Curtis and Edgar, initial treatment and visiting hours

[simon_doctor]

It's been a rough day for Curtis and Edgar. Fortunately, the Milliways infirmary is definitely set up to handle hypothermia and exposure.

[Icon above notwithstanding, Simon Tam is not actually appearing in this thread.]

Comments

[hate_gettin_older]

Some time later:

The lump of blankets on the next cot shifts slightly, the rhythm of its breath hitching, and emits a grunt of something like pain.

[2goodarms]

That grabs Curtis's attention in an instant, pushing him from half-awake to fully alert. Next to him, Dejah shifts in sleep, but doesn't wake.

Finding his voice proves more difficult than anticipated.

"Edgar?" he croaks at last.

[hate_gettin_older]

A pause.

The lump shifts and turns over, revealing Edgar's face, eyes shut tightly as though unwilling to relinquish his hold on sleep just yet.

It's a look Curtis has seen hundreds if not thousands of times.

[2goodarms]

He cracks a smile, small and pained, at the sight.

If they were back on the train, he might give him a shove or throw a wadded-up hat at his face to finish waking him up. Now, he just wants to say never mind, forget I said anything, go back to sleep.

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar mumbles something inaudible; his eyes open, and slowly focus on Curtis.




"Hey."

[2goodarms]

"Hey." The lopsided smile persists. "How you feeling?"

[hate_gettin_older]

He tries to lift his head, grimaces, sinks back down. "Bit shite."

A beat.

"You?"

[2goodarms]

"Definitely like shit."

He shrugs his shoulders, manages to pin one corner of the blanket with his barely-functional hand, and drags it closer.

"Least we got inside."

[hate_gettin_older]

"Yeah."

He can't seem to take his eyes off Curtis's face.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen's not really as familiar with either Curtis or Edgar as she might like, but that's no reason to leave them unchecked-on after what they've been through. The doctor gets first go, of course. Medical care is an important thing, and the doctors here know what they're doing.

(Dad wouldn't be pleased with her if she interfered with medical treatment after an emergency. There's that too.)

Anyway, she went upstairs as soon as the doctors took the handoff and changed out of that stealth suit of hers, so when Edgar sees her fidgeting a little ways away from the cot, she's in her old, many-times-patched, many-times-reinforced Vault suit of faded blue and yellow-gold and offering a small, worried smile.

[hate_gettin_older]

He blinks up at her, focusing slowly, and manages a tiny smile of his own.

"Ellen," he croaks. "Hey."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Thought I should stop by and check up on you guys," Ellen says. "I've had to wake up here a few times. It's not fun. How're you feeling?"

[hate_gettin_older]

"Sort of ..." He tries to gesture, and his hand sinks back to his side. "Foggy."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Not really surprising," Ellen says. "At least you'll be able to rest here until you're better. They're good about that."

[hate_gettin_older]

"Oh, yeah," and his crooked smile broadens to something approaching genuine wonder. "Bring us our meals in bed and everything. This is the good life, this is."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Lucky you. When I got stuck here my stomach was in a really bad way," Ellen says. "But they really do take good care of you here. Who's your doctor, do you know?"

[hate_gettin_older]

"... I forget his name." Sheepish. "Haven't been awake all that much yet."

[not_his_pa]

William had been nodding a bit over his chili when Bar gave him a note about Edgar and he quickly goes to the infirmary.

There's still ash on his jacket and he stops, he's heard his brother and his father in pain as they sleep. Its not a good sound and he says low but firm, "Edgar, wake up, you're safe."

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar wakes with another muffled noise, one hand shifting to brace against the bed as though ready to push himself up.

"... William?"

[not_his_pa]

"Hey, take your time," He gets closer to steady Edgar if he needs it.

[hate_gettin_older]

He doesn't appear to need it, although that's mostly because he seems to have abandoned the idea of sitting up.

"Time is it?"

[not_his_pa]

"Evening, I didn't come inside until it was pretty dark out. What happened to you?"

Its not easy to spot bandages under the blanket and he can't tell how he's hurt.

[hate_gettin_older]

"Uhh," and he shifts a little under the blanket, wincing. "Got caught out in the fuckin snow and almost froze my feet off, that's all."

[not_his_pa]

"Hell, you goin' to keep 'em? Don't move if it hurts,"

He knows that doesn't always help, on bad days, his father's stump just hurt no matter what.

[hate_gettin_older]

"Think so," he says, with some unease but rather more optimism. "They'd have come off by now if they were going to, right?"