Post by Marishal on Mar 23, 2010 17:34:48 GMT -5
Kel squinted, the bright natural light a stark contrast to the dim light of the hell they’d just come from. He scanned the area looking for some way to call the fire department but saw nothing immediately available.
There were some very run down building, long since boarded up and some trees that looked like they hadn’t been cared for in eons. The road looked rough and neglected. They were in some sort of modern ghost town from what he could tell.
From the looks of things, it was late afternoon. They had to find some way to get Tasha to a hospital. She wasn’t going to last this way.
“Where are we? Where’s the nearest hospital and do you know if there is a phone or CB radio somewhere that we might access?” He asked Tasha.
“I’m not sure, I’m not too familiar with this area,” Tasha replied, glancing around. “All I know is that we’re somewhere outside of Los Angeles, though I’m not sure how far away.”
She then fell silent and frowned, as if thinking about something. She then glanced around again. “Let me sit down here, on the ground,” she then requested.
"What's the matter? Are you all right?" he asked, concerned that maybe she was dizzy or feeling ill again.
“Please just let me sit down on the ground,” she said again, a little more firmly.
"Sit already. But tell me what is going on!" Doctor Brackett was firm in his response as well. "We have to get help soon."
Tasha sat on the ground and then looked up at him. “I want to thank you for all your help, Doctor,” she said. “But I need to stay here.” She already knew that it was going to be a tough battle to try and convince him to leave her here, but she had to try. Even if he wouldn’t understand her reasons. Even if she couldn’t tell him all of her reasons.
"I haven't done anything much for you. You got ME out of that cell and for that I am the one who is grateful. That said, if you stay here you're dead. You KNOW that. And I cannot just stand by and let that happen. If you don't get help, we're both stuck here until one of us dies from exhaustion, dehydration or you succumb to your injuries. That won't do either of us or any one else any good."
He knew there wasn't much else he could say to her, but he wasn't going to just walk away either. He wished she weren't so stubborn and pig headed about everything.
“Well you stopped the bleeding and you helped me get out of there, that’s enough,” Tasha said. “Look I don’t want your help anymore, and I have a reason why I need to stay here. Don’t ask me to explain because I can’t. You’ve got a good chance to make it somewhere on your own, so please just GO.” She looked away from him then, back toward the door.
"I'm NOT leaving you like this!" He had nothing more to say. He simply would not go. If she didn't like it, too damn bad.
Now she turned to glare at him. “Man you are stubborn,” she said aloud. “Look I need to wait for my teammates, and then they can take care me of me. They can get me somewhere for medical attention. You don’t need to worry.”
In truth, she did want help. But the very idea of going into a hospital from THIS time was enough to make her queasy. If she were onboard a starship, she could simply go to sickbay and have a doctor regenerate and seal her injured flesh in little time. It wouldn’t even leave a scar, and it would only require a little bed rest.
But if she went to a hospital here, well, she envisioned it being like something from the dark ages. She shuddered a little at the thought. He had mentioned “stitches” after all. The thought of putting a needle and string into human flesh sounded completely barbaric to her.
"Until I see for myself that you have adequate medical care, I am not leaving. And as for stubborn, this kettle thinks the pot ought to look in a mirror!"
This woman had to be the most aggravating woman he'd ever met in his life. He wondered what effect Dixie would have on her. If only Dixie was here TO have an effect on her!
Tasha decided to try another approach. “I’ve… never been to a hospital much, you know. Never really needed it. And well, I’ve never even HAD stitches before, Doc. I’m not sure if I want them.” She was still hoping to get to the Enterprise soon, one way or another, but she didn’t want to try talking to the ship in front of him. She didn’t want him to see her vanishing in a transporter effect, right before his 20th century eyes. Which was why she had been trying so hard to get him to leave, though obviously he wasn’t going to budge. Part of her had to admire that, though.
"Well now, hospitals aren't so bad. I spend quite a bit of time in one, myself and I turned out okay, now didn't I?" he chuckled. "And nobody ever wants stitches but the alternative will leave worse scars than the stitches ever will. The longer before you get treatment the worse the scars will be, and when infection sets in—notice I said WHEN not IF—You may end up more scar than not!
"That is why you have to get to a hospital. Do what you are going to do, I can't convince you if you don't want to be convinced. But whatever you do, I'm gonna be right here with you. And that's all I have to say about that!"
“Don’t you have somewhere else you need to be? Other, more cooperative patients to be with?” Tasha asked, although she already knew she had lost the fight. She didn’t want to go with him, and she wasn’t ready to go with him yet. But she could tell he wasn’t going to leave.
"Right at this very moment? No. The only patient I am concerned about is the one right in front of me." He sensed she was starting to accept that he wasn't going to budge an inch. Good.
Although he was glad she seemed to be realizing that, it was far from victory. She needed help now! Silently the doc was berating himself for not being more convincing. Roy would have had her convinced already. He was sure of that. Where were his paramedics when he needed them?
Tasha decided to try another tactic, even though she felt like she wanted to hit something afterwards. She was simply trying to get him distracted. “You know Doc,” she said, forcing herself to smile, “you look very nice with your shirt off. I take it you work out often?”
She somehow managed to maintain the smile on her face, although she gritted her teeth and clenched her good hand behind her back. Good Lord, she was REALLY grasping at straws here.
Brackett furrowed his ample brows together. What was she up to now? He'd been around women enough to know that she wasn't interested in his physique. He decided to throw her off guard to see if it would take some of the wind out of her sails.
"Well, I do what I can to keep in shape. I am a doctor after all. And, as your doctor, I have to say, you don't look too bad without a shirt either... injuries not withstanding." There, that ought to have her hopping mad!
She turned away completely, scowling and blushing. She KNEW she shouldn’t have said that. “I knew you were a chauvinist,” she then snipped, trying to keep the act up to keep him distracted. She just didn’t want to continue talking about going to the hospital, and she was trying to buy time. “I bet you liked touching me back there,” she then accused.
Part of her felt bad. She couldn’t even look at him when she said that.
"Hey, you were the one who complimented first!" he pointed out. "And who wouldn't enjoy touching a beautiful body?" Under conventional circumstances he would NEVER have talked to a patient like this, but these weren't conventional circumstances. She was up to something and he wasn't about to be distracted by it. His comments had the desired effect. She was definitely flustered now.
She couldn’t even talk now. This wasn’t working the way she wanted it to anyway. She huffed loudly and tried to stand as if she wanted to stomp off, but quickly sat back down again. The sudden movement made her head spin a little, so she abandoned the attempt. She now sat with her back to him and pressed her forehead against her hands. “Ugh.”
Instinctively Brackett reached down and took her wrist to feel for a pulse. It was weak and rapid. Her skin was hot to the touch again. "Tasha, this is serious. Lie back, please."
He helped her ease back onto the ground and gently lifted under her knees to get put them up. They had to get her some help.
"Tasha, you're losing it. You have to help me help you!" He pleaded with her. He put one hand gently on the right side of her face directing her to look at him. Making eye contact with her he gave her his most sincere expression of concern and added, "Please! Be reasonable."
She looked into his eyes, seeing and feeling his sincerity. Somehow she knew she wouldn’t be able to fight him much longer. Partly because she knew she wasn’t getting any better, and partly because of that look in his eyes. She continued to look at him, although her hand was slowly slipping into her pocket. “Let me try just ONE thing first,” she finally said, and pulled out the communicator.
Brackett waited patiently for Tasha to "try" whatever it was she was going to try. He was not surprised to see she was going after the small electronic radio device she had picked up. He didn't know what would come of it, but if it got help for her, he didn't care. Hell, he didn't care if giant mosquitoes came and flew them to the hospital, so long as she got help.
And it wouldn't even be any more difficult to believe than what they had already been through.
With this line of thinking, he realized he was becoming pretty worn down himself.
Tasha tried to contact the Enterprise again, but there was only static. She determined that it was probably some kind of interference… either that or the ship was having some kind of difficulty. She then dropped it on the ground, looking up at the doctor. “Okay,” she finally said with a heavy sigh of resignation. “Let’s… just go.”
Just then there was the sound of padding footfalls approaching. Tasha glanced up just enough to see none other than Clawdova approaching them, make noises of concern.
“Hey, girl,” Tasha murmured quietly as the robo-raptor came closer.
Brackett nodded at the bird beast. Never a dull moment around here.
There were some very run down building, long since boarded up and some trees that looked like they hadn’t been cared for in eons. The road looked rough and neglected. They were in some sort of modern ghost town from what he could tell.
From the looks of things, it was late afternoon. They had to find some way to get Tasha to a hospital. She wasn’t going to last this way.
“Where are we? Where’s the nearest hospital and do you know if there is a phone or CB radio somewhere that we might access?” He asked Tasha.
“I’m not sure, I’m not too familiar with this area,” Tasha replied, glancing around. “All I know is that we’re somewhere outside of Los Angeles, though I’m not sure how far away.”
She then fell silent and frowned, as if thinking about something. She then glanced around again. “Let me sit down here, on the ground,” she then requested.
"What's the matter? Are you all right?" he asked, concerned that maybe she was dizzy or feeling ill again.
“Please just let me sit down on the ground,” she said again, a little more firmly.
"Sit already. But tell me what is going on!" Doctor Brackett was firm in his response as well. "We have to get help soon."
Tasha sat on the ground and then looked up at him. “I want to thank you for all your help, Doctor,” she said. “But I need to stay here.” She already knew that it was going to be a tough battle to try and convince him to leave her here, but she had to try. Even if he wouldn’t understand her reasons. Even if she couldn’t tell him all of her reasons.
"I haven't done anything much for you. You got ME out of that cell and for that I am the one who is grateful. That said, if you stay here you're dead. You KNOW that. And I cannot just stand by and let that happen. If you don't get help, we're both stuck here until one of us dies from exhaustion, dehydration or you succumb to your injuries. That won't do either of us or any one else any good."
He knew there wasn't much else he could say to her, but he wasn't going to just walk away either. He wished she weren't so stubborn and pig headed about everything.
“Well you stopped the bleeding and you helped me get out of there, that’s enough,” Tasha said. “Look I don’t want your help anymore, and I have a reason why I need to stay here. Don’t ask me to explain because I can’t. You’ve got a good chance to make it somewhere on your own, so please just GO.” She looked away from him then, back toward the door.
"I'm NOT leaving you like this!" He had nothing more to say. He simply would not go. If she didn't like it, too damn bad.
Now she turned to glare at him. “Man you are stubborn,” she said aloud. “Look I need to wait for my teammates, and then they can take care me of me. They can get me somewhere for medical attention. You don’t need to worry.”
In truth, she did want help. But the very idea of going into a hospital from THIS time was enough to make her queasy. If she were onboard a starship, she could simply go to sickbay and have a doctor regenerate and seal her injured flesh in little time. It wouldn’t even leave a scar, and it would only require a little bed rest.
But if she went to a hospital here, well, she envisioned it being like something from the dark ages. She shuddered a little at the thought. He had mentioned “stitches” after all. The thought of putting a needle and string into human flesh sounded completely barbaric to her.
"Until I see for myself that you have adequate medical care, I am not leaving. And as for stubborn, this kettle thinks the pot ought to look in a mirror!"
This woman had to be the most aggravating woman he'd ever met in his life. He wondered what effect Dixie would have on her. If only Dixie was here TO have an effect on her!
Tasha decided to try another approach. “I’ve… never been to a hospital much, you know. Never really needed it. And well, I’ve never even HAD stitches before, Doc. I’m not sure if I want them.” She was still hoping to get to the Enterprise soon, one way or another, but she didn’t want to try talking to the ship in front of him. She didn’t want him to see her vanishing in a transporter effect, right before his 20th century eyes. Which was why she had been trying so hard to get him to leave, though obviously he wasn’t going to budge. Part of her had to admire that, though.
"Well now, hospitals aren't so bad. I spend quite a bit of time in one, myself and I turned out okay, now didn't I?" he chuckled. "And nobody ever wants stitches but the alternative will leave worse scars than the stitches ever will. The longer before you get treatment the worse the scars will be, and when infection sets in—notice I said WHEN not IF—You may end up more scar than not!
"That is why you have to get to a hospital. Do what you are going to do, I can't convince you if you don't want to be convinced. But whatever you do, I'm gonna be right here with you. And that's all I have to say about that!"
“Don’t you have somewhere else you need to be? Other, more cooperative patients to be with?” Tasha asked, although she already knew she had lost the fight. She didn’t want to go with him, and she wasn’t ready to go with him yet. But she could tell he wasn’t going to leave.
"Right at this very moment? No. The only patient I am concerned about is the one right in front of me." He sensed she was starting to accept that he wasn't going to budge an inch. Good.
Although he was glad she seemed to be realizing that, it was far from victory. She needed help now! Silently the doc was berating himself for not being more convincing. Roy would have had her convinced already. He was sure of that. Where were his paramedics when he needed them?
Tasha decided to try another tactic, even though she felt like she wanted to hit something afterwards. She was simply trying to get him distracted. “You know Doc,” she said, forcing herself to smile, “you look very nice with your shirt off. I take it you work out often?”
She somehow managed to maintain the smile on her face, although she gritted her teeth and clenched her good hand behind her back. Good Lord, she was REALLY grasping at straws here.
Brackett furrowed his ample brows together. What was she up to now? He'd been around women enough to know that she wasn't interested in his physique. He decided to throw her off guard to see if it would take some of the wind out of her sails.
"Well, I do what I can to keep in shape. I am a doctor after all. And, as your doctor, I have to say, you don't look too bad without a shirt either... injuries not withstanding." There, that ought to have her hopping mad!
She turned away completely, scowling and blushing. She KNEW she shouldn’t have said that. “I knew you were a chauvinist,” she then snipped, trying to keep the act up to keep him distracted. She just didn’t want to continue talking about going to the hospital, and she was trying to buy time. “I bet you liked touching me back there,” she then accused.
Part of her felt bad. She couldn’t even look at him when she said that.
"Hey, you were the one who complimented first!" he pointed out. "And who wouldn't enjoy touching a beautiful body?" Under conventional circumstances he would NEVER have talked to a patient like this, but these weren't conventional circumstances. She was up to something and he wasn't about to be distracted by it. His comments had the desired effect. She was definitely flustered now.
She couldn’t even talk now. This wasn’t working the way she wanted it to anyway. She huffed loudly and tried to stand as if she wanted to stomp off, but quickly sat back down again. The sudden movement made her head spin a little, so she abandoned the attempt. She now sat with her back to him and pressed her forehead against her hands. “Ugh.”
Instinctively Brackett reached down and took her wrist to feel for a pulse. It was weak and rapid. Her skin was hot to the touch again. "Tasha, this is serious. Lie back, please."
He helped her ease back onto the ground and gently lifted under her knees to get put them up. They had to get her some help.
"Tasha, you're losing it. You have to help me help you!" He pleaded with her. He put one hand gently on the right side of her face directing her to look at him. Making eye contact with her he gave her his most sincere expression of concern and added, "Please! Be reasonable."
She looked into his eyes, seeing and feeling his sincerity. Somehow she knew she wouldn’t be able to fight him much longer. Partly because she knew she wasn’t getting any better, and partly because of that look in his eyes. She continued to look at him, although her hand was slowly slipping into her pocket. “Let me try just ONE thing first,” she finally said, and pulled out the communicator.
Brackett waited patiently for Tasha to "try" whatever it was she was going to try. He was not surprised to see she was going after the small electronic radio device she had picked up. He didn't know what would come of it, but if it got help for her, he didn't care. Hell, he didn't care if giant mosquitoes came and flew them to the hospital, so long as she got help.
And it wouldn't even be any more difficult to believe than what they had already been through.
With this line of thinking, he realized he was becoming pretty worn down himself.
Tasha tried to contact the Enterprise again, but there was only static. She determined that it was probably some kind of interference… either that or the ship was having some kind of difficulty. She then dropped it on the ground, looking up at the doctor. “Okay,” she finally said with a heavy sigh of resignation. “Let’s… just go.”
Just then there was the sound of padding footfalls approaching. Tasha glanced up just enough to see none other than Clawdova approaching them, make noises of concern.
“Hey, girl,” Tasha murmured quietly as the robo-raptor came closer.
Brackett nodded at the bird beast. Never a dull moment around here.