Participants:
| Scene Title | Hallucinations Would Be Better |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Lynette and Abby are down with the sickness, Liza is helping out in the infirmary. But when the details of Lynette and Brian's situation come out, Abby is less than thrilled to hear it. |
| Date | March 08, 2011 |
Pollepel Island: Infirmary
Lynette has been stuck in the infirmary for days now, ever since she started coughing up blood and found herself cut off from her body double that's been running around. Normally, she'd argue that she's fine and insist on continuing on, but this particular illness has her far too tired and achy to do anything of the sort.
Especially since there's still the bloody coughing issue. The evidence is clutched in a hand, what was once a beige handkerchief is now flecked with red here and there as a very annoyed, but very exhausted Lynette tries to sit up for the simple act of drinking water.
Abby is in the same boat, though only been here a day. Fever leaves sweat on her brow, the malaise that comes with the insidious virus that's afflicting them makes her legs and back hurt but when Lynette wants a drink and there's no one else free at the moment, the former healer is doing her own sitting up, a small glass in her hands and held out for when Lynette's upright. "just a little more" Tired coloring her voice, not to mention the mucus that makes her all nasally and froggy. "Just sit up a little more and you can drink it without spilling it all over you" Lyentte better take it soon though, or someone else, Abby's got her own coughing fit coming and she's trying to hold it off till Lynette can take the cup.
There's one person who isn't coughing. Liza Messer, who had once wished she could help more on the island, should have expected that sometimes you get what you wish for. Unfortunately, a bunch of sick people was not her idea of making herself more useful. Still, she wasn't sick, nor did she have an ability, so she'd been buzzing around nearly every day helping people out and doing her best to bring a cheerful mood back to the place. The latter was hard, even for Liza. Spotting one sick helping another, Liza scurries over, moving to help. "I've got you," she squeaks out, mostly cheerfully.
It's just so pathetic, as Lynette tries to be quick about taking the water from Abby, to help the other woman, but damn it all if they're not both in such bad shape right now. "Thanks, Abby," she says, her own voice altered from the sickness. For Abby, it's gentle and sincere. When Liza steps in, all healthy and chipper, there's a look sent her way. "Yes, yes," she says, somewhat testily. She's a bad patient. But she does drink! And she drinks quite a lot because that fever going around is making her feel dehydrated. But unfortunately, she has to stop as a sip down the wrong pipe sets off her own coughing fit.
"Welcome" And there's Liza, perky puss, helping sit Lynette up so that Abby can relinquish the cup, turn away, give into the coughing that sounds like the brunette is almost quite literally coughing up a lung. These days, it feels like it and it makes ones throat sore from doing it. Sleep at least, comes easy and deep for the brunette, of which she has done a great deal.
"Liza" She croaks, clearing her throat best she can. "They have any books?" Please let there be books, to read. Pass time between coughing and heavy eyelids. At least she hasn't started hallucinating like others have. Just misery is all.
"Nonono… you should have tried more slowly," Liza mutters, though it's mostly to herself. As if somehow it were Liza's own fault that Lynette was coughing from the water. "I have a brilliant idea. I'm going to get you guys straws, sound good?" She sets the cup down, her eyes flickering to Abby. "I can find books. Anything strike your fancy? I have a good collection of my own that I managed to build up." There might even be a copy of Mean Heat somewhere in there…
There is at least one copy of Mean Heat on this island, and it is sitting on Lynette's bedside stand. In her quarters on the island. It is missed. But at first, Lynette just nods to the idea of straws, as she has to catch her breath after the coughing. "Straws. And alcohol would be lovely. There's at least two bottles of vodka in my room, under the cot." Books are well and good, but only liquor will really make Lynette feel better. Or at least make her pass out more often. If the powers that be in here let it through the door, that is.
Mean Heat is the last thing Abby would be caught dead reading. "My uh, nook is on my cot, it's got a buncha books in there' nasaly southern. "And there's a bible there, if you could bring it down, I'd appreciate it." Nook at least would have a variety of books that Abigail was fine with reading. No smut there. The mention of alcohol though. The vodka has Abigail looking at Lynette with raised brows. "No alcohol" Whispered. Please don't let Megan or others hear that. "Not straight up. Maybe…." She has to think. It's so hard to think the fever kicking her ass. "Hot toddy. Dah, Dah'd make those when momma was sick. I've not been sick before" Well there was the once, the cold, two miserable days and then Flint cleared it all up. But she's never been sick, even remotely this sick before.
"Alright, don't fret. I'll come with straws and books," Liza replies, then she looks to Lynette for a long moment. "Vodka's not the best option. She's right about the hot toddy, though. I'm not sure if I can find the ingredients, but I can try. I'm thinking it'd be worth it to soothe your throats the most." She lets her gaze flicker between the two. "Anything else before I run and go get those things?"
"You both have no sense of fun," Lynette accuses as she lays back again, rolling onto her side as if staying upright is just too tiring at the moment. "Whatever you can find, Liza. Something to make laying here less tedious."
'Checkers, I can beat you at checks adn that doesn't need much brain power" Maybe sitting up, or laying on their sides. Would that require a lot of energy. Misery loves company, but boredom is deadly. If she and Lynette can keep playing checkers, then they're not gonna die right? Right? "Straws, books any..things else you can think of" Abby slumps on her cot, sliding back to lean against the wall at the head of her cot, close her eyes.
"How do people do this?" She whines, just a little.
"I'm sorry. I think it'd be fun, but pure vodka would only help a little," Liza points out. "The hot toddy would not only give you the alcohol, but it'd help sooth congestion as well as sore throat." She moves, though, already headed off to go find supplies. Whatever she can scrounge.
"You're very sensible," Lynette says, although it's grouchy enough to just miss the mark of coming out as a compliment. She looks over at Abby, managing a crooked smile. "I do believe the gauntlet has been thrown down," she says, just one small cough interrupting her. "Checkers it is."
Abby watches the perky former company agent move off, being christian and kind to those in worse circumstances than her. "Heavens, she's too perky for here. Or maybe it's just right" Because this is a fairly morbid place. No ones left this place alive so far who's been sick. "Does it feel like there's an elephant on your chest? Cause it feels like there's one on mine, is this normal?"
Abigail doens't take being sick too good. She hates it. Abhors it. "Makes you appreciate your lungs when they're working fine and being able to breath deep or not sitting and rfeeling every muscle in your body rebelling against you"
"She is way too perky. It's criminal to be that happy around sick people." Lynette is grumpy. "Elephant is a good way to put it. How long is this thing supposed to last? I'm already getting cabin fever in here. Among other fevers." Her hand touches her own forehead, but not to test her temperature, since all her skin feels hot at the moment, but to wipe off some sweat beading there.
"You have a point," the woman says, letting her arm drop heavily back to her side after a moment. "When this is over, I'll be sure to appreciate them a little more." Maybe she'll give up smoking.
In four weeks Lynette will already have given up smoking and be over the worst of it. Her lungs will thank her. Or well, at least this incarnation of it will. "I dunno, I think maybe a few weeks. Last years lasted about six weeks or more" Six weeks in this room. That maybe, is one upside to those who hallucinate. It goes unspoken that they could be in here less time, but that's only if they succumb and pass away and Abby has no plans to do such.
"I was so stupid handling all the clothes, thinking I was immune and.. not.. at least I'm not pregnant like Delilah was last year!"
"Jesus Christ, six weeks?" Lynette growls a little there, but regrets it, as a hand comes to her throat. Oof. "I can't stay here for six weeks, I haven't stayed anywhere that long." Grumpy and whiny! But as she hasn't been hallucinating either, or if she has she
"Jesus Christ, six weeks?" Lynette growls a little there, but regrets it, as a hand comes to her throat. Oof. "I can't stay here for six weeks, I haven't stayed anywhere that long." Grumpy and whiny! But as she hasn't been hallucinating either, or if she has she's been keeping quiet about it, it looks to be a very boring month and a half. She just doesn't have the type of personality to appreciate boredom when death is the other option. It's still boring! "Oh, I was stupid, too. I totally can't remember who got the shot, but it wasn't both of us, clearly. It's very hard when you see everything out of both sets of eyes, for goodness sake." Okay… maybe she is hallucinating?
"Both"
Both? She's been off the island then here, sick. "Both?" Abigail looks confused. Last she knew, there was one Lynette and one only.
"I've got a nook, some books, and a secret surprise for Lynette," Liza returns with a box of things, sticking straws in cups for Abby and Lynette both, then offering the nook to Abby as well as the bible, the copy of Mean Heat from Lynette's room to her, and then one of the bottles of vodka. "I remembered as I was getting that… you can rub vodka on your chest with a washcloth to actually help with a cold. So it has genuine medicinal use."
"Oh, haha," Lynette says, that being a spoken 'haha' and sounding very dry rather than being actual laughter. "I have Brian's ability and he… or one of him, has mine. I think. I mean, I haven't seen him since it happened, so who knows. And I don't have it, technically, I suppose, at this moment, anymore. Last I knew, there were two of us. Lord knows how many she'd made now." And given that 'she' is really just… Lynette, well, it gets confusing.
When Liza comes in, Lynette isn't too thrilled at first, but when she passed over her favorite book and her favorite drink, it goes a long way to erase the grumpiness. "You're a doll, Liza. Thank you." And although those are very expensive bottles of vodka, she doesn't seem to mind them being put to medicinal use.
"Okay, I'm hallucinating" Because how on earth can Lynette have gotten Brian's ability and he is when the man who did that is dead, dead as a doornail? So when Liza returns with nooks, books and booze, she's giving the perky woman a watery eye'd feverish look. "She said there's more than one of her?" A gesture to Lynette. "And where did you hear about vodka on chests to help with colds?"
"I read a lot. You can use it as a liniment the same way you could rubbing alcohol, just by rubbing some on your back and chest. Might help a little, and I suppose any little bit of help will do wonders," Liza says, looking between Lynette and Abby. "She might be delusional or she might be serious, but I'd say it's probably serious given that she didn't seem as far gone as to be hallucinating."
"You're not hallucinating and neither am I, I promise you that. I wish I was. But we got the whole nine; the horizon armor, the red lightning and tada, here we are." Lynette might be trying to make sense, but it isn't going very well. "It's complicated. Ask Richard." Not that Cardinal is anywhere near here to ask.
Red lightening. Abby's hands tighten around the nook, knuckles going white as they threaten to break the piece of de-interneted technology. "R..red lightening" It's been over a year. well over a year. "Came out of his hand? Didn't hurt or anything it just… it just took away what you had and somehow it switched to something else or nothing at all" She'd be pale, if fever wasn't coloring her face. Abigail looks over the verge of a panic attack.
"H-Hey…" Liza says, looking intently at Abby. "There'll be none of that. When you're in here, dwelling on things like that is not the answer. You've gotta stay focused and strong, okay? You start thinking about shit like that, you'll just let the bug win over you, kay?"
You have been applauded.
"It's not Tyler Case," Lynette points out. Not that Lynette ever even knew who Tyler Case was. "Well, I mean, it is, but it isn't. Look," the woman says as she shifts up push herself up some, "Cat told us months ago that it isn't Tyler Case in Tyler Case at the moment." But as Liza steps in, Lynette looks between the two women. Confused a bit herself. "No one's explained to me who Case was. I'm sorry if it… I didn't know it would upset anyone."
"Power switc-switcher. He took my healing from me, put it in Flint. Powers… powers go back to normal if it's Tyler case. A couple months, folks just… jsut got it back but I never did. Mine.. mine was something else" BUt lynette says, that cat says that it's not tyler case in tyler case, but that it is. "Then who is it? Who's got the red lightening now?" She has to remember to breathe, but the very act of doing so, sends her into a coughing fit, burying her mouth in the crook of her arm when she doesn't reach for the handtowel in time.
Well, Liza's attempts at steering the conversation away go by the wayside, and the petite blonde looks at the two for a long moment. "I'll just be over there. Gonna get some more water." If they're gonna have a conversation, she might as well let them have it without her nosing in.
When that question comes her way, Lynette looks over at Liza, perhaps for advice, but the woman steps herself out of the conversation. Which makes Lynette frown a little. But when she looks back to Abby, there's a moment to breath before she notes, "Apparently… it's an older version of Richard Cardinal."
"Water is good, others, others might need your help" Not two women who so far, weren't so far gone like Gillian or others. The beginnings of the illness, they still had the worst ahead of them. Hopefully not the the worst. "Now I think for sure you are hallucinating" Richard would have told her. She'd remember Richard telling her. Oh lord, what if the Richard she talked to wasn't her Richard but the future Richard? Did he look like Richard? What… so many questions that filter through her head and yet another bought of coughing, trying to clear her throat of whatever clogs it.
Lynette seems to give up there, with a short chuckle, a little cough and a flop back down on the cot she's in. "Well, I suppose we'll have to get better and see," she says, and in all honesty, she's not putting it past her state that she might be hallucinating. "Although, I had hoped my hallucinations would be a little sexier."
"Would that all hallucinations would be good ones" Abigail horses out, looking at the vodka that Liza brought though, downs of Cardinal still rolling through her mind. Her eyes drift to mean heat, looking at the cover and the people on the cover, the promise of lavicious words that would make Abigail blush between it's covers. "Mean Heat?" She asks, eyes fever bright and red cheeked from the fever much like the woman in the bed side her. "You'll have to tell me about it"