Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #207: Shades of Red (5/7/00)
Darrel leads his Donor towards one last examination cubicle.
Darrel: There's just the last intake exam, and we're off duty.
Darrel views the uneventful close of a shift as his highest goal in life.
Darrel allows himself a moment to daydream of a walk into town, for a cup of Narosian tea at a certain little tea shop.
Darrel frowns, as something seems to be missing from the picture.
Darrel thinks over the scene carefully, and spots the problem.
Meg ambrov Chanel follows her assigned channel as to the next case. She is a Second Order Donor with thick brown hair and lovely blue eyes.
Darrel: Meg, would you like to go into town when we're done here?
Darrel: I know a very nice little tea shop....
Darrel has a windswept handsomeness that contrasts rather strangely with his timidity.
Meg is very attentive to Darrel, who requires almost constant support. She loves being of service.
Meg thinks about her husband Max's schedule, and realizes that he won't be off shift for hours.
Meg: Certainly, Hajene Darrel. That would be very pleasant.
Darrel smiles brilliantly.
Meg smiles, which wrinkles up her laugh lines and shimmers in her nager like sunlit ripples.
Meg feels nothing but the deepest sympathy for this dedicated channel who tries so hard in the face of such anxiety.
Darrel thus faces the last potential disaster of the shift with what passes for professional optimism in him.
Meg prepares herself to take on the last case of the day with all the enthusiasm with which she greeted the dawn.
Darrel squares his slender shoulders, picks up the chart from the holder by the door, and opens the door to the examination cubicle.
Meg: ~~professional support~~
Berta moans as she changes position. Can't get comfortable no matter how she tries. The burns on her legs are still nearly raw and her chest and shoulder hurt too.
Berta looks up to see two people come in.
Darrel winces as he zlins what's inside the cubicle, then pastes a cheerful smile on his face.
Meg swiftly moves into the best position to control the pain in the ambient.
Darrel: Hello. Berta, isn't it?
Darrel: I'm Hajene Darrel, and this is Sosu Meg.
Berta: Hello.
Meg has become accustomed to seeing horrible gut-wrenching injuries since her assignment in Capitol began. She slips easily into a state of clinical detachment.
Meg: Hello, Berta.
Berta thinks Darrel is a nice name.
Darrel: We're here to get you admitted, so you can settle in.
Darrel: Is that all right with you?
Berta: Yes. But it hurts all over.
Darrel: I know it does.
Berta tries to not move too much and looks at Meg with pleading eyes.
Darrel: ~~ sympathy ~~
Darrel doesn't let his sympathy stop him from using Meg's nager to block Berta's, though.
Berta: I think I'm going to be sick.
Meg is glad the patient is a child and not a Gen, so that she can shield Darrel without any difficulty.
Meg: I'll get some fosebine.
Berta is fighting a rising nausea and looking for somewhere to put the results.
Darrel musters his courage, and take's Berta's hands.
Darrel: Here, let me see if I can....
Meg goes to the stores cabinet and begins to mix a dose of the evil-tasting concoction.
Darrel: Meg, get a basin!
Meg drops the bottle of fosebine and grabs a basin from the cabinet.
Berta heaves on Darrel.
Meg dashes to the examining table.
Darrel deftly steps to the side, dodging the worst of it.
Darrel has become pretty good at dodging danger during his career as a channel.
Darrel just wishes that there were fewer perils to dodge.
Meg fails to arrive in time to catch the emission, thinking it would be really nice to be able to augment.
Meg: Uh,oh! Don't worry, dear. I'll take care of it.
Berta is embarrassed about spewing on such a cute guy.
Meg turns back to the counter, where the bottle of fosebine is emitting its contents with a glug-glug-glugging sound.
Berta: I'm so sorry!!
Meg thinks, oh well, what's one more puddle to mop up?
Meg rights the bottle.
Darrel: Don't worry about it. These sorts of things happen all the time. It makes for an interesting life...
Darrel winks at Berta.
Meg once again tries to measure out the dose of fosebine. The patient always comes first.
Darrel: Here, let me move you over just a bit, so Meg can mop up.
Berta: Ow, ow!
Darrel would also prefer that the burns not be further irritated with stomach acid.
Darrel: There.
Darrel works to damp the pain, as best he can with a weak child's nager.
Meg tiptoes around the puddle with the medicine in hand.
Berta is feeling really strange.
Meg: Here, Berta. Please drink this, please.
Darrel finds the task a bit easier than he thought it would be, more like working on an adult, but can't quite put a tentacle on the reason.
Berta: Ugh! Not that stuff.
Darrel: It will do a lot to dull your pain.
Meg holds the cup out to Berta.
Darrel: Come on, drink it down.
Berta takes the cup and smiles at Meg. She drinks it while holding her breath.
Darrel looks absolutely adorable when he's trying to talk someone into doing something.
Berta: Thank you Meg.
Meg: Thank you!
Meg smiles reassuringly.
Meg: Good job.
Berta looks shyly at Darrel.
Darrel doesn't want to tackle actually treating the burns until the fosebine has had time to take effect, but there's plenty that can be done in the mean time.
Meg turns back to get the mop and basin for the clean-up operation.
Berta wants to be as grown-up as possible in front of him.
Darrel: So tell me, Berta, how did your legs get burned?
Meg fills the basin with soapy water.
Berta: I was helping to burn off the North field when the wind shifted and I got caught in the fire.
Berta: My Mom got to me as fast as she could.
Darrel: Oh, dear. Unpredictable things, winds, aren't they?
Berta: Yes.
Meg begins to mop the vomit off the floor.
Berta starts to blush under his attention.
Darrel reminds himself to avoid agricultural work, if he ever has to run away again.
Darrel: Well, your Mom certainly got you to the right place. Did you know that the burn ward here in the 53rd District Center is one of the best in all of Nivet Territory?
Berta: It is? I'm glad she brought me here then.
Berta is really glad that she got Darrel to treat her.
Darrel: She wanted you to be where you would get the best care possible, I'm sure.
Meg, whose aesthetic sensibilities are well developed, uses her Companion's training to avoid making value judgments about the sight, scent and texture of the mess she is cleaning.
Darrel zlins Berta to see if the fosebine is kicking in yet.
Berta: I'm sorry about the mess. I don't usually get sick like that. I feel so strange.
Berta look apologetically at Meg.
Darrel: Of course you do.
Darrel: It's our job to make you feel better.
Berta: Do burns make you dizzy?
Meg even manages to summon up ~~serene satisfaction~~ at her ability to put everything back where it should be (except the contents back in Berta's stomach, of course).
Darrel: They can.
Berta: Oh, okay.
Darrel frowns, worried about shock.
Berta smiles at Darrel.
Darrel: Here, let me deep-zlin you a moment, just to make sure it's not serious.
Berta panics and can't figure out why.
Meg holds the ambient steady while Darrel zlins.
Darrel holds out his hands for Berta's, glad that the burns are elsewhere.
Darrel is handicapped enough by his Second Order sensitivity, and would hate to try to get a good reading using an alternative contact.
Berta feel embarrassed to be that close to Darrel. Talking is one thing; touching is something else again.
Meg sets aside the mop and steps closer to assist Darrel in the functional.
Darrel notes Berta's embarrassment.
Darrel: Have your parents or teachers zlinned you to check for changeover?
Berta: Yes. I-I just, um. Yes.
Darrel smiles reassuringly.
Darrel: Well, this won't be any different.
Darrel holds out his hands for Berta's again.
Darrel: Just give me your hands for a moment, so I can get a good reading. All right?
Berta can't figure out why but is convinced that touching Darrel will be different. Forces herself to take his hands.
Meg: ~~blocking outside interference; maintaining a clear field for zlinning~~
Darrel: That's my girl.
Darrel: Hold still for just a moment, now.
Berta is overwhelmed to be his girl.
Darrel extends his handling tentacles to wrap firmly around Berta's arms before extending his laterals, just in case she wiggles.
Darrel has learned during his tenure in the children's burn ward that kids have a lamentable tendency to wiggle at inconvenient moments.
Berta becomes wide eyed at the feel of his touch there is something very different about it.
Darrel zlins Berta as deeply as he can, checking for shock, the severity of her burns, and so on.
Darrel believes in being thorough, particularly with Arat for a boss.
Meg observes Berta carefully, realizing that with a child's low field, zlinning provides only limited information.
Darrel's current problem isn't paucity of information, as much as that the information he's getting seems to be a bit odd.
Darrel can, of course, make out the nasty burns on Berta's legs.
Meg thinks that the burns look terribly painful but not life-threatening. She wonders if scarring can be prevented.
Darrel has zlinned enough nasty burns since getting his current assignment to be thoroughly familiar with such injuries, and with shock, but the dizziness and nausea are a bit off for shock.
Meg does not have much experience on the burn ward but has been reading up.
Darrel ignores the adolescent hormone response; at least he's not responsible for treating that.
Berta: What is that?
Darrel finally puts a tentacle on what's been bothering him.
Darrel: Berta, I think you're going into changeover.
Darrel: Congratulations!
Berta: I am?
Darrel smiles at Berta's amazement.
Berta is very happy. Now she won't have to sleep with the other six kids any more.
Meg is pleased, because the injuries will be much easier to treat once Berta is Sime.
Darrel: You are. That's why you threw up like that--do you remember your changeover training classes?
Berta: Oh, yes I do!
Berta: My legs itch.
Meg thinks it's lucky the burns are on the legs and not the arms.
Darrel thinks that's a huge improvement from Bender Cove, where changeover training was spotty even among the in-Territory residents.
Darrel: They're starting to heal. Did you know that injuries usually heal very quickly during changeover?
Berta: Really?
Darrel decides to leave out the corollary to that: that healing burns selyn, and that Berta will probably come a lot closer to attrition than most changeovers, if she survives.
Berta: I want to scratch. But that probably isn't a good idea right?
Darrel: That's right.
Meg: We can put some salve on those legs that will help the itching.
Darrel: They should be cleaned, too.
Meg: Right, Hajene.
Darrel: We might as well do that now: changeover takes a day or so, and nothing interesting is going to happen for a while.
Meg thinks the area must be clean before they touch the wounds and goes back to finish mopping.
Berta: I can get cleaned up myself if you give me a wash cloth.
Darrel: You can wash the soot smudges off of your face if you want to, but cleaning burns is a bit tricky.
Darrel: I think you'd better let me and Meg handle that.
Meg: Just let us take care of you, dear.
Meg rinses out the mop and bucket and returns with a washcloth and disinfectant to wipe down the area around the examination table.
Berta is feeling real panic at the thought of Darrel poking around down there.
Berta can't figure out why it matters.
Berta: Uh, can Meg do it?
Darrel meanwhile starts assembling the materials required to clean up burns.
Berta looks at Meg pleadingly.
Darrel: Well, at least to start, she can.
Darrel: Although I'm going to want to zlin exactly how bad they are when she's done.
Meg hands a washcloth to Berta.
Berta feels some relief.
Meg: I'd be happy to work with you.
Meg: But we need to avoid any possibility of infection.
Berta: Thank you so much.
Meg: Use this to wipe your face only.
Berta: Okay.
Meg completes disinfecting the examination area.
Berta is starting to fidget.
Berta: Can I get up and go to the bathroom?
Meg: Can you hold it a bit longer, Berta? I'd like to clean those wounds before you move.
Darrel imagines all the nasty bugs that lurk in even the most carefully maintained public toilets, and winces.
Berta: Oh, yes I can wait.
Darrel pours sterile saline solution into a sterile basin, and starts laying out sterile pads, tweezers, and other wound-cleaning tools.
Meg looks at Darrel.
Darrel is just as bad that he has an excuse to let Meg do the bulk of the wound-cleaning; it hurts, and unlike Snake, he's never had a thing for pain.
Darrel: Meg, would you do the honors?
Meg: Hajene, I haven't done this very often before, so don't hesitate to advise me.
Darrel: You'll do fine.
Meg takes the basin and a gauze pad.
Berta: He's staying?
Meg: Of course, he has to zlin what is happening and guide me.
Meg: But I'll be the one touching you.
Darrel: Berta, I'm going to help you handle the pain--those burns are sensitive, and they really do have to be cleaned thoroughly.
Berta: But, I thought, I mean he's a him.
Darrel looks down at his flat chest and shrugs.
Darrel: I was the last time I looked, yes.
Darrel holds out his hands again.
Berta: But, well it's not considered proper to undress in front of men.
Meg has encountered this odd notion before when she did her cross-border cultural study in Valzor.
Darrel: I'm a channel, Berta. Here, give me your hands again, and I'll see what I can do to keep you comfortable while Meg works on you.
Berta wishes her mother was still with her to make sure that only females attended her.
Meg: Berta, it is sometimes necessary to undress for medical treatment. We are professionals. We will do nothing improper, I promise.
Berta takes a deep breath and resigns herself to it. But her heart is racing.
Berta: Okay.
Meg: First I am going to wash your wounds. This is going to hurt. You must be strong and brave.
Meg: Can you do that for me?
Berta: Yes.
Darrel: That's my girl. Give me your hands, now, so I can help.
Meg: Hold onto Hajene Darrel's hands. He will help you through it.
Darrel reaches out and appropriates Berta's hands.
Berta give Darrel her hands and tries not to think about how it feels to touch him.
Meg kneels beside Berta and begins to gently drip saline solution over the burned areas, washing away what dirt and soot she can.
Berta closes her eyes and tries not to scream.
Darrel reestablishes lateral contact, and reaches out with his nager to block as much of the pain as he can.
Meg tries to be very careful, but of course she can't zlin when she is causing pain or not. On reflection, she realizes that is probably a blessing, for her at least.
Berta is amazed at the sudden relief that washes through her. She turns wide eyes on Darrel.
Berta: Did you do that?
Darrel has never been all that good at talking and working simultaneously.
Darrel: Umm, yes. [absentmindedly]
Berta: Thank you!
Meg picks up scissors and tweezers and starts cutting away and removing any charred clothing near the wounds.
Meg realizes that is is not going to leave enough for modesty.
Darrel is very carefully not looking at what Meg is doing, although he can't help zlinning it all.
Meg: We'll get you something else to wear when we're done treating you, dear.
Berta is mortified at the exposure.
Berta: Please.
Meg thinks this is likely to be a hospital gown that is not exactly up to modesty standards either, but thinks it would be better not to mention this now.
Meg: Now there are some bits of dirt and stuff stuck in the wounds, and I am going to take them out with the tweezers, okay?
Meg: This might take a few minutes.
Darrel struggles to keep up his pain block in the face of Berta's mortification.
Darrel: Berta, can you relax while she's doing that? Just try not to think of anything at all?
Berta: I'll try.
Berta: How can you not think of anything?
Darrel figures that at least the conversation is distracting Berta from what Meg is doing.
Meg: Or think of something totally different. Like tell yourself a story or sing a song. Only don't move while you do it.
Darrel: Just imagine yourself somewhere very peaceful, where nothing at all is happening.
Berta brightens.
Berta: I like to sing.
Darrel: All right, sing us a song, then.
Meg takes her tweezers and basin and bends to the task of splinter and grit removal.
Darrel hopes that Berta has mastered a few incidental techniques like staying on pitch.
Berta starts to sing the Old Farmer's Horse.
Meg hopes that Berta can sing quietly enough so her legs don't move.
Berta: I had a horse his name of Bill
Berta: And when he ran he couldn't stand still
Berta feel Meg digging deeper and forces herself to stay still.
Berta: He ran away one day and I ran with him.
Darrel blocks out the noise and concentrates on pain-control.
Berta: He ran so fast he couldn't, Ow!
Darrel: Sorry...
Darrel adjusts his block.
Berta: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell.
Berta sniffles.
Darrel: It's all right.
Meg: You're doing great.
Meg focuses in on a particularly deeply-wedged charred splinter and prepares to extract it.
Darrel zlins what Meg is preparing to do and tries to anticipate.
Berta starts to cry. Not from the pain so much as the embarrassment.
Berta: I'm sorry. I seem to be messing up a lot.
Meg tugs the splinter, hoping she isn't damaging the surrounding tissue too much.
Berta: Ow!
Berta: Sorry!
Meg: Sorry!
Berta giggles at Meg.
Darrel thinks this is, indeed, a sorry situation, and that the world would be much more relaxing if nobody got hurt.
Meg: We should do a chorus, huh?
Darrel: Hmm. Or a round, perhaps.
Berta: That might be fun.
Meg cleans the charred material from the edges of the wound where the splinter came from.
Berta makes the mistake of looking at her burned legs.
Berta: I not going to be very pretty.
Darrel: It looks a lot worse than it is, really.
Meg: Since you're changing over, it will probably heal really well.
Berta finds more tears running down her face.
Berta: Do you think I'm pretty?
Meg digs some more particles of grit out of the wounds.
Darrel: You're going to make a lovely Sime, Berta.
Berta: Even all scarred up?
Berta can't believe what she just said. She would be quite red if her skin wasn't so dark.
Darrel: You won't have all that much scarring, and there won't be anything at all wrong with your face--or your nager.
Meg digs out the last bit of grit she can see.
Berta beams at him.
Berta: Thank you.
Meg: Hajene, can you zlin this? Have I cleaned out all the particles?
Berta blushes again.
Darrel might not have phrased his reassurance in quite that fashion if he'd known about the crush, but he's never been all that swift in that regard, one of his more endearing traits.
Darrel: Let me check.
Darrel: Berta, I'm going to have to lighten up on the pain control to do this. It won't take long, though, and then I'll be able to start healing the damage. All right?
Berta: Okay.
Darrel: Good girl.
Berta braces for the pain.
Meg focuses her concentration to hold the ambient steady for Darrel to zlin.
Darrel squeezes Berta's hands in reassurance, then withdraws his laterals and releases his hold on her nager.
Darrel then moves down to visually inspect and closely zlin the damaged area.
Berta tries not to scream. She had no idea it would hurt so much. Tears start to stream down her face.
Darrel notes one bit of soot that Meg missed, and carefully washes it off with sterile saline.
Darrel motions for Meg to go distract Berta while he works.
Meg: You're doing great.
Berta can't even worry about where Darrel is and what he might be seeing all she feels is the pain.
Meg: Where did you learn that song about the horse?
Meg: I never heard that before.
Berta: In school when I was little.
Meg: And where did you go to school, Berta?
Berta hiccups.
Darrel starts to encourage healing in the burns.
Berta: The Basset Place School. It's out on the main road.
Meg is glad Berta didn't hiccup while she was working on the splinter.
Berta chews on her lip to try and focus on some other pain.
Berta: We used to sing it when we walked into town on field trips.
Meg: And now you're becoming an adult. What do you want to do when you've changed over?
Berta decides chewing her lip doesn't help much.
Berta: I guess I'll be a farmer like my Mom.
Darrel tries to estimate how much scarring Berta will have, then gives it up: the changeover makes the whole thing much too uncertain for accuracy.
Meg: Carry on the tradition, huh?
Darrel does what he can, which at least should help some with the pain.
Meg: Hajene, can I put the salve on now?
Berta: I don't know anything else.
Darrel: Yes, I've done what I can for now.
Darrel: Although we should Controller Arat to check her out later.
Meg: Okay, Berta, I'm going to put some lotion on the wounds, and that should make them feel a lot better.
Berta: Okay.
Meg gets the #3 Burn Salve, which includes both aloe and an anesthetic.
Darrel smiles at Berta.
Meg uses more sterile pads to spread the salve gently over the burned area.
Darrel: I don't think it's as bad as I thought at first. You'll be up again before you've had time to get used to your tentacles.
Berta: Do they let renSimes work here?
Darrel: Oh, yes, there are quite a few renSimes working here. Gens, too, and not just Donors like Meg.
Berta: I think it would be good to work here.
Meg binds up the wounds with sterile gauze.
Berta looks at Darrel and smiles.
Meg: Almost done now.
Darrel: You have plenty of time to decide what you want to do.
Darrel: When Meg's done, we'll get you over to the changeover ward.
Darrel: They'll take good care of you.
Berta: Will I see you again?
Meg: There.
Berta looks at Meg and smiles
Meg finds a hospital gown for Berta to wear.
Berta: Thank you!
Darrel knows when to bow out gracefully and spare adolescent modesty.
Meg: Now change into this and we'll get you moved to a place where you will be comfortable.
Darrel: I'll just go and make the arrangements now.
Darrel could also use a chance to change out of his bespattered uniform.
Berta: Bye. Thank you Darrel.
Darrel: You're welcome, Berta.
Darrel ducks out, looking forward to his longed-for cup of Narosian tea more than ever.
Meg: [whispers] You know, he isn't married.
Berta: Really?
Meg: Really.
Berta is truly embarrassed that Meg seems to know what she is thinking.
Berta: Well, um he is nice.
Berta: And you are too.
Meg is no channel, but as a member of a House whose specialty is psychology, she tends to pick up on more than the average Gen.
Meg: Thank you. And you're a very courageous young lady.
Berta feels happy that Meg thinks of her that way.
Berta: Will I see you again, Meg?
Meg helps Berta get out of the rest of her ruined clothes.
Meg: Well, you'll be on the changeover ward. I mostly work in Pediatrics.
Berta: Oh.
Berta is crestfallen.
Meg: But I'll make a point of visiting, okay?
Berta: Goody!
Meg: And you might run into my husband, Max.
Berta: Does he work here too?
Meg: He pulls some shifts in the changeover ward.
Meg: Yes.
Meg: We transferred here together.
Meg: He's a real sweet guy, and a good channel.
Berta: I would like to meet him. It's nice that you get to work together.
Meg: It's not easy to arrange, believe me.
Berta: Oh. Is that the way it always is?
Meg: Well, the Tecton likes to be able to move people around every which way.
Berta: RenSimes too?
Meg: No, just Donors and Channels.
Berta: Then I guess it's better to be renSime.
Berta is mortified at what she just said.
Meg: It is if you want to have a happy marriage.
Meg: But we're both ambrov Chanel, and our Sectuib takes care of us.
Berta: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that.
Meg: Oh, say whatever you like!
Meg: You are growing up and going through important changes.
Meg: It helps to be able to talk about it.
Berta: You're so kind. I almost wish I could be a Donor like you. But it's too late for that now.
Berta: RenSimes don't get to help people much. We just work.
Meg: RenSimes get to take care of all the rest of us.
Berta: We do? How?
Meg: The renSimes work to support all the Gens.
Meg: Where would we be without that?
Berta: All my Mom and Dad ever do is work. I didn't know it was for anything but money to pay for selyn.
Berta: Gens don't work?
Meg: Gens work, of course, but they can't do as much as renSimes can.
Berta: Oh. Okay.
Meg: We have to eat so much and sleep so long, you see.
Berta feels that maybe she might matter a little.
Meg: So we require Simes to take care of us.
Meg: You'll see, very soon now.
Berta: I guess I will.
Meg: And you'll be a beautiful woman, and have children, and make the world a better place to live.
Berta: I just want to help out some.
Berta: Can I go to the bathroom now?
Meg hugs Berta gently.
Berta beams at her.
Meg: Yes. Put on this gown. I'll wheel you to the rest room.
Meg gives a hospital gown to Berta.
Berta puts the gown on.
Meg pulls a wheel chair out of the storage room.
Berta: I'm ready when you are.
Meg assists Berta down from the examination table into the wheel chair.
Berta: OW!
Berta: Sorry.
Meg: Sorry!
Berta giggles at Meg again.
Meg: Now, first to the wash room and then we'll get you over to the change-over ward, okay?
Berta: Thanks. I really have to go.
Meg doubts that Berta is picking up fields yet, but just in case she projects ~~reassurance~~
Berta crosses eyes and makes a silly face.
Meg: Okay. Here we go.
Meg wheels Berta out.