Work Text:
When Will started his residency after medical school, his fellow residents thought he was way too upbeat to be studying to be a trauma surgeon. He had a warm cheerful demeanor, smiling easily and making others feel safe and cared for. Surely he was much better suited for something where he didn’t face the reality of death on a regular basis.
However, when he did his rotation in the ER they saw a new side to him. The sunny disposition fell away and he was frighteningly calm. He didn’t bat an eye at the gaping bullet wounds or the injuries caused by gruesome accidents. He treated people efficiently and effectively, always keeping a level head. Once the patient was out of danger, his warm demeanor returned.
Whenever someone asked him how he managed to stay so calm even treating some of the most dire patients, he would shrug and say, “I’ve seen worse”.
The fact that he would refuse to explain further only made the incongruity all the more unsettling.
They saw his calm and collected presence crack just once. A young girl, probably no older than twelve, was brought in looking as though she’d been nearly torn apart by wolves. The young teen who had come with her refused to let anyone treat his injuries and kept repeating something about getting her to a camp. Will took one look at this young man and immediately rushed to the girl's aid as if he had some connection to her.
He tried everything but when he failed to save her, he broke. No one could get him to leave the stairwell where he sat staring at the wall, tears running down his cheeks.
Eventually a man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, in clothing so dark he could have just stepped out of the shadows. He made a chill run down everyone's spines as though his presence reminded them of how truly fragile their lives were. He didn’t say a word as he sat next to Will and wrapped his arms around him. Will leaned into him and between soft sobs he mumbled, “she was almost there, I don’t even know who her… if I’d been back at - if I could have given her-“
The man kissed Will’s head and replied in a soothing tone, “I know, Will. She was so close - but you did everything you could.”
Will buried his head in the man’s shoulder and they sat together until he composed himself. It was as if an angel of death had come to personally comfort Will, bringing him out of his stupor.
He helped Will up and wiped tears from his eyes as he whispered a few more words of encouragement. He vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared and Will went back to work. His smile returned and he focused even more intently on the patients he knew he could help.
No one knew what to make of that day, who the man was or where he’d come from. Afterward, they stopped doubting if Will could handle his chosen field. Will’s familiarity with death was beyond what any of them could understand.