Chapter 13
Hospital
Merlin got ready for work quietly. Getting dressed quickly and running his hands through his hair to try and smooth it, before slipping downstairs and grabbing an apple out of the fruit bowl on the table. He didn't bite into it until he was out of the front door. Munching on the apple he walked out of the gate and down the road. He glanced around quickly to check that the coast was clear before muttering, "Níedfaru mec oþ Caerfyrddin,"
He shut his eye's against the resulting whirlwind of dust, the ground shaking under his feet. He opened his eyes to an alley-way, the morning light was yet to reach down into it and a number of over-flowing dust-bins lined the walls. The ground underneath his feet was wet and light spots of rain hit the top of his head.
He quickly walked to the end of the alleyway. The street was littered with crisp packets and chocolate bar wrappers. Bits of dried chewing gum covered most of the wide pavements. The road was crowded with cars spewing out exhaust fumes and spitting angrily at each other.
Opposite him, the old abandoned hospital. Once it had been grand, with blue and cream walls, large Georgian windows and a front garden full of flowers. Today it was falling apart. The windows were bricked in, the paint chipped and fading. The garden had long since been trampled and turned to mud, but two large trees grew defiantly towards the sun. The large oak wood doors were now rotten and falling inwards. Plywood fencing lined it's borders and it's roof was sagging.
Completely out of place yet entirely appropriate was the Borough war memorial. It was on the pavement just outside the plywood fencing, the hospital standing like a ghost behind it. The Soldier on the a granite plinth stood looking out over the town, his hand holding a gun at its end and propping it up like a gentleman with a walking stick. On the plinth, the names were endless. Merlin resisted the urge to look for a friend and turned left, starting down the street away from it.
He kicked up the rubbish that was in his way and grimaced at the mess. This town had been well know for it's cleanliness at one point. Now, it was just as disgusting as the next. The tornado that had ripped apart half of Manchester had been the last straw for most people. No-body cared anymore. Crime was on the rise, the garbage trucks came less often and people were losing work to fast to count. The droughts in the south of England effected the crops and farmers were getting less yield. Food prices were rising and the only relief came from foreign imports.
The other day when he was in the shops with Gwen and Arthur, a tsunami had washed across most of Spain and France. Taking with it the import ships coming from all over the world. Merlin was sure there would be riots on the street next.
Merlin reached the end of the road and crossed a roundabout. He passed a young oak tree the townspeople had planted not so long ago. The tree stood in the place of an Old Oak that had once stood there.* His eyes stayed on it until he had passed.
Merlin walked quickly, moving faster then the jam packed cars on the road. He took a left at a bigger roundabout and then he could see it. The hospital was massive, blocky and stiff. A few windows near the bottom had been smashed and boarded up. Some of the ones higher up were open, people hanging out of them with cigarettes in their hands.
Merlin dodged his way to the other side of the road and jogged to the A&E entrance.
Inside, the hospital was crowded. Bed's lined the walls, the people in them vacantly staring at the ground. Nurses and Doctor's rushed up and down the corridors. A few of them glancing his way and nodding a greeting, relief etched into their features.
Merlin went to the Doctor's lounge and got changed into scrubs, jamming his feet back into his trainers and chucking a stethoscope around his neck. Finally, he clicked his doctors badge onto his front chest pocket and strode out of the room. Immediately he was bombarded with clip boards and questions.
"Dr. Thomas! I need you to assess this patient!"
"Dr., you need to look at this Lady, She needs urgent attention -"
"Dr Thomas, there's someone at the desk for you -"
"You need to sign this, Dr.!"
Automatically, Merlin took the pen that was thrust into his face and the other hand grasped the clipboard. "Why have I got to sign this?"
"It's a release slip for your patient from yesterday. A Mr Jones?"
"Ah yes, of course. He's better?" Merlin didn't need to hear the answer. He had used magic for the man's infected cut.
"Yes, the inflammation has reduced and the pus has disappeared. He been given antibiotics to take home,"
Merlin nodded and signed the paper. Handing it back he turned to the other nurses in front of him. Pointing to one nurse he said, "I'll speak to the person at the desk later -" He moved his finger across,"come get me in fifteen minutes, I'll assess the patient once the urgent cases are taken care of - you," He pointed to the nurse that looked panicked, "show me,"
The nurse headed off in the direction of resus without further prompting. Weaving in and out of people, beds, trolleys and wheelchairs they finally made it. The nurse rolled off the patient's story as she walked towards the bed, "Samantha Williams, hit and run. Car connecting with left side. Traveled six feet in the air before landing on tarmac. She hit her head and lost conscience at the scene. Broken leg, suspected broken spine and crushed ribs on the left, Dr."
"Is she stable?"
"Yes, Dr," The nurse glanced at him over her shoulder, "She can't remember anything when she wakes. Possible concussion,"
"Thanks, Jenny," Merlin used her name and smiled at her.
"No, thank you, Merlin," She smiled and rolled back the curtain to Samantha's bed, "The hospital will have collapsed by now if it weren't for you,"
Merlin nodded his thanks, although he doubted the words.
Samantha was lying on her back, her head restrained. Various tubes and wire's connected her to machine's and drips. Merlin forced the uncomfortable frown from his face as his magic cringed away from the high tech equipment next to him. Leaning over her face he saw that her eyes were shut.
He placed his knuckles on the spot just below her throat and rubbed hard. "Samantha, I need you to wake up," A groan was his only answer, so he rubbed again. "Come on, Samantha. You need to wake up, I want to ask you some questions,"
Her eyes fluttered before opening groggily. "Huhn?"
"Samantha, can you tell me what the date is today?"
She frowned at him and considered the question, "I don't know,"
"That's okay. Can you tell me what year it is?"
A couple of seconds passed before she answered, "2006,"
"Alright, that'll be fine for now. You can get some sleep," Merlin smiled down at her.
Samantha shut her eyes and was sleeping before he had time to take his stethoscope down from around his neck. Merlin glanced at Jenny and nodded, "Definitely a concussion. Send a message up to CT and book her in for a scan - and a x-ray,"
Jenny left without question. As soon as she was gone, Merlin gently took up Samantha's hand and placed it in between both of his. He kept his eyes half-closed to mask the sudden glow from them as his magic flared. The break in her spine healed quickly, leaving no trace. The only thing that will hurt now would be a few muscles.
Merlin dropped her hand and placed the stethoscope in his ears. He was listening to her heartbeat when Jenny returned.
The day wore on with no breaks and an onrush of patients. Merlin worked without complaining, assessing each patient and either referring, releasing, treating or talking to each. As the minutes had turned to hours, Merlin's frown turned into a grimace which he quickly masked when he sat in front of another patient or stood by their beds. The technology in the hospital was all around him, pressing on his magic and making him cringe.
When Gwen had asked why he puts himself through it, he had just shrugged and said, "I can't live without healing. That's all I've done for most of my life, I don't want to stop. If the cost is to sacrifice my "comfort" then there really is no choice,"
Now, Merlin questioned that answer. The face of the person in front of him blurred. He blinked to try to clear it, but it was no use. His magic twisted suddenly and Merlin gasped. He was half-aware of a hand gripping his shoulder. Then he was standing but he didn't know how he got up there.
Why's the floor moving?" He thought vaguely. Black spots clouded his vision. Merlin hardly noticed when his knees buckled and he was tilting forward.
A panicked voice beat at his conscience and he tried to concentrate on it. What were they saying?
More hands were holding him up then he was lowered to the ground. The floor was smooth and cold. Resting his temple against it, Merlin shut his eyes and listened to the voices around him.
His magic flipped and squeezed, shuddered and rolled. The black behind his eyelids shifted. Every now and then there was a flash of gold.
He must have passed out, because the next thing he knew he was opening his eyes to Jenny's face and feeling the hard plastic cover of a hospital bed beneath him. The smell of anesthetic and bleach assaulted his nose and his stomach heaved. Jenny was ready with a bucket and he threw up into it. His on-the-move lunch and hurried apple this morning disappearing into it.
He dumped his body back down on the unforgiving mattress and stared up at the ceiling.
"You look like hell," Jenny said beside him. Her voice sounded scared, a slight tone to it that he had never heard before.
He glanced at her, surprised, "I do?"
She nodded, brown hair falling loose from her bun. The colour reminded him of another girl, the one who had died in his arms. The thought was so sudden it hurt. Freya. His eyes glazed over as he thought of her, the memories washing over him.
"... for a few days,"
"What?" Merlin jolted from his thoughts and refocused on her.
"Dr. MacKay? He said you should stay in for a few days,"
"Dr. MacKay, can go to hell," he smiled at her shocked face, "I'm fine, just didn't eat a lot today,"
She didn't look convinced, "Merlin, you were muttering something. About magic? And that you needed to find... something,"
"What something?" He couldn't remember saying anything about a "something". He frowned at her expression, she was biting her lip and glancing around. Then her eyes focused on him with a steely determination.
"I know about you, Emrys," She held up her hand to stop his questions, "We are your Friends. You need to leave this hospital now, your shift has finished anyway. But do not speak to the person that was waiting by the desk this morning,"
"What...? Oh," He remembered the nurse that had told him someone was there to see him. He had forgotten all about it as he was loaded with more and more work. "Why?"
"They are our enemies. They wish to destroy magic completely. One came to your cottage and attacked you,"
Merlin nodded although it wasn't a question.
"Do not come to work tomorrow. Go straight home. We will meet you soon," With that she turned and walked away.
Merlin sat there for another couple of seconds before leaping up and forcing his feet back into his trainers. He signed his own release forms and slipped out a fire exit. The other doctors would have taken over his patients when he fainted, so he didn't bother going to the desk.
He didn't walk back to the alleyway in town, he found an abandoned house and jumped the fence into the garden. His eyes blazed as he whispered, "Níedfaru mec hámsíþ,"
Dust clouds weren't uncommon, even if someone saw his they wouldn't come to investigate. At least that's what he hoped.
When the dust cleared, Merlin ran to the cottage's front door and threw himself through it. He saw no-one in the hall so looked through the archway to the living room. No-one there. His heart clenched in panic and he turned to look in the kitchen. His hand just grasping the handle when it was yanked from him. Elyan stood on the other side and looked at him, a frown line between his eyebrows.
"Merlin, what are you doing?" Then he blinked at his clothes, "What are you wearing?"
Merlin looked down at his scrubs and held up his hands in a kind of half shrug. "Clothes,"
He pushed past into the kitchen and sighed in relief when he saw everyone sitting at the table.
Arthur snorted at the scrubs, "Merlin, did you notice you were wearing your night-clothes?"
"Oh, very funny. Come up with that by yourself did you? Can't have been very easy,"
"What's wrong?" Gwen cut over Arthur's retort.
Merlin smirked at Arthur's indignant expression before answering her, "I've met our Friends,"
AN: This is still set just six months after Arthur and Gwen's return, so you can be surprised at the sudden change in the UK.
I was going to set this in Cardiff but then I thought I would do Carmarthen instead. It is supposed to be Merlin's Birthplace afterall. And he liked the town in the previous story - the black death chapter. Seems oddly appropriate.
Also, if there is any doctors or nurses out there. Could you give me any pointers? I have no idea what I was doing when I'm writing this. I'm kinda going on what I saw on 24 Hours in A&E and a-hem... *cough* ER *cough*. Even if you're not a doctor/nurse and have some sort of idea what they do - please tell me! Thanks!
*Merlin's Oak. The legend of Merlin's curse on Carmarthen Town.
"When Merlin's Oak shall tumble down, so shall fall Carmarthen town"
My wee contribution to the old legends! The original tree was poisoned in the early 19th Century, finally it died in 1856. In 1951 a branch was broken off to be preserved while the rest was burnt away. I like to think that Merlin planted it in 1659. :)
I was researching Merlin or Myrddin (welsh name) and he is suppose to have a twin sister called Gwenddydd! :O Although, I should point out that this was the early version of Merlin before Geoffrey of Monmouth's version - which became the Merlin that the BBC series is based on. (Also, Myrddin is a madman. Yep, it's true. He also prophesied his own death. *nods* He was right.)
Oh and if you're wondering. You can follow Merlin route to the hospital from the Borough war memorial. I know it because I was born in Carmarthen myself. :) But I don't live there anymore. The only fabricated stuff in that is the alleyway. I can make it up - it's my story! :D
Right, now that I've bored you stiff with this knowledge - please review! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin!
Marmar
I'm so glad you're enjoying it! :D Thanks for reviewing!