Lia Ryan-Pollard (bettertobreak) wrote in the_dome, @ 2013-07-09 13:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | 04-05-2017, lia, lia and micah, micah |
Distraction
Who: Lia and Micah
When: Very, very early
Where: Lia's hospital room
After his conversation with Chiri, Micah had spread the word on the counselor, pleased to see her already working with people, but there wasn't time for that for long. It wasn't long before he was drug into work again, with little time to think. He wasn't even reading the name on the door as he was directed to another room to follow up on status of injuries, checking in on existing patients I between rushes of new ones. "How are we doing in here?" He asked, looking at the chart, but slowing his steps at a familiar shock of blond hair.
Riley had stepped out to use the restroom and call Connie to check on Sophia, so Lia was resting, though she found herself unable to sleep. Everything was far too loud. The footsteps in the hall, the clanging of metal, the conversations nearby that she could hear almost as if they were taking place right beside her hospital bed. It wasn't just sound. It was smell. That sterile, distinctive smell of hospital. Every now and then she caught a whiff of something potent and metallic, almost like blood. Her head and shoulder continued to throb, but she kept quiet on how her senses seemed to have gone into overdrive. Lia didn't want Riley to worry any more than he already was, and she was simply assuming that her body was just out of whack from the attack and following trauma.
Lia had her eyes on the door when Micah entered. She had heard him coming, after all. He looked surprised to see her, which prompted a faint smile from Lia. "I'd rather be home, to be honest."
Micah, fought back a wave of nausea at the sight of his friend. He was fine, he knew that, but the exhaustion brought his emotions closer to the surface. "I'd rather you were in here considering," Micah said, shaking his head and moving closer. "Hurting?" He was focused, in doctor mode, already looking at her bandages.
"Just a little." Lia shifted to sit up a bit straighter, her eyes on Micah's face. He looked exhausted, which meant he was probably working long hours again. "Not as bad as yesterday, actually. And my sides aren't throbbing anymore." She had a few stitches along her waist where the wolf had clawed her, but most of the damage had been done to her shoulder where she was bitten. "I heard there were a lot of people admitted last night... are there...is everyone okay?" She didn't want to ask how many had died, but she couldn't help be curious. Lia would have been dead if it weren't for Riley showing up when he did.
Micah moved the sheets and lifted her gown, looking at her side first, pulling stained bandages away and inspecting the the stitches. For a moment he frowned, finding the skin far less irritated than he would have expected, swelling already going down. "Not throbbing is good." He pulled the bandages away and threw them out, then going to a cabinet for more, coming back to replace the dirty ones and reapply ointment. "These are healing really well actually." Micah gave her a smile before going back to work. "It's been a busy night, but we are pulling through," he told her, not wanting to alarm her with how many hadn't made it. Either they'd died enroute or on his operating table and Micah knew of some who might not make it through the night. It was more than he'd ever seen in the dome at once.
Lia winced softly when Micah pulled the bandages off, but it was more from the adhesive clinging to her skin than the injuries themselves. Given what she had been through earlier, she was a bit surprised at how much better she was feeling. It hadn't even been a full day, and things were still sore and achy, but Lia wasn't as nauseous or faint as she had been initially. "From what I heard, I'm lucky," she murmured, staring off at the wall as Micah reapplied new bandages to her various wounds. "No one seems to know how wolves got into the dome, either."
"You might have heard right, but anyone who makes it out of this kind of attack with all their limbs is lucky. You still lost a lot of blood," Micah said, repeating what he'd read on her chart. If hosing up her sides he moved on to her shoulder, which was also healing but the damage was deeper. "I'm not sure I know either, but I'm not a vet. Animals aren't really something I understand."
She was doing her best not to think of the blood. It was probably still staining her floor. She would be scrubbing it away for awhile, Lia was guessing, and with an injured shoulder, it would probably be an exhausting task. But she wanted it cleaned up and gone before Sophia set foot in the house again. Turning her face away from Micah as he checked her shoulder, Lia wrinkled her nose softly, but tried not to be too offensive with it. "I can still smell blood on you," she murmured, though she knew as a doctor, he probably washed up thoroughly before checking other patients.
Micah frowned looking a her for a moment before setting into work again. "Not surprised. My clothes are stained with it." But he was careful, as much as he could be. Changing hadn't made sense though, not when the next person came in and he did the same thing all over again.
Lia didn't care much for the smell, but she did her best to ignore it, closing her eyes and breathing in through her mouth rather than her nose. "Tell me something else," she said, her hands clutching the blanket in her lap. All Lia wanted was some distraction at that moment. "Something like... how did your date go? You never told me."
Micah could tell she was struggling and quickened his pace. "It went well," he told her, letting her have the distraction. "We're somewhat seeing each other now I guess. I don't think we've nailed down the specifics." At least the dating term had been tossed around, which was enough for Micah at the moment.
"Oh yeah?" Despite her discomfort, Lia smiled, managing to open her eyes so she could look at him. "Sometimes you don't need specifics. You know, Nic lives behind me. I've never spoken to him much, but he seems like a nice guy. I'm happy for you."
"How did you...the auction." Micah shook his head and shrugged. "He's great, but...we are still figuring each other out." And Micah was still coming to terms with the fact that he'd outed his sort of boyfriend and it was going roughly for Nic.
"Hmm, well... there's nothing wrong with that. Riley and I have known each other since high school, we have a daughter, and we're still figuring each other out." Stifling a yawn, Lia brought her hand up to brush a loose strand of blonde hair back behind her ear. "I always loved the beginning of relationships anyway, where everything's new."
"Are things better with Riley?" Micah asked as he finished with the new bandages and moved back a few steps. He liked the new feeling too, but there was more pressure on him than usual with Nic, if only because it was so new.
Reaching up, Lia pressed very gently along the new bandaging, careful not to touch the area with the bite itself. "Depends on the day," Lia said with a touch of weariness before she glanced at the door. He hadn't left her side since being admitted, and while she wanted him to stay, she knew Riley needed to sleep, eat and probably shower, so she planned on insisting he go home until morning. "But we're trying not to rush things. There's a lot of... it's complicated." That was probably an understatement, but it was the only word she could think of. Then she looked back at Micah, smiling softly. "But it's worth it."
"Just so long as it's worth it," Micah said thinking of his own situation. It was complicated as well, possibly not as much as Lia's but in its own way it was complicated enough. He smiled at her softly. "Rest for me. I'll send someone in with some more pain medicine."
"I don't need anymore," Lia assured him, not wanting to be bogged down with medicine. She hated feeling groggy, or spacey, and pain meds tended to have that effect on her. "Make sure you get some rest too, when you're able to get out of here."
“If you’re sure,” Micah said. “There’s no need to suffer Lia.” He found a smile and nodded. “I will. Eventually I’ll have to stop.” If only for his own health. He was useless to patients barely functioning.
While she was still sore, Lia wasn’t in excruciating pain anymore. She wasn’t sure if it was the stitch job, or the medicine she had earlier, but she felt guilty taking pain medicine from people who might really need it. “I’m fine,” she said. “If it gets to be too much, I’ll ask for some more. promise.”
Micah watched her, trying to suss out if she was being brave or was fine, but he didn't quite land anywhere. "Alright. Well if you need anything, let someone know. We'll check in on you again. Rest."
“I will.” At least she would once Riley was back and Lia knew Sophia was doing all right. Lia smiled faintly at Micah as she finally relaxed back against the pillow. “Thanks, Micah.”
"Just doing my job," Micah said, letting himself out as she settled.