[OPEN] Post-earthquake LCUH catch-all

[healspec]

Who: If you have even the flimsiest of excuses to be at LCUH, you are more than welcome here.
When: The week of the 12/3 earthquake
Where: Locke City University Hospital
What: This is a catch-all post for threads at LCUH. Hospital staff, volunteers, patients, visitors, whatever--if you want to do a thread at the hospital, here you go. NOTE: this is party-style, I'm more interested in giving people a place to thread than in threading w/everyone at the hospital myself.


[In the wake of the earthquake, LCU hospital is organized chaos. Staff may find themselves suddenly working odd hours, or ridiculous overtime shifts. The ER especially is swamped, with EMTs rushing earthquake victims in with startling regularity. Hopefully you're not there for anything non-life-threatening because you'll be waiting for hours.]

[Tuesday night is obviously the worst, with activity waning back toward normal as the week goes on. But fewer incoming patients doesn't mean all the old ones are getting released. Expect patients to get assigned beds in whatever unit has one available, which means they might end up overnight in a completely different section of the hospital than they'd expect. ER is so crowded they have beds in the hallways, and they're doing everything they can to get patients transferred elsewhere as quickly as possible.]

Comments

[worldmother]

[Elly's internship was to end this week, and it seemed that it would be going out with a bang. It was rare for her to be working late on a school night, but there she was, checking up on patients. While she was only allowed to look over charts and report back to her supervising nurse for the night, she did try to at least make what patients she saw comfortable.

It just so happened that her supervisor that night was Ravi.

The redhead looked tired, but was surviving, her energy coming from depths unknown. However, after her most recent patient, it was obvious that she was running on close to empty.]

[italktofish]

[At some point on Friday, it is decided that all the kids in the hospital need to keep their spirits up. Someone calls around to malls in the area, looking for Santas willing to volunteer, and they've found one.

He's the biggest Santa Claus anyone has ever seen, and he's carrying around a sack full of toys and looking like he's full of nothing but Christmas cheer. He can't show those kids anything remotely resembling worry! And while he's there, he'll pop in to visit other patients too, if they're well enough for that. He's got to keep people in good spirits! It'll be very easy to bump into him, and even easier to see or hear him--he's so big and loud, he's hard to miss.]

[originaloddcouple]

[Hours after the earthquake, an short, white haired, old woman walked over to the front desk, pushing past any other people waiting in line. Isaac and Miria trail not far behind, making loud protests. The woman begins shouting at the nurse at the desk.]

I demand a doctor immediately!

Mom, you're fine!

You just had a little scare...

Don't you patronize me! I almost had a heart attack and these idiots want to keep me home!

[Several people in line are also loudly griping, but mostly at the woman's rude demeanor.]

Mom, there's tons of people who need more help-

That's their problem! Meanwhile, I'm the one who needs to see some kind of professional ASAP!

Tuesday night; Ravi & Benjamin [closed]

[healspec]

[The earthquake's timing was auspicious, in a way. Just last night, Ravi resolved to start using his healing powers at the hospital instead of reserving them solely for network injuries. If not for that, he still wouldn't be using them, and many of the casualties he's seeing tonight would become fatalities.]

[the chaos means it's easy to be wherever he needs to be and have nobody question it, and he managed to arrange something through Kotetsu to sneak by the security cameras as necessary. so far so good--he even got a new healing-related echo out of this.]

[a couple hours into the shift, he slips into the room of a patient waiting to be transferred to ICU. the patient's unconscious and Ravi doesn't have to do much, just enough to give her a fighting chance to heal on her own. The magic lets him see what needs to be done. he still feels a little clumsy with it, but he works slowly and very carefully to compensate. there's a learning curve here, he can definitely feel the improvement since the start of his shift.]

[he's standing over the patient's bed, facing the door--that would help if he wasn't too focused on what he was doing to notice if the door did open. he's holding both hands out over her body, hovering a few inches above her stomach, and the warm golden light that they wash over her is an obvious sign that something strange is going on here.]

[amberhearted]

You know what's unfortunate? A vampire working a mass-casualty incident because he's a paramedic. FUN TIMES.

By the time the twelfth hour mark rolls in, Alex's endurance is waning. Each ride stabilizing a patient takes a toll on him. When his rig partner agreed to trade off, he felt like the clouds had parted and the heavens had shined on him. In that moment, there was mercy.

The afterglow of that moment has long since passed. Driving duty does not spare one from triage or rushing patients into the ER, and the ER is swimming with blood. Alex is physically and mentally exhausted. He is also getting hungry. So far, it's manageable-- or, well, it would be if he weren't surrounded by what basically amounts to a crude banquet.

It's currently his and his rig partner's (admittedly short) break before heading out again when Alex pauses in one of the ER's hallways, staring into one of the rooms. A very unfortunate soul is bleeding out in there and all Alex can think about is the sensation of warm blood traveling down his throat.

It's revolting. He doesn't even care.

A nurse jostles him as they rush in to help. Snapping out of his reverie, Alex quickly retreats, horror rising. He cares now. He is going to fuck up. He is so going to fuck up.

[healspec]

[Ravi's been so busy tonight, both with his regular nursing duties and with sneaking around to heal people before they leave the ER without getting caught, that he doesn't look much better than Elly does. Add supervising the intern on top of that and it's a wonder he's able to keep track of anything right now.]

[he has some respect for her for managing to hold out for this long. he can tell she's really trying, and ER is not easy even under the best of circumstances. he is very sympathetic when he sees her coming out of a patient's room looking like she's running on fumes.]

[he moves in beside her to talk, voice lowered to keep it between them and not echoing down the hall.]

How are you doing?

[it's not small-talk. it's a serious question that wants an honest answer.]

[worldmother]

[Normally her reflexes aren't terrible, but the added fatigue kept Ravi off her radar. Not realizing he was there until he spoke, the redhead jumped slightly, looking over at the nurse.

How did he do that?

Catching herself quickly, she gave a halfhearted smile.]

I'm okay.

[Pausing, she chose to rephrase her statement. It was obvious he wasn't looking for an empty answer.]

I'm all right. Tired, a little overwhelmed. It's... it's a lot different than they make it seem in the books, but I'm managing, I think.

OPEN, waiting areas and such, any time

[struckout]

[ Aside from assisting with directing people to the correct areas or to whatever else they need to receive help, Kallie's also on water duty- with things as chaotic as they are, it wouldn't do to have people getting dehydrated, and with their minds elsewhere it can be easy to forget or even purposefully neglect such a simple need.

Donations from all over the nation have been pouring in, and the young woman is particularly careful about passing out only those bottles or cups she knows have come from out of the city. You can never be too careful.

More so than usual too, her notably pink hair is for the most part pulled back behind a plain ballcap- as impatient as the comments and questions about it tend to make her under normal circumstances, fielding them now when she's especially being worn to the bone is just not any kind of appealing to her. She keeps her clothing neutral and forgettable as well, and talks to people only as much as absolutely required.

However, if she notices someone needing assistance and nobody else jumping to their aid, there's nothing stopping her from approaching. She's never been the most social person around, but the need to help others is one drive she can never quite ignore. ]

[Tuesday afternoon; open]

[peacefulwinter]

[1 - early afternoon]

[It's a rough-looking Winter that's carried into the ER on Bakura's back, wincing in pain at every movement and trying to bite back cries from an obviously injured ankle. Toushirou isn't far behind them. The three are an odd group, to be sure, but thankfully Winter attracts enough attention to make it a little less suspect. She's still without Raquel, and thus her phone, but right now it's not exactly vital that she have it, anyway. Once she's been checked in, all she can do is sit and wait, and try to keep her mind off her throbbing ankle.]

[2 - late afternoon]

[Some time has passed since Winter was brought in; she still hasn't been seen, and her ankle is turning colors that are completely unflattering and probably dangerous. It's plainly still visible past the long skirt she's wearing, but she tries to cover it up every so often.

More notably, Raquel has been "brought in" to her; somehow or other, word's gotten to him that Winter was at the hospital, and someone's picked him up and brought him inside. Having him around makes Winter feel quite a bit better, plus she has her phone to complain about things and not look like an idiot (or suspicious), and figure out what's going on in the city. As it stands, she could probably use some company.]

[healspec]

[the harried receptionist is trying her very best to politely tell Mrs. Harvent to get back in line and the doctors are very busy right now and she will be seen according to the severity of her condition as evaluated by the triage nurse]

[it is obviously not working, and it is also holding up the line.]

[Ravi is coming through to drop off a chart when he notices the fuss. it's irritating, but normally he ignores stuff like this and lets someone else handle it. today, though, he is tired and stressed and hasn't had a cigarette since before sunrise this morning, and he is not okay with the way this woman is treating the receptionist or the other patients waiting to check in.]

[He slides in beside the receptionist to take over handling Mrs. Harvent, for which she casts him a grateful glance and goes back to handling the line]

Excuse me, can I help you? [it is very fake polite. he is not here to play her game.]

[so what is her response now that she's got the attention of someone in scrubs?]

[healspec]

[nurse magic, is how.]

[he waits for her to elaborate on the 'i'm okay'. he understands that reflex, to give the normal socially expected answer and then re-evaluate it into an honest one.]

Mm, a textbook can't prepare you for this. [he sounds very sympathetic]

I think you are managing very well. Especially for a crisis like this.

[worldmother]

[Elly shook her head slowly.]

Not at all.

[She paused, smiling a little. It was hard to step away from the crisis around her, but somehow the compliment managed to ease the tension of the area slightly.]

Thank you. I feel like I'm way over my head, but hearing that makes me feel better.

somewhere in the middle of 1 & 2

[argents]

[ Making it to the hospital is not an easy task. Locke is still in the thick of its emergency, and from the time he's told Winter to stay put and the time he actually arrives, he's had to wade through a lot. Security perimeters, ugly dogs, relief efforts, wailing ambulances careening through the streets. Only one older building had collapsed, but that was enough to send everything into a tailspin. Not once in his life has he seen anything like this, but it's a growing apprehension he's forcing back when he finally manages to worm his way into the ER's crowded waiting room.

It's a mess.

Steeling, he 'cheats', just a little. Sensing in this environment was sort of a dumb decision, but Winter's familiarity wins out, in the end. On approach, he speaks up, so it doesn't come as a surprise. ]

When it rains, it pours, huh? [ He exhales and finally loops around the row of seats. Quieter, he seems to address someone else. ] I know you were worried, but don't cause too much of a scene. Or we'll be right back where we started. Okay?

[ That someone else being the blue plush in his arms, which he offers to Winter. ]

Let's go with 2.

[shiromadoushi]

[[After seeing Winter to where she needed to be, Bakura had taken his leave. The hospital brought up bad memories and there were others he needed to be sure of.

Some time later he returns, a white plastic bag on his arm holding an small box from a pastry shop outside of the radius of chaos. He's still not comfortable with the hospital, but he can suck it up to check up on a friend.

...not that he has any idea when that friend thing happened.

...that she's still where he dropped her off, however, gets a frown, even as he flops down in the seat next to her.]]

Still on hold, huh?

[shiromadoushi]

When Alex gets back outside, he's met with a familiar voice.

"Need a snack break? You're looking like you're going to pass out."

Bakura's almost invisible, lurking in the shadow, the flashing lights of one emergency vehicle or another catching the edge of his hair in a disconcerting halo.

[peacefulwinter]

I just c-can't catch a break... huh? [It takes her a moment to realize he's not talking to her, but her face lights up when she sees the thing he's holding, and she's overjoyed enough that tears form in her eyes.]

Raquel...! You're okay! I w-was so worried...

[She accepts him happily, hugging him tight to her chest, and when she looks up at Banagher next, her smile is warm. Mercifully, the plushie is quiet, in deference to where they are.]

Thank you so much, Banagher. I... I d-don't know what I would have done without him.

[peacefulwinter]

I'm... s-still waiting, yeah. It hurts, but... this isn't the m-most severe injury waiting. Others are... in worse shape than me. [She shakes her head lightly, Raquel sitting on her shoulder and ignored enough to glance at Bakura briefly.]

...Cake?

[shiromadoushi]

Almost. [[smiles as he holds out the bag]] Pastry. Couple cookies. Didn't know what you liked so I just got a couple random things. The lady at the counter hopes you have a swift recovery, by the way.

[amberhearted]

Flinching in surprise, Alex snaps his attention to the source of the voice.

"What are you doing here?" His tone is harsher than intended, but he sounds more incredulous than accusing. Bakura doesn't look injured or distressed or like he has any reason to be loitering outside of the ER.

... Wait. His brows pinch together with new alertness. "Is your grandma inside?"

[shiromadoushi]

The teen shook his head. "You'd know if it she were." He would not be this calm if it were the case. "Thought I saw you going by," he shrugged.

[amberhearted]

A fraction of the tenseness in his shoulders evaporated, though he was too tense overall to notice. "Aren't you cold?"

[shiromadoushi]

He shook his head. "Still burning high from the gym. Almost too warm for this jacket," he smiled faintly.

"You on break or you gonna be speeding away any second now?"

[amberhearted]

"An earthquake happened and you went to the gym?" he asked, full on incredulous now. "What the he--"

A tap against his shoulder blade drew his attention away from Bakura. He turned around and found his rig partner standing there. She arched a brow at him, glanced at Bakura, then thumbed towards the lot where their rig was parked.

Patting his shoulder, she said, "Clocked you in."

Alex's incredulity melted away. "Thanks."

Both of them started for the lot. After a few steps, Alex turned around to face Bakura. Walking backwards, he lifted his arm in a wave, put on a weary smile and called, "Go home, Bakers. Get the sleep we can't have yet."

[shiromadoushi]

"The hell else can I do?" Bakura returned with a glare, arms crossing before making a face as Alex continued.

"Don't push yourself too hard, idiot. Get something to eat before you knock yourself out!" he called after.

[amberhearted]

To that, Alex only replied with another lazy wave that was sadly interrupted by his coworker's foot intentionally tripping him up. They disappeared around the corner with his whines and her jokingly cool reprimands.