ways_infirmary | (no subject)

Guppy comes in, checks on the patients, then approaches Barry.

"Hi Barry."

"Hey, Guppy. How's it going?" Barry notices that there seems to be a little gum on Guppy's slacks, but says nothing.

Mun wonders how gum sticks to lycra. If it's worse Barry might have something to say later.

"Most of the patients appear to be stable. I have one more to add to your list. Name is Pikachu, used to be a small creature called a pokemon and now is a small girl. Apparently also in the first war."

He rubs his forehead. "How are you doing?"

"I remember the name Pikachu, but I don't know what a pokemon is, either. I can see that turning someone into a child would be to your advantage, though.

"I'm holding in there. Worried that he's going to pick off everyone who fought him last time one by one." Barry leaves unsaid that he's worried about Sara. "But at least I'm confident we can beat him. Giles and Venkman seem to at least have some understanding of the situation, and were going to see if the Other is using Tim's old body."

Guppy nods. He's worried too, but there is no need to tell Barry that. It's written all over his face, his expressions as readable as ever. Even though he got some sleep last night, he still looks exhausted.

"Wouldn't people notice if he used Tim's body?"

He sits down next to Barry.

"There are many more of us than there are of him. With so many patrons in the bar, there must be enough able to help defeat him, right?"

Barry considers both these questions.

"I think that since no one gives much thought to a body once its former inhabitant is back from the dead, the Other could have moved into the corpse, so to speak, unnoticed. But if he had done that, it might imply he has some weakness or limitation since Tim didn't need to do that.

"And in any case, you are right that we have plenty of people who would volunteer to fight him. But do you remember what happened last time? Mike and Mel almost died. And Mel is a Slayer. We don't need to send an army into the battle. We need to send people who have the right skills and experience and powers.

"I think, however, that we have those people. What I'm worried about is how much damage he will do before the fight."

Guppy nods, looking around the room; Peter, Nina and Harper, all critically ill. Connor in a coma upstairs. Naraht reduced to whistling. By Holby standards, a Really Bad Day. Even more so when some of them are friends.

"How will you find him? Even if he's in Tim's body, he's been here a long time without being spotted, and doesn't look like he's coming out. It's a big place to hide."

"Well, it seems he's been roaming around in the form of a walking skeleton. Kind of hard to miss." Barry gives a grim smile, as if this is a huge breakthrough.

"Anyway, we need to be ready. So I figured it was about time I came to see the infirmary. It seems to be well-stocked."

Guppy nods. "We have Hank and Simon to thank for that. I think Abs and I will take turns getting funny looks from people in Boots nonetheless. We can't afford to be running out of things."

Barry laughs a tiny bit.

"This is certainly better than last time. No need for a full fledged field hospital out in the Bar. Though I plan to be on the go once the action starts. I assume that Giles and whoever else he recruits will try to take it outside completely, but no matter where it is, I will keep my eye on it and be ready to bring in whoever I can fast.

"Which means I should warn the healers about my speed."

"Just watch where you're going. We don't need any extra accidents. To be honest I think we'll be too busy healing to be that worried but yes, it might be an idea to mention it. It will come in handy if you need to get people in fast."

"Watch where I'm going? Doctor, I've been doing this for eleven years. I never don't watch where I'm going," He gives Guppy a blank stare before smiling.

"You think you're ready for this?" Barry tries to ask in a casual tone.

Guppy rubs his forehead and smiles a little.

"Chill Barry, I was just kidding."

There is a brief pause whilst he considers the answer to the next question.

No. No. No. No. No. No. Not that I ever do. So that's almost as ready as I can be, so that's nearly a yes...
Who am I kidding? No.

"I've helped at two major incidents before." he replies, wandering just a little from the question.

Doing the minor injuries.

He sighs. "Not really no. To tell you the truth I'm absolutely terrified."

"But you'll do your best anyway, won't you? Same as the rest of us.

"We're all going to be scared of something. That's normal. But I've seen how you handle yourself in a crisis. How you've been helping me and Giles and evernyone now. You take your job seriously, and you treat your patients like people, and you aren't afraid to ask for help."

Barry knows that Guppy needs to have a pep talk tossed him, needs to be drawn away from his shortcomings.

"Of course I'll do my best. I couldn't possibly give up, I wouldn't. But I just feel dangerously underqualified."

He rubs his forehead. "I asked Bar to Bind me, but she or the powers that be haven't. But once I have done the second half of today's Holby shift, I will use Millitime to stay here as long as possible before I'm missed. Providing I'm not bleeped, that should give me another few days before I have to rethink. But I will be here, even if I have to phone in sick at Holby."

More difficulty. Lying to his boss if necessary. On top of everything else, no wonder he looks stressed. But underneath that is strength and determination, that insect-bashing-head-on-windowpane stubbornness that things are going to be all right, and that he will fight for every one of them.

Barry recognizes the qualities he sees in Guppy as mirroring his own, and those of Barry's father, Dr. Henry Allen.

"I hope you don't have to do that, but sometimes such things are necessary. I used to call in sick more often that I liked when an emergency came up that required my speed. And I never actually WAS sick. Hyper-metabolism.

"As for your qualifications...well, I can tell you that when the first super-villains began to show up on my world, back in the 1940s, no one knew how to cope at first. And the same thing happened again when the next generation's villains and the next generation of cold guns and sonic pistols arrived. And when the aliens came for the first time. And we managed.

"A good doctor learns what he can, and then applies to what he can't learn. Or so it seemed every time a new treatment for hypothermia or laser burns was invented."

"Well we have the full staff count again back home, so it wouldn't be too bad a time. Just a pity it has to come so close to bonfire night."

Another public holiday that fills him with dread.

"I'll do my best." he says honestly. "Who else do we have?"

[ooc: Mun going for dinner, back soon.]

"So far, I haven't heard from anyone. But it's early in the day yet, and the Bar will make sure that every healer - possibly even the ones I don't know about - will get word.

"If there's one thing I know, it's that help arrives in the nick of time here. Usually in the form of Bones McCoy." He smirks.

"Abs says you can count him in. He's on more or less the same shifts as me but he doesn't go on call."

Well, that's two. And I suspect that since Hank's curse has let him on his feet and otherwise competent, he'll stay here rather than head into the fight.

"If I can find Raven and Nita Callahan, that would help at the magical end. And Dr. Tam would make a good person to round out a basic staff." Barry pauses.

"I do wish Eska were around, though. Never seen a more level head in a crisis. Too bad she's been back home so much lately." At the same time, though, he's secretly just a little glad his best friend is not in the Other's line of fire.

"Well I know how she feels. Balancing two lives is tricky. At some point I shall have to go back and see the sword swallower. What about Magius and Aug- I forget the name. There was a seer who bought Peter a little more time. Augra or something? And are all Sooty's powers gone?"

"Magius, I think, might be as likely to go into the battle as anything else, from how Giles and Peter talked. At least he's resurfaced, and wasn't cursed. Never thought the flu would sound lieka good thing till now." Barry tries to recall the rest of the conversation he had with the Watcher and the ghostly Ghostbuster.

"They mentioned an Aughra. I have no idea who she is, but I guess we can count on her as well.

"Hm. A watcher and a seer. At least they will match."

[ooc: need to wrap here - meeting time.]

Guppy nods. His pager bleeps.

"That's be the sword swallower. I'll be back later. Leave me a note if anything comes up."

He gets up.

"Good luck. If I see any more medics, I'll make sure they know what's happening. And thanks... for the pep talk."