The drive to the shifter hospital was the longest she'd driven in her life. Glancing now and then over at the unconscious Artemus in the seat next to her, and was quietly glad that there didn't seem to be any cops around, because she probably broke a few traffic laws getting where she was going. Her hand curled around his limp one, and she gave a little squeeze, eye's going back to the road, and finally pulling to a stop infront of the ER doors. Getting looks from the staff, as she started to unbuckle Art, and ease him out of the truck.
Getting past the sliding doors, she looked around "I need some help here!!" A group of staff rushed towards her, one pushing a gurney, and helped her load him onto it. Kota hesitated when she was told she was going to have to move her truck, and when the nurse that seemed to be in charge told her where they would be, she finally nodded to do it. Racing back into the hospital when it was said and done, and finding her way to the exam room they had put him in. Then the questions started.
What had happend. where was he hurt? Had she tried to stop the bleeding? Kota's stress levels started to rise, and a few times, she started to answer in spanish instead of english. Confusion on her features. "I...I don't know what happend. He showed up at my door this way...I...I know there's something wrong with his ankle...He was holding his chest area before he collapsed...and that wound won't stop bleeding no matter what i tried. He's strong enough of a shifter that shouldn't be a problem...no i don't know why it's smoking like that, but i thought i could smell silver...."
standing by the door, she watched over the nurse's shoulder as the others worked on Art. Hugging herself tightly. As the woman grasped her elbow and tried to propell her out of the room, towards the waiting room, Dakota snarled at her. "I won't leave him. I'll stay out of your way but i'm not leaving this fucking room without him." He'd been gone for eight years of her life, and she'd had no contact for four. thinking the worst had happend. Now he was back .There was no way in hell she was leaving his side. When the woman asked if there was anyone she wanted contacted, she blinked and nodded. "Dr Jessica McFarland....bring her down here please..."
She needed Jess...Jess would know what to do....Looking back towards Art's motionless form on the bed, she bit her bottom lip. He'd be ok...he had to be...
Work was a great distracter and Jessica was throwing herself into her duties at the hospital at the moment, trying not to think about the news that Knox had brought as well as the move from the house in the swamp to the one in town. Thank god they didn't have to buy something.
She was in her office, dealing with the mountains of paperwork that were always involved with treating shifters, ensuring that all personnel had been tested so that there were no cross-over infections, ensuring that all materials involved in treatment were properly disposed of, honestly it was worse then the paperwork involved in treating Ebola or Leprosy.
"Dr McFarland to intake... Dr. McFarland to intake...." The sound of the intercom had her head lifting from her desk, frowning slightly. Another emergency patient? Unusual, they treated more infections then injuries after all. Geller's had been the last severe shifters injury they'd had.
She rose from her desk, making her way swiftly to the treatment areas, easing her shields just enough to let the Great Cat search ahead. Kota? One of her own here? Her steps quickened, letting her beast calm the smaller black cat even as she stepped into the treatment room. "What do we have here?" Words snapped out, letting the nurse provide her with an update even as she slipped on a pair of gloves, moving to the figure on the gurney.
The nurse relayed the injuries so far, Jessica nodding as she focused on the wounds. "Alright, rush a type and cross and have them look for silver levels. Set up whole blood IVs until we get type specific" She layered another pair of gloves over the ones she already had, nose wrinkling as she examined the wound on his chest. "Strap him down, with silver already in his system I don't want to give him any of the silver laced sedatives." Unfortunately the only way to have sedatives work well on shifters was to lace them with small amounts of silver nitrate. Not something she wanted to give to someone already fighting silver poisoning.
"Kota... I need you to calm down." Her voice softened as she directed the words over her shoulder, "I'll need you to help keep him calm if he wakes during treatment." Give the other woman something to do and it would help her out. "I got this. Alright? It'll be ok."
Floating within the void, a soft whisper drifted on winds, ‘Stubborn assed bastard wake up’. Looking around for the source he growled low in irritation. Attention went back to the barrier separating him and his ivory coated counterpart. Fingers trace along the rippling lines of electric energy so foreign to anything of his knowledge. More of an experiment than brash assault he balled his hand into a fist and swing with what strength he could muster. Left elbow thrown back like he was cracking open the head of a midget, Artemus used the centrifugal force to lash out his right; hips twist for further momentum.
His hand didn’t go through the energy; it connected with a solid wall. He felt the four knuckles of his index and middle finger crack and break. Falling back he screamed out a ragged ‘Fuck!’ that echoed through the darkness around him. The feline face on the other side actually managing a wince as it lay down and covered its eyes with a paw. The second paw goes over the first just in case it felt tempted to peek.
Another crackle of energy drew his attention skyward as a voice broke the silence of the void. That won’t work. Force put it there, it won’t remove it.
“Obviously,” he scoffed at the disembodied words while holding his now injured hand. “Alright Kurgen…ya need to think.”
…………………….
His right hand twitched violently on the hospital bed as knuckles split open and blackish-blue lines appear over the knuckles of his first four fingers. Yet the strange injury did not heal itself. The cuts stay, broken fingers refusing to knit back together.
……………………
Pacing now, his thoughts mulled over the cryptic words. After his fifth or sixth turn he just shook his head. “What kind of Boo Radley nonsense is this?”
Pressing his forehead against the rippling wall of energy, Artemus closed his eyes and let out a frustrated breath. Since to sigh is to be Emo and all ‘woe is me’, or so he’d been told at one point. “Can’t do this on my own…” Almost like a key, thoughts clicked into place as his eyes snapped open. His counterpart finally uncovered its eyes and watched him curiously as though they suddenly shared the same thought for once.
Eyes locked on the other, both man and large cat backed away from the barrier a good distance and set into ready positions. If this didn’t work, they didn’t know what would. Knees bend and fingers lightly touch down as they mirror one another’s movements. Carefully both heads nod in a silent accord before blitzing wall, barreling right for one another.
-- Edited by ARTEMUS KURGEN on Saturday 9th of July 2011 03:51:30 PM
Jess. Kota's eye's closed and she let out a shuddering breath as the other female breezed and took control. Things would be ok now. Jess would fix it. Kota had total confidance in the leopard queen. When Told to calm down, she took another breath and nodded her head. She could do that. She could help keep him calm. She'd always been able to. Though that had also been 8 years ago. Moving to the head of the bed, she took one hand in hers, and held on, while Jess started to work. Watching, and glancing down at his face now and then. The black beast trying once more to get to the ivory one that it knew so well. Did Jess feel it? Could she feel it?
Lifting her head, gold eye's focused on her queen, and she murmmered, "Jess...his...His beast feels so far away...like it's closed off in some distant room or something." It was the best analogy she could come up with. All she knew was her own black coated counterpart couldn't get close his and it was pissing her off. She wanted to give comfort, and give the feeling of home and saftey, and at the same time, she could use the comfort herself.
Her attention was draawn downward to the hand she wasn't holding, as it twitched violently against the bed, and the knuckles split open, bruising showing itself over the knuckles, and staining the skin that dark blackish blue, and bones broken. It didn't concern her at first, looking back to watch Jess as she worked to get whatever was inside that chest wound that was makeing him still bleed, out. Looking back down a few minutes later, expecting to see the wound in the process of healing, she blinked in surprise. that shouldn't be happening....
"Jess....he...Look at his hand..." Not only should that wound not have appeared, as he hadn't done anything, but it should have been healing. "He's strong enough of a shifter...this should all be healing already...." Confusion in her voice. what the fuck was going on??
-- Edited by DAKOTA SANCHEZ on Saturday 9th of July 2011 08:00:49 PM
Once Kota was calmer and the nurses had drawn blood to be tested, Jessica focused on the large wound in her patient's chest, watching carefully to see any signs of healing even as she probed at the wound. She growled softly to herself at the lack of response from him. When his hand twitched her frown deepened, her probing shouldn't have brought a reaction at that point, there was something else going on.
Kota's words had her nodding, glancing at her staff quickly, "Everyone out except for Carrie and Quinn. Marcia, get to the lab and get me those results, stat!" The other nurses pauses before exiting as ordered, making sure the door was closed. She'd ordered all by her most senior nurses out, those that were most prepared should things go wrong.
"Relax Kota, I need to focus on him, alright?" She stripped off her gloves taking a slow breath to gather her power. Her hands began to move slowly over Art's form, caressing along his skin, careful to avoid any wounds, letting the warmth of her strength spill through the touch. Each pass of her hands sent fresh waves of warmth and strength into his body.
Her other self moved in slow circuits on the ethereal plane, hunting for the unfamiliar cat. On that other plane she released a coughing roar, a beckoning sound of warmth and safety for the male to respond to.
All started well with their plan. Both charged the barrier to thin out its ability to displace forced impact. Then they heard that coughing roar, and the cat fah-reaked. Eyes wide it tried scrambling to a stop so it could respond. They both hit the barrier like a pair of crash test dummies. Man and cat rolled on the flooring of the void nursing their own set of injuries. Artemus massaged his right shoulder with his good hand while across the divide his other self lay dazed.
……………………..
His body jerked on the hospital bed as though it hit a wall with the force of a Mack truck. Spine bows upwards off the bed, nearly bending him double before falling flat once again.
………………………………..
With a groan he pushed to his knees and looked around for the source of the call. “Who the fuck was that?”
Shaking the field mice from spinning above its head, the snow leopard gradually got to its feet. Swaying for a handful of breaths it finally shook off the stupor and canted its head to the side, listening for another call. This time it’d be prepared. Let the human do all the living racket ball crap.
Kota had to force her beast to be quiet. Knowing Jess was trying to concentrate on Artemus, and knowing it was important. Though at that coughing roar, the black feline couldn't help but respond, calling to this all to familar companion. When Art's body bowed, spazaming on the bed, she let out a little yelp, and held tightly to his hand, looking up at Jess with wide eyes.
As much as she wanted to ask, she stayed quiet, and smoothed his hair back from his face when his body calmed down again, and she leaned forward, her cheek pressed to his. her face against golden hair, and she couldn't help but whisper softly with her lips next to his ear. "por favor, mi gato. Te necesito aquí. Te amo ... Por favor, vuelve ... Te amo..."
Shivering, she lifted her head again, and looked up at Jess. She trusted this woman more than almost anyone else, save Art. She knew she would do her best, and she would help him. Forcing herself to stay calm, she kept hold of Art's hand, and waited. Soemthing had to give....
Just let him open his eyes....god please let him open his eyes.
A snarl of frustration escaped her as her attempts seemed to do nothing except have him arching in pain. No result to the flow of strength into him, no response to the hunting of the Great Cat. "Get the others back in here." Words snapped to her assistants, moving from Art's side to reglove herself. "We need to just suture him up, treat the wounds." She glanced at Kota, shaking her head. "I have no idea what's going on. Its as if he isn't infected."
Carrie moved to the door, calling the other nurses back into the room, setting up fresh IVs of saline and bringing a suture kit. Jessica went to work on the wound on his chest, hands moving swiftly as she worked to repair blood vessels and carefully stitch the wound shut.
All of his wounds were treated, setting monitors on him to keep track of his vitals. "We'll have to keep an eye on him. There's really nothing else we can do now."
It was frustrating, his bloodwork showed clear sign of lycanthropy and yet... there was something missing about him. Something that just wasn't right.
While the leopard waited for the next call, Artemus did something unheard of; for those that knew him anyway. Frustrated and angry, he got to both knees and held his hands together, forehead pressing down up on them, and prayed. It wasn’t something he did very often, but this seemed as good as any. However, it wasn’t to some unknowable entity in the stars. In his mind came the images of his family, all the photos kept on his mother’s mantle.
He prayed to Kurgens’ from times past and the spirits that lingered still. He drew on the memory of his mother’s stories. Tales of how Gram Linette danced with the dead on a full moon night. Yarn of Heph Kurgen, leaving saucers of milk outside the window at night for the Old Ones. His family crossed the ocean to the new world, and brought with them their gods.
“Esi-isät kuulevat rukoukseni. Pyydän opastuksen tämän kerran pimeydestä kirjaimellisesti. Tiedän en, missä ole, eikä mitkä oteet, mutta en voi paeta siitä vahvuus käsivarrelle yksin. Opasta minua kotiin, auta minä muistan tavan.” The words flow outward with uncertainty as he prayed exactly how his mother had taught him. Perhaps when he returned to Dakota, he’d explain just why he doesn’t talk about his family.
Opening his eyes, Artemus looked around and just shook his head. “What did I expect, divine aid?”
Just about to stand, a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder and put him back to his knees. Looking up he just ogled, eyes wide as comprehension fled him completely. Standing there dressed in pajama bottoms covered in shotglassess was Sylus, yawning as if he just woke up from a nap. “I ask for help and get you. I’m boned.”
