Let's all NOT try and be like Harry Houdini~

[wlitig_folc]

CHARACTERS: Arthur Kirkland (England) [wlitig_folc] and anyone who wants to visit a dying man. Apparently Francis Bonnefoy (France) [aucun_regret], Che Céspedes (Cuba) [mojitostand], and Raivis Galante (Latvia) [maz_trusis] do.
WHEN: 20th October, Midday.
WHERE: Hospital Room #357
WHAT: Arthur, trapped in a hospital room with food even he knows is bad and only his thoughts to keep him

Comments

AROUND 7PM; AFTER WORK

[mojitostand]

He had a hard time getting there safely. The bike ride from his work to the other side of town where the general hospital was actually was further than he expected. Honestly, he should had been wiser and taken the bus but at that moment Che was really not thinking with this head. It had been a long day at work and he had a parcel he had been caring for all day that day. A parcel that was harder to care for properly as the day continued and work did not make it any easier because flowers didn't do well in dank garages amongst the musk of industrialization and motor oil

AROUND 7PM; AFTER WORK

[wlitig_folc]

Arthur had been dozing, falling into a slightly uncomfortable sleep and not having the energy at present to sort through much of the things he had been brought that day. The knock on the door did well to jerk him into awareness however and he gave a startled jerk, momentarily confused as to where he was.

Ah. That was right. Hell.

Running a hand over his face tiredly he shifted in his bed, willing away the ache of staying still for too long in one place. Looking to the door he frowned, wondering who it could be. A nurse or doctor would have just come in.

"Come in," he said, and frowned when he noticed his voice was raspy. He looked to the table beside him, the pitcher of water and a cup sitting innocently there. He tried to shift and reach for it, looking away from the door.

[mojitostand]

Hearing the sound of the voice on the other side of the door, Che took the handle and pushed forward, stepping into the sterile environment feeling like he was dirtying it with his presence. Clearing his throat, he placed his hand to his mouth and called out to the other, a man who he had seen several times since his move into the neighborhood.

“Oye Arthur, rumor ‘round the recreational center says yah lost somethin’. . .” He chuckled, trying to keep light of the situation that, from what he heard, had been pretty serious. Yet, that was how rumors worked and Che himself was completely unknowing if they were true. He shifted the parcel under his arm and brought the flowers forward, looking around the rest of the room as he entered, taking in the environment before standing before the singular chair placed in the room and grinning ear to ear at the man in the bed.

He was happy he was alive, as another rumor that morning had said otherwise.

[aucun_regret]

It may have been that, when the ambulance had first drawn up silently like a white hearse in front of Arthur's house, Francis was more curious than panicked. Well, he had always expected it, hadn't he? That someday one or the other of the Kirklands would have some kind of medical crisis caused by food overcooked, undercooked, gutted in the wrong way, unpurged, containing asbestos, cut using only a Marlowe biography and a rusty stapler, or-- the list went on, but in any possible case, it would have been food-related. Meaning the Englishman would recover safely, (hopefully) learn his lesson, and leave Francis plenty to be smug about in the coming weeks.

...However, that did not seem to be the case when he eventually surrendered to burning curiosity and discovered, from the on-hand paramedic, the true reason behind the ambulance's arrival- more precisely, why Arthur was being carted off to hospital. And it was only somewhat more serious than his previous imaginings, only somewhat. But enough to make Francis just slightly concerned for

[wlitig_folc]

Arthur shoulders tensed and his eyes had already narrowed before he turned to the voice, looking at Francis standing their looking cheerful and casual and without a hole in his stomach.

It struck Arthur as terribly unfair.

"I am choosing not to think on it," he replied, tone flat. Not that he had much to distract him from it but he liked to think he had been maintaining. His eyes fell traitorously upon the goods in hand of the Frenchman however and they narrowed, from a mixture of suspicion and genuine curiosity. It was never advisable to trust anything the other man did...

"...Why are you here?"

[aucun_regret]

"Because I felt I was missing out on some grand hospital architecture. Why do you think?" came the merry, unaffected (despite his words; he had never quite caught on to the English nuances of 'sarcasm') reply alongside the rustling plastic weave of the bags and a slight scraping sound as Francis pulled up a metal chair, courtesy of the hospital. "Really, though, this was so very unprecedented, you left so many things to the devices of fortune~"

Like work, like your pet he added mentally but decided against mentioning it at present- nobody in this state, hardy Englishman or not, would appreciate a sudden to-do list of things left unattended and likely ignored in the throes of acute abdominal pain. But such is life, and Francis instead occupied his hands with unpacking the larger of the bags, his glee at having a worthwhile distraction from his own hang-ups evident in his smile

[wlitig_folc]

"Thank you for informing me of that, it wasn't as if I were not already fully aware. It's a fine mess that this has put me in and I do not expect it to make anything in my life easier!” He breathed out an annoyed sigh though his nose, lips pursed. “Peter had better be feeding Piccadilly..." he muttered lowly, the thought of work indeed also crossing his mind and making a serious note to call them the moment Francis left. For now though he supposed he could lose his attention to all these silly questions the other seemed intent on asking, trying not to be too touched by the gesture.

"Damned if I know," he muttered at the last, slipping down a degree, the pillow bunching up behind him. "I eat what they give me which has been a lot of bloody liquids! I am sick of liquids, I want something hearty! Sunday roast sounds marvelous, I don't suppose you had the foresight to bring that in your bag of tricks, eh

[maz_trusis]

Through conversation with Peter Kirkland, Raivis had discovered the boy's brother's horrible plight. He didn't necessarily know the man well, but from his first encounter, the elder Kirkland didn't seem like a terrible person. So it was that directly after work that day and after taking many different means of transport, that he had arrived at the hospital, armed with some flowers from a drug store, a card reading "Get Well Soon," a plastic bag filled of some of books from his personal collection (mostly light reading and a couple fantasy novels), and a notebook and pencils. He didn't know if Arthur would like any of it, but he hoped they could help to keep him occupied

[wlitig_folc]

Arthur drew his attention away from the window, the gentle knock pulling him up from his grim thoughts and he looked to the open door, his eyebrows slightly raised. Someone he had not expected stood in the frame and he had to admit he was surprised.

"Ah...Raivis," he murmured, shifting slightly in the bed and tugging the sheet up. He recognized the boy, from the game night in which they had first met and once again seeing him at the disaster of a painting lesson. And Peter had mentioned those lessons, his voice filled with a genuine level of excitement that he hadn't fully heard since living here.

"I...I didn't know you were thinking of coming by. Is my brother with you?"

[maz_trusis]

He shook his head, looking over the sparse furnishings in the hospital room. Chairs, of course, some of metal and some of wood and one permanent chair made of heavier wood with a cheap cushion placed upon it; a television that probably didn't work, and even if it did it would only have five channels to surf through; a picture of something generic, the glare from the sunlight streaming through the windows obscuring its mundane imagery; a door leading to the patient's personal washroom, presumably because patients had a knack for releasing various unwanted (or sometimes wanted) fluids from orifices at the drop of a hat; and, of course, the equipment hooked up to Arthur, the IV taped to his hand dripping fluids and medications into the man, keeping him hydrated and medicated as needed. The boy could clearly see the nursing call button by his bed, along with other buttons and gadgets of which he knew not their use other than probably to help make his friend's brother more comfortable

[wlitig_folc]

"Oh no, you needn't bother," he said, looking to the flowers with a lightened expression and softly murmuring his thanks for the gift. They cast an immediately pleasing scent, not strong enough to overpower the smell that the hospital itself, but at least enough to settle his nerves a degree or two.

"I wouldn't have expected Peter would care to come anyway," he said, returning to the topic of his brother. "But if you would be so kind please tell him that he's likely the most miserable wretch that I have ever had the displeasure of knowing as my brother." He smiled slightly, looking at Raivis pleasantly. "If you would be so kind."

Drawing in a breath he let it out again slowly, shifting slightly again. "As you can see I believe I am well. Just...trapped in here, that is all. I was hoping to get out fairly quickly but that does not look to be the case, as it turns out."

[staying_inside]

"This is Kiku Honda calling. I'd like to speak to Arthur Kirkland, please."

He unconsciously held his breath waiting for the voice over the phone to reply. It had been a while since he last visited with Arthur, but given that Kiku was now moving into the same neighborhood, he decided to be bold and contact him first. This kind of courage apparently required he hold his breath-- but not for long because the voice on the other end quickly informed him of Arthur's unfortunate state!

"In th-the hospital...?!"

However shy he would usually have been about showing up unannounced, Kiku put that out of his mind as he stuffed his messenger bag with a few items, fought through downtown traffic and arrived at the hospital where he expected to find Arthur bedridden and depressed.

I hope he's recovering... I hope he isn't angry that I came uninvited... I hope he accepts the gift I brought for him and -- Oh. His train of thought abruptly de-railed when he realized he was already standing in the open doorway. He took a step over the

[wlitig_folc]

Arthur breathed out a sigh, his fingers twiddling together in his lap before he looked away from the window, tired of looking at the brightness outside. There was no point of it really, in being so stubbornly glum. He was stuck in here, that was that, and it wouldn’t do to dwell on matters out of his control. He was alright; he supposed that was good news. If was to understand correctly from what the doctor had told him a burst appendix could be quite serious

[staying_inside]

"Y-yes, I..." Kiku began as he crossed the distance to pull a stool up near the bedside. He twisted it upward until the seat was high enough that he could feel level to the patient positioned opposite him as he continued

[wlitig_folc]

"Ah, well..." he started, trailing off as he thought on it. "No, I'm afraid not," he said finally, giving a wry look. "It's been a very unproductive day, there is just so very little to do except sit here and wait until I am well enough to be released that sleep seems to be a rather fair option given my choices."

He watched Kiki cut the apple, thinking idly of what a very odd situation this was. To think he would see such an old friend here of all places, having shown up with such unexpectedness in a hospital room that he had hardly expected to be in himself. It must have meant the other had tried to contact him, it was the only way he could have learned of his whereabouts.

That must mean Peter wasn't telling everyone who rang that he was dead. Comforting thought, that.

"I-I did not know you were living in the area. Had I been aware you may be certain I would have contacted you."

[quiet_fairytale]

Bjorn silently walks through the halls of the bustling hospital as he dodged and make way for frantic doctors with patients on rolling beds. He saw several people in great pain and even unconscious in a terrible state. Crossing his fingers, he hoped that what he heard about Arthur was worse that it really is.

Balancing the fruits basket and his book bag, Bjorn softly asked a nearby nurse for room 357. The previous nurse who gave him the room number told him the directions, but it successfully got him lost rather than helping him reach his destination. Luckily, this nurse gave him clearer directions and he was on his way once again. Giving a small nod and a quiet 'thank you', Bjorn turned around a corner, finally finding Arthur's room.

Tapping on the door, he entered slowly, making sure he did not interrupt an uncomfortable time.

"Hello?"

[wlitig_folc]

Arthur turned, his attention captured by the voice. He recognized it and once he saw the young man entering his room he smiled a little tiredly, trying to wipe away the bleakness of his earlier mood. It seemed people cared about his state, even if he had yet to see his brother, but the prior fact alone made him feel rather better about the whole situation

[quiet_fairytale]

"Not at all. Classes were cancel so I thought I should take this time to visit you. Are you okay now?"

Closing the door behind him as a he entered, Bjorn grabbed a nearby chair and placed it next to Arthur's bed. Sitting down, he inspected the other man's face, taking careful note of the tiredness in Arthur's expression. The surgery must have taken a lot out of him.

"Since I was not sure of what you would need, I only brought a fruits' basket. Is there anything you want me to get?"

Bjorn rarely paid hospital visits before, so he had no idea what to bring. It took a lot of debating in order to settle on a fruits' basket. From their previous encounter, he knew Arthur has a fondness for rum and thought of bringing some, but he decided against that due to the fact this is a hospital. He did not mind running errands for Arthur and is more that glad to be helpful.