Dr Alice Sparks (final_cut) wrote in btvsal, @ 2009-10-08 00:33:00 |
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Current mood: | calm |
Entry tags: | place: la, ~alice sparks, ~liz todd |
WHO: Elizabeth and Alice
WHEN: Wednesday afternoon
WHERE: Cafeteria, LAGH
The rumors were everywhere, and no matter where in the hospital Dr. Elizabeth Todd went, she heard them. A patient, Candice Harrington, had come out of a coma in the middle of the night, and had somehow found the strength to tear out her own IVs and escape the hospital. To most people, this was something of wonder... to Elizabeth, it sent chills down her spine. The first thing she'd done when she heard was call Wesley, so he could warn the other Watchers, and the Slayers. The girl had tried to murder Faith Lehane and had fought on the side of Wolfram & Hart before being brought down by Catherine Baclanova in battle. To know she was awake now, and out and about... it infuriated her. She knew if the hospital could have been in the loop as to what she realy was, they could have had guards near her, been ready for this, for her accelerated healing. So now, all Liz could do was sit there in the cafeteria at the hospital, and worry. Picking at her food but not really eating anything, she grumbled to herself.
Alice was in a much calmer place. She was eating an apple and looking through a newspaper at the table next to Elizabeth's. She'd heard about the girl who'd awoken and ran off, as well; something ominous about that, made her wonder what the girl had been running from.
Liz looked up at her coworker and gave a half-amused, half-exasperated chuckle. "It never fails to amaze me how a trauma surgeon can just be so calm all the time. I don't know whether to be envious or aggravated."
"It wouldn't do anybody much good if I wasn't calm," Alice said. "I guess it comes with the territory. The worse things you've seen, the less you're phased by everything else."
"Alice..." Liz figured this was as good a place to start as any. Alice had always seemed like the type to allow for any possibilities. "Have you ever seen anything here, injury-wise, that just didn't seem to mix with the explanation it was given?"
"Stories don't match with what I see," Alice said. "People always cover things up. Have you ever heard of 'spontanous neck-rupture'? Because, honest to God, I've seen it on admission forms more than once. It doesn't look so much spontanous as ... " She eyed the teethmarks in her apple impassively. " ... not."
"It doesn't add up, Alice, and you know it. You're smarter than that. I think you know what these things, these injuries are. What the cause of them is. Whether anyone else wants to admit it or NOT." She shook her head, not wanting to say TOO much until the air was totally cleared. "These people deserve care for the injuries they REALLY recieved, not what the hospital percieves them as."
"I'm not always sure that it makes a difference," Alice said. She lowered her voice a bit. "A hole in the neck is still a hole in the neck, however it got there. I wonder sometimes about the stories ... Am I sending someone home to turn into a monster? ... but it's not something there's a form about. 'Oh, by the way, eat some garlic and hang a cross in your room, and don't forget to take your antibiotics.'" She looked thoughful. "But I don't think it works that way. Some old stories are just stories."
"But some of them aren't, as well." Time to take her first real risk here. Alice was well-respected here. Having her as an ally could go a long way... but having her think Liz was a nutjob could make this whole operation DOA. "Alice... what would you say if I told you I know from experience that most of these things we hear rumors about are real?"
Alice gave her a long, very direct look. "I have something I call my Red File," she said. "I redact for HIPAA, but I hang onto reports that don't make a lick of sense. It's not a very big file, but it's crossd my mind that I was missing something. Could be that's what I was missing. Tell me more."
Lowering her voice to a whisper, Liz's tone turned pleading. "All I ask is... please, whatever I tell you, don't betray my trust. A lot of good people are depending on me to not to let them down. But listen... all these bad things. Vampires, demons, all of it. They exist. I know this because I know the people who fight them. My own sister is one of them."
"I only knew what I've been able to piece together," Alice said quietly. "And that's not very much. And I saw something, a long time ago, but it's not even clear in my mind what that might have been. I'd be interested to see proof. I'd like to know ... well, knowing how things work is pretty much my life, so I'd love to know that."
"Alice... I have an idea. Something I'm determined to do. But it's dangerous, and could put our lives and our careers in jeopardy. I want to develop a system to make sure that the people that keep us safe from these monsters can get the medical help they need, without having to lie about it and end up getting inferior care." It would have sounded like a joke, if Liz's voice hadn't had so much damned emotion in it. "What if I told you I could let you meet a real vampire? One that, for some reason or other, actually is on our side? Would that make you believe me?"
Alice studied her colleague's face closely. "You're really not having me on, are you?" she asked. "So many questions come to mind. Proof is in the pudding, though. Who is this ... I mean ... you're absolutely sure?"
"She's... a friend of a friend. And yes, I'm sure. I went my whole life not believing this until it was almost literally thrown in my face." The blonde doctor's eyes seemed to be pleading for understanding. "These people... without their help, we'd be treating a LOT more people for 'spontaneous neck rupture'. Trust me on that."
"Okay, then," Alice said. "Show me something concrete, and if I'm convinced, I'll help you as much as I'm able to."
"Fine... do you know where Avarice is? Other side of town?" She asked, knowing exactly what to do... if meeting Meredith didn't convince her, nothing would. "This girl... she hangs out there all the time."
"I've seen fliers for the place," Alice said. "It's on the Strip, right?"
"Near, yeah. Meet me there tonight, when you get off shift. All I ask is, once you meet Meredith, if you don't believe me, or dont want to help... just please keep what we've talked about to yourself. Because I respect you... but this is very important to me." She swallowed, knowing what a huge gambit she was making here.
"Not many people I could tell without getting laughed out of the room," Alice said, "so, no problem agreeing to that part of it. And sure, I'll meet you there."
"Just remember: come with an open mind. And no matter what you've heard... trust me: this girl wont hurt you." Liz thought about it for a minute, then smirked. "Although, from what I understand about her, she *is* likely to hit on you unmercifully."
Alice wasn't quite sure how to take that last bit, so she settled for raising her eyebrows and nodding. "Ah. How old is she? I mean, is she from, like, colonial times or something? Older?"
"No, actually... if my boyfriend is right, she's only been a vampire for about a year. She's 18 or 19 if I'm right." She tried not to laugh there. "So, only historical info you're likely to pull from her is something about MTV."
Alice laughed. "See, in the books and movies, they've always got hundreds of years of experience. I always figured that if the stories were true, about half of the powers ... mindreading and stuff ... were probably just severe old age combined with lots of experience."
"Admittedly, I don't know much about them. I know more about the people that fight them. These girls... theyre called Slayers. They have strength, and speed, and they're what keeps us safe." Ok, usually, at least. Candice being the exception.
"Can't exactly drop by the ER with fang marks, unless you really want to undergo the full course of rabies vaccinations," Alice said. "Who else do you have pitching in?"
"You're the first person I approached." She admitted, shrugging. "Alice.. you're one of the most respected doctors here. If I have you on my side... maybe getting a few others won't be as hard."
"Mm. I'd appreciate it if you got a really good read on any potential candidates before you brought my name up. That respect wouldn't last long if ... Well, you seem very aware of this."
"Look. Once I know you're on my side... we'll decide together who we approach. Deal?" She offered her hand, hoping for a handshake.
Alice looked at Liz's hand and set down her apple core. She wiped her hand with a paper napkin and nodded. "Sounds dangerous. And fascinating. I'm in," she said, and shook Liz's hand.
"Good. And remember. Avarice, tonight, when you get out. You'll get all the proof you want. I'm going to make a few phone calls, make sure Meredith will be there." This was going to be interesting. Now that she realized she actually was friends with Ben's sister, she knew she could call him for a favor... but this was going to be an interesting one to ask for.