Log Title: LL Saves the Day
Characters: Lifeline and Scarlett
Location: The Pit VI - Medical
Date: 7-23-2010
TP: None
Summary: Scarlett was injured in Cobra's raid on Pensacola, she calls Lifeline for help.
LOG BEGINS[]
(Radio) Scarlett transmits, "Lifeline.... I don't suppose I could trouble you... to come to Omaha? Maybe bring in some Medical supplies?" to Lifeline.
(Radio) Lifeline sends you a radio transmission, 'Hm? -- Oh! Well, that won't be any trouble at all! Anything specific you need?'
(Radio) Scarlett transmits, "Umm... Well, I picked up some bullet holes last night in Pensacola, and I have six inches of Combat Knife in my stomach. Whatever you need beyond Rubbing Alcohol and Ban-aids to fix that up. The Pit's Medical Center hasn't been stocked yet, except with a Heart Monitor, some Surgical Instruments, and I stole an I.V. and some O negative blood from the Offut Base Hospital. I don't trust them enough to patch me up though... besides, they ask too many questions, questions they don't have Security Clearance for." to Lifeline.
(Radio) Lifeline sends you a radio transmission, '...You know something...nnggh, I'll just tell you later. En route.'
(Radio) Scarlett transmits, "I know, you are mad at me. I'll make it up to you.... I promise." to Lifeline.
Scarlett is laying on the one, lone medical bed. Dressed in a medical gown, with what is obviously, a self installed I.V. in her arm, with a supply of O negative blood feeding into her body. Her laptop is within reach as is her weaponry.
Lifeline arrives with a large medpack in tow. When he spots Scarlett, he steps over to evaluate what she's done. "Excuse me, miss, but did you think this was a soda tap? A beer keg, maybe?" he asks in exasperation, as he looks over the IV. "Do you have ANY idea what might have happened if air got into the line??"
Scarlett sighs softly, "Lifeline..." She stops, and shakes her head, "Edwin, I've had the emergency First Aid training courses. I've put in I.V. Lines before... I was careful. I know how to ensure no air embolisms are in the line before I open the flow of blood." She rests her hand on his, and says softly, "Give me a little credit, if I hadn't known what I was doing, I wouldn't have done it."
This gives Edwin some pause. "...Heh...sorry, just really used to launching straight into the lecture," he admits sheepishly. "And everything considered...you did a fairly good job on the IV." He sighs, blushing a bit.
Scarlett pats the doctor's hand, "No worries." She leans back on the bed, and sighs, softly, "How bad is it? Hard to evaluate the wounds, in a mirror..."
"Well, I've definitely seen worse from you," Lifeline admits, "But you really ought to rest for a day or two so some of this can heal. I'll see what I can do for you in the meantime." He begins unpacking some of his gear. "How are you feeling?"
Scarlett says softly, "If I take off the mental blocks, the two bullet wounds and the stab wound would have me passed out from the pain... But... I am able to control it enough to stay awake til you got here. I may pass out now though."
"You are more than welcome to pass out if you need to, I've got you now," Lifeline reassures. "I might redo that IV line for you. I mean, technically, it's correct, but it could be a little more, umm...comfortable."
Scarlett nods, and closes her eyes, finally letting her mind relax. "Thank you... Ed...win" She gasps as the pain hits fully, and yes, indeed, she does pass out.
Lifeline smiles slightly. As angry as he came in here, he can't very well stay mad at Shana for long. He can't help but wonder as he works if they're still legally married.
Oh, they are. Hell, technically, he probably could commit her to a mental institution, and she couldn't stop him... He has lots of legal rights. She might just be glad she doesn't realize that. She doesn't, however, stay under for long. Just long enough for her brain to recover from 20 hours of constant control of the pain centers. Her eyes flutter, and she looks at Lifeline. She smiles, "Well, I suppose if I have to be married to someone, a Doctor would make my parents proud, eh?" She asks softly.
Lifeline does, in fact, redo Scarlett's makeshift IV line, securing it so that movement on her part won't dislodge it. Then, he gives her some good pain meds, so she can at least get some rest when she wants to do so. As she reawakens, he chuckles bashfully. "It's not a bad arrangement, really. You could have done worse, I guess."
Scarlett smiles, and says very softly, "But you, on the other hand, could have done a lot better than an emotionally challenged, reckless, tempremental Combat Soldier."
This makes Lifeline pause, not unlike a deer in headlights. (....Okay, she's on medication, she's feeling loopy,) he thinks to himself frantically. (Don't read anything into that.) He then chuckles to hide his own awkwardness. "I object! You are not challenged. -- The rest of it sounds about right."
Shana smiles a soft smile, "Oh, I'm emotionally challenged, Edwin." She doesn't try to sit up, while Edwin works, she just looks up at the ceiling, counting the squares that still need coverings. "Why do you think Snake-Eyes and I were together for so long? We were perfect for each other... No emotions... No one else wanting to get close to us..."
"...Um..." Poor Edwin, not really sure what to make of any of this. "So...what is it that...you feel that's missing in your life, that you need?" he asks curiously as he continues to work.
With an effort, Shana does not shrug, "I don't know. Love would be nice. Love with someone that loves me more than their clan, their swordbrother..."
"It's...kind of funny what part of our lives we choose to give up or put on hold to be a part of this outfit," Lifeline admits sympathetically. "And it's such an essential part, it's impossible to let it go."
Scarlett can't stop the shrug, "Less essential than you think... I've been in the unit since the begining... Going on 30 years. For most of that time, Love has never been part of my life. Sure, I loved Snakes for most of it, but always, Storm Shadow has come first for him."
"This really weighs heavily on you, doesn't it?" Edwin asks quietly, wondering if he's treading into dangerous territory. He's doing it for therapeutic purposes, though.
Shana closes her eyes, "I gave him almost 30 years to come around" Her eyes closed just fast enough, that the shining in them could have been missed. "Almost 30 years of waiting for him to realize that Tommy was never going to fully get better. I can't give him anymore. And I can't share him with a traitor."
Lifeline bites his lip. He's functioned as a counselor before, though he hardly has the credentials that Psyche-Out has for it. And this particular topic seems pretty weighty, for sure. "Have you spoken with him recently?" he asks.
Scarlett sighs, "Not more than a few words in the last month. Since I gave him his ring back, and call off our engagement." She pauses, but knowing Lifeline has likely seen the medical reports, "And the same night we tried to beat each other into the ground."
"I see, so not much since then." Lifeline nods, then asks, "How have you been doing since then?"
A soft sigh escapes her lips, and a lone tear runs down her cheek. "As long as I am able to keep busy, I'm O.K.... it is when I am not busy that I let things get to me. You know?"
"Oh, please don't cry." This strikes a chord very deep inside Edwin -- perhaps dating back to the days when his own sister used to cry, after his own father would beat him for never being good enough. He couldn't stand seeing it. He gives Scarlett a warm hug, trying to be reassuring.
Shana says softly, "I'm sorry...." She holds onto Edwin, breifly, than steels herself, sniffles once, and releases him. "It just creeps up on me, when I am not expecting it... At least it doesn't do it, when I am on a mission..."
"It's okay, I understand," Edwin insists, blushing in spite of himself. (Good god, what's gotten into me??) "It probably makes it even worse when you can't very well talk about it."
Shana opens her eyes, and looks at Edwin. "A little... Of course, considering most Joes do not understand me, or Snake-Eyes, unless it is a Combat Situation... and none of them want him around, and half of them are scared of him... talking to anyone else? Not likely."
"I understand you. I totally understand you," Lifeline insists. "Maybe it's from knowing you for so long, or being on so many missions together, but it makes perfect sense to me."
Scarlett smiles, "I'm glad someone does." She refuses to think about what she is doing, and she grabs Lifelines shirt, and pulls him close for a brief second. She says softly, "Don't fight it..." She kisses him quickly, but tenderly on the lips. "Thank you for listening, Edwin." She says, after the breif kiss, her lips mere inches from his ear.
Edwin -- clearly still fighting it despite Shana's request -- sighs deeply, then smiles slightly. "You're quite welcome," he murmurs. Oh, boy, such severe temptation to give in. "And...you know, anytime. Of course."
Scarlett arches an eyebrow, "Don't tempt me, Edwin..." Her voice is dripping with seduction, than she blushes, "Oh hell... I'm sorry."
"It's...stress, I understand, no need to apologize." Edwin's making a very major effort to remain professional. Sometimes, though, it's really, really damned difficult. He'll have to give this incident a difficulty of near-impossible. "Feelings are really strange things, especially when provoked." How on earth was he going to sleep tonight??
Scarlett sighs, "Stress? Lonliness, and the fact that you are my friend... and if you were single, I wouldn't have stopped. But you are not single, if I recall correctly." She rolls, as best she can, and closes her eyes, embaressed, and mad at her self, "I'm sorry."
"...Really? Heh." Now Edwin knew it for *sure*; he was *definitely* not sleeping tonight. Damned hormones! "I'm...look, I'm not mad. It's just human for that sort of thing to happen." He pauses, as if he wanted to add something else, but was forcing himself not to do it.
Scarlett nods, "It's human nature. You get shot, and the body wants to have sex... I know." She sighs...."But still, I normally can control it."
"Don't beat yourself up. I'm not angry. This won't go beyond this room," Lifeline promises, giving her hand a squeeze. "By the way..."
Scarlett glances back at Lifeline, eyes almost a little fearful.
"...I have an on-again, off-again relationship with my current girlfriend, that's a little difficult to define," Lifeline admits. "We're pretty close when she's around, but she's gone most of the time -- or *I'm* gone most of the time, because I have to be on duty and not in Seattle. So technically...no, I'm not really dating anyone right now."
Shana bites the inside of her bottom lip, and than licks her lips. She takes a deep breath, and forces a smile, trying to joke, "Should I turn the seduction back on than?" It is hard to tell if she is trying to joke or not. Her eyes are, however, not joking.
"No! -- I mean, not here, or...uh...not in this place..." Once, when Edwin was a boy, he walked across a frozen pond in the dead of winter. It only took one fall through thin ice to let him know, beyond a doubt, that he had to assume that his next step was going to be on thin ice, and to act accordingly. Now, more than ever before, he felt like he was about to fall straight through thin ice. "You know, it's practically impossible for a man to say no to that. I mean...the next possible thing might be walking after a spinal cord cut."
Scarlett chuckles, softly, "Well, the workers are all down on the basement level for the next few days... It's not like they'll be in here. Why do you think I had to take a leave. It gets lonely here... but I understand." She motions slightly to her wounds, "Besides, I'd probably be less than fun tonight..."
"If you'd like some company here, I'll stay," Lifeline offers. "No need in you resting here alone."
Scarlett shrugs, "Maybe after I wake up. But, I know you do have other duties you have to attend to... In Seattle, back in Texas..."
LOG ENDS