InsaneJournal

Triage
Characters: Cal and Violet
Setting: Clinic, early morning

It was and wasn’t surprising to find that Violet had beat Cal down to the clinic; it was because he’d come down early indeed after not having slept a wink, and it wasn’t because he doubted she’d done much better. After all, she’d conducted the exam and tended to Becka, and whatever she’d tried to handle during that time? It worried her, which worried Cal in turn.

Violet had seemed fairly seasoned, after all; optimistic without being naive, but realistic enough too that Cal hadn’t needed to worry about her conduct or professionalism. Now, clearly, he did have something to worry about. As he bustled in with a mug in each hand (coffee for himself, low-caffeine green tea for her) he was already looking around for Violet. “Vi?” Cal called, clearly wound tight even with just one word to judge him on.

Violet very clearly looked like she hadn't slept much, dark circles under her eyes, and she had the movements of someone who was just a bit wired. She had everything out, however, her notes, which she'd added to, a few books she'd gotten from the library, and she was sitting down going over everything for the billionth time when Cal came in. "Over here," she called, getting his attention. "Good morning." she greeted, even if it was clear neither of them thought it was particularly 'good'.

If there had been any way to be down here last night working, Cal would’ve been. But with the additions the administration had warned of, he’d been kept topside after leaving for the exam to be performed. And while Violet may have found something useful in the library? Cal doubted he would’ve, not when he was coming at the situation from a mental health perspective. He knew his materials inside and out, and anything he found here would be something he’d covered in a class.

Still, he seemed hopeful that maybe those familiar materials could work with Violet’s different perspective to give them both a better chance at helping Becka. “Don’t think I’ve seen rings that deep ‘round someone’s eyes since my residency,” he joked dryly, heading over to offer the mug to her. “What’re you goin’ over here?”

Violet had to smile at his comment, even if it was a tired one. "God, you're a prince." she said to the tea, immediately wrapping her hands around the mug to leech the warmth from it. "Thank you." she added. Then she glanced to her notes, pushing her glasses back into place absently. "I'm going over my notes. Again." she provided. Handing them over, she sat back, taking a sip of her tea.

"I'm worried. And not just in the usual way, with cases like these."

“Can I take a look?” Cal asked, grabbing the chair from his desk to pull it over. “I’m workin’ off of what you told me and what I figured out for myself so far, which is... a little. Havin’ to leave for an exam to be performed, plus Becka being seen down here by Wu? Those’re two pretty distinctive things.” Enough so that, with the criminal profile of Wu that Cal remembered, he could guess at the connection. “Give me a rundown of what you’re working from,” he requested, sipping his coffee and leaning in to start reading.

"I'm worried about Becka's stability, specifically due to her reactions. I recommended that she ask the administration to remove her, send her back home, and she...well. She says the only one she trusts now is Wu, and she wouldn't even entertain the idea. How much do you know about Becka's past?" she asked, the question completely professional. She honestly didn't know how much chatting Cal and Becka had done before she arrived.

“Not a whole lot,” Cal admitted, shaking his head a touch and glancing from Violet to her notes as he spoke, “We’ve kept it mostly professional, talked a little about her conviction, and a little more about acclimating here. Getting used to the other inmates.” He hadn’t needed to frame Becka in psychiatric terms yet, though a few had fallen into place unbidden, but at a casual impression? She’d seemed okay, as okay as any of the others here. “Honestly, I know more ‘bout Wu’s past, so if she’s saying she only trusts him? I’m worried about her stability too.”

"That isn't even the most worrying part." Violet said with a sigh, sipping more tea. It was nice, she hadn't realized she'd been neglecting fluids, but she noticed now that she was getting some. "Becka was in a prison that seemed like a dream come true. This was a downgrade for her, this facility. She's also extremely close with her family. Like, television-family close. So, it occurred to me that she wouldn't even truly want the 'prize' they're dangling in front of everyone. If she had to get a new identity at the end, she wouldn't, in theory, be allowed to contact anyone from he old life." She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "All of that said, add this on top of everything...why wouldn't she jump at the idea of going back? Why would she not immediately be on that computer, begging to be shipped home where she was happier, would have her family to support her..." she trailed off. "She gave me the reasoning of needing to know who did it, but I told her they could merely send her word...but she didn't budge."

He’d had no idea that Becka had been taken from a situation like that. Maybe it was still prison, maybe it wasn’t ideal, but if she’d had regular contact with her family and been kept in minimum-security? This was worse, even before what had happened. “Before what happened, I couldn’t tell you why she’d want to stay. I know she was getting involved with a guy here, had my misigivings on that score, but past that? Think I’d have been sending in four contact forms a day askin’ to go back,” Cal mused with a frown, eyes fixed on Violet’s notes as he absorbed her observations. “But now? Now I’m betting it’s survivor’s trauma, I saw it a lot workin’ with convicts back in Atlanta. You get attacked like that and you start defying things that make perfect sense, just because the defiance is somethin’ you can control after the assault took control away from you.”

"That could very definitely be it." Violet said. "But...I don't know. I don't think she's instiutionalized yet, and we haven't been here long. I know it sets in at different rates with different people, and this circumstance is unprecedented, but it's making me wonder, honestly, if there's some other trauma involved. Something else playing in that we don't know about." she admitted.

“You say she’s keepin’ company with Wu,” Cal said again, his frown becoming a full scowl now, a grimace that he fit around the edge of his mug for a drink before he looked up from Violet’s notes to Violet herself. “Could be...” he muttered, seeming loathe to even voice the thought, “Could be she wants more than to know who did it. Could be she wants to see what happens to ‘em when they’re found out.” He hated saying it, hated imagining the bright young woman Becka had been already seeking such things; but it fit the trauma. Every bit as much as the stubborn refusal to even ask to go, it fit.

"I have no idea." Violet said, though she knew Cal's suspicions weren't exactly discountable. It was possible. Anything was, when sense flew out the window. She knew that. "I just know it's more worrying than usual." she added. "And I keep trying to find some angle that will help, but so far, I've got nothing. I should tell you, however, that I petitioned the administration to remove her. If she won't see reason herself, I feel that someone has to protect her from herself. What she needs is to be someplace safe, with a proper support system. She won't get that here. Especially with her only trusting Wu."

That wasn’t something Cal had expected to hear, though it made absolute sense that Violet would do that. If Cal had been informed of the full situation, he would’ve done similar, and probably tried to have the men cordoned off for psychiatric evaluations. So while it was a surprise? It was a good one, possibly the only good one that would come from this. “I’m thinking I’d like to get a chance for a talk with her. In a worst-case scenario, both of us asking for her to be removed for proper treatment is going to be harder to ignore.” But there was no best-case scenario here, not really. What could it be? That Cal would confirm the existence of trauma? He wasn’t equipped to treat something that severe, not without a regimen of medication and dedicated therapy. And he doubted Becka would welcome either of those.

Violet nodded. "Of course. You have access to all of my notes, and I wish I could tell you more, observation-wise, but it's all here. I don't think the kit will turn up much of anything, which makes me even more uncomfortable. It of course implies this guy knew what he was doing. It wasn't a purely opportunistic endeavor. Which again leads me to believe Becka's safest option is to be elsewhere." she sighed. “She shouldn’t be in an environment like this, especially now.”

“I’m not sure any of us should, not the way it’s been structured and enforced,” Cal agreed. “Co-ed housing, a lack of substantiated information on the more dangerous members here, denial of evidence when someone commits a crime or even of what that crime was... I’m not sure anything about this place is safe. Even for the worst of us.” He’d had that concern on the second day when they’d declared him the house doctor without any kind of verification for the others that Cal wasn’t dangerous and had actually been a doctor. “But you’re right that this comes off like it was done by someone with experience. Which means the rest of the house needs to be warned before someone else gets hurt.” They just had to do it without leaking that Becka already had been.

"Do you want to write up a post about it? Do we...wait for the 'authorities' to be chosen?" she asked, wanting them to be on the same page here. It was always important for staff to be on the same page, and just because this place was different than a hospital setting she found it no different for her duties. This was important to her.

“For all we know, waiting works in the perpetrator’s favor,” Cal admitted, scowling again. “Even if saying something now just works up a scare around the house, if it gives whoever did this hesitation? It needs to be done. We won’t be listing any facts that out Becka or hamper an investigation, just issuing a warning about general safety.” And maybe keeping a watchful eye around the courtyard and balconies tonight. “I’ll write one up, but I’d like you to review it before I post it, just in case. I know the textbook advice, but there’s some that I’m betting you could add or correct.”

"Of course." Violet said, deferring to Cal's opinion on that. Whatever he wanted to do, she'd back him up. Right now she felt it was important for there to be a solid front in place. Some solidarity. "Just let me know when you're ready for me to look it over."

“I’ll get started on it now, then,” Cal assured her, sliding his chair back towards his desk. “Won’t take me long, but while I work on it? Put this aside.” He gestured lightly to the paperwork in front of Violet, shaking his head slightly. “Take some acetaminophen, take off your glasses, rest your eyes and drink your tea,” he urged. “You and I have a whole heap of work ahead of us, get a minute’s rest while you can.”

Violet gave Cal a smile, and nodded. "Yes, Doctor." she said, a warmth beneath her tone that shone in her expression. "I'll get on that right away." she promised. She knew she needed it, he was right, so she was planning on following it to the letter. They did have a lot of work ahead. Best to do it with at least a little rest under her belt.