Steps to survival

Chapter 28 : Doctors Diagnosis

"Hey. Don't start with your crying already. Save it for when she's actually better," Senku smirked at Kohaku's shaking shoulders.

"Who's crying? Not me!" I let go of her and she smiles at me. Then I turned to Senku and shook my head, I let a chuckle exit between my lips.

"I swear sometimes you don't have a soul," his smirk formed into a small smile.

*time skip*

We all stood behind Senku as he poured the white substance into a leaf, pinching the end to make sure none spills out.

"Hey. Don't worry, Ruri. I promise you, This is the powder of life, born from stone. It's the cure-all of science. It'll knock that sickness right out of you!" Kohaku nodded in agreement. An obvious shift in Ruri's demeanour showed that she had a fraction of hope. Senku and I kept neutral faces.

Ruri approached us and sat on a cushioned chair below where Senku was gesturing to her with the leaf. I watched as she ruggedly swallowed the powder, leaving her mouth dry.

"All right, I finally get to see my patient. Time to make a diagnosis," as he grabbed the glass cup from his belt and abruptly pressed it to her back, making her jump and her face turn beat red.

"Eh?!" I rolled my eyes and snatched the cup from his hands before he could speak.

"Good lord, Senku. Are you trying to give the poor girl a heart attack, here move," I nudged his arm and he stood behind me. Ruri and Kohaku gave me a relieved look.

"Say 'ee' loud and clear, please," her face grew relaxed and her face turned back into its original state of peach as I pressed my ear to the glass. She let out a strained 'eeeeeee' and then everything grew quiet. It sounds like her breath struggled. It's evident that there was fluid in her lungs.

I pressed my lips together, standing up and gestured for Senku to come closer, I leaned into his ear.

"Theirs some type of fluid in her lungs, it sounds like she's struggling to talk and breath," I whispered, our eyes both momentarily snapped to a rat that was lying dead on the ground behind us. It seemed as though we had the same idea.

Soon we arrived back at the lab and Senku was sitting at the table as I adjusted the material around his face. My face grew a bit hot from the closeness I tied the part that was around his mouth at the back. I wrapped my hands around his hair and tied a ribbon around it and stepped away. He nodded thankfully and I just gave him a timid smile, I could tell that he was slightly amused at something, but he turned back around.

"I'll just come out and ask. Why do you have that rat?" Gen stood Idley by the table.

"Maybe we're eating it?" I scrunched my nose up at Kohaku.

"It's incredible that's the first thing that comes to your mind," Gen spits out.

"Trust me, rats aren't exactly apart of my diet."

"That's comforting to know."

"Usually," she quickly replied, most likely wanting to get a reaction out of him.

"Ah, yes. 'Usually'. Great." Senku chuckled dryly at the two.

"They are a good source of protein, but we're not here for a meal," I gagged inwardly, "This is an autopsy."

I watched diligently as he sliced through the stomach of the rat that was spread eagle on it's back. Red inflammation all over the lungs. So it's probably a bacterial infection. Senku and I began to sweat and scan over the body taking every detail. Senku snatched the rags off of his face, not bothering to take out his ponytail.

Got to admit, it's kind of cute, even in this serious situation I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

"We gotta narrow it down more," he broke the silence as Kohaku, Gen and I walked out of the lab and behind him. All eyes were on him.

"Even our cure-all has its limits. It's not ten billion per cent guaranteed that it'll wipe out this specific bacteria. And in the worst-case scenario, is we're up against tuberculosis, then frankly, we don't stand a chance in hell," I glanced over to see dreaded and desperate expressions, I look away and grimace at the thought.

"Quick! You guys gotta come with me!" We all turned to Suika, who had a teary, puffed-up face.

"It's Ruri! She's gotten worse!" My body was suddenly on autopilot mode and I grabbed Kohaku by the wrist and began running, I snapped her out of her frozen state, and soon we arrived panting at the scene of a figure on the floor, gagging and coughing violently.

I barely got through the door when a hand clamped around my throat.

"Koiru, you bitch! This is all because of that drug!" The former chief angrily bellowed. He turned to Senku, who had a panicked expression, along with everyone except for the guards, who just watched.

"Father!"

"If you didn't give her that, Ruri wouldn't have taken such a drastic turn for the worse!" I didn't bother trying to stop him, he was such an emotional wreck, you couldn't blame the man.

"You may or may not be right," I said between distressed breaths. My stomach tightened and I began biting down at my tongue anxiously. Everyone except for Senku seemed a bit shocked, the man let go of my throat and I wheezed, falling onto my knees painfully.

"So you admit it," he growled, obviously disgusted.

"The bacteria is getting even worse now. It's spreading its toxic genes into the harmless bacteria surrounding it," I paused the cough a few times, they all listened to my words intently, as if searching for an answer.

"It's what happens with the pneumococcus bacteria," I kneeled down in front of the practically scowling man to catch my breath.

"She's suffering with... pneumonia," I coughed out. I grazed the newly forming bruise with my fingertips.

"That's nothing to laugh at," I looked up to Senku, who was already hoisting me up and handing me to Kohaku, who grabbed my shoulders to keep me steady.

"It's a deadly disease with a kill count in the hundreds," he explained as he knelt next to Ruri's shaking body. I wonder if we can help her...

I hope we can.