Participants:
| Scene Title | Unacceptable Risk |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Brennan and Megan discuss the vaccinations that the kids received and what the Ferry should do with the rest of the H1N1 batch they have and with the current kids who got said vaccines. |
| Date | December 8, 2009 |
Suresh Center - 2nd Floor
It's been a busy day at the Suresh Center for the small number of health care professionals they have on staff. The phone's been ringing off the hook with people concerned about the CDC news regarding the H1N1 vaccines — and as difficult as it was initially to get people to not view the vaccine with trepidation, it is now reaching critical mass because all those people who've been told "no really, it's safe and all high-risk patients should get it, and fast!" are now panicking. And Megan's not precisely sure how to reassure them without simply resorting to the party line about the vaccine's safety.
Patients can tell when you're doing that, and she's just hung up the phone with a particularly loud and frightened woman who sounded definitely not reassured. Megan looks frazzled and she pinches the bridge of her nose as if that motion alone can stave off the headache behind her eyes that's starting to pound at the base of her skull.
There's the rattle of pills in a bottle, gently, beside her eat followed by the pop and hiss of a can of coke being opened. "Take em, Doctors orders" Brennan in his white coat with his name across the front has been dealing with the patients who have come in swearing that they're dying from the h1n1 vaccine and dear god, what if the other vaccines all have interactions with their evolved genetics. "The day isn't over yet Nurse Young" The red can with the jolly coca cola Santa on it waits.
Looking up at the rattle, Megan looks immensely grateful for the sight of the caffeine if nothing else. She holds out a hand for the pills, checking to see what they are and popping the appropriate dosage to be swallowed with a gulp of the soda. "Thanks," she tells him quietly. Today is a scrubs day — dark purple pants for her with a colorful cartoon character top for the kids who come in — and her copper hair is braided and pinned up out of the way. It suits her. "Is the line outside around the block yet?" She's joking…. maybe.
"Ooh, close, I think we were four people shy" He's trying to smile, taking back the bottle of just over the counter painkillers. "Came to ask you a question on my break, hows the kids holding up?" Curious thing to be asking, but he has a reason to. Jeans on and a t-shirt beneath the white coat, make shim more personable to some of the younger kids. Some days it's a tie and suit.
Glancing toward the open door, Megan's reply appears casual but the tension in her shoulders might betray her. "So far, so good," she says in a quiet murmur. "Some of them hadn't been vaccinated yet. Hopefully by the time we get to the booster stage, we'll know something for sure."
So far. That doesn't seem a good answer to Brennan. "I'm taking my really late lunch. Come take a break with me" Aka, lets go discuss this somewhere more private. Brennan gestures with his head towards the left and the stairs that lead up to the roof of the Suresh Center. "Let me drop these back at my desk and i'll meet you there"
"All right," the nurse replies. She steps out of the room she uses as her office and says, "Inez, I'm taking a quick breather — headache's getting out of control. I'll be back in just a few though, and then you take your break." The Hispanic woman looks up, shoots a roll of the eyes and a grin though her voice never wavers from its reassuring pitch as she talks on the phone lines, and seems to have the place well in hand for the moment. Megan slips out, takes her jacket with her, and throws it around herself as she steps out onto the Center's roof. It's cool but not frigid yet.
Brennan follows up not long after, jacket thrown over his own shoulders and a hot cup of coffee in hand. A few glances around to ascertain that they're the only folks up there, one hand sinks into a pocket to stay warm and the other grips the coffee as the broad shouldered man settles beside her and looks out over the island.
"I did some checking, just a little. I didn't get names, but some of those deaths" A forefinger lifts and his hand as well that holds the coffee as he gestures towards the direction of the main island. "Were from the church. At this point, right now. I really suggest that any of the H1N1 vaccine you have left over, seal it, find someplace to drop it off to be disposed of. You name it. Be on the safe side with the kids who haven't yet got it yet"
Settling her butt against the raised ledge, Megan shoves both hands into her pockets and tells him more readily, "Yeah, I know. I got that report this morning. That's why I said 'well enough' — We've vaccinated about two-thirds of the kids so far, and the rest …. much as I hate to say it this way, I guess they'll be the control group on this one. Not all the kids we deal with are Evolved themselves, sometimes it's their parent who doesn't want to take the chance for a variety of reasons. I already sent mail to Alistair and Kaylee to ditch the rest of it after we ascertained that our batch came from that first batch." She grimaces. "Christ…. what a train wreck." She looks over the darkening cityscape.
"Better safe than sorry, we have the medical supplies, or at least I do, should god forbid the kids come down with swine flu. I can go out and buy a box of antibacterial hand gel for your kids and just make sure they use it, wash their hands and all those standard precautions" He hasn't been to a safe house, none of them and so he can't judge that state that they are living in. "Batches go wrong, nothing is ever perfect. It just might be that they had an allergic reaction to the method that the vaccines were created or an ingredient within the vaccine itself that they didn't know about" Brennan shrugs.
"They're already keeping to the best protocols we can manage in terms of hygiene and sanitation," Megan replies. "The conspiracy theorists are already going absolutely nuts with this — claiming that the government is trying to weed out the Evolved using health scares and vaccines that aren't really vaccines targeted to Evolved bloodlines." She grimaces. "Fuckin' crazies climb out of the woodwork when all this happens, make it harder to keep the very people who need it most safe."
Megan rummages in her pocket and pulls out a cigarette and a lighter, cupping a hand around the flame to ignite the tip of the cigarette. She takes a long drag off it and holds it in her lungs for a short bit, letting the nicotine hit her bloodstream before letting the stream of smoke out very slowly. "I'll make arrangements to bring the rest of the kids to a neutral location for vaccinations, if you or Michelle will do them." She glances at him. "You told her exactly what you're up to yet?"
"I hinted that there was a non-profit organization that was taking in children and families displaced by the bomb and Staten Island, that needed some medical help. She's intruiged, already bossing me around and making sure that I don't go overboard" By overboard, well that means slaving away for free all the time and ignoring his family. "But she's thinking of helping, once she's back on her feet in a few weeks and has her workload at the clinic back under her wing"
Megan chuckles softly, the cigarette held gracefully between her fingers. "It's good that she keeps you balanced. It's too easy to lose sight of having a life," she says softly. "I miss Auggie for that." She takes another drag off the cigarette and then very deliberately crushes it out after just the two puffs, once again letting the smoke stream out very slowly. "Sorry — I didn't ask if you minded," she comments quietly. "I'm weaning back off again." She grimaces. "Damn habit's harder to break than cussing."
"She is a godsend" Brennan agree's. "You'll break the habit. Soon enough" He does mind, but he was stnading far enough away. "We should get back down, I just wanted to check in and make sure something was being looked into. I got patients to see and people to calm"
She's one of those polite smokers who at least makes sure to be downwind and not get smoke anywhere near the other people standing near or with her. Megan nods slightly. "Picked it back up after Narrows again, off and on. More on lately than off, since Auggie died." She shrugs a little. "Down to three of these kinds of stops a day, so…. quitting's just around the corner again." She sighs and looks out over the city. "Yeah…. I know we gotta get back. I left my soda down there. Gimme a couple more minutes here to let the painkillers kick in. The phone's killing me."