Not the bird flu / closed

[moreweaponsthanyou]

Who: Fil, Liam and Aaron
What: Fil dragging Liam off to Aaron's clinic in Locke to get him some REAL medical attention
Where: The clinic
When: Around 1/17?
Warnings: Nothing.

[He has never met anyone so...utterly frustrating. It had been an adventure in itself, getting Liam off the mountain in one piece. (Fil was seriously thinking about getting a leash on the guy.) Then there was the short car ride to the teleporter in Vegas. (He hated driving these days, mostly on account of how he had to have cushions just so he could see over the dashboard). The teleporter, as much as he disliked that too, at least was working properly now and he was getting used to the sensation of going through it. The convenience of being able to travel so far so fast outweighed his past prior experience with it. Then it was followed by another, thankfully short drive to the clinic.

It was with a sigh of relief that he parks the car.]

C'mon, we're here.

Comments

[bythewaves]

Oh. [ Arnold blinks dizzily at his son in confusion as an entire language settles into place ]

That... that was an echo? It seemed. Worse than the ears, Liam. Wow. [ He reaches across to ruffle Liam's hair in assurance ] Fastest I've ever learnt a new language!

[ Something about it... sits uneasy, but perhaps that's just because it's new and Arnold dismisses the thought to smile at Isabela ]

They both sound delicious, but I think I will go with the doctor on this. Thank you for thinking of Liam. [ And then curiously ] But yes. What is a Japanese health soup anyway?

[mistakesmakeuswhoweare]

Basically, it's broth with veggie stuff and Japanese seasonings in it. It's good for you. I'll email you the recipe. You want to try it? Seriously, if I were going to kill Liam, poisoning him isn't my style. I'm sure he understands that. And they'll keep, kiddo. Just heat them when you're ready.

/too lazy for elvish

[elfstoned]

[Aaron absolutely recognizes it as a well-meaning gesture, but he's grateful that the general consensus is later. From the sound of it, the soups would just come right back up, and that would be fun for nobody.

So, instead, he looks at Arnold.]

Mr. Benedict. I know that language.

[He goes on in Sindarin:]

I speak it as well. Have you any other echoes?

italics elvish is legit elvish

[arrowpoint]

[When his hair is ruffled, Liam starts not looking so good, and he grabs his father's arm tightly, both to get him to stop and to steady himself. For a moment he's so dizzy that he's not sure if he was going to either pass out or throw up - thankfully he does neither.

He lowers himself back down so he's laying flat against the exam table so that he would feel more steady, still keeping his tight grip on Arnold's arm. He doesn't seem that interested in the conversation right now, but he does mutter to his father;]

...Don't let me fall off this thing.

italics elvish is far easier than breaking out a sindarin dictionary and cursing the lack of vocab

[bythewaves]

Gohena... I mean, sorry Liam. [ Arnold apologises and stops immediately, looking contrite, and instead shifting so Liam can lean on him ]

You aren't falling, Liam, trust me.

[ He perks up in interest at Aaron and answers in the same, hesitation slowly fading to ease as he goes (the accent is archaic, not entirely the same, but close enough) ]

Oh! How interesting. Yes - when I was visiting Liam a little while back, I apparently acquired pointy ears!

[mistakesmakeuswhoweare]

[For all Isabela might fancy elves... she was getting no benefit from a bunch of guys crowding around and yammering at each other in gibberish.]

...yeah, OK. So. My job here is done. I mean, unless you guys want me to bring back crackers or something from the vending machine...

[elfstoned]

[He turns to look at her.]

I apologize -- that was rude of us.

[It's never comfortable being the only person in a room who doesn't speak a language.]

You might as well make yourself comfortable. Leave the gear in the examining room next door. There's a computer in the office, if you'd like to use it, though I'm afraid it's a bit of a dinosaur.

[It's five years old, poor thing.]

time skip as discussed

[arrowpoint]

[Liam just leans against his father for a while, listening as Isabela expresses her desire to leave the Elvish-speaking crew. It was kind of rude, but to be fair, the sick kid couldn't help it. He opens his eyes to look at her though when she makes to leave.]

Hey, Isabela? You're a good friend.

[After she's gone, he presses his forehead against his father and groans.]

...I think I should sleep for a while.

[Having said that, he lays back on the exam table, shifting uncomfortably and pulling on the blankets. It's not long before he's asleep, only waking to cough or use a tissue. By the morning, he's soaked in sweat - clearly he's hydrated now, thanks to the drip he'd been on all night.]

\o/

[bythewaves]

Oh man, sorry Miss Isabela. [ Arnold flushes in embarrassment at his rudeness ] Thank you for all the help. If I can repay you at any point, please feel free to contact me.

[ He runs his hand through Liam's head and nods ]

Get some sleep, I'm here.

[ He'll beg permission off Aaron, and be by Liam's bedside all night ]

[mistakesmakeuswhoweare]

Isabela just shrugged.
"So, no one wants crackers? Don't worry about it." Exactly which of them she was addressing, she didn't say. "If I need anything, you'll be the first to know after me."

She gestured back to where her other things were waiting.
"I have a notepad in my purse. I can use that to work on my writing."

She stashed her things in the next room, grabbed some coffee, and started scratching things down on her notepad.

let's do the time warp again

[elfstoned]

[Aaron will allow Arnold to stay, as long as Arnold doesn't mind Aaron sitting there across the way, his legs stretched out in front of him, with a palantír in his lap, searching for something or someone he won't talk about.

But the hours pass, and Aaron calls the clinic staff to come in later, and they wait for the call.

When Aaron's phone rings, he nearly jumps. He wraps the palantír back up in its towel and answers. He listens, nods, lets out a long breath, and pulls a face. He apologizes for the trouble, and then hangs up.]

Well, Mr. Benedict, I've never been happier to tell a patient that they have the flu.

[arrowpoint]

[Liam is still half asleep for a long moment after the phone rings, but when his foggy mind realizes that this was probably the call they had been waiting for, he's wide awake. He leans up on his elbow and stifles a few coughs so as not to make too much noise. Anxiously he waits for word from Aaron, and when it does come he's almost afraid to be relieved... almost.]

You mean regular flu? It's not bird flu?

[He lays back again, and begins to half laugh half cough.]

Holy crap... I'm going to be okay? For real?

[...and then there are tears, which he tries to hide by flinging an arm over his face.]

[bythewaves]

[ Through the night Arnold only dozed, waking when Liam does, but despite his exhaustion he's wide awake when the phone rings, standing with one hand on Liam's shoulder when Aaron comes in.

The news is enough to make him sit down heavily on the chair with a shaky ]

Oh thank god

[ The hand on Liam's shoulder squeezes, and he rubs a hand across his face ]

Thank you. [ He says to Aaron ]

Thank you so much.

going to mess with posting order a little bit so things make sense -- holla if this isn't cool

[elfstoned]

[He shakes his head, a smile beginning to play at his lips.]

No need to thank me. The only good I did was treating his symptoms -- if I hadn't believed his story about bird flu, we would have all been saved a lot of trouble. But yes, Liam, you're going to be fine.

[He leans out the door to call out:]

Isabela, I owe you an apology! You're free to go whenever you like.

[mistakesmakeuswhoweare]

[Isabela makes a noise part laugh, part scoff.]

And to think no one believed me.

Told you that you'd be fine, Liam. And you owe me once you're better.

[arrowpoint]

[Liam reaches up to grab his father's hand on his shoulder. When Isabela speaks, he's still hiding his face because, well, he's twenty-one years old and crying and trying vainly to hide it. Like real men do.]

Yeah, okay. I'll make it up to you somehow.

[He grabs his father's hand and waits a moment to cough and calm down, discreetly wiping tears away on his arm before looking up at Aaron with these mature looking puppy eyes.]

Can I go home now? Can I get the IV out or do I still need it?

[bythewaves]

[ There are tears on Arnold's cheeks too, but his eyes are bright with relief and he is smiling ]

Thank you to both of you. [ He calls to Isabela ] I'll take the soup home and pop it in the fridge. I'm sure Liam will appreciate it when he's feeling better.

[ He looks up at Aaron and waits for the doctor's judgement ]

[elfstoned]

[Shut up, Liam, you're a Tolkien. Tolkiens cry, and that's not a bad thing. There is absolutely zero judgment from Aaron.

He nods at Arnold.]

Yes, yes, you can take him home as soon as I get the drip out.

[And Aaron will busy himself with taking care of that; Liam will wind up with gauze bandaged to his arm, an envelope full of advice on caring for someone with the flu, and Aaron's cell number and network number. Then, he will be officially discharged into the care of his father.]

[mistakesmakeuswhoweare]

[Isabela just laughs.]

Oh, don't worry, Liam. You've already agreed to helping me out. I recorded it.

Wrapping up, yes? If not just go ahead and continue.

[arrowpoint]

[Liam doesn't remember what he agreed to, but at this moment it seems that whatever it was it was probably reasonable and he'd honor it. He gives Isabela a small, tired nod.

Putting on his shoes and coat was an exhausting process, and when he stands he's wobbly on his feet. Yeah, the poor kid is still pretty damn sick, but the good news wasn't dying. For now he'll just keep a hold of his father until he's back at the estate and lying down.

He'd make the world-ending bird flu scare up to everyone later. Right now he just wanted to find a real bed and sleep for a hundred years.]