Doctor, doctor, gimme the news

[thepull_mods]

Who: Sick people and their well-wishers
When: May 13th-June 4th
Where: Hospitals and clinics all over the Port
Summary: A catch-all log for hospitalized people and their visitors all over the Port during the sickness plot. Everyone feel free to centralize your hospital visit threads here for convenience!
Warning: Please mark your threads if you'll need any.

Comments

[ofthursday]

[Castiel is focused on catching his breath and staying on his feet, so much so that he barely registers someone talking to him until Tenma's at his side. He tenses on reflex--he doesn't like people he doesn't know touching him especially while he's so weak; he feels defenseless--but manages to control himself instead of lashing out. He does however digs his heels in and refuse to move, voice low under his breath.]

I'm fine. Let go.

[He knows he's being difficult, but he's sick and stressed out and he's here to assist and be useful, not to be taken care of despite that he has no doubt Tenma's intention is just to help.

He finally realizes he's been asked a question though, and nods just slightly.]

Yes. Castiel.

[surgicalshot]

Ah--! I'm sorry! I should probably have asked first. [Tenma says a little sheepishly, going to rub a hand through his hair before remembering he had gloves on, and he probably shouldn't do that.]

Nice to meet you, Castiel. I'm Doctor Tenma. Can you take a seat in the wheelchair, please? I'm going to bring you back to the lab room, and I don't want you falling down on the way there.

[ofthursday]

[He relaxes a little more at the apology, and though his eyes are hazy from fever he's watching the other carefully, listening. He nods slightly at the introductions, but spares the wheelchair only a glance. He's an angel, and one that's particularly prideful; it's not happening.]

I can fly.

[And with that, he disappears in a fluttering noise, to reappear in the lab room with an ungraceful tumble to the floor. Flying while sick is just as difficult as walking but at least no one had to push him.

He just has to get up, now.]

[surgicalshot]

[He was about to tell him that the clinic was too small for him to fly in, when suddenly he was just gone. He couldn't cover his shock very well, and when he heard the noise, he raced to the room. He shut the door behind him, waiting there for a moment.]

Would you like some help getting up? From a medical standpoint, I think it would be better if you let me be a doctor and do what I need to do.

[ofthursday]

I'm sure it would.

[Castiel says it flatly and ends up in another coughing fit, but he does manage to get up to his knees. He doesn't try to get up further on his own though, resting there for a moment before giving a small nod of acceptance at the help.]

[surgicalshot]

[He went to help him once he was sure he was fine with it, carefully lifting him up and moving him to the chair close by. Once he was close to it, enough that he could sit in it without help, he let go, going to the sink, where he had a new set of gloves.

Pulling them on, he tied them together and balled up the old ones, throwing them into the hazard waste bin.]

Okay. To start out with, I have some questions? Mostly about your health, now and in the past, and what it is that you... are, I guess?

[ofthursday]

[He sits down, awkwardly trying to be stiff and tense as he usually is but not having the energy for it, so his hands brace on his legs and his head bows slightly. He's quiet until he's asked the questions, and he considers his answers for a moment.]

I'm an angel. This body isn't mine; it's a vessel.

[He coughs a few more times, catching his breath slowly.]

I returned home a few months ago. Before that, my power was low and I was mortal in this body. I had no health issues other than injuries.

At full strength as I am now, it should be impossible for me to become sick. My healing maintains my vessel and protects it from illness.

[surgicalshot]

[He'd like to say he'd heard stranger things, but... no, this took the cake.]

So that's... does that mean there's two people in you? You and the person you're... in...?

[How does this work, what the hell?]

So you were mortal before, but not now.

[ofthursday]

There was. He's no longer alive; it is just my consciousness in this body now.

[Jimmy's soul is still with him, but the human died years ago.]

Yes.

[surgicalshot]

Okay. And you're not able to leave the body, right? You haven't tried to leave it any time recently?

[He made another note on the chart.]

[ofthursday]

I haven't tried. My true form is the size of a skyscraper and would blind anyone who looked upon it. Or drive them insane.

[Either one. Hence leaving the vessel isn't really an option in as enclosed a space as an island.]

[surgicalshot]

Oh. Okay, well, that's good that you haven't tried to leave it! [Chuckles a little nervously, but his voice stays cheerful.]

What I'm getting at is... the host body might still be susceptible to illness? The mind and the body are not the same thing, so it might not be you, it might be... whoever the body used to be.

[ofthursday]

The body is susceptible, yes.

[He pauses to cough again, more violently, leaning forward unsteadily in his seat until he can find his voice again.]

But my grace--part of my true self--should be healing and maintaining it. It isn't, entirely.

[He still doesn't have to breath, or eat, but he's having difficulty maintaining the vessel even in those basic things, let alone fighting off some sort of illness.]

[surgicalshot]

[He doesn't know quite what to do with all that. He frowns, setting the clipboard away for a moment.]

How do you react to medical equipment? X-Rays, or Cat scans, things like that.

[ofthursday]

None of it is an issue.

[At least in any sort of physical way. There might be risk of Castiel shorting some electronics if he were feeling stronger, but otherwise nothing.

Of course, convincing Castiel to actually do the tests is another thing entirely.]

[surgicalshot]

I'd like to have you get a CT scan. We don't know a lot about what's going on, but there's a woman in the hospital that we're checking her brain, now. If we could check yours, that would help us out a lot.

[He looked at him expectantly.]

[ofthursday]

I'm not certain it will give you the results you are looking for. Without my consciousness, the brain of this vessel reads as inactive.

[When the angel had been unconscious for a time at home, the hospital had thought he was braindead. Which, incidentally, is part of the reason he hates hospitals; it hadn't been a fun experience.]

But the test itself is harmless, correct?

[surgicalshot]

Ah... well, yes, but we might as well try, right? [Smiles behind his mask.]

Absolutely harmless! If it hurts in any way, that means we're doing it wrong. And we don't do it wrong.

[ofthursday]

[Castiel seems to consider this for a few moments, but then finally nods.]

Alright. What do I have to do?

[surgicalshot]

All you have to do is lie under the scanner! Pretty simple, right? We'll have you drink some contrast fluid, which'll help us see what we need to, and that should be it. You can get a copy of the images, too, if you want.

[He sets the clipboard to the side.] We can get that started right now, if you want.

[ofthursday]

[He nods again, slightly, before falling into another coughing fit. It would definitely be best to do it now, while he can still move to do so.]

Yes.

[And he moves to stand up again, unsteadily.]

[surgicalshot]

If you want, I could get you a cane or something? Just so you don't have to worry about falling. [Because that would be very bad, and frankly, tiring to go through.]

[ofthursday]

I can walk.

[Sorry Tenma; he's both ridiculously stubborn and ridiculously prideful.]

[surgicalshot]

Okay. Well, I'm just going to leave this cane here, and I'll meet you in the lab next door. [And he does take a cane out of the side door, leaning it against the counter and then walking out.]