The Clinic, The Mount, Ex-LA, Friday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

A week. She'd been here a week already. And as much as Kathy wanted to sit in her room all day and sulk at the unfairness of the universe for sticking her here, she was really, really bad and doing nothing. Just ask Raven! Or Dante! Or Anders! You know, if they were here. She was especially bad at doing nothing when just outside her window were several hundred exes all chattering their teeth at the guards on the walls above them.

So, as an accredited EMT in a place where trained medical professionals were few and far between, Kathy had volunteered to work in the clinic for a few hours every day, in part to spell Dr. Connolly and give the poor woman a break, and part to keep herself busy so she didn't run screaming mad watching every minute tick by that she was stuck here.

Boredom mixed very oddly with hypervigilance.

Today, though, even this place was slow. With regular scavenging runs currently on break due to demonic activity in the neighborhood, fewer people were getting hurt. The last patient--Deborah Jenkins, 33, sliced her arm on a rusted railing--had been discharged this morning. Kathy had remade the bed, cleaned up the patient area, taken stock of equipment and supplies, folded bandages, thrown a load of sheets in the washing machine...and now was stationed behind the desk reading the treatment of thrush, an outcropping of oral yeast. Not really her thing, but it was that or Connolly's notes on the ex-virus, and of the two...

Yeah. Oral yeast outcroppings it was.

Kid	"Excuse me? Miss Banzai?" A boy, probably about ten or so, was lurking in the hallway outside of the hospital intake office.
Kathy	Kathy froze at the title, slowly lowering the book. "I go by Miss Li now," she said quietly, looking him over. He had blond hair cut spiky short and knees that had clearly hit the ground multiple times over the summer, but seemed otherwise unharmed. "Or even Kathy, if you'd rather. But not Banzai. Okay?"
Kid	"Okay," he said, not particularly fussed by what he should call her. "I'm Todd. Todd Davidson." He paused after the name, as if hoping Kathy would have something to say.
Kathy	When the boy didn't continue, Kathy set aside her book entirely and went looking for the appointment log. "Are you looking for Doc Connolly?" she asked. "She just stepped out to get lunch, but she should be back in about an hour."
Todd	"Nah," he said, walking forward and squinting at her. "I wanted to know, that is, I was wondering if maybe you'd heard anything from my dad?"
Kathy	"Your dad?" Kathy asked, cocking her head to the side. She glanced back at the door leading to the hospital area, like maybe a patient had snuck in there magically without her noticing. It was just as empty as it had been before.
Todd	"Danny Davidson," the boy continued. "Daniel, really, but nobody calls him that."
Kathy	Kathy checked the patient roster in case Mr. Davidson had been one of the patients discharged this morning. "Not ringing any bells, Todd, sorry," she said, wondering if the kid was maybe lost. A lot of people had gotten comfortable inside the walls of the Mount, had considered the relatively small area a safety feature. Now that the Big Wall had increased their world tenfold, Nick had mentioned that some people were having trouble adjusting. Maybe it was even worse for the kids that had survived? "Do you want me to call--"
Todd	"He's about this tall," Todd interrupted, holding his arm up as high as he could, "with blond hair like mine. He used to be kinda fat but he lost a lot of weight just before the exes showed up."
Kathy	"Sorry," Kathy said gently. "I still don't know him. But there are lots of people I don't know. Is he a scavenger or a gate guard or maybe you were all out at Krypton?" Maybe if she could figure out where this Danny guy was supposed to be, she and Stealth could find out where he actually was. Because if his kid was showing up looking for him at the hospital, his family must be really worried.
Todd	Todd shook his head. "No, we've been hear all along. Mom and I live over in Fifteen with my little sister." He jerked a thumb back at the door. "We stayed here after everybody else moved out."
Kathy	"Okayyyy," Kathy said, trying to arrange her mental map of the Mount and its new environs. "So if you were living in Fifteen, where was your dad?"
Todd	"Well, he's...he's dead," Todd explained. "He died just before we moved here to the Mount."
Kathy	Kathy's stomach dropped. She had an idea where this was going and she didn't like it one bit. "No, Todd, you've got it all wrong," she started.
Todd	Once again, Todd talked right over her in a rush to get everything out. "Some people were talking about how you were dead and now you're not," he said eagerly. "Your friends came and got you and brought you back to life. And now you're back and you used to be an ex but you have your soul and you brought the magician back with you, so I was thinking..."
Kathy	"Yeah...that's not how that happened," Kathy said softly. She was half-tempted to explain that the magician was the one that had brought her back to the Mount, but all that would do would send this kid running back to Max. But while she was fine with him being stuck having these awkward, emotional conversations with people, she couldn't do that to a kid. "I was dead, yes, but..." No, seriously, how to explain this?
Todd	"Can you talk to my dad?" Todd asked, eagerly.
Kathy	Kathy needed an adult. Like, an adultier adult than she was. Someone who could figure out how to tell this kid there was no hope of his dad coming back in any form but bitey, somehow without traumatizing him further. "I think this is a conversation you might want to have with your mom," Kathy said slowly. "Or maybe, umm, Father Andy?" She was pretty sure that was the name of the priest who had taken over the big church nearby.
Todd	"It was Mom's idea," said the boy, his eyes falling to his feet. "You know, asking you. She thought you could bring Dad back, too." Kathy must have made some kind of noise in her throat because Todd glanced back up at her, looking a little desperate. "I miss him a lot," he continued. "Cloddy--she's my little sister, Claudia--she doesn't remember him as much, but she was sad for a long time when he died. Mom says she sees him outside the Wall now and then. He's hanging around because he remembers us, too, deep down inside."
Kathy	That was the kind of thing those After Death people believed. Kathy wasn't sure that was a great message for people to be spreading. It seemed--at best--to give false hope. At worst... Well, Kathy didn't want to think about what 'at worst' could entail. "Look, Todd," she said, trying to sound as empathic as she possibly could while preparing to break this child's heart, "I don't think you understand what you're asking me for."
Todd	"Sure I do," Todd said, breaking hers right back. "I'm asking you to bring my dad back. To put my family back together."
Kathy	Fuck every single thing about this conversation, both singly and together. "I would if I could," she said fervently. "I swear I would. But it's just now how it works. I'm not special, I just--."
Todd	"But you already did it once!" Todd protested. "Couldn't you do it again? I know my dad isn't a hero or important or anything, but he's important to me. And to Cloddy. And my mom."
Kathy	Kathy's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't do anything, though," she insisted. "I'm here practically by accident! Both me coming back to life and me coming back here, they just happened to me. I didn't cause them."
Todd	Todd scratched his head, trying to square that information with what he'd been told, what he believed. "Maybe you could just let me talk to him for awhile? Even that much would make me feel better."
Kathy	Kathy was giving serious thought to just fleeing the Mount all together and taking her chances with the demon, Rodney, and the exes. The worst any of them would be able to do was kill her. "I can't." Her voice broke.
Todd	"Or Mom!" Todd was nothing if not persistent. "She misses him, too. She cried a lot when we first moved here. I know she'd be happier if she could talk to him for a little while." He waved vaguely back towards the door.
Kathy	Kathy followed his gaze, looking through the large window that made up most of the far wall. There were at least two dozen people waiting outside. At least half of them were on their knees, their hands pressed together in prayer. "Oh fuck my whole life," she breathed.
Todd	"Can you do it?" Todd pressed. "Please? See, she's right there, waiting. All you have to do is say yes."
Stealth	"Is there a problem?" a voice echoed through the office, coming through the open hospital door. Stealth walked across the room with slow, even steps and her boot heels clicked on the tile floor. Todd's face flushed abruptly, facing his childhood bogeyman or his first prepubescent fantasy or possibly even both. She stopped in front of him and crossed her arms. Even with her featureless mask, it was clear her gaze had fallen on him. "You are Todd Davidson," she said. "Age ten and three months, son of Marcie, older brother of Claudia. Not doing well in English class."
Kathy	Honestly, this wasn't the adultier adult that Kathy would have asked for. If given the option, she would have gone for St. George or maybe Captain Freedom. But that preference wasn't stopping her from sinking down into her desk chair with a muttered, "Oh thank god."
Stealth	Stealth didn't react to Kathy's mumbled gratitude and Todd seemed unable to look away. "You shouldn't be here unescorted," Stealth continued. "Especially if you are not injured or in need of medical attention."
Todd	There was a long pause before Todd squeaked, "My mom's right outside."
Stealth	"Then why are you in here?"
Todd	Todd shivered. The boy hadn't blinked since Stealth had crossed her arms. "I...I just wanted to ask a favor," he stuttered.
Stealth	"You are being unfair to Ms. Li," Stealth said, gesturing to Kathy. "She wishes to help, but you are asking for something she cannot give you. Instead, you nearly made her cry."
Todd	Todd looked a little shamefaced. He knew that, but it hadn't mattered so much in the moment. "She helped the magician," he mumbled.
Stealth	"You refer to Maxwell Hale?" Stealth's head shook inside her hood. "You are mistaken and so is anyone who told you otherwise. Ms. Li did not help him. Maxwell made several preparations on his own which helped him to survive. One of those preparations is why Ms. Li ended up here, instead of remaining with her own people. That is the entirety of her interaction with his resuscitation."
Todd	"But he was dead," said the boy. "He was dead and then the ex-zombie brought him back." Todd pointed an accusing finger at Kathy. "Everyone's saying--"
Stealth	"Everyone saying something does not make it true. You are old enough to know this." The cloaked woman let the words echo in the room for a moment. "Kathy Li did not and cannot bring anyone back from the dead."
Todd	Todd sighed. His face slumped into the universal expression of a kid who'd been told something depressing that he'd suspected anyway. "Are you sure?"
Kathy	Stealth nodded once. "Sorry," Kathy felt compelled to add. Because apologizing for not being able to do the impossible was pretty much peak Kathy.
Todd	Todd dropped his eyes, staring at Stealth's boots. A hint of moisture gathered in his eyes. "Okay," he said, shoulders rounded and low. "If you're sure."
Stealth	"The crowd outside is going to be leaving soon," Stealth said. "It's not safe for people to block the entrance to such an important room like this. They could prevent someone in serious need from reaching medical attention in time." Todd looked pained and nodded solemnly. "You should return to your mother and explain this mistake to her." She paused for a moment then reached out to set one gloved hand on the boy's slumped shoulder. "Can I trust you to do this?"
Todd	Todd gasped quietly and then nodded. "O-okay," he said again, the flush back in his cheeks. Stealth lifted her hand and he slogged across the room, looking not quite as downtrodden as he had a moment ago.
Stealth	"And Todd," she added, just as the boy was almost at the door. "Pay more attention in English class."
Kathy	Todd stared at Stealth for a minute, eyes wide. Then his nerve broke and he ran out of the door. Kathy watched him go, then shook her head. "Well," she said wryly, "that sucked beyond all measure. Thanks for not being too hard on him."
Stealth	"I am never deliberately cruel, Kathy." She tipped her head and her cloak slid off her shoulders to wrap around her. "I saw him enter on my monitors. His mother is an active member of the After Death movement and has used her children to get sympathy in the past. It was simple to deduce she had arranged such a request." Gesturing at the doorway, she continued, "If you would like, I will arrange a guard detail on this building so you are not disturbed again."
Kathy	Kathy shook her head. "That would kind of put a damper of patient confidentiality," she noted, before realizing that Stealth's monitors ensured that anyway. "Besides, guards are pretty obvious. I'd prefer to just fly under the radar if I can. And if I can't..." She shrugged. "I can deal with grownups. It's the kids that are rough." She sighed, her shoulders doing some slumping of their own. "I feel like I just kicked a bunch of puppies and kittens in front of him. He misses his dad. I get that." In that moment, Kathy missed both of hers.
Stealth	"It is better he realizes the truth before his false hope grows too powerful to be defeated by logic and critical thinking," Stealth declared.
Kathy	"But it's going to keep happening," Kathy said, dully. "Even if he tells them, people are going to be thinking about it and expecting it. And it's all going to focus on me." Super-fun times.
Stealth	"Unfortunately yes," Stealth said crisply. "It is a natural psychological reaction for people to turn to religion in times of crisis. As this is a never-before-seen type of crisis, it is only natural it should produce a unique response. And you had a bit notoriety even before you were rescued, due to Gorgon's fixation upon you, so people noticed when you returned alive and well in a way they might not have had Maxwell returned on his own."
Kathy	Kathy wasn't sure if that was meant to be comforting. If so, it fell far short of the mark. Outside the window, a trio of guards joined the crowds, waving people away from the office door. They grudgingly moved one, but not before throwing longing looks her way through the glass. She saw Todd walk away alongside a thin, tired-looking woman holding a small child. "Well, here's hoping they'll settle down when I find a way home," she murmured.
Stealth	Stealth didn't say anything, just patted Kathy's shoulder and turned and walked away. She didn't need to speak. She'd made her stance on false hope perfectly clear.

[Adapted and mangled from Chapter 16 of Ex-Communication by Peter Clines and, oops, I made myself sad with this one. NFI, NFB, OOC is great though. Previous Post Next Post]