Introductions

Subject: Introductions Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:03 am

Paris carefully made her way into the hospital. Her vision was blurry and her head seemed to spin no matter how careful of steps she took. Whatever it was that she had come down with was the worst illness she had ever experienced. She had to take a over a week off of school now at Julliard, and she knew her teachers were growing tired of her missing so much of her studies. She looked over at the check in station and the woman behind the counter stood up quickly, her eyes wide. Whatever she saw when she looked at Paris must have startled her, because she called a nurse over immediately and demanded she bring a wheelchair with her.

"Thank you." Paris managed to choke out as two nurses helped her to sit in the chair.

They wheeled her to a room immediately, not making her wait in line for people who had shown up before her. She knew this would probably piss a lot of people in the waiting room off, but she must have really looked horrible. When they helped her into a bed she was glad to no longer have to refrain from laying down. She got to just lay there, relaxing, and the dizziness could finally subside a little.

"The doctor will be with you as soon as he can be." The nurse said, trying to make her comfortable. "In the meantime, I'd like to ask you some questions so I can fill out your paperwork."

The usual questions were asked. Name, age, date of birth, current address, and so on. When they had finally finished the woman took her vitals before exiting the room. She only wished that whatever was going on with her would be quickly cured. She could not afford to be dropped out of the dance program at Julliard. She had worked so hard and so much money had already gone into it.

Subject: Re: Introductions Sun Aug 26, 2012 8:55 pm

Abbot was sitting in the hospital room, monitors around him, IV's poking into him. He couldn't believe he had let himself go so far as to contract AIDS. And now that he was progressively getting worse, he had no choice but to stay in the hospital. He was unable to do his activities in college, go from class to class without a wheelchair, and over half the time he couldn't stay awake anyway. So he admitted himself, only telling his mother where he was. She called from time to time to check up on him, worried that he may die on her in the middle of the night. He always mentioned that if she was so worried, she should come stay with him. But she always rendered some sort of excuse as to why she couldn't. It made him believe she wasn't as worried as she claimed to be.
He coughed into the tissue provided for him and noticed a bit more blood coming up. He shook his head and lay backwards, clicking the channels to see if there was anything on at all. When he stopped changing channels he realized "Ghost" was playing on a random channel. He laughed and left the remote off to the side.
After a few minutes of the show a commercial came on, and in walked a different nurse than he was used to seeing. She was tall, leggy, busty, and had dangerously red hair. She looked like a pin-up girl in a nurse outfit. He readjusted himself so that she could bring him the water that was on the counter.
"Well hey there, sugar. My name's Angela and I'm your nurse for today. How are ya feelin'?" She cocked her head to the side and rest her hand on her hip, obviously flirting.
"Have you even read my charts?"
Angela looked at him, puzzled, and then glanced over the charts at the foot of the bed.
"Of course I have, why wouldn't I have already?"
Her eyes narrowed as she examined more closely at the chicken scratch he knew made up the words on the pages.
"You just walked in here to check up on me because you're new here and saw that I was a cute sick guy, didn't you?"
She placed the chart back down in its place and returned to his side, letting out a deep sigh.
"Yeah okay, you caught me. What's wrong with you? I can't read any of that crap."
"Right. Well I won't tell anyone that you're checking up on someone who is not your patient. Ha. Careful when you're around me and I cough. I have highly contagious blood. AIDS."
A look crossed her face that held pure pity. It was held there for a few short moments before replaced with disappointment.
And here it comes...
He mouthed the words as she said them, "So you're gay then, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I knew you were gonna say that. Yes, I'm gay. And though you are absolutely beautiful, I am not looking at the breasts you're pushing up with your biofit from Victoria's Secret. It was nice meeting you, Angela. I'm about to start coughing again and I don't wanna kill you. So you might want to leave."
And he then began to cough, uncontrollably and into his tissue. When he couldn't stop, Angela ran into the hall and called for help.
God, I wish I would just die already...

Subject: Re: Introductions Sun Aug 26, 2012 9:36 pm

Devyn hated hospitals. They always made her feel really nervous. She knew that this visit couldn't be avoided, though. You can't let sore throats that cause you to throw up loads of blood get out of hand, otherwise you'll end up at the hospital longer than if you had just gone in the first place. She took a deep breath and tried to relax on the hospital bed, knowing that soon they'd give her pain medication and anti-swelling medication that would make it easier for her to breathe and swallow. Tears that seemed to well up in her eyes uncontrollably would finally take a rest and let her be at ease for the first time in over a week.

"Okay, Miss Maher, the doctor will be in shortly but I'm going to go ahead and take your vitals." The nurse was falsely nice, which she could tell, and it made her frown a little.

People back in Tennessee were always pretty genuine. The more people I meet here the more I realize that people aren't very nice.

"Okay, ma'am." Devyn smiled genuinely at her.

The nurse ran the thermometer across her forehead and temple and then looked at the reading. She frowned, and Devyn knew it could not have been good. She scratched it down on the clipboard and put the thermometer away before turning back to Devyn and moving on to take her blood pressure and oxygen levels. They seemed to please her enough and she put the pressure cuff and other things away before turning back to her to speak.

"Your temperature is at one hundred and three, so we're going to have to get you some medicine to reduce your fever." She walked toward the door. "I'll be back with that a few other medications shortly."

Devyn sighed and lay back onto the pillow once more. She was feeling cold in the hospital gown and was disappointed because she knew they wouldn't get her a blanket until her fever had gone down. She almost regretted coming to the hospital in the first place, but quickly brushed that aside. At least she would get rid of the illness and could finally get back to making money.

Subject: Re: Introductions Sun Aug 26, 2012 9:59 pm

Sawyer pressed the button on his key chain that locked and turned the alarm on of his car. He ran his fingers through his hair, not feeling too well and certainly not in the mood for working today. He was so close to figuring out the last bit he needed for the cure. There was only one thing missing, and he was sure he wouldn't find it soon. It was really wearing him down. Making him tired, making his patience thin.
He passed the security guard on the way into the hospital and waved at him, as he usually did every morning coming in. The receptionist smiled at him the way she always did, but this morning he only gave her a half smile in return. He was feeling terribly sick, but he knew he couldn't afford any missed days in the lab. Not many people knew he worked in labs of the hospital here making experimental cures. Many people wouldn't be pleased in the least knowing the kinds of chemicals that were being held in the hospital and being used on other people.
"Good morning, Dr. Abrams. How are you this..."
The nurse trailed off, and he was sure it was due to the expression on his face, as well as the building sweat and dark circles he was sure were under his eyes.
"Not too bad, thanks Gen. How's Howard, and the kids?"
"They're well, thank you. Are you alright, sir?"
"Fine, fine. No worries. Just a little under the weather. I should be fine. I'll see you later. I'm already late."
He hurried down to the basement 2 level, which was his private lab. He waved at the young man who guarded the entrance and swiped his card in the panel just outside the steel doors. He waited for the security clearance and entered the doors. When he got to his desk, he dropped the files that were in his hands and buried his face in his arm, now feeling just how much sweat had developed on his brow. He sat up and examined his coat sleeve, noticing that it was soaked. He sighed and grabbed a rag to keep with him for the day. He stood and walked over to his vials and beakers.
"Now... Back to work for the day."

Subject: Re: Introductions Sun Aug 26, 2012 10:07 pm

Miyu scowled and shook her head as the nurse took a look at her arm. It was obviously broken and she felt like an idiot. She knew she shouldn't have been climbing that huge rock out at the park, but everyone who had gone up before her had managed just find. Leave it to her, the girl with perfect balance and flexibility, to fall six feet to the ground and break her arm. She had broken bones before during martial arts training in Japan, but nothing quite like this. The bone was slightly sticking out, which was disgusting, and she was happy that she wasn't queasy. The nurse on the other hand looked quite shocked at the extent of the break.

"Well, the doctor will have to come in and assess what we're going to do about it." The nurse shook her head. "You must have taken quite the fall there."

Miyu nodded her head and looked down at her arm. The more she looked at it the more embarrassed she was. If she had an attractive doctor she would probably just keel over and die. The nurse left and shut the door behind her, leaving Miyu alone in the room. She had told her friends to go ahead and head home, but was regretting it now. Being alone in the hospital was never a fun thing because it was hard to keep yourself entertained. They didn't have televisions in the normal emergency rooms. You had to be kept in the ICU for something like that.

I hope the doctor hurries up so I can get this popped back into place, get a cast, and get out of here.

Subject: Re: Introductions Wed Aug 29, 2012 11:52 pm

Unfortunately for Angela, her attempt to get some help for Abbott had gone to waste. When the other nurse had shown up, along with a nearby doctor, there wasn't much they could have done for him except wait for him to stop coughing like he had been and give him some water when he was done. The coughing fits were frequent, and they couldn't be stopped once started. Worst case scenario would be for him to stop breathing and choke and on the blood. Luckily, that hadn't happened yet. But there was still time.
When the nurse and doctor had finally left, Angela was still standing in the corner of his room, shaking as she stared at him.
"My guess is you've never seen someone dying before. Am I correct?"
She couldn't speak, she simply frowned at him and left the room.
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
He stood then and took his IV bags with him to the bathroom. It took him a couple of minutes to finally get down to the seat of the thing. It wasn't nearly as easy as they made it seem in the movies and television shows. He sighed as he peed sitting down. He hadn't this way since he was probably five years old, but since he admitted himself into the hospital, it had been happening more and more frequently as his strength began to disappear. At school he still had a bit of strength to stand to go, since he was eating things that give him more energy. But the hospital was feeding him stuff that his body was supposed to handle, which didn't provide much nutrition to say the least.
When he was done, he stood and got a good grip on the handle by the toilet. He flushed the handle and stood looking at himself for a good little while in the mirror.
His hair was a mess, skin pale and yellow looking, dark circles under his eyes, his flesh was actually sticking to his bones, by the looks of it. He seemed like a zombie to himself. The sores that were beginning to itch were red, scab-like. There weren't many, but it was enough to make him look away in disgust at what he had let himself become.
It was the room shaking and alarms ringing throughout the place that broke Abbott from his reverie in the mirror. The lights were dimmed in the large bathroom, as the red light was flashing above the door. He turned quickly to try to unlock and open the door to get out of there and figure out what was going on but he slipped and hit his head backwards on the porcelain sink. He heard distinct shouting as someone had come into his room looking for him, somehow forgetting to check the bathroom. He wanted to scream, to let them know that he was in there. But nothing came from him. As he lay there on the floor, trying to move, to get to safety, he began to cough again. This time, from a smell that had been coming through the vents, not from the blood that was usually blocking his airways.
His vision soon began to blur. And within moments, he had fainted.

Subject: Re: Introductions Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:11 am

Paris had been told she had a peptic ulcer, which sounded nothing but disgusting to her. It made sense, though. The reason she had been in so much pain was because there was a hole being eaten away in her stomach. The spicy food she had been eating hadn't helped, of course. She took a deep breath, glad that the medication they had given her had helped the pain ease. She couldn't take a lot of the stronger medications because of the ulcer, but what little they could give her was helping her enough.

She had been drifting in and out of sleep when she heard it. There was a loud alarm buzzing, and for some reason her hearing wasn't working quite right. She tried to stand, but her body wasn't working. She could see people rushing by, trying to escape, and no one seemed to stop and help her. She finally managed to drag herself to her feet and tried to make a break for the door, but her body just wasn't moving correctly. Something seemed to be inhabiting her muscles, and her legs began to wobble uncontrollably.

"Help!" It came out as a raspy whisper and she knew that no one could hear her. "Please, he-"

She could see the ground growing closer as she felt towards the floor. When she had begun to fall she wasn't sure of, but she knew she had broken something when she landed on the ground. She tried to scream out, but no sounds escaped her lips. She tried once more, and almost thought she'd make a noise that time, but passed out before she had gotten the chance.

Subject: Re: Introductions Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:41 am

"All along..." Sawyer said in a low whisper. "All along it had been missing Ziprasidone..."
He coughed again as he glanced over his notes, wondering how he had missed this before. He pulled out the rag he had been using to wipe his forehead and did this once more. He couldn't believe how terrible he had gotten just the couple of hours he had been at work. From what he could tell, he was coughing up something that was deep in his chest. His lungs were getting heavy, and he was becoming confused. He thought about his symptoms for a moment and realized he must have contracted chemical pneumonia. He hadn't been wearing a mask these last two weeks while working, he knew this had to be it.
He shook his head and made his way back to where all of his chemicals were being held. He grabbed the Ziprasidone and put a pinch in his mixture. Sawyer began to stir it around slightly, slowly, making sure nothing was moving too quickly. He felt a cough coming on, and he knew he couldn't let it come out, not while he was stirring. The cough began to build in his throat, to cause such a pain that he couldn't hold it in any longer. The cough erupted from him then, causing everything before him to smash into each other. There was a brief moment between the crash and the explosion, but it wasn't much time to think at all.
Sawyer was backwards now, coughing was getting worse and his lab was now on fire. The smell that filled the air was sweet yet quite sour, and then quickly disappeared altogether. He stumbled around, yelling for Louis to help put out the fire that was quickly engulfing the place. When he realized he was alone down there, he knew he had to reach the button that set off the alarm.
He pulled his coat up over his mouth, trying to stop the fumes from getting even deeper into his system. Just moments later he had reached the button and slammed his fist hard onto it. And seconds later, he was collapsed onto the floor and unconscious.

Subject: Re: Introductions Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:56 am

Devyn had an IV through her hand and was shivering from the cold. She hated hospitals more than anything. She knew the thought kept repeating and she should stop inwardly complaining, but she just couldn't help it. She would have much rather been at home relaxing in bed than there where people were refusing to give her a blanket. She sighed and tried her hardest to get comfortable, but failed each and every time. Hospitals were always cold. Disease could live in heat, so it made sense, but it didn't make it any easier for her to deal with.

The alarm suddenly going off made her jump and she felt pain surge through her throat. Pain killers or not, not everything that could cause her throat pain could be avoided. A red light was flashing above her door and she knew that something had gone terribly wrong. She tried to find a call button, but realized soon enough that there wasn't one in her room. She coughed a few times, thinking it was her throat, until a smell wafted into her nostrils.

"What is that?" She tried to keep her nose plugged, but knew she was breathing it in regardless of whether she could smell it or not. "Where's the nurse?"

Screams were erupting from outside and running through the halls could be heard. Was someone out there killing everyone? She froze, wondering if the thought that had meant to be humorous could possibly be true. She tried to push the door open, but found that it was somehow jammed shut by something. She tried again, but could feel her body growing weaker after each and every failed attempt.

"I should have just stayed in Tennessee..." She whispered before falling to her knees. "It would have been so...much...smarter."

Everything around her began to spin and before she knew it everything around her had gone black.

The alarm startled Miyu out of her sleep and she looked around, desperately trying to find it's source. A red light entered into her blurry vision and she noticed it was coming from above her door. Had something happened to her? No, that couldn't be it. Was something wrong in the hospital? Had some crazy person escaped from their room? Maybe an inmate? She shuddered at the idea. Martial arts training or not; it would be very hard for her to defend herself with a very broken arm.

She tried to push out of the bed, but with the use of only one arm and the side rail being up, she found it impossible. She yelled but knew she couldn't be heard over the alarm. She was stuck there while everyone else seemed to be running frantically outside her door. Screams could be heard, which scared her half to death. Was she going to die in there because she couldn't get out of her bed?

She tried and tried to get the side rail down, but nothing she did seemed to be working. She was just about to curse everyone in the hospital, regardless of whether they could hear her or not, but her eyes began to roll into the back of her head and she fell back on the pillow once more. She was out and there was no way she could call for help any longer.

Subject: Re: Introductions Thu Aug 30, 2012 1:30 am

Judging by the lack of light coming through the blinds in Abbott's room, it was far past dark when he was finally stirring in the hospital bed. He realized he was still hooked up to an IV, heart continuing to be monitored. His head was foggy, unsure of what was going on.
The last thing he remembered, he had been passed out on the bathroom floor, breathing in some strange odor and being left by himself. If he didn't know any better, he would decide to sue the hospital for not coming to his rescue. He took a deep breath, and when he didn't hack up half of his lung, he realized something was different.
His hands immediately went to his face, feeling the smoothness of his skin, how normal it felt. Not as clammy as before. He looked further into the room and realized that he wasn't alone in there. There were actually a few men in some strange white suits with helmets that had built-in gas masks. His brow raised on one side, severely confused.
"Uh... What's going on, guys?"
The man closest to him came over closer to explain what had happened.
There had been an explosion in one of the labs in the hospital and whatever it was made the people stuck in the hospital rooms pass out. Most people had evacuated, and there would be compensation for those who had not been as fortunate. He apologized for it all and said that Abbott should just rest as much as he could.
"Okay then..."
The doctor came in not too long later, looking rather puzzled and even spooked.
"Abbott we need to talk..."
He re-positioned his glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose and took a seat next to him on his stool.
"What is it, Doc?"
"I'm not really sure how to tell you this, son, but... You no longer have AIDS."
Abbott stared at him for a moment, thoroughly confused.
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
"All of your levels are normal, kid. I dunno how the hell it happened. Today has been so strange as it is. But you're cured. You're healthy. You're actually abnormally healthy. It's a miracle. That's all I really know how to say it..."
There wasn't much more talk on the matter. They had him sign release papers and he was able to leave the next morning back to his dorms. He knew that he couldn't stay there for the time being. So he was hoping his mother would take him in for a little while. After all, she was still in the city. He could go to her, she didn't even have to pick him up.
On his way to picking up the things he needed and was able to take home from his dorms at Cornell, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him at that hospital.
I don't have AIDS anymore... How the HELL did that happen?...

Subject: Re: Introductions Sun Sep 02, 2012 10:45 pm

When Paris woke up she found herself laying in her hospital bed once more. Her eyes weren't adjusting completely and everything seemed to be overly bright. She wondered if the whole even had been just a dream. Maybe the medication was messing with her brain and she had fallen asleep and imagined chaos taking over the hospital. She tried to move and found it rather easy. The pain she had been feeling was gone completely, and that confused her. Had she been asleep for a long period of time? Was she having a lapse in memory and she'd actually been there days instead of hours?

"Miss Kalachik?" A voice came from the doorway and she looked over to see who it belonged to.

A few men were standing there, all in plastic white suits complete with giant helmets and built in gas masks. She felt like she had just walked into a sci-fi movie and she really wanted nothing more than to get back out of it again. She nodded her head in affirmation, hoping it wasn't a stupid thing to do. Who were they and why were they in her hospital room? Was she quarantined because her ulcer was actually a deadly disease and she was now dangerous to everyone?

"Ma'am we are here to tell you that you are free to leave the hospital." The way the man was speaking was odd to her. "Your doctor couldn't be here because of the event that took place yesterday, but he wanted you to know that you check out and you no longer have an ulcer."

She looked at them as if they had lost their minds. They left the room, offering no further explanation other than they would leave her to get dressed. When the door shut behind them she stood, pulled on the clothes she had arrived in, and walked out the door.

What in the hell is going on?

When she got outside she noticed news reporters were everywhere and she quickly made a race for her car. The last thing she wanted was to be one of the freaks to leave the crazy hospital full of weird men in giant suits.

Subject: Re: Introductions Sun Sep 02, 2012 11:10 pm

Talking, and lots of it. That was mostly all he could register when Sawyer finally woke. He was no longer in his lab, but in a bed in a private room of the hospital. It was as if he could hear everyone that was speaking all at once. Words began to jumble in his head, and it took ever ounce of patience he had not to scream at everyone to shut up. When he opened his eyes, there was a pair of men standing just inside the door, staring at him.
"Dr. Sawyer Abrams, correct?"
There was a small pause before he decided to answer them.
"Yes... Who are you?"
The men exchanged looks behind their masked helmets before turning back to him and one answered.
"That is irrelevant Sir... You are free to leave whenever you feel the need. The accident has been contained."
Without a seconds hesitation, the two men were on their heels and disappearing quickly down the hall. Sawyer sat up and shook his head, trying to rid the voices that were growing louder in his head.
"I've gotta get out of here..."
With his eyes squinted and head throbbing, Sawyer grabbed for some clothes he noticed by his bedside, assuming they were his, and shoved them on under his hospital gown. When the bottom half was dressed, he took the gown off, revealing his chest. A nurse walked by and he noticed she stopped and was staring. He smiled at her shyly, which caused her to react the same way before scurrying down the hall. He chuckled to himself and threw on his shirt, socks, and then shoes.
"Time to get home... I'm so over this place for now..."

Subject: Re: Introductions Sun Sep 02, 2012 11:21 pm

Devyn woke up and immediately heard a crash. The cup that had been sitting next to her on the table had fallen to the floor. No one had been there to knock it over, she so found it rather odd. It took her a few moments to realize she was back in her bed and not on the floor where she remembered being last. There were people walking around outside her door, most of them in large white suits with gas masks built into their helmets. She knew it must have been because of what had set the alarms off.

"Hello?!" She called out, hoping someone would come tell her what was going on.

One of the men walked in and looked over at her chart. He nodded his head and then turned back to her. He explained to her that she was allowed to go home and her illness was gone. That there was no need for her to be here any longer and she would not be billed. She didn't complain about the last part, but found she had many questions. Before she could ask any of them, though, he spun on his heel and left.

"Okay... Well, at least I won't miss anymore work." She mumbled to herself and drug herself out of the bed to get dressed.

Once she was dressed she walked toward the exit, glad to just get back to her small apartment. The longer she was in the big city the more she wondered if it had really, truly been a mistake to leave Tennessee.

Miyu woke up angry, which was something she didn't really understand. She couldn't shake the feeling, though, and she found herself searching around for someone to yell at. She had been left there in her bed, she recalled, and when the alarms were going off no one had come to help her. People were screaming and escaping the hospital but leaving her there to face whatever it was they were afraid of.

I'm alright, though.

"Hey! You!" She noticed a man in a giant hazard suit standing a few feet back from her doorway. "What in the hell is going on?"

She knew she sounded like a bitch, but she really didn't care at that moment. They were all lucky she didn't sue them for leaving her in danger. She lifted her arm and beckoned the man into the room. That's when she noticed that it was the arm that was broken. Used to be broken.

What in the...

"You are free to go, Miyu Espeland." That's all he said before taking off.

"Hey! Get back here!" She was angry, but was glad she could leave.

I don't want to be here another moment. I might kill someone if they get in my way. I should have just stayed in Japan!

She grabbed her clothes and yanked them on before hurrying from the room, glad to be away from the people who had left her in the room alone.

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