The day shift had worn on into the night. The sun had set long before the young aide made her way down the stairwell. Her eyes were still half-glazed with sleep as she reached the doors to the cafeteria. A hand raised to rub across her lids, hoping to bring some semblance of wakefulness to them as the doors were pushed open. "I could really use a good strong cup of coffee this eve," she thought. Her feet brushed almost soundlessly in their rubber soles against the newly cleaned tile of the cafeteria. The call of the hot drink assaulted her senses to their fullest extent. "Oh, thank you thank you," came the sighed smile, as Meralynn Harperr noticed that a fresh pot had recently been brewed.
Adeline Frostt, the resident psychiatrist pushed her thin framed glasses back into that icy green field of view. She at first granted acknowledgment of the assumed doctor. But as is so often true with assumptions, she was wrong, and frowned at her re-identification of little more than a girl. She watched as the seeming younger woman poured herself a cup of the steaming black liquid, and then added cream and sugar to it. She watched too as the other woman offered a warm smile above the rim of her cup. Adeline barely had it in her to respond to the aide's inquiry.
"You look as tired as I do. The fighting keeping you up as well?" asked Meralynn.
A tired sigh accompanied the weary doctor's reply. "I'd say that I do little fighting. Simply a patient."
The aide nodded as she continued with her thought. "The Freemen must be battling it out around 24th Street. The plasma blasts have been a bit noisy this eve."
Adeline merely shrugged. "When alone with my thoughts, I'm afraid I hear little."
Neither woman noticed the dirty, waif that entered the Hospital. It had been many weeks since the harsh winter winds had borne her to this part of New Rydynn. The tiny thing offered no resistance as the chilled breeze swept her inside the inviting warmth of the Hospital. The normally chilly tiles offered her precious heat against her filthy and bare feet. Through the lobby she traveled, her cloak held tight against her anorexic frame, and into the cafeteria, with little sound and less fanfare. From under the hood of her cloak came furtive glances at the coworkers. The pile of little more than rags was unsure if she was allowed to eat, not being an official patient of the Hospital. Nevertheless, she made her way to the serving line and acquired a bowl and foodstuffs. She scurried off quickly, a quick glance given over her shoulder before she sank down to the floor in a non-obtrusive corner to partake of indeed, the only meal she's had in days. She did not bother with the hassle of utensils, content to scoop the food into her mouth with grimy fingers.
Meralynn seemed involved in a conversation with some of the Hospital's other patients, and Adeline rose from her table and made her own way to the food line. There were no words, and seemingly, no worries, over what exactly she was choosing for her dinner. It was as though her movements were deliberately mechanical, and with a final flourish of silent movements, she was again at a table, though this one a bit more removed from the others. It was as she took her first bite of soup that Adeline first noticed the sackcloth bundle on the floor. It took her a moment to realize that it was a person, and not just some pile of discarded clothing or rags.
The young one caught the stare of the older woman and in a submissive gesture, quickly looked away. Greasy fingers worried at the oversized cloak, as she was unsure of what her position with this woman was. Though undoubtedly, she did not wish it, the hood of her cloak fell back across hunched shoulders, and revealed her puckish face. It was not until Dr. Frostt spoke that the rag-girl looked up at her.
"Why the floor?" came the soft, but somewhat cool question.
Those stew-caked lips curved into a vacant smile as the mute one slapped the floor in response. Despite what her smile spoke of at first glance, there was an intelligence held behind those eyes. She glanced to the table that Adeline was sitting at and shrugged. At the doctor's offer to join her, the waif stood and began her approach.
Mera had since occupied herself away from the cafeteria with an incoming patient. It was the woman she had seen the week before ... for shrapnel embedded in the shoulder, she recalled. In truth, she had seen her other patients return looking a bit healthier than did this one. "How are you feeling?"
The woman, identified as Lyghtess, merely answered with her symptoms, rather than a statement of well being. This, of course, did not necessarily indicate just how she was feeling. " I've since noticed some pretty deep red streaks going from my elbow to my neck. Not sure ... but I'm having a hard time moving my arm now."
The fact that this did not bode well and was of some concern did not go unheeded in Meralynn's face. She did have to query further into the woman's symptoms. "I see. Have you any other symptoms ... fever?"
Lyghtess shrugged and shoved her right hand into a pocket. "I might, but I've been working. It's been insanely hot."
"All right," she nodded, "let's take a look. Follow me."
Dr. Frostt took her seat once more and offered a chilly smile to the ragamuffin girl. "What's your name?"
The moppity one shrugged, tapped her chest, and then pointed to Adeline. The child shook her head before curling into a chair, her legs tucked tightly beneath her form. It seemed to Adeline that perhaps they had more in common than one might surmise. A shapely brow was raised at the obvious lack of a called name on the little one's part. "Haven't a name? Funny ... neither do I." She chuckled as her smaller counterpart tilted her head to the side and laid her head upon her own shoulder. The child noted the bandage about Adeline's head and reached up to touch it gingerly. She made no sound, only the curious look of concern across her face gave any indication as to her meaning. The hand fell back to the tattered rags and Adeline knew that there was more going on with this girl. "A mute too, I assume. Tell me if I am wrong."
The dirty hair floated about as the head bobbed up and down. She opened her mouth wide to reveal the lack of a tongue. The color seeped from Adeline's face. This was not her area of expertise. She dealt with the mind, not the body. Ravages of the mind and soul she could handle and was accustomed to. But the physical manifestations of the mind were still somewhat beyond her comprehension. "Oh," she began in the middle of a thick swallow, "I see. I'm very sorry."
Mute though she was, the child had an amazing gift of expression. Silvered eyes flashed above the quick smile given. Her fingers moved against her thumb in an imitation of talking too much. Since she was not able to speak, it was natural for everyone else to speak too much.
This was not something that Adeline was unfamiliar with ... she had heard it before. "Dear ... I fear I border on that. I talk at a mile a moment given the chance."
This woman was not getting it. A simpler gesture perhaps. The girl placed instead a finger to her lips in the almost universal sign for silence or quiet. Her unoccupied arm hugged about the slight form tightly. A spark of recognition from Adeline let the younger girl know that this time, she had indeed gotten the message.
Adeline held up her right hand. "Was it the Church?" She then held up her left hand, symbolic of another party. "Or someone else?"
Her right hand was grabbed by the mute, signaling that it was indeed the Church's doing. The child's other hand drew across her own throat. A myriad of possibilities there. So frustrating this was. The child took a deep breath and put her finger to her lips again. Another point to the lady doctor, and that vacant smile returned.
Lyghtess followed Mera into the examination cubicle. Removing her jacket, she sat on the table and awaited further instruction. The vivid red laces flowed up from her elbow to her neck, in market contrast both to the tone of her skin and the white of her tank top. A frown creased the aide's face yet deeper as she lifted the woman's arm to inspect further. She was not encouraged by what she saw. "How long have you had these symptoms?" Not as if an answer would have been totally coherent, as she had slipped a thermometer beneath her patient's tongue.
Thought passed across Lyghtess' face before she held up two fingers. "Twoa weeks. No. Dauhs," came the mumbled words over the thermometer. Her shoulders sagged, weary with the work outside and the current infection that raged through her. The thermometer was removed and it's reading taken. The suspicions were confirmed.
"Well, Miss Lyghtess ... you have quite a fever going here. I'm going to give you some antibiotics, to help with the infection."
Her patient nodded, worry embedded in her eyes. "How bad is it? I won't lose my arm will I?"
"No. I don't think so. It's good that you came in when you did. Any longer, and the news might not have been so good."
Lyghtess whitened further. "I guess that means that I should have taken the prescription Terra gave me, huh?" She pulled a full bottle of pills from a pocket and handed them to Mera. "I wasn't sure what it was." She hung her head. "Stupid?"
"Well ... I wouldn't expect someone to take something if they didn't know what it was. But I am sure that Terra would have told you if you asked. I'm going to give you a different prescription. You will need something stronger now."
"How long do I have to be on it?" Lyghtess opened her mouth to say something else, but was stopped as her eyes stared blankly ahead. The left side of her body twitched of it's own accord, and she missed Mera's instructions, as well as her subsequent questions. The autonomic nervous system was in full gear, her movement's involuntary and beyond her control. She was unable to talk until she blinked not once, but twice, and her eyes finally focused themselves against the flashlight that now peered into them. A slight dilation of the pupils and refocusing on Mera's face brought her around again. "Huh?" She was by no means lucid as her words came out ragged and slow.
Adeline nodded to the elfish creature before her. "Then we won't talk of it. I haven't the wish to make you uncomfortable."
Hands were suddenly withdrawn and cast with mercurial eyes down to a lap. Adeline had always possessed the thin and articulate hands of a surgeon, though her call was the surgery of the mind, not the body. They had always been strangely ever manicured ... pampered and neat in their appearance. And yet, she had never quite received this type of a reaction to them. The waif's fingers played with the coarse fabric of the cloak about her before she held up her hands and displayed the grimy fingers. Her torn and damaged nails were clogged thick with dirt and debris, and one was hesitant to think what all else could be lurking. The imp shrugged again as Adeline compared the two sets of hands.
"Hmm. My hands? I guess I've had something of a pampered life." She was not quite sure how she knew that, but it felt right, so it must be so. A bottle of body cleansing solution was produced and promptly snatched away for inspection. And inspected it was. From all angles, by touch and by smell, by sight and by taste was it brooded over. Amused by this show, Adeline shook her head and proceeded to demonstrate to the girl how the gel was used. She was not the only one amused, as a formless little laugh crept out of her new 'patient.' The filth that had covered the small hands was miraculously washed away and their owner held up her hands and wriggled her fingers proudly.
"You know ... they clean your whole body when you check in here."
The young one feigned a cough in her hand as she shook her head and puffed out her chest. Obviously, she had no intention of being checked into this hospital.
Adeline pushed her glasses up her nose. "Oh really now. You might just come in for a check up. You're a little thin." But the girl was adamant. A series of gestures and misunderstandings took place before it was discerned that she believed that others were more deserving than she. She did not wish to take a place in the hospital better reserved for those, who in her opinion, were actually ill. It was no small measure of cajoling that Adeline had to go through to persuade the girl to stay. The doctor spoke of the girl's fire and how strong it was, and how it made her important. There was nothing wrong with appealing to one's ego for a good cause. It had the intended effect. Thought was at least being given to the notion, though there remained one problem. Fear blazed behind the young woman's eyes. Real fear ... palpable and tasted.
The doctor frowned deeply, in slow expression. They had come so far, only to encounter this. "You are afraid." A mental smack was given. 'Well, if that isn't bleedin' obvious. Why?"
The ragged girl dropped her finger to the floor and traced a symbol. Though Adeline was not completely familiar with all the symbols of the region ... indeed, she was not entirely familiar with who she was at the moment, she did recognize this one as the symbol for the Church of the Nuclear Messiah. The same who had visited such grievous injury upon her. Oh now this was just perfect. And now, by the nimble finger being pointed at her, that the girl wondered if Adeline was part of that sect. She waited for an answer as they both wondered.
Mera was not impressed by the signs Lyghtess was currently showing. Not at all. "All right. I want you to take these. I'm going to give you a shot now to get you started quickly. I think it's best if the meds get in you as soon as possible."
Lyghtess only looked down at Mera's hands and then back at her own. "OK." she murmured. Mera prepared a hypodermic of concentrated antibiotics as Lyghtess attempted to lay down. Her legs felt like lead, and she had to use the strength in her arms to lift them onto her bed. This did not escape Mera's notice, and worried her further. The contents of the syringe were delivered swiftly and relatively painlessly as the aide muddled over just what might have caused the symptoms in this woman.
"How long did you have the shrapnel in your arm before you came in?" Mera asked her.
"Not more than a day."
"All right," Mera nodded. "Lay back a bit."
The woman agreed and lay back on the bed to rest and allow the medication to course through her body. Mera left her side, ideas and questions flitting through her mind. The questioning of Elliot would not take long. Always, well almost always, dependable, Elliot would have Lyghtess' file in his data banks, and it was this information that Mera craved now. Information was typed in for analysis; that she had been seen for shrapnel, that medications had been prescribed and not taken, and what her present afflictions were. The retrieval did not take long ... it rarely did, and the keywords seemed to have done the trick. The reddened streaks on her arm, the first signs of sepsis, were part of the effects of lead poisoning, as were the rest of her symptoms.
Mera glanced towards the monitor for final confirmation and nodded again. "Those meds I gave you should help. You should start taking them in about two hours." She noticed the woman's increased mobility in her arm and leg. "I think you will be fine. Just try not to get hit with any more shrapnel."
Adeline was not quite sure herself if she was or was not part of the Church. But something told her that she was not. Perhaps it was the fact that she was a doctor, and doctors at the Hospital, so far as she knew, were neutral in the whole affair. If nothing else, the Hospital itself was neutral and there to offer help to anyone, irrespective of their affiliation. The point, as far as she was concerned, was moot. The dirty creature unfolded herself and stood, moving very, very close to Adeline, as though clinging to her only source of life. She fell to her knees, casting furtive glances everywhere, as if she had something so secret ... so private, that no one else could see. A shoulder was revealed ... and a brand mark scorched into the flesh. The Church's mark for witchcraft. They had done a number on this one all right.
Adeline's face became very grim. "You are very lucky to have escaped. I can understand your worry." She had indeed recognized the brand of a convicted witch. Arguably, always a contrived and subjective charge. "I'd be very interested to find out how you got away. Somehow, however, I doubt that would be easy. "
The girl rose to her feet once again and re-seated herself in a 'proper' fashion. Her hand mimicked talking again and then tapped her chest. It was not so difficult to understand this language anymore, and Adeline caught the meaning almost instantly. The thawed warmth that was present in her eyes was replaced by the creeping onset of iced fury. "Yes, I see. No talking of it."
This elicited a violent head shaking from the girl. Damn. She had been wrong. The girl made a rapid series of movements; she banged her head against the table, tapped her chest, then talked with her hand again, and finally sliced a finger across her throat.
Adeline raised a brow. "You've said too much and are in danger for it?"
The girl looked up at the ceiling. At least the older woman was really trying to understand. So bloody frustrating. For them both. They paused in thought, searching for a way to further the communication, considering possibilities and options.
"I doubt you can write, eh?" asked Adeline.
Sadly, the girl shook her head in the negative.
"Don't worry, it's a rare talent. Perhaps someday I might teach you."
Her answer was a bright and hopeful smile. Worth more than any words, surely. Adeline rose in one fluid motion and headed towards the lobby. "Let's find ourselves a doctor."
The girl nodded and lowered her eyes as she followed, her hands meekly folded in front of her. She was a bit skittish about the many people she saw in the cafeteria and the lobby, but after assurances of her safety by Adeline, she was willing to trust for the moment.
"Now that won't do." The doctor reached over to place one hand on the girl's left shoulder and one in the small of her back and gently rearranged her so that she was fully standing. "It's all in the posture my dear." The girl was wide-eyed at having to stand upright, but complied, her eyes as full and round as a frightened animal before a tank. "Now, let's get you a room."
The pair moved towards Dr. Terra Lowinn at the desk, newly arrived for her shift. Her appearance could only mean that Mera was about to leave for the evening. Terra was a better choice for this problem ... she had the time and was not eager to find a bed in which to sleep. "Good eve," greeted Adeline. "I wondered if I might have a moment?"
Terra smiled in her own greeting. "Of course."
The psychiatrist moved to the side, exposing the mute behind her. Darting glances were still thrown about by the smaller girl, unsure of whether or not this was a safe venture. "Well ... " and in obvious reference to the girl behind, she pointed anyway, "first I'd wondered if you couldn't do something for my friend here."
Terra furrowed her brow. "What seems to be the problem?"
"Well, other than being mute, she seems ... in my not-so-humble opinion, to be suffering from severe malnutrition. I was hoping perhaps she might get, oh I don't know, a check up ..." Adeline and Terra consulted while the mute girl listened intently. After all, it suddenly seemed to be all about her ...