One thing- if you don't like blood or anything or you have medical phobia I do not recommend you read this.

The old lab's basement had been converted into a makeshift operating room long ago-Gary had used it for minor procedures before, but this... this was different. This was serious. He had no room for mistakes.

Ritchie lay on the operating table, still pale and sweating. His breathing had worsened-short, fast gasps like he couldn't get enough air. Not good.

Gary stood over him, fully dressed in a sterilized gown and gloves, a surgical mask covering his face. His heart pounded, but his hands stayed steady. He couldn't afford to be scared.

Ash, standing beside him, had his arms crossed tightly, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Gary... are you sure about this?"

Gary didn't answer immediately. He was too focused-checking the instruments, making sure everything was perfect. The scalpel, clamps, sutures, anesthesia-everything was laid out precisely, just the way he needed it.

Finally, he exhaled. "Yes." His voice was calm. Firm. "I know what I'm doing."

Ash gulped. "O-okay... but what if-?"

"Ash." Gary turned to him, eyes serious. "I need you to trust me."

Ash hesitated, then nodded quickly. "I do! I do, I just-" He bit his lip. "He's my cousin, Gary..."

Gary softened slightly. "I know. That's why I won't mess up."

Ash took a deep breath and nodded again.

Gary turned back to Ritchie, pulling the anesthesia mask over his face. "Okay, Ritchie. I need you to breathe deep, alright? You'll be asleep in no time."

Ritchie weakly nodded, his eyes glassy. "G-Gary..."

Gary squeezed his hand. "I got you, buddy. Just relax."

Ritchie took a slow, shaky breath. Then another. His eyes fluttered, his body went limp.

Gary watched his chest rise and fall. Good. Unconscious.

He pulled back, glancing at Ash. "Alright. We're going in."

Ash swallowed hard but gave a firm nod. "O-okay. W-what do I do?"

"You'll hand me the tools. And..." Gary hesitated for half a second before meeting Ash's eyes. "And if anything goes wrong, you help me fix it."

Ash paled. "W-what-"

"It won't." Gary said firmly, snapping on a fresh pair of gloves. "I won't let it."

With that, he grabbed the scalpel. His heart pounded, but his hands remained perfectly steady.

This was it.

No mistakes. No hesitation.

He made the first incision.

The scalpel sliced through Ritchie's skin with precision, revealing the layers beneath. Gary worked quickly, making a clean incision just above Ritchie's abdomen. Blood welled at the edges, but it was minimal-controlled. Good.

Ash stood by his side, hands clenched into fists, eyes locked on Gary's movements. His breathing was fast but steady. He was scared, but he wasn't panicking. That was all Gary could ask for right now.

"Gauze," Gary said, his voice level.

Ash snapped out of his daze and scrambled to grab a sterile gauze pad, pressing it into Gary's waiting hand.

"Good," Gary murmured, dabbing away the excess blood before moving to the next layer.

With each careful movement, Gary's mind worked through the problem like a puzzle. Ritchie's symptoms pointed to something serious-stomach pain, fever, weakness. If his theory was right, this was appendicitis. A ruptured appendix would be bad. He had to get it out fast.

He reached the peritoneal lining and carefully exposed the inflamed organ. His stomach tightened. The appendix was swollen and angry red, ready to burst at any moment.

Too close.

"Ash, suction," Gary instructed, and Ash quickly moved the small tube into place, clearing away any pooled fluids.

Gary took a deep breath, steadying himself.

This was the moment.

No hesitation. No second-guessing.

"Clamp," he ordered, holding out his hand.

Ash, though shaking, pressed the tool into Gary's palm.

Gary clamped the base of the appendix, cutting off its blood supply. He moved with practiced efficiency-tying off the area, carefully severing the inflamed organ, and ensuring no spillage occurred.

Seconds stretched into minutes.

Finally, he set the removed appendix in a tray. It was out.

Gary let out a slow breath. One more step. "Sutures."

Ash was quicker this time, handing him the needle and thread.

Gary worked fast, closing the incision layer by layer, ensuring Ritchie wouldn't suffer any complications. His fingers ached from gripping the tools so tightly, but he didn't stop until the last stitch was in place.

He exhaled deeply, leaning back slightly. "Done."

Ash blinked. "That's... that's it?"

Gary pulled his gloves off, tossing them aside. "Yeah, Ash." He gave a small smile, exhaustion catching up to him. "That's it."

Ash let out a breath, staring at Ritchie's sleeping form. "You... you saved him."

Gary's gaze softened. "Yeah." He glanced at his hands, now steady despite the weight of what just happened. "I did."

The reality sank in. He'd performed real surgery. Successfully.

And he hadn't just saved anyone-he'd saved Ritchie.

Ash suddenly lunged forward, throwing his arms around Gary in a tight hug. "T-thank you," he whispered, voice thick with emotion. "Thank you so much."

Gary hesitated for only a second before hugging him back, feeling the relief finally hit him.

"We did it, Ash." His voice was soft but sure. "We saved him."