Naturally, Ethan was both a fast and safe driver, even if the earlier accident seemed to point towards another conclusion. So getting to the basement apartment rented in the seediest part of Brooklyn, was an easy feat. Siobhan, the lanky willow of a person that opened the door, smiled upon seeing Ethan carrying the bloodstained girl, and warmly invited them in. 

“So this is the lucky girl, huh?” they said cheekily, walking past the small bowl of black rubber hair ties on the small table beside the front door and snagging one. They tied up their impressive length of platinum hair into a high ponytail that swayed rather sassily as Siobhan led Ethan past the bright and open living room with minimal furniture, to a set of stairs that brought them to what seemed deeper than the current basement level. 

It was less of a room, and more of a blank white cube. 

A single metal table was in the middle. A light spray of dark ruby still marred the stainless steel finish. 

“Oops, give me a second,” said Siobhan, reaching into the sole black cabinet next to the table. “I had a prior appointment. I’ll disinfect the area.” They were a blur for about 3 seconds, and the table was suddenly, miraculously, spotless. Siobhan did a little bow to no one in particular, and then gestured to the operating table. “If you’d please let the patient down gently, I will assess the damage.” 

Ethan tried not to scowl. He could have diagnosed this girl himself, but Siobhan was unique. The reclusive vampire was able to detect any ailments, within anyone, and usually cure most injuries. Ethan was a medical doctor, yes. But supernatural healing was beyond his ability. And if he brought her to a normal human hospital, his license, both medical and driving, would come into question. 

His large hands slowly eased the human onto the table, noting, with much guilt, the way she gasped in pain when the table met her back. She was still unconscious, and it was getting concering at this point.  

“When I got your text, I almost didn’t believe it. Infallible Ethan? The golden child of the Heatherfield Coven? Asking this deviant for help?” Siobhan approached the table and chuckled. “You really messed up this time, didn’t you?” They crossed their arms and sighed. 

“Look,” Ethan looked at the suffering human and also sighed. There was a lot of baggage behind Siobhan’s words. And this was definitely not the time. “What do you want in exchange?” 

“Just a favor,” replied Siobhan. “A very very small favor in the future.” They spread their arms in front of them, palms down, hovering over the girl on the table. “Now let the real surgeon work, won’t we?” 

Ethan scowled at that, but said nothing more. It was quite literally out of his hands, now. And once Siobhan started to work, they took it seriously. 

“Now let’s see,” they took in a short breath and released it just as quickly. “I can already tell you’re going to be back here soon, so let’s fix you up, ok?” 

Magical Art: Apollo’s Blessing 

Vibrating slightly, the table began to glow with a sharp, bright yellow light. Several loud cracks echoed through the room, and about a couple of seconds later, the girl began to scream. Her eyes sprang open suddenly, the pain having “awoken” her temporarily. But, with Siobhan’s power, she would not quite remember this event. The shock alone would make the memories muddy, but it wouldn’t be enough to fully suppress the trauma of major surgery. 

The blood that sprayed from the open wound on her lower back was minimal, and caused by the pressure of her spine being reassembled to its original form. 

She was still screaming, but unable to move otherwise. A gruesome process. One that couldn’t be done with anethstetic, either. To keep the patient still, Siobhan had to cancel the signals to the rest of the body, and anything that was normally used for that same purpose would override their power. In fact, when first using their unique form of healing, they attempted to make the patients more comfortable with painkillers before a procedure. 

Unfortunately, many of those went very very wrong as a result. 

The screams only deepened the guilt that Ethan carried. He knew she wouldn’t remember this, but he definitely would. For eternity. 

It was about a full minute before she stopped screaming, and slipped into a quiet, sedate state. The light finally died down. Siobhan lowered their arms and let out one final, large breath. 

“Is she going to be okay?” asked Ethan, approaching the table once more. He looked her over once. She was still asleep, and seemed to be in far less pain than before. 

“Well,” said Siobhan, looking down at their patient. “There’s good news, and there’s some unfortunate news.”