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 Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 3:08 pm
Six months after waking up from a coma Isaac found himself back in the waiting room of the Hospital he had been staying in for a follow-up appointment with his doctor. He sat in one of the upholstered chairs with wooden arm rest, one space minimum between himself and the next occupied seat. In his hands was an arbitrary magazine he had picked up from the rack by the sliding door; not that he was interested in the articles headlined on the cover, if anything it was to deter anyone else who was bored waiting for their turn from asking him why he was here. He had been doing okay-ish for the most part; that is until New Year's came around. If it wasn’t for the weather he would have packed his camping equipment and left the city for the weekend or at the very least until the fireworks were over. It wasn’t that he disliked cold weather, quite the contrary he could care less, it was more so that the cold made his recent injuries hurt in a way it was difficult to get out of bed. While several of his less severe injuries had healed without so much as a scar, an anomaly that nobody could really explain, the broken bones and torn tendons he had sustained were far less forgiving. Thankfully the Physical Therapist he had been recommended to has been immensely helpful in his recovery, even if it was slow going at times.
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 3:24 pm
It had been a long night in the ER, the census going through the roof and the bed count in the red - too many sick people and not enough rooms to put them in. The wintry months brought with it a plethora of cases of flu and pneumonia, of frostbite and elderly falls. After finishing her charting on the last patient in her care, it was almost a full two hours after her scheduled clock-out time. Ah well, overtime was always nice on the paycheck. With her bag over her shoulder, she was on her way out the front door when a familiar face caught the corner of her eye. There, sitting in one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs, was a patient with a remarkable history that she could never forget. "Mr. Harrison? Is that you?" Her beeline towards the front door was readjusted, the young woman now approaching the quiet gentleman who had his attention buried in a magazine. "Oh my goodness - you may not remember me," She had enough sense to look sheepish as she pointed to her hospital name tag. "Julie? I worked in neuro when they were short staffed, back when you were in a coma." Laughing to herself, one hand moved up to brush back her short, black hair. "What am I saying, you probably forgot all about us. It's been forever since I saw you last. You're looking so much better!"
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 3:56 pm
Hearing his name from across the room, Isaac set the magazine down on the coffee table and stood up as the woman approached him. “Of course I remember you,” He reached a hand out to her in greeting. “It’s hard to forget someone who has a name as unique as your own Ms. Payne.” For someone who looked as exhausted as she did, it was refreshing to see a kind and friendly face “Recovery takes time but it is going as well as can be expected. What about you?” His expression quickly shifted to one of concern. “How are you holding up?” It wasn’t just hospitals that were seeing an influx in patients but even urgent care clinics were under the same strain. Upon arrival the parking lot had been surprisingly packed forcing him to find a space in one of the furthermost lots. The waiting room was not much better with children screaming from ear infections on their mothers laps who they themselves looked to be in almost tears.
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 5:20 pm
At the mention of her last name she laughed again - it was true, her last name was rather unfortunate for the career choice she ended up choosing in life but Julie did her best to roll with the flow and joke about it alongside her patients. Taking his hand, she gripped it firmly, embracing the warmth with her own as she walked with him back to the chairs. She winced, slightly, as one particular child began to wail nearby, the poor babe as unhappy as her haggard looking mother appeared to be. "I've been better, honestly." Pausing, she glanced around the room and took in the scene surrounding her. "Well, to be fair - it could be far worse than it is. I'm just tired, I think." She offered him another smile, tilting her head as she moved to sit down in the seat next to the one he'd originally taken. "But you - you are the important one here. Here for something outpatient and nothing longer, I hope? I can't imagine any kind of sickness keeping you down, considering everything you've already overcome."
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:03 pm
“No, nothing serious. I just finished my second round of physical therapy and am here for a re-evaluation and prescription refill. Normally my pain tolerance is pretty high but cold weather, like what we’ve been having, really knows how to kick someone while they’re down.” He jested with a smirk. Nearly twelve years in the military had subjected him to a multitude of injuries ranging anywhere from minor cuts and scrapes while in basic training to shrapnel wounds caused by IED’s; not to mention the thankfully few times he had been shot. But none of those compared to the RPG that took out the building he and his troupe had been taking cover in. All things considered Isaac was lucky; two men lost their lives that day while three others were left lying on death's doorstep beside him. Only one made it out completely unscathed while the rest were somewhere in between. Nonetheless he had been given another chance at life and he intended to hold onto it for all its worth. “I’d been doing a good job on not relying on the medicine but some days heating pads and hot showers only go so far.” Days like those, sleep didn’t come easily. “Anyhow, are you on your way home now?”
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 6:45 pm
"Yes, it's been a bit of a rough morning downstairs and I'm late heading out, but..." Her hand moved to gently pat the outside of the gentleman's, the smile widening on her face while doing so, "If I hadn't left late, I wouldn't have run into you! Funny how there always seems to be a silver lining to terrible things." It was a relief, really, to hear that he was still using alternative methods to working on his pain and ailments. Too many people resorted to narcotics and became abusive of the drugs once their tolerance grew too high for them. Already, there were nightly visitors to the Er from all ranges of income that dealt with substance abuse. Some people simply chose no other way to cope with their problems. "Most people don't survive in situations you were in." It was hard not to be blunt, but the truth stood directly in front of her, "It's amazing how well you're doing, even considering the pain you're still dealing with. How is therapy helping you? Is there anything I can do to help you out, maybe?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:30 pm
In dark times it is often hard to see the light but with a nurse like her he had managed to find an amount of hope that things would get better; granted it had taken a few days full of confusion and frustration. Truth be told Ms. Payne amazed him; after everything she’s seen come through those double sliding doors somehow she managed to not resort to dark humor, at least in his earliest stages of recovery, unlike the men in his troupe often did; even himself in some cases if the situation called for it. Nonetheless, her upbeat attitude was what places like this needed. “PT is going as well as can be expected. I have about 85% range of motion in my left shoulder and can walk for about an hour… hour and a half before I need to sit. No running yet, but hopefully soon.” Six months of this was taking its toll, making him restless which is why he was looking forward to getting back into a workout routine or at the very least go hiking again. “Honestly though, switching back to civilian life after eight months of being overseas has been a struggle.” Being in large crowds or near construction sites definitely wasn’t his cup of tea. “I think it would do me good to get out a bit more. He paused for a moment to contemplate the appropriateness of what he was about to ask considering she technically was still at work. “Perhaps, if you’re free sometime this week or find yourself with a longer than normal break, I could take you out for a cup of coffee? You could fill me in on what I’ve missed out on while away.” His family had already skimmed over important highlights that had happened over the last year, and he had read online articles to get a more generalized idea, but the point in asking was more about attempting to socialize more and get out of the house, he just hoped she saw it that way.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 11:38 am
While she had never been overseas, nor in the kind of war he spoke of, she was slowly beginning to understand the woes of military life in her own way. Jules was coming to terms with the idea that she'd never have the opportunity to switch back to any semblance of a purely civilian life again, but the thought wasn't as daunting as she might have been concerned with. Oddly enough, she was actually okay with this fate. Before she'd found Obsidian and the Negaverse, she'd been struggling with keeping her head above water, to accepting her fate as a divorcee with the blessing of childbirth stolen away from her. The Negaverse had restored order in her anxious, forlorn heart and she would do what it took to aid in its restoration of the rest of the world. The request for coffee was unexpected, but a sweet delight at the same time. He was no longer a patient under her care, so she had no qualms with the thought of sharing some delicious, much-needed caffeine with the sweet gentleman. His family had always been kind to the nursing staff, which only went to reflect well on her impression of him. Maybe, just maybe, she might even make a new friend. "I'd like that a lot, actually." Turning towards her messenger bag, she flipped open the cover and began rummaging until a pen and a random receipt was found. Flipping it over, she shrugged as she noticed the tally of a former fast food meal, then turned the paper back over to the blank side and began jotting down her number. Handing it to him, she offered him another grin, even wider than her original one. "Here's my number. Shoot me a text when you'd like to get together? I'm still working the night shift, but I'll be off this weekend...if that's not too soon for you?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 10:20 am
There was no denying how infectious a smile could be which is why Isaac didn’t even try to hide his own as he accepted the piece of paper and tucked it away in his wallet for safekeeping. “This weekend would be great.” Before he could continue on with what he was about to say a nurse, with a clipboard in hand, emerged from one of the doors near the check in counter and stepped into the patient waiting area. “Isaac?” she paused for a moment “Isaac Harrison?” He turned his attention towards her and nodded his head in acknowledgement when she look his way. “I guess that’s my queue. It was good seeing you again Ms. Payne. I will give you a call this weekend and we can make plans from there. Until then, take care; and get some rest if you can.” Seemed a bit silly to give a nurse such advice but he knew full well how easy it was to become so engrossed in work that basic needs tend get neglected; lunches get pushed back to the point you’ve forgotten that you haven’t eaten yet and when it’s finally time to take a break exhaustion takes over. It is often a harsh cycle but he had no doubt that Julie was a pro at managing such things.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 10:46 am
Her head turned as his name was called, short black hair bobbing with the swift motion. She turned back to receive his advice, nodding her head curtly in response. It was endearing, to have a patient feel concern for someone like her - not many people took the time to worry about the caregivers, as opposed to those in need of caring. "I will, thank you. Until then, Isaac." Moving away, she offered him a farewell wave before making her way past the automatic sliding doors, dodging an incoming patient being wheeled in through the entrance. Stepping out into the open air, one hand moved up to shield her eyes from the harsh, bright rays of the morning sun. Despite the aches and pains her body was feeling, she couldn't help but continue to smile as she made her way down the sidewalk, towards the employee parking garage.
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