2019-11-21 - Autopsies R Us

The autopsy room, along with the morgue, is located in the basement of the hospital proving indeed, that Erin was on the right of it the first time around. It services as the coroner's location for the whole of the county, which means it sees it's fair share of bodies that have died in suspicious or unknown ways, and that? Requires an autopsy, which cues a text to Erin confirming the time things would be started.

Yule's outside of the room when she arrives, dressed in scrubs, his hair pulled back and up underneath a cover as well. Otherwise? It's a pretty quiet, lonely place, for not many people bother coming down here unless they have a specific, compelling reason to do so.

Erin had seen enough NCIS to know that there was a room where the bodies were cut up and it was a sterile environment in case there was evidence to be found. So she'd worn scrubs instead of street wear and she had her hair pilled back in a severe sort of twist that kept any strands from separating from the others. Evidence was something to be taken seriously, she got that at least.

Reporting as invited, she has no extra jewelry or nail polish or earrings or anything. She's about as dressed down as the Addington ever got, and that's saying a lot. Usually she was in the latest fashions and sparing no expenses. Noticing him as she approaches, she wears a tentative smile, true, her confidence wasn't high in this, but she was being brave about it. And determined. "Good morning, doctor."

"Good morning Erin." It's certainly a different side of the man, still calm and with that casual confidence, but his mien is far more serious and professional. Even as he talks, he finds a pair of latex gloves for her, holding them out so she can start to put them on. "Some ground rules. First? Don't feel like you have anything to prove. It isn't pretty work, yeah? No judgement if you have to step out."

Once those gloves have been passed on, he begins to put his own on, "Second. Out here? We joke. We tease. We do what we need to so that we can cope. But in there? It's all about respect. They are looking to us for answers," Yes. The dead bodies. Yule is one of Those People. "Not just for themselves, but for the living they have left behind." Those brown eyes are unwavering, watching the Addington and her reactions to it all. "Third. You are here to observe, not to touch. Yeah?"

The snap of his gloves is heard, making sure they are on just as he wants them, and once satisfied, it's the last one that comes spilling out. "Lastly. Questions are expected. All types. Don't think there is anything to silly or too weird."

Erin reaches for the gloves and slips them on, one at a time, covering her manicure. For all intents and purposes, she portrays herself as a high maintenance female, but for her demeanor, which is far more laid back and friendly. Dark eyes lift to his as she listens to the ground rules, taking this seriously. "Thank you." For the non judgment.

When he goes on, she checks her gloves, but she's listening and she looks at him again, lips parting as if she would speak out of turn in protest of any disrespect. She does wait until he finishes before dipping her head. "I would never disrespect anyone intentionally. I understand and I appreciate the demand for respect and the thoroughness for answers.

Not to touch. Erin had known that but it still strikes a note of relief in her dark eyes. "Thank you. I would like to ask questions, but if I get too involved in watching I may forget. I get immersed in things and tune other things out, but I will always abide by the rules. I appreciate this opportunity. Truly."

"Not saying you would have. But I like to be direct and clear." Comes Yule's response to her offering, a faint smile of reassurance flashed her way. "All right. Come on in." He pushes through the door, the thing swinging easily, and his foot holds it to make certain Erin has a chance to get through without it swinging back and smacking her.

"I did get started, but only on the non medical process. Well, the non examination part. Before we start any autopsy? We pull existing medical records to review. Today? It is what appears to be an accidental drowning. But the first thing we do? Is make no assumptions. We won't prejudice ourselves by assuming what conclusion we reach." Yule explains. There, stretched out on the examination table, is the body of an older male, currently draped from the waist down with a sheet. "From there? We take a thorough look over the clothes. In this case, because of all of the water? We didn't find anything of note. Which leaves us with where we are starting off today. First, it will be a visual inspection of the body."

"Thank you, I didn't assume so, I just really wanted to reassure." Erin steps in behind him then is suddenly grateful for his intervention with the door when it doesn't hit her. A smile of gratitude before she steps beside him to follow his directions.

Of course her eyes dart immediately to the body and it crosses her mind it looked like those on television. She inhales softly, realizing this wasn't like television, it was real. "How do you stay emotionally uninvolved?" That was someone's dad or someone's grandfather. Someone's son. Or brother. It's like a gut punch already and the feels threaten her.

The visual inspection. Her eyes drop to the hands of the body almost immediately, as if she were searching for evidence beneath the nails. Though she doesn't linger there, finding it much more comfortable to rest her eyes on the vital presence in the room. "The shorts, they only carry that line in Seattle at Poseidon's Underwater Treasures. Or over the internet, same place." She knows fashion. Very much. But the rest she doesn't try and even guess, leaving that to him. "I'm sorry, I know that's not important." Already interrupting, she chastises herself.

"I don't. Not fully. But the way you are thinking about it?" A hand lifts, motioning for her to approach one side, while he goes around to the other so they each have a clear line of sight. "For me, it's knowing that there is still a purpose here. A story left untold. It makes me involved, but that, for me? Is a good thing. Knows you make a difference, that it isn't just another body of people doing shitty things to each other... or horrible accidents that no one could see. We find answers, we give closure. It's still a form of compartmentalizing, yeah? And in the end, after the job is over, it's the humor, the allowance of letting it blow off the stress that helps."

It's a rubber pillow type thing that he pulls out, letting her see it. "We'll slip this beneath their back. It will push the chest and abdominal cavity up in a curve, making it easier to examine as we open it up. But before we get to that? We will do a look over the body. Examine for any bruises that have appeared, cuts, scrapes puncture holes. Sign of past drug abuses, things of this nature."

It's the overhead light that he adjusts, bringing it up to the head first. Fingers run through hair, shift the head left and then right as he begins to work his way down slowly, letting Erin have plenty of time to see as well.

Erin approaches on the opposite side of the table as he and she clasps her hands together behind the small of her back as she looks down at the body with what she hopes is casual interest and not utter sadness. "I suppose like a puzzle without pieces and it's up to you to collect and form the complete picture." Trying it in simple terms mostly for herself.

"I am impressed you can have this and find what went wrong." Her eyes drop to the rubber pillow thing and she nods marginally. "Is there air in the body when you cut it open?" Something she may have heard, she doesn't look comfortable with the thought. "Or water or anything?"

Once the light is lowered, she leans down, looking. She still doesn't touch, but she checks the scalp and the skin for punctures or bruises. It's pretty awful but she seems to be managing fine for now.

"As for things being unimportant, we shouldn't ever assume. Pictures are key, as are recorded notes. I tend to favor having a tape recording going, so I can double check things afterwards. Difficult to write sometimes." Yule listens as she works through what makes sense to her, giving neither approval or an opposite point of view, but rather letting it be a personal preference. Whatever it takes, right?

"We can't, not always. Sometimes, we just find leads the detectives have to run with to finish it. As for air," Down the light comes, shown over the chest. Arms are lifted and inspected, even as he talks. "it depends. Normally with drowning? You won't get air inside. We would expect to see water in the stomach and lungs. If it is present, samples will be taken and recorded, processed to confirm it matches the water the body was found in."

It's a brief pause, pointing out what appear to be a few scrapes and knicks on the arms and shoulders. "This appears consistent with a body brushing against the bottom of the large stream it was found in. Shallow, rocks or sticks, things of this nature causing abrasions as it floated down. Post mortum."

Erin is a good student, a sponge soaking up knowledge and information as he gives it, her attention on him and then where he looks on the body. So far nothing seems to turn her stomach. But it still was sad to be so impersonal about a dead body. Though with a reason for it, she was coping well enough.

"I like the idea of the tape recorders. Is it difficult when you find different bits of clues not to follow up on them yourself? I realize that there's a chain these things go through, up from here to the police. I mean do you ever follow up and find out what ever became of the case? Also do you ever have to testify in court as a witness for the dead?"

There's a moment where she studies the abrasions but again she leaves her hands clasped behind her back "How do you determine things like time of death when a body is in this condition? Does the cold water preserve a body then?" She steps back a tiny bit when he mentions there being water inside the body.

"There is a proper process. And that? Is followed. Don't want anything getting in the way of finding answers, and if needed? Bringing justice to things." The sheet is pulled down lower as that inspection continues, along the hips, the legs. There, a few more minor abrasions are noted, until finally the body is fully revealed.

"However," It's a faint shrug, a touch of a smile that comes as he murmurs, "My curiosity gets the best of me. And if I can find a friendly detective that doesn't mind me coming with them? Or if it's something I can look up and research to lend a hand? Especially in Gray Harbor, where you don't exactly have all the resources to bring to the table like NYC. Not that, even there, it's anything like you see in the shows."

"Yeah. Typically, that is the duty of the coroner to record the death based upon my findings. But if something goes to trial? It has to be the person who did the actual work. Time of death, in cases like this, is tricky. Cold water will affect the body temperature. Water also accelerates the deterioration, but keeps insects from it. Usually, best we can do, unless we get lucky, is to give a window of six, eight, maybe twelve hours of when it went in, unless it was in there for a long time."

"Nothing like a cute goth chick hanging out in forensics discovering the answers at the last minute to safe the day and discover a killer in time to save the rest of the team from the same fate." NCIS Gold. "And I've only seen a handful of episodes."

Erin drops the television things and looks over the body with him. "Do you take dna for future? In case something comes up?" The smile is returned and he gets an understanding look. "I can imagine wanting to know how things are concluded eventually. Even if to read it in the paper."

"How long has this man been in the water? Is it too soon for a time of death for him?" Of course he'd said later he'd know if the man was dumped there before or after he'd died. Wth matching water sources and all he'd said. She has more questions than she figured and she gives an apologetic look. "I don't mean to be so talkative."

A wry smile curls to the corners of his mouth at that. "Yeah. It's never so simple. Can't blame them for cutting out all the long, boring bits though." It's one of those tables on wheels he brings over, and even as she speaks, he's pulling out a syringe. "What we take depends on the circumstances. Always draw blood to run tox screens, and we keep enough on hand for evidence and legal reasons. Sometimes we will take samples of eye fluid as well, or spinal taps. In this case? We will start with blood, unless we find something inside the body that directs us towards needing more."

In the thing is pressed, the plunger pulled out. "Without the heart beating? When we open him up, it actually isn't as bloody as you'd think. Very little. What usually gets to people is just seeing all the organs at once. And the rib prunes so the chest cavity can be opened up." In so many ways it's familiar, that blood draw, put into those small tubes, and then into a rack, just like when you go to the doctor to get it done.

"No decomposition. His temperature wasn't as cold as the water itself. Found in running water, so it'd take longer to decompose than air - warm water though? Speeds it up. You can see his flesh is pruny, but hasn't changed colors beyond the paleness. Twelve hours. Maybe eighteen. The air you see in those episodes? It's when a body has been in the water for a long period of time. Internal breakdown releases gases, and that? Is why drowned victims will eventually float to the top. And no apologies. I said I'd expected questions, yeah? You are all good, Erin."

It was so detailed, he was so thorough and Erin continues to be rapt with her attention. "I never considered how difficult it would be to get blood when the heart isn't beating. Or when someone has bled out and had very little left. "This is interesting. Most of it I never considered before. I suppose there's no reason for me to have before."

"Once we get to the part of cutting him open I'm not sure how that will go. I'll let you know. I'm pretty sure if you take organs out that won't set well, so just an advance warning." Already her stomach was feeling queasy. "I find it far easier working on live patients."

The sympathy for the man is there in her voice though, and she's remaining professional. But it does seem a daunting task for her the closer they get to it all. Gasses? She shudders at that. "I don't know how you can do it. You must have a special kind of iron constitution."

"Yeah? No worries," Yule reassures as he puts the syringe down, carefully stowing away all of those vials for processing later. "Puked my guts out the first time. Try as you might, it's hard to overcome that connection that the organs had been, hours or days or even minutes ago, been keeping this person alive. It's unnatural for them to be exposed like that."

Rather than a scalpel or knife, it is a pen Yule pulls out. "Why don't I show you what I'd do first. Before I open him up. That way you can decide if you've had enough or not, while getting the gist of it, at least. One of the things that the shows usually get wrong? Are the incisions." It's one of those body markers, often used for training purposes just like that. A Y mark is made on the body, and the upper arms of the Y start wider, longer than most shows would expose, all the way up at the shoulder joints. "On a female? They always show it above the breasts, but we actually go beneath."

"Part of the... stomach turning, the first time? Is the rib prunes. Once the incision is made, you take shears," His head dips, one and one can see that specialized tool that looks, well, like a small hand held set of shears. "And we have to separate the ribs from the breast bone so the chest cavity can be opened up. It's a rather horrifying sound." No punches pulled by the examiner for it all, just laying it out as well as he can for her.

"I can't even imagine someone not puking their guts out on more than the first time. I have a new respect for you and what you have to do." Erin does manage no to turn green as the shears are produced and the sound described, but she does look at the instruments before turning her gaze to the drawn design on his torso.

"I think that in healing, the body still has life in it, so it makes it much simpler to stomach seeing the insides. There is all sorts of healing." Since they are alone, she offers a softer spoken observation. "What do you use your glimmer for? I can see it in you. That shine that makes you someone different from others."

"Yeah. It's," There is a flicker of a smile there, his head just giving a small nod towards her thoughts. "It's different. We? Still heal people here. By bringing closure and finality to families and friends still living, so they can move on. That? Is part of what helps to get through it."

But it is that second question that has him going quiet, watching her for a long moment, before he murmurs, "I don't. Unless it is a necessity. Research it. Right now? I consider it like an untested drug, with no insight into what the potential side effects of it are." A beat of a pause, before one dark brow arches upwards, "You?"

"Were you here or do you remember any of the Gohl business? Or did you learn anything about it?" It's supposed to be a simple question but Erin seems to put a lot of stock in those few words, even hesitating over answering him as to her own use of the glimmer and what it can do. She studies his expression though, knowing he was right about healing others in other ways. Not another word is spoken though, she appears to be intent to find out his response.

"Only heard tidbits. I came in after that was all done and dealt with, from what I've been able to piece together." Down his chin tucks, and that? Seems to be all he's willing to say for the moment as Yule's gaze turns expectant, "Didn't answer my question. I answered yours." He points out, as if that is the important part of the arrangement.

"I apologize. I only wanted to know how much to say about Gohl so I could answer the second part. I fully intend on giving you an answer. I'll also watch you as I talk and hopefully we'll both learn something." Erin gives him another tentative smile, but she doesn't leave her hands behind her back this time. Her fingers are laced together and hang down at her midriff, loosely at the moment.

"Billy Gohl, you can Google him. He's got his own wikipedia. He was a serial killer somewhere around the turn of the century or a little after who murdered residents of Gray Harbor. In 1910 he was captured and sent to an asylum, being spared the death penalty. Sometime while in the asylum he is rumored to have died. A few months ago his bones were discovered and brought out of the veil to be held by several of the townfolks. I knew none of this at the time, it's not something I was privy to. I was brought in later when they thought I may no more about it than I actually did." Erin watches him to see if there were any questions and whether there are or not, she continues.

"It turns out, after all was said and done, that my Grandmother, Margaret Addington and my Great Uncle Thomas Addington knew about the bones. In fact my uncle was in a very close relation with the owner of the bones. Since his disappearance, he had been residing within Thomas Addington. Possessing him is the word of choice. The murders started back up once the bones were brought out of the veil. Gohl's original last name was Baxter, he changed it to Gohl. The Baxter's and the Addington's have had a long running feud since the founding of the town." Another slight smile that has a hard time reaching her eyes since the subject of the story is now her family.

"Thomas was apparently using his powers and that of Gohl, to kill. No, let me rephrase that. Gohl was using his own powers and those of Thomas to kill. No one would ever see the attacks. They just happened. Even if someone was in the same room. A slice across the throat, stab wounds. It's how he murdered his victims a few months ago and in the past when he was here in his own skin. Kelly Carr was murdered. Carr was also a Baxter that changed their name. Another Baxter was murdered. Then there was a whole slew of Addington's murdered. My aunt, another of my aunts, a cousin, my mother and my father and there was an attempted murder of myself. I got all but the throat. There were a couple of other attempted murders. The Coroner and her brother were murdered."

Still she doesn't go further yet. "I am getting to the response you want, but is there anything you want to ask me about that first?"

And there is the response he was looking for, at least context. After the first few tidbits are deposited? It stirs him enough to action, reaching down to grab that rubber pillow he'd talked about before. He slips it underneath the corpse to help prop up that chest cavity, creating a curve to the spine.

"Caretaker, Thewlis, mentioned something briefly about him," He murmurs at the name, a passing familiarity at least, though clearly nothing at all like what Erin goes on to explain. "Discovered? What's that mean? Sounds like he wasn't buried, but found in a Dream, and... yanked out?" That causes a touch of confusion, no experience yet with anything tangible sticking around after it all fades.

"That explains some of the reports I saw that just didn't make sense," As to those killings, which no doubt were left vague in some of the autopsies. Which, should one look down, is being done right now. Yule is cutting along that Y shaped set of lines, and true to his word, there isn't much blood, bit it doesn't mean that it's easy to observe, either, the way it just goes right into that bodily cavity. "This why you aren't spending Christmas with your grandmother?" A completely odd focus, head tipping to the side. "Fuck, I couldn't even imagine, Erin. Get why your world has been turned upside down." It's that brief offering, a faint smile, before his head dips, motioning for her to continue on.

While he works, Erin talks, hesitating a little now and again in case he wants to explain anything he does. Though really, he had told her what he was going to do prior to doing it.

"They found his bones buried in a box that kept him from coming to this side. They spread the bones out among themselves. One person burned her share. The coroner had a share. They wanted to keep the bones separate to avoid exactly what happened. It turns out my uncle, Thomas, had been in possession of Gohl for a long time. Far longer than the bones were out. Only when they were brought out of the veil was Gohl too hard to control. They were going to commit my uncle in the asylum or my uncle spoke of drowning himself to take his own life.

We asked for time to try another way. We went to the veil and spoke with the Exorcist. She told us what must be done. We got a group together. I was the healer. We had the mentalist and the physicalist. We went to the police department to an interrogation room with the Captain de la Vega and an exorcist, your friend Ciprian's sister Minerva and August, who was there to support me. The idea was to bring Thomas in under the guise of protecting him since he was a danger. It never got to happen. We three, The healer, mentalist and physicalist were separated from the other three and we were suddenly within the veil. With Gohl there before us. We had to do the exorcism on our own."

She sure is windy! This is the first time she'd told the entire story though, it was cathartic. "This is part of where the thing with my Grandmother comes into play. Thank you, I just wanted you to know the story." She watches the cuts as if apart from herself and she continues on. "We were told by the Veil exorcist to capture Gohl and give him proper burial. Which meant his bones and something that was part of us that meant so much to us to replace what was missing of the bones and make the sacrifice complete. We faced Gohl in the veil. Itzhak boxed him in his violin case while Hyacinth, my cousin who also lost her mother to Gohl, controlled him mentally. I used my.. powers, for lack of a better word. Gift? I entered into Gohl and found the strands within him that connected him to my uncle and with that same healing power, I severed the ties. My Uncle collapsed at that very time, my Grandmother told me, and he was in a coma, I'm not certain for how long. She wouldn't allow me to see him."

She takes a breath, it's over, but she adds anyway. "It was at the funeral while we were offering our sacrifices, she came and with open disdain for all of us, mostly made a mockery of it all. "

"The veil shifted that day. I can't describe it but it was like it became smaller. But to answer about my abilities, I use them for healing. I've almost mastered them. I can heal those that can't be healed. I can save lives. Alternately, it's a curse and can kill or sever or maim just as quickly. I can make fire in my hand. I don't but I can. Do I use it? I do. But only for good. It was when I discovered that I could heal that I decided I wanted to be a nurse. I learn the medical so I can better understand how to heal and how it works, I heal from the inside out. Even scars disappear," Speaking of scars, she looks at the body but doesn't feel sick. She keeps herself separated somehow. For now.

Yule doesn't stop, offering no explanations to the obvious as he makes that incision all the way down, but he does listen. "Jesus. I knew I'd seen things when I came here a year ago. Things I'd never noticed about the town growing up," The man's head shakes, and he lets it all soak in. He doesn't fall on the side of disbelieving, but far more towards keeping his head in check, trying to process as much as he can.

Only then does he reach out for those clipper type objects, but he pauses in his use of them, letting his own thoughts come out. "Just be careful, yeah? I get using it for good. I just don't think anyone really understands it. It's like a new drug that has such great promises, but no one really knows what the long term effects are. Granted, sometimes," It's there his lips curl into a small frown, a dip of his head offered towards her in understanding.

"I've started keeping notes. Tabs on things I noticed, I find. Going through old records of the past medical examiners. It's all so convoluted." He murmurs, and then? He looks to her, to see if she's prepared. One hand reaches into a branch of the Y, showing her how it is peeled away enough to slip a hand in. "You want to make sure to be precise. Careful. Go in just to separate the ribs from the breastbone, while not hurting the organs." And then in they go. His hand squeeze, and it's a rather sickening crack that comes, that side of the chest cavity suddenly becoming easier to open as that connection is undone.

It's with surprise that Erin finds him not disbelieving her or challenging anything. Perhaps it was that the truth of it could be heard. Her fingers loosen again and she places them behind her back, giving him a grateful look. "I think more than anything it's becoming more common. People keep moving to the town, drawn here they say by the pull of it. I will be careful." The words are meant as a reassurance.

Her focus change then, to what the doctor is doing. The clippers in his hands alerting her to where he is in the process. She takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. "Sometimes there are things that cannot be explained, especially those not like us" Her hands tighten behind her back as she watches him reach in with the tools. The sound alone is enough to cause her to teeter on her feet briefly. "I don't know." The words are hesitant and she closes her eyes, but it doesn't stop the sound. "I'm not sure I can continue."

"Yeah. I haven't," He pauses there, before Yule's head just shakes a bit. "Past month, haven't had anything else weird happen. Yet. But before? Yeah. I came back for family. Without a doubt. But I also came back for answers, Erin." It's her wobble that has him stop, and there is that faint, reassuring smile he started with. "It's ok. Some other time, you want to come in further through? We can arrange it. Think we both have a lot to think about after today, and have learned something." He doesn't look to proceed from there, waiting to see her response. "For what it's worth?" A brief pause, and those brown eyes lock on hers, "You did pretty damn good. Think you should splurge and treat yourself with that dog." It's a brief, glittering touch of humor and mischief, seeking to give her something else, momentarily, to think about.

Erin doesn't really want to leave, she doesn't actually, but she tries to steady herself. "You were right, the sound is almost too much. If I step out for that part, could I step back in once that part is done? I'd like to see it through." She's honestly giving the effort and she does want to try.

"I think I may get the dog. I am going to be babysitting for your friend Ciprian and his daughter seems to like dogs. Have you met her yet? She's an incredible girl." It was an effort to think about other things and her breathing has evened out. "I apologize for my weakness in this, I don't want to waste your time, but I would like to continue if you'll let me once the bones are cut."

"Yeah, of course. Just make sure, right? Coming back in might be a shock," But he leaves it up to the Addington to figure out where that line is for herself, before up one hand lifts, pointing a finger to her. "Apology not accepted. Not gunna take something I don't need. It's fine. Hard thing for people to get through,"

It's a flash of a smile, but his head shakes, "I haven't. Haven't had a chance to catch up with him again... didn't even know he had a daughter." That little tidbit is filed away, and then he gives a small nod towards the woman. "Step outside, yeah? Give me about five minutes. Catch your breath, then we can see how you feel."

The smile he offers has her giving one in return. "Thank you. I'll step out then, and I appreciate your patience." She gets to the door and looks back. "Five minutes it is." Not mentioning anything further about Ashira, Ciprian's daughter.

Out she goes and she's out there about seven minutes, all be told, before opening the door. "I'm still feeling a little light headed. I guess I'm going to have to try another time. Maybe like you said, further on in. I appreciate your time and would offer you a dinner out to thank you for your time, if you were interested?" She studiously avoids looking at the cadaver and focuses only on him. "Please don't feel obligated if you have prior engagements."

However much further Yule has gotten on the body, it's difficult to see for he has had the foresight to step in front of it. His head dips into a reassuring nod when she explains the situation, "Better not to push your luck. We will have others to see to, sometime, if you want." It's that offer that has his brown eyes focused on her, considering, and then he murmurs, "I'll text you when I wrap up, and we can discuss it, yeah? With work? It's always a bit of a guessing game. On call for going to scenes, if anything happens. Not your typical 8 to 5 job."

"I understand," Erin manages another genuine smile. "Honestly, thank you for your time. If you can or can't make it, just shoot me a text. I hope the remainder of your day is productive. Take care, Yule." She lingers there only a moment before dipping her head and turning to the door, removing the gloves on the way out.