riverviewlogs | An aching in my head

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An aching in my head

who: Rey, Finn, Poe, ~~Kyle~~ Ren, and ~~whoever else wants parts of the drama of the wars in our stars.~~ open!
what: Rey gets sick and finds herself taken to the hospital.
when: 12/26--12/29
where: Hospital
warnings: None for now--will update as needed

For a few weeks Rey hadn't been getting enough sleep. It started off with wild dreams that made it difficult to get a night's rest. The dreams gave way to nightmares; sometimes she dreamed she was still on Jakku, waiting for her parents with hunger gnawing at her stomach only to fall into the belly of an abandon ship, break her wrists and die a painful death. Sometimes, she dreamed of Poe and Finn, of being unable to help them as the First Order crushed the Resistance. Sometimes, she relived the very vision that told her to take her first steps. Whatever the dreams were, she woke up with a start and unable to go back to sleep.

Not sleeping was something she was used to. If she wore herself out enough, she could pass out from exhaustion and have a dreamless sleep--something she would prefer at this point. Like anything else in her life, she didn't complain, only pushed herself through the situation thinking she could handle it. Then her world started to change. First it was the weather, changing from a crisp coolness to icy cold. It had silly of Rey to go out without the proper attire in the beginning, but she learned to bundle up, but it wasn't enough. Kylo Ren then appeared and Rey found herself stressed over that--trying to find a way to protect her friends from a man she didn't believe was truly a monster...

The stress of that, combined with worrying over Poe being in the hospital didn't do well to help get any sleep.

Over the past few days she had developed a slight cough, believing it was maybe the coldness in the air that her lungs weren't used to. She didn't think much of it, continuing to go about her duties within the Perimeter Guard and other obligations. If she just pushed through it, she would be okay. Rey failed to realize how bad she was getting. When she had gone to bed the night before, she opted to sleep on the couch, curled up with a blanket. At least she made progress from sleeping on the floor to the couch.

When Poe went to go wake her up, her skin appeared clammy with a faint redness to her cheeks. She wasn't responding no matter how loud he called her name, or nudged her. Finn touched her forehead and felt how hot she was, and before the trio knew it, they were at the hospital. The doctors and nurses were quick to put Rey in a bed, and administer fluids. Different questions were asked: if either of them had noticed a change in her behavior, if she was eating and if so what.

In the end, it was the decision of the doctors that Rey stay in the hospital until she was better. Years of malnutrition had made it harder for her body to stay warm, making her more susceptible to the cold, and a weakened immune system. The hospital staff would have to keep her on a diet to help her body absorb the proper nutrients and help combat the influenza she had.

By the time Rey wakes up from the ordeal, she feels weak and feels a pricking sensation in her right arm. Now it's time for her to recover...and she won't be too thrilled about it.

Best of luck whoever decides to check in on her, she probably won't be in the best of moods and may or may not try to get out of bed.

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When Rey opens her eyes for the first time, she sees a nurse looming over her, changing out the empty IV bag for another one. The nurse simply smiles and tells her there are people waiting for her outside. Rey simply stares at her in confusion, but she doesn't move...not yet. Not until the nurse heads out of the room to inform Poe and Finn that Rey was awake...

And when both boys come in, Rey was already sitting up and starting to undo the medical tape on her arm. She wasn't going to stay here. She was fine. She didn't know what happened, but the hospital had no right to kidnap her!

This hospital is starting to feel like a regular home away from home. Hell is wearing a track into the waiting room floor twice in one month, and Finn does not best like it. He may or may not be starting to feel he's fraying at the edges.

So he does not pretend to be even slightly chill as he skids to a stop by the doorway and walks in. Waiting is bad, the hospital staff saying he's allowed into rooms is good. Rey being awake is good. The end.

"Rey-!"

Oh. Okay that's happening in real life right in front of him, isn't it. She's just making herself sit right up and pull on that tape within two minutes of regaining consciousness. A lot of emotions very quickly launch a parade through Finn's brain and he can't for the life of him seem to get a handle on them as fast as he'd like.

"No?" Wait, definitely not communicative enough. "Stop that?!"

He didn't mean for the last one to sound like a question at all. But look. He's doing the best he can in the time it's taking him to rally.

Poe has been trying to get Finn to settle the heck down and maybe sit for a second before he punches through the floor and into the wing below them. Which mostly means Poe has been following Finn back and forth across the waiting room muttering reassurances and promising Rey won't be as stupid about visitors as Poe himself was when, y'know, his own hospital visit happened.

Then they're told they can see her.

"Finn, w--" Oh look, Finn has left the waiting room. "--ait."

Poe is hot on the former stormtrooper's heels, and he would be even closer if he didn't have to catch and place upright a doctor, a nurse, and an innocent bystander. As a result he makes it to the room just after Finn has question-yelled at Rey, and he almost asks what he's talking about, until Poe sees for himself.

Then he's crossing the room and sticking the tape back down.

"Stop that!"

Edited 2017-12-26 05:26 (UTC)

Rey was trying to get the tape off and though it it would hurt her, she was about to take out the IV line. Her fever hadn't broke just yet. She was still being given fluids and meds to help combat her illness. At least she wasn't in the contagious stage anymore, at least that's what the doctors had said.

She looks up to see Finn there, looking at her with...fear? Concern? It's hard to register the right words for it. Like, her mind is foggy, and all she wants to do is rest. But not here. Not in a bed that feels so stiff and doctors who have kidnapped her! Unless she's told otherwise, that's what she's sticking with.

"I am getting out of here," she says through gritted teeth, ready to undo the other piece of medical tape only to have Poe suddenly pop up--where the hell did he come from--and place it right back down on her skin.

"When is it okay for the hospital staff to kidnap people?!"

Shout-out to Poe for coming in to single-handedly saving Finn's continued existence on this mortal coil. And for catching everyone he pushed aside in this particular pushing incident.

Finn's pretty sure he's just not going to deal with the broad majority of whatever his emotions are trying to accomplish here. What he does figure out is that he hears something that he can argue against, which is something he can focus on, which means it's something that puts more power in his capacity to take it down a notch.

"Wh- you didn't get kidnapped. Why would a hospital kidnap you?" Not that he guesses he can blame her for thinking that, objectively? Last thing she probably remembers is going to sleep.

Finn moves to take up a chair on the other side of the bed, dropping a careful hand onto the blanket.

"Rey, you're sick. We brought you here."

"We did." Poe puts a hand on Finn's shoulder, both to bring Rey's attention to the other man and to hopefully help Finn ground himself a little. "Finn carried you. We found you passed out in our room."

He lets go of Finn and moves Rey's hand away from the IV, pressing her fingers gently to the bed. "We brought you here. Just relax."

Rey throws Finn a flat look. Why wouldn't a hospital kidnap people? They didn't have too many answers about the Quarantine area, and possibly covering something up. Who knows. There wasn't much information available. Kidnapping people was within the realm of possibility. Then he tells her she's sick, and Poe, bless him for moving her hand away from her IV line, confirms it. Maybe he's the one who's sick. His hand..it felt so cold.

"I am not sick--" she turns her head to head, finding it hard to breathe for a moment. Her lungs feel itchy and can't figure out how to take in air. The coughing fit passes, leaving her feeling weak. Much weaker than she initially felt.

"I hadn't passed out..I just feel asleep." For the first time in what? Days? Weeks? She was able to fall asleep and not wake up in the middle of the night. The hand that Poe pushed away grabs a handful of the bed sheet.

"..when can I leave?" She can come to terms with being sick, but she wanted out.

Force grant him the strength and the serenity to actively live through this. They are very calm and reasonable people.

Finn puts a hand on her back to try to brace her through her coughing fit as best he can.

They are all, he soon amends, very calm and reasonable people except for Rey. Rey may take some arguing down.

"When they say you can." He is not here to lie. "You know it's really only falling asleep if you wake back up, right? Once you skip waking up, it's a lot more like being unconscious."

The hospital was a place where one must put their best foot forward. It was also one of the best places to meet people who were down on their luck for one reason or another. When he had been back as a young man, he had visited field hospitals full of broken men, many of them making the sacrifice for a freedom bird. During his years of diplomat, he had gone to the hospitals to visit the sick, the dying, and the underappreciated in many countries. Children were the hardest to watch suffer, but it was a duty he had taken up way back in the day.

So, it was like he was back in his old duties when he came with a folded up newspaper, a deck of cards and a pleasant smile. He inquired with the medical staff who he could be a presence to and went about the day after his work shift to settle next to each bedside and hum a low melodic tune as he worked on his crossword puzzle (he made them himself when he had to).

Today he settled next to a young woman who carried signs he knew well: illness, malnutrition, dehydration. He had taken a chair next to her bedside and hummed as his feet gently tapped together. There was only the scratch of a pen on paper as he worked on creating his next crossword puzzle. His reading glasses were perched on his nose, and he smiled kindly when the patient in question woke from one of the many frequent naps.

"Good morning, Miss," he said and reached over to offer her a glass of water in an attempt to distract her from perhaps leaping from bed. "You have a bit more colour in your cheeks. How are you feeling, hmm?"

Poe crosses to the other side of the bed, so Rey is now flanked by concern on either side. Also both sides are covered if she tries to make a dive out of the bed.

"He's right."

BB-8, at Poe's heels and unnoticed until now, chimes in with a few boops of agreement. "See? Everyone here agrees. You passed out, and you're staying put."

It hadn't taken long for Alec to figure out what had happened to Rey. He kept an eye on his friends and since they both were part of the Perimeter Guard, it wasn't difficult to get someone to tell him where she was. He hadn't been sure if the nurses would let him in so he'd used a glamour and a soundless rune to sneak into her room, deactivating them as soon as he shut the door.

Once he knew he'd be visible to the beings around him, he set a vase of flowers that looked like similar to sunflowers next to the bed. She looked like she might be asleep so he sat down in a chair that was in her line of sight, but not near the bed so she wouldn't think someone was attacking her when she woke up.

[Unlike a normal person, who might arrive in a hospital room a little carefully and a little somber, Taako practically slides through the door with glitter in his wake.]

What's up, thug, cha boy is here and ready to party!

[In his defense, he got the heads up from Cisco (via Poe) that Rey just has the flu and the nurse at the hospital told him she was awake, so he's not being a total jerk.

He just thought she might appreciate a little fun.]

Unconscious? She had fallen unconscious...Rey merely thought she had passed out for a few hours. It's alarming to hear that she had been in such a state--and really, still was--but she didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be forced to stay still and wait. Though, if their roles were reversed (and they had been with Poe), she would tell them to stay in bed.

But not her. Not because she was the exception, but because she didn't know any other way. Staying still, not moving...it was more or less like waiting for death. This wasn't Jakku, she knew that, but the mentality was hard to change. Along with the idea that others wanted to take care of her. For someone so independent and who had to be independent, it was hard thing to take in.

With Poe and Finn on either side of her, she really wasn't going anywhere.

"I would've woken up eventually..." That's not her pride or anything, just stubbornness, but given her coughing..she was sick. It was stupid to deny it, but she would've been fine. Close to death but fine. Now..she's stuck in bed, and trying hard not to fidget...and more upset at herself for not doing better, for making both of them worry.

"I won't remove the needle..it's okay," she finally manages to say, taking in a slow breath to avoid another coughing fit.

After promising Poe, Finn, and BB-8 that she would stay in bed and follow the orders of the nurses and doctors, Rey has thus far, managed to stay out of trouble. Though, there had been a few times when she had gotten up out of bed to stretch her legs or use the facilities, she was tempted to try and sneak out, however, her body protested and she found herself back in bed. Honestly, she had never slept so much in her life before and at least there were no wild dreams to keep her up.

She had managed to finish eating breakfast--hospital food had no taste to it, she discovered--there was another round of medication, followed by a dreamless sleep. When she woke up again, she wasn't expecting anyone around. Rather, if anyone would be around, it would be Finn or Poe. Instead...it's someone she's never met. Her eyes go wide and she's reaches for her staff that isn't within range.

The person looks friendly, but Rey wasn't used to waking up to see strangers at her bedside. Do they just let ANYONE walk into a hospital room and simply...stay there? Watch her sleep? It was a very unnerving thought, especially when the next one to pop into her head was thinking he might have been trying to kill her--he could be part of the First Order for all she knew!

"..morning..." Not 'good' considering he had nearly scared the living light out of her. She looked at the offered cup of water, unsure if it was tainted...she shakes her head at the offered water and tries to gauge the new person.

"Feeling better..." He wasn't wearing a white coat, or those colorful tops and bottoms that the nurses wore. He didn't seem to have a name badge, so he wasn't hospital staff.

"Who are you exactly?" And more importantly, why was he in her room?

Alec wouldn't have to wait for too long for Rey to wake up. She started to stir, hissing as she tried to move her right arm that had the IV line in her vein. Right, she couldn't exactly move the way she wanted to. Getting herself reoriented, she was surprised to see someone in her room--someone she knew that wasn't Poe or Finn.

"Alec?" her voice was hoarse from just waking up.

"What are you doing here?" she found herself asking, wondering if something had happened to Magnus or to Jace.

Edited 2017-12-28 08:52 (UTC)

[....Well this is one way to make an entrance. Rey wasn't expecting anyone to visit her, she didn't want anyone to get sick because of her, and she didn't think it was necessary. Nor, did she think anyone would actually say anything...but apparently she was wrong.

She could only look at Taako with disbelief and shock. He...used glitter and was really making her wonder if there was a party about to be thrown.]

I don't think the hospital staff can plan a party...?

[And their food was no where near as great as Taako's.

The shocked look gives way to a small smile. At least there's more color in her and her cough has gone down.]

I wasn't expecting to see you here, let me guess...cake delivery for a doctor or a nurse?

This look in Finn's eyes is only the most concentrated mixture of relief and vindication. He was right and the needle is staying in, that's all he needs to hear right now.

It's not hard for him to argue while worried, but it's hard to argue with sick people in hospital beds.

"Thank you." He reaches for her arm. Just. Whichever part seems to be least in the way of a cord or a tube or anything. Because the impulse to reach out and touch people is the impulse he's arguably the worst at fighting, especially today. "The less you argue with the medics, the faster you'll get out. Okay? You're gonna be fine."

Anyway, if medics need arguing with for any reason, he and Poe can easily pitch in.

[Taako, who spent a decade without the memories of Lup and the IPRE and thinking that no one gave a shit about him beyond Taako from TV immediately recognizes Rey's question for what it really is.

She wasn't expecting anyone to come see her.]

Cake delivery for you, bubbale. Well - a little more than just cake, can I...?

[He gestures at the table near her bedside; there's nothing in his hands, but since when has that stopped him.]

Pierce took no offense to her reaction to finding him there, finding it perfectly understandable. Normally, he saw himself taken away before most people even woke up, not that it made the activity any less strange. It was simply something that he did and took a particular comfort in doing after so many years. That she was obviously suspicious didn't even create a raised eyebrow in him, even as he nodded and set the glass of water back on the night stand.

He sat back into his chair and nodded again at her intone that she was perhaps feeling better. Of course, he tucked his pen behind his ear and pushed his glasses up to rest on the top of his forehead, regarding her kindly.

"I'm Alexander," he said softly. "I'm a hospital volunteer. I don't treat any maladies, but sometimes the nurses would like some of the more active patients to be encouraged to remain in their beds." He had heard that she was up-down, up-down quite a bit, likely not used to staying in one place long.

"If you find my company offensive, I can leave you be. I'm only here to offer conversation or a presence, nothing more." He wasn't here to make anyone feel as if they were trapped. The point of all of this was to encourage people to feel better and many waking up alone was more terrifying than with a stranger who could answer new questions they may have.

[No, she wasn't expecting anyone else to see her. She didn't think Poe or Finn would tell anyone she was sick, much less cause them to worry or visit her. Low expectations and all that.

Her eyebrows were knitted together wondering why Taako made a cake for her. He didn't have to. Especially after the trouble she caused last time--but that was the past, and anything else was better than hospital food at this point.]

No, you can use the table, it's fine.

[Just be careful with the vase and the flowers there. Someone else brought those in for her, and they were pretty to look at.]

How are you and Rin doing?

A volunteer...that's new. Rey didn't think the hospital had anyone who would purposefully come into this place to volunteer to be near other sick patients. Granted, she didn't think she was contagious, or at least that's what the doctors had surmised. But, he was here more or less, to make sure she didn't try to escape. A guard without the official title of one...

Great.

The less you argue with the medics, the faster you'll get out. Isn't that what Finn had said? Cooperate, show she wasn't so stubborn and perhaps the nurses and doctors would release her early due to...good behavior? This was a hospital, not a prison, but they were one in the same in her mind.

"No..you can stay...just not used to waking up and seeing someone at my bed side." She was used to being alone, but that had changed when she started to sleep in Poe's room with Poe and Finn. There was always someone around, and she got used to having company. Now though, she didn't realize how much she missed it.

"...and for the record, I do remain in my bed." She just tried to take out her IV line twice...maybe three times.

[ The moment Cisco hears that Rey is in the hospital, he runs over there - literally. He's out of breath by the time he makes his way up the door to her room. He pauses for a moment outside, hands braced on his knees, trying to compose himself. It only works a little - he's still a little paler than normal when he walks in, the worry still written all over his face, shining through even as he tries to smile. ]

Sup, Rey! What a surprise, running into you, here.

[ His voice is a bit wavery, still, but he keeps up the pretense that this is just a pleasant visit. There would be time to scold her about taking better care of herself, later. For now, he just wants to make sure she's okay, to cheer her up, to reassure himself that she's going to be okay. Cisco pulls a chair up right beside her bed, and says, just to get it out of the way: ]

I'm gonna go down and talk to the doctors about covering the bill. And don't you even start with me, okay, it's health insurance. Non-negotiable.

[ And then, with emotion cracking his voice slightly, he asks: ]

Can I give you a hug?

[Rey wasn't expecting any other visitors for the day, except maybe Finn and Poe. She didn't want either of them to wind up in the hospital (again). Nor did she want Finn to lose anymore sleep then he already has from Poe's visit to the hospital, and now her. She was upset with herself for not doing better--for not being better than she was.

A coat and mittens were the things she should've worn all the time. It was foolish to think she was stronger than the elements.

She's taken out of her reverie hearing someone running up to her door.]

Cisco?

[Did he run all the way here? By the way he's pale and trying to take in air, that's a yes. She wants to get out of bed to check on him, but she made a promise to stay in bed and to keep the blasted needle in her arm. He came to see her, to check up on her. He wants to take care of the hospital visit (and really, she didn't know how much it would cost, but she had the funds for it) and...he wants a hug.

His emotions seemed to be all over the place and she feels...so small then. Like she had disappointed him in a way by getting sick and making him worry.]

Sure...I can't move too much, but if you want to sit on the bed..

[And once he's within range, she's hugging him, no questions asked. Though, she is mindful of that needle, but...she feels horrible for making him worry.]

..I'm sorry. [She found herself whispering in a small voice.]

Cool, cool, cool.

[He heads over to the table, snapping his fingers once he's close enough, and a small chest appears beside him at the gesture. He pulls an assortment of tupperware containers and thermoses out of it as he talks.]

We're doing great, pretty sure he liked his Candlenights present, so that's always a bonus.

[But he's not just here to talk about himself, so:]

Chicken noodle soup, ginger and honey tea, banana bread, pumpkin and feta salad - you'll wanna eat that one sooner rather than later, since it'll get a bit gross after too long, lemon cake, and spiced nuts.

[He points out each container of food as he lists them off, though they're also labelled to make Rey's life easier.]

Hospital food is like, the worst? So I'm hooking you up with the good stuff.

[The small chest catches Rey's attention and she's half expecting a bird or something to come out of there. Something with flair or maybe glitter--it's Taako, it could happen. Instead there's...food?

What was he doing? She's trying to pay attention to his words and he's simply laying out a bunch of things that makes her heart drop.]

....You did this for me?

[He didn't have to. He didn't have to use his talents to make her things that are probably super good and just overall amazing. Never mind the chart at the foot of her bed that's supposed to guide the next nurse or whoever about the diet she needs to have cause malnutrition sucks.

Please ignore how soft her voice was then and how she's still taking a moment to process everything.]

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An aching in my head

[Closed] Poe and Finn

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You clearly asked for this

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Clearly, I did

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