|
Post by Miss Jack on May 24, 2008 0:58:00 GMT -5
Jasper slumped into one of the chairs in the hospital lobby, wincing as his beaten body rejected the impact of the cold metal chair. He held his shoulder in one hand, blood leaking through the cracks of his finger. It was probably dislocated too.
It could have been worse, he thought. The knife had been aiming for his heart. It was only be sheer luck that it missed and instead took a chunk out of his upper arm. There was another cut under his eye, shallow and superficial, but still bleeding slightly. Jasper had the hard body one acquired either from obsessive work, or hard living; his being the latter. But right now, he felt as tender as a marshmellow, compliments of a few well aimed fists.
Six against one, the odds hadn't been in his favor. Though, he had a knack for defying odds.
"Oh! Oh, you're bleeding!" A nurse squealed, finally noticing him.
"Take your time," he muttered dryly, wincing as his shoulder flared again. He wouldn't have even come here, except he was pretty sure he was going to need stitches on his arm.
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 24, 2008 1:03:53 GMT -5
There was solace in being run off her feet. Of being the only 'doctor' available to tend to twenty patients. She was just finishing wrapping the bandages over one man's wound when the nurse came up to her. She'd found that wishing them all better made her weak and tired and unable to help during a sudden influx of patients that often happened after an accident or sports tournament.
So instead she made minor wishes came true and treated the rest of the wound by more basic means unless it was fatal.
"Doctor, there's a patient out there, bleeding." Camilla nodded. "Give this man his clothing and check him out. He's fine." She turned away and head into the lobby. Which was empty except for the slumped figure on a chair that looked somehow familiar. She approached.
"Oh. It's you." She realized she hadn't actually learned his name. "Can you stand, Mr. Candy Bar?"
|
|
|
Post by Miss Jack on May 24, 2008 1:10:14 GMT -5
His clouded eyes sharpened in surprise as he glanced up at the familiar voice. He noted the white lab coat. A doctor, too?
"Jasper," he informed her, answering her question by pushing himself to his feet. He ignored the faint dizziness that accompanied the action. Even slightly hunched as he was, he could easily see the top of her head.
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 24, 2008 1:41:07 GMT -5
Slowly, Camilla led him to the closest free room and indicated that he should sit on the hospital bed.
"What did you do to yourself?" She asked, not really being able to help the note of concern. Because when we got down to it, Camilla was hard-wired to care. There was blood pouring from his shoulder, and that was the first thing. She didn't hesitate in cutting away his shirt to offer her a better look at the various wounds.
The nurse came in seconds later. "He needs stitches, but pass me a tourniquet." This she tied tightly above the wound. The bleeding immediately slowed (with just a little magical help) and she began to gently probe the shoulder that looked dislocated with her fingertips.
"Say ow when it hurts."
|
|
|
Post by Miss Jack on May 25, 2008 19:32:43 GMT -5
His face tightened as the tourniquet cinched around his arm, but he didn't flinch. He watched her working on his shoulder. She seemed, somehow, less tense in this environment that should have had the opposite effect.
He raised an eyebrow. When it hurts? It hadn't stopped hurting since he got here, technically. "I don't think I can hold a note out that long," he said.
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 25, 2008 23:33:56 GMT -5
"Well take a deep breath then." She muttered as she took a firm grip and popped the shoulder back into place with one fluid movement. Camilla turned away to prepare the needle and thread, and set to sewing up his arm with calm, assured but quick movements. Soon enough she was tying a knot in the thread and cutting away the bloodied needle.
"You didn't answer my question." She admonished as she wrapped up the stitches in gauze. "You got into a fight, didn't you?"
|
|
|
Post by Miss Jack on May 26, 2008 22:53:52 GMT -5
"Oowwaa---" He broke off into a pained hiss as his arm was thrust back into place. He grit his teeth, glaring at the wall as she stitched the wound. No painkillers, apparently. At least she was fast and efficient.
He raised a shoulder in a rueful shrug. "Just a little spat."
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 26, 2008 23:00:02 GMT -5
"Hmpfff." The noise was one of obvious disbelief and disapproval. The last thing that needed tending was the smaller cut under his eye. It was so small she couldn't help just brushing her thumb over it to make it disapear. He was likely to complain about why she hadn't just done that for all his ailments, like her ungrateful patients often did, but she had another speech reserved for those circumstances as well.
She was chockfull of pre-prepared speeches, it seemed.
He certainly was mysterious. The first time she'd met him, he'd been heading into the Endless Wastes looking like he was homeward bound. And now this. "The stitch will dissolve on their own, but you have to change the bandage and clean them every night. And try not to get into anymore little spats."
|
|
|
Post by Miss Jack on May 26, 2008 23:16:32 GMT -5
He lifted a finger to the cut on his cheek, or at least to where the cut used to be. His skin tingled a little, but it was as undamaged as it was before he walked into the Faded. One less scar he'd have to explain anyway. "Impressive," he murmured.
He chuckled at her mother-like scowl that said she clearly didn't believe it was a friendly tuffle. Then again, his shoulder was entirely ravaged-- who would have?
"Thank you, uh.... Doc." He realized, with a touch of embarrassment, that he didn't know her name.
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 26, 2008 23:28:03 GMT -5
Camilla was slightly mollified by the fact that he hadn't gone on to demand insta-cure for the rest of him.
"Camilla." She offered, not offended since she had no reason to expect him to know it. She was curious about Jasper, and he was the only person who was half-way decent at gratitude that she'd met in a while. Which was really kind of sad, if you though about it. Most of the patients her groused about their pains and then whined about why she couldn't just make them all go poof. On the days she gave in, she paid for it with exhaustion and a wicked headache.
"And thanks. It's what I do." She couldn't have kept the bitter note out of her voice had there been a gun held to her head with a man yelling 'BE CHEERFUL'.
|
|
|
Post by Miss Jack on May 26, 2008 23:43:49 GMT -5
"Camilla," he corrected. Without his arms he manuvered himself off the seat, resisting the urge to cradle his shoulder in his other hand. He heard the caustic edge to her voice and averted his eyes. It bothered him that he couldn't seem to brush off her problems like he should have. He had enough issues of his own without taking on someone else's, dammit. But he was already studying her face with something very suspiciously like concern, brow furrowed.
"Can't you say no?" he asked.
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 26, 2008 23:49:39 GMT -5
Camilla took out of the deep pockets of her white jacket the filmy brown cloth used to make slings. She tied it into a knot, looped it over his neck and left the rest to him. Meeting his gaze head-on she shrugged.
"I don't want to." It was just sometimes she wished she wasn't treated like a pest, or that there was always more, that it was never quite enough. That thank you wasn't so rare or that she just got a bit of gratitude. It was her passion, helping people even though it didn't often seem like she was the type. "Shallowly, I guess, I sometimes wish there was more thanks."
|
|
|
Post by Miss Jack on May 27, 2008 0:01:18 GMT -5
He slipped his arm into the sling and grimaced. He looked like an idiot.
"I'm sure people are more grateful than you think," he offered, feeling like the last person that should give advice to anyone about anything. And where was his usual 'noncommital nod' when he needed it? "They just lack proper perspective."
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 27, 2008 0:09:22 GMT -5
Camilla laughed softly. "Right." If that was everyone's problem, she'd be highly surprised. Her own theory on the matter was that people either expected her to be old and fat and when she didn't fit into that, they became skeptical. Or they took her wish granting for granted, as part of her job and so would forgo the gratitude. He'd probably been right before in saying that people probably didn't appreciate her intruding on very private wishes, and the glitter just didn't help anyone.
In fact, there was a bit under his eye but she just didn't have the heart to tell him. "I think people are mostly jackasses." She replied matter-of-factly. Camilla was surprising herself in how much she did want to talk to Jasper, but now just wasn't the time. She had other patients to tend to and way too much to do by the end of the day.
"I've got to go back to work. But it was nice meeting you again, even under the circumstances." And she even sounded sincere.
|
|