Starring:
Buyo (now known as Risu), Meimei (Yoko), Takumi, Itami
Date: October 18, 2010
Summary:
Buyo is delivered to the hospital to be diagnosed and treated by Takumi, however Meimei's protectiveness might prove to be a hindrance or benefit to Buyo's treatment. Itami, wondering how Buyo is doing, shows up as well in order to keep the promise she made to the young girl.
"Gammacratic Oath"
Tenrai Hospital
It hasn't been long since Buyo was dropped off at the hospital. A day, perhaps or just a little more. It was now afternoon and that same wind that was blowing the previous day is still here. Residents that were caught off guard now have protective wear to shield them from the dust and other debris that the wind has managed to kick up as it sweeps through the village. Even Itami had to adorn some eyewear for the occasion. She couldn't afford to have dusty eyes like before.
Every so often a few gusts would blow through, only managing to frustrate the workers and villagers alike who had business to take care of today. This places a dent in their schedules and hinders their chances of completing the tasks set before them, like home searches. Even if the wind isn't strong enough to push things down, no one wants to take chances. After Itami finished up with her business around the village, she sought to stop by the hospital to see how Buyo was doing. She's not sure of how she feels being left alone to be tended to the medical ninja, but she supposes she's going to find out soon.
Buyo has had a rough time of it. They gave her something, she's not sure what, to help with her fever and pain. This has left her just a tad loopy. She's stuck in a cot, back a bit, away from traffic. At least they have given her food, but other than putting a fresh bandage on her leg, she's not gotten direct medical care yet. There are still too many left who need intense care and once Buyo was stabalized she got put to the back of the list, such is the nature of triage, not fun but it saves lives.
Buyo is bored, very bored. At least she's not hungry though. Her cot is at the back of what would normally be a storage area. There are mostly empty cots in here from back after the last real emergency. Buyo has been warned about not trying to walk on her leg so she's stuck. That plus they seem to have taken her precious clothing (dirty rags) away from her and cleaned her up some. At least a few layers of dirt were removed in the process. This has left an uneasy Buyo stuck in a cot, with a sheet and hospital style gown, waiting for the doctor to have time to actually work on her infected leg/foot.
Takumi has spent most of his days in the hospital helping the injured and performing checkups on those who have been healed previously. He checks his schedule and and stretches his arms and back which have become sore from leaning over so many patients to treat them.
As he walks to his next patient's location, he checks over his ninja equipment in his various pouches. Most medical ninja dress in specific doctor garb while on duty in the hospital, but Takumi is constantly in his flak vest with his weapon pouch. He likes to be ready for action at any time, even moreso after the direct attack on the village. He finishes checking his gear just as he arrives at the area where Buyo is currently camped out. He looks at his new patient with a smile and says, "Hello, I'm Takumi, here to look over your leg and see if I cant fix you up properly."
It wouldn't be long before Itami was closing in on the hospital and entering through its doors. The inside was still a little bit messy, but otherwise clean and sterile as can be. The medical staff made sure of that. Walking up to the front desk, she asked to see the patient that she'd brought in a day ago and after being processed for visiting, she made her way towards the room she was told Buyo was occupying.
Meimei was true to her word. 4 a.m. in the morning yesterday, she was waiting on that street. It was still hazardous, with damaged walls and buildings, some rubble littering the stone tiles of the sidewalks, or lying in the dusty street, and so forth. But Meimei was not that concerned. She managed to evade the falling wall more out of reflexes and being warned in advance than because she used 'Super Ninja Z Dodge' her fabulous new Z-Rank jutsu that doesn't exist and will not ever. Her stubby little legs don't make her faster. They just make her take shorter strides. So she took lots of little strides all over that street all day yesterday. She waited, she ate her lunch she packed for herself, she went through twelve bottles of water out in the heat.
She never saw or detected any hint of Buyo. Barely anyone even came near. Very disappointing, but perhaps expected. She waited until 3 a.m. the next day and then left to go sleep. And now here she is, in the hospital, because she thinks she may have inhaled some fiber-glass or something from a damaged house out there. She keeps coughing and such, and having trouble breathing. Stupid buildings.
When she spots Takumi walking by, she decides to pop in on him and say hi. Maybe he can heal her fast before she dies of… Internal… Fiber-glass… Poisoning. Yeah, that's it. So she walks up behind him, and does not see Buyo, thanks to how tall Takumi is. "Hey, dummy." she greets as she pokes him in the back with one finger and then coughs into her other hand. "I have glass in my lungs, and I've been waiting for *coughcough* 15 minutes for my doctor to show up. Think you could *HACKcough* h-help me out when you're done here?"
Well, this is a bit akward. Buyo has extended her leg from under the sheet. It is wrapped up by one of the nurses. The leg is still oozing a bit so the wrapping looks a tad in need of changing. There's even a bit of smell from the infection. Buyo actually pulled the blanket up to her mouth, as she extended her leg. She is obviously nervous being around all these people of authority, and doctors seem more so than most. She isn't quite as dirty, of course and she's not wearing that dirty cap as they took that from her. Her hair still needs to be washed but there aren't that many blond kids in Suna and here is one about the same size as the one Meimei had been waiting for, with a hurt leg no less.
Medically the leg is infected, a nasty gash should have been treated ages ago and was left to fester. The wound needs to be cleaned out deeply then packed and wrapped and all of that. Plus it seems Buyo is more than bit on the thin side, malnourished clearly, medically. From Buyo's perspective Meimei arrives just as the doctor is starting to look at her leg, and… now Itami is showing up? She feels a bit cornered from the look in her eyes but she's not running anywhere and the storage room doesn't exactly have a lot of extra windows. She scrunches up in the bed a bit, watching, for now, letting the doctor do his thing. She does extend a small hand from under the blanket and give a small wave to Meimei, "Sorry I wasn't there…. I was… here." Her soft voice says as she tries to appologize.
Takumi is slightly surprised by the sudden jab at his back, but the jacket absorbs most of it. He turns to Meimei and says, "Oh hi. I have this patient to take care of first, and then I can see what I can do with whatever is going on with you." He then turns back to Buyo to complete what he came here to do. He begins to unwrap the bandages from the foot to expose the affected area. The wound is clearly infected and needs some amount of surgery and cleaning. Takumi places his hand on Buyo's leg, using his diagnostic jutsu to see how deep and widespread the infection is. After he gets his diagnosis, he makes a call for a surgeon to perform the needed procedure before he can make use of his abilities. He also calls for a nurse to bring in some food, which arrives quickly on a hospital platter which is placed next to the patient.
Meimei, known to at least two of those in room as 'Yoko', leans to the side to look around Takumi when she hears a child's voice speaking to her. She arches an eyebrow as she looks at the hospital bed/counter/table/thing and the somewhat-cleaner little blonde on it. She puts two and two together pretty quickly. "…Oh, hi. That's fine. You weren't obligated to show up. I admit I was hoping, but… It's your choice. Just like it's your choice after you're done here what else happens. No one is going to force you to do anything, whether it's for your 'own good' or not. And if anyone tries…"
'Yoko' does not get to finish what she was going to say, because Itami shows up, and the purple-haired woman begins to cough again. But the implication seemed to be that she would personally intervene in any 'help' being forced on this girl. Sure, she wants to see her healthy and happy. She wants her to know she doesn't have to be alone. But that's because she was in the same place once. On the other hand, that also is why she knows that if she were back in the girl's place, she wouldn't buddy-up to the first stranger who came her way offering gifts of food and medicine either. And she was a teenager when she was rendered homeless and alone. To be even YOUNGER… The fear and distrust would be even harder to overcome.
Finishing up her coughing, she bows to Itami briefly and says, "Hello, Itami-san. It seems I was right. We just need to take it slow, give her space, and let her make her own choices. I was forced to do things because others felt they were correct for a long time. I resented it." She turns her be-goggled eyes on the little girl and says, "And I don't want you to resent us. It's your life… But you don't have to live alone."
Itami couldn't see. The room was a bit crowded at the moment, but she didn't mind it. It appeared that Buyo was being well taken care of and that's all that concerned her, other than the promise she kept. So far no one has tried to tie her up or place her in jail. Yoko's small coughing fit caught Itami off guard, though as she didn't realize that she was stepping further into the room since her curiosity was dictating her actions more than she figured. She didn't mind that the room was crowded, but she /did/ sort of mind being able to see Buyo. Though, that was cancelled when she snapped out of it and began to back out of the doorway so she wouldn't be in the area of the cough.
Returning the bow that was offered to her, Itami nods while rising and replies with, "Greetings, Yoko-san. I understand and if it's space she needs right now, then I'll give it…" Despite her actions just recently, "And I see what you mean. You understand these things better than I do. I never had to experience things of that nature, so I wouldn't really know the first thing to do to assist someone who is experiencing or recovering from them." As Yoko turns her head to speak to Buyo, Itami nods in agreement with her.
Hearing the news of 'surgery' and what not scares Buyo, that much is clear. She scrunches down a bit more, "Ah… You… you're not gonna have to take my leg away, are you?" She asks the doctor, the rest of it seeming to fade a bit as panic fills her face. She looks up to Yoko, not quite spying Itami at this point since she backed out slightly, but aware Yoko is talking to someone. "I would have been there." She says to Yoko, "Only… I was here. I passed out." She tries to explain but then fails and simply begs Yoko, "Don't let them take my leg, please?" A fearful pleading look goes back and forth between the doctor and Yoko. The kid is frightened, that much is clear, and still reasonably ill until that leg gets treated. "I… don't know what to do…" She finally whimpers, almost seeming like she's looking for an exit, not that she'd make it far on that leg.
Takumi attemps a reassuring smile and states, "No, we aren't going to need to take your leg. Just a little cut here and there to help clean up your foot. And don't worry, the surgeon I called for specializes in numbing as well, so it won't even hurt. Until then, I had some food brought in here for you." With that, Takumi motions toward the platter, which has a covered plate on it. "I'm not sure what it is, but I'm sure it is good for you."
At this point, a proper doctor in the outfit of the medical corps arrives and exchanges bows with Takumi. The two have a quick back and forth about the status of the patient before Takumi turns back to Buyo. "This is the surgeon, and if you are ready, he can begin. This will not take long."
Meimei is not reassured by Takumi's smile or reassurances. The fact the girl is upset makes Meimei upset too. She doesn't really know Buyo at all… She doesn't even know her name yet! But she isn't going to let that stop her. She feels some kind of connection, even if it's only on her end. So she shuffles around Takumi as fast as she can to stand such that if she needs to she can block his access to the girl. She knows he isn't going to do her any harm, and has no ill intentions. But she can't just stand there and try to be reassuring. Then she would be seen with the same fear as the others. This girl asked Meimei to help. So that's what she'll do.
"No one is going to take your leg," she states quite clearly. It's not only for the girl's benefit but for Takumi's and Itami's as well. If this actually IS some attempt at subterfuge… Well, she remembers what Takumi did to the guy that was bitten by the Ghoul of the Desert. Maybe it saved his life. But a little girl, let alone one in this condition, wouldn't take it as well as a grizzled veteran that is otherwise healthy.
"And what he is going to do…" She turns her head to look at Buyo behind her, and continues. "…Is to take the bad things that are left behind now that you're cleaned up, and keep them from making you sick again. And if anyone even THINKS about hurting you, I'll COOK him with so much radiation he'll GLOW IN THE DARK. Everyone understand?" She glares around as she offers her threats or… Promises of retribution, rather, even knowing this is a place of healing. She just wants to protect this girl, and has extreme ways of expressing that desire, apparently.
With that said, the short woman moves aside reluctantly when a nice surgeon approaches to examine the previously-infected injury, and some food is brought in. She turns away, just in time to cough into her cloak, instead of all over dinner. "Nngnhg. Stupid *cough* fiberglass. I'll bet my lungs are like swiss cheese by now."
Itami could hear the pleas of Buyo, but still couldn't see her. Though, that didn't make the feeling of concern any less evident. The way her voice sounded made her heart sink a bit. This was only one voice and one that she hasn't heard before. There had been many more like this one in the days that the village was being attacked and after. When Yoko jumped to action a faint smirk passed across Itami's face, but it was nearly replaced with a bit of a frown when she voiced what she'd do to the guy kind of…scared her. It wasn't the threat more so than the seriousness of her expression that gave the /notion/ that she would.
"…" Itami starts and then clears her throat. "R-right…" She finally manages. "But it's true what she says. No one will take your leg away or hurt you or do anything else. We're here to see to it that you'll be safe and come out just fine." She explains. "I'm…sure the surgeon doesn't want to be cooked until he glows like the moon, so he'll be sure to do an extra fine job." She tries to make light of the situation.
Talk of 'cooking' and damage and the like does little to comfort Buyo sadly, although she seems a little better with the way Yoko is doing the whole mother hen thing. Still, the girl is obviously frightened still. If she wasn't already popped up on meds she'd probably try to make a run for it but she's already gotten a pretty good dose of pain killers and the surgeon is probably going to give her some more very shortly. Sadly, the one thing the surgeon also is likely to do is make sure no food before the operation so the plate of food is stopped before it can get to her. Still there are promises of food afterwards and reassurances given. Buyo manages to ask, "What about my clothes?" At this point, even as she's starting to get a bit out of it. She does manage a little smile when she spies Itami, the one who brought her here after she passed out. Seems Itami and Yoko are two friendly faces she /sort/ of trusts right now. Sadly a nurse makes a face and says something about burning the dirty rags, which only upsets Buyo more, but provides distraction so the surgeon can put her to sleep and calm things down to prep for the important work of saving the foot.
