Day 67: Dinner

[damned_intercom]

"Goodness, is it really already time for dinner? Time certainly does fly! And such a lovely day, too. I certainly wouldn't mind having a nice cup of cocoa out on the patio or something..."

That was how the Head Doctor greeted them, although it apparently didn't take him long to realize he'd gotten a little off topic.

"Now then, it's time for the nurses to escort you all back to your rooms, where you'll have the opportunity to tuck into a scrumptious plate of turkey and gravy. And, of course, we always carry vegetarian options for those who don't eat meat. We also have our usual assortment of water, juice and milk.

"Also, some of you will be receiving some extra help in warding off whatever bug some of us have been catching. Please take care, everyone, and be sure to wash your hands! I'll talk to you all again later. Enjoy your dinner."

The intercom clicked off, leaving patients with the prospect of preparing for yet another grueling Nightshift.

((Respond to this post with your character's room number in the subject line. New room assignments are listed here. If you have any questions, let us know!))

Comments

whoops made a mistake

[oyaji]

Wild Tiger had hoped that shot would have faded by the time dinner rolled around, but as he moved out of the music room and toward his room he felt so light-headed the moment he stood up. He felt drunk, but without only the side effects. His nurse didn't seem to have any capacity for sympathy. Close to M39, she lectured him on how important it was to keep a cool head for the rest of the night.

Pfft, yeah right. Just for saying that, Tiger was tempted to act like a baby just to put her out. Of course, Castiel kind of messed up his childish plans. When they came through the room, he didn't have it in him to destroy the man's night with a stupid vendetta that would probably just get him sedated again and possibly strapped to his bed. The former Hero couldn't risk that, not if he wanted to help Barnaby. He had to play nice, for now.

Once she left, he staggered to his bedside table, picked up his tray and sat on his bed in front of Castiel. "You look better," he offered slowly, trying to make small talk to break up his own dark thoughts. "Your face has more color. You've been eating your dinner, right?" He didn't know much about stomach surgery--For all he knew it probably hurt to digest food--but what he did know is that the body had a lot of catching up to do in nutrients to keep his immune system healthy.

[freewill]

Eventually Castiel's roommate did, in fact, show up, although he didn't look so great himself. Castiel realized that he and Kobayashi must have exchanged at least a few words last night, but he could barely remember it. That was how far gone with fatigue and pain he'd been...

Being this close to human never stopped being an inconvenience.

It was really no surprise that Kobayashi was worrying over him in spite of everything, though. He just seemed to be that kind of man. "Getting food down isn't an easy task right now," Castiel said, an evasive answer but an answer nonetheless. He moved the turkey around on his plate, soaking it in gravy in the hopes that would make it go down easier.

"How is your friend?" he asked next, because despite everything that had happened, he remembered how they'd scanned Barnaby in the X-ray room that one night. "Is he still sick?" If he was, chances were that he wouldn't be for long, with all the talk of a cure going around.

[oyaji]

"Well, then try and stay hydrated at least." From his tray, Wild Tiger took his juice and gave it to Castiel. "Juice's better at that than water 'cause it's got sugar and actual fruit and... stuff." He could live without a drink if it meant helping his roommate. He only had one and he wasn't about to let him down!

As he cut into his own turkey and gravy meal, Castiel's next question was a little harder to answer. "You mean Bunny?" He tried to be as upfront without embarrassing the blond. "Yeah, he is, but I got 'em something." Putting his tray down, he leaned over the side of his bed behind him, his legs kicking and wiggling to get better leverage. It certainly didn't make his head feel better, though. Tiger's vision swam as he pulled himself back up with his damp cap in his hands.

Gently, he took out a yellow flower and its stem. "You know that cure everyone's been talking about on the bulletin board? I think I got it..."

[freewill]

Juice? Castiel didn't have a chance to refuse it, because Kobayashi went ahead and dropped the cup onto his desk before he could say much of anything. He wondered if the extra content really did help, but since things like nutrition had never been a consideration before, he decided to listen to his roommate. Castiel picked up the cup and took a few testing sips. It wasn't bad.

He waited for Kobayashi to show him whatever he had under his sleeve, so to speak, and was surprised when he procured a flower. Castiel, even with his brief glances at the bulletin board, had noticed how many of the other patients had been discussing that. It seemed that his roommate had beat plenty of others to it, seeing how he already had one of the plants.

"So that's the cure? How did you get your hands on that?" Not that it mattered to Castiel, since he was technically already cured. But he would benefit from knowing either way. It turned out that Kobayashi was more resourceful than he'd realized. Then again, he'd always had the feeling that there was more to the man that he'd let on, and people would go to great lengths for the sake of a friend.