2019-11-27 - Just Ducky

"Bennie's Log: Day one billion. Still in the hospital and the natives have grown restless. Having successfully unburdened the recovery ward of pudding snacks, my fleet of origami swans made out of the foil tops is complete. Strike that. Origami pigeons. Origami...winged blobs of some unknown origin. Easton Marshall grows tired of Cuddle Bumkins antics and has thrice threatened to remove his stuffing. Unsure as to his surgical skill. So far I have deployed the infamous chin wobble to dissuade him, but it's only a matter of time before he takes matters - and a spork - into his own hands."

Bennie's looking a little better today - and far more lucid, thanks to a dial down in the meds - her gauze tube top is now matched with a yellow ducky hospital gown worn as a robe and scrub pants. Seated in a wheelchair near the window, she speaks into a hairbrush, long having become defeated at trying to style her own hair.

"One billion? That's a lot of days," Alexander says, from the doorway where he suddenly appeared like a loitering homeless person. He has a fantastically ugly sweater with a huge duck-like blob crocheted on the front of his chest, ancient jeans, and stompy boots. He's carrying a couple of books and what looks like a small box in one hand, carefully wrapped in a plastic bag against Gray Harbor's near-perpetual drizzle. Belatedly, he knocks on the door frame, gently. "Want a visit?"

Easton is for once actually sleeping, despite Bennie's narration. He's tucked up into a ball with his back against the railing of the hospital bed. At least he's not snoring?

"Ah! Alexander the Great approaches to regale me of tales of the outside world. Tell me, friend, have they invented flying cars yet?" Bennie's learned it hurts less to pedal the wheelchair with her feet rather than push it with her arms, so she paddles away from the window and the snoozing Easton to greet Alexander. She's not on a heart monitor, but two different IV bags are hanging from the hook affixed to the back of her chair.

"Not yet. Although I did see someone trying to make a turkey fly, which is almost as implausible. Poor thing looked like a feathered beach ball," Alexander says, smiling down at her. "I brought you some books, though? And a couple of slices of pumpkin pie for you and Easton." The bag is set to one side for later perusal. "You're looking more sober. Turned down the morphine, did they?" Despite his teasing tone, his eyes and expression are concerned as he looks her over. And his hands go behind his back, like a child who has been slapped for touching what he shouldn't.

"Oooh, you're the bestest!" Their dinner yesterday was most assuredly missing the piece de resistance of the proper spiced pumpkin delight. "I am, as they say in the biz, going AMA," Or Against Medical Advice, "And refusing the hard stuff. Told them they can give my share to Easton." Which must be why she was trying to keep busy and distracted. "But they're talking skin grafts so we'll see how long I can actually hold out. Look! We match!" She plucks up the edge of her ducky gown and smiles at his sweater.

"Skin grafts?" Alexander frowns. "You really caught hell, didn't you?" There's a flicker of a smile at the note that they match, but it doesn't remove the worry from his eyes. He glances towards the sleeping Easton, then moves to find a chair and plunk himself down in it. "And we do match. Although ducks look better on you than they do on me," he says, solemnly. "If they're talking grafts, you might be here for a while. Anything you want me to pick up for you? Or is there anything Easton needs?"

Bennie lowers her voice as she paddles closer to Alexander. "Easton probably could be released soon, but I think he's being a dear heart and enduring confinement for my sake. Ugh, all I want to do is curl up in bed next to him, the irony." Though she doesn't exactly explain what's ironic about that. She looks in that direction and gives a quiet, longing sigh before her tired eyes return to Alexander. "I'm okay, they're taking great care of me here, it's just up to my immune system now. The slacker. Your presence is more than enough, though someone should spring Easton for a smoke break soon before he starts to no longer find me amusing."

Alexander smiles. "He's a good guy," he says, softly. "Although he might also be hanging around for the morphine. Especially if you're giving him your share." That's not remotely serious from the lightness of his tone, and he winks at her. "I'm happy to be here." A pause. "Actually, no. I hate hospitals. And I hate that you both are in a hospital. But it's good to see you, is what I think I mean, even if it's in a hospital." He clears his throat. "You know what I mean." His head tilts to one side. "How are you doing? Violence is hard. Any nightmares, things like that?"

"Why do people keep saying that?" He's a good guy Easton groggily questions that sentiment as he lifts his head from the pile of useless paper thin blankets. He looks at Bennie with a smile and then at Alexander with a look of having trouble figuring out who that is before it dawns on him. He sits up, his beard shaved down to stubble and his hair sticking in every direction where it's not shaved closely. "Alexander! Did you get taken? Are you okay?" Because he knows he had an invite and he meant to check in on him. Honestly.

"He saved me, Alexander. Put himself right in the path of one of the fire balls that we're hurtled at us. If I had taken that hit..." Bennie screws up her mouth and shakes her head, letting the thought finish itself instead of giving verbal acknowledgment to it. She makes an exaggerated wincing face as Easton rouses and she nudges her wheelchair so she can include him in her field of vision. "I think he fell on his face, tsch, look at those bruises." She continues talking about him as if he weren't awake. "I was honestly afraid he'd have a weak chin without a beard. Nope. Still hot."

"It's probably the saving of maidens fair that you've been doing," Alexander tells Easton, with a smile. "That, and being the dispenser of the booze. Tends to give people a good impression of your character." That established, he studies the other man with that flat stare for a moment, before shaking his head. "No. I was," a pause, "doing something else. I seem to have missed out. I'm sorry. I should have been there to help." He slants a smile towards Bennie. "It's a nice chin. Doesn't do the wobble thing as well as yours, probably, but still impressive. The hair could use some work, though."

Easton lets out a grumble of complaint at Bennie's retelling of the story. It was hardly as dramatic as all that, it's not like he was all that successful at stopping her from getting hurt. "Roen's the one who saved your sweet ass." He gives Bennie a suspicious side-eye look when she mentions the bruises, but doesn't comment on it. He then grouses at Alexander, "No. You don't get to feel about not getting blown up with us. Besides at least your girlfriend brought a gun. They were prepared for us to use our abilities." He sticks his chin out a bit and says, "Damn straight it's a nice chin."

"And sadly that made August a bigger target. I'd give him a stern talking to if I wasn't grateful for not being assploded. And Easton's right, who's to say if you were there, you wouldn't have just ended up in a bed next to ours." Bennie nudges towards Easton with increasing effort. "It's the best chin." She assures Easton, then crooks her finger so he'll lean over and give her a smooch.

"I'll give him a stern talking to for you," Alexander says, "although I'm also grateful for you not being...assploded." He grins, bright and brief. "I love that word." Then his jaw sets. "I would have been helpful to have there. Especially if they were countering your abilities." And yes, he's going to feel guilty about not being kidnapped to be tortured with his friends, and you can't stop him. "But yes, I asked Isabella to carry hers until this whole things winds down." A frown. "If it ever does."

"Me too. Except by stern talking to I mean a firm handshake and a thank you." Easton smirks as Alexander offers to scold August for helping. "Babe, if you need to pull back on healing people, I think that's a good idea." What? He does! She just got flambe'ed for it. "But you aren't the only stubborn healer in town and Erin's already offering to come patch you up. Granted I'd rather call Aidan since he wasn't involved in this little party." Spread the risk. He smiles at Alexander telling Isabella to carry, "And she's a good shot too. Which probably also saved our asses from ass-ploding."

Bennie's nose wrinkles so hard that little 'x' appears on the bridge of it. "As much as I appreciate it, and boy howdy would I appreciate that, I can't ask anyone to take that risk for me. I won't." Even if that leaves her chest looking like a California Raisin and just thinking about that leaves her a little crestfallen and her attention sort of drifts off. "She's a bad ass." She agrees distractedly.

"And I mean I'll probably just stare at him with worry and mention things we've already talked about before, which he will nod solemnly to, and then continue on exactly as before," Alexander says, voice dry. He crosses his arms over his chest and considers both of his friends with -- a worried stare that looks like it is contemplating bringing up things which have been discussed before. "Aidan might be a good choice. He seems to stay out of trouble more than some people." Not that he's naming any names. Mention of Isabella's badassness brings a smile, though. "Of course she is." A good shot? A bad-ass? Clearly, yes to both.

A low rumbling laugh shakes Easton's chest at Alexander's version of giving August a stern talking to. It hurts to laugh still though so he forces himself not to picture that. "Bennie, you're not asking Erin. She offered. She wants to help. And I'd be asking Aidan technically. Because apparently I'm an asshole who will keep asking him to do me insane favors." And while that may be true Easton also adds, "And he'd want to help." Alexander bragging on his girlfriend gets a grin.

"Erin is an adult," Alexander agrees. "We're all adults. Just ones that make poor life choices whenever the opportunity arises." At least he's including himself in that blunt observation? "How is Aidan? Last I saw him, we were being licked by giant germs. It was a little weird. Even for Gray Harbor." A thoughtful pause. "Which I am able to say less and less, as things just find new thresholds of weird."

"When I saved him from an axe or an arrow to the head or whatever, there wasn't some psycho hose beast running around trying to teach us a lesson about balance and not cheating the Dark Men out of the pleasure of our suffering. You know I thought I saw her in the hospital?" Bennie flicks her attention back to the guys and then towards the window. "And again just now in the parking lot, over by that red car..." Of course she isn't there now.

"Yea well personally I do want to cheat them out of the pleasure of your suffering." Easton knows that she has a point, he just hates it. That's all. He shakes his head at Alexander and admits, "I haven't seen him since he murder-sat me. I hope he and Baylee are keeping their heads down." And doing exactly the opposite of what he wants to ask him to do. He quirks an eyebrow at Bennie and says, "Really? Here." He tries not to get too upset about the fact that he's not allowed to have a single gun on him in the hospital.

"Isabella mentioned that. That she'd been seeing the woman since that night," Alexander murmurs. "She also has a theory that she's someone who inspired the legends of the Furies. She's got the details." He shakes his head. "I don't disbelieve her; her research skills are as sharp as her shooting. But that would make your assailant more than a thousand years old."

"Probably just my overactive imagination." Bennie smiles back at Easton, giving her best impression of being reassuring, which isn't that top notch currently.

There is a polite rap of knuckles on the door as a nurse warns that she's incoming. "Miss Oakes? I'm going to take you down to get your bandages changed now." The blonde gives a numb little nod about being wheeled away to the sterile room they use for debridement. "Older." Is all Bennie adds to that conversation. "Kiss kiss!" She raises a hand an IV laden hand to wave to the boys as she's wheeled out of the room.

"Uh huh" Easton gives Bennie a look that is skeptical but at least pretending to believe her when she reassures him. After all she has been on some pretty strong drugs. But then Alexander brings up Isabella seeing her too and Easton frowns, "Well that's not encouraging." He is even less encouraged at the news that this thing might be thousands of years old. When the nurse comes in Easton gives Bennie his best reassuring smile and wave. He blows a kiss and manages to hold the smile until she's wheeled away.

"We need to get a healer in here."

"Be well, Bennie," Alexander murmurs as she's wheeled away. He watches the empty doorway for a while, until Easton speaks. That brings his head back around to study him. He doesn't ask 'are you sure', since Easton probably wouldn't have said it if he wasn't. "You know Erin will do it, although I have concerns about the effects. But ask Aiden. If he's available, and willing - as long as he understands the risk."

"Agreed. I'm not thrilled about asking Erin only because she was already pulled in. Though there is some merit to the idea of limiting the number of people targeted, training them well and being more prepared for next time." Easton doesn't pretend like he's not treating this like a military situation, planning out the tactics and weighing the strategies. "If Bennie needs to be done using her gifts, I get it. But I'm not okay with her suffering for months or years because of this."

"I think a big part of it is just...being careful. I wouldn't tell anyone not to heal a crippling or life-threatening wound. Scarring...that's sort of a personal decision," Alexander admits, with a shrug. "I don't mind it. It helps me remember what really happened and what is just a thing that I imagined happening, or that someone made me think happened." He blinks a couple of times. "But I don't want Bennie to suffer, either. I wish I were a better healer," he admits, with a grimace.

"Yea well I wish I were a better boyfriend." Easton admits and then gives Alexander a look that hopefully asks him to just trust him on that account. He should know better but he still tries to cut off questions. He sighs and says, "I'll try and talk to Bennie about it. I need to check myself out today, to go get some air and sleep somewhere else and just.. I need to not be here anymore. I was hoping I could talk her into getting healed so we could go home together. I'm not sure that's going to happen."

Alexander's eyebrows go up. The look meant to stymie further questions about that is blithely ignored as he asks, "Did something else happen?" At least he looks concerned, and not like he's saving up gossip for the inevitable appearance on daytime TV. "And...yeah. Hospitals suck. Is there anything I can do to help? If you want me to try and help talk her into letting someone heal her, I will. So that you can go home together. I'd offer to just convince the doctors to release her, but those burns are legitimately nasty."

Easton looks at Alexander and just shakes his head, "Another time." He sounds both very tired and very morose about the topic. So yes, it's clear that something did in fact happen. He shakes his head and says, "I don't want to pressure her. If that's what she wants, I need to try and be okay with it." He tries to resign himself to that, both in this instance and in other areas of their relationship. He's just not very good at it. The thought that he only wants Bennie to not be hurt so that he can tell her something that's going to hurt crosses his mind and he sinks back into the bed to close his eyes.

Alexander stares in silence for a minute or two, before he inclines his head. "All right." It seems to cover both the unspoken event, and not pouncing on his girlfriend to make her get herself healed. He opens his mouth as if to say something more, but as Easton sinks back down into the bed, he rethinks it and stands up. "You should take the time you need to rest, too, Easton. Hospitals suck, but they're better than going home too soon and getting an infection." A pause. "I brought pumpkin pie. For you both." He moves the pie box to his bedside table. "I'll let you sleep. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." There's something a little tense and sad in the last sentence, and his lips press together for a moment before he turns away. "Same goes for Bennie, of course."

Easton's too lost in his own thoughts to notice the awkward silence that ensues and he seems almost startled when Alexander speaks again. He sits back up a little to nod at the instructions and thank him for the pie. "Alexander." He thinks better of whatever passed through his mind and says, "Thanks for coming. It means a lot."

"We're friends. No need to thank me." Nonetheless, Alexander's smile is as brilliant as it is brief at the thanks. "Get some rest. Don't die. Look after Bennie." And then he slouches his way towards the door, hands shoved back in his pockets, leaving the room like a bad thief.