Making Repairs

"Well, better safe than sorry. Unfortunately, all of our other nurses and doctors are occupied at the moment," the yordle sighed. "We've been getting more patients each day, and this hospital is still somewhat low on workers. It's unfortunate, really."

The doctor examined the wounds around Rumble's body, careful not to actually sting or irritate any of them. "Mhm, yep. These cuts are definitely gonna need stitches. Not all of them, though. Just the bigger ones. Let me pull out the tiny metal pieces and disinfect them first though."

Rumble muttered a curse word under his breath, though he already knew beforehand that his cuts were most likely bad enough to need stitches. The mechanic sat still as the doctor used the tweezers take out the remaining metal pieces in the arms.

When it came time for Rumble to lie down so the doctor could take out the pieces from the chest wounds, Rumble shifted his body slightly and caught a glance at Teemo's expression. The blue-furred yordle got the vibe that something was bothering the scout, which worried him. He didn't know how he could tell, though. Maybe it was the drooping ears, or maybe it was from experience of spending a lot of time with his friend.

After taking one more glance at the scout, Rumble set his head on the pillow and allowed the doctor to remove the remaining tiny pieces from his chest wounds. Afterwards, the doctor applied some antibacterial spray and ointment to the wounds. Though it stung the mechanic greatly, the yordle managed to hold his moans and whimpers in by biting his tongue, because he figured that it would hurt more to tear up and lose his dignity in front of the doctor.

Much to the small yordle's relief, the disinfection process didn't last long. The doctor got out a thread and needle to prepare for the stitching process. He also pulled out a drug medicine used for anesthesia.

"Mind you, we might have to repeat this process for your legs too if the wounds are still really bad," the doctor stated. "Now, unless you can handle the stitching process awake - which I don't recommend, by the way - I'll have to apply some dosage of this medicine and temporarily put you to sleep." He turned to Teemo, still holding the drug medicine in his hand. "There were a couple of technical issues sorting out the bills and documents, so the anesthesia is actually going on your bill if it's used. Therefore, it's your call whether you think your friend can handle the pain of being stitched awake or not," he chuckled.

Rumble flinched ever so slightly when Teemo called him 'Bull right in front of the doctor, not wanting to be embarrassed any further. However, he shrugged it off immediately and addressed the doctor.

"Uh... Yeah, I'll take the anesthesia. I'll pay back Teemo for however much it costs later." Though the mechanic really didn't like the idea of being drugged, he figured that it was better than moaning and crying out in pain during the stitching process.

The doctor applied the drug to the smaller yordle, and Rumble fell asleep within a few minutes. Then, the doctor began to stitch up the big wounds with the needle and thread. For a moment, he turned towards Teemo and let out a sigh of relief.

"Honestly, I'm really glad that he chose to take the anesthesia," he chuckled. "The last thing us doctors want to do is make our patients feel pain, and all of the patients I've stitched awake always scream and moan. It's unfortunate, because it's so much easier to take the anesthesia and it really doesn't cost all that much."

The doctor continues to stitch up the wounds and wipe off the blood from Rumble's fur. He turns his head and looks at Teemo, adjusting his glasses once and replying back with an equally stoical tone.

"If he had been more careful with his own foot, he wouldn't have slipped anyways. The blame lies with him, Captain, not you, so don't beat yourself up over it. Life's too short to fret over regrets."

He turns back to the mechanic and closes up another big wound, then begins to stitch up the wounds on the mechanic's right arm. Even though the process was going by slowly, the doctor had purposely given Rumble enough anesthesia to last through the disinfection and stitching process on the legs.

"If he really was reckless enough to attempt to rush through a minefield of scraps, though, he must really care about you a lot. It's funny, because I always thought he purposely confined himself as a cranky loner. That's what I've heard around this city, anyways," the doctor stated. "Huh, imagine! Rumble being sweet. I just don't see it."

The doctor closes up a stitch on Rumble's elbow, wiping off the blood stains from his fur. Teemo's comment makes the doctor chuckle, and he turns back to the scout with a faint smile on his face.

"Hah, you got the thick fur right. I feel like I'm swimming through a jungle there," he chortles. "It ain't making my job easier."

The doctor notices Teemo's soft expression, but he just assumed that the captain was just daydreaming. He couldn't really blame him, for the stitching process was taking quite a while. Fortunately, the doctor was doing stitching Rumble's upper body, and began taking off the mechanic's pants and unwrapping the leg bandages to begin disinfecting the lower wounds.

The doctor remained silent for the rest of the operation, focused on disinfecting Rumble's wounds and stitching them up. Fortunately, the anesthesia lingered throughout the whole process, so the mechanic wasn't awake to feel the pain. After the stitching process was over, the doctor bandaged the small yordle's stitches and spoke to Teemo again.

"Okay, I'm all done with the operation and your friend should wake up sometime soon. Are you ready for your checkup, captain?"

"Alright then, let's see how your foot's doing..."

The doctor removes the cast from Teemo's foot and inspects it. He's careful not to apply too much pressure at any points that might cause pain for the scout. Once he's done, he puts the cast back on the captain's foot and stands up.

"Okay, whatever you did to injure your foot, it couldn't have been too bad. Luckily, you won't need a new cast, because it'll still heal up as normal. However, your foot will bruise up and get very sore in the near future. Try not to do anything dangerous until your foot heals."

The doctor raises his right eyebrow, but then tilts his head slightly and smirks in amusement. "Yes, no stunts like that. I'm glad you now see the limitations of your abilities when crippled by your injuries," he chuckled.

A moan came from Rumble as he started to wake up. He groggily rubbed his eyes before noticing the stitches and newly placed bandages over his wounds. The mechanic shifted over slightly and sat up on the bed, looking at Teemo and the doctor.

"Oh... Is the operation done already?" he asked tiredly.