[She clears her throat a little awkwardly. It was either him or House, and House is already at negative trust because of all the wonderful stories Rhys and Angel have shared. At least John is just at a nice baseline of zero. Asking for help from someone she barely knows isn't easy for her, but what choice does she have with Rhys in this state?]
Surprisingly, I don't actually need any condoms. Save them for Captain Rogers. [Her tone says this isn't her reconsidering the offer of dinner, either.] We'll just have the first bit of help on the house, hmm? What can I do for you?
[He really is too nice and helpful for his own good. She pauses for a second, considering. Her first instinct is to be vague, but there's really no point, is there? Rhys made a public post, and he was obviously out of it. There's nothing really to hide.]
It's about Rhys.
[He didn't... actually introduce himself, did he? For the briefest of moments, Fiona considers just using his network handle, but. Nope. Not happening.]
[She may discover the 'too nice and helpful for his own good' doctor is a lot less of an innocent lamb than she imagines. But then, everyone wears their masks to start.]
His cybernetics were ruined. I saw. [Stalking the post and being very, very confused.] Noticed the delayed responses. What other symptoms has he been showing?
[It's a relief that he gets straight to it. Even asking for help in this capacity makes her feel strangely vulnerable, so she's sure to keep her voice as level and calm as possible.]
A seizure. Just one. He's itching constantly, and... hallucinating. [Saying it out loud makes all of it sound so much worse than it sounds in her head.] Hearing and smelling things the rest of us don't. He said his head hurts constantly.
[None of the diagnoses are going to be particularly good here. The pain and seizure are the most concerning immediate symptoms, though. John is quiet for a moment and when he speaks again, Fiona may be able to hear the shift in his voice away from anything casual.]
I'm not a neurologist, Fiona, but what you're describing sounds like a form of epilepsy. Are you familiar with that term?
[She figured it wouldn't be good, but that pause really doesn't do much for her mood. She tries to push down her concern, but it comes out in her voice as slight irritation.]
Yeah, I am.
[Now it's her turn to hesitate, and after a moment, she exhales softly.]
We treat the symptoms. Seizures and pain first. We don't want there being even more damage done, and he's not going to be able to function if it feels like his head's being cracked open. Best I've got is some aspirin. I can try requesting antiepileptic drugs from the administrator. Neurontin or Topamax to start; we might have to try different things. Do you know if he has any medication allergies?
I'm not sure if the admin will be able to help, depending on what her resources are. I saw there's a pharmacy and hospital here. Those may be somewhere to check on the off-chance if we can't get direct aid. Rhys will likely need to inform the administrator that I'm his attending, as well, to increase the chance she'd actually let me request a prescription for him.
Ideally, I'd like to examine him, as well. There's only so much I can recommend without seeing him, myself. If we can't get any medicines... we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
[Okay, Fiona actually gets back to him about fifteen minutes later, but hey! Decent estimate.]
No allergies. He'll tell the administrator that you're his doctor, and he's willing to try the drugs. Not sure how fast we can get to you in this weather, and with Rhys the way he is, but. [She sighs again. She'll just drag him through the snow if she has to.] We're in one of the houses west of the school.
[John's own response is slightly delayed as he pings the Admin.]
I'm heading your way at the mo. Keep him where he is. I'll come to you. Try to keep the area around his, uh... port clean. Last thing he needs is an infection on top of everything else. I'll try to get to you as fast as I can. I put in a request for the medicine to be delivered to him directly. If it does turn up and it doesn't have a proper label, contact me, and I'll give you dosage instructions. All right?
If the administrators responds to me directly, I'll keep you up to date, too.
We'll figure something out for him, Fiona. Whatever it takes.
[And if he's latching onto this to give him some sense of sanity and grounding in the madness that is this place, that's just his little secret he won't be sharing.]
[She's taken aback by... all of it, his insistence to meet up so quickly, the fact that he's willing to help this much, but most of all, his attempt to be reassuring. Of course, there's no guarantee he won't ask for something in return, despite his earlier comment about the first time being free, but still. It's far more than she expected, and far more than he should be willing to give.
Fiona shakes off her surprise and tries to ignore that part of her, courtesy of Felix, insisting that she shouldn't trust John.]
Yeah. Yeah, he'll be fine. We'll figure it out. Thanks.
[Her voice has taken on an almost chipper tone, but there's still something in it that makes it obvious she's trying to convince herself. Still, they have a plan, and that means there's no point in worrying unless it doesn't work.]
Let me know if anything changes. And take care of yourself, too. You and anyone else with you, try to make sure you've got shifts to mind Rhys. No sense in the people taking care of him running themselves sick.
If you need more food, I can swing by the school before getting to you, as well. Heard that's the place for it. Won't be beans on toast, but we'll make do.
[There's the barest hint of humor in his voice, trying to cheer her. That tone says she's not nearly as confident as she's trying to convince herself she is.]
Look, you don't have to get all mother hen on me. We've got it. Seriously. And don't waste my time with crap food.
[Beans on toast or death. She does sound more confident now. Maybe his attempt to cheer her up is working, or maybe it's just comforting to mess with someone.]
[ John is confused, as well. Stein and Rhys are gone and it's past lockdown. He assumes they switched over to the other house, but he doesn't know why when everyone else is here. ]
So am I. Where are you and Dr. Stitches? Everyone's in the house with the shower.
[Something cold settles in the pit of John's stomach. He can't help expecting the worst. With everything he's come to learn about Stitches in their brief acquaintance, there's a lot of 'worst' this could be.]
I think Dr. Stitches is a very unstable man right now with a penchant for brain surgery who's presently alone with a man who has brain damage. Stay alert. Stay away from him if you can. Tell him firmly you don't want him doing anything to you. Try to knock him out if he comes after you.
I might just be making something out of nothing, but I'd rather you be prepared.
[ I'll contact Dr. Stitches now and see what he's up to. ]
Eyes, nose, throat, elbows, groin, knees, ankles. It doesn't matter how big someone is. You hit them hard enough in one of those places, it's gonna hurt like hell. Stitches isn't the biggest bloke I've taken down hand-to-hand.
[ Okay, that might be a bit of a lie. But in John's defense, he is trying to be reassuring. And he has taken down much larger men. Stitches is just... really tall. ]
Just try to make it through the night, Rhys. We'll come to get you in the morning. And I'll contact Dr. Stitches, try to talk some sense into him if it's needed.
[ All sensible advice for someone who is actually competent. Unfortunately, John is talking to Rhys, who cannot choke out a single bandit after getting the literal jump on him. ]
Okay.
Can you do me a big favor and keep an eye on Angel? I know she probably seems calm, but she's big on repression.
Page 1 of 184