New Orleans Is Sinking - The Waiting Game
Sep. 28th, 2007 03:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsAt the hospital, Amanda, Doug and Wanda wait for further word.
With two fingers, Wanda shoved the cup of coffee away from her. It was disgusting but the tea was worse, weaker, and the only other option was the soda machine down the hall. Apparently there was a cafeteria somewhere in the hospital but she was not very keen on attempting to find it right now. Leaning back in her seat, she took a deep breath, trying to get comfortable in the seats of the waiting room.
For her part, Amanda had rejected the seats in favour of pacing up and down the strip of hallway, her boots squeaking a little on the linoleum. Hands shoved deep into her pockets to avoid any more nail biting - she'd already chewed them to the quick - she cast a worried glance at the third member of the little group waiting for news. "Doug?"
"Water water everywhere, nor any drop to drink." Doug murmured the quote to himself, not for any particular reason but the constant water imagery that had been in Marie-Ange's visions the entire year. Imagery of their friends and teammates drowning. Much the way someone who'd taken a bullet through their lung could drown on their own blood. If he hadn't sent her to talk to Remy about her visions...Doug chased himself around the causality loop like a dog chasing its own tail until Amanda's voice snapped him out of it. "Hm?"
"You all right? You want me to get you anything?" She was stealing his gig, doing the mother hen thing, but it helped to focus on him, rather than on her friend lying on the surgical table right now. Especially when all she needed to do to help Marie-Ange was to drain energy from everyone around her. Except... this was a hospital, full of the sick and the injured, the dying and the new-born. She'd kill someone - probably a few someones - for sure.
Conversely, concentrating on Amanda and her taut body language made it easier for Doug to break out of a cycle of self-blame. "I'll...be okay." Maybe if he said it enough he'd believe it himself. He uncurled from the chair he'd ensconced himself in and stood. "Maybe we could walk down to the cafeteria, see what they have?" he offered, unknowingly mirroring Wanda's thoughts from earlier.
"I don't want to leave her..." Amanda began, but the surgery had only began - it could be hours more of waiting yet. "Maybe it'd be good to move about a bit, get some tea..." She glanced uncertainly at Wanda. "Is that a good idea?"
Pulled from her wandering thoughts, Wanda blinked slowly. "I think it would do us all some good," she responded. "At the very least, it gives us something else to focus on."
"You mean other than someone's horrible death?" It wasn't so much a joke as a statement of fact from Amanda, although there was a rather twisted-looking smile that went with it.
Doug didn't smile at all, but rather his face paled at the thought of Marie-Ange dying. He'd been trying to avoid considering it, with middling success, but Amanda's comment brought it all crashing back. This must have been something like what Marie-Ange felt after the blood drive, a part of him mused.
Wanda rose and moved to where the other two were standing. She couldn't refute what Amanda had said because as much as it froze her blood...mentally she shook herself. "If anyone could pull through this, Marie-Ange is the one," she said quietly. "I think a walk and food is the thing we all need."
Amanda's mouth dropped open, her expression horrified. "I didn't mean... Of course she's not gunna die." Even if Amanda had to drain herself to bring her back. "I meant the fuckers that did this!" She was as pale as Doug now. "Fuck, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd take it like that..." Stumbling back a few steps, she seemed ready to flee.
"Shh, it's okay, Amanda," Doug said quietly, slowly following Amanda's steps so that she wasn't too far away. "We know you didn't mean it. It just...y'know, we're all on edge." Knowing how skittish the Brit could be, he spread his arms slightly to offer a hug, but without stepping forward to impose it on her.
She grabbed at him like someone drowning. "I'm sorry," she babbled, muffled by having her face in his shirt. "I just don't know what to do and she's lying in there hurt and I want to help, but I can't, and you don't need this, you've got enough on your plate..."
Doug wrapped his arms gently around Amanda, his own tears trickling down his face as he murmured into her hair, trying to find words that would reassure them both that Marie-Ange would pull through and everything would be okay again.
After a moment, two hands settled gently on the backs of Amanda and Doug’s heads and Wanda smiled at them both. They were all being run ragged, emotionally more than physically but both taking its toll, but they would see each other through this. “Let’s see what we can find that is edible around here, though I highly doubt anything will beat evil donuts courtesy of Pete. But we can try.”
With two fingers, Wanda shoved the cup of coffee away from her. It was disgusting but the tea was worse, weaker, and the only other option was the soda machine down the hall. Apparently there was a cafeteria somewhere in the hospital but she was not very keen on attempting to find it right now. Leaning back in her seat, she took a deep breath, trying to get comfortable in the seats of the waiting room.
For her part, Amanda had rejected the seats in favour of pacing up and down the strip of hallway, her boots squeaking a little on the linoleum. Hands shoved deep into her pockets to avoid any more nail biting - she'd already chewed them to the quick - she cast a worried glance at the third member of the little group waiting for news. "Doug?"
"Water water everywhere, nor any drop to drink." Doug murmured the quote to himself, not for any particular reason but the constant water imagery that had been in Marie-Ange's visions the entire year. Imagery of their friends and teammates drowning. Much the way someone who'd taken a bullet through their lung could drown on their own blood. If he hadn't sent her to talk to Remy about her visions...Doug chased himself around the causality loop like a dog chasing its own tail until Amanda's voice snapped him out of it. "Hm?"
"You all right? You want me to get you anything?" She was stealing his gig, doing the mother hen thing, but it helped to focus on him, rather than on her friend lying on the surgical table right now. Especially when all she needed to do to help Marie-Ange was to drain energy from everyone around her. Except... this was a hospital, full of the sick and the injured, the dying and the new-born. She'd kill someone - probably a few someones - for sure.
Conversely, concentrating on Amanda and her taut body language made it easier for Doug to break out of a cycle of self-blame. "I'll...be okay." Maybe if he said it enough he'd believe it himself. He uncurled from the chair he'd ensconced himself in and stood. "Maybe we could walk down to the cafeteria, see what they have?" he offered, unknowingly mirroring Wanda's thoughts from earlier.
"I don't want to leave her..." Amanda began, but the surgery had only began - it could be hours more of waiting yet. "Maybe it'd be good to move about a bit, get some tea..." She glanced uncertainly at Wanda. "Is that a good idea?"
Pulled from her wandering thoughts, Wanda blinked slowly. "I think it would do us all some good," she responded. "At the very least, it gives us something else to focus on."
"You mean other than someone's horrible death?" It wasn't so much a joke as a statement of fact from Amanda, although there was a rather twisted-looking smile that went with it.
Doug didn't smile at all, but rather his face paled at the thought of Marie-Ange dying. He'd been trying to avoid considering it, with middling success, but Amanda's comment brought it all crashing back. This must have been something like what Marie-Ange felt after the blood drive, a part of him mused.
Wanda rose and moved to where the other two were standing. She couldn't refute what Amanda had said because as much as it froze her blood...mentally she shook herself. "If anyone could pull through this, Marie-Ange is the one," she said quietly. "I think a walk and food is the thing we all need."
Amanda's mouth dropped open, her expression horrified. "I didn't mean... Of course she's not gunna die." Even if Amanda had to drain herself to bring her back. "I meant the fuckers that did this!" She was as pale as Doug now. "Fuck, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd take it like that..." Stumbling back a few steps, she seemed ready to flee.
"Shh, it's okay, Amanda," Doug said quietly, slowly following Amanda's steps so that she wasn't too far away. "We know you didn't mean it. It just...y'know, we're all on edge." Knowing how skittish the Brit could be, he spread his arms slightly to offer a hug, but without stepping forward to impose it on her.
She grabbed at him like someone drowning. "I'm sorry," she babbled, muffled by having her face in his shirt. "I just don't know what to do and she's lying in there hurt and I want to help, but I can't, and you don't need this, you've got enough on your plate..."
Doug wrapped his arms gently around Amanda, his own tears trickling down his face as he murmured into her hair, trying to find words that would reassure them both that Marie-Ange would pull through and everything would be okay again.
After a moment, two hands settled gently on the backs of Amanda and Doug’s heads and Wanda smiled at them both. They were all being run ragged, emotionally more than physically but both taking its toll, but they would see each other through this. “Let’s see what we can find that is edible around here, though I highly doubt anything will beat evil donuts courtesy of Pete. But we can try.”
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-28 08:00 pm (UTC)My arm's fine now and my healing factor sort of got used to regular Marius-donations and hasn't settled back yet. Can you target?
(OOC: Yes, yes, I know Rahne doesn't have enough information to make the offer and how this goes is already planned out.)
no subject
Date: 2007-09-28 09:39 pm (UTC)(OOC: No worries. I take it the log resonated? :) )