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Chief Aleron's Office
Bright and airy, this fair sized office is far from pretentious, but instead useful. A large wooden desk faces the doorway, a pair of pointillism paintings in soft pastels flanking either side of the wall behind it. A second desk adjoins to the first, branching back from one side, upon which a terminal and keyboard rest. A pair of fairly comfortable chairs face the desk for visitors, wooden with soothing sand colored upholstery. On one side of the door is a simple brass coatrack, and on the other a bit farther down the wall is a full sized synthetic human skeleton. Along the right hand wall, a low couch covered in brown velour looks frighteningly comfortable, graphic print depictions of Stilvani and Edreeni internal anatomy framed neatly above it. Across the room is a single bioscan bed, much like the ones outside, just as the easily cleaned white tile flooring is unchanged.
[picking up in the middle of a conversation with Kyara]
Clara shakes her head, smile kind. "I hadn't meant you, dear. I'd meant Anya. Or any other officer, for that matter. Or any person. It was completely general. And no, most people aren't mindreaders." She sighs suddenly, amused. "But if you ever meet one? -Arrogent- folks."
Kyara blinks, then laughs! "Well, I would be to, if I could do that. Good gravy, that'd make me even more insufferable. Talk about having to control your temper though. I mean, hearing what people actually thought about ya..."
Clara waves a hand, snickering. "Oh, there's -lots- of folks who can halfway tell what you're thinking about them. They just pick up the feelings and not the words. Empathy's common enough. They spend years learning to control it." She grins. "I'd be pretty smug to be telepatic too, though. Nifty idea, that."
Kyara nods thoughtfully. "That'd be awfully handy in Security, wouldn't it. Make interrogations that much easier."
SECURITY> Riley comes heading out of his office, having finally shipped away all the paperwork. He's looking chipper, despite the banana yellowness. Of course just as he heads to leave, Anya gets into a hurried conversation over a comm and gestures for him to stop.
Clara considers this for a moment thoughtfully. "It might...might not. I've actually studied this a little. It's remarkably hard for a human telepath to dig into more intricate thought levels. There's a few other races that do it better, but not us."
SECURITY> Niko looks over from his paperwork, first to bid Riley farewell and then to see what is the reason for the stoppage. He puts down the pen, watching with a hint of wary concern.
Kyara takes a thoughtful sip from her coffee. "How come?"
Clara inhales a deep breath, gaze going distant for a moment as she thinks. "Mainly because most humans aren't entirely honest with themselves. Very few, actually. We see and hear what we want rather than what's real. It's hard to decipher those personal images from the truth at a level to contain symbols like speech."
SECURITY> Riley ends up in a low conversation with Anya and then all but snarls out something. "I should have known." Checking his weapon he glances at the door. Anya doesn't look thrilled either. He explains to the couple of people watching the conversation, "Guido's downstairs, drunk, making trouble. We better go brig him."
SECURITY> Niko promptly gets to his feet, his expression flat even with the squeaking and creaking of his disturbing uniform. He tugs his tangler from the holster to peer at various gauges, then nods once, reholstering it. Heading over to the door, he falls into place behind Riley, not even asking. It's Guido; he's going.
Kyara blinks, then shakes her head. "How come you studied it?"
Clara's eyes snap into focus at the question. "What? Oh, uh, because I'm a shrink. It's part of the curriculum."
SECURITY> Riley regards Niko a moment, on one hand reluctant to drag the younger man into a potentially dangerous situation, but on the other hand he can't really think of anybody better to have at his back. See, Guido has him a bit shaky on trusting most folks, but Nick he trusts. He nods once crisply, heading for the hall.
SECURITY> Riley heads towards the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
SECURITY> Niko casts a brief glance over his shoulder, gaining a quick nod from Kaycen, who moves to take over his monitor, then quickly heads after Riley.
SECURITY> Niko heads towards the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
Kyara looks a little surprised at that. "One would think it's a rare enough phenomenon that it wouldn't be required study."
Clara regards you for a long moment, then says slowly, "It was a topic of interest for me, Kya." Her expression is completely impassive at this one sentence explanation.
Kyara's eyes narrow slightly, though her expression remains amiable. "Everybody needs a few."
Clara's lips quirk up in a grin as she nods. "Everyone does. Me, I like the drums. How 'bout you? Any topics of interest other than pushups and reassembling firearms?"
Kyara chuckles, blushing slightly. "I'm not sure if it counts as a topic of interest, but I like mystery novels. Sherlock Holmes especially. Completely unrealistic, but fascinating nonetheless."
"Sher-lock...Holmes?" Clara repeats the unfamiliar name carefully. "Mystery, hmm?" She thinks a moment more, then shakes her head helplessly. "Sorry, it's not ringing any bells. Good stuff?"
Kyara nods, smiling slightly. "Not bad for stuff centuries old. Riley can explain it better than I." She pauses, indecisive, then shakes her head. "I haven't had much time to develop very many outside interests."
Clara nods almost apologetically, half smiling. "I can see that. You've packed a lot into two decades. I'll bug Riley and see if he has any extra copies in all those awful noveltapes he has."
Kyara shudders. "I sneaked a peek at some of those. They're... how's the phrase go?... so bad they're good? Nothing I would ever imagined him reading, but then he's full of surprises."
Clara's smile goes goofily sappy for a moment as she nods. "Mmm. That he is," she agrees quietly, then clears her throat and does her best to go back to looking professional. "Uh, I guess music was always my escape more than reading."
Kyara grins at the sappiness. "Ah, music... performing it at least... was never a good thing for me. Listening, yes, I enjoy a good tune or two, but I simply cannot play."
Clara folds her hands on her desk, the ghost of the former insipid smile still lingering. "Hey, listening is almost as much fun as playing, trust me. What do you like to listen to?"
Kyara starts to say, "M'mah c'p..." then offers a sheepish grin. "Classical folk dance music from Stilvan."
Clara can't help but laugh. "Thanks. Languages aren't my strong point," she adds. "I don't know if I've heard that, actually. Now...Stilvani don't have much in the way of vocal music, is that right?"
Kyara nods confirmation, taking a sip of her coffee. After a grimace at its temperature, she drains the mug dry. "That's correct. It's something with our vocal chords. I'll admit, I've never understood it, but then physiology was never my best subject."
Clara grins and flicks a glance at her print of Stilvani anatomy hanging over the couch. "I could explain it in long and gory six and seven syllable words, but it's dull lecturing." She leans back in her chair thoughtfully. "Haven't sung in years."
Kyara tilts her head curiously, leaning forward to set the cup on the desk. "Why not?"
"Hmm?" Clara asks, eyes widening. "Oh, haven't had much of a chance. Other things got in the way, y'know." She glances at her comm briefly to check the time, then shakes her head slightly. "I used to do a little in college, but now it's just fun."
Kyara drums her fingers thoughtfully on the arm of her chair. "Don't they have karaoke on the band's night off, down at the Fruvous?"
Clara blinks, then bursts into laughter. "Me? At the Fruvous? Nonono. I did that -once-. The guys are so, so way much better to listen to. That's okay, I'll pass. The drums are more my specialty anyhow."
Kyara grins. "I'd like to hear you play."
Clara grins and lazily picks up a pair of pens, twirling then to have one in each hand before she does a quick roll on the desktop. "How's that?"
Kyara blinks, fingernails rattling a staccato against the armchairs. "Quick. It was very quick." She grins. "You'll have to demonstrate your full aptitude... " The grin widens, pure mischief dancing in her eyes. "But all in good time."
Clara taps out a slightly more complex tattoo, then drops both pens into a desk drawer, chuckling. "That grin worries me, my dear. What are you plotting in that little blonde head of yours?"
Kyara doesn't bother pretending innocence. "Nothing bad, I assure you."
Clara quirks her brows, trying not to smirk. "If I turn up green, I'm hunting you down and forcibly -painting- you blue."
Kyara acks, snickering as she shakes her head. "No, no, no, my days of coloring officers are through."
Clara lifts a hand and intones melodramatically, "Excellent idea. Very satisfactory, indeed." She loses the expression in another grin. "Especially since I look awful in green. Not even going to give me any hints?"
Kyara smiles warmly. "You'll be able to indulge in music again."
Clara's brows flicker together in puzzlement, although she's still smiling. "I -do- have a full trap set and sound unit in my room," she offers hesitantly.
Kyara laughs, shaking her head. "You won't object to it, believe me."
Clara looks a little more worried, but still not displeased. "Okay, Kya. I'll trust you." She flickers a glance at her terminal absently. "Think Addison's still on duty? I'll have his hide for doing triple shifts again, I swear."
Kyara shrugs, her expression making an attempt at neutrality. "I'll agree he's too busy, and with him being on call all the time, there's no way to know. I don't get a look at his shift schedule."
Clara makes a rude noise and reaches for one of the kidnapped penguins, turning it thoughtfully in her hands. "I'm on call all the time too. You don't see me pulling triple shifts." Okay, that's because she does it -quietly-. "Ah well. He's a grown man, makes his own choices and all that."
Your communit crackles to life and says "We need one of your people in the Vault, stat. We'll send down escort. We've got a situation." in Anya's voice.
Kyara starts to speak, but pauses at the beep of the communit.
Clara glances down at her comm, a furrow forming at her brows. "The Vault?" she murmurs, eyes flickering up before she jumps to her feet and moves to snatch her medkit from a shelf. "Kya, I have to go. There's a problem," she says vaguely, then taps at the comm on her desk. "Jones, front and center. Meet me in the lobby stat."
Kyara blinks, startled, but nods. Just nodding to acknowledge, she slips out.
Kyara walks towards the Medical Bay.
Clara straps her medkit to her leg, then pelts out, ignoring her uniform jacket.
[travel spam snipped]
You walk towards the The Vault.
The Vault
Hints of former splendor are visible here and there in this seedy dive of a place. While the majority of the structure was demolished to construct the Complex, the basement and vault complex remain of this old Linnaen bank. The floor may once have been black and white tile, but now so much dirt and discarded refuse is littered along it, only hints of its glory can be seen. The bar itself is a massive length corrugated plas-steel set up in front of the old vault. The vault's door is mostly closed, and occasionally people slip back into it. Rickety tables are set up at various intervals, although most folks ignore them in favor of rather dark, rank booths set up along the walls. The lighting is flickering at best, and coupled with the thick smoke, visual acuity is hard to come by in this place. This is where the folks who make the Underground their home do their business, and it's not exactly a friendly welcoming place.
Tara walks here from the Underground Causeway.
Riley is lying face down in the muck near the bar, his tangler scattered out of his limp grip. There's no apparent wound, but that's because he's face down and all. Blood is leaking into the ick on the floor.
Niko is in pursuit of our old friend, Guido Sarducci. As the slightly shorter man climbs over a table, Niko follows diving and landing with a rather unhappy sounding crunch as part of his nifty commando roll. He gets up nonetheless, though, shouting for one of the Underground folk to get out of the way and clear his shot.
Tara blinks, pausing as she enters the bar. Glancing around, she utters a soft curse and melts into the crowd.
Clara pelts in, still in dress uniform but sans coat, her medkit strapped to one leg. Behind her is a fairly large intern with a beard, an emergency kit in his own hands. Clara takes one look at the sprawled figure, freezing only for an instant in horror before pelting over to come to a sliding stop by his side, ignoring the fighting going on. "Riley," she mutters, unholstering her scanner and starting to check his vitals.
Guido half spins as he clambers past another table, firing back at the Security officer following him. The smell of ozone charges the air, and the pursued goes diving behind another table.
Tara glances over at the fight with a brief frown, taking a few more steps away to continue the conversation she's struck up.
Niko, shouting for people to get down, as the bolter is fired once more. Yes, he ducks badly, but he manages to avoid most of the blast. His uniform will never be the same, as there's a melted swatch of vinyl along his shoulder and arm. He switches the tangler to his left arm, albeit rather dubiously as he's not at all ambidextrous, and continues the pursuit rather haphazardly.
Clara's hands shake for the merest on instances as she gets the readout from the scanner. "No..." Jones kneels down on the floor with her, setting up the emergency kit. "Help me turn him," she snaps, both medics moving in to attempt to push the large security chief to his back, Clara taking just a moment to snatch up his own bolter and tuck it into the back of her waistband.
Tara's frown deepens, her eyes narrowing as they follow Guido. Her customer is forgotten. She doesn't bother listening to Niko's shout.
There's another bolt of energy from behind the table Guido's ducked behind. It's the shootout at the OK Corral time. He scurries back around another chair looking for an alternate exit.
Riley doesn't so much as groan as he's turned, he's out cold. His chest has a burned hole torn into it, he was obviously shot with a blaster at point blank range. The banana yellow vinyl's smoked and melting. Well, it was the best possible ending to the outfit anyhow.
Aliana walks here from the Underground Causeway.
As was previously stated, Niko does not duck at all well. Apparently, it's time to prove this again, as the blaster fire zaps into him, melting more vinyl and knocking him to the ground. Zzzap, indeed. He really -doesn't- like the smell of ozone. He attempts to struggle to his feet once more, the better to resume chasing Guido the evil, then sags back to the ground, scrabbling for his comm.
Aliana dives beneath the table...only to get a better view of course.
As Riley finally gets turned to his back, Clara starts to examine the plasma burn clinically, visibly shutting down parts of whatever she's feeling...for now. She'll likely be hysterical later, but now there's work to do. She snaps open her field kit, starting to tug out a hypo after pressing her thumb to the locking unit holding it in. "Get the antigrav ready," she mutters at Jones. "If I don't send him into stasis now, he won't make it to Medbay. I'll pull him up when we get there." The intern doesn't even nod, but starts hooking the proper electrodes to the downed man.
Guido glances back. There's a moment of relief for him as he realizes pursuit is foiled for the moment, and then another moment of terror as he realizes more is likely on its way. He scrambles up and makes his way through the crowd. He leaps over the bar in another crash of glassware and dives for the back door.
Curses, foiled again!
Niko says "Send Kaycen, Kathlyn... -somebody-. He's getting -away-." into his communit.
Tara's eyes widen a bit, curses streaming from her mouth. She snaps her fingers, pointing, and a small form slips through the crowd. She herself stays well back, not looking particularly happy as she folds her arms.
Niko says "*pained tone, many pauses* The Chief's down. Clara's--yeah, she's with him. I'm... unable to follow. Guido--didn't see where he went. He's gone. Not afraid to shoot." into his communit.
Clara finishes prepping the formerly locked hypo, hands flying until she's able to press it to Riley's temple. "Sleep well," she murmurs almost inaudibly, then nods at intern sharply before hearing Niko's comm distractedly and glances back. Snarling another fast oath, she snaps her own communit up. "Kramer, get Vryce and a team to the Vault stat. We've got two down, one in stasis. Plasma bolts." A muttered voice answers her affirmatively.
In an incredibly short amount of time, a medical team pelts into the bar, led by Kramer, who's not smiling for once. Within seconds, he, Vryce, and a pair of nurses converge on Niko, the rest of the team heading toward Clara et al. Nice happy organized chaos.
Aliana emerges slowly from beneath the table...a small dagger in her hand. as she watches after Guido.
Tara reaches out, snagging at Ali's sleeve. "Don't."
And Guido makes it clear, leaving the chaos at last behind. There's a brief flurry of activity out in the causeway itself as he pounds his way through it disappearing into the never-ending darkness of the Underground.
Aliana nods her head as the small blade is slipped up her sleeve again. Her attention goes to Niko and Riley, 'How bad?' She asks Tara quietly.
Niko is making a concerted effort to get to his feet. His right arm and shoulder are glopped with melted vinyl, as is his abdomen. His left arm is pressed carefully against his side. The converging folks get a rather desperate look. "I need to go -after- him." He says, jerking his head towards whatever direction he thinks Guido took.
Riley lies in the fashion of those in stasis, looking dead for all intents and purposes.
Tara shrugs, her unhappy flat gaze turning toward the Security officers. "Damn if I know. I'm not a doctor."
Clara waves down the other half of the team. "Get the stretcher here, we'll antigrav him up," she orders shortly, nodding at Jones again as the other two nurses snap the stretcher out to its full length. "On my mark...clear...lift!" Jones fiddles with the antigrav, while Clara simply looks ready to spit nails. "Work, c'mon, work. How's the other man down?" she calls over to the other team.
Aliana nods, then looks a way to be useful...see, she is following orders for once, staying out of the way...yet trying to be useful.
Vryce doesn't bother arguing with Niko- he just palms a hypo. It's Kramer that reaches firmly for the young officer. "Sit -down-, Lieutenant," he barks before nodding to Clara. "We've got it. Get him outa here."
Niko makes a brief attempt to avoid Kramer's grab, then subsides with a hiss of pain. "He's getting away," he mumbles, half a moan. Then he glances towards Riley, and goes even whiter. "Riley," he whispers, eyes closing. "No."
Aliana makes her way to Niko, gaze focusing on Clara and Riley, 'She'll take care of him...He'll be fine.' Her tone is rather confident, spoken much the same as one says that the sun will rise.
Clara steals a glance at Niko just in time to see the whisper, well able to lipread that particular name, and hint of self control wavering for a moment before she trades a look with Kramer and suddenly firms again, spinning over to snap her kit shut as the nurses and intern continue to work as she start to move the gurney. "Move move move! The longer he's in stasis, the harder he comes out! Go!"
A nurse swiftly blocks Niko's view of his commander as she cuts his shirt away. Kramer's tone is one of forced patience as he slaps bandages on the wounds. "Young lady, stay the hell out of the way. Lieutenant, you'd bleed to death before you got anywhere near your suspect. Now is not the time to worry about it. Who's got that stretcher?" he finishes in a yell, looking over his shoulder.
Aliana doesn't even pause as she seems to fly out of the way...then watches with widened eyes
The stretcher is quickly pushed through, and the crowd gets out of the way. They hindered Guido, they help the medics. They know where the power is. Upstairs.
Peanut> Niko chokes back a breath as he catches sight of the Riley-laden stretcher passing, casting a wildly pleading look after Clara. He doesn't do anything to resist the attentions of the medical-types, though. Between the blasts and the various broken bits--a wrist and a rib, he really needs to work on his commando rolls--he's all kinds of hurting.
Peanut> Vryce is not exactly gentle, but he is thorough. "Up we go, kid." He grabs shoulders, nurses grab legs, and "Heave ho!" Niko's lifted onto the stretcher. Vryce's growl clears a path to the door even as Kramer attaches an IV. "Let's go."
Peanut> Niko casts a particularly vicious glare at Vryce at the use of the evil K-word, but he doesn't really have much in the way of possibilities. He just lays there, jaw set.
Peanut> The medical team rushes out with the stretcher, perfectly coordinated despite the rush.
[travel spam snipped]
Clara pushes a Riley-laden stretcher in, an intern and two nurses doing various preparatory work to the unconscious man. She snaps over to Giani, "Prep OR for double! Vryce and Kramer are on the way with another. I'm scrubbing up. Jones, you get the Chief here ready to go," she adds, then allows the rest of the team to wheel the stretcher into Surgery while she vanishes to change, returning a moment later to follow.
Peanut> Tara watches quiet murmurs descend on the crowd once more. Shootings happen in here all the time, but rarely are the victims Security officers shot nearly to death.
Peanut> Aliana sighs as she settles into a booth, 'I am as useful as Saturday night in a month of Sundays.'
Peanut> Tara glances toward Ali with a soft grunt, but doesn't comment, turning back to find her customer.
Riley just sort of lies there. But he doesn't have many options on this. Hooo boy, Anya's going to squish him.
Vryce and team jog in with Niko on a stretcher, quickly transferring him to a biobed for a somewhat more thorough examination. The doctor's demeanor is serious, but he doesn't look all /that/ concerned. Almost bored, even. Isn't that comforting?
Jones complacently wheels the injured Chief into OR and starts cutting away clothing as one nurse starts the IV for anesthetic. The third modestly drapes sheets over the unaffected areas and sets up the operating tent. Clara bursts into the room a moment later in fresh scrubs, glancing over at the other medteam already working on Niko as she goes, instantly heading to Riley's side. "Reanimator," she says simply, and another hypo is slipped into her hand. Hisssss.
Niko, on the other hand, doesn't look bored. Not even remotely. He looks like he's in some obvious pain, and he looks particularly infuriated with Vryce, and he looks scared to death, especially as he attempts to get a look at Riley. "How is he?" he asks anybody but Vryce. "-Please-."
Reanimator. Oh, now that's a scary word. See, cause it means having previously not been animate. Riley sure doesn't -look- animate, that's for sure.
"Quiet, Lieutenant," Vryce mutters, holding out his hand. Kramer must be a mindreader- he hands over an inhibitor, which the doctor slips over Niko's head. "I've got good news for you, Lieutenant, and bad news."
Niko relaxes quite a bit as the inhibitor starts to take effect. (Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he's inhibited, now. Ela's gonna be peeved.) Of course, he's still annoyed with Vryce, but it's a vague kind of 'annoyed', from the look of him. "What?"
No, but he will come out of suspension. Sort of hard to do surgery when the heart isn't going, the breathing's suspended, etc. Clara mutters for an inhibitor and rapidly slips one onto Riley's forehead, keying it to full force before she takes up a laser scalpel and starts to assess the damage. "Heartrate thready and slow," she mutters. "Damn, half the arteries are gone. Jones, get the synth unit going. I'm gonna need replacements."
Vryce begins the fastidious work of layering synthskin over Niko's plasma burns. "Well, you're going to live. You're just not going to enjoy it for a while. Sealant," he snaps, and Kramer hands it over.
Dipuonyane makes her in to the Medical Bay like a brightly colored ghost, she looks lost as only a person with too much pink on can.
Riley is not a bridge then. That's good. Being a bridge would be bad. He's a fried banana instead. Where's the brown sugar?
Niko bobs his head in a brief nod, as much as that can be done with the inhibitor in place. "Riley," he insists. It's clearly taking an effort to get the words out. "How is he?"
All that can be seen in the front of Medbay is one nurse, somewhat harried looking. She glances up at the newcomer and nods, although shouting and clinking can be heard back through the double doors to Surgery. "Can I help you?"
Dipuonyane's green/purple eyes get very big at the sound of the screaming but she nods after a moment, "I think I'm lost."
The nurse at the front of Medbay pushes her hair back and offers a somewhat distracted smile. "What are you looking for, ma'am?"
Jones nods at Clara, turning even as he does so to fire up said synth unit. He pokes at the various buttons, it goes ping a few times. It's a good sign when the machine goes ping. Checking a readout on the biobed, he punches something else in before wheeling said unit over to Clara.
Dipuonyane says after a moment, "If I knew I wouldn't be as lost as I am. I'm pretty lost."
Vryce reaches out with one bloody hand to up the inhibitor a few notches. "That's not your concern right now, Lieutenant," he tells Niko, his tone gruff and mildly disapproving." He fingers Niko's wrist thoughtfully for a moment, the touch actually gentle.
Oooh, we can rename Riley to Foster? Too bad all the yellow was cut off of him. Clara flashes a grateful look up at Jones and reaches gloved hands into the unit to remove a length of synthesized artery and starts to lay it in the appropriate place. "That antrioventricular node wants to give out. Get the stimulator...we're -not- losing him," she all but snarls.
The front nurse grimaces at another snapped order sounding from the OR and ventures another somewhat harried smile. "Okay, well you've obviously found Medbay. We're in a bit of a crisis at the moment. Perhaps you wanted...the dining hall? The library?"
Niko is trying to glare viciously at Vryce, really, he is, especially as his wrist is fingered. "Yes, it is," he mutters. He's really getting insanely dopey, now, but what he hears of Clara's words gives him a jolt. "Losing him?" He looks as disturbed as one possibly can when under the influence of an inhibitor. Naturally, he missed that crucial 'not' word.
Jones offers Clara a briefly sympathetic look, although he does not so much as pause while doing so instead moving to where he's been directed. He moves quickly, although not so fast as to be clumsy about it and disengages the stimulator from its housing, bringing it back to the table.
Dipuonyane seems to think for a moment, "Okay, I'll look for the library, where is that." She seems totally unconcerned by what crisis that's going on, it's not like she doesn't seem to be a caring type person though.
Vryce ignores Niko's words as he *POP* snaps the broken ulna back into place. "Kramer..." Kramer doesn't need instructions- he takes Niko's hand, keeping the tension on the security officer's arm, and slips a cast over the broken wrist. Vryce in the meantime begins poking and prodding at Niko's chest.
Clara snaps a look up at the monitor, which at that moment has so conveniently chosen to go *beeeeeep* and flatline. "No!" she cries, control slipping for a moment before she jerks her head and takes the stim panels from Jones to put in the right place before looking up at the intern pleadingly. "Ready...clear!"
Niko isn't feeling much pain, thanks to the inhibitor, but still manages a wince as his wrist is set. He attempts to grab Kramer's sleeve--Kramer is not, unlike Vryce, the spawn of Satan--and extract information from the man. Hearing the beep, he makes a concerted attempt to get from the biobed. Nobody's telling him what's happening, so, dangit, he's going to go -see-. Or, at least, that's what he thinks.
>>OOC: Clara grins. See, it was either this or kiss him back to life. The latter might turn him into a frog, though, and hence green again.
>>OOC: Riley rolls!!!
<OOC> Kris ROTFL!
Jones gets clear, he's a bright man. He just mans the dials and switches of the unit, leaving Clara free to do the other parts.
Oh, bad move, Niko. Vryce pushes down on the young man's shoulders, noting mildly, "I wouldn't suggest it unless you'd like a punctured lung. Fuser." Kramer hands that over, giving Niko a 'what can ya do?' shrug. At least his expression is sympathetic.
Clara thumbs the control to juice the stimulator, jaw clenched. "Beat, damn you...start beating," she mutters at the recalcitrant organ, which stubbornly starts beating again, albeit slowly. She lets out a gasp of relief and hands the panels back to Jones absently. "Thanks, Jones," she murmurs. "Clamps," she adds to a nurse. "Lets get this pulmonary artery going again."
Niko is aware of his doped up state, and so makes an effort to enunciate very carefully. "I don't care. If you'd just -tell- me what's happening with Riley, I will do whatever you say. But not until then." He's really trying to sound stubborn and defiant, but, well... yeah, we've mentioned the inhibitor a few times. Y'all know by now.
Jones accepts the panels back, clamping them back into place. "No problem, Chief," he murmurs as he continues to work. He returns to the table.
Okay, Vryce can answer that one. "The Chief is working on the Chief." Absorbed in pushing Niko's rib back into its proper spot, he doesn't even blink at his own odd words.
Clara continues clamping down various parts, one of the nurses doing whatever it is that's done with sponges. "Jones, c'mere and hold this? And don't call me Chief," she adds, almost raggedly, stealing a fast glance at Riley's face before she starts to use the resonator to start repairs to the lung.
Dipuonyane's eyes have drifted over towards the little drama that's going on by now. Hey, she's not that jaded.
Jones nods briskly, moving in competent hands to hold the indicated parts. His hands are steady, that's his job. Her murmurs a brief apology, careful not to distract his boss.
That unhelpful answer was not quite what Niko had in mind. He's a stubborn kid, and he's still scared as all get-out about Riley, so it's likely not a surprise that he jerks away from Vryce, intent on getting more information. "Kramer... -please-. I'll grovel, I swear, just -tell- me."
Clara lifts a hand to snap a set of microgoggles over her eyes as she holds out one hand to a nurse. "Spectral resonator," she murmurs, then starts to seal the various arteries being held in place by Jones. "Heartrate's stronger," she murmurs to herself. "Kramer, tell your patient mine is nearly stabilized," she calls over without lifting her eyes from her work.
Vryce frowns. One hand pushes hard on Niko's shoulder, hopefully pinning him into place. With the other hand, he snaps the rib back where it should be, and lays the regenerator over Niko's chest. He does not, one may note, ask Niko if he /wants/ the regenerator. Kramer takes a step back. Eyes flicking toward Clara's table, he gives Niko an encouraging smile. "We don't know yet. So far, so good." Okay, so it's not /quite/ the truth, but the steel in Kramer's eyes suggests Niko's not going to get any more out of him.
All right, he's got information. The presence of the regenerator does absolutely nothing to cow Niko, really. He's not watching it with apprehension at all. Really. But he's not being obnoxious any more, at least. He makes an attempt to relax, murmuring, "Thank you, Kramer," but he's always got one eye on that regenerator. With the other, naturally, he's giving Vryce nasty looks.
Vryce takes an unconcerned step back. "Zap him." Kramer does.
Zzzzap.
Clara stares down into the patched network inside Riley's chest and pauses to take a deep breath, holding her hands up and away from the work. "Let go," she suggests to Jones quietly, regarding the result, then inhales a long breath. "Let's start close-up. Count the sponges and clamps."
Niko very nearly bites through his tongue, only a quick-thinking movement of said tongue sparing it. He tenses to rigidity, one hand twitching as if in a movement to remove the electrodes, but that movement is halted. Miraculously, though, he doesn't make a sound, likely because Vryce is there.
Good boy, Niko! Lay down! Play dead... er, well, not that. At any rate, Vryce silently counts off the seconds, relying on that rather than a chrono, before giving Kramer the nod to turn the machine off.
Jones nods as he pulls back his hands. He carefully goes about removing sponges and clamps, counting them aloud and being echoed by another as he does so.
Clara glances at the rest of her team with a half smile. "Remind me to buy y'all a beer later this week. Good work folks. Okay, resonator," she requests, and the instrument for closer is slapped into her hand as she starts to replace sternum and seal the incisions as well as possible. "Jones, can you get me a roll of synthskin? The resonator's not going to handle the entire hole."
Dipuonyane wanders back off quietly, probably just as lost as before. Oh well.
Niko goes rather limp, hands fisting--well, as well as the right one can, around the cast--to hide their shaking. "Ribs're the worst," he mumbles to nobody in particular, "Next to noses." Oh, yeah. He's quite docile, now. No more complaints from Niko. He just kind of lays there, like a rather warped-looking rag doll wearing shredded banana-yellow vinyl. Yes, we said a -warped- rag doll.
Jones nods as he double-checks the count on the sponges and clamps, moving then to go acquire a roll of synthskin from the unit it's kept in. He offers said roll to Clara, not speaking but careful to get into her visual range so she can see the offering.
Vryce nods once, reaches out to snatch the inhibitor from Niko's head, and snaps, "200mm cortrazine." With that, he turns, and strides into the LTC ward. His work here is finished. Kramer gives Niko a smile of approval, hurrying to get the hypo ready before the pain hits too hard. He hopes.
Clara accepts the roll with a grateful nod and starts to literally patch it to Riley's skin, the resonator sealing it at the edges to his own skin. Finally, she steps away and nods at the nurses and intern. "Bandage him up and put him in short term." She glances at the other team and notes to Kramer, "Same with Niko. I want them both where I can see them for now."
Jones sets about involving himself in bandaging and other helpful and useful things. He murmurs to Clara, "Check." As the work is finished up and Riley is moved STC-wards he murmurs to Clara, "We got it, go get cleaned up?"
Riley passes through the swinging doors to the Short Term Care ward.
Niko's sharp intake of breath suggests that, no, Kramer's not quite fast enough. He glances in the general direction of wherever the inhibitor went. He doesn't say anything, but his expression makes it clear: he'd really, really like that back. Hearing his name, he makes an attempt to get Clara in his frame of vision. "Riley?" he asks. Ooh, yeah, he's pretending to be a broken record again, if we can use a -really- archaic comparison.
Kramer shoots the painkilling medication into the lieutenant. "This'll set you right as rain again." Checking the IV, he begins to push the bed toward STC, but pauses as Niko speaks.
Clara nods vaguely at Jones and heads towards a wash unit, stripping off her gloves and disposing of them in an incineration unit. "Thanks Jones. I'll report this. You did great tonight...you'll make a fantastic doctor," she adds, starting to at least wash her arms. She glances over at Niko and offers a weary smile. "Stable. Still unconscious. Rest, you," she adds fondly, then nods at Kramer.
Jones nods his thanks to Clara, obviously pleased with her words, but still subdued.
Niko sinks back against the bioscan bed, a look of extreme relief crossing his face. This could be because of the drugs, or because of Clara's words--hey, she didn't say 'satisfactory'!--but it's likely a combination of the two.
Clara strips off the overapron from her scrubs and hands it to a nurse who vanishes with it, then moves over to follow Niko and Kramer into STC, rubbing at her forehead.
Niko passes through the swinging doors to the Short Term Care ward.
You pass through the swinging doors into the Short Term Care ward.
Short Term Care Ward
All is quiet here, save for the occasional moan alerting a nurse more pain medication is needed. Impeccably clean, the ward stretches for quite a ways from the door. The nurses' desk, always manned, is tucked to one side inside the door, facing the corridor. Opposite that is the large cabinet holding medicine and supplies. Half a dozen beds line each side of the ward, separated by Obvious
Innocuous Not-A-Kender has arrived.
Niko has definitely taken too many drugs.
Clara snickers and is sober. STC is infested?
Innocuous Not-A-Kender snickers.
Kramer fusses, getting Niko set up /just/ right in a nice comfy (not?) hospital bed. He even tucks the Security officer in. "Now you just rest." Giving Clara a brief nod and an encouraging smile, he heads out.
Clara moves to assist Kramer in moving Niko into the bed by Riley's, separated only by a curtain, which she pushes back after Niko's resettled. She moves to drag a chair over between the two beds, but then moves to remove Riley's inhibitor and fuss with his IV before sinking into it, looking from one man to the other blankly.
Niko hasn't been tucked into bed in quite some time, and clearly finds this a rather surreal experience. He closes his eyes for a long moment, then asks softly, "Clara?"
Clara peers up again, her gaze having drifted to her knees. "I'm here," she offers just as quietly, rising to sit on the edge of Niko's bed and smile down, although at this point, her control is being held by a thin thread.
Niko ventures a rather wavering smile. "Y'okay?" he asks, voice still very quiet. "That must've been... that... wow." The drugs are most obviously kicking in, but he's still making a great effort to be coherent. He's just not succeeding all that well.
Clara tugs off the cap covering her hair, leaving the curls to poof out in irritation at having been suppressed so long, and tosses it onto the small table between the beds. "I'm fine," she replies a little shakily. "It was...hard. How're you feeling? Broken wrist?"
SECURITY> Kyara glances up from the terminal she's absorbed in, giving Anya a curious look. "Had some excitement, I hear?"
Riley just sort of lies there, the soft hum and all of machinery attests that he's still alive and all that. Very polite of it.
SECURITY> Anya slides into the chair behind her desk, nodding. She's entirely calm, which means of course she isn't. "Guido shot Niko and the Chief." And here's the kicker, "He's still loose."
Niko's head bobs in an uncertain nod. "Broke a record," he mumbles. "Wonder who won the pool." He attempts most desperately to focus his eyes, then says, "Big favor? Pretty please with sugar on top and -no- butterscotch pudding?"
Clara steals a glance over at Riley and swallows heavily, hands knotting in the hem of her scrubshirt. "A record?" she murmurs, almost as if the word weren't comprehensible. "A favor? Sure, Niko," she agrees, looking back. "Anything."
SECURITY> Kyara blinks, waking up entirely. "He got shot again? I mean, they did? He is?" An awful thought strikes her. "Please tell me he didn't turn green again?" See, she's thinking tangler, not plasma...
SECURITY> Anya shakes her head as she calmly turns back to her terminal. Everything is calmness, "Not that I've been told. I just got that he was out of surgery and stable. And that Niko'd broken a couple -more- bones, but would be okay."
Niko manages, after a moment of recalling just what that favor was, "Ela. Please, c'n you get someone to tell her what happened? Was s'posed to go see her. She'll worry." Of course, there are lots of pauses between his words, but his player has an injunction against abusing more ellipses. Same deal with coherency and apostrophes. "Guess 's too late t'catch the sunset."
SECURITY> Kyara sits up straight, paling. "Surgery?"
Clara smiles slightly, holding back the tears at this point. Really. *flashy thing* "I can comm her," she agrees. "I need to comm Anya too. And yeah...sunset's long gone. Sorry." She gets up from the bed and moves to the aisle just beyond the two to murmur into her comm.
SECURITY> Anya nods, still calm, gee, I like that word calm, don't I? "Yeah, he took a plasma bolt in the chest. Point blank." Like it were the -weather-. "Niko got hit shoulder and arm, an abdominal hit, and broke ribs and a wrist. He's talented."
You say "Hey Anya? It's Clara." And it sounds like a very tired and broken voiced Clara. "They're both gonna be fine. Niko's conscious." A long pause. "Riley's not. But he'll recover. He has to." into the communit.
SECURITY> Anya's communit crackles to life and says "... Anya?... a... and broken... "They're both... Niko's... pause.... But he'll... to." in Clara's voice.
Niko mumbles his thanks, and lets his eyes close, though the relative tension in his body gives truth to Clara's words. He's conscious. He's just very, very tired.
SECURITY> Kyara bolts for the door, but stops just short of the hallway as Anya's communit goes off, poised and ready to flee.
SECURITY> Anya says "Thanks, doc." Anya sounds in no small part relieved, although there's a hint of falseness to her calm. "I appreciate the heads up." into her communit.
Your communit crackles to life and blares "Thanks, doc." Anya sounds in no small part relieved, although there's a hint of falseness to her calm. "I appreciate the heads up." in Anya's voice.
SECURITY> Anya turns to regard the would be fleeing Kyara, "Where are you going?"
Clara nods vaguely, then switches the frequency and comms Elasia with a similar message, although she's able to smile slightly at this relay. She spends several moments assuring the diplomat of Niko's full recovery, except there's no pause for reply. She must be leaving a message. She then sighs and signs off and moves to sit next to Riley, reaching for one of his hands. "I left her a message, Niko. Everything's fine."
SECURITY> Kyara gestures vaguely down the hall. "They're in medbay, right?"
SECURITY> Anya nods, she's not going to -stop- Kyara, but she does ask, "You sure you want to go in there? You can stay out of the way?"
SECURITY> Under any other circumstances, Kya'd be amused by that question. Now she just edges a few steps more toward the hallway. "Yes, and yes. Promise."
Niko's eyes open long enough for Niko to murmur his thanks. "'preciate it, Clara. Thanks. Thank you." He mumbles a few things that generally mean 'thank you', though he manages to stop when he thanks her in Hellenic, realizing that he's just a little bit gone.
SECURITY> Anya nods at that, gesturing with a shooing motion. "On with you then, just don't disturb them."
SECURITY> Kyara looks so grateful it could be considered pitiful. She scrams.
Clara peers over at Niko, although she doesn't let go of Riley's hand and ventures a weak smile. "Hey, thank Kramer and Vryce. God, Niko, I'm sorry. I would have patched you too...but you both needed help so fast..." Her words trail off as she closes her eyes.
MEDIC> Kyara runs in, skidding to a stop beside Kramer. "Where are they?"
MEDIC> From behind his desk filling out the paperwork for the night, Kramer looks up, just as exhausted as Clara, likely. "Short term...but Kyara? Take it easy, huh? Lots of tired people in there."
Niko bobs his head in a short nod. "Where's Kramer? Can't thank 'im if he's not here." There is not, it may be noted, a mention of thanking Vryce. Not yet. He gives another rather headrolling nod, like a young infant who hasn't quite managed that task, adding, "He needed help -first-. Rather have y'on -him-. You're the best 'n all. Just wish somebody woulda -told- me stuff."
MEDIC> Kyara nods, gives Kramer a second look, and ducks into Clara's office. She emerges with a cup of coffee, sets it on the desk for the man, and heads for STC in an exaggeratedly careful walk.
Kyara comes in from the medical bay.
Clara inhales a slow breath, still attempting to hold back the hysterics that threaten. That can wait for later. "I'll get Kramer after a bit. But you're welcome. We'd do it no matter what." She looks back down at Riley then, using her free hand to brush back his hair, and doesn't see Kyara come in.
Kyara comes up very very quietly, countenance somber and face pale. "Clara?" It comes out in a whisper.
Niko opens his eyes as he hears a female voice say 'Clara?'. Clara, after all, shouldn't be doing that. He squints vaguely towards Kyara, but doesn't say anything just yet, as he's a bit confused and all.
Clara glances blearily over her shoulder at the voice, blinking away suspicious moisture. *flash* "Kya? Heya, hon. Whatcha doing here?" she replies softly. "Did you see Anya?" She glances back towards Niko to check on him.
Niko mumbles, "Anya's gonna be -mad-. I shoulda got him." His eyes close once more, though his mumbling continues--something about not wanting to shoot civilians, and how one should not dive over tables, even when the other guy does it and makes it look suave.
Kyara nods slowly, her eyes going to Niko as well. "Yeah," she says softly. "Anya... she said I could come here. Oh Niko..."
Riley just lies there unmoving. The soft rasp of his labored breathing is barely audible, but it's the only non-monitor involved sign that he's animate.
Niko hears his name and hauls his eyes open, with the extra added help of a mental crowbar. "Huh?"
"Kaycen'll get him, Niko," Clara reassures gently, then peers back at Riley as she inhales a slightly shuddered breath. "Kaycen'll get that..." And then Clara finally gives vent to a long strand of something in oddly accented Standard. Very creative. Is that anatomically possible? "And then everything will be fine. It -will- be," she adds, almost in a whisper.
Kyara's eyes widen as she stares at Clara. Despite the circumstances, she can't help but admire /that/. "Um, what she said, Niko." If she doesn't get her hands on Guido first, at any rate. "Clara, you do not sound very sure..."
Niko's eyes don't need that crowbar, as Clara speaks, as they widen on their own. He didn't know she knew -those- words. "Kaycen's good," he agrees vaguely, mentally shoving the crowbar back into place as the shock of Clara's really neato epithets wears off. He adds a mumble in Hellenic.
Clara is infantry. Of course she knows those words. She just doesn't use them unless necessary, and in this case, they were very, very necessary. "I...don't know," she finally admits, lifting a hand to brush against Riley's cheek, far too wrecked to worry about professionalism right now. "I did what I could. It's up to him now."
Kyara bites her lip, inclining her head to fasten her gaze on the floor. She does, however, sound confident. "Nothing'll happen to him. He's strong. Niko said so."
Niko blinks several times at that, pushing himself up on one elbow--the right one--so that he may peer at Riley. He says something in Hellenic, then catches himself, with a vague frown of frustration. "He's strong," he concurs, though -he- sounds rather worried. Hard to dissemble when you're drugged to the gills. Even if you don't have gills.
Clara nods vaguely, still staring up at Riley mournfully. "I know he is," she agrees quietly. "He came back from flatline faster than nearly any other patient I've ever stimmed. He'll be fine. Fine."
Kyara's eyes widen. "He flatlined?" she squeaks.
Clara glances over her shoulder, brow knitting together in a somewhat pale face, eyes reddened. "Kya, half his major arteries needed replacing from his heart. I had to patch...oh, lord. Don't ask what all I had to patch." Mainly because the player wouldn't have a clue. "But the rate's steady now," she adds, eyes flicking to the steadily spiking monitor.
Niko spits out a few words in Hellenic, then says, with precarious calm, and careful enunciation, "Kaycen had better not kill him."
Kyara somehow takes a measure of comfort from Clara's words. Blindly she reaches for a chair, dragging it between the beds to sit.
Clara reaches out with one white covered boot to snag the chair and drag it closer, then stops as Kya gets the chair. Fine with her, she stays seated at Riley's side. "If Guido comes in here," she notes in a very low voice, "I still have Riley's sidearm."
Niko sinks back onto the bed. "Guido's not coming here," he mumbles. "Not after he shot Riley. He's not -that- stupid."
Kyara gives Clara an odd look. "If he comes in here, I don't /need/ a sidearm." She snorts softly at Niko's assertion. "If he's stupid enough to set you up for shooting Riley, he's stupid enough to try and finish the job."
Clara nods calmly, flickering a cold glance at the door. "This is good. I'm not supposed to shoot anyone," she notes, then stifles another reaction as she straightens another chocolate colored curl.
Niko shakes his head, letting his eyes close. "Tha' was spon--uh--quick. Di'n think about it. So was shooting Riley."
Kyara smiles grimly. Her typist is getting a lot of use out of that phrase tonight. "What the heck happened anyhow, Niko? How'd y'all end up getting shot?"
Clara glances up for a moment at this question, a spark of interest flickering through the shadowed green in her eyes. "Can you tell us, Niko?" she asks gently. "If you're too tired, it's all right."
Niko replies vaguely, "Guido -shot- us, s'how." Give him a break. He's had a hell of a day, and this is very likely his first experience with plasma fire.
Kyara appears apologetic. "Sorry, Niko."
Clara considers this, then sighs faintly. "I know he did, Niko. I saw him. He likely thinks Riley's dead," she adds, gaze irrevocably going back to said man who certainly isn't dead.
Niko opens his eyes to stare at Clara for a moment in startlement, then blinks. "Oh. You were there. That's right." He nods vaguely to Kyara. "S'okay. Not everybody knows that getting shot means people shot you." And he's not even remotely being snide.
Riley is most assuredly not dead. Dead people don't breathe, however softly, and those monitors and all are still going ping and all that.
Clara blinks rapidly, watching one of said quietly pinging monitors for a moment. "I should comm Honalee," she murmurs absently, then abruptly shakes her head. "Later." She peers back over. "Niko? How's it going over there? In any pain?"
Kyara acks softly. "Honalee'll go nuts."
Niko nods vaguely to Clara's question. "Yeah," he says. Rain Man with an accent, that's he. K-Mart. 400 Oak Street. "S'okay, though." He blinks at Kyara's words, then shrugs, followed hard by a grimace. "Remind me not to do that again." Funny, he sounds a little more coherent, there, for a moment.
Clara makes a somewhat noncommittal noise about Honalee's reaction, then gets up to check Niko's IV, adjusting the amount of drip slightly. "Niko, don't do that again," she notes quietly, offering a somewhat weary smile down.
Kyara manages a watery smile. "What she said. Don't do that again or I'll get Anya in here with paperwork."
Niko offers one of those rather not-quite-there smiles, until the mention of Anya. "She's gonna be mad." At the threat, though, he lifts his casted right hand, mumbling, "I... am not left handed."
Clara leans down slightly to repeat the gesture of pushing hair back with Niko, and shakes her head firmly. "Anya is -not- going to be mad at you. Understand? Not unless you don't get better. So get better. That's an order, Lieutenant," she adds, then returns to Riley's side.
Kyara grins faintly at Niko. "Anya'd make you learn how to be left-handed very fast." But she relents in the teasing, nodding at Clara's words. "Anya's mad, but not at you."
Niko mumbles an "Aye aye, ma'am" that isn't altogether clear, though he's blinking a few times. "Di'n say she was mad at -me-. Jus' mad. Anya mad at me... scary, scary thought."
"Very scary," Clara agrees vaguely. "Which is why we couldn't let this big goof go," she attempts at a light tone. "Anya'd have my hide."
Kyara shudders, having experienced just that all too recently. "Yeah. I wouldn't want to be in Guido's shoes for /anything/."
Niko would be kind of upset, too, if the big goof had gone into that good night, whether gentle or no. But he doesn't say that, instead just nodding. "Really ugly shoes," he mumbles.
"I don't envy him," Clara supplies absently, then slowly climbs to her feet, hands stuffing into the pockets of her scrubs. "Excuse me a moment?" she asks, voice strained before she disappears around the curtain, just out of sight. And completely silent.
Kyara blinks after Clara, hesitates, and decides not to follow. Instead she scoots her chair up a little further toward the head of the beds.
Niko frowns rather muzzily as he peers after Clara, but he's not going to go after her. He's not even sure he's got feet, at this point. "Poor Clara," he mumbles.
Clara is likely still just beyond the curtain, since the sound of boots hasn't gone off towards the door, but it's still oddly quiet. See, unlike Niko, she still has feet. Oh, wait, Niko has feet. Somewhere? Surely Vryce wasn't -that- mean.
Kyara nods, anger in her eyes. "Guido'd best not cross my path," she growls softly.
Niko's tone is utterly insincere. "Poor Guido. Everybody wants to kill him, now."
Kyara blinks, shaking her head. "Oh no. That'd be too easy. He's gotta hurt first."
A deep intake of breath can be heard on the other side of the curtain before Clara returns, face composed again as she retakes her seat at Riley's side. "More pain isn't the answer," she supplies wearily.
Niko starts to shrug again, then stops the motion. "Yeah," he agrees with Clara, "But it'd sure -feel good-." Too bad he can't use words like 'catharsis' when he's this doped up. Then he sighs quietly, with a shake of his head. "Couldn't do it, though. Not 'nless he was hurting -back-."
Kyara nods her agreement with Niko, though at his last remark, her head stops bobbing. She remains silent, however.
Clara just shakes her head, though, by now fairly well drained. "No. No more pain. No more hurting. Not tonight," she adds, lacing her fingers through Riley's unresponding ones.
Niko lets his eyes close once more, though he's quite firm on one thing, and elaborates it. "Hurting," he decides, "Is bad."
Kyara sits on her traitorous hands. "Anybody want some coffee?" Hey, it's the best she can come up with on short notice.
"Please?" Clara replies quietly. "Coffee would be good right now. A -lot- of coffee. It's gonna be a long night."
Niko shakes his head, with a mumbled thanks. After a pause, he adds, "Water? Could I have some, maybe? Please?"
Kyara nods, getting to her feet. She pauses to hear Clara's answer to Niko.
Clara slips off the side of the other bed and moves out of the curtain range. The sound of water running is heard for a moment before she returns with a pitcher and a glass, both full. "Here, Niko," she offers the glass. "Water you can have. Easy now..."
Kyara heads out for the coffee.
Kyara heads out the swinging doors into the Medical Bay.
Niko attempts the interesting task of sitting up enough to drink. "Thanks, Clara. 'preciate it. Didn't know I was thirsty til Kya said something." He holds the glass with both hands, as they're a bit unsteady but provide enough balance when used in tandem, and sips lightly. "Mm. Better. Yeah."
Clara helps by keeping light fingers on the bottom of the glass though, not applying pressure, but providing support. "I'm not surprised. It's the anesthetic. Riley'll likely be thirsty when he wakes up, too." Not if. When.
Niko casts a look towards Riley and murmurs something in Hellenic--something along the lines of a prayer, from his tone and his expression. After a moment, he nods, taking another sip of the water. "Plenty in the pitcher."
Kyara comes in from the medical bay.
Clara leans against Niko's bed to fold her arms and look back at Riley, nodding. "He'll need it," she repeats quietly. "I just wish I knew when he'd wake up," she says quietly.
Kyara is already pouring coffee for two before she comes to a stop, offering one of the mugs to Clara. "It's fresh."
Clara accepts the mug with a look of utter gratitude and heads back over to perch by Riley's side, taking a long draught. "Kya, you're an angel. If this turns me green, you'll be my next patient," she adds, a flash of humor in her eyes for a moment.
Niko fumbles his glass to a spot on a table that he assumes is somewhere near the bed. If there's not actually a table, well, then, he's just on too many drugs, and the glass falls to the floor. In any event, he eases himself back to a reclining position. "Gotta remember to shoot the rest of the coffee," he mumbles, adding, "Got the -weirdest- looks for that."
Kyara smiles slightly, shaking her head. "I think Niko confiscated all that stuff." She sets the coffee pot carefully on the table between the beds and retakes her seat, unable to suppress a snicker.
Clara laughs quietly as well, absently reclaiming that hand again, coffee mug in her other. Yes, there's a table there. No crash. "I think I'd like to watch that, Niko. Confiscation's good."
Niko mumbles something vague about vicious, killer coffee, and how brave he was to subdue it. "Was going for the jugular," he adds. "Comin' right for us."
Kyara giggles at Niko, bending over to retrieve the dropped glass. "Should've quarantined it."
Clara smirks vaguely, taking another long drink. "Psychokiller coffee," she decides. "Very gallant and brave of you, Niko."
Niko lets his eyes close once more. "Galahad has to be brave and gallant and all that," he informs the room at large, though still in that quiet, vague kind of tone. "And Ela said I'm Galahad."
Clara flickers at fond glance at Riley, murmuring something about a round table, then grins over at Niko over her mug. "Is that where that came from? Why does she call you Galahad, Niko?"
Kyara murmurs, "Thought it was just Riley called ya that."
Niko's brows furrow at that as he tries to come up with an answer to Clara's question, but Kyara sidetracks him. "No, Ela calls me that. Not Riley. Riley's not Ela." How's -that- for an ironic pose, folks?
Clara can't help but laugh at that quietly. "Uh, no. Riley's a little taller than Ela," she decides. "But wasn't life awfully perilous for Galahad? You know...grail shaped beacons and all."
Kyara grins at Niko, shaking her head. "Nope, Riley said it too, when I thought you and Ela were lovers." She gives Clara a curious look. "Grail shaped beacons?"
Niko has fortunately never seen a certain disturbing movie. "Galahad's a knight," he says, muffling a yawn. "Peril's his middle name. Galahad... Peril... uh. Knight." Then he catches Kyara's statement, and his eyes snap open. "What?" It's really quite startling how sudden he can sound deadly serious. "What did you say?"
Clara's eyes snap to Kyara as well, although more with surprise than dismay, then very quietly retreats into watching Riley. She'll just stay out of this one, yeah.
Kyara repeats herself, word for word, then pauses, "Was my speech unclear the first time?"
Niko very slowly sits up, bracing himself on one arm. "No," he says flatly. "Inappropriate." He really looks like he wants to say more, and, in fact, his player typed out a whole massive spiel before realizing the unlikelihood of getting out that many words. "We're not," he says finally, his speech starting to get blurred with exhaustion and drugs and such. "Even if we were--none of your business."
Clara finally looks up to shake her head fractionally at Kyara before peering over at Niko sympathetically. "Niko, rest. It doesn't matter what the details are. As long as you're happy, that's -all- that counts," she adds. "Okay?"
Kyara nods slowly, turning dead white. "He said /that/ too, sir..." She trails off at Clara's gesture.
It says a lot that Niko promptly lowers himself back to the bed. "Details matter," he mumbles, in negation to Clara's words. "If -she- thought I was saying that..." He ignores Kyara altogether, after the briefest of looks and a mostly-incoherent mutter about the use of the word 'sir'.
"She'd confront you to see if it was true," Clara supplies gently. "Don't worry about it, Niko. The details matter, but only to you and Ela. Not us," she adds, hoping this distracts any questions about her relationship with Riley as well. "Kya, relax. It's late, and we're all frayed."
Kyara nods, concentrating on her coffee. Over and over she mutters 'Niko' under her breath.
Niko bobs his head in a vague nod to Clara. At the barely-heard repetition of his name, however, he starts to look decidedly confused, asking rather plaintively, "Clara, what drugs did they -give- me?"
Clara reaches over to set her now empty mug on the table before lifting her hand to Riley's forehead as if checking for temperature. "Cortrazime, Niko. That's what's in your IV along with an antibiotic. Why?"
Kyara automatically reaches out to refill Clara's cup, curious enough now for her gaze to return to Niko.
Niko mumbles something about hearing somebody calling him. "Really weird."
"It was Kya," Clara supplies absently, still watching Riley with a vaguely sad expression and a nearly inaudble murmur at him.
Niko ohs quietly, and peers rather vaguely at Kyara. "Did you want something?"
Riley is still just sort of there, only the soft rasp of labored breathing and the constant hum of the monitors attesting to the fact that he lives.
Kyara nods, looking rather annoyed. "Yes. Not to snap into 'sir' mode around you."
Clara wordlessly rises to vanish beyond the curtain, only to return a moment later with a stethoscope. She takes a moment to warm the business end, then hooks it in her ears before pressing the disk to Riley's chest above the bandages.
Niko casts what he imagines to be a reassuring smile at Kyara, but it, like all of his expressions lately, is just kind of vague. "I do that too sometimes. Usually when I'm scared, or tired, or something. S'okay. Only I don't do it to -me-." Clara's actions attract his attention, and he tracks her as she moves, falling silent once she presses the disk to his chest.
Kyara nods, smiling slightly. "I won't. I'll try not to."
Clara moves the disk a few times, listening to the labored breathing with a benign expression. She finally unhooks the scope from her ears and loops it over the back of her neck, peering down at Riley. "Fight," she murmurs pleadingly.
Niko nods to Kyara, then, after a brief glance to Clara, murmurs three words in Hellenic. It -could- be a brief prayer. It could also be 'Go, Fight, Win'. Since he's the only one in the room that speaks this language, the world will never know.
Kyara frowns vaguely in Clara's direction. "Something wrong?" she murmurs.
Clara shakes her head distractedly, then tears her gaze away, obviously back to keeping a modicum of control again over her reactions. "No change," she says quietly, turning back to the others. "Nothing more wrong, at least."
Niko frowns for a moment, but then something smacks him upside the head, and his eyes sag shut, despite his valiant efforts to keep them open through sheer force of will. "Um," he mumbles, "D'you ladies mind if I sleep? S'rude, m'sorry, but I'm so -tired-."
Clara tilts her head over at Niko, a slight smile quirking. "I'm surprised you stayed awake so long. Sleep, Niko. Rest. I'll be here when you wake up," she assures. "Sleep well."
Kyara shakes her head, quickly getting to her feet, abashed. "No, of course not, I'm sorry, Niko."
Niko mumbles something utterly vague and incoherent, with the exception of a muttered, "N'night."
Clara smiles over slightly, climbing to her feet to move to tug Niko's blanket a bit higher over him. "Night," she offers, then heads for another chair, carrying it back to rest beside Riley's bed before dropping into it. "You should get some rest, Kya."
Kyara nods, replacing her own chair in its proper spot. "I'd advice you of the same, but I don't think it'd do much good."
Niko promptly goes right to sleep. He does not, it may be noted, snore. So, huzzah, Nick sleeps!
Clara glances back after reclaiming Riley's hand, wearily amused. "Not a bit, you're right. But thanks for the thought. Go on, private. Someone has to help Anya while these two goofs recover, so you're gonna need your rest."
Clara won't need earplugs! Yay!
Kyara blinks, distracted from the situation. "You really think she'd let me help her a little?" She seems rather doubtful, but there's no doubt of the hope in her eyes. "Oh! I'll be able to get Riley's office clean too. Tis hard to do when he's in there almost all the time. Silver lining." She nods toward the coffee. "I left another pot to brew, so when that's gone, there's more. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything, Clara."
Clara nods slowly, eyes back on the taller of the two unconscious men. "I will, Kya. Thanks for everything," she adds quietly, voice a bit shaky by now.
Kyara hesitates, then comes up behind Clara, grateful the doctor is sitting, to give her a quick hug from behind. "Everything's gonna be okay. He's stronger than any man I've ever known, and that includes the Emperor himself."
Except this is the finally stroke that breaks Clara's resolve, and she finally bursts into tears, trying madly to dash them away as she leans back into the hug. "I can't lose him," she whispers. "Not now."
Kyara shakes her head, hugging fiercely. "You won't. He won't leave you alone. He'd never do that. By the Crown, anybody else would be dead already from that wound. Harsh words, I know, but hear me- he's /alive/. And he's going to stay that way, and get better. For you, for me, for himself... and so he can continue to annoy Lexington."
Clara continues to stare at the unconscious older man, tears coming freely now. "I did my best," she murmurs, pushing at frizzed curls. "He died on me once tonight. I was so afraid to let him out of stasis, and then he flatlined, but he came back. He came back."
Kyara nods firmly. "Of course he did! Clara, he loves you /so/ much. I don't know if you realize just how much. He fought death, and won, because of /you/. I... I don't think he'd've made it otherwise. Forget about the medical stuff for a few minutes. Okay, so we've got fancy machines. So what? You gave him a reason to come back. And that's how it'll always be."
Clara's hand shakes lightly in Riley's, the motion evidently not disturbing him in the slightest. "I know he does," she says quietly, voice nearly cracking from the overburden of controlled emotion. "And I love him...oh, saints...working on him. Seeing him in the bar face down...I wanted to scream and break down right there. I want him to be awake and laughing and ... What if he doesn't wake up?"
Kyara snorts, giving you a gentle shake. "He's coming back, Clara." The confidence in her voice is strong. "So he's got a bit of a journey to make- he's coming back to you. And there's nothing that'll get in his way, you can be sure of that."
"Everyone I've loved...I had to give up," Clara admits in a broken whisper. "Eddie, my daughter..." She buries her face in her hands for a few moments, oblivious to the shake. "He has to come back. Too many people care about him," she finally adds in muffled tones.
Kyara says "Ah, it's time to break the trend then, eh? You've paid your dues." She glances toward Riley's still form, very glad Clara can't see her face right now. "Too many? One's enough, but the principle's the same. He /will/ come back, for all of us. You can't let yourself think otherwise.""
Clara nods slowly, studying Riley intently after lifting her face from her hands, reaching forward to reclaim his motionless fingers. "He has to come back. I can't feel him," she murmurs mournfully. "He has to fight with my rabbit."
Kyara blinks at that last, confusing sentence, filing it away to ask about later. "He feels you though, I'd bet on it. He knows you're here, for him. That's the best medicine he could have right now."
Clara closes her eyes for a moment, as if attempting to concentrate, then reopens them with a sad sigh. "I won't leave him," she notes quietly. "Just come back to me," she adds, presumably to Riley, tears starting up again. After a moment, she sniffs slightly and glances over her shoulder, trying to smile. "Sorry...I really meant to hold off on this till everyone left."
Kyara quickly ducks her head, but probably not fast enough to hide her own tears. "It's okay. I kinda figured as much." She hesitates a bare second. "I'll ask Kramer to rearrange the schedule so you can stay with Riley, or get Anya to ask him to, if he won't listen to me. And I'll bring your meals up here too- you /will/ eat, even if I gotta hold you down and spoonfeed you." She tries to sound stern on that, but she doesn't even come close, and she has to laugh at herself a little bit. "Otherwise he'll thwap me when he gets back, and you don't want that now, do you?" She's really trying hard to keep a straight face at this point, but the night's events have taken their toll on her self-control.
Clara can't help but laugh as well through the tears, smile tremulous. "I'll eat. I'll be good," she agrees. "Kramer...hell, he's likely already rearranged. He's one of the few people who knows." She glances back at Riley, smiles warming considerably. "No, I don't want him to thwack you when he comes back. And he won't." Without turning back, she slowly adds her other hand to hold his in both of hers. "Thank you, Kya. Thank you so much."
Kyara nods slowly, smiling a little. "Anytime," she says softly. "Will... will you be okay? I can stay here all night if you want. I don't think Anya'd be /too/ mad if I don't show up in the morning. Tis not like I've got a set schedule."
Clara smiles faintly down at her hands, shaking her head. "Go get some sleep. I'll be fine, really. I'll stay here with these two, maybe get a little sleep myself. You can spell me in the morning so I can grab a quick shower and change clothes."
Kyara nods in relief, finally allowing a little of her weariness show on her face. Tightening the hug briefly, she lets go reluctantly and plods toward the door. "Sounds like a plan. Night, Clara." And she slips out.
Kyara heads out the swinging doors into the Medical Bay.
MEDIC> Kyara heads for the door, almost forgetting, then turns back and drapes herself on the desk. "Hey, Kramer, Clara's not gonna be available for a bit..."
MEDIC> Just putting away the last of the paperwork, Kramer offers a weary, knowing grin. "Tell me something I don't know, Kyara. I know where to find her if I have questions. You look beat, though. Hit the sack, okay?"
MEDIC> Kyara nods with a grateful smile, turning toward the door again. "Thanks, Kramer."