Introducing Nightingale

Log Title: Introducing Nightingale

Characters: Scarlett, Nightingale, and Lifeline

Location: Medical - The Pit - Offut A.F.B.

Date: January 19, 2014

TP: None

Summary: Scarlett inadvertently designates Dr. Miller's Codename.'

LOG BEGINS

Scarlett walks into the Medical Center, her left arm in a sling, but otherwise, looking healthy as a horse. She is approached by a greenshirt medic, who asks her if she needs some help, and she answers back, "Nah, I've actually come to see Miss Florence Nightingale..."

The Greenshirt looks at her blankly.

Shana laughs, "I meant Doctor Michel Miller. Is she available?" "Oh, Dr. Miller." The Greenshirt says. "Yes, she's in back, let me go get her for you." The Greenshirt steps back and can be heard not-quite-yelling, "Paging Dr. Miller!"

Michel gets up from her computer, looking a bit tired despite the mug of coffee she has on her desk. She smiles when she sees who is waiting for her. "Hello Scarlett. Did you get the recipes I sent you?" she asks, intent on starting off friendly.

Shana nods, "I did. I have not had a chance to try to make it on my own, but as soon as I go grocery shopping, I will test out my new kitchen with some baked goods."

"If you need any help with that, you can always ask me." Michel says. "So, how are you holding up?" she asks, sounding more professional yet still friendly. "I notice you left Medical without getting a formal release..." There's a touch of scolding in her voice. "I understand no one likes being cooped up, but *we* don't like it when our patients run off." She pauses a bit. "You made us worry." Two greenshirts in the background are arguing over what their new nickname for Dr. Miller is going to be. One of them is insisting it will be 'Flo', 'Ya know, like that chick in the Insurance commercials!', while the other is saying, 'Nah, Nightingale. At least it has a medical bent to it.' Their argument seems to be drawing a crowd, and for now, at least, the majority are rallying behind 'Nightingale', only the single hold out for 'Flo' seems to like his own idea, and he is muttering about 'I like Flo!'. The group breaks up after a few minutes, glancing over at Miller and Scarlett, whispering about 'Don't tell the Codenames. We have to see how the other Greenies think first'.

Shana sighs softly, "I had something I had to take care of, that I could not handle here. One can not close on a house, when they are stuck in the Pit... Can't sign all the paperwork, get it notarized.... You know?" She shrugs her right shoulder, not letting her left shoulder move, but even that causes a slight wince of pain to shoot onto her face, before she can stop it. Did she perhaps strain herself too much, while she was moving in?

"A new home? That sounds wonderful!" Michel smiles, but looks worried at Shana's pained expression. "Let me guess, you strained yourself while moving in?" She shakes her head a bit. "Scarlett, you should know that pushing yourself only lengthens your recovery time!" Now her tone has shades of a worried mother berating her grown child for taking unneeded risks. She's not being condecending about it, though.

Shana attempts to maintain an innocent look, "Who? Me? No, the only reason I still hurt is the face that Over Kill tried to cut my arm off, at the shoulder." Yeah, that's it. Of course it is. She maintains her innocent look for a whole three seconds after she speaks before she blushes, and looks at her feet, and says softly, "I know better, but, I was excited... My first house that I am not renting... Who wouldn't be? I just sort of 'forgot' about my injury, in that excitement."

Michel's expression softens. It hadn't been very hard to begin with. "I can understand. It's nice to have a place of your own." She smiles fondly. "When my daughter and her husband bought their home, she was so giddy..." Michel chuckles at the memory. "Of course, I was always on hand to make sure the move went smoothly, or at least I tried my best." She rubs her neck for a moment, and asks, "So, other than some overall soreness, how are you feeling? Arm healing up well?"

Shana pointedly doesn't shrug, but her shoulders both twitch, "It's not the arm..." She brings her right hand up to where her neck and left shoulder meet, right there on the collar bone, and pulls her shirt down, where a bandage can be seen, a bandage that is pretty much no longer white, "I am not sure, but I might have thrown a stitch... and tonight, before I drove back to base, I felt like the bone might have moved... I don't feel that now, so I might have imagined it." The collar bone did not move, it just flexed a little. the crack did not become a break.

"I think you did pull a stitch." Dr. Miller says, peering at the bandage. "I'm going to have to take a look at that. Sit up on one of the cots while I go and get my supplies." she instructs.

Shana nods, and moves to one of the cots. She removes her sling, than her jacket and shirt. This leaves her in a tank top. It is obvious she threw at least one stitch, as the tank top has a large stain of blood on it.

It only takes Michel a minute or two to gather all of her needed supplies. When she turns and sees the bloodstain on Scarlett's tank top, she sighs and shakes her head. "Oh Shana, what am I going to do with you?" she mutters to herself, before stepping to the cot and getting her supllies laid out. "You didn't notice the bleeding?" she asks, starting to undress the wound.

A slightly cocked head is Shana's response. "Bleeding?" She glances down at her shoulder, and her eyes widen, "No wonder I felt so weak, and craving Orange Juice...." she says softly.

Shana's response worries Dr. Miller. "This is why you don't leave the infirmary without a doctor's permission." she scolds gently, cleaning the wound with an antibacterial rinse. That's gonna sting. Once the wound is cleared, she examines it closely.

Shana's eyes go distant, as she lets down the mental pain blocks on her shoulder, and she gasps at the sudden influx of pain. She had set them up so she could do what she wanted... which she *knows* she shouldn't do, and she normally only does it when she is in the middle of a mission, and she can not get to medical attention.

Dr. Miller looks sympathetic, and is trying to make this as painless as possible. And even though Shana is in actuality older than her, physically she's about the same age as Michel's daughter... "Not too bad, but I;ll need to re-stitch this. I'm going to apply some aenestitic to the area."

Shana nods ever-so-slightly, "I really have to remember not to use the pain-blocks when not in the field..." She takes a deep breath, "I was in the field so long this last time, I just forgot to take them down after returning from New York." She takes another deep breath and says softly, "Take your time Doctor."

"You must have amazing mental discipline. I must admit, there's a lot I admire about you, Scarlett." Dr. Miller nods to herself. "No sudden movements now." Michel cautions, after making sure the wound has been thoroughly cleaned and numbed up. She's very practiced about the whole affair, even mumming a quiet tune as she works.

Shana remains motionless, "I've been studying martial arts since I was 8 years old, Doctor Miller. 54 years makes for a lot of discipline..." She pauses, and smiles to herself at the humming, "Maybe Nightingale will stick," she mummers to herself.

"It's so strange to think of you as being almost 20 years my senior." Dr. Miller admits, making sure the wound is closed up. "You look about as old as my daughter... Okay, that should do it." She ties up the last suture, and starts bandaging Shana's shoulder firmly.

Shana sighs softly, "It is strange for me. When I joined the Joes, many of the current Greenshirts, and even some of the Codenamed Joes, were not even born..." She sighs softly, "If it wasn't for the fact that my body had been subjected to chemical and temporal energies, I would already have been past forced retirement age."

"I can't imagine what it's like fore you and the others." Dr. Miller says, finishing up with the bandaging on Scarlett's shoulder. "How's that? I didn't wrap it too tightly for you, did I?"

Shana shakes her head, "No, it is fine." She looks at Michel, "You don't want to..." She bites her lip, and says, softly, "My brothers have kids, who have kids, and if things remain the same, I might outlive them... I don't wish that upon anyone."

Michel blinks suddenly at Shana's words. Her hands, which had been putting supplies away, fall to her side. She turns away from Scarlett for a moment. "...No parent should have to bury their children." she says, her voice cracking slightly.

Shana has read Michel's file, and moves her hand to the woman's shoulder, "It is not easy burying someone you love, no matter the circumstance, Michel."

"Thank you." Michel says, managing a small smile. "I find... that having the chance to work here lessens the pain. I... I think he would be proud. The pain will never truly vanish... but it’s not weighing me down, as it used to. I'm grateful to be here, Scarlett."

"And we are *lucky* to have you." Shana responds simply. "We have plenty of Doctors around here, but most of them, they don't care. They will treat you, and release you, and are just trying to get through their time here. You, E...Lifeline... You *care*. That is what a Combat Soldier needs more than anything else."

"Of course I care." Michel says with a larger smile. "I put my heart and soul into my duties - just as you and the others do. I couldn't do anything less." She resumes putting her tools and supplies back where they belong.

Shana smiles sadly, "Sadly, Michel, not everyone does..."

Just outside the door, some arguing can be heard, "Nightingale!" "No, Yo Flo!"

Shana looks to the door, and shakes her head slightly, Greenshirts....

Michel starts snickering. She has no idea what the greenshirts are arguing about, but it amuses her anyway. "Are they trying to come up with a medic battle cry?" she wonders aloud.

Shana says deadpan, "They are arguing over your Codename."

"My codename?" Dr. Miller replies, looking a bit startled. She hadn't really considered that she would ever become a full Joe, not that she didn't want that. "Nightingale... I like the sound of it, but we have quite a few birds already don't we?" she asks Scarlett with a chuckle, but it's clear her humor is a cover for her surprise.

Shana smiles, "A few, I suppose.... I also suppose it is my fault. When I walked in, I asked for Miss Florence Nightingale.... It was a combination of a little bitterness over your relationship with Lifeline, for which I do not blame you, or even him... I blame myself, more than anything, and the pain. Made me snarky."

"Florence Nightingale, huh? Well, I suppose that's not such a bad name to be called." Michel actually blushes a bit. "As for me and Edwin... well, I certainly never intended to fall in love with a coworker..."


 * Hic!*

Dr. Steen enters the medical center, looking about as serious as he ever does, only, he has a rather vocal case of the hiccups. "Good evening, Dr. Miller," *Hic!* "Scarlett."

...*Hic!*

Shana shakes her head, "I've done it... Don't concern yourself. I wish you both the best. It is not either of your fault that my job took me away from base for two years. Lifeline had every reason to move on... I had no reason to expect him to stop living." She sighs, "Not to mention, seeing Snake-Eyes in the first time in three or four years has made my life hellish. That man, no matter how much I try, will never have anything but the deepest love I have to give anyone..." She trails off as Lifeline walks in. As Lifeline walked in, he probably heard a group of Greenshirts (10 on 'Nightingale' and 1 on 'Flo' side) arguing over a Codename for Michel. Finally, one of the Greenshirts comes in, without seeing Michel, and yells out, "Greenshirts, Spreead the word, Dr. Miller's new name is 'Nightingale! We'll let the Regular Joes know when all the Greenshirts know." Shana looks at Michel, and smiles, "Well, it's semi-official now."

One Greenshirt holdout is still yelling, "Yo Flo!" in the hallway, until finally there is the sound of a fist striking flesh, and the yell cuts off, and a muttering of, "That'll shut him up for 10 minutes or so."

Lifeline says, "Nightingale, hm? That's a great code n-*hic!*. Congratulations," Edwin says with a grin, heading over to the food fridge to grab a bottle of water. There's two fridges in this place. One of them has food, the other has things that no one would want to share their lunch with."

"Love is a strange, fickle, and completely uncontrollable beast." Michel says, as Lifeline comes in, followed by a chorus of excited Greenshirts. She winces as the poor guy who wanted to called her Flo gets apparently punched in the jaw. "I don't really get a say in it, huh?" she remarks with a dry chuckle. She's also amused at Edwin's hiccups. "How are you, Dr. Steen?"

Scarlett smirks, "Do you think *I* would have chosen Scarlett, if I got a say in it? I mean, yes, I have red hair.... My last name is O'Hara... I come from Georgia.... but I *hate* Gone with the Wind." She actually, physically shudders when she mentions the name of the book/movie. "The next time someone asks me if Snake-Eyes' real name is Rhett, I am going to put their head through a wall...."

Dr. Steen is quiet for a moment, putting a finger up as he drinks down the entire bottle of water in one long chug. Then, he takes a few slow breaths afterwards. "The code names seem really strange, but Scarlett's right, it's a tradition that you don't get much of a say in it...it picks you. Or something like that." He waits, then smiles as the hiccups have stopped plaguing him. "I'm okay, thank you for asking."

"You know, if I were a malicious sort, I would dare a greenshirt to ask that question." Michel says cheerfully, clearly just making a joke. "You know, you could of just asked for me to startle you." she says to Lifeline. "Getting my codename... it's a step towards becoming a Joe, isn't it?"

Shana chuckles, "It is the last step.... Pretty much. Everything else is just paperwork." She reaches for her tablet, which is resting on the bed beside her, and sends a quick note to Hawk, which of course, she had saved, ready to go, after filling in a couple blanks. "I would imagine you can expect it to be official within a couple days." Shana very wisely makes no response to the 'joke'.

"Wow. The time has arrived." Dr. Steen grins proudly. "Now, if you can believe it, Shana, baked goods *will* become part of this Infirmary's daily routine. I can do nothing to stop it."

"Me, a Joe?" Dr. Miller blushes. "I.. I really didn't think that it would really happen. I mean..." She trails off, quite flustered.

Scarlett slips her long sleeve shirt back on, covering her bandaged shoulder, and blood soaked tanktop. "Might be able to keep me in here longer than." She looks thoughtful, "And, since the cat is out of the bag... I am going to hold a Housewarming party in the near future, you both are invited. I'll post the details...." She looks at Lifeline, "I already told Nightingale," She stresses the new codename, "But I closed on a house Friday..." She pauses, "So..." She shrugs, slightly, mostly with her right, good, shoulder.

"You DID? Alright, congratulations!" Dr. Steen grins widely at Scarlett's news. "Awesome! Where is it?" he asks curiously, stepping over to give Dr. Miller a congratulatory shoulder-squeeze for being so close to 'official'.

Michel is still a bit stunned over being almost-officially a Joe, smiling as Lifeline congratulates Scarlett on her new home. She puts her hand over his as he squeezes her shoulder.

Shana says, softly, "About 30 miles West of here, it Gretna. Nothing major..." Sure... She glances away from the show of affection, but continues to speak, "...Just a small spread, got it pretty cheap, so it is a good starter. First real property I have owned. Figured it was about time. On the bright side, it did come with three horses, so I will have to learn how to ride, and take care of them. Figure I can get Airborne, Spirit, or if I have to, Wild Bill out to give me lessons."

"Dr. Steen, if I could get an assist, please..." one of the duty nurses calls.

"Be right back," Dr. Steen promises, heading over to assist one of the nurses with a patient complication.

"I always wanted a horse growing up." Michel remarks. "Of course, I suppose many little girls wanted horses." She chuckles. "I think it'll be good for you, to have somewhere to go that's yours and only yours."

Scarlett checks the time, and shudders, "Oh my. 0430 is going to come early..." She glances at Michel, "Although, I suppose, I shouldn't plan on Hand-to-Hand instruction tomorrow, huh? I might get to sleep until 0500?"

"No physical excertions with your arm for at least 24 hours." Dr. Miller replies, writting down a quick 'doctor's note' on a pad of paper and handing it to Scarlett. "And if it starts bleeding again, I might just have to sequester you in Medical intil it heals, you hear me?" She winks.

"Only if you stock it with baked goods." She winks back, and takes the 'doctor's note'. "I wonder who I can get to run my class?" She looks thoughtful, and grins, "Poor Kamakura...."

"Aye aye ma'am." Dr. Miller laughs. "Why don't you ask Snake-Eyes to run the class? He likes beating up on the Greenshirts, if what I've heard is accurate."

Scarlett shakes her head, "This class is not advanced enough for Snake-Eyes. He is good with the advanced classes, but the beginners need a more subtle hand..."

"I guess that disqualifies Sgt. Slaughter." Dr. Miller says, humming to herself as she thinks. "Hmmm...

Scarlett smirks, "I'll have Kamakura handle it." She turns and starts to walk towards the door, "G'Night Michel. And thanks."

"Good Night, Scarlett." Michel replies. "And, no need to thank me. Just doing my job."

LOG ENDS