angels of mercy
"Make a hole, people, MedTechs coming through." Lori Railsback maintained her otherwise sunny disposition by yelling at innocent people several times a day. Jack Redstone steered them in the right direction and excused himself for his Gvot duties on Wheel 7."Hey, Leon, hey, Wally, how's he doin'?" Lori knelt beside Leon, respectful of the obvious cameraderie between the two men.
Aggie dropped the gurney to floor level and joined them "How you doing, Mr. Freedman?"
Leon had been pushed down hard.
Wally provided the answers. "I think he might've hit his head on the floor." He turned and looked for the perpetrator without success.
Lori put a hand on Wally's. "Maybe you can help us get him onto the gurney?"
"Sure, anything he wants or needs, you let me know." Wally and Lori began to roll Leon sideways while Aggie slid the gurney under him.
Lori nodded. "We understand, thank you."
Aggie filled Wally in. "Don't know if you're up to speed on Leon, Wally. He was diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. Mr. Freedman is an old friend. He needs an injection every two weeks, plus he sometimes forgets to take his daily meds. He's probably on one of his walkabouts." She looked sadly from Leon to Wally. "Now our friend Leon is one of those people other luckier folks ignore."
Wally nodded. "I know." He was as quiet and serious as they'd ever seen him. "This man is a good man. I trust you to look after him yourselves."
Lori smiled reassuringly at Wally. "Of course. Just let us take him in, we'll sedate him, clean him up and feed him, but mostly we need to slow his brain down, get the heavy duty stuff into him. His mind races ... it's full of .... ". She looked at Wally again. "Full of what you guys went through."
Wally shook his head. "He had it way worse than I did."
They finished strapping Leon on the gurney.
Wally helped them raise it up. "I need to get to work, I should be halfway to those new pods by now." He sighed and looked at his friend. "I'll drop in and see you later, Leon."
Lori placed a hand on his arm. "We'll take good care of him. What we give him after he settles a bit will knock him out for 36-48 hours. Come see him in a couple of days and he should be back to normal again. You're busy, he needs a cleanup, food, the meds and the rest."
"Thanks, ladies, I appreciate it." He patted Leon's hand. "See you soon, buddy."
He moved behind them both before leaving. "You women are the best, I hope you know that."
They both smiled in gratitude.
As he left, he grabbed Aggie by the arm gently and whispered something in her ear.
When he was gone, Aggie and Rails moved the gurney through the now-co-operative crowd.
Lori looked up when they hit the hallway. "What was the secret conversation, if I may ask?"
Aggie didn't smile. "He wished me luck with the Commander and said she seems very nice."
Lori managed a weak smile. "Well, I guess that's good then. One thing about Wally is he shoots straight from the hip."
Aggie brushed some hair away from Leon's eyes. "Yeah, I guess."
Lori looked at her. "But?"
Aggie didn't look back at her. "I thought about it after. I think I love someone else."
They arrived at the triage cubicle in MedLab and began to prepare a syringe for Leon before they took the restraints off.
Lori swabbed Leon's left arm. "Anyone I know?" Lori knew what the alarms had interrupted yesterday in the bedroom.
Aggie's demeanor remained sullen. "Not as well as you think you do, no."
A little sting for Rails today.
She tended to the injection, placed a cotton swab over the blood droplet. "So yesterday was her only chance? You're hooking up with this woman you don't know that well?""
Aggie dropped her head, her face away from Rail's eyes. Lori figured it was a smile or it was tears.
When Aggie turned around, it was clear there had been both. Aggie began loosening Leon's restraints. "I think the woman you don't know that well gets a lot of chances."
"She doesn't have to worry about the fetching Commander?" Lori looked coyly triumphant.
Aggie laughed. "Are you kidding? Of course she will!"
"And we both understand this woman likes men a lot as well, right?"
Aggie leaned across Leon and whispered "Not when I'm through with her."
Lori leaned towards Aggie teasingly. "Bet I know a secret about the mystery woman?"
Aggie smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Really?"
Lori slinked around Leon's bed and came right up close to Aggie's mouth.
What she whispered was "She thinks she's your top."
Aggie ate the words and flushed deep red. "That was always what I had in mind."
Leon felt the fog of the sedative descend on him, like a dull-day headache. It wasn't bringing him much-needed peace.
Close to his bed, two angels' mouths met in the softest kiss Leon had ever witnessed.
They moved out of sight as he struggled to sleep. He heard sounds and whispers, the transcendent magic of love in this makeshift hospital, romance coming to fruition after a long wait.
No consummation for the two MedTechs anytime soon.
No sleep for Leon anytime soon despite the haloperidol.
In the tray on the counter of their workstation lay a single sheet of paper stuffed hurriedly in an envelope.
"Urgent you locate Leon Freedman ASAP - Stormer."
Leon was twitching in frustration on his bed.
Aggie and Rails were allowing their love to bloom, silent looks of love replacing hope of consummation.
No one had seen the note in the envelope except the man who wrote it.
Death, sleep and love are inherently merciful.
No hope on any front today.
Aggie dropped the gurney to floor level and joined them "How you doing, Mr. Freedman?"
Leon had been pushed down hard.
Wally provided the answers. "I think he might've hit his head on the floor." He turned and looked for the perpetrator without success.
Lori put a hand on Wally's. "Maybe you can help us get him onto the gurney?"
"Sure, anything he wants or needs, you let me know." Wally and Lori began to roll Leon sideways while Aggie slid the gurney under him.
Lori nodded. "We understand, thank you."
Aggie filled Wally in. "Don't know if you're up to speed on Leon, Wally. He was diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. Mr. Freedman is an old friend. He needs an injection every two weeks, plus he sometimes forgets to take his daily meds. He's probably on one of his walkabouts." She looked sadly from Leon to Wally. "Now our friend Leon is one of those people other luckier folks ignore."
Wally nodded. "I know." He was as quiet and serious as they'd ever seen him. "This man is a good man. I trust you to look after him yourselves."
Lori smiled reassuringly at Wally. "Of course. Just let us take him in, we'll sedate him, clean him up and feed him, but mostly we need to slow his brain down, get the heavy duty stuff into him. His mind races ... it's full of .... ". She looked at Wally again. "Full of what you guys went through."
Wally shook his head. "He had it way worse than I did."
They finished strapping Leon on the gurney.
Wally helped them raise it up. "I need to get to work, I should be halfway to those new pods by now." He sighed and looked at his friend. "I'll drop in and see you later, Leon."
Lori placed a hand on his arm. "We'll take good care of him. What we give him after he settles a bit will knock him out for 36-48 hours. Come see him in a couple of days and he should be back to normal again. You're busy, he needs a cleanup, food, the meds and the rest."
"Thanks, ladies, I appreciate it." He patted Leon's hand. "See you soon, buddy."
He moved behind them both before leaving. "You women are the best, I hope you know that."
They both smiled in gratitude.
As he left, he grabbed Aggie by the arm gently and whispered something in her ear.
When he was gone, Aggie and Rails moved the gurney through the now-co-operative crowd.
Lori looked up when they hit the hallway. "What was the secret conversation, if I may ask?"
Aggie didn't smile. "He wished me luck with the Commander and said she seems very nice."
Lori managed a weak smile. "Well, I guess that's good then. One thing about Wally is he shoots straight from the hip."
Aggie brushed some hair away from Leon's eyes. "Yeah, I guess."
Lori looked at her. "But?"
Aggie didn't look back at her. "I thought about it after. I think I love someone else."
They arrived at the triage cubicle in MedLab and began to prepare a syringe for Leon before they took the restraints off.
Lori swabbed Leon's left arm. "Anyone I know?" Lori knew what the alarms had interrupted yesterday in the bedroom.
Aggie's demeanor remained sullen. "Not as well as you think you do, no."
A little sting for Rails today.
She tended to the injection, placed a cotton swab over the blood droplet. "So yesterday was her only chance? You're hooking up with this woman you don't know that well?""
Aggie dropped her head, her face away from Rail's eyes. Lori figured it was a smile or it was tears.
When Aggie turned around, it was clear there had been both. Aggie began loosening Leon's restraints. "I think the woman you don't know that well gets a lot of chances."
"She doesn't have to worry about the fetching Commander?" Lori looked coyly triumphant.
Aggie laughed. "Are you kidding? Of course she will!"
"And we both understand this woman likes men a lot as well, right?"
Aggie leaned across Leon and whispered "Not when I'm through with her."
Lori leaned towards Aggie teasingly. "Bet I know a secret about the mystery woman?"
Aggie smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Really?"
Lori slinked around Leon's bed and came right up close to Aggie's mouth.
What she whispered was "She thinks she's your top."
Aggie ate the words and flushed deep red. "That was always what I had in mind."
Leon felt the fog of the sedative descend on him, like a dull-day headache. It wasn't bringing him much-needed peace.
Close to his bed, two angels' mouths met in the softest kiss Leon had ever witnessed.
They moved out of sight as he struggled to sleep. He heard sounds and whispers, the transcendent magic of love in this makeshift hospital, romance coming to fruition after a long wait.
No consummation for the two MedTechs anytime soon.
No sleep for Leon anytime soon despite the haloperidol.
In the tray on the counter of their workstation lay a single sheet of paper stuffed hurriedly in an envelope.
"Urgent you locate Leon Freedman ASAP - Stormer."
Leon was twitching in frustration on his bed.
Aggie and Rails were allowing their love to bloom, silent looks of love replacing hope of consummation.
No one had seen the note in the envelope except the man who wrote it.
Death, sleep and love are inherently merciful.
No hope on any front today.
