Sarah Carter steps over the man sprawled naked in the hallway, silent and staring ahead, and at first its like she doesn't see him at all. She finds the blanket tossed over a chair in the rec room, and when she comes back with it, he's still there like she knows he'll be. She tosses it over him, not out of any sense of modesty, but because he's wet and she knows he'll get cold.
She crouches down at his side and rests a hand on his arm and waits for him to catch his breath.
'Getting his breath' was easier said than done. Adam lay still with his cheek resting in water that was warm from heaving out of him moments before, and he closed his eyes, before he tried to look, tried to register her. He knew it was a her. He could smell her.
He was covered.
He tried to say something, but all that came out was a raw-throated croak. He'd heard Ros and now he couldn't see her.
Stand. Adam tried to get his hands underneath him and failed. He still couldn't lift his head, couldn't look her in the eye, and that bothered him. You could tell a lot about someone from their face.
He shook his head and, out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw something slightering.
"Holy sh--" What started out as a shout, Angela muffled, clamped down on so it was just a swallowed curse. Generally, naked, vomiting, clearly shaken men didn't take to screaming. Or at least Angela thought.
Setting aside her board, the Angelator still running with a half-finished Swiss landscape in the golden lights, Angela cautiously but quickly moved to the man's side. Ignoring the nakedness, she knelt beside him, daring to lightly touch his shoulder. "Hey, you're safe," she said gently. "Just breathe, okay. You're safe. You're okay."
Her hands were warm and it gave Adam something to lean towards to. He made a soft sound, his throat raw, and tried to lift his head out of a pool of water warm from so recently being inside of him.
Something slithered between his shoulderblades and down and he shuddered violently.
Shuddering was not good. This was another assumption that Angela was making on the fly, but it seemed like a good one. "Crap," she muttered to herself, very softly so that hopefully he wouldn't hear. It didn't seem like he was hearing much.
"Hey," she said, wanting him to focus on her voice, at least. "You're okay," she repeated, firmly, warmly. Quickly, she stood up and hurried into the other room, coming back with a sheet, a blanket, a towel. The sheet and blanket she placed over him, half for decency's sake and half to keep him from shuddering, and with the towel she carefully moped up the mess. Without even flinching. Hodgins would have been proud. "You're okay, sweetie. I'm going to take care of you, alright?"
Dimly, very dimly, Adam was aware of the blanket draping over him. He kept his eyes closed, and he took a deep, shuddering breath, and another, and tried to stop the ringing in his ears.
Ros had been there. Fi had been there, too, and Anna, but he'd been able to hear Ros screaming his name. And this woman sounded American, and none of them. None of them were American.
"Okay."
He managed to force it out, and then he took another breath. Just keep breathing. You have to make sure that you can keep breathing.
Marian was used to people arriving in this place strangely. Had she not herself appeared half dead in the kitchen? To have a man suddenly on Vimes' desk, choking up water and wearing nothing, it should not have surprised her.
Even as she ran to him, to perch on the desk and hold his head so he would not choke more she thought that Vimes would be angry. Except perhaps not. His paperwork had all been destroyed after all.
Pushing such thoughts, flippant as they were from her mind, she made soothing sounds, unsure of what else to do. "It will be alright. You're safe."
In another situation the nudity would have bothered her. In this one she was more concerned with the man, and his wellbeing.
"It will be well. You will be well here," she can't guarantee that, though she was sure it would be so. When he recoiled, her hands moved til his shoulders, still making calming sounds, her dress now wet from him.
Turning a corner, Kara's bare foot connected with something cold and wet. She swore and looked down, expecting to see one of Newbie's cats' vomit, but instead she saw a man, naked and shivering and choking on what she hoped was only more water.
Gods, she wasn't in shape to be helping anybody right now, but she couldn't just leave him there.
"Hey," she said, crouching down to put her hand on his cold shoulder. "Hey, can you understand me?"
"Okay." Kara held his head off the floor, helping him to hold her eyes. "You're all right, now. I'm going to go get a blanket." She waited to see that he understand before leaving him.
Blond woman. Beautiful, but in a different way to Anna or Fi. Blanket. Because he was naked and lying on a floor. He managed to nod, or he thought he did, and then he closed his eyes and tried not to think about the snakes.
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She crouches down at his side and rests a hand on his arm and waits for him to catch his breath.
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He was covered.
He tried to say something, but all that came out was a raw-throated croak.
He'd heard Ros and now he couldn't see her.
He'd heard Fi, and he couldn't see her either.
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Sarah's strong and she can muster up enough adrenaline to get him down the hall to the clinic, but it won't be an easy trip.
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He shook his head and, out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw something slightering.
He closed his eyes and shook his head again.
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Setting aside her board, the Angelator still running with a half-finished Swiss landscape in the golden lights, Angela cautiously but quickly moved to the man's side. Ignoring the nakedness, she knelt beside him, daring to lightly touch his shoulder. "Hey, you're safe," she said gently. "Just breathe, okay. You're safe. You're okay."
Reply
Her hands were warm and it gave Adam something to lean towards to. He made a soft sound, his throat raw, and tried to lift his head out of a pool of water warm from so recently being inside of him.
Something slithered between his shoulderblades and down and he shuddered violently.
Reply
"Hey," she said, wanting him to focus on her voice, at least. "You're okay," she repeated, firmly, warmly. Quickly, she stood up and hurried into the other room, coming back with a sheet, a blanket, a towel. The sheet and blanket she placed over him, half for decency's sake and half to keep him from shuddering, and with the towel she carefully moped up the mess. Without even flinching. Hodgins would have been proud. "You're okay, sweetie. I'm going to take care of you, alright?"
Reply
Ros had been there. Fi had been there, too, and Anna, but he'd been able to hear Ros screaming his name. And this woman sounded American, and none of them. None of them were American.
"Okay."
He managed to force it out, and then he took another breath. Just keep breathing. You have to make sure that you can keep breathing.
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Even as she ran to him, to perch on the desk and hold his head so he would not choke more she thought that Vimes would be angry. Except perhaps not. His paperwork had all been destroyed after all.
Pushing such thoughts, flippant as they were from her mind, she made soothing sounds, unsure of what else to do. "It will be alright. You're safe."
Reply
They keep you locked in the dark and nobody touches you kindly.
He opened his eyes and saw a snake slithering away out of sight, and he recoiled from it.
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"It will be well. You will be well here," she can't guarantee that, though she was sure it would be so. When he recoiled, her hands moved til his shoulders, still making calming sounds, her dress now wet from him.
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He'd been in the Dorchester. He'd been in the Dorchester, and now he wasn't. Maybe he was dead.
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Gods, she wasn't in shape to be helping anybody right now, but she couldn't just leave him there.
"Hey," she said, crouching down to put her hand on his cold shoulder. "Hey, can you understand me?"
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He tried to open his eyes, but all he saw was snakes, and he tried to speak, but it felt like his throat had swollen closed.
He settled for nodding. He wasn't sure, but he didn't think that he was dead.
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