Lucky Break

Lucky Break
"Shoulder hurts like hell, but I've got this handled."
Level No.	5-1
BPM	78
Patient(s)	Maximo "Lucky" Jonronero
Pager
Pre-clear	Patient experienced an athletic injury that is causing spikes in heartbeat.
Post-clear	Patient's heartbeat has been addressed for now. Warning for staff: Patient is not happy.
Ranks
S	umpire says: it's a grand slam!
A (10)	umpire says: it's a homerun!
B (20)	umpire says: it's a ground rule double..!
C (30)	umpire says: foul!
D (40)	umpire says: three strikes! you're outta here!
F	umpire says: go home. mercy rule.
Act 5
← 1-XN Super Battleworn Insomniac 5-2 Lo-fi Beats For Patients To Chill To → 5-1N One Slip Too Late
"Thanks, but...wake me up when this is over."

Lucky Break (5-1) is a level in Rhythm Doctor. The Night Shift version is One Slip Too Late.

It introduces Maximo "Lucky" Jonronero. It also officially introduces "subdivision beats," or Triangleshots, into the main story levels. It is the first time that the player has to hit Triangleshots in quantities of three and four.

Synopsis

After the events of Super Battleworn Insomniac and a well-deserved vacation, Hailey and Logan are talking about the baseball game that took place the other day. Logan says that he couldn't even watch, because of an upsetting event with his favorite player, Lucky. Hailey cuts him off, and reveals that she heard someone saying that Ian and Paige might help Lucky. In the level, Lucky is shown as a baseball star, but halfway through, he wakes up in a hospital bed, with Paige next to him. Paige tells him to go back to sleep, but when he wakes up again at the end of the level, Paige tells him that rehabilitation for his broken rotator cuff will require an extended stay, to which he's not happy about.

Transcript

after a well-deserved vacation, you return to Middlesea Hospital...

	Logan! You're a baseball kind of guy, right?
	Did you see that game yesterday?
	Nooo, stop, don't remind me, it was too hard to watch.
	Lucky was having, like, his greatest season ever! And then...
	I know, I know, but listen! I heard someone saying...
	... Dr Paige and Ian might help him!
	Wait, what? Where'd you hear that?
	In the hall!
	You've gotta explore more, y'know!!! Don't just stay in bed and read manga on your phone.
	I went down the hallway near Dr Paige's office! Check it out yourself. You too, Doctor Finger!

	Welcome to the Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia team!
	Or, I guess...welcome back to work. It's just me and Ian. As usual.
	The old MAT team is under an "indefinite hiring pause."
	Ian noticed a new type of tachycardia rhythm. This heartbeat's all...chopped up.
	I call them subdivision beats. They're like SVT beats, but with extra taps.
	When a subdivision beat is coming, the nurse will cue you with how many taps you'll need.
	Two! Tonk-Tonk!
	...just like that!
	Let's practice a few subdivion beats.

If first subdivision beat is missed:

Not quite...

If first subvision beat is barely hit:

[placeholder]

If first subdivision beat is hit:

Good!

	Great job!
	The tricky thing about this heartbeat is that it doesn't always come in pairs.
	Some subdivision beats come in groups of three.
	Don't worry, the nurse will cue you!
	Three! Tonk-Tonk-Tonk!
	It'll make sense once you try it.
	Good luck!

If first subdivision beat is missed:

Almost there. It's tough!

If first subvision beat is barely hit:

[placeholder]

If first subdivision beat is hit:

Great!

	A fast learner!
	There's nothing you can't do, huh? You don't even need us here.
	...yeah...
	Anyway, there's a new patient that needs our help. Some athlete I think.
	Let's get going, alright?

[Interlude]

	Sir, it's okay. You're okay.
[Lucky]	Where am I?
	You're at Middlesea Hospital. You were admitted here after your injury. Remember?
[Lucky]	...R-right. Hospital. Got it.
	Once we get the x-rays, we'll talk about your shoulder.
	Go back to sleep. I'll wake you soon.

[End of Level]

[Lucky]	Ugh...
	Feeling alright?
[Lucky]	I'm fine.
	(His heartrate keeps spiking while he waits. He must be anxious.)
[Lucky]	Those x-rays back yet? You can wrap me up, patch me up, and kick me out. Skip the lecture.
	I'm...sorry. It's not that simple. There's been significant tearing in your rotator cuff.
	It'll take a few months to rehabilitate. We're going to need you here for an extended stay.

[Lucky]	What do you mean "extended?" There's a game next week, and playoffs after that.
	I don't know for sure yet.
	(The people who WERE good at this stuff got laid off...)
	We need to see how bad the tearing is. If it's small, we might be able to treat it carefully on our own.
	If it's severe, then...we'll probably transfer you to another hospital. One that can perform rotator cuff surgery.
[Lucky]	And? How long does that take?
	Well... again, it depends. But even after a successful surgery, it could be about four-to-six months of rehabilitation-
[Lucky]	Six MONTHS?
[Lucky]	Nope. Forget it. Cancel it. What's the quick option? Whatever it costs, I'll pay, I don't care.
	Um. This isn't easy to say, but...the surgery kind of IS the quick option.
	I know that you need your shoulder in your line of work. But still.
	A thorough timeline of surgery and rehab would be my suggestion, so that you can slowly regain full motion-
[Lucky]	Stop.
[Lucky]	Hey, can I have a pillow, please?
	Oh. Yes, of course. Here, here's one.
[Lucky]	Thank you.
[Lucky]	*MUFFLED SCREAMING*
	...
	Feeling better, sir?
[Lucky]	Get out of my room, please. Now.
	Yes sir!

	We've got Lucky Jonronero in the building now?
	I'm not one to get starstruck, but...I'm kind of a baseball guy.
	Been rooting for the Middlesea Scales since I was still in diapers. My dad would plop me down in front of the TV with him.
	I've seen a lot of good players come and go over the years.
	Let me tell you, Lucky is one of the greats. He brought the team out of a rut.
	Don't you hurt a hair on his head, you hear me? We need him in one piece!

Trivia

• The level's name is a play on words concerning the name of the patient, "Lucky," and the idiomatic expression, "lucky break." A lucky break is a stroke of good luck, but the title "Lucky Break" instead means that it is literally Lucky's break from playing baseball. This essentially inverts the typical meaning of the phrase, as Lucky views his situation to be a stroke of bad luck.