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31_days2010-03-02 12:28 pm
rosehiptea.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2010-03-02 12:28 pm
[March 2] [Black Jack] End of Life
Title: End of Life
Day/Theme: March 2/Permit yourself anger and permit me mine
Series: Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack
Character/Pairing: Black Jack, Kiriko
Rating: Teen for one minor swear word and discussion of euthanasia
Notes: I’m not trying to push any particular view of euthanasia here, just trying to portray the characters as they are in canon.
Word Count: 636
Dr. Black Jack sat near the patient’s bed, realizing that she probably didn’t really even know he was there. She was still breathing, but had not responded to her surroundings in over a day. As the hospitals would not permit an unlicensed doctor to practice there, he was in her hotel room.
A rare form of cancer was killing her. If it had been detected earlier, there might have been hope, but her parents had no money for health care in their country. They had borrowed everything they could from their friends and extended family to bring their daughter to Japan, where they were certain the great Dr. Black Jack could help her.
Of course, Black Jack had told them he wouldn’t even think of looking at their daughter unless they paid him a huge fee, but their desperation had touched him. And their daughter was only twelve years old. It was an old story with him. Many of his patients had paid him close to nothing, though the exorbitant sums he had happily taken from the very rich had more than made up for that.
But here he was going to lose another patient. He hated to even think in those terms about someone who was still alive, but he was honest enough to admit there was nothing he could do for her. The parents were at her side almost constantly, though they were absent right now. They didn’t seem to blame him, but he blamed himself.
As he sat ruminating, the door opened, and he saw a most unwelcome person. Dr. Kiriko walked in, carrying his machinery. Black Jack gave him a heated glare and rose to stop him in the doorway.
"If you think I’m going to let you murder my patient—" he began, keeping his voice low in case the girl could actually hear them .
"The family asked me to come here,” Kiriko replied evenly. "They have a right to determine how their daughter will spend her final moments.”
"Nobody has the right to take a life, Kiriko!” Black Jack was angry just having to say his name.
"So you’re denying me permission to examine her?”
"Damned right I am!” said Black Jack.
"What are you so angry at me?” asked Kiriko. "I’m only trying to help those in pain.”
"By killing them.” Black Jack spat out the words.
"Are you saying you still hope to cure her?” Kiriko asked, an eyebrow raised in skepticism.
Black Jack closed his eyes for a moment. "No,” he said in a harsh whisper.
"Why waste your anger on me? Be angry at the people in their country who denied her treatment. Or at an unjust deity if you must. But not at me.”
"Just… leave her alone,” said Black Jack.
Kiriko stopped, brow furrowed. "The parents really want to see their daughter pass away peacefully. That’s all they want, and that’s all I want.”
Black finally looked into his eyes. "I can honestly tell you that I don’t think she’s in any pain. And that unfortunately she has very little time left no matter what is done now.”
"Then it shouldn't matter if I use my machine to end her life or not," said Kiriko.
"Perhaps it shouldn't," replied Black Jack with a sigh. "Yet I still don't want you to."
As he finished his sentence, the door opened. The patient’s mother stood there. "Dr. Kiriko… can you help us?”
Dr. Kiriko stared at Dr. Black Jack, who gave a tiny shake of his head, a wordless plea.
"Can you afford one hundred million yen?” Kiriko asked.
"No, of course we can’t. We’ve already paid—"
"Then I cannot help you.”
Dr. Kiriko strode out of the hotel room, with Dr. Black Jack looking at his retreating figure with something very like gratitude.
Day/Theme: March 2/Permit yourself anger and permit me mine
Series: Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack
Character/Pairing: Black Jack, Kiriko
Rating: Teen for one minor swear word and discussion of euthanasia
Notes: I’m not trying to push any particular view of euthanasia here, just trying to portray the characters as they are in canon.
Word Count: 636
Dr. Black Jack sat near the patient’s bed, realizing that she probably didn’t really even know he was there. She was still breathing, but had not responded to her surroundings in over a day. As the hospitals would not permit an unlicensed doctor to practice there, he was in her hotel room.
A rare form of cancer was killing her. If it had been detected earlier, there might have been hope, but her parents had no money for health care in their country. They had borrowed everything they could from their friends and extended family to bring their daughter to Japan, where they were certain the great Dr. Black Jack could help her.
Of course, Black Jack had told them he wouldn’t even think of looking at their daughter unless they paid him a huge fee, but their desperation had touched him. And their daughter was only twelve years old. It was an old story with him. Many of his patients had paid him close to nothing, though the exorbitant sums he had happily taken from the very rich had more than made up for that.
But here he was going to lose another patient. He hated to even think in those terms about someone who was still alive, but he was honest enough to admit there was nothing he could do for her. The parents were at her side almost constantly, though they were absent right now. They didn’t seem to blame him, but he blamed himself.
As he sat ruminating, the door opened, and he saw a most unwelcome person. Dr. Kiriko walked in, carrying his machinery. Black Jack gave him a heated glare and rose to stop him in the doorway.
"If you think I’m going to let you murder my patient—" he began, keeping his voice low in case the girl could actually hear them .
"The family asked me to come here,” Kiriko replied evenly. "They have a right to determine how their daughter will spend her final moments.”
"Nobody has the right to take a life, Kiriko!” Black Jack was angry just having to say his name.
"So you’re denying me permission to examine her?”
"Damned right I am!” said Black Jack.
"What are you so angry at me?” asked Kiriko. "I’m only trying to help those in pain.”
"By killing them.” Black Jack spat out the words.
"Are you saying you still hope to cure her?” Kiriko asked, an eyebrow raised in skepticism.
Black Jack closed his eyes for a moment. "No,” he said in a harsh whisper.
"Why waste your anger on me? Be angry at the people in their country who denied her treatment. Or at an unjust deity if you must. But not at me.”
"Just… leave her alone,” said Black Jack.
Kiriko stopped, brow furrowed. "The parents really want to see their daughter pass away peacefully. That’s all they want, and that’s all I want.”
Black finally looked into his eyes. "I can honestly tell you that I don’t think she’s in any pain. And that unfortunately she has very little time left no matter what is done now.”
"Then it shouldn't matter if I use my machine to end her life or not," said Kiriko.
"Perhaps it shouldn't," replied Black Jack with a sigh. "Yet I still don't want you to."
As he finished his sentence, the door opened. The patient’s mother stood there. "Dr. Kiriko… can you help us?”
Dr. Kiriko stared at Dr. Black Jack, who gave a tiny shake of his head, a wordless plea.
"Can you afford one hundred million yen?” Kiriko asked.
"No, of course we can’t. We’ve already paid—"
"Then I cannot help you.”
Dr. Kiriko strode out of the hotel room, with Dr. Black Jack looking at his retreating figure with something very like gratitude.