(Untitled)

[the_support]

It was busier than usual in the clinic, which wasn't a good thing by any means. She never liked seeing people sick, much less people in a place like this where there was only so much they could do. Still, she kept a positive face up as she worked her usual clinic hours and made sure she was available if she was needed - to the current patients and

Comments

[the_intersect]

"Okay, so...I'm starting to think that those guys on that Survivor show must have all been pretty badass," Chuck commented as he entered the clinic. He knew that Ellie's shift was almost over, and figured she might want to go for lunch, or at the very least, hang out or something. "Because I've only been here three months and I'm pretty sure I'm turning into a giant sunburn."

Mostly just his left arm and the back of his neck. He looked down at a red spot just above his elbow, and when he looked up again, noticed what Ellie was so intensely looking at.

"Hey, is that your lucky sweater?"

[the_support]

Ellie blinked, shaking herself out of her thoughts when she realized she wasn't alone in the room. She lifted her gaze to see her brother standing nearby. She hadn't even noticed he had wandered in.

"What?" she said, then glanced down at the piece of clothing in her hands. "Oh, sorry. Yes, I think so. I...don't know where it came from, though."

[the_intersect]

Come to think of it, Ellie hadn't shown up with it. Yeah, Awesome had given it to him at the hospital when he'd taken it out of Ellie's locker, and he'd found the mini gymnast's secret codes in the pocket, but she'd pretty much just had herself with her when she arrived.

"Are you sure it's the same one?" He asked her, "Maybe somebody took one like it out of the clothes box."

L.L. Bean had probably made more than one of the same kind of sweater.

...and there was really something wrong with him knowing who manufactured his sister's clothes.

[the_support]

She would have brushed it off for the same reason if not for the fact it even had the stain she had gotten not long before she fell ill on it when she had gone out to eat with Chuck, Sarah, and Devon; the one she hadn't quite been able to get out fully.

"This is definitely it," she said, her eyebrows furrowing. "I'd recognize it anywhere. I can't believe this showed up."

It was strange to imagine the island also made pieces of clothing appear out of nowhere, too. It seemed sort of a pointless waste of energy, but then, nothing on this island made sense to her most of the time.

And really, why couldn't it bring what she really wanted from home here? It was a selfish thought, she knew it was, but just seeing this made her miss him all over again. She let out a slow sigh, trying not to frown at the thing.

[bitchofthejulii]

A day in that silly boat without a canopy, and today Atia found herself in a great deal of pain. Her skin felt as if it were on fire, stiff, sore and taught. She'd turned the colour of berries, perhaps even a pomegranate. A sunburn. How preposterous.

It was her hope the clinic would have some sort of cream or physic that would ease the pain she was in, that would cause her burn to fade. She didn't recognise the woman at work, motioning her to assist, a palla pulled over her hair to hide some of the redness. "You, girl. I require some assistance."

[the_support]

The voice brought Ellie out of her thoughts, and who stood before her was someone she definitely could have gone without seeing the rest of her days on the island. Steeling herself to have patience, she put aside her sweater and stood.

"If you want help, you're going to have to address me as Doctor Bartowski, okay? Not 'girl'," she said, evenly. It was true she would never refuse anyone in need of her services, but she hoped she could at least get some modicum of respect. "What's the matter?"

[bitchofthejulii]

She was sure she would never adjust to the rudeness of people in this place. Atia ignored the woman's first statement, continuing on to answer the second. "I spent a day on the water yesterday. I need something for my skin."

She held her arm out, the skin red and dry.

[the_support]

Ellie nodded to show she understood and stood.

"I'll be right back," she said, heading out for a quick run to get some aloe vera leaves from the plant in the kitchen. When she returned, she was carrying two of its leaves. She held it out to the woman.

"When you cut this open, there's a sap inside that will help cool your sunburn and help prevent any damage to your skin. Just put it on the areas that's been affected and it should help. I'll give you some asprin, too, which will ease the pain as well," she explained. "Do you use sunscreen?"

[wholeinspirit]

At some point during the previous afternoon, Vincent had managed to fall into a troubled sleep as the effects of the morphine had begun to relinquish their hold on him. As it was, he preferred the healing hibernation to the medicating. Sleeping through pain didn't do anything for easing the troubled pain addled mind and his dreams during the day and night had been neither pleasaant nor memorable, but it was a natural avoidance and he was comfortable with it. At least, he had been, until he felt himself drifting back to awareness when he didn't want it.

But it was useless. Naturally, when you want nothing but to continue sleeping, the body rebels and edges into consiousness. Not even lying still and keeping his eyes closed could help lull him back into it, and he was forced to surrender his efforts. He continued lying quietly for sometime, but eventually, he opened his eyes to the harsh light and attempted to sit up with a groan, the muscles in his chest aching with the effort.

[the_support]

Ellie hadn't heard too much noise from anyone sleeping in the clinic, and the sudden groan was enough to pull her out of her thoughts. Putting her sweater aside, she followed the sound to find it was one of the newer patients.

She had heard vaguely what had happened, and who the man was. It was almost hard to believe this man was the real Van Gogh, but, with how the island was as a whole, she didn't know why she was so surprised.

"Moving is only going to make it hurt more," she said as she approached him and stood next to his bedside.

[wholeinspirit]

"Not moving at all won't make it hurt any less," he retorted softly, sliding backwards to sit up more properly, It wasn't so much sitting up at it was slightly reclining in a vaguely upward position that was more elevated than lying down, but it was progress and he settled back in, his breathing deep and long as he tried to not stimulate more pain than necasarry.

Lying still he closed his eyes briefly, primarily due to the brightness, but when he opened them once more he turned his gaze to the young woman at his bedside. American, again. Of course everyone spoke English, finding himself somewhere where they speak proper French of Dutch would be too easy. As it was, the events of the previous day had faded into a foggy haze.

"Where am I?"

[the_support]

Ellie settled into a seat near the man's bedside, so he did not have to keep staring up at her.

"My name is Ellie Bartowski," she explained. "You're in the clinic right now, and I'm one of the doctors here. It seems like you had a fairly bad injury that Doctor Harper patched up for you. You're probably going to be in pain for a little while, but we'll take good care of you here and get you on your feet in no time."

[lily_ofthefield]

Days have gone by -- it feels like days, at least; they've all blended together and it's not as if she counts them -- since she arrived, and Lily's barely been able to get out of bed, let alone the clinic itself. The cuts on her arms and feet are healing fine, but it all still feels so real, enough to keep her up all night and give her nightmares when she does sleep, regardless of what she's been told about this place being safe.

She's up, having slid carefully out of bed, though as soon as she starts walking out towards the main room of the clinic, she glances over her shoulder, half-expecting something to be there. "Um, hey," she says quietly, her voice faltering, as she approaches the doctor on duty. "I was wondering if I could...get a glass of water?"

[the_support]

Ellie hadn't even heard the shuffling of feet, though she did look up when the girl spoke. Clearing her throat, she immediately put aside the shirt, mentally deciding she'd deal with the discovery later.

"Oh, sure," she said, standing to go grab one of the couple of cups they kept in the room in case a patient needed it. She knew the girl only vaguely, as she wasn't her patient. It was a little disconcerting to see how many people showed up battered and bloody, and it made her thankful her entrance on the island had been peaceful.

"You didn't need to get up," she said, holding out the glass to her and offering her a smile. "I would have came to you. How are you feeling?"

[lily_ofthefield]

Lily takes the cup and sips the water slowly, almost carefully, biting her lip through a smile before answering. "It's okay. I should probably try to start getting up, anyway," she says, though it's more logic speaking than what she wants. Laying in a bed cann't do too much more good, anyway; it won't make her any less afraid, that much she's already certain of.

"And, uh, I'm okay, I guess," she continues in the same soft tone. "The stitches kind of itch, but my feet are mostly better, I think." 'Okay,' of course, is a relative term -- she's not dead, she's alive, she's away from that thing. It doesn't say a thing for how she is mentally, though. She's not sure she'll ever be that kind of okay again, but she doesn't want to talk about that yet.

[the_support]

"That's very true," she said with a nod, watching the girl's nervous movements. She didn't know her entire story, and she was certainly not going to ask and drudge up bad memories, but she still couldn't help but feel sorry for her a little.

"Here, why don't you sit with me for a while if you want to be out of bed?" she offered, motioning to one of the chairs nearby. "It was getting too quiet in here anyway."