"I need a gurney, like, yesterday," Lita barked at the collective in the waiting room, hoping one of the staff had the presence of mind to get off their fat asses and acquiesce. She put a steadying hand on Frost's arm and her bodyguard (who was proving to be more helpful than she had anticipated in his day's tenure) moved to Frost's other side should he topple over. She'd seen a flicker of recognition when she'd looked into his eyes but it had passed quickly. Still, it was enough to give her hope that he'd rally.
A gurney appeared by her side moments after her shrill request and between her and her new muscle they maneuvered the Frost on his side, should he vomit. He was coming down from a high and was probably beginning experiencing the hellish withdraw symptoms she'd seen time and time again.
"Time is funny like that," Lita answered Frost, for all he could hear or understand her. His words were mostly gibberish, reminiscent of his strange Freenet soliloquies she'd come to hate. Seeing his nonsensical mumblings on her phone in black and white made his descent into Prax all that more upsetting and for awhile there she dreaded to see his handle appear on the boards for fear of what she'd find.
"Hey, Frost, don't worry about the stars," Lita said. Her voice wasn't soothing, exactly; but it was resolute and unwavering in its determination. "And Shakespeare's been a lost cause for awhile now. All that matters is you're here now. We'll get you home as soon as possible."
Graham's eyes began to tear up as he became more agitated and disorientated. She hated what this drug did to people she cared about and respected; if she ever found the son of a bitch that made and sold this shit she'd make damn sure he'd never forget her name. Didn't matter, though. You could launch the whole batch of it into the sun and some asshole would still find a way to bring it back and sell it at an even bigger profit. And the rate of recidivism for Prax users was staggering; once you've caught the taste you can't seem to shake the hunger. Still, if Frost could survive a damn plane crash Lita had faith he could survive this.
She wheeled Graham to his room where nurses were already bustling around with supreme efficiency. Lita may talk a mean game but she'd never be able to do what she does without her superior coworkers, especially the nurses. Sure, there were a lot of people around here whose work ethic was less than staggering but Lita knew who she could count on when times got rough.
They transferred Graham from the gurney to the bed, Lita trying desperately to administer IV fluid but Frost was shaking and twitching too much. She had restraints at the ready but she hoped she didn't have to use them. Lita hoped to distract him long enough to stick him but hoped her tactic wouldn't backfire spectacularly.
"Come on now, Frost. I need you to focus. You can do this. Think hard. Tell me a story."