ways_infirmary | (no subject)

(no subject)

Guppy is bored.

Mainly because his flu has reached its peak ~~as his active immune system is just producing the necessary mass of specific leucocytes to kick ass baby~~. This in turn has given him a splitting headache which makes reading anything too painful.

He may or may not be counting the ceiling tiles.

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Someone knocks on the door before coming in.

Sara's taken the precaution of a facemask. Beyond that, she looks normal.

"Hey."

He looks over, winces slightly and gives her a small smile.

"Hey." He coughs. "Thanks for coming, I'm going out of my mind in here."

Beat.

"You know those masks only work for five minutes? You got the shot didn't you?"

"Yes, I got the shot. I told you that." She is amused.

He grins a little before breaking out into coughing.

"Good, don't want anyone else going down with this. How's Mark?"

"He's recovered. Back at work though I'm not letting him do more than half days. He's annoyed that his assistant listens to me more than him," she says cheerfully.

"Good, that means I can get back to work in about another five days, if I'm lucky."

A small sigh. "Not that it will make a lot of difference. I found out selyn has a psychic componant, which means there's no way I can..." he pauses and coughs. "no way I can make the stuff."

Her voice is gentle. "That's not your fault."

He looks away.

"I said I'd help her." he croaks before clearing his throat. "Even when I got flu I sat here and kept reading but it was all useless. And now I'm going to have to tell her by note that I can't do anything for her."

Looking back up, but trying not to move his head. "I told her she'd walk out of here alive. Sure, I can tell her to find magic users, and I have been doing, but she's running out of time, and maybe if I'd just made it clear from the start that I was dangerously unqualified..." he breaks into coughing and attempts to complete the sentence a couple of times before just giving in.

"Take it easy," she says, an edge to her voice. "If nothing else, Guppy, she knows you aren't from the same world. You've done your best."

He pauses to catch his breath, then nods.

"I know." he says, his voice tight. "At least the information might lead her to the right sort of magic user. Providing I can manage to focus on the paper long enough without throwing up to get it to her."

An alarm bleeps on his watch, which he cancels. He picks up a thermometer and a temperature chart from next to his bed. He sticks the thermometer in his ear and holds it there until it bleeps.

"How are you?"

"I'm all right." She makes note of his temperature on the chart. "Still a bit high, but not dangerous," she notes.

"Yeah, I don't have to worry unless it gets up to a hundred and four."

A small smile as he pulls the thermometer out of his ear and takes a look.

"A hundred and three point two." he adds it to the chart. "Same as four hours ago. Looks like it's peaking anyway." he says, noting the smooth curve around from his last three measurements. Then puts his hand to his head and closes his eyes for a moment until the wave of pain goes back to its resting state.

"Take it easy," she says quietly.

He breathes for a moment, just steadying himself, and trying hard not to throw up.

"I'm okay." he says, looking up again, then entirely disproves the point with another coughing fit.

"Would you mind looking at that other clipboard for me? I've been asleep and I don't know when I last had ivuprofen."

Not that I kept most of it down anyway.

She glances at the clipboard. "You're due another dosage--is it staying down?"

He shakes his head very slightly, then wishes he hadn't.

"Haven't kept anything but water down since I started throwing up on Saturday evening. I've just been trying to hold it as long as possible in the hope that some gets absorbed."

She sighs. "I hope we won't have to start an IV for you."

He winces.

"I hope not too, it's not at all comfortable and I really don't relish the prospect of putting it in myself."

He coughs. "Still hydrated at the moment, which is a good sign. And the sickness has been less since I stopped trying to work."

"No shit. You're resting now." Pointed look. "And I have training equivalent to that of a nurse--if needs be, I can put the IV in."

A slight nod. "The infirmary waitrat took my book away when I was asleep."

He leans his head back on the pillow and shivers.

"I think I'll be okay, my immune system really should be kicking in round about now, but thanks. Would you mind passing me some ivuprofen though please?"

"Of course not." After locating the medicine, she hands it over.

"Thanks."

He manages to take the tablets, despite it meaning he has to move his head.

"Is anyone else infected?"

"I only know about you and April."

"Good. I shut myself in here as soon as I was certain I wasn't imagining it, so I hope I didn't spread it too much."

April pokes her head in cautiously.

"Hello?"

She figures since she's the one who got him sick, she can't re-get the germs. But if he tells her to shoo, she will.

He looks up and gives her a weak smile.

"Hey April. How are you feeling?"

She smiles back at him and slips inside, closing the door. "Better than you, I'll bet." she says with a wry smile. "Just wanted to apologize for getting you sick."

He demonstrates her point with an attack of coughing.

"Probably yes, you should be getting over it by now. And don't worry about it, I knew you were ill before I approached you so it's just as much my fault. Occupational hazard."

"Still. I feel bad." She says with a shrug, coughing a little and making a face. "Of course, that will stick around for weeks. They always do."

A small smile.

"Once again the humble pathogen turns up and kicks ass."

He gestures to a seat. "Want to sit down?"

"Sure." April sits on the chair sideways, tucking one leg underneath her and hanging an arm over the back. "So who all's got it, that you know of?"

"You, me, Mark and Mr Universe." He feels free enough to tell her, they're all wandering around looking sick anyway.

His watch bleeps and he sticks an ear thermometer in his ear.

"How's the fever coming?" She asks sympathetically.

He looks at the thermometer.

"Hundred and three point two. Look like it's peaking."

He gets a clipboard and adds it to the arching curve, then winces as his head protests to the close range focussing.

"Y'know, I could probably get that for you if your head hurts." April points out.

"I've already looked at it now, but thanks."

He puts it back on the table.

"And yeah, it's stopping me reading. Which is probably a good thing."

"You're like Mark, I think." She says with a smile. "Only stop working when forced."

"I had stuff to do yesterday. Now I can't do any more of it so I'm not going to try."

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