[Flashback] Workaholic (Solo)

[Oluse]

Fall 75, 511

Oluse had the Icewatch lower the women onto the emergency table, as his eyes scanned over her intently. Her skin had faded slightly, which told Oluse the situation was bad. Vantha should never be subject to hypothermia. However, this situation was different than simply being exposed to the weather, her blood was slowing in her veins, leaving the protective magic of Morwen nearly stagnant in the intoxicated girl's fragile body.

"No. Put her on her side." He commanded sternly to the Icewatch, adopting his usual cold demeanor when working. Then, while working to wash off his own hands he demanded more from the young women's lover. "What did she drink and exactly how much?"

The answer was staggered, sluggish and came with a much longer pause than Oluse appreciated. "Uh. I don't know. I wasn't really keeping track. Oh god. Is she going to be ok? She just layed down for a minute then started shaking all over the place. I think it was a seizure."

Oluse just gave a glare to his water basin, then turned back to his patient. "It was." He said through gritted teeth, the whole ordeal hitting a nerve for him. He knew by now it wasn't his place to be judgmental of his patients, or their idiotic boy friends. But a wrathful flame still flared within him as he reached for the girls wrist and felt for her pulse. Slow, as he suspected. The alcohol poisoning was well into effect. And he didn't even need to lower himself to her lips to tell her breath was much too slow. He wasn't sure if he could do much for her at this point. Idiots, he thought.

"Can't you mix a potion and fix her? You have to have something here." The man slurred out as he foolishly stumbled toward the cabinet of remedies that had be left open. Only to make it a few steps before the Icewatch, who had prudently decided not to leave the room reached out, and with little effort, but receiving great opposition dragged the man cursing from the room.

Oluse muttered under his breath as the man was removed. "Drugs are what got her into this state. And, it won't be what gets her out." He then took a deep breath, grabbed a small leather trap rolled and bound in a tube, usually used for keeping patients in extreme pain from biting themselves. This time he would wield it in his own protection.

Opening the heavy lidded women's mouth with ease, he slipped the corner of the brace in, so she couldn't bite down all the way, then took his other hands, and thrusted his fingers into her mouth, straight into the back of her throat.

[Oluse]

Immediately the women's eyes flew open, then slammed shut again as a wave of muscles reacted to the obstruction of the throat. With this wave came a loud and sudden choking exhale of air, but nothing else. Oluse removed his fingers, let her breath two long slow breaths, then did it again. This time, following the rush of strained air, came a painful wave of vomit, sprawling out along the table beside the women, and seeping onto the ground beside the table she lay on.

Oluse's frown, that had never left his face, grew stronger as he noted the distinct lack of solid elements within the vomit. She must have been drinking quite heavily on and empty stomach. He hoped for this girls sake that Rak'keli was watching over her. For, not much else aside form pure luck could save her from her own ignorance that night.

This process was repeated several times before the vomit ceased, and the girl seemed on the verge of passing out from the exertion. Then came the hard part: Keeping her awake. "Ok, I'm not going to do that any more. But I need to to stay awake. Ok? Do you understand me?" His words came in clear and deliberate Vani.

No response, and her eyes slip up in her head, then fell concealed by eyelids. "Wake up!" Oluse unabashedly yelled at her, breaking the otherwise calm of the clinic. Knowledge of how to save those suffering from such an ailments was limited, and Oluse knew of no other remedies or procedures he could perform for the girl short of bleeding her. And he didn't want to rely on that barbaric practice unless he absolutely needed to. So, he did all he could do, and tried to keep her awake.

He reached for the cold water within the basin beside him, grabbed a handful and splashed it along the side of the women's face. The mark was enough to protect her from the shock, as she slipped deeper into her slumber, which would no doubt soon become a coma, then death. At worse.

Oluse scowled frantically at her, then grabbed her arm, rolled it over slightly and pinched hard at the tender skin along the inside of her arm, using what was left of his severally cut nails, as was clinic protocol. The pain won a response and the women opened her eyes, slurring out something akin to "Stop," in Vani.

Oluse relaxed slightly at this, relieved she could still feel him, and could speak. Still, things looked bad. "I'm sorry, but I can't stop. You need to stay awake. You can not sleep." He pinched again as she tried to pull away and fall back into her sleep. She jumped away and gave a drunken and pathetic paw outward toward him.

Oluse continued speaking to her as he gave intermittent jabs and pinches at her, all in different places along her skin so as not to leave any deep bruises in one place. "Tonight is going to be rough. But, we are going to get through it together, OK? Hate me all you want, but I am not going to leave your side."

[Oluse]

And he didn't. Forgetting his duties to watch the front door, other physicians and healers had to take his place as other patients petered in with varying ailments. Oluse allowed nurses and doctors to assist him, and give advice, but never did he leave his patient's side.

He administered some basic water, infused with sugar and ginger as the night crawled painfully forward. He felt more like a torturer than a healer, but he understood that the women could not sleep no matter what. So, with pitiful attempts to rehydrate the women, followed by long sessions of vomiting then dry heaving he spoke his throat void of words. Scratchy diminished sounds pouring out of him by the time morning came around, and his manager came to tell him to go home.

He refused, and told her he was off the clock, that this was his personal time. Tired, and just as deprived of sleep as his patient, she finally began to shrug off the alcohol come mid morning. In it's wake flooded in delirium, and severe pain. But, the water began to remain within her, and Oluse started winning the time to clean up around the women.

It wasn't till midday that the women could speak and eat, and even then her mind was distracted by the pain of severe dehydration and aftermath of partial hypothermia due to her bodies arrest from the alcohol poisoning. Oluse had only on rare occasion witnessed any form of poisoning before then, and he decided it was likely the most terrifying of all ailments.

After she had been forced to sit up, so as not to drift to sleep, and to get some food into her, she gave a long silence before finally speaking to Oluse. Her Vani voice was tainted by evident fatigue, and dryness. "Where is Kellen?"

Oluse raised and eyebrow, then recalled the idiot who was dragged out by the Icewatch. "The man that brought you in?" Oluse replied calmly, finding his own fatigue concealing his excitement that she had become more lucid. "He was drunk, and very concerned for you. He did the right thing bringing you in. Though he should have much sooner. But, then he got out of hand to the Icewatch showed him to the door. No doubt he will be back to visit you later, once he is of proper mental facilities to visit." He said, with more than a little condescension in his voice, spurred by his own over exertion.

The women nodded slowly, sluggishly, and took another painful bite of her food. Then made a disgusted look at the after flavor within her own mouth.

Oluse caught the expression and gave the women a slight and soft smile. "Let me get you some herbs to help freshen your senses, and clean your slate. No use in missing the pleasure of Winterflame cooking. Stay sitting up till I get back." He then rose to go fetch some ginger and cilantro sprigs for her to chew on.

Just as he was about to leave the room he heard the women's crackling voice behind him say, with shame, "I'm not an alcoholic."

Olused stopped, paused a moment, then looked after his shoulder at the women with caring and understanding eyes, then said softly with his own slow tone, "And I'm not a workaholic."

Then, continued with his work.

[Creeper]

Skills Observation: 1 Interrogation: 1 Medicine: 2 Cleaning: 1   Lores Medicine: Identifying Alcohol Poisoning Medicine: Inducing Vomit Medicine: Using Pain to Maintain Consciousness Recipe: Sugar Water with Ginger   Other None I love medical threads, and this one was quite an interesting read. Well done, and I hope Kellen has a severe hangover.