(Untitled)

[real_buzzkill]

The Saturday morning clinic shift gave Wilson a reason to get up early, which he appreciated. He started his day with a short jog, just down to the beach and back, then showered and dressed for the day. He'd been hoarding normal looking clothes since the incident with the parachute pants, but he still thought that an offering to the clothes box

Comments

[dogbitesman]

This was an odd sort of declaration, William felt, pausing in the doorway. Then he saw the book and thought that it was an odd sort of book, instead.

"Are you a doctor?" he asked, simply because William was the sort who would quite possibly still ask even if the person in question had been in a white coat with 'Medical Doctor' written on the back, carrying a stethoscope and in the middle of performing a triple bypass.

[real_buzzkill]

"Yeah, got a big diploma with my name on it and everything, but I left that at home," he said drolly. "James Wilson, and you are?"

He set the book on the desk, figuring that he wasn't going to be using berries to darken his lips any time soon.

[dogbitesman]

"What, the island didn't send an itinery ahead and give you time to pack?" William said, a polite smile flickering across his face. "How inconsiderate of it. William de Worde, Tabula Rasa Times. And you're just the man I was looking for, in fact. If you have a moment, I'd like to talk to you about the medical histories project."

[real_buzzkill]

Wilson smiled back, thrilled that, for once, somebody didn't bristle at his sense of humor, which could be so dry that it became unnoticible. "Right now would be fine," he said. "Though, if a patient comes in I'll have to ask you to step outside."

[dogbitesman]

"Oh, I understand," William said. "I certainly wouldn't want to get in the way."

He took out his ever-present notebook and a pencil. "Start at the beginning, I suppose; was this project the brainchild of anyone in particular, or was it a joint idea?"

[real_buzzkill]

"Dr. House mentioned the idea to me, and then I developed the form with assistance from several other doctors here on the island," Wilson said. "He fully expects to get all the credit for the project, but the whole clinic staff is making this happen."

[dogbitesman]

William wrote this down, nodding. "Of course. What are you hoping to achieve, with this project?"

[real_buzzkill]

"Because we come from so many different times and places," Wilson began, "each islander has a different set of immunities. Some were vaccinated for various diseases, others were not. Some have no immunities at all because their, ah, human bodies are new. Even in the middle of nowhere, disease is a reality. This is a proactive measure to help the clinic staff understand what might happen if a serious disease hit--not that we have any reason to think it will."

[dogbitesman]

William always liked interviewing experts on their profession. They always had so much to say, and they used words with multiple syllables. This was generally a pleasant change from 'I saw it all there was a guy who did a thing and then stuff happened.'

"You're taking pre-emptive, cautious measures," William said, nodding as he scribbled. "Has there been any trouble with the, er, new humans, I suppose we could call them, catching sick, so far?"

[real_buzzkill]

"I had a patient who hasn't always been human who came in with symproms of allergies a couple of weeks ago, but allergies are not communicable," Wilson said, carefully leaving names and other identifying features out of his answer. "In case of an epidemic, like flu, the new humans, I would expect them to be more vulnerable."

He paused for a moment. "As far as we know, all the new human bodies have perfectly functional immune systems. I hope that whatever you write won't cause anybody to worry needlessly."

[dogbitesman]

William noted this down, with an absent, "So do I, Dr Wilson." He didn't worry people needlessly.

"My girlfriend used to be a vampire," he said, glancing up. It seemed relevant; it supported the doctor's hypothesis, after all. "She came down with quite a bad case of flu during the cold weather. Recovered fine, though.

"What sort of questions appear on the questionnaire? Actually, come to think of it, I may as well just fill one out for you while I'm here."

[real_buzzkill]

He got out a blank form and handed it to DeWorde. "It's standard, with questions about how long you've been on the island, where you live her, basic family history... and if you don't know the answer, that's not a problem."

The vampire thing was mildly interesting, and Wilson wondered if she still had fangs,but he wasn't about to ask in the middle of an interview. "Colds and flu can present with very similar symptoms. I'd be surprised if there were a single flu case that nobody else got."

[dogbitesman]

"Well, I caught it," William said, looking over the form and making some notes for himself, then working down the list. "It could have been a cold, at that; I don't suppose it matters all that much."

He paused. "Months as set out by the Earth calendar, I assume? You might want to include a note on how long that is, for those that don't know."

[real_buzzkill]

"That's one we didn't think of," he said. "Doctors aren't the most practical people, but any of us would be glad to clarify any question that might be confusing."

He took a sip of coffee and tried to think of anything else that anybody mighr care about. "Oh, one of the new island residents who is an expert in computer security as well as being a doctor is working on a system to help us keep the information strictly confidential. That system will also house our charts from patients who come in with injuries or what have you. This is a huge development for the clinic, and for the island, I think."

[dogbitesman]

William looked up from where he was still answering the questions. "You're moving all the records onto a computer, then?"

[real_buzzkill]

"Yes," he said. "I got a system and decided that it's more useful to the clinic than to me personally. I think it will help us with continuity of care to have all the records in one place with search capabilities. Say you had a cut on your leg that we had to do stitches on. If you came into the clinic wanting to have them removed, anybody who was on duty would be able to find out when they were put in, without you having to guess at the exact date."