ways_infirmary | (no subject)

Nicholas moves to see if Guppy might be trying to conceal something on the desk behind him. He doubts it, but he's not sure why else Guppy might be behaving this way.

"With you," Nicholas responds simply. "You don't seem all right."

Guppy flinches and takes another step further away when Nicholas moves.

"I...I don't know if I'm doing this right. I can't read you."

He wonders whether this is how Alex feels all the time.

...

"What?"

He really wishes Travis would stop trying to explain 'things.' It just confuses everybody and makes things worse.

"You're not acting like this is over." Guppy says. "You're acting sort of... pent-up angry copper. A-and I'm a chronicly anxious person in what is, on reflection, a confined space in which there is only one exit, which you are in front of."

It has less to do with Travis' explanation than his naturally anxious tendencies and the fact that Nick doesn't really respond to apologies or the need to apologise like anyone Guppy's met before.

Nicholas pinches the bridge of his nose and swears in French. Great. Apparently Guppy's developed a fear of law enforcement, no doubt thanks to the police around Milliways.

"It's over," he insists. "And perhaps you ought to call someone in to cover your shift, since you don't seem very well-prepared to handle it tonight."

The clarification of where they stand does calm Guppy down a little bit. Though now he's on edge because Nick is implying he's unfit, when he's only anxious because Nick made him nervous.*

"Call someone in?" Guppy raises an eyebrow. "How many staff do you think we have?

Unless you're volunteering, in which case I'll go to bed and you can use the call button if anything on his moniter goes red and beeps."

Probably just as well Nick didn't see him the time he was watching Teller and George, when he was 1. sleep deprived, 2. bruised everywhere and 3. mildly concussed.

[*Days like this make him wonder why he gets out of bed at all.]

"I really don't think I'm qualified to be running even a ward this small," Nicholas points out. "Surely you must have other staff?"

Nicholas wasn't so much implying that Guppy is unfit, so much as he was implying that he didn't seem like his head is really in the right place to be watching after Travis.

Which, as pissed off as he is at Travis right now, he does not want to see him get any worse.

"You're doing that thing again where you imagine this is a country." Guppy points out. "I only work here voluntarily. I've been known to have to stay with someone continuously for three days..."

He goes to the urn in the corner to get himself some tea.

"I haven't seen any of the others around today. You either have me, or you watch him yourself and have me on call. I can be down in two minutes if bleeped."

He doesn't admit to Nick right now that watching a patient usually involves him attempting to have a kip on the sofa with an alarm clock to check obs when required, unless anything beeps.

It's probably wise that he doesn't mention as much, because they might just wind up with a repeat of the whole security fiasco that put Nicholas on Belar's wrathful side for a little while.

Still, he doesn't like the idea of Travis having to stay here potentially unmonitored, and he does plan to do something about it.

"If it's all the same, maybe I will stay here with him," he says.

"You want us both to stay here?" Guppy asks, clarifying.

Damn, now he won't be able to sleep at all. Travis only needs hourly obs, but he's not going to dare take a kip with Nick hanging around.

"Unless you have someone to cover for you?"

Sorry, Guppy. Nicholas doesn't mean to be such a dick. He's just trying to make sure nothing else goes horribly wrong tonight.

"Better get comfortable then." Guppy says.

This could be a long and awkward night. He inches around Nick and goes back into the main infirmary.

"Nicholas is staying." he informs Travis.

Nicholas quickly steps out of the way to let him pass.

Travis looks up suddenly from his game, not really pleased with this turn of events. "CAN'T YOU TELL HIM TO BUGGER OFF OR SOMETHING?" he asks.

"Theoretically yes." Guppy says. "But he's decided I'm too anxious to look after you, there isn't anyone else, and frankly I'm too nervous of him to argue."

"NERVOUS OF HIM?" Travis asks.

That's a new one. Usually, people are just annoyed by him.

"Nervous of who?" Nicholas asks, having taken his time in getting back.

"YOU, YOU MORON. WHAT DID YOU DO?" Travis shoots back.

"He didn't, it's okay..." Guppy says, looking from one to the other. "It's my fault."

Welcome to the world of sibling rivalry, Guppy. Really, this is normal for these two.

Nicholas is just confused, and has no idea why Guppy would be nervous of him. Well... he as one idea, but it doesn't make any sense, because they've both agreed that it was an accident.

"I TOLD YOU TO JUST LEAVE IT," Travis says, shaking his head.

"Leave what?" Nicholas asks, having difficulty keeping up.

"I had to know that things were okay." Guppy says to Travis.

This situation is rapidly becoming impossible. If he sends Nick out, then Nick will be pissed at him, and might start loudly complaining about his ability to handle cases. If he doesn't send Nick out, then Travis is going to be pissed at him.

That's all right, because Travis makes the call for him.

"EITHER SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP, OR PISS OFF," he tells Nicholas. "I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU RIGHT NOW."

Nichols just gives him a sort of 'you're not the boss of me' glare, but leaves anyway.

Guppy, who could see that Nick wanted to stay because he cares for his brother, felt that was a little harsh. But is quite glad he's not going to be watched all night.

He goes to make sure Travis is comfortable and has everything he needs.

"I'll be in the office." he says. "You can call me with this button if you can't yell. I'll be in to check on you through the night, and if the machine goes off, okay?"

He goes back into the office, finishes the paperwork, then flops down on the sofa.

Sleep doesn't come for the first few hours, a lot of which he spends staring at the ceiling between doing Travis' obs. But eventually he manages to doze off.

The only reason Travis had sent him off was because he knew he was in for a serious lecture if Nicholas stayed, and he isn't in the mood for that tonight.

When Guppy disappears back into his office, Travis briefly considers the idea of just following Gene's example, and strolling off, but he knows that Nicholas might do a bit more than just lecture once he finds out.

Instead, he spends most of the night just fiddling on his game, since as far as his body is concerned, it's still only mid-morning.