaru was not unaware of the effect he had on women, so he cut her short.

"Are you having any chest pains, Rin-san?"

"Chest pains? No," She answered, confused.

He came closer to her and placed his stethoscope into his ears, then held the other hand to her chest, listening intently. His face was only a foot or so away from hers. She felt like her face was going to melt off if it got any hotter.

She noticed the machine to her left, which was monitoring her heart, began making irregular beeps. She felt a painful constriction in her chest.

"Hmm," The handsome doctor hummed. He had an unhappy look on his face.

"Are you Taishou-san?" She asked out of the blue.

"Yes. Do you remember meeting me earlier?"

"No... Well, yes, I guess," She said. 'Damn, can I say one single intelligent thing?'

"You thought I was an angel," He told her. She detected a bit of amusement in his voice.

She flashed him a smile, not unlike the one she gave him earlier before surgery. He felt his stomach flutter, a feeling he was unaccustomed to. Her good eye sparkled at him. The other was still shut. She had a small bruise on her cheekbone and a cut lip. Yet, Sesshomaru could tell she was a pretty girl underneath the superficial trauma.

"Well, you saved me right? So, I wasn't wrong," She said proudly.

This made Sesshomaru remember why he was here. He stood up straight, retracting the stethoscope.

"Rin-san. Unfortunately, I believe there may be something wrong with your heart. The rest of your wounds should heal with time and regular re-dressing. I'm not certain what has caused the damage to your heart, but I may need to operate soon. We will do a CT scan, which will give us a better idea of what we are looking at. I will be your doctor through this process, and you may ask me any questions."

Rin paled at hearing that something was wrong with her heart. Was it serious? She felt another constriction in her chest that made her gasp and clench her gown.

"If you provide your nurse with a phone number, she will be able to inform your family. I'll need you to sign some release forms and statements as well before we begin. And, of course, your medical history."

Sesshomaru turned to leave.

"I have no number to give. I have no family."

He looked over his shoulder at the girl, curious.

"I grew up in a group home. I just turned 18 on Monday... so, I... I'm alone."

She did not meet his eyes, instead she gazed solemnly out the window. He gave a nod of his head and left the room.

.

Rin was soon provided with several packets of information about the human heart, how to take care of it, and what to expect from a CT scan. She lazily scanned through the information, feeling that a lot of it didn't apply to her situation. It was all formality. She signed everything Chiyo told her to sign with minimal questions. She also filled out a form that wanted her to describe her medical history in painful detail. She explained to Chiyo she did not remember the dates of most things, but knew she had her tonsils removed once, and was also involved in a car accident as a child. Chiyo kindly told her the dates were less important and to do her best.

The CT scan went smoothly. It was quite boring, really. Afterwards, two police officers paid her a visit. They wanted to know the details of what happened. Rin told them everything she knew; About her day at school, who she talked to, the names of her friends, and that she walked to the bus afterwards.

She was given nothing to eat but ice chips and water throughout the entire ordeal.

Doctor Taishou stopped by again sometime later, after reviewing the scans with his surgical team.

"Rin-san," His tone was serious, which made her nervous, "You do have a tear in your right atrium. I'm surprised it is not causing you more pain, though I suppose it is quite small."

"A tear? How does that happen?" She frowned. Sesshomaru decided he liked her smile much better.

"Sometimes it's genetic, other time it can be from trauma. What I do know is, I do need to operate on you. The sooner the better. I have nothing scheduled for tomorrow morning, so we will do it then. Any questions?"

Rin just stared at him, clearly shaken up. Sesshomaru sighed, he usually avoided the parts of the job where he needed to 'comfort' people.

"I know this is a lot to take in, especially after all that has happened to you. The police are looking into your case, we have provided them with all the information we know, as have you. Since you do not have any family to comfort you and take care of you, you are able to stay here as long as you need."

From there, the doctor went into great detail about the type of surgery he would be performing, how it is done, the healing process, and the risks.

"I might die?"

Sesshomaru stared at her coolly.

"You will certainly die if we do not act quickly. I am your best chance at survival."

Rin stared at the beautiful man before her. Perfect skin, luscious hair, unusual gold eyes, so tall. She could see his strong shoulders through his scrubs. No doubt they were connected to a strong back and chest as well. He looked at her with a serious and cold expression, yet she found warmth and comfort in his gaze. She looked down at herself. Beaten, broken, torn apart. And now her heart was ruined too. Her eyes stung with unshed tears.

'Suck it up, Rin! You survived this much. Maybe when you are healed up you can come back to thank Doctor Taishou...' As she got lost in thought thinking about later re-meeting her 'angel' -as she had apparently called him- the doctor handed her a packet that had been tucked under his arm. It was yet more waivers and information about everything they had just gone over.

Rin discovered through a waiver that his first name was Sesshomaru. An odd name, especially for a doctor.

"The killing perfection?" She asked, skeptically. She got no reply as he waited for her signature.

She laughed, "I'm not sure I want someone with that name performing my open heart surgery!"

Sesshomaru cocked his head at her. She couldn't help but think the pose was cute as he did so.

He marveled at how a young teen could possibly find the strength to laugh as they sat mid-signature in front of a waiver that told them heart surgery could be fatal.

"I will see you at 9:45am, Rin-san," He told her. He took the signed packet and turned to leave.

"W-wait!" She said, "Maybe we could eat breakfast together before-"

"You cannot eat before surgery, remember?" He gave her a stern look.

"Oh... right. Of course," Rin replied, looking down embarrassingly at her folded hands. Her face grew warm. The pain in her chest was back.

"Not to mention, I cannot go on a date with a patient."

Rin's head shot up.

Doctor Taishou was smirking at her! He was making a joke. She laughed at him, and he left. Suddenly the room was quiet, and she had nothing to do but lie down and wait for morning. She found herself excited to see Doctor Taishou again, yet she also knew that seeing him again would mean she was heading out for heart surgery.

Rin allowed her eyes to shut slowly, her chest pulsating painfully. She reminded herself to stay positive right before drifting off to sleep.

.

That's all for now! Chapter 2 coming soon.

-InuColey