Ariella pursed her lips. She checked his ears, his throat. She used a stethoscope to listen to his heart. She grabbed her thermometer to check his temperature. She leaned back on her heels. "I wasn't at the hospital when it hit. I'm not 100% sure what to look for. I have medicine I can give to help ease the symptoms but there's nothing else to do but wait. It could easily be the flue or a common cold. Orβ¦it could be something else. Well have to wait it out."
Lucas opened his eyes and nodded.
"Thanks," he said quietly. "I think I'll just leave you guys alone, you can go on without me tomorrow."
He shakily got into a standing position and gave the three of them a sad smile.
Ariella gave him a strange look. "We're not leaving you here alone, Lucas. We'll stay until you are better." She didn't say the alternative, though she knew it hung in the air. She shuffled through her back, finding a clean needle and some medicine. She filled the needle up and approached him once more.
"Give me your arm. This will help with any symptoms you may be feeling."
Lucky stepped towards her. "Wait a minute." He looked at Lucas for a long moment.
"I don't want him to suffer, but⦠We need him to feel his symptoms." He looked at Ariella. "If we mask what he's feeling, we won't know when he gets better or worse, or if the symptoms are consistent." He swallowed hard. "I can tell you what the flu looks like, if you need me to." He had vivid memories of his family dying from it.
Ronni watched Lucky. He was right, as much as she hated to make Lucas suffer.
She gestured at Lucas to come back, and pointed to all the doors the boys had opened. Stay in one of these, where we can keep an eye on youβ¦
"Lucky, I'm a nurse. Or I was about to be. I worked in a hospital. I know what the flu looks like. I know what all sorts of things looks like." Ariella put her hands on her hips, looking at him impatiently. Gone was the shy, quiet girl that didn't want to talk to anyone. This was her field. Her profession. She transformed into the nurse that she was. Assertive, calm, attentive. She knew what to do if the person behind this character has no clue at all Ariella differently did.
Lucky just looked at her. "You literally just said you didn't work there when the flu came through, and you weren't sure what you were looking at. So let's let his symptoms run until you can better identify it."
He was standing between her and Lucas. It was important they be sure what they were seeing, and getting rid of his indicators was a bad idea.
Ariella looked annoyed at him. "I know what the regular flu looks like, before all of this. And I've heard enough about the flu that if it progresses enough I can identify it. But it's in the early stages right now. Without further development, there's nothing anyone can do. Especially without the right equipment. The best thing to do is to keep him comfortable and hydrated."
She tapped her foot. Right now, she didn't see a friend. She saw someone standing between her and her patient.
"You've heard about it. I've seen it, Ariella. I've watched it kill, and I'm not about to watch the rest of this group die because we hid his symptoms and didn't know to stay away." he said evenly. He could tell she was annoyed, but she'd been annoyed with him all day, and this was important.
Important enough for him to stay right where he was.
"And you're saying that I haven't. I have seen it. I watched a friend get sick. Fortunately, for them, they died by something else." Someone else. "I wasn't there for the beginning stages. Only after it had worsened. And while you're standing here arguing with me, my patient is sitting outside, in the sun for God's sake. Let's get him up and clear out a room for him. Grab him a glass of water to keep him hydrated. Someone will stay with him 24/7 to watch his symptoms. Either way it progresses, if comes unbearable, I will treat him. Whether it's a common cold, a virus, or the flu."
Lucky shook his head. "You said you hadn't, Ariella. Don't get mad at me for sticking to what you've said." He turned to look at Lucas again.
"Ronni is right, just stay in one of the rooms the boys opened. Take your pick."
Ronni stepped towards Ariella. She gestured at the needle and shook her head, before patting her chest and pointing at Lucas.
Don't mask his symptoms yet. I'll stay with him myself.
June smiled looking out the door, "If only I had a camera, he never lets his guard down this much" She sighed softly.
"Really? I thought he seemed pretty chill when I first talked to him," Alastor said, a little bit surprised. "Then again, I've only spoken to him once, so I wouldn't know."
"Okay, I'm telling you I've seen my friend sick enough that she was puking and could barely move and my other coworker put a bullet in her head afraid she was going to get us all sick." Ariella was getting frustrated. This is her job, was her job. She took care of sick people and injured people and all sorts of people. She knew what she was doing. "I don't know how it progresses or how it looks in early stages. But I know what it looks like when it has progressed too far. I'm trained enough that I can at least help with the side affects if they become to painful to bear. This is my job, Lucky. Let me do it."
Her hand traveled to her cheek as memories flashed before her eyes. She shook her head, trying to shake herself out of her head. No. She couldn't think those things. Not now. She needed to focus.
"Really? I thought he seemed pretty chilk when I first talked to him," Alastor said, a little bit surprised. "Then again, I've only spoke to him once, so I wouldn't know."
"well yeah, pretty chill, But he wasn't relaxed you know, he is now. Even though someone could attack him as he is out in the open, he trusts the group" She hummed, "I have known him for years, he's very⦠you know" she shrugged.
Lucky stepped towards her, his expression gentling. "I'm not telling you not to help him at all. I'm just saying not to hide his symptoms. This one specific thing."
He didn't say the other thing in his head. That if they couldn't be sure what was wrong with Lucas, the situation she just described would happen again. Except he would be the one to put the bullet in Lucas.
Ronni nodded quickly. Lucky wasn't trying to say they should leave Lucas to die, justβ¦
We need to be able to see what's wrong with himβ¦
Ariella didn't realize her hands were shaking until she went to pack up her things. She took several deep breaths, crouching down, and staring at the ground.
It was fine. Everything is okay. You're not there anymore. She repeated to herself several times until her body seemed to calm.
She didn't like it, not giving anything to Lucas. He was uncomfortable. She wanted to help him feel better. It was her nature. Do no harm, were her vows. Well, she had already broken those.
Alastor nodded in understanding, although he was watching Zeus. The German Shepherd was friendly to most people, sure, but he had never trusted anyone enough to fall asleep on them. He only ever did that to Alastor.
"Well, I'm glad that he's starting to trust us a bit," he replied.
"Your dog likes him, isn't that nice" June smiled. "I want to wake him up⦠Just because." she had an evil grin. She started walking towards her sleeping brother.
Alastor felt a pang of sympathy for June and Devon as he covered his ears a bit. Zeus barked really loudly when he was abruptly woken up by someone who wasn't his owner.
June jumped back when Zeus barked, falling back on her butt. She glared at the dog and cursed at him in french.
Devon woke up, eyes wide and heart racing, he then glared at his sister. He didn't sleep often, and hardly had a restful sleep, so when some selfish person ruins that, he gets pissed. He stood up, looking furious, minus his messed up hair and crooked glasses. He walked up to June, "what?" his voice was calm, even, but laced with anger.
"we could always put a generator on the back of the truck." she shrugged, "that would be the best bet in my opinion, easy to move, and uh⦠yeah" She wasn't really paying attention. "where's Dev? he's smartish"
"Ooo. that would be nice." Liam said pushing off Alistor, who was looking a little uncomfortable. "Ahhhh. He looks so small." he said looking over June's shoulder. He jumped when Zeus barked after June woke him and Dev up.
"Easy, Zeus," Alastor called when the dog started to growl. He walked out of the kitchen. He casually stood near June and Devon in case a fight broke out. The previously sleeping guy looked pretty pissed now.
Zeus gave a grunt of annoyance and shook out his fur, moving to stand beside his owner.
Devon crossed his arms, "if I wasn't against violence, I swear to god you would regret that" he shook his head before turning and going to the bedroom.
June sighed loudly once he left, "he might be pissed for s few hours" she shrugged, standing once he was out of sight.
(btw guys im having Lucas just have a coldβ)
(Or like the regular, non deadly strand of flu)
Lucas looked at Lucky and Ariella, arguing slightly, their voices increasing in volume and he looked at Ronni, he gave her a small wave and smile and then slowly made his way into one of the empty apartments Ronni had pointed too.
(maybe have it be the regular flu, cuz the symptoms youre describing are a bit more severe than your average cold shrug)
(And Im glad you're not killing him :) )
Lucky watched him go, noting which apartment he picked. They would know soon if he had the deluxe or not.
Vomiting blood or coughing it up within the first few hours would tell them. If he wasn't doing that⦠he was probably going to be ok. That was all Lucky was watching for.
He looked at Ariella, not really sure where to go from here. SHe'd clearly made up her mind about him being a bad person, and while he was sorry she felt that way, he'd only done what he thought needed to be done up to this point. She didn't want his help or presence, and she'd been clear on that. SO he didn't offer it.
Ronnie went and got Lucas a glass of water. It was a bit odd to her, still, that the water worked but the electricity didn't. But. At least we've got relatively clean tap waterβ¦
She went into the apartment he'd picked and handed him the glass, before stepping back. She couldn't be close to him right now, as it could be lethal.
(yeah, i'm not really a big medical person, so thanks for the advice <3 )
(Also I just couldn't bring myself to do it, I was going to, but I couldn't.)
Lucas gave a small smile of thanks and then waved her away when he noticed how she quickly stepped back.
"I'll see you soon, hopefully." He told her, in a sad voice. "Thanks for the water."
He lifted the glass to his lips with shaking hands and took a long drink from it.
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