Participants:
| Scene Title | Mortal Hands |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Lash spends some time in the evo-flu infirmary, giving back what she received not so long ago as the tables seem to have turned. |
| Date | March 12, 2011 |
Bannerman Castle - Infirmary
The infirmary is a paradoxical room in that it sees more use than the people who work and volunteer there would probably like. Unlike the wooden cots in the castle's living quarters, the beds here are made of metal, lightweight and foldable in case furniture needs to be rearranged in the event of an emergency. Strung up sheets provide patients in severe and critical condition with some privacy, even if this privacy is so flimsy that it can easily be stripped away by someone simply lifting the fabric, but most of the cots here are dressed in their linens only and are visible from anywhere in the room.
At the back is a set of double doors that leads into a storage area where additional bedding, medicine and supplies are kept, and these doors are almost always closed and fastened with a heavy padlock to discourage the theft of painkillers and other prescription drugs that the infirmary is in possession of.
The infirmary's low ceiling is outfitted with cheap incandescent lighting and is one of the only rooms in the castle where electricity is available courtesy of its generators.
It's busy, as always, in the evo-flu infirmary. People needing their doses of medication that will keep fevers inc heck, ibuprofen for the aches and anything else that they may need. Some of them more ambulatory than others, a small small handful of the kids looking to be on the mend while others, not so much.
One of the newest to the infirmary is sitting on the end of her cot, watching everything that's going on. No energy to get up and help, eyelids at half mast, the former healer looks like she swinging low and going a bit more downhill. Soon slated for another round of everything with the addition of the tami-flu that Megan still keeps hoping will work, she's watching Juniper help with one of the orphanage kids. Lynette asleep, half done checkers game and mean heat between them, she sags almost in spot.
It has been another busy day in the infirmary. Lashirah pauses near Abby's bed, and takes a moment to sit next to it a moment, frowning a little at how little she can really do. The former forensics specialist has been, it seems, running herself to the ends of her own strength to keep a smile on, a hopeful look against all odds.
"Still awake?" The voice is kept low, soft. Not wanting to wake up others. A glass of water, and some a dose of ibuprofien occupy her hands, as she gently offers them to Abby. "Seems like it wasn't that long ago, and we were doing this the other way around…"
"Yeah" Nasally, clogged, makign accents a little harder to understand. "Just watching. I did this a lot when I waitressed. On my break. I'd just sit, and watch the customers" Only now she's sitting on the end of her bed, watching sick people get sicker, or better. Hallucinations enacted out by people in their beds to phantasmal things that no one else can see.
"What do you think that he's seeing?" She gestures across the way, one of the Ferry who got laid low, talking while wide awake but to nothing that anyone can see. Abby's thin fingers take the water and ibuprofen, tilting her head back and swallowing both. Once she's done, the glass is handed back over. "Yeah but your not elbow deep in my innards, hoping to get everything and pray that you make the night at least"
Lashirah whispers. "Thank goodness. If I'm elbow deep in innards, they usually aren't worried about the night anymore." She shakes her head. "Glad to see you have some spark still… and who knows… hopefully something pleasant…" She sighs a little. "A dream of chocolate and sugar and things of better times?"
"If you were elbow deep in my innards Lash, I wouldn't be that worried about the last five minutes, I'd be saying hello to the great lord above" She still watches the talker, his words too low for them to hear with the coughing, or to hear over Abby's coughing as she turns away to evacuate her lungs - and likely her lungs - into the distowel.
There is no lack of frown on Lash's face as she offers a cleaned towel to Abby. But it's brief before the forced smile returns. "I wish I'd gotten into this earlier… there's a kind of joy in seeing people helped more.. directly from my own work."
Lashirah doesn't speak of, however, how much the people lost have hurt. The smile reaches her lips, but not her eyes.
Contaminated one is tossed to the pile of others ready to be washed in the industrial grade stuff, clean one taken, folded up proper, dabbing at the corner of her mouth where there's a smear of red. "There is. Being an EMT wasn't the same as actually healing. I couldn't make sure they lived, erase that anything even happened anymore. But I was able to make sure at least, that they had a living chance, keep em alive long enough to make it to the hospital. Except that… much as I liked the look on peoples faces after the lord done divy'd up a miracle at my hands… they just… they never quite thanked me as an EMT. Just, melt into the background.
Her words come out in groups, a rattle in her chest like many others in here. Takes an effort all of a sudden, it seemed, this last day. "One of the Ferry, she gave birth on the 8th. Baby was coming, had it right in my car. Talk about elbow deep right? Walter. So chubby"
The former forensic scientist smiles. "Oh dear… I bet that was quite an experience…" Lashirah shakes her head and laughs a little. "Before all this, it was treating the kid's scraped knees and what not when they took tumbles." She ponders quietly as she reaches out and pats Abby's shoulder gently.
"You… would have likely got a laugh out of the one time the … person in charge walked in to personally oversee an autopsy at Fort Hero, Abby. Poor guy. He wasn't ready for it at all… and had a late lunch to boot. Thus he learned why it's standard procedure to keep a clean bucket in the room. "
"Sounds like two of the people in blood labs, when they practiced drawing blood" Abby offers a bleak smile at that. "You miss it? The company? I mean, the good side of things, what little good there was. I knew a few company agents, they came to the bar. Even met the haitian a few times" Abby focuses on Lash now, leaving the talker to his hallucination.
Lashirah twitches. "… when we did good… it was good. I admit, the track record wasn't spotless. Some things could have been done better." She sighed. "I was a late comer to the place, honestly. FBI before that. They transfered me in. I still miss being able to go out and do things without worrying about getting arrested, if that is what you mean, but I don't regret my decisions in the slightest for where I put my trust and my loyalty."
"Nah, just was wondering if you missed it was all. Then. Now. Two different situations. Do you have tattoo's?" One of these things are not like the other and the perspiration dotting her forehead speaks of her fever making a rally and diverting to topics more easier for her illness riddled mind to latch onto. "You seem like you'd have a lot of tattoo's
Lashirah smirks. "I might have a few…" Lash admits slyly. "And I got myself into a fair amount of trouble at times. Always drove dad nuts." She stands up to walk over and get a cloth from the cupboard, and some water to put over it, before walking back to gently fold it and put it against Abby's forehead.
"Four of them" Indicating how many she has. Hard to see them thanks to clothing, and socks though her feet are bare right now. SHe waits while Lash fetches a cloth, anticipating the cool that it will bring, closing her eyes and leaning into it. She doesn't like others touching her but the last week has been a lesson in gritting her teeth and bearing it. THe touches to her forehead, shoulders, cloths to her head and arms around her waist to help her back to bed when it gets too much for her.
"You cannot fathom, how nice, that that feels right now. I'd have to rate it right up there with my husbands kiss or a slice of baloney cake." Baloney cake. "Oh heavens, I'd love some baloney cake right now" because food has been hit and miss with her, appetite coming and going, mostly going.
"Baloney cake… that's a new one on me." Lashirah admits softly. "If you feel hungry, I think I have a bit of sandwhich I hid earlier you could try." She tries to sound encouraging. "and I know. I got a high fever or two as a kid. a cold cloth can feel very good indeed."
"Baloney cake." She's craving that, but the odds of her still craving it when the layers of baloney and cream cheese can be put together, frozen and sliced up? Nil. A sandwich though, makes her cringe, shake her head as much as she can without dislodging the cloth held against her head. "No, it's okay. Just me wanting comfort food and not feeling up to eating much else" The younger brunette confesses. "I make it out of here, I'm going to stuff myself" Which is good because the few pounds she put back on from her trips to mainland and stuffing her face there have easily melted away. "What did you get sick with as a kid?"
"Believe it or not, a really bad case of the chicken pox." Lash chuckles. "Had me laid out pretty much for a full week where I didn't want to move… add in pox in my throat and eating was… yeah, I know how that feels." She makes a note to ask someone later how to make this 'baloney cake'. Having some on hand might not be a bad idea…
"Chicken Pox" Another thing she never had. She breathes, attempts to breath deep, fails in doing so, seems to choke on her air, chest spasms to trying and get things back in working order, clean cloth up to her mouth as she doubles over. Either Lash is bending over with her or drawing her hand away to bring it back in again.
"I need to go to the bathroom" When she's back up, air moving again, airways clear enough as they'll be at this moment. She's been moving back and forth to the bathroom as needed easily enough, helping others.
Lashirah doesn't pull the cloth away until Abby notes the need to go. She sets it to the side, and offers a hand up out of the bed, since as much as it might not be needed… it might be helpful. "We'll get you through this Abby." She smiles, and this time it reaches her eyes.
"I don't know about that Lash" There's a grim set to Abby's lips, shaking her head at the offered hand. "I can't move my legs Lashirah." She looks like she might cry, happy that she was getting off it seemed, so easy and then… this. "I've been trying to move my toes, they stopped moving about a half hour ago."
"… oh…" Lash's smile falls almost immediately… as she grimaces as she tries to figure out a way to get Abby at least some privacy for… what is not a good state of things. This is out of Lash's league and it shows on her face as she moves calmly, efficenently to set up a screen around Abby's bed, in the cramped space it offers, as well as getting that item nobody in an infirmary anywhere wants to really see, a bedpan… and a mental note to talk to Megan or one of the other actual medics right away.
Because everyone wants to let everyone hear them go to the bathroom! It'll be awkward at the least, embarrassing to the former healer and likely depressing news to Megan and the others that know of Abby. Not good news in the least. Unless you consider that she's still alive good news. But things get done, and soon enough, Abby's making a mental note to beg Megan to let her not go through that again unless there's no other way.
Lashirah is making roughly the same mental notes, as she rather well sneaks the pan away after the fact to dump it… most people being in various states of asleep does tend to help with that… thankfully. Lash sighs as she returns… and tries to find a way to spin thing positively.
Is there a silver lining? If there is one, it's known to many that Abigail can find it. Small it may be and no silver lining to others.
But she does find one. 'Well, at least we know I'm drinking enough" Ha. Ha. Not really. SHe's planting her hands on the bed, trying to shift herself down towards her pillow, lacking the desire now to sit upright, want to give in to her heavy eyelids. "Yous hould go tickle some of the kids, kick Juniper's butt before she wears herself out and relapses" Stop hovering over her. "i"ll take a refresh on the cold cloth though"
Despite it all, Lashirah manages a smile, and gets a new, cold cloth for Abby, putting the old one in the pile to be put through the 'strong' cleaning. "I'll make sure of it… you get some rest, okay?" Lashirah's voice is soft, even as she stands up again. Too much to do… and not enough hands to do it all… and even with enough… there was only so much mortal hands could do.