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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2008 23:21:19 GMT -5
"Yeah, she has." Roger gazed down soberly at the young woman. "Is it a coma, Doc?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2008 23:33:23 GMT -5
"Sort of." Still frowning, Caddy gestured at a small cart which wheeled its way to the bedside. "I mean, her pupil response is atypical for true coma, and her heartbeat's more elevated than I'd expect, but that's not abnormal for people in psychic shock . . ."
"Caddy." Daws broke in quietly.
The doctor shot her an apologetic glance, then turned back to Roger. "I'm going to do an EEG -- take a look at her brainwaves. That might tell us more. But to answer your question . . ." He hesitated a moment in the act of affixing electrodes to Miriam's temples. "Yes. For all intents and purposes, it seems to be a coma."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2008 23:37:50 GMT -5
"Gosh." Roger folded his arms and leaned his back against the wall, looking somber.
"Have you got a way to treat something like that, Doc?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2008 23:46:25 GMT -5
"Depends on a lot of things." Caddy straightened from bending over Miriam and turned to switch on the EEG monitor. "There's some medications that have been useful in bringing people out, and some success with electronically stimulating the brain -- that's only been used in long-term cases, though."
He made a few small adjustments to the machine, carefully observing the glowing patterns of Miriam's brainwaves. "But frankly, Roger, if she's in a coma it's because something in her body or brain shut things down on purpose -- to protect her from the strain, or give her time to recover from it.
"Right now she's in what I'd classify as a mild coma." He said, after another moment. "And depending on a lot of other factors, the best thing I can do for her may be to let her come out of it on her own."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2008 23:57:02 GMT -5
Roger made a sympathetic noise; he didn't know Miriam very well, but he liked and respected what he had seen of her. Retired soldier though he was, he also didn't like to see anyone hurt.
Then he glanced at Daws.
"Well, Doc... I guess if there's nothing you can do for her, maybe you'd better take a look at Miz Dawson's eyes."
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Post by skybright on Jun 29, 2008 0:10:49 GMT -5
Caddy nodded and turned to Daws with a raised eyebrow. She sighed and straightened from where she had been slouched against the doorframe. "Okay -- where d'ya want me to sit?"
Caddy's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. I think that's the most docile response I've ever gotten from you, ever." He took Daws' elbow and guided her into a chair, wheeling over a stool for himself with his teke.
"Yeah. Well." Daws shrugged.
Caddy drifted an optician's scope out of one of the room's numerous drawers and switched it on, then bent to peer through it at one of Daws' eyes. "How'd this happen, exactly?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 29, 2008 21:01:22 GMT -5
"We were stuck in a tunnel," Roger muttered. "...A really, really dark tunnel--with a cave-in on one side and Tiernan's goons trying to bust through on the other. We thought we were done for... until Colonel Ashley did something. Used some kinda power to clear the blockage."
He shrugged. "Whatever it was he did, it made a really bright flash of light. Basically from candlelight to staring at the sun in a split second. Bad enough for the rest of us, but I guess for Miz Dawson's eyes..."
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Post by skybright on Jun 29, 2008 21:53:05 GMT -5
"I can still see a bit." Daws said with a sigh, "But not a lot. Lights and shadow and shapes, and some washed-out colors." A note of misery crept into her voice. "But no details -- I couldn't read an eye chart if you prompted me, Caddy."
Caddy nodded. "Is there any pain?"
"A little, when it first happened." Daws replied, "But not now."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 29, 2008 22:42:01 GMT -5
Roger shrugged helplessly. "She's gonna get better, isn't she?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 29, 2008 22:56:05 GMT -5
Caddy leaned back and let the optician's scope drift back towards its drawer. "I don't see any reason why not." He said. "Granted, I'm not an ophthalmologist -- but flash-blindness usually wears off within a couple hours by itself." He grinned reassuringly at Daws. "Takin' your eyesight and everything into account, I'd say you should be okay in a day or two."
Daws let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and grinned crookedly. "Best news I've heard all night, Caddy."
"Considering the kind of night you guys had, I'm not sure that's saying much." He glanced at Daws' right arm and frowned. "Now, while I've got you holdin' still -- looks like you tangled with someone else with claws, huh?"
"That?" Daws shrugged slightly. "That's just a . . ."
"Scratch," Caddy interrupted. "Just put some gauze on it and it'll be fine in the morning, yeah yeah yeah -- same script, different injury, and which one of us has got the medical degrees, here?" He grinned and moved to the sink, filled a small basin with water and liquid antiseptic, and moved back to Daws' side. "Just hold still."
He glanced over his shoulder at Roger as a pair of scissors and bandages drifted through the air. "What about you, Roger -- any damage I should look at?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 29, 2008 23:01:27 GMT -5
Roger shook his head. "Just some bruises. I got off lucky--especially considering I don't have any defensive powers." He frowned. "You're gonna have some more patients in a few hours, though. The Vances are bringing the rest of the injured here when they get into the City."
His eyes darkened. "Lieutenant Vance is kind of keeping things together for the moment. The Major is... pretty shaken up."
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Post by skybright on Jun 29, 2008 23:13:40 GMT -5
"Yeah, I can imagine." Caddy replied gravely, as he cut away Daws' damaged sleeve and began cleaning the dried blood and dust out of her cuts and the surrounding fur. "With that psychic feedback, and Major Ashley bein' someone he knew . . ."
"It's more than that, Caddy." Daws interrupted quietly. She shut her eyes. "Before he . . . before we left him, Ashley told us that Vance was supposed to be the one in that lab -- only Ashley made a deal to keep him out of it."
Caddy glanced up, startled, then frowned deeply and returned his attention to cleaning Daws' arm. "Then it's really no wonder he's shaken up."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 29, 2008 23:18:41 GMT -5
"Yeah." Roger looked around, and finding a chair near the corner of the room, he pulled it forward and slouched wearily into it.
"Miz Dawson, unless you want to be taken someplace, I think I'll wait here for the others--if you don't mind me hanging around a while, Doc," he added to Caddy.
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Post by skybright on Jun 29, 2008 23:28:01 GMT -5
Caddy shook his head. "Not at all. There's a guest bedroom upstairs, if y'want to sack out until everyone else comes by."
Daws shrugged the shoulder that Caddy wasn't in the process of nursing. "I've got nowhere else to be, Rog. Besides . . ." She glanced across the room to where Miriam was still lying, still and pale. "This is where I need to be."
"You could probably use some rest, yourself." Caddy pointed out as he set aside the small tube of surgical adhesive he'd used to close Daws' cuts and began wrapping her arm in bandages. "Hubert'll be up in a couple hours, but we can keep it down until everyone else gets here."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 29, 2008 23:36:08 GMT -5
"A nap sounds good," Roger murmured. Then he frowned and glanced at Daws.
"I guess a few people are waiting to hear how things went down, though. Should one of us call Father Steele, or..." He glanced ruefully at Miriam. "...Or Malone?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 29, 2008 23:41:47 GMT -5
Daws sighed. "Yeah, I guess there's no use in putting it off. I'll handle it, Rog, if you want to go ahead and get some rest."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 29, 2008 23:47:35 GMT -5
"If you say so." Roger gloomily dragged himself to his feet. "But I want to be up when the Major and the others get here... Go on with what you're doing, Doc. I'll just crash on your couch."
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Post by skybright on Jun 30, 2008 0:03:16 GMT -5
Caddy nodded as he tied off the bandage on Daws' shoulder and gestured vaguely in the direction of the living room. He sat back with a sigh. "Okay, you're all patched up."
He glanced over his shoulder at Miriam, then turned back to Daws. "Think you can see well enough to get to the phone? I really need to make some close observations of her EEG, and I'd better do it before Alex shows up and wants some answers."
Daws nodded and stood. "Yeah, I should be able to make it down the hallway without killing myself." She smiled thinly. "Thanks, Caddy." She turned and left the examination room, feeling her way cautiously down the hallway to Caddy's phone.
Her first call was to Our Lady; Father Rick wasn't in at this early hour of the morning, but she knew he'd check his messages first thing -- especially since he was waiting to hear from them.
"Padre, it's Daws. Things are . . ." She sighed heavily into the answering machine. "Things aren't good. We'll be at Caddy's for the foreseeable future. You can reach us here."
That call made, Daws mentally steeled herself for a long moment before she finally dialed the number at the Rosenstein's house. She felt for one of the benches that lined Caddy's hallway, and sank onto it as the ringtone buzzed in her ear.
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 30, 2008 0:06:34 GMT -5
It was hardly more than ten seconds before the phone was answered, and Alex Malone's anxiously breathless voice came on the line. "Hello?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 30, 2008 0:11:45 GMT -5
"Alex." Daws shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the hallway wall. "It's Daws."
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