A Few Minutes Peace

Participants:

abby6_icon.gif liza_icon.gif

Scene Title A Few Minutes Peace
Synopsis is something that Liza tries to give Abigail.
Date March 20, 2011

Pollepel Island - Infirmary


Another day in the infirmary for both parties, one patient, on helper. A few more added, two shuffled in the form or lighthouse kids to the other infirmary to finish their convalescence. The cacophony of coughs, groans and whatever other noises that might come from the ill who have taken up mandatory residence on the cots in their various states of illness and distress.

Abigail lays on her bed, fresh sheets do little to dismiss the smell of sweat that pervades the room as heavily as the coughs do. When this is all over, it will be a wonder if they can really get rid of the smell or just mask it up with bleach. For right now though, the sheets at least add a hint of clean to it even if the beads of sweat on Abby's forehead that spring up in the wake of the fever rearing it's head while watching others work and a promise that soon enough someone will be around again with cool cloths.

Abby's having a harder time breathing, sleeping off most of the day when she's not playing board games with Lynette when her energy spikes after waking or trying to read. The energy has left her though and she's propped by pillows, hands in her lap, waiting for Liza to return, to be comforted by the perky mistress of the tongue this late afternoon.

This, for the moment, is Liza's life and self-imposed task. Not everyone helping out with the sick is so willing to work and help out, but the perky blonde will do anything. Lips pursed as she works, she's done her best to keep things fresh, even taking time to scrub things down and wash sheets and change things out that can be washed and sanitized. She's no expert on taking care of the sick, but she's a fast learner. More so than most.

So the petite blonde is soon returning, a stack of fresh, folded sheets in her arms as she sets them nearby to be put onto beds. She glances through the patients, idly checking who's awake before she notices Abby and beelines towards the woman. "I'm surprised you aren't sleeping, Abby. It's good to see you awake, though. How are you feeling?" She offers her usual warm smile. If Liza's ever upset, she doesn't show it anywhere people can see.

The brunette seems to light up at seeing Liza, corners of her lips turning up in a small little smile, corners of her eyes crinkling a fraction. "Better, now that you're here" She murmurs out. Glassy eyes seem to take in every little detail of the Company agent, head to toe."Not feeling so great, I'm so hot. But you're here" She admits, smoothing out the blanket over her legs with her palms, a little extra heat to her cheeks.

"Mmm," Liza says, carefully peeking at Abby's face to determine how flushed she is. She reaches a cool hand to feel Abby's forehead. Not the typical way of assessing temperature, but there's something healing about touch, and she vaguely remembers her mother doing that when she was little. Her mother did that, right? It was so long ago she doesn't quite remember, but it feels like a motherly thing, and so the petite woman carefully feels Abby's forehead and cheeks with the back of her hand, looking at her intently. "Well, I think you're a little better than before though, but your fever must still be pretty high."

She is no better. Fever still high, kept where it is by liberal doses of motrin and everything else that they can pour into the H5N10 patients to help where more modern medicine is unavailable to help.

Abby leans forward into the touch, closing her eyes at it, not minding the contact it seems that she otherwise seems to eschew unless necessary. "Sit with me? Please? I'd like that very much, before you have to go" A hint of begging in her muscus riddled voice, southern tones obscuring and muddling some words. "Please?"

"Yeah, of course," Liza offers, shifting to take a careful seat on the edge of Abby's bed. She reaches over, dipping a cloth carefully into a bowl of cooler water, squeezing it out so she can wipe Abby's face while she's sitting there. "I can sit with you for a little. I'm sure no one will mind. I can make you some hot tea in a little while if you'd like. I know it won't help you feel good about the heat, but… it might help clear your throat, make your chest feel a bit better. I'll even see if I can find you the good stuff."

"I like your tea" Abby confesses, quietly, nothing to loud, afraid that others might hear them talking. "Even when it's bad. I like it when you make tea for me every time" She relaxes into the pillows behind her back and head, relieved at the temporary haven that the cool cloth brushing across her face and forehead, already damp tendrils of hair sticking in it's wake. "Can you sit with me forever? I wish it was forever, but I know you have to go, that you can't stay here with me."

Liza presses the cloth against Abby's cheek, waiting for the cloth to get warm again before she dips it into the bowl. "Well, I'm glad you like. I'm glad I can make things okay for someone, at least." She wrings out the water, the cloth brought back to Abby's face. "I'm sorry it can't be forever, but I'll keep you company for as long as I can. You won't be alone. Not while I'm around."

"Some day it'll be forever" She smiles at that thought, reaching up with a thin hand, closing it around Liza's wrist as she holds it. A deeper inhale than the others she's been taking, shifting, leaning forward to bring her face close to Liza's. Not in a threatening way, it's not like she can turn into the pillar of fire that others have had the very rare occasion to see her do and her hand on the wrist is weak and loose.

Her lips brush the other womans, between the corner of the mouth and full on. A whisper of a graze, intimate in nature before she pulls her face away, settles back onto the pillows, turning her face to Liza's hand, pressing another gentle pass to the inside of her wrist.

"I love you, I love you, I love you" Under hear breath that plays softly against the former company agents skin.

While Liza Messer is trying to help, she's not trying to help. She stiffens, surprise and momentarily unsure of what's going on. For a moment, at least. Her head turns to look around the infirmary at the busy and otherwise sleeping figures before her eyes shift back to Abby and her captured wrist. "Uh, Abby, I'm pretty sure you don't," the blonde says with a frown, though it's not quite for the content of the action but the cause. "You aren't well. Let me get the thermometer…"

"I'm not well Robert." Abby looks at Liza - Caliban to her, shaking her head a fraction side to side. "I'm sick, I have the evolved flu, I can't move my legs and I already know that my fever is high, you don't need to get a thermometer. I know, you haven't seen me sick before but… but I'm sick Robert" She drops his hand to her lap, miserable looking but trying to make it not look so bad for the man she's hallucinating the last few minutes since Liza showed up.

Liza winces. If there was anything Abby could have said to break her heart, it was that. She wants to say something about how it isn't Robert, that her husband isn't there, but… a few minutes peace for a sick woman seems a compassionate thing to give. "I know you're sick," she offers. "But you're going to get better. You've just got to be strong." She glances towards Abby's legs, or where they should be under the blankets. "Keep your strength up, okay, and try not to waste too much of your energy."

"I'm trying Robert. I'm trying. It's so hard" She lets go of his hand, head dropping a bit, looking down to her own legs, immobile under the blankets, a grim line made by the press of her lips. "I don't… know how you did this last year, how anyone did, how anyone can be sick. How you still worked through this and no one any the wiser, you're a stronger man than me. It's getting worse day by day but I'm trying" And her hand snakes across her lap, laid out there, palm up for Liza to take, a silent request for her/his hand.

'Take me home to my parents, if I'm not strong enough? Promise me that? So part of me is with them, wherever they choose to put me?"

The petite blond swallows hard, Liza slowly reaching and taking Abby's hand. She smiles gently back at her. "You aren't giving up, Abby. Do you understand me? You're a very strong woman… stronger than most. I'm sure this is putting you through hell and back, but there don't need to be any promises because you are strong enough, alright?"

"You're too good for me" The corner of Abby's mouth turning up into a wan smile. "Too good to me Robert. I'll try. I promise that I'll try. You should go though, in case the vaccine didn't work. I don't want you sick. Give scarlett a kiss for me. Ashley too. Rhett's with Delia" There's a bout of coughing coming, if the way her voice starts to croak and not from any tears that don't seem to be falling though her eyes are watery from the illness. "I promise I'll fight"

"Okay," Liza murmurs, squeezing Abby's hand gently. "You fight hard and I'll be waiting for you when you get better. You'll be in good hands. You'll be taken care of. Just don't give up, alright? That's the most important thing."

"I love you, no matter what" Sickness and health, terrorism or lindergoonism. Eyelids droop, she's getting tired and leans her head back against the pillow, letting them closed. "I need to sleep. So I have energy to beat Lynette at mousetrap" Dismissing him/her so that 'Robert' doesn't have to see or hear her cough, or hear her whimper from the ache in her ribs when she does.

Liza slowly releases Abby's hand, getting up to her feet as she slips away from the bed. She moves gently over to where they keep the charts, swallowing hard as she pulls Abby's out. She flips through the notes on the clipboard, tears welling at her eyes as she finds a spot to scribble down a note. The time, and the word hallucinations.


Featuring:

caliban_icon.gif


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