Participants:
| Scene Title | Doc Talk |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Two medically minded men meet and talk shop. |
| Date | May 27, 2009 |
The Dispensary
Ben must be making the rounds these days. He's set up in the kitchen area. Unobstrusive, the only real sign of his presence is the smell of brewing coffee. May as well make a pot. He's dressed in his regular civilian garb as he works.
The scent of coffee brings Sal out of his several hour-long focus session on a petri dish. He's got a small lab set up in the clinic area and has only been meandering out of there to eat and get a drink - and those occurrences are rather rare. But java scent is a siren's call.
The doc's in a simple white collared shirt, a pair of jeans and a lab coat. His hair is mussed, there's dark circles under his eyes and a little bit of stubble. He rolls his shoulders back and peeks around the corner. "Hey. Mind if I have some?"
Ben turns about and offers a faint smile. "Sure. I don't intend to drink the entire pot myself. I'm Ben, by the way."
"Sal." The doc offers his hand. "I'm…well, I guess you'd call me the resident doctor." Even if he has yet to beg Hana so that he has the proper credentials. He grabs for a mug and eyes the pot as it percolates. Mmm. Java.
Ben takes Sal's hand and shakes. "Resident doctor, huh? With an Ability?" He sounds rueful; he opens a rickety cupboard and pulls out a mug as well as the machine burbles away.
"Not a healing ability." Not…technically, anyway. Sal gives the mug a rinse since it looks like it's been awhile since anyone used it last. "But I am Evolved, yes. You?"
Ben shakes his head. "Nope. I'm an EMT. Nearly finished medical school." He smiles crookedly, still rueful. "I'm not needed so much with people like Abigail around, but that's a mostly a good thing."
Sal's face breaks into a smile at Ben's profession. "You are? Good for you." He feels bad he can't offer up any of his contacts or knowledge. But that would tip his hand, and he's not sure if he wants everyone knowing who he really is. The smile breaks a little at the mention of Abby. Poor girl. "Well, we're still needed to remove stitches and pull out bullets. Even Abby can't heal someone while they still have a bullet lodged in them."
Ben's eyebrows raise a little; he keeps smiling, though his shoulders tense some at the 'good for you'. "I don't get called on too often," he says. And lo, coffee is made - just in time - and he reaches for Sal's mug to pour him a cup. "Here, let me. Have you been working with us long? I never know. I see new faces and it turns out they've been around longer than I have."
"Not with Phoenix for very long, no. But I've been working with the Ferrymen for awhile. But not very closely until recently." Sal grabs a spoon and snags the sugar down, then reaches for the fridge door to pull out the creamer. "You?"
Ben fills Sal's mug and passes it over before eyeing the bottom of his own dubiously. He opts to give it a rinse, much like Sal did. "Not even half a year," he tells the other guy, just drinking the coffee black and straight. No need to wait for it to cool down or sweeten it up. Coffee is for survival.
Sal turns and leans back against the counter. He murmurs a thank you for the coffee, doctors it, stirs and then sips. He makes a bit of a face, then adds a little more milk. He's a little picky about his. With money like he has, he's used to the Starbucks type. "So. What're your plans after you finish med school?"
Ben has a long sip of coffee before replying. Sensitive subject right there. "Medical school isn't an option anymore," he tells the other guy. "I lost my scholarship. Maybe I can finish up sometime, but it's not likely."
Sal purses his lips together into a sympathetic frown. "I'm sorry to hear that." He won't ask why Ben lost his scholarship. He can imagine that working with the Ferrymen might have something to do with it.
Ben shrugs a little. "That's life?" he suggests. "I don't really have time for medical school doing all this, either. Hours are pretty brutal as is." He has another long pull from his mug, shoulders tense again. Sensitive subject!
So let's change it! Sal tries to think of a good subject, but ends up just shifting foot to foot for a moment. "Have you been keeping up with all this Humanis First business?"
Ben's head bobs. "Yeah," he says. This is not the subject to make Ben less gloomy. Poor Sal. "Organized anti-Evolved hatred. Just what we needed more of."
"I'm surprised it took them this long to organize," says Sal as he frowns into the clouds in his coffee. "It won't be long before Phoenix is targetted by them. Anyone who's visible has got to be careful." And suddenly he's even more glad that he's 'officially' out of the country.
"Yeah," Ben says sullenly. "I was expecting this sooner, I suppose. "I've seen…" he starts to say, then reconsiders. "Keeping together is even more important. This kind of thing can… break groups."
Sal rubs at the back of his neck and puffs up his cheeks. He looks tired, suddenly. "Maybe. But I think we all need to stick together now more than ever. But the more we do, the more of a target we are." He lifts a shoulder. "S'a hart spot to be in."
"Yeeeeup," Ben agrees; he looks into his mug, holds in a sigh. "Anything that could use my help?"
Sal lifts a shoulder. "I'm new to the game, myself. Not totally in the loop." He lifts the mug to his lips and swallows a mouthful. "But you and I could probably work on some emergency procedures."
Ben cocks an eyebrow. "Good idea," he admits, grateful for something else to pay attention to instead of dwelling on depressing things. "What sorts of procedures do you mean?"
"Well," Sal lifts a shoulder. "We could go over the organizations of all the medical facilities the Ferrymen have set up. Standardize their layout so that both of us can find things in a hurry. We could create a drive list, of everyone in Phoenix and the Ferrymen with a car to contact in case of emergency."
Ben actually smiles at that. "I like that. Let's get started."