psychologic_cal (psychologic_cal) wrote in rrinitiative, @ 2013-02-19 23:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | cal, cal and susanna, day twelve, susanna |
Symptomatic
Characters: Cal and Susanna
Setting: Clinic, morning
It had been a long time indeed since Cal had needed to pull proper, all-night shifts with someone else in a medical capacity. And even with how small the clinic was, it counted when there was Susanna occupying a bed all night. Maybe there was no real risk, no chance of anything happening to her or the clinic, but the lack of risk wasn’t a reason to get sloppy now. So he’d taken shifts with Violet, sitting in the main space for the first half of the night with a book, reading idly for a while and taking inventory, and when his time was up? Cal had caught a handful of hours asleep in his room, catching every bit of rest he could before morning came.
And now that it was here, he was right back to it. Down in the clinic, Cal was already busy gathering up a fresh change of bandages and nursing the last of his coffee, setting his supplies with another dosage of medication for Susanna. With any luck, a day’s rest would have worked with the medicine to improve her spirits some measure, but however Susanna was feeling today? There was no need to keep her in here any longer, not with her nose set and her injury dressed. A checkup, a change, and she’d be set. “Susanna?” Cal called at last as he gathered up her medicine and bandages, heading for the in-patient rooms. “You awake an’ decent?”
Hospitals and clinics, doctors and cops, these were not things that Susanna was fond of, but apparently even here, they were necessary evils. Speaking with Aaron the night before had not been a pleasant experience, and she was still a little bitter that apparently things were being handled by the newly appointed law enforcement. Did it really matter? She still had every intention of dealing with the crazy bitch herself.
The medicine had helped her sleep, even if she didn't want to admit it. She wasn't feeling particularly great this morning, though, and even though she wanted the medicine, she knew she would only take it grudgingly. She was already awake by the time Cal called out to her, and she'd already changed into the clothes Ryan had brought down for her the night before when he'd visited, a pair of low cut yoga pants and a relatively loose fitting top. It wasn't the best considering her wound, but she only had so much to work with. "I am, yes," she called back to him, sitting back a little more on the bed.
Slipping through the door with a welcoming grin, Cal was quick to set aside the bandages he’d brought for the moment. “How’re you feelin’?” he asked first, “One to ten scale, where would you put your pain at for each injury?” Neither was all that severe, but both were going to be tender for sure. Still, she’d been lucky to get away with so little. “I know you’re probably eager to get clear of the clinic, but I’ve got a few questions to touch on first.”
It was to her credit that she didn’t roll her eyes at Cal, and it wasn’t only because of the pounding in her head; she really was trying to play nice again. She could do that. Maybe. “About a six for my nose and head and a four or five for my stomach,” she answered the more specific question rather than the generic how she was feeling. She was, without a doubt, eager to leave the clinic, and she didn’t particularly want to answer any questions, but she gave him a small nod anyway. “All right,” she said, waiting to hear him out at least.
“Any adverse reactions to the medication we administered yesterday?” Cal asked first, “Nausea, trouble sleeping, anything at all?” It was a minimal chance, but with how against the very idea Susanna had been, Cal didn’t want to leave anything to chance. “And you mind me checking out the puncture? I’ll change the dressing, get you one step closer to bein’ done down here,” he offered with an apologetic grin.
Susanna might have shook her head, but she didn’t really want to aggravate the headache building already. “No, no adverse reactions,” she answered, keeping it simple again. At his request, she said, “No, I don’t mind.” She prefered it really, wanting to get back to top form as soon as possible, and having it improperly taken care of would do nothing to achieve that goal. Shifting to lay down flat, she lifted her shirt above the dressing so that Cal could do his job.
“That’s good, not that I was expectin’ any,” he assured Susanna, snapping on a pair of gloves. “Pretty common meds I rounded up for you, if there was any risk of allergic reactions you’d probably have known about ‘em ahead of time.” And without any such risks? This would be easier for both of them, no doubt. Peeling back the tape around the gauze edges, Cal frowned intently as he looked at the healing bits covering the top of Susanna’s injury, nodding in appraisal. “Looks about as good as we can hope for a day later, won’t take two seconds to get some more antibiotics on there. I’ll do a dab of topical too, ought to ease the sting a touch...”
Well, that was good at least. She’d have been rather peeved had she had some kind of reaction to the meds considering she hadn’t wanted them to begin with. Of course now that the adrenaline was dead and gone and she was dealing with the pain without any buffer, she did want something to at least dull it. Susanna was still and quiet as Cal pulled the dressing back, watching him for any sign that there was something wrong with how it was healing. “All right,” she said, not terribly worried about it.
It looked as good as a day old puncture could, as he’d told her, but Cal was nothing if not diligent. He was looking close for any seepage or undue redness, any cracking around the first bits of scabrous tissue, and finding none? Cal worked quick to dab some topical ointment on one gloved fingertip, gingerly dotting Susanna’s skin with it. “How’d this happen, anyway?” he asked as he worked, “I mean I got the checklist from Ryan? Meg with the knitting needle in the library, my money was on Colonel Mustard by the by, but what happened there? I know she’s volatile.” And Susanna was poised and confident, and definitely not above a bit of leading statements.
Oh, how she wanted to gloat about how Meg had played right into her hands, how she would have killed her had Reece not interfered. She couldn’t, though, not when she wanted to ensure she came out the other side of this without any unsavory repercussions. “It was actually the activity room,” she corrected first. “But yes, she’s quite volatile. Dominic came up, and she was displeased with what I had to say.” It really was as simple as that. Of course, it was also far more complicated, with the way she’d poked and goaded Meg into the fight, but it wasn’t until Dominic that she’d finally got Meg to actually attack her.
Cal couldn’t help a small chuckle at the little joke he’d made going completely unnoticed, shaking his head over it as he listened to Susanna. Cal knew deliberate wording when he heard it, too; he was very practiced in using it himself during sessions and evaluations. And that right there? Dominic ‘came up’? It was specific framing. “What’d you say, exactly?” Because while he knew Meg was unstable, he also knew from her case history that there was always a catalyst for her outbursts. “Figure it’s worth askin’ about before I try to track her down myself, I wouldn’t mind knowin’ what triggers to avoid,” Cal admitted with a small grin, gently taping fresh gauze into place once he’d finished cleaning Susanna’s injury.
Contrary to Cal's assumption, Susanna had caught the joke, she just hadn't found it particularly amusing in that moment. After all, he'd stated the correct weapon, which wasn't in the game, so why not state the correct room? It wasn't something she was going to dwell on, and she ignored his chuckle. Her eyebrows rose a bit at the questions, pulling the skin of her nose up and causing her to flinch slightly and relax her face again. "I would imagine that someone with as much experience as yourself would have little difficulty navigating such a conversation should you find her," she said conversationally, intentionally evading the question. She'd already gone through it all, or at least most of it, with Aaron, and she had no intention of giving anyone else so many details, other than Ryan of course.
“Fair enough, fair enough,” Cal relented as he taped carefully and stepped back to let Susanna lower her shirt again. “No harm in askin’, though. Odds are good that I might get asked for a professional opinion by the folks in charge or the ones doin’ the law jobs, and I can give ‘em one when I talk with Meg.” And while Cal wasn’t a good liar, when it came to presenting a specific truth he was surprisingly deft. In this case, it was the unspoken inference that he could only offer input based on what he was told, and that he’d do so without Susanna defending herself. It was subtle, but he’d seen it work countless times with hardened cons looking to paint a clearer picture. “Your injuries speak for themselves, really,” he added, “Won’t take whoever gets jury duty much thought to see how things shook out.”
Susanna was suspicious by nature - how could she not be when she knew just what she was capable of? - and so she couldn't help but wonder if Cal was subtly offering to help her make sure Meg was punished for this or if he was trying to manipulate her into revealing the truth. She kept her expression thoughtful though, not showing any of the suspicion she felt, and nodded at that last bit. "Well, I talked to Aaron about it all last night, and I'll say the same thing I said to him. I did not attack her, I didn't put a finger on her until she broke my nose, and nothing justifies physical violence beyond defending oneself from physical violence," she said firmly, feigning a hurt expression.
Again, it was so deliberate that Cal was left wondering over the woman in his clinic’s bed. No details about what was actually said, just a justification of Susanna being the wronged party. To Cal? That said she knew there was something she’d said that could be taken as provocation; that something could be taken as justification even if she felt otherwise. And really, Cal agreed on that count. Violence was disgusting, it was a weak response to the stresses of life or a sharp one used to get one’s way. But twisting the context of it all, like it seemed like Susanna was? That wasn’t much better, and it had him wary.
“ ‘Round here I think there’s some folks who’d disagree on that count,” Cal pointed out, “In fact, a lot of ‘em might. I’m hopin’ that won’t be the case, and no matter how fucked it gets I don’t think anyone can lay this on you, not with what was done to you. But you gotta consider that if Meg is the first one to go on-record about what was said, that’s gonna shift the context of the whole thing. It’s a jury mentality, one where accusations get made and you have to refute ‘em, even after you got hurt.” And his frown told her just how screwed up Cal thought that was on Susanna’s behalf, but he’d always disagreed with the fundamentals of the justice system and how it worked.
There was little doubt in Susanna's mind that Cal was right on that point, that if Meg revealed everything she'd said, some -if not many- people here would side with the crazy blonde. She didn’t like it, but that was part of why she was trying to ensure that it was known that she hadn’t instigated any physical violence. “Oh! No, I didn’t clarify myself very well, I’m sorry. I did explain further to Aaron what was said, I just still don’t believe it’s as relevant as the fact that she physically attacked me. I’m tired and not feeling the best - understandably so, I believe, and I just really don’t want to go over it all again,” she explained, though from the way he was talking it might not be a bad idea to give some well-phrased details to the doctor.
“Sad as it is, I think in a place where we gotta elect each other for positions and end up with some of the ones we got? It could be relevant,” Cal lamented, “I’m hopin’ that whoever gets picked for jury work is level-headed, but we got no way of knowin’.” Again, he found himself sharing a real concern in the moment. It freaked Cal out endlessly to think of Zach or Wu or Meg being in control of someone else’s well being, or even a nonviolent offender like Mazie. The issues he’d seen in this place had him thinking that none of them could be reliably chosen to oversee the others, but here they all were.
And if sharing that concern got him a bit of empathy with Susanna? That only meant that he could do his job right, for all of their best interests. “But there’s no need to retread the ground you went over with Aaron. I’ll make sure a full writeup of your injuries gets to him and the others, and unless somethin’ big changes I’m thinkin’ the most worry you’ll have will be the time it takes before punishment gets doled out. ‘Til then I’d say take it easy, both to duck Meg if she’s lookin’ for round two, and to heal up,” he instructed before handing over the rest of the supplies he’d gathered up. “There’s a week’s worth of fresh patches in here, change ‘em twice a day. Also some really mild anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, once a day on each with some ibuprofen or aspirin for the pain and I think you’ll be just fine.”
Cal’s lamentation struck a chord with her, and Susanna frowned at him. “Doctor-patient confidentiality applies here, correct?” she asked, needing the verbal confirmation of it before she even thought about throwing in her two cents about that. It seemed that Cal might have problems with some of the same appointments as she did, if for potentially different reasons, and that might be something she could use to her advantage. It could only be a good thing to get on the doctor’s good side, right?
She was glad, at least, that he wasn’t going to push her to go over it all again. She really didn’t want to. “I do appreciate that,” she said of the writeup. “And please, don’t worry about round two happening,” Anytime soon, “as I have no desire for any further interaction with that girl,” she lied smoothly, nothing in her tone or expression giving a sign that it wasn’t the absolute truth. She sat up carefully and took the supplied he handed over, nodding slightly at the instructions. “What about showering?” she asked, as it truly was a primary concern for her.
Cal believed that last claim, if only because Susanna had lost the fight with Meg, and who’d want to go back for another stab? “Confidentiality applies mostly to your medical history, actually. In the case of mental health or private sessions, it applies so long as I don’t believe you’re a danger to yourself or others,” he explained patiently, “Or it would if I were properly licensed. But I hold the responsibility just as sacred whether I am or not, so if you’re worried ‘bout something? I’ll listen.”
And it was surprising that she’d ask first, as if Susanna needed to qualify her privacy so Cal couldn’t make sure whatever she said got used against her. It was worrying in its’ own regard. “As for showering, I’d say skip one today. Clean around the injury site gently with a washcloth and warm water when you change the dressing, and when you start showering again avoid forceful contact with it. Blot with a towel, try avoiding too much soapy contact, and if you see any irritation around the skin come back down here and I’ll take a look,” he clarified, pleased that Susanna was at least trying to take care of herself. Most inmates didn’t give two shits.
It was fairly clear to her that Cal didn't particularly understand the purpose of her asking in the context of their conversation in that moment, but no matter. She wouldn't hesitate to correct whatever assumption he'd made in this case. "I'm not asking in regards to my mental or physical health, rather the implications of what you said. It seems as if you are rather concerned with some of the positions certain individuals were elected to? I must admit, I am more than a little concerned myself." And she didn't have to feign the concern, as it was clear and genuine. Not only because Wu had somehow been elected Governor; no, by some sheer twist of fate, Ryan and Reece had ended up on the Detention team together, and she was particularly worried about that, though that wasn't one she was going to be talking to Cal about.
While not particularly pleased with the instructions regarding showering, Susanna would follow them so as to ensure her stomach healed as quickly and painlessly as possible. "All right, I will do my best to skip today." It would take some effort, though. She felt particularly dirty after the fight and subsequent medical treatment. All she really wanted was a shower - or really, a nice long bath, but even she knew that submersion was out of the question right now. "I'll be sure to come back down if it doesn't look right," she assured him. As much as she didn't want to take the chance of Cal seeing more than she wanted him to, she wasn't going to play roulette with her health.
“I’m concerned, yeah,” Cal confirmed with a sheepish grin, “And sorry, always gotta make sure people understand what confidentiality actually gives. But I think it’s to be expected, that both of us an’ probably a lot more folks here have doubts about the election results. For me, it’s the spots with real authority bein’ given out to unknown factors.” And he doubted she’d like hearing this if Ryan and her were close, but Susanna was clearly looking for some honesty before giving her own. “Detention, law enforcement, the governor job... I don’t know that any of us should have that control. It’s the Stanford experiments flipped over themselves.”
The doctor was just so... good. It was disgusting really, and it made her all the more aware that she needed to choose her words wisely. She nodded just slightly when he mentioned the Stanford experiments. "Oh, absolutely. I do not believe any of us should have been given that control, either. If I'm being frank, it is difficult enough to even trust you with my health, though I mean no offense by it - you've behaved quite professionally and proved yourself to be skilled as a medical professional. I just fear that people do not understand just what they have unleashed in electing certain individuals into these positions."
“No offense taken, I’d be skeptical of me too,” Cal assured her, “Hell, I still would be after this long without some proper documentation. And with the others, we don’t even have that to ask for. S’like... so Wu ran his own show for a while, that doesn’t make him a good fit here. Or the detention boys, we really want any of them in charge of someone who’s on lockdown?” Cal didn’t, clearly, and he’d do what he could to provide an extra layer of oversight. But there was already more than enough to do here, and now also the vaguest of misgivings about the situation with Susanna and Meg. “I think all we can really do is communicate our concerns openly with each other. If there’s a risk or worry with someone, you gotta speak up about it. Establish early on what worries you, and if it becomes a real problem then there’s an evidentiary sequence to follow back.”
Susanna smiled faintly at that, not finding it odd in the least that Cal agreed. It was hard to trust anyone here, but in Cal's case, what else could they do but trust him if they needed medical attention? "Oh, absolutely. I don’t believe that any of us should - there’s a reason why they don’t let convicts be prison guards - it’s dangerous and just a bit terrifying. And I think if people really understood just how Wu ran his show, rather than just that list of crimes, they might have been less inclined to vote him in." And just talking about it was doing wonders for reminding her just what was at stake and how important it was to play the game right. "Hmm, the problem with expressing concerns, particularly about Wu's appointment as Governor, is that it would bring his focus to you, a target if you will. All I want is to do my time and get back to living, the same as most everyone else, I would imagine. I don't want to deal with the politics here." And she didn't want to be constantly looking over her shoulder, wondering if Wu would either come after her himself or send someone after her.
They were in total agreement there, despite any private concerns on Cal’s end; all he wanted was to serve his own sentence, get a fresh start, and get back to doing some real good if it was still possible under a new identity. But that would be too easy for both of them, they had to play this game... even if the rules were changing. “I’m not worried ‘bout his focus, Susanna,” Cal said resolutely, stepping back from the clinic bed and offering her a hand, “He seems like a smart enough sort, no doubt enough so to not come after the doctor. And he already seems to know folks will have reason not to trust him. I think the worst thing we can do is let that worry over his possible wrath keep us quiet when there’s a problem. If there is? You let me know, we’ll go about it as a group.” Even if Wu terrified him.
While Susanna hadn't actually been concerned about Wu targeting the doctor, she wasn't going to correct him on that. It would do her no good to admit that she was concerned that Wu might turn his sights on her sometime down the line. He'd been far too astute for her own good. It wasn't something to dwell on at that moment, though, she decided as she took the offered hand and carefully got off the bed to stand up. She was very sore, but she would get through it and take her medicine and not overdo things like a good patient. And when the time came? She would kill Megan Mills. "Absolutely, I will let you know," she assured him with a small nod, picking up the small pile of supplies he'd given her. "About that, and if anything seems off with my healing injuries,” she added, wanting to ensure the doctor knew she intended to take care of herself.
“Well here’s hopin’ I don’t see you too soon, then. Not that I dislike the company, but absence’d mean things are goin’ well on both counts,” Cal agreed warmly when Susanna reassured him. However he felt about the situation with her and Meg, whatever itch there was in his brain? At least Cal felt sure that she would see to her injuries properly. As far as coming to him if there was trouble, Cal wasn’t as sure, but then it seemed like Susanna’s worries ran down deeper, more specific veins than she was willing to share. It’d bear further observation, if he was able. That was always the catch in here though; there was so much that merited further observation, and so little time for any of it... “Can I see you to the elevator?” he asked, almost an afterthought that came with Susanna readying herself to leave.
That was definitely something Susanna could agree with. As clearly good a person as the doc was, she really didn't want to spend any more time around him than she had to. The man was far too intuitive. "Of course, so here's to hoping," she agreed, smiling slightly back at him. At the question, Susanna barely remember not to shake her head, not wanting the room to start spinning. "No, thank you. Ryan's supposed to pick me up and escort me back to my room," she explained. And really, he should be here soon if he wasn't already.
Being told that, Cal turned his attention to Susanna’s room itself after giving a curt little nod and grin. “Tell him to do it gently,” he joked lightly, mentally amending to see to the bedsheets in here himself. Sure, the laundry room wasn’t quite the change of scenery that he kept hearing he needed, but it was a start. “If you ever need help sooner than you can make it down here, too? Room six, just knock,” Cal added as he started to strip the sheets. To date, the clinic had seen very few actual patients, more blood work or private talks than anything else. But even so, and even if Susanna’s needs had been minor? Cal was satisfied with his part in things. You didn’t need to perform a heart transplant to help save a life...