2020-04-26 - Head Trauma

August doesn't look as good as his shiny new car does when he answers the door. He looks more like the car it replaced; worn, run down, beaten up. Especially the later. Swelling, bruising, the works, most of it around his head. It'd be very easy to think he started a bar brawl with the entire patronage of TIBS.

He's in gold and purple UW sweats and black, hard-soled slippers, and despite his appearance, smiles to see Erin. "Hey hon. Come on in. Got some hot water boiled if you want tea."

After parking her car, Erin had gone to the door and knocked. Her movements were brisk, she was concerned, that much is apparent when he opens the door and she gives him an immediate external once over. Worry deepens at his condition. "I wish you had called or texted me. I meant it when I said anytime." The scolding is very brief, the concern far outweighing anything else.

Dressed in her usual fashionable attire, she has a coat on over it since the cooler weather is insisting on hanging around. Stepping inside at the invitation, she gives him a warm smile which does nothing to lessen the worry there in her eyes. "I would love tea, but you need to sit down. I know how to make a couple of cups of tea."

Taking a moment though, she does look around at the home, "It's a lovely home. I'm not surprised you choose to spend time here."

August ducks his head, sufficiently chided to be a little embarrassed. "You know how it is, Erin. This happened to me because I've been doing too much. What am I gonna tell Patrick or Hyacinth if you wind up like this?" Weak defense attempted, he nods and leads her into the living room. He won't deny he'd rather be sitting; the room's still off-kilter and his vision's not quite right. He sits, wincing. "Thanks. It was Ellie's parents' place. She bought it from them." He manages a small smile. "It's definitely comfy. Great bath."

He tilts his head back and shuts his eyes. He's felt this bad before, and wants to not remember that time. So no, he's not going to turn Erin down. That's just how it is for him. "There's some chamomile packets in a box by the stove. And some orange spice if you want something caffeinated."

Erin can't help but to watch him as she listens, the consternation is gone to be replaced by a deep empathy. Nothing from glimmer abilities and everything to do with seeing the suffering of a friend. "I'll be careful. I won't do too much, I promise. Not if I can help it." They aren't empty words, the depth and weight of them aren't given lightly.

When he seats himself and looks to be resting, she goes to the kitchen to give him a chance to get comfortable again, and she gets to tea cups or mugs or whatever is convenient and she adds a teabag to each. "Do you take sugar or cream in your tea?" As for Erin, she adds nothing, but she does use one of the orange spice bags as opposed to the chamomile. His is the chamomile without asking. "It does feel comfortable here. Is she home now? Should I make her some tea as well?"

August grunts his agreement to 'not too much'. "Just the head would be more than enough. Cracked ribs I'm used to. Head trauma's a bigger problem." He cracks an eye open to watch her, thinks twice as his vision swims and nausea threatens, closes it once more.

"Cream and honey, yeah. Thanks." He sighs, slow and tired. "It was some sort of...talent pageant. Only it was with our power. I think..." He falls quiet a second, then, "I wonder if some of Their constructs in there weren't actually...other people, who'd been trapped in there after losing." He grimaces at the thought.

Erin goes about making the tea as instructed and as an afterthought she adds some honey to hers too. Once she's made them and put everything away again, she walks back to the area where he is seated. "I will look at you and see what is worse. I believe you though, about your head. A person can always feel what is worse, where the pain is. But I want to make sure there's nothing internal also, that was missed or cannot be felt."

The cup is offered to him by allowing the warmth of it to touch his hand so he doesn't have to open his eyes. "You know the drill." There's a smile and a ton of concern in her voice as she places her own down on the table before seating herself beside him, the gentle dip of the sofa a give away to her location. "Just relax." Her eyes go distant and she works on diagnosing him internally, It's not exactly successful. "Don't block me out.. please. I won't do too much."

August takes in a deep breath, lets it out. It's not easy, even with the smells of tea and the potential to sort all of this out; he's tense, and in pain, and more than a little out of sorts.

What's the worst thing you've ever intentionally done with your Glimmer?

He winces against a spike of pain behind his left eye. "Sorry," he says, and tries again. "It was like this after I first woke up in the VA. My head took a beating in Bosnia."

Dropping her voice a little, she speaks softer so it doesn't reverberate in his head like a megaphone. Quietly, she tries to slip in and diagnose again. "Please don't be sorry. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for you. Head wounds are frightening things, they are so unpredictable. The brain is a fickle thing."

Again, she tries to diagnose him through her medicine and glimmer together. "There we go," she reassures quietly, once she is able to check him out more thoroughly. There's a wince, but she tries to cover it up by adjusting her seating on the sofa and reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder just for the contact as she goes about trying to correct what is wrong.

"Yeah, they're definitely no fun," August murmurs. Erin can feel some of the tension leave him as the pain of the lingering injury from the garden party eases and fades. The beating he took last night is hanging on, but it's more bearable with the rest out of the way.

"Thanks," he says, voice low. "That's already better." His skin's less pallid, and he's breathing easier. Not fit as a fiddle, but not in imminent danger either.

Disappointed in herself, Erin does try and make him all better. All but the superficial wounds. When she is unable, she drops her hand and occupies herself with the tea, taking a sip of the still warm liquid. "Mmm, this is nice." Anything to avoid talking about perceived shortcomings.

Eventually she does though. "I'm sorry I didn't do more. Would you like me to come back tomorrow and try again? Maybe if you have another day of your body doing it's own natural healing will help? I'm off tomorrow so I can come by. I'd really like the chance to try."

August sits up and sets a hand on Erin's. "Really, you did a lot already. If you want to, well..." He hesitates, but it's that, or Finch, or the hospital. He's loathe to ask Finch to take on anything more; she's already swimming in Their attention after Ignacio's brush with death.

He sighs. "Alright. One more try. Then..." He steels himself, thinks of the woman whose house he's in. "If it doesn't take, we'll go to the hospital." He hasn't willingly checked into one in ages, but he can't keep refusing to do it. Not anymore.

"I'm a nurse there now." Erin tells him quietly. "At the hospital. So if you're ever there you can ask for me. I'll do pretty much anything for a friend. I've not been using my powers a lot lately. Jack doesn't really acknowledge glimmer exists so it's easy not to do it around him. I don't want to make him uncomfortable."

A smile, reassurance for him or her, either works. "I will try again tomorrow and if it's a no-go, then I will personally drive you to the hospital in my sports car." A lift of one side of her lips into a lopsided smile. "I've given Alexander a ride in it before. And Ruiz. So it's your turn. Hopefully it won't come to that though."

August arches an eyebrow about 'Jack'. "Ellie's brother's like that," he says on a rueful, sympathetic smile. "He was there last night, I think she said his friends took him to the hospital. Something about...falling out of his bunk." He rolls his eyes; oh the things the people who refuse to accept it will tell themselves.

He laughs a little, nods at the offer of a car ride. "Okay. I'm not much for owning a fancy car, but I'll never turn down a ride from one." He sips from his tea, sighs that the pain's down even the small amount that it is. That alone should get him through the day. "Thanks, Erin," he says.

"Not sure if you remember Jack. I took him to Alexanders party in the mountains. He owns the mechanic shop in town, graduated several years before me. He's pretty much moved in." Erin cannot hide the smile in her voice as she talks about him. "He's a good guy. I let him have his illusions that Gray Harbor is as safe as anyplace else. Not sure he really believes that, but.." a shrug. "A friend of his, when he was a kid, wandered off and was never seen again. It's shaped a lot about him."

Not going on about things, Erin smiles in response about the car. "Hopefully you won't need the hospital, but if so, we'll get you there." Finishing off her own tea she takes the cup to the sink and rinses it out before returning. "Anytime August, and I truly mean that. I wish you would call when you need me. I'll be by tomorrow."

August tilts his head, thinking back. It was only January and somehow still seemed over a year. "I do, yeah," he says. "Right, he does body work. I mean, on cars." A small cough for the other implied body work jack might do.

He sighs and nods. "Yeah, Lucas is convinced it's all just how things are. Sort of like Joey Kelly." He lifts one shoulder in an off-handed shrug. "They'll sort it out, or they won't, one way or another."

He gets up, if not to escort Erin to the door, at least to sort of imply it. "I'll tell Eleanor to call you, that way my own inability to take care of myself isn't involved. How's that." He sits back down, teeth setting against a wave of dizziness. "See you...tomorrow, Erin. Thanks again." He clearly intends to curl up on the couch until Eleanor comes home from work.

Something inevitably happens to open people's eyes to the supernatural here in this town. If not now, then later. I'll look in on Lucas too, but I've not seen him since a week or two ago at the Firehouse. I'll make sure he's getting medical help. I'll save the more glimmery stuff for you."

Erin watches him stand then sink back down again. If there's a throw blanket around, she'll offer it to him, it was still cool out at least. "Just rest and yes, please do have Eleanor call me. I'll definitely see you tomorrow." With that, she'll go to the door and leave, locking it on her way out so he won't have to get up again.