Toby Mitchell (likeacannonball) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2020-02-20 21:32:00 |
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Entry tags: | #january 2018, silas, silas x toby, toby |
Who: Silas & Toby
Where: Mercy Hospital
When: Tuesday afternoon 01/16
Status: Complete
Silas had been very patient and understanding when their in-home nurse Meredith quit. She had apologized more than was necessary and then more than was even remotely normal and he could tell she was rattled even if she insisted she was fine. It just wasn't the right fit, she had less time than she thought, she was so sorry. If she wasn't rattled, he wasn't so sure why she was in such a rush to leave but she was flustered and out of breath when she stormed out of the Rayner house with yet another urgent, "Sorry!"
Silas checked on their father after that and found him standing by the round attic window. For a sweet moment Silas thought he was awake but no, he was just standing there like a zombie, staring without seeing, half naked with his catheter bag hanging at his side. Of course Meredith hadn't emptied it before she rushed off and once Silas was certain Edgar was not responsive, he led him back to bed and took care of it himself. It wouldn't do, he and Addie were both very busy and while they could take care of some of the basics, they'd need a new nurse as soon as possible.
They'd had a list of applicants that first time around and the logical step was to check on the runner up after Meredith, the nurse who'd almost snatched this well paying side gig. Silas wasn't sure about that one, Toby Mitchell. They'd gone to school together with only a year between them, been in drama club together but never really gotten to know each other. Maybe they'd been too much alike, maybe it was that one year difference or maybe Silas remembered there being some competitive nature between Toby's crew and his own, who knew. That was a long time ago now. To be fair, he had been sure about Meredith and that hadn't exactly worked out for him. So he found Toby's application, put his number in his phone and planned on calling him once he was done running errands.
As it turned out, one of his errands was to pick up a body at the hospital and as he headed inside he spotted non other than Toby Mitchell, easily recognizable in his colorful scrubs. "Kismet," Silas murmured with a pleased smile, picking up his pace to catch up with the nurse. "Mitchell," he said in greeting. "Are you in a rush?"
Working at Mercy Hospital varied wildly from day to day. Some days it was dead quiet, so boring that Toby could sit at the nurses’ station and paint his nails, while others were so busy that he’d go for hours on end without even sitting down. Today was one of the lighter days where all Toby had to do was make his rounds and answer the calls of his patients. He had big plans to catch up on Facebook and Twitter. He was just heading back to the nurses’ station when someone called out his name and he spun on his heel, a grin popping into place when he saw who it was.
“I’ve got a date in about half an hour and need to retouch my makeup, but no,” Toby smiled, slipping his hands into the pockets of his scrubs. Today they were navy blue with white and gray snowflakes on them, perfect for January. “What’s up? You lost?” he asked as he took a few steps closer to Silas, then lowered his voice so no one passing would hear him. “We keep the fresh ones in the kitchen, if that’s what you’re looking for.” It wasn’t a joke any of the patients would appreciate, but he thought it might earn a laugh from Silas.
Silas smirked and ducked his head to muttered a conspiratory, "I know." It would have been funnier if he didn't actually need fresh human meat from time to time to quell that monster in the basement, but a little mortuary humor was still a nice touch. "I'm here on business, yes, but I was actually going to call you today. You applied for a job with my sister in December. The nurse we hired just quit today if you're still interested." And maybe Toby could handle creepy things better, Silas certainly hoped he could.
“Sure,” Toby answered, brows raised in surprise. He didn’t think very highly of a nurse who would quit on the spot and leave a patient without a caregiver, but maybe that wasn’t the case and he was reading too much into the word ‘quit’. Except he thought he was right. He usually was. “When did you need me to start?” He asked, shifting from playfully social to professional. “I’m already on the schedule for the evening shift this week, but as long as I can get here by three my days are open.” He figured the specifics could be worked out later, once they could sit down and work out something official.
Silas knew that nurses tended to be overworked and stressed but thankfully Mercy wasn't a big hospital so maybe it wasn't as bad here, he nodded as Toby spoke, relieved that he was available and yet he felt like he had to issue warnings or something, to avoid future clashes. "My sister and I are qualified to do a lot of the daily things our father needs right now, but we have the funeral home to run so it'd be delightful if you could be there to check in when we are busy. Which just happens to correlate with your schedule this week. Though they were busy far longer than three in the afternoon but if Toby did a good job, their father could be unattended for a couple of hours. "Our former caretaker... I think she was a little overwhelmed by the house or. You read his medical file when you applied, right?" He winced a little as he spoke and maybe this wasn't a talk they should be having here although Toby had said he wasn't in a rush.
“I did,” Toby said, his brows drawing together. From the way he remembered it, there was nothing out of the ordinary about Silas’s father’s condition, except that they’d been unable to diagnose the cause of his condition. How or why mattered the most when caring for a patient’s psychological condition, but the man was supposed to be in a coma. It was easy work, in Toby’s opinion, even if a little boring. “Has anything changed?” he asked, then gave a little look around. “Here, come on. I can find us an empty room to talk for a minute. I don’t like discussing a patient’s condition in public.” Even if he wasn’t technically employed by Silas yet, it felt too much like a HIPAA violation to talk openly about his father out in the hall.
Silas followed him, wondering how much he should say and then wondering why he was even debating it. As Edgar's caretaker, Toby would need to know what happened and Silas needed to tell his doctor too, even if at this point he had a feeling that whatever was wrong with his father had nothing to do with modern medicine. "This morning, when Meredith quit, I found my father standing by the window," he said once the door was closed behind them. "Exactly the same as when he was lying down, mind you, not at all responsive, his eyes were even closed, but he was standing. I had to half carry him back to bed, he was just... stiff." He gave Toby a somewhat pained look, then a halfhearted smile. "He relaxed again once he was in bed, went back to the state he was in before. Fun."
Toby frowned, his hands sliding into the pockets of his scrubs as he listened. Coma patients typically didn’t move from their beds; they certainly didn’t stand up and walk around. It would probably be a good idea to bring Edgar back in for testing, but Toby knew that could be expensive and might not render any more answers to his condition. “That’s… highly unusual,” he said. “I’m not a doctor, obviously, but it could be that he’s coming out of it. Coma patients sometimes start to wake for only a few minutes at a time, with the duration increasing each time. You definitely want someone around for those moments of lucidity.”
"I would hope so but he's not exactly a normal coma patient," Silas said, the words slightly strained. "Meaning, as you know, nobody has the faintest idea what's causing it and one doctor actually believes he's faking it. Because having your kids change your catheter is apparently a desirable lifestyle." That last bit came off a bit snarky, saying all that needed to be said about Silas's opinion on said doctor's thoughts. "Maybe he just really needed a vacation," he added with a somewhat dramatic roll of his eyes before focusing on Toby again. "But you're right, we need someone to spend time with him - more than we can spare. We'll be setting up a baby monitor in that room for when you are unavailable... Provided you still want the job."
Normally Toby would have to be out of his mind to take on a second job, but babysitting a coma patient should’ve been a bit of a cake walk. He could nap, play on his phone, read a book or watch tv; he just couldn’t leave. Granted, based on what he’d just heard, it sounded like it might be a little more complicated than that, but that actually made it intriguing. If Silas’s father was faking a coma, Toby would know instantly, but he didn’t think that was the case. Just a hunch. “I still want it. Same stipulations, of course. Hospital comes first and I can only do five days a week. I can adjust based on your schedule, if you’ve got work in the evening, provided I’m available.” He figured it was those restrictions that prevented him from getting the job the first time around. Silas probably needed someone far more flexible and available for longer hours, but all the local nurses were already employed.
He wasn't wrong about that, but the first choice had hurriedly walked away from the job and Silas couldn't afford to be picky right now. "Well," he said with a nod, not entirely happy about it but really, he couldn't demand more. "How about we try this on a week to week basis. I think we all have somewhat unpredictable schedules but as I said, I don't think he strictly needs someone with him twenty four seven." And it wasn't like Silas had a rocking social life in Point Pleasant so evenings weren't a problem. Most of the work they did after dark was in the house. "Does that sound okay to you?"
“Sounds great,” Toby grinned. He knew it was a lot of work, but it wouldn’t last forever and this would help him pay off his debt and save for a decent vacation. Every year he planned to take one and every year he came up short of the cash. He knew there was an easy way to get it, he could always play the lottery, but he was always afraid someone from his past might notice and come after him. This was safer in the long run. “I’ll be there first thing tomorrow morning,” he said, offering his hand to shake. It seemed like a good deal. Hopefully he wouldn’t regret it.
"Fantastic, shall we say nine?" Silas asked. "I'll text you my number in case you need to reach me or Addie, your phone number's still the same?" He fished his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, opening up contacts to add Toby. Meredith was still in there he noted but it felt premature to delete her number. She might still call and Silas - like anyone - loathed not knowing the number calling him. God he hoped he wouldn't end up with a number of nurses in there, a countless burned bridges due to something he barely understood.
“Nine’s perfect,” Toby said, pleased that it wasn’t eight or, worse, seven. He could practically sleep in. He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he nodded. “Same number,” he said, then rattled it off, just in case. “I keep it on silent at work, so sometimes it’s better to text.” He didn’t expect to be hearing a lot from Silas, but wanted to give him the head’s up. Toby could be a bit of an over the top personality, but he took his job seriously, which meant his phone couldn’t be ringing away while he was assisting a patient.
"Texting is perfect," Silas said, somewhat echoing Toby's words about the timing and smiling as he did. Not many people liked talking on the phone these days and while he didn't mind it - used to it from doing it at work - sometimes it was just quicker and simpler to fire off a text. "Thank you," he added meaningfully since he would really hate to have to put up another ad and go looking for someone all over again or try to get a place for his father at a hospice. The time might come when they'd end up having to do that but it didn't feel like they were there yet - what if Edgar woke up? There was still hope.
“You’re welcome,” Toby smiled. This should be an easy gig and he was glad to have nabbed it. It might not last long if Silas’s father was indeed waking up, but any time spent was cash earned. “I’ve got to head back to work, but I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he said as he opened the door and led them back into the hall. He gave Silas a little wave, then headed back towards the nurses station to check in. It might not be a busy day, but that didn’t mean there was no work to do.
That was a weight off Silas's shoulders, most definitely not all of it but every little bit counted. He smiled as Toby waved, then headed his own way. There was a body in the morgue ready to be taken away. As he walked toward the elevators he jotted a quick memo on the phone to actually purchase a proper nanny-cam online. Meredith had had much more time to spend with Edgar but technology would come in handy now when Toby was unavailable.