as written by Knosis and Tiko
The next thing Chloe knew, she was laying in a white bed in a gown with an IV drip in her arm with regular saline dripping into her arm. The constant irritating beeping was a blaring reminder that she was alive as it kept in rhythm with her heart rate, now calmed dramatically from when she had first been entered. Her throat was dry due to the oxygen mask they had her on to try to keep her oxygen levels up, but that too had improved dramatically since she had been admitted.
She groaned and slowly tried to sit up, feeling as though she had been hit in the face by a 2x4.
"Where am I.." She muttered, rubbing her face.
____
Chloe shook her head. "I don't remember anything after I got into the chair really.." She murmured. "I don't need any tests, I just need to get a good night sleep.." She tried to push Desmond's hand off her shoulder.
"I'll be fine. Let's just go.."
____
"I can't make you stay," Desmond said.
He folded his arms over his chest, looking down at her.
"But you were supposed to get this looked at before now, an' you can't tell me it's not gettin' worse. 'ow bad is it gonna be next time? An' when?"
He shook his head.
"We need answers. Besides, me pack mates won't be in for a while yet, an' we can't head back until they get into town. So let them do their tests, aye? It can't 'urt anything."
____
She winced at his words. She had only said that in the past to appease him, but now she was stuck. She sighed and held her head in her hands. "Alright, alright.." She muttered quietly. "I'll let them run their tests.. They probably won't find anything now though.." She warned.
____
"It's still better than nothin'," Desmond said. "We can pick up the records on our way out, and follow up with Reinhard later. Might give 'im somethin' to work with. I suggested they run some blood work on your 'ormone levels also. May 'ave told 'em you were a werewolf. Made the nurse right antsy, but I assured them you wouldn't eat them," he added with a wink. "Might be more tellin' to get some blood drawn while you're 'avin an episode though."
____
"It only happens when I'm in a emotionally stressing situation usually.." She murmured. "I'm not emotionally unstable right now, and you probably won't find me in that state in a hospital.." She murmured. She seemed to be more aware of the problem than she had let on previously.
"Its fine.. They'd find out as soon as they did blood tests anyway. Probably best to warn them before they do that. People tend to get a bit jumpy if you don't tell them before hand."
The nurse peeked in, a forced smile upon her lips. "Doctor's ordered some blood tests, I'm just going to draw a few vials, if you don't mind." The woman said. Chloe grunted and extended her left arm for the woman. It didn't take her long to find a vein and pop the needle in to start drawing blood. All the while, the woman looked as though she was about to take off as soon as the last one was filled, no matter if the needle was pulled or not. Chloe raised an eyebrow towards Desmond.
____
"That's why I recommended they check your 'ormone levels," Desmond explained. "Even if they check out normal right now, it gives Reinhard a base level to work with later. If it's related to your shiftin' troubles, I'll wager some of your 'ormone levels are way out of control durin' those episodes. If that's all it is, then it might be treatable."
He fell quiet as the nurse arrived and left her to do her work. As she left, Desmond gave his head a shake before giving Chloe a hard look.
"'an if there's more to this that you're not sayin'... I can't 'elp you if you keep me in the dark."
____
She returned Desmond's gaze, her jaw set. "I just know they won't find anything.." She muttered and looked away after a long silence. She seemed irritated.
"What else did holier than thou want anyway?" She changed the subject.
____
He studied her silently for a moment, but decided to let it be for now. She had just landed herself in a hospital after all.
"The expected," Desmond answered. "Lot of questions about Baron's truck. Best if we talk about that later tough," he added.
He pulled his chair over so he could sit down next to the hospital bed.
"'ow are you feelin' anyways?" he asked.
____
"I'm alright now.." She murmured quietly.
After a while, the doctor had returned to let the know that there were some abnormalities in her white blood cell count, but the other blood tests seem to have resulted in nothing more. However some of the other tests run had proven somewhat fruitful. Though Chloe seemed to be very healthy on the outside, her innards were another matter. The doctor showed them images they had taken of her insides, showing marks where some damage had taken its toll. Her heart had the worst scarring, but nothing life threatening so far.
"I'm no expert in the lycanthropcy side of things.." He said. "But if this was a human, we would be discussing possibly having your heart operated on in the future. And possibly a transplant if it becomes too weak." He handed the files over to the pair of them. "It is probably best to take this to whoever you go to." And with that, he left.
Chloe was silent through the whole thing. She had been starring out into the hallway, and she refused to look at Desmond through the entire thing. A soft buzzing came from Chloe's jacket pocket. "Hey, that may be for you."
____
Desmond looked to be about to say something when the phone call interrupted them. He pursed his lips, and the look he gave her said plainly that the matter wasn't over yet. She had just been granted a momentary reprieve as he moved to fish her phone out of her jacket.
Once he had it in hand, he flipped it open.
"'ey," he said into the receiver. A few words were exchanged before he left Sky the address of the hospital and asked her to meet him there. After a few assurances that he was fine, he hung it up.
With that matter seen to, Chloe would find herself the center of his scrutiny once more. He didn't return to the side of the bed though, and instead seated himself in one of the chairs by the wall as he watched her.
"Did you know about this?" he asked her pointedly.
____
She sat back up in bed and started pulling the IV's out of her arm. She looked pale in color. "The new damage? No." She stated quietly, avoiding his question. She still wasn't looking at him directly. She was upset, and rightfully so. She pulled off the gown in front of Desmond and began to get dressed. She was going to be leaving, with or without the doctor's blessings.
She pulled her shirt over her head, still feeling Desmond's gaze on her back. "Let's just go, please..
____
He sat quiet, his brow furrowed in a mingling of concern and frustration. He finally stood up and encircled his arms around her waist from behind to slow her mad rush of getting dressed to scramble out the door.
He kissed her shoulder gently as he held her.
"We can't go until Sky gets 'ere," he told her. "But we can start gettin' your discharge papers drawn up. But I want you to promise me we can talk about this later."
He moved to turn her about to face him, so she could get a good look at the concern in his eyes.
"Promise?" he asked.
____
Guilt tightened her chest as she looked up into his eyes. She couldn't help but want to erase the worry from them again. "Fine, alright.. I promise." She said. "Damn you and your puppy dog eyes.." She sighed.
____
"Good, because I'm gonna 'old you to that," he told her with a wink.
He gave her a kiss on the forehead before letting her go.
"Go on an' finish gettin' dressed. We can wait for Sky and the other's outside once they get your paperwork taken care of. I'll go find the doctor while you finish up in 'ere."
____
It wasn't long that Desmond and Chloe had to wait out front before a number of vehicles began to pull into the parking lot. A bike, a pickup truck towing a large trailer, and a car that took up the rear.
"Ah there we are," Desmond said. "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone."
He rested a hand on Chloe's lower back to guide her to step forward off the curb to approach where the vehicles were beginning to park.
The next thing Chloe knew, she was laying in a white bed in a gown with an IV drip in her arm with regular saline dripping into her arm. The constant irritating beeping was a blaring reminder that she was alive as it kept in rhythm with her heart rate, now calmed dramatically from when she had first been entered. Her throat was dry due to the oxygen mask they had her on to try to keep her oxygen levels up, but that too had improved dramatically since she had been admitted.
She groaned and slowly tried to sit up, feeling as though she had been hit in the face by a 2x4.
"Where am I.." She muttered, rubbing her face.
____
Chloe shook her head. "I don't remember anything after I got into the chair really.." She murmured. "I don't need any tests, I just need to get a good night sleep.." She tried to push Desmond's hand off her shoulder.
"I'll be fine. Let's just go.."
____
"I can't make you stay," Desmond said.
He folded his arms over his chest, looking down at her.
"But you were supposed to get this looked at before now, an' you can't tell me it's not gettin' worse. 'ow bad is it gonna be next time? An' when?"
He shook his head.
"We need answers. Besides, me pack mates won't be in for a while yet, an' we can't head back until they get into town. So let them do their tests, aye? It can't 'urt anything."
____
She winced at his words. She had only said that in the past to appease him, but now she was stuck. She sighed and held her head in her hands. "Alright, alright.." She muttered quietly. "I'll let them run their tests.. They probably won't find anything now though.." She warned.
____
"It's still better than nothin'," Desmond said. "We can pick up the records on our way out, and follow up with Reinhard later. Might give 'im somethin' to work with. I suggested they run some blood work on your 'ormone levels also. May 'ave told 'em you were a werewolf. Made the nurse right antsy, but I assured them you wouldn't eat them," he added with a wink. "Might be more tellin' to get some blood drawn while you're 'avin an episode though."
____
"It only happens when I'm in a emotionally stressing situation usually.." She murmured. "I'm not emotionally unstable right now, and you probably won't find me in that state in a hospital.." She murmured. She seemed to be more aware of the problem than she had let on previously.
"Its fine.. They'd find out as soon as they did blood tests anyway. Probably best to warn them before they do that. People tend to get a bit jumpy if you don't tell them before hand."
The nurse peeked in, a forced smile upon her lips. "Doctor's ordered some blood tests, I'm just going to draw a few vials, if you don't mind." The woman said. Chloe grunted and extended her left arm for the woman. It didn't take her long to find a vein and pop the needle in to start drawing blood. All the while, the woman looked as though she was about to take off as soon as the last one was filled, no matter if the needle was pulled or not. Chloe raised an eyebrow towards Desmond.
____
"That's why I recommended they check your 'ormone levels," Desmond explained. "Even if they check out normal right now, it gives Reinhard a base level to work with later. If it's related to your shiftin' troubles, I'll wager some of your 'ormone levels are way out of control durin' those episodes. If that's all it is, then it might be treatable."
He fell quiet as the nurse arrived and left her to do her work. As she left, Desmond gave his head a shake before giving Chloe a hard look.
"'an if there's more to this that you're not sayin'... I can't 'elp you if you keep me in the dark."
____
She returned Desmond's gaze, her jaw set. "I just know they won't find anything.." She muttered and looked away after a long silence. She seemed irritated.
"What else did holier than thou want anyway?" She changed the subject.
____
He studied her silently for a moment, but decided to let it be for now. She had just landed herself in a hospital after all.
"The expected," Desmond answered. "Lot of questions about Baron's truck. Best if we talk about that later tough," he added.
He pulled his chair over so he could sit down next to the hospital bed.
"'ow are you feelin' anyways?" he asked.
____
"I'm alright now.." She murmured quietly.
After a while, the doctor had returned to let the know that there were some abnormalities in her white blood cell count, but the other blood tests seem to have resulted in nothing more. However some of the other tests run had proven somewhat fruitful. Though Chloe seemed to be very healthy on the outside, her innards were another matter. The doctor showed them images they had taken of her insides, showing marks where some damage had taken its toll. Her heart had the worst scarring, but nothing life threatening so far.
"I'm no expert in the lycanthropcy side of things.." He said. "But if this was a human, we would be discussing possibly having your heart operated on in the future. And possibly a transplant if it becomes too weak." He handed the files over to the pair of them. "It is probably best to take this to whoever you go to." And with that, he left.
Chloe was silent through the whole thing. She had been starring out into the hallway, and she refused to look at Desmond through the entire thing. A soft buzzing came from Chloe's jacket pocket. "Hey, that may be for you."
____
Desmond looked to be about to say something when the phone call interrupted them. He pursed his lips, and the look he gave her said plainly that the matter wasn't over yet. She had just been granted a momentary reprieve as he moved to fish her phone out of her jacket.
Once he had it in hand, he flipped it open.
"'ey," he said into the receiver. A few words were exchanged before he left Sky the address of the hospital and asked her to meet him there. After a few assurances that he was fine, he hung it up.
With that matter seen to, Chloe would find herself the center of his scrutiny once more. He didn't return to the side of the bed though, and instead seated himself in one of the chairs by the wall as he watched her.
"Did you know about this?" he asked her pointedly.
____
She sat back up in bed and started pulling the IV's out of her arm. She looked pale in color. "The new damage? No." She stated quietly, avoiding his question. She still wasn't looking at him directly. She was upset, and rightfully so. She pulled off the gown in front of Desmond and began to get dressed. She was going to be leaving, with or without the doctor's blessings.
She pulled her shirt over her head, still feeling Desmond's gaze on her back. "Let's just go, please..
____
He sat quiet, his brow furrowed in a mingling of concern and frustration. He finally stood up and encircled his arms around her waist from behind to slow her mad rush of getting dressed to scramble out the door.
He kissed her shoulder gently as he held her.
"We can't go until Sky gets 'ere," he told her. "But we can start gettin' your discharge papers drawn up. But I want you to promise me we can talk about this later."
He moved to turn her about to face him, so she could get a good look at the concern in his eyes.
"Promise?" he asked.
____
Guilt tightened her chest as she looked up into his eyes. She couldn't help but want to erase the worry from them again. "Fine, alright.. I promise." She said. "Damn you and your puppy dog eyes.." She sighed.
____
"Good, because I'm gonna 'old you to that," he told her with a wink.
He gave her a kiss on the forehead before letting her go.
"Go on an' finish gettin' dressed. We can wait for Sky and the other's outside once they get your paperwork taken care of. I'll go find the doctor while you finish up in 'ere."
____
It wasn't long that Desmond and Chloe had to wait out front before a number of vehicles began to pull into the parking lot. A bike, a pickup truck towing a large trailer, and a car that took up the rear.
"Ah there we are," Desmond said. "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone."
He rested a hand on Chloe's lower back to guide her to step forward off the curb to approach where the vehicles were beginning to park.