Kinktober!

Day five: Power Struggle

Juniper was a firefighter, a damn good one at that. Still, he had his flaws, like most everyone else. He despised those imperfections with blazing hatred, especially when they managed to get in the way of his work.

One particular incident displayed his flaws, causing him to nearly kill an innocent woman. His ankle had gotten injured by a burning piece of lumber which fell upon it, causing permanent struggle. Thanks to this injury, he was a tad too slow to reach the woman, pulling her away only milliseconds before a piece of the roof collapsed.

Despite the woman making a full recovery, both Juniper and his boss were wary of what issues could arise. If he didn't improve his speed and get that ankle fixed up, he would be fired and possibly ridiculed by the townsfolk for being insufficient in his work.

With no other option, he set out for the doctor's office the next morning, hoping to get his ankle surgically repaired so he can work without constant issue. Not to mention, this might help with the persistent grinding between his bones, which arthritis contributed to.

"Hello, I'd like to be checked in." Juniper requested at the front desk, only to have a clipboard and a bunch of paperwork rudely shoved in his face. The receptionist is a nasty old woman, her face resembling an overripe tomato. She's the type of person who you can tell is an asshole simply from her appearance and permanent scowl.

"Mark this up and take a seat." The woman mumbled, her repulsive finger pointing at an open spot in the waiting area. Not wanting to be rude, Juniper just does as instructed, sitting in one of the wobbly, unstable seats. The chairs are not comfortable in the slightest and his seat in particular seems to have a cloud of stank from the previous patrons.

In general, this waiting room is one of the worst things he's encountered in years. Even a burning building has more atmosphere and beauty than this wretched place. There's coughing every couple seconds, some lady's baby screaming in what seems to be pure agony, and a young man who has been wheezing desperately for the past few minutes.

On closer examination, the boy seems to be having a severe asthma attack, something Juniper has been personally trained to help with. Seeing that nobody is even attempting to help the poor soul, he rushes over as fast as his aching legs can manage. After setting aside the mound of paperwork, he decides to help him with some of the supplies he has in his bag.

He carried his medkit without realizing it, which is lucky for him and the boy. He lifts an inhaler to the young man's lips, signaling for him to breathe in the potent medicine. With a grateful expression, he does so, his breathing now slowing to a steady stream.

"Thank you..." He manages to speak after a drawn out moment, extremely relieved that Juniper's quick thinking helped to save him. After he confirmed that the boy was alright, he marches back up to the front desk, clipboard and unfinished paperwork in hand.

Without thinking, he flings the two items down on her desk, silently seething since she made a young man sit in the waiting room while he couldn't breathe. Fighting the urge to slap this tomato-faced woman, he finally found his voice.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?! I can't believe I just had to save one of YOUR patients because you can't see a clear emergency! If I didn't have the sense, I would rip that scowl off your face in a hot second!" Juniper confronts the receptionist, using all his willpower to remain even slightly rational. He can't assault a random woman unless she hits him first. And even then, he'd only be able to respond with the same amount of force she exerted.

"He wasn't bleeding out or nothing." The ancient hag backs up her actions with an idiotic excuse, which doesn't even fit the protocol she's supposed to follow in these situations.