Almost Running but not Quite

[Kiara]

"Huh, I'm more lucky the building didn't collapse while I was in it. It came pretty close a few times," Victor mentioned. Of course, it had probably collapsed shortly after he left.

The doctor caught sight of Banner's reaction to his mentioning that he had been in a hospital. "...I know that look. Any survivors in that building were either crushed by rubble or shot... or they died of whatever they were in for in the first place, in the patients' cases." He glanced away, the memories of what he had seen still fresh in his mind.

Victor had gone into the hospital from a fire escape, since the entrance was completely blocked by rubble. Most of the building had already collapsed, but one wing was still there. His car was hidden nearby, so hopefully the robots wouldn't get to it. As the cat entered the building, his eyes grew wide, and the sight made him want to vomit.

Blood and burn marks were all over the walls and floor, and corpses lined the hall, their faces still scrunched up in pain and fear. Soulless eyes stared ahead from all different places and angles, forever blinded.

Victor felt a shiver run down his spine as he hurried through the halls. Doctors, nurses, patients... None had been safe. The hospital must have been one of the first places hit. He tried to pay attention to collecting supplies from wherever he could find them rather than the dead.

For whatever reason, the supplies hadn't been destroyed. Victor took an unused and undamaged cart and filled it with as many supplies as he could fit. Scalpels, syringes, forceps, antibiotic gel, sterilized gauze... He also managed to find a few bags to make it easier to carry the things to his car.

As Victor walked the cart through the hall, he heard a voice come from one of the rooms. He parked the cart and entered the room.

On the bed was a young rat, probably around 20 years of age. He was extremely thin to the point that Victor could have counted his ribs had he not been wearing a hospital gown. Patches of fur were missing from various places in his body, and his eyes were glazed over in pain. A doctor was lying on the floor with a hole through his head; the burn marks around the wound made the cause of death clear.

A clipboard was near the fallen doctor. Victor picked it up gingerly as the rat spoke up. "D-Doctor Tulba... H-He just... came in here, and..."

"I understand," Victor replied quietly. He looked over the patient's chart with a solemn look on his face. John Turner, age 21, in for severe abdominal pain. The diagnosis turned out to be a lung tumor that metastasized to his liver and stomach. Victor glanced through some pictures that were under the first few sheets. He bit his lip. From the size and placement of the tumors, it was a wonder the poor rat was still alive.

Victor looked back up at the patient. The robots probably left him alone because he was going to die anyway.

"Kill me." John looked up at the doctor, though his vision was blurred by his pain. "P-Please... Stop the pain..." His voice was shaking with pain and fear the whole time.

Victor bit down on his lip harder. There was nothing he could do except for...

He left the room and headed to a supply room. One syringe, and... Euthanasia. Reading the label and knowing what he had to do made Victor want to break down in tears... but he knew he couldn't do that. It was his job to save lives and, failing that, take their pain away.

As Victor prepared the lethal injection in John's room, he spoke quietly. "Do you have a family?"

"Two sisters, and... Mom and Dad are... divorced..." John whispered. "M-My sisters live with Dad in Station Square... I was visiting Mom here..."

"I see..." Victor replied. "I don't think Station Square was attacked." Not yet, anyway.

"That's good..." John sighed. "Martha and Jordan are all right, then..."

Victor nodded and came closer to the bed. "If I ever see them, I'll tell them what happened. Here, this'll make you go to sleep..." He hesitated for a second before administering the drug. The cat ignored the lone tear traveling down his face as John closed his eyes for the last time.

"Thank you..."

Victor sighed. "...The one survivor there... Well, he was in really bad shape. ...I did what I had to." He looked back at Banner. Hopefully he and Tara would understand.

"Anyway..." Victor cleared his throat. "I did manage to get some eats on the way here, so I'm okay to travel. Where were you two planning to head? I want to get back to Erune City, up in the Ice Cap. I've got a patient who may or may not be there, and he's due for a checkup soon. My only means of getting in contact with him otherwise is sitting on my desk." Hopefully he hasn't done anything stupid...

[Kiwi]

“Station Square.” Tara speaks up, her curiosity peeked. Did what he had to? Just what did this cat do to that survivor? The pale hedgehog chooses to keep her thoughts to herself. Surely the answer to that question would be grim.

Her geography was rusty, but she had a vague image of were he was talking about. “Most people will probably run off to that city anyways, so might as well follow after. It seems like they have the right idea, and I honestly can’t think of any other place.”

She shrugs the rifle back onto her shoulder. With a frown, she continues to lean against the wall, her posture perfect. She usually had a lazy look about her, but with the tight bandages secured around her back made her keep her from slouching. Speaking of her back, it briefly sparked in agitation, she only managed to shift, displeasure flashing in her blue eyes.

(ARG D; Lame post.)

[Glyph]

"Yeah, Station Square. Anywhere south of here ought to be alright for now, though." Banner shrugged. He understood exactly what Victor meant, but he chose not to bring it up any further. What was done was done--the dead no longer had to worry about the situation in the burning city. That was a burden left to the living.

"And, I'd hate to point out the obvious, but you might want to consider rescheduling that check-up. I don't think anyone's going to be on time for any appointments for a while." The fox fell quiet again, appearing rather broody. For a moment, his eyes drifted from the cat and back to Tara. The hedgehog didn't look too happy, or comfortable, for that matter, and he wondered how much her back was bothering her. Banner frowned suddenly, snapping his pale gaze back to Victor. "... Hey, Doc, can I ask you for a favor?"

[Kiara]

"I can't reschedule what's not on my schedule," Victor replied. "I'm just saying that he needs a check-up. The kid's dying, and I'd rather not speed up the process through negligence, yanno?"

He then got a good look at Tara's expression. "I'll take a wild guess and say you're injured and need to be looked at. Lemme have a look."

((</ittookmethatlongtodothatwhattheheckkiara>))

[Kiwi]

“Uh…Yeah. A laser grazed my back.” Tara only gave a shrug, and slowly struggled to remove her jacket from her shoulders without straining against the bandages. Tossing the black jacket to the floor, she then struggles to remove her shirt, which seemed like a million times harder then taking off her jacket, but she manages to. She shivers, and pulls up the strap on her mid drift tank top she wore beneath her T-shirt, her bandages wrapped tightly around her chest and down to her waist.

“Banner already managed to bandage it, but I have no idea just how bad the wound is-” She moves away from the wall, and rolls one of her shoulders, the same one that she smashed into the wall previously. “So you’ll probably have to cut through these wraps to see the wound.”

[Kiara]

Victor let out a low whistle. "A laser grazed your back? That means second- and third-degree burns." The feline stroked his whiskers lightly, contemplating the situation. "...You probably need skin grafts, which means I can't do much. Hang on."

With that, he briskly walked out to his car and came back not a minute later with two pairs of plastic gloves, a pair of scissors, a scalpel, a couple of bottles, some gauze pads, and a roll of fresh bandages, most of it kept in the pockets of the labcoat he had taken out of his car for convenience's sake. He quickly and carefully cut the current bandages at a site away from the wound using the scissors. After discarding the old bandages, he looked over the burn site.

Scar tissue was forming where the laser had been more concentrated, and there were second degree burns around the outer edges. A lot of the burned tissue had swelling, and there was still some slight bleeding. After a quick glance, Victor knew exactly what Tara needed.

"The skin keeps fluids in and bad stuff out. When it's burned, it can't do that. We don't have an IV anywhere, so you'll have to drink a lot of water to try and make up for the lost fluid. It looks like it might be infected, so I'll have to get you some antibiotics." Victor took a look around. "I can't perform a skin graft, but debridement is easy. It'll scar, but just leaving the burn is a bad idea. Find a place to lie down on your stomach; the sooner we treat this, the better."

As he spoke, he took out a bottle reading "saline". "Debridement is mostly painless, and it should only take a couple of minutes. The first part is the worst; I'll be flushing the burns with a saline solution. That'll sting. Then I'll give you a topical anesthesia; basically, I'll rub some stuff on your back that'll minimize any pain. The most you'll feel after that is mild discomfort. After that, I'll cut off the dead tissue, then bandage everything. I hope you haven't been taking any medication; that might slow recovery down a bit. Any questions?"

[Kiwi]

She tensed at the words third degree burns. Her mind registered that as a very, very bad thing. Well, so much for being blissfully ignorant, huh? She gulps, and watches the cat leave towards his car. She runs a hand through her quills, and feels something jump in her chest. Suddenly, her injury seemed like some huge rock on her shoulders, and she leans against the wall for support. This white hedgehog was used to beatings. Cuts, bruises, you name it, she’s felt it, but burns? The worst she had ever experienced was drinking a hot beverage and hurting her tongue. The concept is new to her, and it sets her off and makes her feel uneasy. Then again, who knows? It could be nothing. She is no expert in the medical field. She can only barely bandage herself in all honesty.

As he returns, she takes a deep breath and prepares for the worst news he could possibly give. As he cuts away the bandages, she winces as cold air hits against her wound. Goosebumps trail up her arms towards her neck. She listens with rapt attention to what he’s saying. Dehydration? She could deal with that. Nothing wrong with drinking lots of water. Unfortunately, the rest of his speech only made her nervous. “Wait, so you’re going to cut off the skin?” She asks hesitantly, not liking the sound of that. Nor does she like the idea of a giant scar.

“Just how big is this burn anyways?” She asks again, moving towards the living room. The white hedgehog collapses onto the couch, flat on her stomach. She didn’t get the chance to ever look at her wound. Most of the time, she had just pretended that it wasn’t even there. She frowns. An infection too? Damn it. That can’t be good. At his next words, she perks up slightly.

“I have an iron deficiency. I buy supplements, but I don’t think that’ll affect anything.” She pauses, and then swears loudly. Damn. She left the pills back at her apartment. “Crap. I forgot to pack those things.” She buries her head into the couch and sighs, defeated.

[Glyph]

Banner had to stop himself from shooting the doctor a disapproving glare--as it was, he simply drew his lips into a thin line and sighed silently. The fox had known, of course, that the risk of infection had been high from the get-go, but without any access to medical attention, he hadn't felt the need to say anything. What would have been the point? They couldn't have done anything about it besides keep the wound clean and pray.

Now, though, they'd had the incredible stroke of luck to run across someone who could do something about it, and while Banner had always supported getting all the facts when it came to these kinds of matters, it irked him that the doctor had been so blunt. Apocalypse or not, she was still just a kid. Hell, when he'd been her age, just the thought of getting blood taken had turned his stomach. Being told that you'd have to undergo impromptu surgery in someone's living room was enough to scare anyone half to death.

But instead of voicing these opinions, Banner held his tongue. The fox watched her stumble to the couch, and listened quietly to her curses--then, the detective followed and knelt on the floor by her head. He placed a gloved hand gingerly on her good shoulder, trying to regain her attention.

"Tara." Banner said, very slowly, "Relax. Iron pills aren't that hard to come by. Calm down." He pricked a brow, a bit of wry humor cutting the urgency from his voice, "And watch where you poke those quills, would you? That's genuine fake leather."

[Kiara]

"I'm going to cut off what's burned and dead so you can grow more healthy skin." Victor quickly washed his hands, put on a pair of gloves, and knelt down next to the couch. Not the best place, but it works. "It's a pretty big burn, but I've definitely seen worse. The fact that you can stand and walk proves that it's definitely not as bad as it could be." He thought over his words. "...And, ah, sorry for being kind of blunt. None of this stuff is as bad as it sounds."

The doctor began to prepare the saline solution. "Iron deficiency... That shouldn't get in the way too much. Like Banner said, it's not hard to find supplements. I think I might have some in my car." Further proof that he took everything he could find. Victor got ready to flush the wounds with the saline. "Are you ready?"

[Kiwi]

The white hedgehog tensed briefly at the hand on her good shoulder, but relaxes when she realizes who‘s hand it was. She tilted her head and looked up at Banner slowly. “Yeah. I guess, but I tend to get tired after awhile if I don’t have them.” She laughed at his next comment, and allowed herself to relax. “Fake leather? Oh, I’ll definitely be careful. Wouldn’t want to rip something that expensive.”

Turning her head, she looked over her shoulder at Victor as he came over, she sighed. “It’s alright. I’m just nervous is all.” She ran a hand through her quills. “You have supplements? Good. It’s nice to have a walking pharmacy.”

Her hands gripped the couch tightly, and she took a deep breath. The wound had been cleaned before, she could handle it again. “Yeah, I’m ready. Just try to not press too hard.”

[Glyph]

"See that you don't." Banner said, so solemnly that, if it weren't for the subtle way his lips twitched, he would have appeared completely serious. Privately, the fox was quite pleased that he'd managed to draw a laugh out of her. She didn't look quite so nervous now. Just tense. Poor kid. His ankle throbbed sympathetically, but the detective refused to budge from his spot. For some reason, Tara made him think of his niece--maybe he was just going soft in his old age, but seeing her so jittery had set him on edge. Hopefully this would be over quickly.

((Bad post is still bad. x.x))

[Kiara]

"All right. Try to relax a bit for me..." Victor carefully washed over the wounds with the saline, trying to make sure not to miss anything, but also to get it done as quickly as possible... while keeping Banner's genuine fake leather couch from getting anything bad on it. After finishing with the solution, the feline quickly opened a bottle of strong topical anesthesia and began gently rubbing the edges of the wounds with it. The wounds themselves didn't need anesthesia, since the burn would have taken out the nerve endings.

Victor chose to wait a moment before going on. "How're you holding up, Tara?"

((Meh post is meh. It's not my fault; I'm sick D|))

[Kiwi]

She hisses at the sudden burning sensation, but the sound is brief. She grabs onto the fake leather and flinches. It was the same pain that she experienced the night before when Banner had flushed out the wound. The white hedgehog took a slow breath and blocked out the stinging. This was nothing, she repeats in her head several times. You’ve experienced much worse, her ears laid against the back of her skull, and her quills stood on end.

Of course, the pain was short lived, and she made through with no complaints. She looks up from the sofa, and has the strong urge to wipe away at her wound to try and stop the tingling sensation the stinging left behind. “I’m good.” She responds simply. “You just keep working doc.”

(I would type longer, but I have a essay D:)

[Glyph]

Banner sat stone still, unflinching at the end of the couch. The set expression never left his face, but his eyes flickered constantly, watching every move the cat made as if he were a hawk and not a bleeding, bedraggled fox. It wasn't anything Victor had done--it was just the way he was. There were plenty of reasons why he'd gone into law enforcement, and having a protective nature was one of them.

Oh, and having a bleeding heart probably didn't help. But that wasn't something he was about to admit.

[Kiara]

"All right..." Victor glanced briefly at Banner, stifling a smile at the fox's passive protectiveness. He's just like a dad for her. He was used to being watched like a hawk during these kinds of things; after all, no parent wanted their child to be injured.

The feline picked up his scalpel. "If this part ever hurts at all, let me know right away." Modern medicine had progressed to the point where topical anesthesia could nullify all pain, but he was a living creature - and everything alive could make mistakes. Praying that he hadn't missed a spot, Victor carefully began slicing away thin layers of charred skin, making sure he never struck healthy tissue.

Victor tried starting up a conversation. "So, how was your life before the craziness? Were you in school?"