Patient Zero Plot

[etcircenses]

[OOC: patients, post a subthread and one of the doctor characters will be with you shortly. Feel free to specify if you want one in particular.]

In a city as monitored as the Capitol, that a mystery disease was going around didn't escape notice for more than a few days. That both Victory Hannibal and Chris Traeger such a production of their 'impending death of the plague' didn't help it stay under wraps, either.

As such, a clinic of sorts has been set up inside the Tribute Center. Tributes, Mentors and anyone else associated with the Games are taken aside at random and given check-ups. Avoxes are given lists of prescriptions to help any sufferers alleviate symptoms, and the doctors and scientists on staff (recruited by Peacekeeping Headquarters right now) are given relatively free reign to take whatever tests they need to find the name of the illness and kill it.

Currently, it is staffed by Penny, Wesker and Zoidberg.

Comments

open!

[youbarium]

Carlos has quickly familiarized himself with the Capitol's technology. Happy to be in a clean lab coat once more, he is in his element, taking throat swabs and blood samples and putting it all under microscopes. A mask covers the lower half of his face and gloves protect his hands; Carlos doesn't know how this disease is spread, so he takes no chances.

He approaches the next patient with a tape recorder in the breast pocket of his lab coat.

"When did the symptoms first appear?" Carlos asks.

Re: open!

[gardienne]

Eponine's sat gripping the edge of her chair with both hands. She does not look happy to be in the clinic at all, but there's no doubt that ahe's not got the illness. She's losing weight: already starving from Paris, Eponine looks like a living skeleton now. She shakes, both from a sudden chill and from the dheer effort it's taken her to reach the clinic. The sleeves of her jumper are covered in blood she's coughed up: she's evidently not changed since Jessica threw her out. And she smells like she's slept in a bin. Which she has.

She shakes her head at Carlos' question. "I do not know. Perhaps a day or so after that horrid Jessica coughed in my face when she made me leave. You're not going to touch me, are you, Monsieur?

[youbarium]

"I'm afraid I'll have to," said Carlos. "But just for a moment. I need to see if your lymph nodes are swollen. I'll just tap the sides of your neck, here and here." He pointed to his own neck, below the jaw. "Then I'll take an x-ray, which won't touch you, and doesn't hurt. Okay?"

He spoke patiently and slowly, doing his very best not to scare her away. The information about Jessica was also useful: Jessica's disease had been positively identified as TB, and if that was where Eponine had caught this...

[gardienne]

Eponine nodded. That sort of touch, she didn't mind at all. But she did appreciate Carlos's careful explaining of what was going to happen.

"I just want a bed, Sir. Somewhere proper. Oh God, I cannot stand to go back to the bin, but a doorway? No... Will you find me somewhere to sleep when this is done. I swear, anything you like to me if you promise me that."

[youbarium]

Actually, that sounded perfectly fine to Carlos. There were hospital beds in the clinic, and Carlos would much rather have Eponine stay there for a while, with people to make sure she took her medicine.

"I know just the place," he said. "I can also promise food, water, and medicine to cure the disease. But you need to do exactly what I say, Eponine. Okay?"

[gardienne]

That sounded to Eponine, like heaven. She was so hungry. This last week, it was like she had been back in Paris. She'd been chased away from eateries that had usually welcomed her because of the plague. She'd slept outside and forgone showers. Exhausted as she was, Eponine nodded.

"Anything, Sir. Whatever you say. Just take it away."

let me know if this timeskip is too much, or if you'd like to play out any of this!

[youbarium]

Behind his mask, Carlos breathed a sigh of relief. Having secured her cooperation, the scientist set about the examination: checking her lymph nodes (swollen), taking her temperature, taking the x-ray (dark patches in her chest) and finally, a tiny injection for the skin test.

The x-ray was clipped to a glowing lamp on the wall as Carlos made notes on a small, handheld tape recorder.

"Patient six, Eponine. Symptoms: bloody cough, weight loss, fever. Swollen lymph nodes. The x-ray shows dark patches in her lungs. It's just like the others. I've administered the dermal test, and though it will be two days until I know for sure, given everything I've observed, I am confident in my diagnosis. She has tuberculosis. I can't say for certain, but it is most likely she contracted it from Jessica Wakefield. Fortunately, we've caught it well in time, and with rest and proper nutrition, I expect to see a full recovery."

It's fine

[gardienne]

"Yeah?" Eponine had been listening in. "You can tell me, you know?" She coughed again. "I know this disease. It kills you. You can say to me I will die. Honest, I do not mind."

She'd very nearly be relieved.

"Jessica has murdered me. Won't you see me buried with Ian?"

[youbarium]

"It used to kill you," corrected Carlos. "We have medicine for it now." He shut the tape recorder off and put it away, then turned to face Eponine fully.

"Eponine, I'm going to take you to another room. There's going to be a bed, and people will come and give you food and water. They are also going to bring you medicine, and I need you to take it, Eponine. All of it. Even if you start to feel better, keep taking the medicine until they say you're finished. This is important, because if you stop too early, the disease will come back. It'll be stronger, and harder to make it go away. Do you understand?" He said all this very seriously -- he needed her to understand, because the last thing Carlos wanted was a drug-resistant strain of TB spreading through the Capitol.

[gardienne]

"Can I sleep?" Right then, that was all she was bothered about. She shivered, a sudden chill taking her.

"I'll do... I'll do whatever you want. Sir, I just want to be well. Can I really have a bed again? Thank you, Sir."

[youbarium]

He looked at her, and felt a swell of pity. Carlos reached under the table and pulled out a plain hospital blanket, and took a moment to drape it over her shoulders.

"All I want is for you to rest, and eat, and take your medicine," he said gently. Carlos took a few steps over to her, and offered her his hand. "Come on. I'll take you to the other room. Then, you can sleep."