Dayshift 43: Waiting Room / Lobby 2 [4th Shift]

[contentincloset.livejournal.com]

"Now you just have a seat and wait for your visitor like everyone else."

As the nurse went away from him, Kurogane huffed out some agitation but refused to have a seat. Hearing that he had a visitor had been one of the last things he'd expected. It was always the magician who got one, not him. And who the hell would want to visit him anyway?

During his first protests, the nurse had been telling him to behave since it wasn't nice to be sour to girls, so he knew it had to be a girl that was visiting. There were a few of those Kurogane knew could show up as a "visitor" for him, all of which were annoying. Some were worse than others too. He could probably handle if Sohma showed up, and maybe Amaterasu, but when it came to Tomoyo-hime... she was already hard to handle normally, no matter what world she came from. The Piffle version had been pretty much the same, just raised differently. If he saw her, even a fake her, she would probably be just the same and he'd have to at put up with it no matter what.

Eventually he chose to take a seat, knowing that he would not be leaving any time soon. Of course, he picked the one that was furthest into the corner to avoid unwanted conversations. He would already have to deal with a visitor; he shouldn't have to deal with anything more.

Comments

[fencing-captain.livejournal.com]

Juri was hoping finally to get to the recreation field. She was heading that way on her own--it wasn't like she didn't know the way--when a nurse caught up with her. She braced herself for getting scolded for moving around without an escort, but the nurse only asked her to come with her to the waiting room, because she had a visitor. What?

She was too stunned to protest, but she sat as indicated and tried to guess who was coming. She wasn't at all certain. One of her teachers? Someone from the student council? Her parents or sister perhaps? Juri hunched over and then bent to retie the shoelaces of her sneakers. Why did she have to have a visitor when she was dressed for sports?

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

By the time she arrived in the second lobby, her visitor was already waiting for her. A young boy with short hair and a small, lithe body sat in a chair looking at his watch, wondering how much longer it would take for her to be brought in. His cheeks flushed a faint red when he caught sight of his schoolmate, but he managed to smile at her easily enough.

"There you are," said James Mirabel with as much good cheer as he could manage, inviting Penny to sit across from him. "Um, I know we didn't last see each other on the best of terms, but it's still really good to see you," he went on, wincing a little as he thought about the break-up not a few weeks prior. Even if them dating had been more Penny's idea than his, that had still hurt. "I've missed you a lot. Everyone at school has."

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

Her time in the Game Room had been quiet, if not relaxing, though she’d done her best to meditate and relieve some of her emotions during the shift. Dragging herself around while at the point of crying out her frustration and sorrow wasn’t going to help anyone, not herself, and least of all the people she wanted to help. Once again, she had to push that stuff behind the veil in her heart and not let it distract her.

But it suddenly became twice as hard to do when the nurse who came to collect her surprised Tsubaki with the announcement that she had visitors this week! Wouldn’t that be a nice way to end the day?

It was supposed to be a pleasant surprise. To Tsubaki, it felt like someone had poured ice into the top of her head.

Someone to see me…? Someone? She didn’t understand it, not any of it, not what she’d read about visitations or what the Iris thing on the intercom was saying. She’d never dealt with these ‘visitors’ before. Were they fake? Were they real? Were they… graduates, former patients? Were they illusions built from memory? Were they harmful or harmless? What were they, and why would they appear, if not just as a terrible attempt to break the prisoners’ resolve? All Tsubaki could say with relatively surety was that this had to do with her… other self… Watanabe Miyu, the identity the hospital had given her. Beyond that, she didn’t know. She couldn’t predict what would happen.

Tsubaki hesitantly looked around at the others waiting in the lobby, but the situation didn’t warrant conversation. They were each in their own private moment, it felt like.

She, certainly, was a jumble of bewilderment and uncertainty on the inside as she finally picked a seat and clasped her hands in her lap. There was wariness in the mix, too, a desire to protect herself from another of Landel’s curveballs so that she didn’t end up feeling the outcome with such depth again. But not knowing what was coming made a promise like that hard to keep.

Still, outwardly the girl looked contained enough while she waited.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

She didn't have to wait long. The door opened moments later and a middle-aged couple walked through. The man's face seemed open and honest and the woman's a close reflection of the girl who sat waiting. He wore a simple kimono, only slightly different from the yukata worn around their home. The woman followed quietly beside him, a warm smile on her Asian features. She too wore a kimono, though the colors had faded and she was nowhere near as bold as her husband and his pride for the traditional.

There was no hesitation in his step as he led the way and stopped just short of his daughter. "How's my little girl?" he asked, the creases of a smile just barely touching his lips. Her mother smiled warmly enough for both of them.

[scarefaux]

The nurse had caught the Scarecrow off-guard when she found him still in the Sun Room and announced he'd be having a visitor after all. Excitement and trepidation hit him simultaneously; he had a visitor. He warned himself not to get worked up- after all, that woman had warned him that visitors looked and sounded very much like friends, but they believed what the Institute told them. None of his friends would be so gullible, would they?

The nurse interrupted his thoughts to lead him to the Waiting Room so as not to keep his visitor waiting. She found him an empty table and left him in one of the seats, reminding him to be courteous. He fiddled with his hands, the worry on his mind apparent. They wouldn't send one of his friends here, not even to visit him. Surely they'd send someone who'd rile him- wasn't that what had happened to that woman he'd spoken to? What if it was the Witch? Oh, he hoped it wasn't the Witch. He hoped it wasn't one of his friends even more.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

Dorothy felt shy and small, returning to the Institute, but it was important to show Hunk that recovery was possible. She wanted so much for her friend to be able to come back to the farm. Not only did she miss him, but there was always a lot of work to do: Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, and their other employees needed his help.

She stepped meekly into the Waiting Room, looking around, before spotting Hunk sitting at a table, fiddling with his hands. Smoothing the skirt of her blue and white gingham sundress, she approached the table. Her smile was tentative but genuine, and she waited for him to notice her.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

"It's good to see you looking so well and happy, Nicole." The nurse commented, smiling at the girl. She smiled right back, and answered, "I'm really doing great these days. School's been good, though we all miss Mr. Cross. In fact, I even made him something in home ec, see?" She held up the bag with a smile.

"That's great. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you, so why don't you just get settled in?" The girl smiled and nodded, then stepped in, making a beeline for the corner.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, Mr. Cross!" She stopped just short of hugging him, instead standing on tip-toe so she could see him a little better. "We all miss you."

[contentincloset.livejournal.com]

Instead of watching to see who was coming for him, Kurogane had kept his eyes to the other door to see if the magician would enter. He didn't much care who it was that visited the man every week, but the ninja knew that whoever it was had a strong influence on Fai's actions. That left him wanting to at least see what this Ashura person looked like - if the magician hadn't lied over that part in the first place.

From the other direction the visitors were trickling in, but Kurogane didn't notice any out of the corner of his eye until one of them came closer to him. He had been prepared to see dark hair on a girl or woman, paired with pale skin in two out of three guesses. The closest he had guessed was the semi-fair skin she had, and even then Kurogane had never expected to see this particular young lady ever again.

"You..." was all he said, momentarily surprised by seeing Shiki there.

She looked different to him, but that was probably because of her excitement. When she'd been here before... no, there was no comparing once he hit that thought. When she had been here before. He'd heard about this, on the bulletin: patients who had been released, cured by the standards of this place. That he was seeing Shiki again, and as a visitor, confirmed that as what had happened.

He'd thought she was stronger than that.

[clockmongler.livejournal.com]

...this was interesting.

X could never claim to have had a visitor before. As far as he could see, Landel took pleasure in ignoring the Nobody and his lack of existence, finding it more amusing to let him wander aimlessly with no plans in mind for him. He had been here for about four weeks and had never been attacked by something to the point of wondering if he would make it out alive (last night aside), had never been plucked for that Special Counseling nonsense, had never been experimented on, and for all the trauma and mental scarring he had seen, most of it had been his doing (Brainiac must have appreciated him by now). So when Nursey, having gently pulled Luxord to the side and reassured him that no harm would come to his kitten, told him he had a special visitor... Well, he certainly was not expecting anything of the sort.

Thoughts of that insidious "Tim" put aside, the Gambler found a chair, and sat down, crossing his legs as he waited curiously. And which shadow of the past would they conjure now?

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

This "surprise visitor" had no trouble finding her way to the lobby, although she waited for a nurse to escort her anyway. She understood what the rules and regulations were, since she formally was a patient in this place. Besides, Sarah didn't want to lose her chance to see Daniel, especially since she still had to apologize for leaving so suddenly.

Once she entered the lobby, Sarah spotted Daniel immediately. A smile spread across her face as she saw her cousin, marveling at how he barely changed. But even when they shared that strange delusion, he was still the same old Daniel.

Sarah quietly took her spot next to her cousin, knowing that she didn't need to introduce herself. But really, she also didn't know what to say. Should she apologize? Say hello? Or was he actually angry at her for leaving the Institute first?

"... I missed you, Daniel," She said that first, looking at her beloved cousin with sad eyes.

[madeinthehrl]

Between the events of last night and the probably excessive soul-searching this morning, Soma had almost forgotten the possibility that she might have a visitor today. It had seemed inconsequential then. But now she wasn't so sure.

There was absolutely no doubt in her mind who he would be. That much, at least, was clear. What worried her was how he would be. There had been enough talk on the bulletin board to at least halfway convince her that it would really be the lieutenant colonel--but had they taken him at the same time they had taken her? Brainwashing had been mentioned, but that was a possibility she wasn't yet willing to consider. The chances of that happening to the lieutenant colonel were impossible, no matter what Hinamori had said.

No, there was no need to worry. He was coming to help her escape, that was all. Soma sat back in her chair, waiting. She had never been one to fidget before, but now just keeping still was a chore.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

The sun seemed bright in Stefan's eyes as he waited for the staff to process his paperwork, the beginnings of a headache making its way through his system as he cleared his mind and wondered on what he should focus. Whether anything he did would make a difference.

He hadn't slept last night, something Hilary had chided him for this very morning. It had been almost a week since he had seen her last, and how they had to part brought him only regret. As if there was something else he could have done, some other duty or purpose he should have served for her sake. Before she was taken away from them, because these people could do something for her that they could not.

Stefan didn't trust them. Though Hilary often said that he should. Because if he didn't have faith in her recovery, who would?

But it wasn't Maria that Stefan lacked faith in.

.....perhaps he just wanted her back.

He was permitted entrance, and Stefan walked in. It took only a short scan of the room to find her, sitting as still as ever, waiting.

There she was.

"...Maria."

[tostepforward.livejournal.com]

Though she had initially started the conversation simply because Suzaku was an acquaintance of Lelouch, Ayumu had become interested in the young man for himself by the time they were interrupted by the change of shift. There was something about him that interested her, and she'd have to think on it well before making her report.

But apparently that would have to wait, as a nurse had arrived to interrupt and lead her off to meet with her visitor. The very mention of that word had put Ayumu on guard, as tense and wary as she might be when going out on a dangerous assignment. The comparison might not be entirely unwarranted, as well, given what she'd heard and extrapolated from the information she'd found thus far.

It seemed the visitors were intended to exploit flaws within the so-called "patients" in this place, whether to simply hurt them or to convince them to believe the lies they were being told. Depending on who they had decided to bring for her, this could be quite dangerous indeed.

Outwardly she merely smiled at the nurse and thanked her when led to a seat, keeping up appearances as she settled down into the chair. A few visitors were already trickling in even as patients arrived, and Ayumu did her best to compose herself and wait. Who could it be? Okita was already here - Hijikata, perhaps? Tetsu? Or...someone far worse.

She drew in a breath and held it for a moment, forcing herself to relax and be calm. There was nothing to be done but to get through this, now.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

((I am SO sorry for the delay. ;_;))

Makoto's eyes shifted warily from one nurse to another as he was led into the waiting room. He was displeased with the fact that this visit was going to take place in a room full of other patients and staff. Were they not allowed any privacy? It may have helped the nurses keep better tabs on everyone, but it still felt invasive.

They'd checked over his shoulder bag when he'd arrived as well. What did they think he was going to do, sneak in drugs?

At least there was some space between his sister and the others. Trying to discuss things with her while a foot away from some other loon was the last thing he wanted. He stopped in front of her, hands in his pockets and expression deadpan. "Hey."

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

"I am about to cough up my lungs and a fountain of fake carrots," Yuffie wheedled at her nurse. "I'm going to go into convulsions. I'm going to develop Geostigma, and that is really disgusting, so you might want to stand clear. And turn your back. For about five minutes, please, okay?"

Plucky was having none of it. "Hanna, sweetheart," she sighed, one hand lightly on her headstrong charge's shoulder as they drew close to the lobby. "You should be looking forward to this! He's a very special friend of yours--"

Uh-oh. That didn't sound good. "You mean, it isn't my old man? Thank gawd, I think I really would've gone into convulsions if I'd had to see that saggy face again--" Plucky cut her off with a reprimanding squawk of 'Hanna, please!', "-- Okay, okay. Maybe I'd have just settled for punching him," Yuffie said, ducking away from the nurse's hand. Before she could be interrupted again, she prattled on: "Who's this special friend, then? I don't think I have -- ew, this isn't going to be some faker boyfriend, is it?"

And so it continued, down the hall. To her doom. It would be an understatement to say that Yuffie didn't want to go; she… didn't. She really, really didn't. She'd rather rip out her own heart and feed it to herself. After the last time, after special counselling… After everything else that had and was happening, this was the last thing that'd do her any good.

Except she was the White Rose of Wutai, and she was braver than that. So she squashed down her real feelings and let the usual mask jump up and down on them, all the while swearing to Da Chao that she'd get through this in one piece. All of her.

"There we are," Plucky announced, apparently delighted to have reached the lobby without anything too dramatic happening. "He'll be here shortly, so just sit tight for a moment. Remember to play nice, alright? I'll be close by if you need anything." Me and my band of merry henchmen. Yuffie pulled a face.

As usual when presented with a chair that she didn't particularly want to sit in, Yuffie hopped up onto it and perched on the back. Precariously. One foot planted on the arm, the other resting on the actual seat. Who was coming? Godo was right out, unless Plucky had suddenly developed a nasty sense of humor. It'd be somebody from AVALANCHE; it had to be. Not that the thought made her feel much better about the whole thing. Cloud would probably just dot at her, Tifa would be -- well, she'd be Tifa, knockers the size of Meteor and all, so maybe they'd be able to talk about bra-sizes and completely ignore anything, y'know, relevant to the situation. Cid wouldn't visit even if you paid him in smokes, Barret would be surgically attached to a mirror of Marlene, Reeve would be too busy doing inappropriate things to piles of electronics --

-- The list went on, the seconds ticked by, and Yuffie pretended that her heart wasn't beating a little faster.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

It wasn't long until the nurse returned, leading in a young man still in motorcycle leathers, his normally spiky hair a little limper than normal thanks to the helmet he carried in his hand. Conner was decidedly uncomfortable with the whole set up. He'd been the one who had, ultimately, suggested to Tiff that maybe Hanna would be better off in a hospital than on their couch. Tiffany had run with the idea once it was presented; after all, Hanna was sick and her delusions were getting increasingly violent. Her safety--and the safety of the two little kids also living in the (cramped) apartment above Seventh Heaven--came first.

Still, he felt just a little guilty. Ever since they'd caught her trying to break into the cash register three years ago, she'd been like family. Sure, she'd disappear for days or weeks on end from time to time, but she always came back to Seventh Heaven and they always let her in. What kind of message had working with her dad behind her back in order to send her to a nuthouse sent?

Conner shifted awkwardly and gave Hanna a rare smile. "You look like somebody made you sit in Stan's truck. He wanted me to tell you that he still hasn't washed the puke out of his back seat, by the way."

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

Sheena's mind was whirling away. Between Forte's return, the fight she was semi-having with Raine and that fact that Reinforce was zeroing in on her youkai, the ninja wasn't sure what to do, much less feel. She was a mix of angry, irritated, scared and elated. Usually, she was a combination of only two of those four.

No, make that five, because she was kind of confused, now that she'd noticed the room she was in, was one she'd never been in before. She couldn't place exactly why she was confused, which was only making her more irritated. It had to do with this very faint feeling of familiarity deep inside her, near her heart, but she couldn't identify it. It kind of felt like...

No. That was silly. It couldn't be... Right?

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

Kishin was feeling a mix of things, himself; excited, worried, nervous, and then some. He hadn't seen Sara in way too long, even before she had her breakdown, which added a little guilt to it. It wasn't his fault that this had happened, but if he'd been there with her, then maybe... maybe it wouldn't have been as bad, at least.

But he would only have so long here, and the clock was ticking already. When he spotted her, he smiled without even thinking about it. No matter what, she was still his childhood friend. And he was still her sweetheart, for as long as she wanted him to be.

"Sara!" Without stopping to think about it, he pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner."

[innovator-skuld.livejournal.com]

When Skuld was told to come along somewhere, she nearly dug in her heels and refused to go; people had vanished during the day, too! She knew what came of refusing, but she didn't care if she got sedated, even considering how very badly she reacted to the injections. It was better than cooperating with them.

However, when the nurse explained she had a visitor... Skuld wasn't sure if she should go along quietly or fight even harder not to go. The thought of Belldandy (or at least a part of her) seeing her sedated wasn't a pleasant one, thought, and fighting to stay not only awake but sitting up in front of Belldandy and an entire roommate of people really didn't sound appealing.

So, in the end, she went; she sat where she could see the door, and waited for her big sister.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

Last week, Astrid had come home so miserable that Tyra had put her foot down and flat-out refused to let her be the one to visit their little sister again this week. When even Keisuke had backed Tyra up--a rare alliance between the two--Astrid had finally agreed that maybe it was too emotionally draining for her to see Dalia like this. So, here Tyra was, following a nurse into one of the most depressing rooms she'd ever seen. Considering the state of Keisuke's apartment when she'd first come to check up on Astrid's new beau... it was pretty impressive to find somewhere more sad looking. She probably shouldn't have bothered to buy a new outfit for this visit, but she didn't want Dalia thinking she was slipping or anything!

When they brought her over to where Dalia was seated, Tyra put on her best Big Sister Face and dropped gracefully into the chair provided. "Sorry to disappoint, squirt. Today you get me."

[boyking]

Between Schuldig and a nurse suddenly steering him by the elbow out of the room, You've got someone here to see you, dear, Sam just only had time to think that he needed to find Dean later to see if his brother had somehow ended up with a visitor, too, before his nurse nudged him through the waiting room.

It looked like the thousands of waiting rooms that populated...pretty much every service in the country that required you to wait, which was a lot, frankly. Outdated magazines, chairs with cushions that were just shy of being totally uncomfortable. Probably the only difference was the lack of mind-numbing celebrity gossip magazines, Time replacing Britney Spears.

He remembered reading those all the time at Stanford. Stacks of The Economist in the apartment he'd shared with Jess; Jess had always insisted on recycling them instead of throwing them out when the pile got too high. He hadn't touched one since they'd burned that night, barely paid attention to the news, and he remembered they'd driven past a campaign office once and it'd struck him that he wasn't even technically an American citizen anymore, what with the whole "legally dead" aspect.

For a moment, Sam contemplated taking one, but he decided not to bother. Even if they weren't outdated, what was the news to him these days when they could easily both be dead the next week, the next morning?

He sat down in one of the chairs, waiting. He had no idea who would be coming. The nurse hadn't said and she hadn't mentioned a gender, either. And what was the deal with them being—what? Not knowing the truth? Peter had mentioned his brother being brainwashed, though it hadn't seemed that way anymore from last night. Except people didn't just miraculously recover from something like that, so what the hell was even going on?

Really, if Ruby popped up, that was the best he was hoping for. She was really the only one he didn't mind seeing. The only one who wouldn't make him feel like his whole world was gonna shatter any second now just by their existence alone.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

Yet it definitely wasn't a demon who walked through the door.

The man stepped into the waiting room and immediately looked out of place. His hands were pressed into the pockets of his trenchcoat as he glanced over the faces of both the ill and their kin. His tie was out of place and his eyes had bags under them as if he hadn't slept in a few days. With his line of work, he usually didn't.

It took him only a second or two to pick the man he was looking for out of the crowd. He was an observant type by nature.

It had been a while since he had seen Mr. Derringer. (He'd been told to call him "Matt," but he had always been the professional type.) He hadn't been sure they'd ever see each other again after the man had been sent here, and yet he hadn't been able to kick the feeling that he could help him and set him on the right path. It had taken some delibarating, but in the end he'd chosen to set his new cases to the side for a day so that he could do this.

He walked over slowly, wanting to give Derringer the chance to notice him. The man had been stressed beyond belief the last time they had spoken, and he knew better than to sneak up on someone like that. Once he was close enough, he nodded to him and then waited. He wasn't going to sit until he was sure Derringer wanted him here. He knew it had been something of a risk to come at all, which meant he was willing to leave if Derringer told him to.

[lawful_perfect]

[skjdfksjd sorry so late, Sue. ^^;; ]

Before von Karma had a chance to examine the library's bookshelves for something marginally useful, his blasted nurse came to retrieve him. "Come on, Mr. Fuchs! You have a special visitor waiting for you. He'll be very glad to see that you're doing better."

The prosecutor raised his eyebrow at the nurse. He? That ruled out his daughter and granddaughter, as well as whatever impostor who might pose as his departed wife. Who then could it be? He thought back on what his fraudulent patient chart said. Oh, no, he groaned to himself. Anyone but that over-aged buffoon.

The nurse led von Karma to the already crowded waiting room and sat him at an unoccupied spot. "I'll send him in right away," she grinned a bit too widely, reminding him of the very person he suspected was about to meet him here.

His arms folded, he glared silently at the back of the nurse's head as she disappeared through the door. Reflecting upon what Ms. Taura had said about the visitors, he started to draw up a plan to trap this person in his falsehood.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

The laughter of one of the other nurses preceded, if only by seconds, the broad-shouldered old man who insinuated himself into the room with the unique ease of combined self-confidence and an imposing build. Even well into his sixties, Dr. Kant moved with the muscular surety of a younger man, regarding the nurse seeing him in with twinkling green eyes, nested into the smile-wrought crows'-feet that stood out as some of the only wrinkles on his tanned face. The smile was genuine, as always. People in the medical profession, especially women, usually liked Student Anecdote #12. It was always gratifying to see that he hadn't told it so much that he'd lost the trick of delivering it well.

"It's good to see college hadn't changed much since I was there," the nurse noted, smiling and shaking her head, before gesturing into the room. "Mr. Fuchs is right there. I'm sure he'll be glad to see a friendly face."

"As glad as he is to see anyone," Damien noted with a chuckle, then without preamble strode into the room with a booming laugh, regarding his colleague with a broad grin. Names first, of course. He wanted to be the first to know if Karl was coming back to his senses, and names had always been one of the best indicators of where his head was at. "Foxy! How've you been?"

[onefellbeast.livejournal.com]

Takasugi's current circumstances left him quite curious as the nurses had fetched him from the recreation field with the news that he had a visit. Now, who could it be? Had someone actually managed to find their way all the way into this world? And if they did, had they any intention to assist in his release.

It was difficult to say without know, first, who is visitor was, and the nurses said nothing of pertinence regarding their identity. He supposed he might as well go along with just to sate that curiosity for a bit. He couldn't deny he'd been somewhat excited by the prospect, especially if it was one of his men, who'd finally decided to take action regarding his absence.

His wounds ached severely as he took his seat and waited, wincing with every small movement. Most of his torso had to be tightly bound up, which made even breathing difficult, and he was rather surprised but also thankful that the hadn't been confined to a wheel chair. It was bad enough that the nurses had insisted on checking on his bandages so often, something of which rattled at his patience.

[i-dont-paint.livejournal.com]

Subconsciously, Tony had been bracing himself ever since he'd realized what day it was. Even so, he hadn't really been expecting to be ushered into one of the waiting rooms by a nurse he could only pretend looked any more harried than usual. Unlike the previous week, he'd held out no real hope of getting through this time; even without the prior visitor encounter to draw from, the announcements from I.R.I.S. would have had him on edge.

A quick scan of the room turned up no one he really recognized amongst either the patients or the visitors, and so he let himself be steered toward an empty spot without argument. He played off his unease and the underlying thread of anger, slouching casually in his seat and allowing his expression to turn to one of mild aggravation, as though he had somewhere better to be than in the lobby, waiting.

Tony wasn't certain whether he hoped it was someone new this time, or hoped it was the woman who had pretended to be Pepper. Neither was a comfortable thought, and was made even less so by the altered circumstances. Next Wave. What is Next Wave?

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

It had been a long week for Phoebe, but she could only imagine it had been even longer for William. And she had very little in the way of good news to give him, so god only knew what this meeting would be like. She knew she must look pretty haggard, when the nurse showed her into the same room as last week--or was it just so similar as to be indistinguishable? But a week of trying to fight for her job and her boss, all without getting caught doing the latter... even she was getting a bit worn down. William didn't exactly look his best, either, but that was just more discouraging than anything else. "So here we are again."

[meitantei.livejournal.com]

More announcements from IRIS meant more notes to take. Shinichi's hand was starting to get a bit cramped now, and he'd already used up about half a dozen pages on the last shift's announcement alone. If the visitors were "graduates," that could explain why they seemed to be actual loved ones. The detective scribbled away, pouring out all his suspicions and theories from the last several days in thin, spidery handwriting. He only noticed the passage of time when the announcements came again, this time possibly throwing a wrench into all the theories he'd just spent so much energy on. If the visitors were actually doctors...

Well, that would explain why a lot of people on the bulletin seemed to generally think their doctors were half decent human beings, didn't it? If they were brainwashed themselves, it made Martin Landel's job a little easier.

The announcement also reinforced the idea that these announcements were at least several weeks or months old. Possibly longer.

Augh, it was too much of a headache.

Shinichi had just been massaging his aching wrist when his nurse came over to him with an ominously cheerful smile. "There you are, Jimmy!" she gushed, and he felt his heart sink. "Follow me! You don't want to make your visitor late, do you?"

Of course. A visitor. Who would it be? Mom? Dad? Ran? The old man? Certainly not Hattori, since he was already here. The Detective Boys (minus Conan), maybe, with Professor Agasa playing chaperon?

The detective sighed and took a seat, wishing he had something to fidget with to take his mind off his nerves. A rumpled old magazine would have to do.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

She had been waiting patiently in the corner of the room, nodding and assuring the nurses it was all right, really when they said it would only be a few more minutes before Jimmy would be there.

Rachel felt a surge of relief when she finally saw him enter the room and take a seat. Wanting to look her best, she took a moment to smooth out her skirt and fix her hair before crossing the room to join him. It had only been a week since he'd been admitted to the Institute, but it felt like it had been so much longer since she'd lost him.

"Jimmy..." she started, uncertain of what to say now that he was actually here. Was he better yet? Had he gotten worse? She hesitated, and then settled for taking a seat across from him.

[toobothersome.livejournal.com]

There really were no other options. Shikamaru had meticulously considered each one, from directly attacking the staff to faking sickness to simply forcing the nurses to render him unconscious, but he knew that any evasion on his part would result in a lecture from Kakashi later that evening...not to mention that it was a weakness, a vulnerability, one of the things he had to overcome if he wanted to be strong enough to protect his village. His anxiety had already caused him to make a stupid error in whatever type of shougi this world played...chess, his opponent had called it? He couldn't risk a mistake like that when it actually mattered.

So he followed the nurse, eyes on his slippered feet. Grey cotton covering his toes, rubber soles soundless on the tile floor. They felt like someone else's feet. Maybe they were. He couldn't depend on anything here, except for himself and the other Leaf-nin. Shikamaru dropped into the seat the nurse indicated, noting the empty space across from him with considerable relief and then resting his cheek on his palm, staring at the blank wall beside him. He just had to keep his mind clear, and not let emotion affect anything he said or did. Simple. He'd gone through the usual training, and besides, distancing was one of his natural strengths.

The fact that he'd made mental note of every route to an exit as soon as he entered the room was bothersome, but not as bothersome as the fact that he knew that he knew he couldn't use any of them.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

He'd required two cigarettes out in front of building, as well as a small amount of pacing, before Adam could get himself to go inside and meet with the kid he'd come up to see. Absently, he wondered if Luke had already been visited by his parents. Surely it would be awkward if the first one to come see him was his teacher. There was nothing to be done about that now, though. He'd just have to get down to it.

He was already sitting there waiting for him when he came in the room, but he should have expected that. Hopefully he wouldn't have to listen to any reprimands about his lateness. Though, if he did, he'd at least know that the kid remembered who he was. You could never know what to expect from the people undergoing treatment in this place. Some came to themselves faster than others.

"How's it goin', sport?" he greeted, feeling out of place already.

[brokenweapon.livejournal.com]

"Come on, Mr. Kane. You have a visitor again today."

The words had made Jason tense up, clutching the journal and pen in his hands. Inside that journal was the picture Marie had given him last week. Was she back now? Did she know who she was? Or were they going to continue this charade?

'I'll come back next week.' She had promised. And he wanted to see her. If that made him weak, then he was weak. Once he had been led to a table, he nodded at the nurse, waited until she was gone, and slid the (faked, faked!) picture out of the journal. How he wished it was real, that life for them had really been like that! Surely Army life, while not easy by any means, must have been better for any relationship that wanted to be sustained, that didn't require both of them to be crazy!

His fingertip traced the curve of her face on the picture. Marie. Even if she thought she was Anna, she was his Marie.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

"...don't know why it's so difficult to just keep the paperwork on file, I was just here last week." The orderly opened the door before Anna reached it, allowing the tail end of her complaint at the desk staff to drift in ahead of her. "I mean, hopefully there won't need to be a next time, but can you make a note or something? Okay?"

It was then that she realized the door was open, and she cut herself off with a slightly abashed smile at the orderly holding it for her before stepping through with a murmured apology. All outside distractions were forgotten as soon as she was in the room, though, and her attention immediately shifted toward him and held there.

It had only been a week, but a week that seemed to last an eternity and longer, and she found herself frozen in place, hardly daring to breathe for a moment as she reviewed his familiar features. It was him, it really was him. "Charlie," she whispered, a half-incredulous smile quirking the corners of her mouth before she started toward him again.