Primum Non Nocere Part 2

With four years of trauma residency in her pocket, Taeyeon knows the sight shouldn't have fazed her that much. Still, a shiver runs down her spine upon seeing bodies, broken and beaten, stuck at various places down the ravine. The first car of the train lays in an odd position on the ground.  It's totally wrecked, giving no hope of survivor at all. Cries for help and moans of pain can be heard from the next two cars, piercing into Taeyeon's ears as the officer help her climb down the cliff on a harness. Strobe light from above illuminates the blood on the white snows below, creating eerie sight. On her left, Taeyeon can see some passengers trying to climb out of the fourth car that is hanging precariously on the edge of the ravine.

"Don't move!" Captain Kim warns the distressed passengers from down below. "We'll try to get you out of the car but please don't move!"

"Stay!" Taeyeon yells when the car sways her way. Her eyes make contact with some of the passengers'. The uniform fear coming from those eyes is crystal clear even in the dim of the night. As she reaches the bottom of the ravine, Taeyeon realizes that no one inside will survive if the car crash down from that height. "Stay inside!"

As soon as the officer frees her from the harness, Taeyeon runs to Captain Kim's side. "We need to get those people out before the car falls down."

"I know." The captain sighs, helping an injured man standing up. "We can't do much until the national guard is coming. At least two heavy-duty cranes are needed to secure that car."

"But-"

"Helping the people down here is the most we can do right now." Captain Kim walks the man toward the trees near the frozen stream. "Jake! Yesung! Get the non-heavily-injured people to the trees now. The rest will have to wait until  further assessment from these doctors!" She shouted to the two officers before coming back to Taeyeon and Yunho's side. " You do your things ASAP, doctors. If help doesn't arrive within an hour that car will definitely crash down on these wounded people. We need to hurry and save as many as possible."

Yunho gapes. Taeyeon too, if only for a few seconds. "Let's go, Yunho!" She turns to the wrecked cars. "Let's go!"

"You deal with this better than me." Yunho pats Taeyeon shoulder as they kneel in front of a particularly big chunk of the wreckage. They have been trying to save a teenager who's trapped under. A rod of steel that moves every time the wreckage is moved punctures the young woman in the stomach, making it difficult for them to do anything.

"No, I don't." Taeyeon wipes snow from her brows as she checks the young woman's pulse once again. The blizzard has stopped but snow is still falling from the sky. She's shivering despite the thick layers of clothes and she knows Yunho, in fewer layers than her, feels even colder. They can't simply quit or rest though. Not even for this last live victim of the crash. "I'm on the verge of crying right now."

"Maybe we should give up."

"No."

"We've done our best, Taeyeon. Let's focus on treating the ones we can actually save."

Taeyeon throws a look over her shoulder at the people they have managed to evacuate to the trees. Most of them are still crying and from pain. She then looks at the unconscious woman, watching the skinny chest rising and falling weakly as the heart inside beats in great difficulty. "Let's wait for the mechanical saw."

"The officer climbed up half an hour ago to find one hasn't come back yet." Yunho holds Taeyeon's wrist. "Either he can't find one or there's much more pressing matter up there. Come on."

"No." Taeyeon shakes off Yunho's hand. The young woman oddly looks so serene, as if she's sleeping with the best of dreams. Her long black hair reminds Taeyeon of Hayeon. The color of her skin is identical to Yuri's wonderful complexion. She can't just leave this poor girl to die. "Do you think we can move the whole wreckage with her? Just a few meters to the side so the impact won't reach her?"

"You know it won't work." Yunho grabs Taeyoon by the shoulders. "Look at me. Look at that dangling car above us. Primum Non Nocere, Taeyeon. As doctors, we're not supposed to put ourselves in harm's way. Especially not for one single patient while we can do more for others."

"She's so young, Yunho." Lips trembling, Taeyeon glances at the girl again. "It's unfair."

"Ssssh. I know." Gently, Yunho pulls Taeyeon up and wraps his hands around her."Go to the trees. I'll give her another morphine shot."

"At least let me stay until the last minute."

"It's been too long. Those passengers are getting restless." Yunho looks up at the dangling car. "Go."

Taeyeon looks up too, seeing two men trying to jump out of the car. "Oh, no! Stay! Hey!!!! Stay inside!"

"Stay inside! Don't move! The car will fall off!" Yunho screams as the car sways. The people down the ravine and the people above are yelling too but the passengers in the car are probably too distressed to care.

Taeyeon watches in horror as the two men jump out. One manages to grab a ledge and pull himself up. The other falls down and crashes onto the wreckage in a frightening sound. A strangled cry escapes Taeyeon's throat as she buries her head in Yunho's chest, covering her ears. The sight and sound have broken her soul into pieces.

"Ssssh." Yunho hugs her a little tighter. "It's okay. It's okay."

"Get out of there!' Captain Kim yells at them from under the trees. "The car is falling! Hurry!"

Taeyeon doesn't even have the strength to look up. The fresh trauma adds to her many scars from the past, practically immobilizes her. In a split second, she feels her body being lifted up. Yunho has carried her in his arms, swiftly taking her into safety as the loud crashing sound can be heard in the background.

Dust and dirt rise around them when Taeyeon finally dares to open her eyes again. She sees Captain Kim. She sees the officers and the saved passengers. Turning her head, she sees Yunho's concerned expression too.

"Are you okay?"

Closing her eyes again, Taeyeon shakes her head. Although she knows she shouldn't do it, Taeyeon holds onto Yunho tighter and sobs in his arms.

Ten hours after Jessica informed them about the train crash, Yuri finds herself walking out of the small sports center that has turned into a temporary shelter. The blizzard has stopped altogether, leaving thick snow on the ground. The white surface falls completely in contrast with Yuri's bloodied jacket that she took off while sitting on the piled logs by the back door. The quiet morning betrays the chaotic night she has just survived. Puffing out a cloudy breath, Yuri rubs her face. She's used to running long shifts but nothing will ever beat the ten hours she just spent somersaulting between patients with bare minimum equipment.

Burying her head between her knees, Yuri let out a muffled scream. She wants to cry. She needs to cry. Tears refuse to fall from her exhausted eyes though.

Someone opens the backdoor. A nurse, carrying a bucket filled with red-stained bandages which she dumps into the dumpster in the most unceremonious way. "You okay?" The nurse cares enough to ask. Choked by tiredness and trauma, Yuri gives the nurse a thumb up without looking up.

A few moments after the nurse gets back into the shelter, the doors open again. This time, Yuri feels a comforting touch on her shoulder. "I'm fine, nurse."

"No one is fine today, Yuri." It's Max, sitting by Yuri's side. "It's okay to feel drained."

Yuri says nothing.

"It's so cold out here." The good doctor, despite his tired expression, smiles at Yuri. "Put your jacket back on."

"It's ruined," Yuri mumbles, looking away at the row of pine trees.

"Mine is a little better." Max takes off his padded coat and wraps it around Yuri's shoulder. "The perk of wearing surgery garb all the time."

"How is the punctured lung grandpa?" Yuri asks about the last patient she admitted to Max's surgery room in the clinic.

"Stabilized, waiting for airlift to the nearest hospital. One minute late and we would have lost him." He pats Yuri's shoulder. "You did very well, Yuri."

"I lost about two dozens others though." Yuri buries her head again.

"We're talking disaster in the middle of nowhere, Yuri. Unpredictable injuries against limited resources. Statistics are often unkind in an emergency situation like this."

"They are not statistics. They are people."

"Which we all had tried our best to safe." Max squeezes Yuri's hand and for a moment she feels a bit of warmth. "God, you're freezing."

"I'm fine."

Max stands up, tugging at Yuri's hand. "Come on now, let's get you somewhere warmer."

"What about the patients?"

"More help is coming." Max points up at the helicopters flying in the sky. "We're no longer understaffed."

"I want to stay and help."

"You can't help much feeling like a zombie. Come on." Max moves his pointing finger to a small building far uphill. "That's a friend's house. We can rest there then get back all refreshed later."

Yuri looks up at the smoke coming out of the chimney, suddenly thinking of warm food, hot drink, and a comfortable bed. As if on cue, her stomach grumbles.

Max smiles, taking a step forward without letting go of Yuri's hand. "Come on."

Standing up, Yuri turns her head around. "Have you seen Jessica?"

"Shinye keeps her close. Don't worry."

"Of course she does." Yuri takes a deep breath. "Let's go."

In the warmth of the brownstone house, Yuri finds Taeyeon sleeping under a thick blanket in one corner of the small kitchen.

"Is she okay?" Yuri washes her hands in the sink.

By the stove, Yunho shakes his head while pouring hot water from the kettle into two mugs. "We were there when the car hit the bottom of the ravine."

"Oh dear god, no." Washing her face then uses the last sheet of paper towel to wipe excess water off, Yuri kneels beside Taeyeon. The girl looks extremely pale so Yuri tucks her in better. The way Taeyeon's eyelashes flutters is a tell-tale of a nightmare plagued dream and Yuri's heart breaks even more. "Has she eaten? Why did you let her sleep on this cold floor?"

"Don't you see how full the living area is? The rooms are b too. Here." Yunho hands Yuri one of the mugs. "She refuses to put anything in . I was trying to brew some hot drinks but sleep came to her first."

"What is this? Tea?" Yuri stands up, looking at the brown liquid in the mug with distaste. "Don't they have anything stronger?"

"Maybe, before those passengers came in." Yunho shakes his head, sipping his tea. "We don't need coffee or alcohol anyway. We need sleep."

"And more restrooms. A guy literally kicked me out of the urinal before I finished." Max comes in zipping his pants. "Can I have some?" He tries to reach for the mug in Yuri's hand.

"Dude, wash your hands first." Yuri leans on the fridge, sipping at the tea. It needs more sugar but the warm liquid manages to fix her mood a little.

"Sorry." Washing his hands then grab the mug from Yuri's hand, Max pours the liquid into his throat like a thirsty Hippo. "God, it's hot!"

"It's tea, you uncivilized swine." Yunho grabs a glass, fills it with tap water, and hands it to Max "You sip them, not chugging them down like a bottle of vodka."

"I really wish there's a bottle of vodka right now." Yuri laughs at Max's expression. "But as Yunho said, sleep is more important than drinks right now." Laying by Taeyeon's side, Yuri uses her hand as a pillow and w