RP: Down by a Knockout

[shh_kenneth]

Date: February 18, 2005
Character(s): Kenneth Towler, Cedric Diggory, Andromeda Tonks
Location: Kenneth Towler's Clinic
Status: Private
Summary: Kenneth Towler treats Cedric Diggory's concussion.
Completion: Complete

Kenneth apparated with Cedric into one of the clinic's small patient rooms, knowing it was best if he didn't move his patient around too

Comments

[shh_cedric]

As soon as they'd arrived, Cedric knew he was going to be violently sick. He barely had time to get out, "Bloody buggering hell," before everything half digested in his stomach from dinner the night before came back up all over him and the floor. At least Towler had taken a step away and so missed the mess.

It also hurt viciously as his body convulsed to rid his stomach of what was in it, as if someone had thrust a red-hot poker through his eyesocket. He roared with the pain, then nearly choked on his own spew and coughing was, if possible, even worse. When it was over he was lying on his side and whispered, "Oh, God -- just kill me now please."

[shh_kenneth]

This is what you get for apparating with a concussion patient Kenneth thought to himself as he watched Cedric Diggory vomit with a tinge of both sympathy and misery. And not a little bit of relief that he'd managed to avoid getting dirty in the process. He loathed dirt of any sort

[shh_cedric]

At least Towler wasn't laughing at Cedric's expense. But if Towler had never, in Cedric's memory, been especially sympathetic, he also hadn't been intrinsically cruel -- or he wouldn't be a healer.

He just ... was. As the two of them had been in the same year, if not the same house, they'd shared a few classes, but Cedric really didn't know him beyond that. His memory of school was sometimes spotty in any case, although he did remember the Weasley twins hadn't much liked Towler, or at least they'd got a kick out of giving him a hard time. Cedric could also remember being friendly to Towler a few times but if Towler's reactions had never been deliberately rude, Cedric also hadn't interested him. Cedric had never really quite puzzled out the other boy. Man, now.

He took the water and raised up on his elbow enough to sip it slowly, as instructed. He also used it to rinse around his mouth and get rid of the awful taste. Then he handed back the glass. "Thank you. And what do you need me to do?"

[shh_kenneth]

Now that Cedric was convinced he was ill, he'd turned into quite the polite patient. Kenneth was too much of a pragmatist to think the situation would hold, but he'd make do until it ended.

"You're welcome," he replied as he took back the glass. "That'll do as a starter. We don't need you dehydrating."

Raising his wand, Kenneth cast a very complete diagnostic spell and was happy to note that his patient's concussion, while serious, wasn't diastrous. His patient, he noted did have some old brain damage, no doubt related to his injuries from the past. An intrigued Kenneth made a note to ask about that once he got past the items relevant to Diggory's current injury.

"What hurts, would probably be a good place to start," Kenneth said after a moment as he rechecked his patient's eyes. Diagnostic spells weren't always 100% effective and a patient's input was unfortunately often required to get everything correct. "Aside from the obvious headache, and the wrist. I'll fix the latter as soon as I'm sure the treatment won't cause problems

[shh_andromeda]

Andy looked up from where she was folding the batter for muffins that would last (she hoped) the week and frowned worriedly at Kenneth's owl. The owl took off as soon as it had given her the note.

"Shit," she muttered. She covered the batter with a cheese cloth and placed the bowl in the fridge before running over to the stairs. "Ted, Nymphadora, I'm going out. I don't know when I'll be back." There was no response, of course but she thought she heard a muffled response from Nymphadora (probably "Don't call me Nymphadora"). At least partially satisfied, she threw on her wool cloak and Apparated to the clinic.

"Kenneth?" she called out walking quickly inside and back toward the examining rooms where she thought Kenneth and Cedric might be.

[shh_kenneth]

Kenneth heard his name called and managed to intercept Tonks in the hall before she accidentally woke up their patient.

"Timely as always," he said in a somewhat hushed but appreciative tone. "Our patient is asleep for the moment."

He gestured her into his office, before continuing, "but should we ever have another concussion patient, I suggest we consider alternative transport methods to apparating. The results are revoltingly messy."

It was then that he noticed the decided scent of...he wasn't entirely certain what it was, but it smelled decidedly more pleasant than the rest of his morning. He sniffed the air again.

"Were you baking?" he asked. "I fear I will be spending the entire evening conducting neural checks and was hoping you could spare a few hours now."

[shh_andromeda]

Andy grimaced apologetically, feeling a bit guilty for calling out when Cedric was asleep.

She followed him into his office, slipping off her cloak and drapping it over the chair in front of his desk before turning back to Kenneth. She could imagine what it looked like, she'd seen it a few times in the emergency ward and it was never ever pretty. "We used to jerry rig a broom to transport concussed patients from a battlefield to the hospital. The healer or mediwitch had to have a strong levicorpus charm and be handy at knots, but it worked," she suggested.

She looked around her, hoping she didn't smell when he began sniffing at her but was a bit relieved when he smelled her baking instead. "Yes, I was baking. I usually do on Sundays since I have no time or energy during the week. Would you like some? And I can bring you and if he wakes, Cedric, lunch and dinner as well since you'll be with Cedric monitoring him if you like."

[shh_kenneth]

The method of transport Tonks suggested sounded eminently sensible when one had the time to use it