Disclaimer: I'm merely a fan. I own nothing.
Dedicated to Killraven.
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~@~
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Questioned.
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~@~
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How heavy is light supposed to be?
It's... it's unbearable.
It's cold, though.
So very cold, so damp and inviting.
There's more to this light, there must be.
Oh God...
That.. that flash, that sound..
It moved and.. and I felt.. yes.
It can happen again, I know I can make it happen again...
I want to feel...
~{@}~
A kind face smiled at seeing the blinks and focused glances of her patient.
"Ah, Ms. Catalonia... welcome back."
~{@}~
How did she get here without me noticing? I just finished the knots only a moment ago and.. but how is she walking up this wall? That's impossible.
~{@}~
"That's right, everything will be ok. Just rest, Ms. Catalonia. You'll be well soon enough. That was quite an ordeal, I've heard." The nurse babbled on insisting on keeping Dorothy's eyes on her and creating motion around the waking woman to give depth back to the world. "Oh that band is caught again, isn't it." Reaching out to loosen the mask band that was once again getting caught in the patients long hair, the nurse looked deeply into her eyes and smiled pleased with the focusing of her pupils. Straightening the covers some and rambling a bit more as nurses do, she went about her work and soon Dorothy was asleep again.
~{@}~
That motion.. I felt something.. her hand was doing something to my face. I felt my .. my neck. I can feel my face! My.. this mask, the air.. God it burns my lungs.. She couldn't have been walking on the wall .. those lights were.. above..I can work this out, there has to be a reason for this. The setting is all wro..
Wait.
I'm in a hospital.
I..
I'm not going to die.
This..
This wasn't my plan.
Who planned this.. who took this from me?
Who did I challenge now?
~{@}~
"I will see her promptly."
"No, Sir. I cannot withhold your right to see your wife, but in her current state I would not suggest it. However, in the case of Ms. Catalonia, I do have that right and my order stands. You will not see her until I am convinced she is ready. This is not negotiable."
"Preposterous, I was allowed in the Emergency Room. Why not here? Don't you understand why she did it? Have you any idea what my presence will mean to her."
"I don't. And you most certainly don't either at this point. In the Emergency Room she was hardly near consciousness. Now, she is. She's under the influence of the most powerful viraldetoxens we have, and because she is at the least partially aware of her surroundings, your presence will not be allowed. Let me remind you that she is under suicide watch and until we can assess the stimuli that caused this tendency in her, we are taking no chances, Understood?"
"You realize I can enforce my rank in this situation to-"
"This is a Recovery ICU and she is the patient of a Class 7 DeTox Ward, Officer Merquise. The only title that holds rank here is Senior Physician and that title is mine. The only two patients in this wing are your wife and Ms. Catalonia. My attention is quite taken in finding the best possible means of treating them both, but if you intend on having my orders ignored in my own ward, then I have no choice but to stand down while you compromise my teams efforts and take both their recoveries personally into your hands. Is that what you intend to accomplish, Officer Merquise? Are you confident in yourself to that degree?"
The frustration of dejection had no choice but to secede to reason.
"No. I am not confident in myself to do your job."
"thank you. If you want, The nurse can give you a relaxer that I assure you will not interfere with your state of mind by the time I can allow you in. But that is the most I can do. Excuse me now."
Milliardo wouldn't accept something as superficial as chemicals to calm himself, but just now, Zechs Merquise would.
"Nurse?.."
~{@}~
"...n..nur..s.."
The nurse quickly reached the bedside.
"Yes, Ms. Catalonia. I'm right here."
"..w..y"
She looked confused by this first attempt at inquiry. "Deep breathe, Ms. Catalonia. The oxygen will take some time to work out the fluid in your lungs, just breathe slowly."
She was somewhat amazed to see the patient's nod. Usually, a great deal of time and repetition is needed for a patient under this kind of chemical burden to assess a command and respond, usually they just fight or ignore it.
After a moment of slow by steady breathing, Dorothy's eyes focus on the nurse once more.
"...w..y.. am.. i.. he...er"
The nurse steeled herself as a shiver went down her spine. Something about this woman's eyes, not to mention a mind capable of such quick functional recovery.
"You were saved, Ms. Catalonia. Officer Merquise saved you, but tragically, on t-"
"zz..ze..cs?"
"Oh, No Ma'am, his wife, Lucrezia Merquise."
The eyes closed. The nurse sighed and set about checking vitals. "Unfortunately there wa... Ms. Catalonia?"
She checked the numerous readouts around her, something was spiking the patient's blood pressure, an intense stress. But it wasn't reading as a neuro pain.
"Ms. Catalonia? What's wrong? ... Why are you crying?"
~~~
~@~
~~~
Dedicated to Killraven.
~~~
~@~
~~~
Questioned.
~~~
~@~
~~~
How heavy is light supposed to be?
It's... it's unbearable.
It's cold, though.
So very cold, so damp and inviting.
There's more to this light, there must be.
Oh God...
That.. that flash, that sound..
It moved and.. and I felt.. yes.
It can happen again, I know I can make it happen again...
I want to feel...
~{@}~
A kind face smiled at seeing the blinks and focused glances of her patient.
"Ah, Ms. Catalonia... welcome back."
~{@}~
How did she get here without me noticing? I just finished the knots only a moment ago and.. but how is she walking up this wall? That's impossible.
~{@}~
"That's right, everything will be ok. Just rest, Ms. Catalonia. You'll be well soon enough. That was quite an ordeal, I've heard." The nurse babbled on insisting on keeping Dorothy's eyes on her and creating motion around the waking woman to give depth back to the world. "Oh that band is caught again, isn't it." Reaching out to loosen the mask band that was once again getting caught in the patients long hair, the nurse looked deeply into her eyes and smiled pleased with the focusing of her pupils. Straightening the covers some and rambling a bit more as nurses do, she went about her work and soon Dorothy was asleep again.
~{@}~
That motion.. I felt something.. her hand was doing something to my face. I felt my .. my neck. I can feel my face! My.. this mask, the air.. God it burns my lungs.. She couldn't have been walking on the wall .. those lights were.. above..I can work this out, there has to be a reason for this. The setting is all wro..
Wait.
I'm in a hospital.
I..
I'm not going to die.
This..
This wasn't my plan.
Who planned this.. who took this from me?
Who did I challenge now?
~{@}~
"I will see her promptly."
"No, Sir. I cannot withhold your right to see your wife, but in her current state I would not suggest it. However, in the case of Ms. Catalonia, I do have that right and my order stands. You will not see her until I am convinced she is ready. This is not negotiable."
"Preposterous, I was allowed in the Emergency Room. Why not here? Don't you understand why she did it? Have you any idea what my presence will mean to her."
"I don't. And you most certainly don't either at this point. In the Emergency Room she was hardly near consciousness. Now, she is. She's under the influence of the most powerful viraldetoxens we have, and because she is at the least partially aware of her surroundings, your presence will not be allowed. Let me remind you that she is under suicide watch and until we can assess the stimuli that caused this tendency in her, we are taking no chances, Understood?"
"You realize I can enforce my rank in this situation to-"
"This is a Recovery ICU and she is the patient of a Class 7 DeTox Ward, Officer Merquise. The only title that holds rank here is Senior Physician and that title is mine. The only two patients in this wing are your wife and Ms. Catalonia. My attention is quite taken in finding the best possible means of treating them both, but if you intend on having my orders ignored in my own ward, then I have no choice but to stand down while you compromise my teams efforts and take both their recoveries personally into your hands. Is that what you intend to accomplish, Officer Merquise? Are you confident in yourself to that degree?"
The frustration of dejection had no choice but to secede to reason.
"No. I am not confident in myself to do your job."
"thank you. If you want, The nurse can give you a relaxer that I assure you will not interfere with your state of mind by the time I can allow you in. But that is the most I can do. Excuse me now."
Milliardo wouldn't accept something as superficial as chemicals to calm himself, but just now, Zechs Merquise would.
"Nurse?.."
~{@}~
"...n..nur..s.."
The nurse quickly reached the bedside.
"Yes, Ms. Catalonia. I'm right here."
"..w..y"
She looked confused by this first attempt at inquiry. "Deep breathe, Ms. Catalonia. The oxygen will take some time to work out the fluid in your lungs, just breathe slowly."
She was somewhat amazed to see the patient's nod. Usually, a great deal of time and repetition is needed for a patient under this kind of chemical burden to assess a command and respond, usually they just fight or ignore it.
After a moment of slow by steady breathing, Dorothy's eyes focus on the nurse once more.
"...w..y.. am.. i.. he...er"
The nurse steeled herself as a shiver went down her spine. Something about this woman's eyes, not to mention a mind capable of such quick functional recovery.
"You were saved, Ms. Catalonia. Officer Merquise saved you, but tragically, on t-"
"zz..ze..cs?"
"Oh, No Ma'am, his wife, Lucrezia Merquise."
The eyes closed. The nurse sighed and set about checking vitals. "Unfortunately there wa... Ms. Catalonia?"
She checked the numerous readouts around her, something was spiking the patient's blood pressure, an intense stress. But it wasn't reading as a neuro pain.
"Ms. Catalonia? What's wrong? ... Why are you crying?"
~~~
~@~
~~~