OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
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ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
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FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
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outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
Brynlee was once again, called into work. What was new? She had become accustomed to the call to the point she was tempted every single time to block the number. 'Wow, sorry! I am not quite sure how that happened!' It was an oh so tempting thought. One that constantly sat there and yet she never acted on. She knew that lives depended on her. Lives that others loved and cherished and wanted to see the next day and hopefully for much longer. Whether they were infected or sick, it fell on the red head in some form. And if she refused the call, she could be risking their lives by being short handed.
She sat at her kitchen table for a moment after accepting the call, staring at the warm coffee between her hands and briefly let her mind wonder. It was ridiculous how her mind thought of him as often as it did. She told herself a while back to forget him. He wasn't coming back. That after his scare and being released from the hospital, they restationed him somewhere. His job didn't care about his personal life, or the fact that he had a date with her. At least, she hoped it was just that and not the fact that he was just avoiding her after she quite literately saved his life.
She entertained the blonde in her mind for just a moment. Wondering if he was at least doing okay. Wondering how his leg was healing up. And remembering his hand in hers. With a shake of her head, she tossed the thoughts aside and got up, grabbing her scrubs and gear, her bag that quite honestly she wasn't sure why she carried around anymore considering all it did was go with her to work, sit in a locker, and then just be picked up to be brought back home. She never got to the snacks she packed. Never got to the change of clothes.
She made sure to dump out the coffee she didn't get to finish so that way it wasn't gross on her counter when she returned... possibly the next evening. Brynlee was out the door without a second thought and headed into work. Fifteen hours later, she was about to have at it with a nurse who had somehow lost her patient. "What do you mean he isn't in the room?" She asked. Though she didn't linger to hear the babble of the woman. She had a patient to find. Her red hair pulled back in a high ponytail swished behind her as she headed straight for the doors. Hoping to spot someone in the parking lot looking like they were trying to get away. But alas, nothing.
She stood outside the automatic doors next to the cafeteria for a moment, scanning the area as the nurse who had lost him scrambled behind her. 'He was just there... I left to come find you and... he was blonde. A cop who had gotten into an accident.' She placed her hands on her hips for a moment and hung her head. She was too tired for this. She had half a mind to go find her replacement and tell them that this renegade cop was their problem. As she raised her head, her eyes scanned the windows without much purpose. The woman's voice drowning out in her mind as her face grew pale at who she thought she saw sitting there...
Kane. Freaking. Shelby. Her heart immediately started working overtime as she stood there for a moment, her brown eyes wide and locked on him. "Is that him?" Her voice just loud enough for the nurse to hear her over her mask. There was a pause and then the nurse exclaiming 'Yes! Oh thank god.' Of course it was him. She held a hand out for his file, which was slapped into her hand as the nurse scurried away. Her eyes never leaving him until she opened the folder in her hands and moved to look for herself. 'Kane Shelby'. Son of a biscuit. So without much else reason, she walked in through the double doors, and made her way to stand into the cafeteria. Preparing for him to no longer be there by the time she got inside.
tag: @drbeau | OOC: paging dr beau (; do you need a hand?
"It seems to be a quite usual thing that happens in the hospital now- two doctors yelling rather than communicating to solve the problem."
A soft grunt of agreement left her, her eyes looking at the table below her face for a moment. Letting head hang there for a moment. "I just don't understand it. We don't have time for this now a days. We are all pulling doubles or triples. And I certainly don't have the time to listen to their ridiculousness. Yet somehow..." Her eyes flickered back up to him, lifting her face with a small sarcastic grin. "I am there to say 'now children, it is time for us to play nice.'" She turned on her best 'mother' voice, even wagging her finger in the air as she did so. Brynlee was not one. But she had a mother who had to parent five Valentine children, so she got to see and hear it plenty.
"Neurosurgery. As of late, I've been performing more general surgeries but I am not one to complain."
She caught the smile tossed her way, and her grin widened over her face. Freckled cheeks lifting high to crinkle the corner of her eyes easily. "Well, you are getting to keep your mind sharp and hands steady with practice at least?" She offered, at least there was a way that they could try and look at it in a positive light. She reached back and grabbed the pot off the warmer and made her way over to him. She would reach out and aim to pour the coffee into his mug as a refill, flashing him that smile of hers as she did so before retreating back to the counter top.
"From the sounds of it, the hospital is very lucky to have someone as versatile as yourself."
She shook her head with a small chuckle. "I guess so, they are just lucky I am good with my hands. And I hate standing still. Or else I would have parked my rear end a long time ago in a bed and rested until someone needed a machine fixed." She collected the sugar and creamer packets, several of each and after making her own coffee, she placed them on his table for him. As much as she could be 'every man for himself', she also had a kind heart when probably caffeinated. And she was just glad to not be sitting by herself in the break room. She slipped into her original seat, blowing the top of her fresh coffee to make sure she didn't burn her mouth.
She locked eyes onto the older gentleman for a moment, and when she went to open her mouth to ask him another question, a pager went off. She glanced at her own and realized that it wasn't hers, but it was Beau's. She raised a brow and gave him a knowing smile. "Duty calls?" She asked him, almost sad that their interaction may be cut short now.
Brynlee found the light smile resting on her face. It was almost as if she had a resting smile face, instead of a neutral one like a lot of other people. The smile was just always there in some small form unless there was a reason for another look to be there. "Your own clinic? That is quite the task there. Not a bad one by any means, but takes a lot of drive for someone to want to run their own." She mused out loud to her. She knew there had to be pros and cons to that. Pros being that you could do things your way, but cons being that you are the one it falls completely on.
She paused a moment to think over the question that Isobel had asked her. Then she turned her freckled face towards her. "No. I think it's unfortunate that this is the hot spot. But I picked Lethford for a reason. And I'm glad I did." There was no regretful tone to her voice. The situation sucked, absolutely. Hands down. But who was to say that if she picked another hospital, it wouldn't have ended up being the middle of the hot spot there? She didn't control how things worked, that was for sure. Or else she'd be rich, laying on her private beach and sipping a margarita right now with an attractive cabana man.
Brynlee chuckled lightly at the humble comment. "Don't get too carried away thinking that. I just think Dr Valentine makes me sound old. And I am not quite in that mindset yet." She teased. Watching the lights on the elevator lower down until they reached their floor. "I'm sure once I get older I'll want to be the 'Doctor' part. But you know, in a casual way." Did that even exist? She wasn't sure but it was fun to pretend. She wheeled their sleeping patient in with them and once the doors shut, she glanced over to the dark haired woman.
She laughed as the cuss word slipped out. Her head falling back on her shoulders, releasing the laugh high into the air. "Oh you are fine. Trust me. I am not the best." She laughed a little bit more. "I've been known for threatening doctors who break equipment because they are being reckless. Or they are just being idiots. So trust me, it's quite alright."
"I’ve been here for a few months but I’ve been in the OR most of those months, so we must have been passing ships."
She had been in there a few times. After the raids, she had found herself assisting along some surgeries that she shouldn't have been. Stuff that she had not done since medical school and yet, desperate times calls for desperate measures. She was better than nothing, she had steady hands and could think quick on her feet. "Guess I just haven't been lucky enough to be in the OR at the right time. In any case, welcome to Lethford General. Normally I have a bigger welcome bus ready, but we've been a bit busy." She teased lightly before she took a sip of her coffee. Letting the warm liquid warm her to the core and she leaned into the table a bit, her elbow down and hand propping up her chin as she stared over at him.
"I've assisted on a few surgeries, but it's been several weeks now. Ever since it's started to calm down from the raids. At the time, there wasn't that many options on who handed who tools." She told him. Of course, she was actually downplaying the exact role she had played in them. She hadn't been the surgeon but she definitely wasn't just one that stood in the corner taking notes. Though she also had been doing rounds like the other doctors as well, acting as residents to see who she could help diagnose and who she could discharge. Most of them remembered her if they came back. The red hair, freckles, and cheerful tone gave her away.
"I’ve seen your signature around, so it’s nice to put a face to the name. If I may, what do you specialize in..?"
She softened lightly, taking another drink of her coffee as she smiled at him. "If you mean what tasks I do when I clock in, who knows. Some days I'm a first year resident, other days an OR nurse, and the next day? Playing therapist for the two doctors who just can't seem to get along long enough to diagnose a patient who simply had a case of a twisted ankle." She laughed. It was not a false statement by any means. And she was sure that he would know that as well. Any doctor worth their salt was being used in more ways than their field now a days.
"But my degree will tell you that I am a biomedical engineer. So when you break something, let me know. Or if you have a patient who needs any prosthetics, I am your girl." She grinned, giving him a small wink before she down the rest of the coffee in her cup. It was only her first one, so she wasn't feeling too bad about emptying the cup as quickly as she did. With a quick push back, she stood and crossed the room back to the coffee machine, busying herself with the sugar and cream first before she grabbed for the pot. "What do you do in the OR?" She asked, peeking over her shoulder at him while she asked.
Brynlee watched as he came through the door, an older man who was still handsome in his age. She wasn't sure if she could recall his name, but she was pretty sure she might have run across him a time or two while on rounds or when she was was moving into rooms to fix something that was giving the nurses or doctors issues. She studied him probably longer than she should have, but she knew that it had to be because she was exhausted. Her usual sharp brain was starting to stall out after being stretched thin and running on mainly caffeine. It was actually quite funny how all doctors seemed to live strictly on coffee and energy drinks and yet preach about the importance of water intake to all their patients.
"I’d say ‘Good morning’ but I honestly don’t remember what time it is anymore."
She snapped out of it, glad that his eyes shifted away from her to focus on the task at hand. Giving her a moment to recoup and take a swallow of her own magic caffeinated drink before responding. "I don't think I could honestly tell you what time it was if you asked. So I will offer a 'Good day' to you." Her usual bright smile was tired but she was still able to find a genuine one to give him. Her freckled face watch him take his seat a table away, but being mindful enough that he sat so they were facing each other. He had good manners, and was actually well put together despite all of the layers that they were required to wear now a days. Quite impressive overall she had to admit.
"I’m Doctor Beau Atlas. Pleasure to spend my break with you."
She nodded her head towards him. Reaching up and pushing back the lose red hair that had fallen out of place, hoping that she didn't seem too exhausted or sloppy sitting across from him. Not that it really should have mattered too much. Her work spoke for itself, that she was talented. She clearly was a tinkerer, even before she went to medical school and had to go through all the testing that she did. Long before that she was taking things apart at home and then trying to see if she could put them back together as fast as possible while still making the unit work or work even better afterwards. An annoyance to her brothers and father, especially when they came home to a television pulled apart and the game was due on in twenty minutes. Sometimes she was able to get it under control and back together. Sometimes... she had permanently broken the device. Better the TV than actual people.
"Doctor Brynlee Valentine. But please just call me Bryn. And believe me, the pleasure is all mine. It's nice to see a face outside of a mask and the other layers now a days." She told him, her brown eyes crinkling at the sides as a small laugh left her. Brynlee was naturally a flirt, naturally playful and friendly to the point she could be overwhelming at times. Perhaps Beau was in luck that she was in one of the more milder moods. Or maybe he would have have enjoyed her personality on full blast. Maybe the coffee would kick in and he would get the glimpse of her, the old her, that most people seemed to enjoy. "Are you newer around here? I feel like I haven't seen you around much. Well, before the masks and face shields were mandatory. I would have remembered a face like yours."
It had been almost two months now since the raids. Things were slowly getting back to the way they were. The repairs were almost complete at the hospital from when the attack happened. They had almost all the patients out of the hospital who had been hurt during the attacks, the ones that remained were infected. Some of them had already passed, some of them were still struggling to make it day by day. But they were trying. And that had to be enough for the time being.
Brynlee had been at work when the raid happened, she was acting as if she was a resident, checking patients in. It seemed that her real job was starting to get forgotten about the more time went on. She was starting to be treated like a nurse or doctor. Which technically she was a doctor, but she had not specialized in surgeries and things of that sort. Yet she was finding herself elbow deep, quite literally sometimes, in helping. Even after the raid, she had been saved by a cop, well not a real cop. A man who was military but under cover, and after he had saved her, she had to save him.
She had threatened the surgeon to get a room ready for him. She was not losing Kane. And even then, when the man dared to argue that he couldn't do the surgery, Brynlee had grabbed the front of his coat and dragged him down to her face and made it happen. She had bruises for a few weeks after the attacks, but now she was healed and one would never know looking at her that she had been a part of something so traumatic.
She wasn't sure where Kane went, they had made plans, and yet those fell through and now she was left looking for him when she'd see a police car pass. Or looking over the uniform that walked in the door, looking for her blondie. But it was never him. She was starting to think that he had been pulled by his real job, and was moved somewhere else. It left her disappointed but she was busy enough as it was. There was no point in trying to read into anything if the man wasn't around. So instead, she found herself working those long hours again.
And with those long hours, it meant a lot of coffee consumption and break room visits whenever she could. She stripped out of her mask and outer coats outside the door and enjoyed being able to take a deep breath without being bundled in her protective gear. The break room was regularly sterilized and cleaned, which meant it was safe to sit in and enjoy a break. Brynlee was ten hours deep into a shift, her long red hair was braided back from her face. Though a few strands had escaped during the day to frame her freckled face. She set to work on starting to brew a large pot of coffee. If no one else joined her, she would at least have a good pot to herself.
While she waited, she readied a mug for herself. Cleaning it once more for good measure, adding the desired creamer and sugar to it before the timer went off on the coffee maker. She poured herself a large mug and then found herself a seat at a table. Blowing lightly on the steaming liquid as she heard the door open. Her brown eyes lifting to see who had decided it was break time for them as well.
Brynlee laughed lightly at her comment of 'before everything went to crap. Yeah she could say that all again. But with a different word. If this wasn't a professional setting, Bryn would probably have corrected her to saying 'shit'. Because that's truly what it had all gone to. Not poop, not crap. Straight up shit. It just wasn't the time for her to say something like that. Not with a groggy patient in between them. She nodded, "That's quite unfortunate for you really. Starting to regret picking Lethford yet?" She joked.
At times, Bryn had thought that she had messed up by picking Lethford and not a larger hospital in a big city. But she had fallen in love with the place before all the madness had happened. She was overall glad for it. Just not so happy that it was now the epicenter for the pandemic. That put a big damper on the idea of the place. But she met a lot of her friends here. And some other interesting people. One's that would risk their life to save yours.
"Please, call me Brynlee. I earned that degree but it isn't wholly me." She laughed, knowing that a lot of people took pride in being called Doctor. It wasn't that she didn't like it. She worked hard for her accomplishment. And introduced herself as such to show off her accomplishment. But she preferred her first name. It just made things easier really. And her name was not common enough for there to be a lot of Brynlee's running around a hospital floor that calling it out would get 4 different people there. It was just her.
"Why don't we get you back to your room. I'm sure that Dr. Isobel here would appreciate you getting some rest." She spoke to the man in the chair as she wheeled him towards the elevator. Though he seemed to have fallen asleep before they even got to the doors. "I'm sure this was a fun, panic moment this morning." She laughed, looking over to the younger woman with her. A light tease.
She liked the way he grinned at her. The way he seemed to light up at her taunting, at her teases and jabs. Brynlee had seen the look earlier, like he was trying to figure her out. And not in a bad way, in a way that made her feel a small blush rise to her cheeks. He was quite adorable in a way that a grown man who had saved her life could actually be.
“I'm just a normal cop miss, I don't have the slightest idea about what you're talking about.”
She nodded lightly, the smiling bursting through her trying to hold it back. She knew that he was giving her a hard time. Especially since they had bounced back and forth amongst the line of work that he actually did and the job that he used as a cover. If she was going to hang around him though, she should get used to going with his undercover job. The one she had met him in. Though she had to admit, she rather liked seeing him in action now that she looked back on it. She wouldn’t want to go back into that situation or any situation where he’d be called into action again, but she found it awe inspiring and very attractive in a whole other way. “Best damn cop I’ve come across.” She tossed his way.
ADA. So an abbreviation. She listened intently to understand what about it made him think it was the perfect nickname for her. She definitely had his back. She was the back up he had needed, dragging him out of the hallway after the explosion happened, trying her best to help pull part of the explosion from his legs. There was something about him that made it where she didn’t think twice about helping him. She felt a smirk tug on her lips as he talked about the ‘red-tail’ of the missile. She wondered where he got that from. Her own red hair probably a strong reminder. She stilled as his hand reached for her. Grabbing the red hair attacked to her head and she heard her heart beating loudly in her ears.
“Best back up you’ve ever had.” She gave a small smile. She wanted to kiss him in that moment. The urge filled her chest and threatened to have it split if she didn’t do it. She wasn’t one to hold back that feeling, so she leaned over to him and brushed a soft kiss across his lips before she tucked herself next to him. “I can live with being your ADA.” As if it was even the slightest of burdens for her to have.
“Yeah, I'll just pack you in my rucksack. You've had all your shots right?”
She smiled to herself, his head resting against the top of hers. “Up to date on them all. Though I must warn you, you would probably have to give up some supplies to fit me in that rucksack. Hope you know how to prioritize.” She still thought that he needed sleep. And she didn’t want to break the current idea that she could just curl up and go to sleep next to him after their meal. More likely than not, she would find a knock at the door calling her back into work. She could only imagine the number of people who have arrived since she had found herself in his room. But that was not for her to linger on at the moment. She wanted to soak up every second she had with him. It would carry her until they were ready to discharge him.
She nodded as he agreed to her terms. Bryn was really going to look forward to whatever time he was going to allow her to have. Whether he wanted to take up the whole time until she got called back in or only a few hours of it. She was going to take what she could get. At the mention of brothers, she laughed again. Feeling him shift, she looked up to him. “Three older brothers actually. And a little sister. We had a very interesting household growing up. And loud. But I guess you could have assumed that from meeting me.”
With Deb making her debut in the room, she found herself biting back a smile at his red cheeks. She found it fit him. Something she was coming to really like about him. She had made him blush a few times before, and she was just glad to see that despite everything happening with his body right now, he was still able to find it in himself to act like he was. They started in on their meals, and she nodded as he commented on her smart move. She had thought it was too. “Definitely questioning it now considering we are the hot spot for this virus. But at least I’ve met some people who’ve made it worth it.” She looked to him, as if pointing out she was glad she had met him.
“Alright. You called it on the jello. That's actually really good.”
She had another bite of sandwich in her mouth when he spoke up. She nodded, chewing thoughtfully as a smile pulled at her cheeks. When she swallowed she spoke up, “And you doubted me...” A small accusation on her tone. Ah, born and raised military. That made sense. “You aren’t like the usual cops.” She almost laughed every time she even said it. Knowing it was a lie, but she was trying to keep up with it. “You seem to have way too much heart for what you do. Not that it’s a bad thing. Just surprising is all.” Especially when she thought about his earlier comment of how she was far off her mark on the idea that he had casual hook ups.
She leaned forward and refilled his water, just in case the case of cotton mouth started acting up again. She had just finished off her sandwich when she heard her beeper going off. She wanted to scream at it. Instead she just groaned, her back hitting the bed next to him as it buzzed lightly, calling her back to the hospital floor. “You don’t happen to have that rucksack hidden anywhere in here for me to hide in?” She joked, her brown eyes looking over to him as her head twisted his way. She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay right next to him. But she also knew that the quicker her time went by, the sooner she’d get the call that he’d be ready to go home. And she would return the moment they did.
“Ahhh! So I was close,” She quipped to him. Her hand going to the invisible hat on her head to remove it in a mock bow. Looping her hand as she bent at the waist and then standing back tall with a bright smile. She snickered lightly as he offered to buy her a drink for her correct guess. “If there is anything left after you keep downing those bourbon glasses.” She teased, nodding toward the glass that he was nursing like a new born baby. She was curious as to how many he had had before she had shown up. He didn’t seem sloshed. But she also didn’t know his tolerance. Nor if he could stand up.
When he let out a dry laugh about lawyers and such, she found herself with a small look of accomplishment for a moment. He was warming up to her. Whether he actually realized it or it was the drinks helping, he was allowing her to slip in a bit. Enough that she earned a small smirk earlier and the briefest of laughs from him now. She downed another part of her drink to attempt to hide that look. Not wanting him to shut down because she was highly amused by this.
Her eyes however narrowed playfully at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll have you know, I do have a doctorate degree. There could be a lot worse people working on you. And who knows, by the end of this pandemic, I might be able to preform surgeries on my own.” Her hands finding home on her hips. A teasing look tugging at her features, making one brow rise up and a corner of her mouth also tug up in a crooked smile. She truly hoped that it would not come to that. She was already stumbling back through the rounds, trying to get used to actual doctor duties outside of fixing machines and such. She was a good resource, and she knew she’d be demanded a damn pay raise here soon because of it.
A frown reclaimed his face and she felt her look fall slightly. Whatever he was going through wasn’t light. It wasn’t as simple as her dilemma and she almost felt bad for asking. Almost. As he leaned over and took the whole bottle, she almost playfully tackled him over the bar top. “Hey! That was not part of the deal.” She almost laughed, the bottle pushed back in her direction as he dropped the bomb on her that he did. She almost took the bottle away, but instead she left it where it was. She’d cut him off, or wait until a real bartender did. She had no words for that statement. And she watched as he folded in front of her.
She had seen this before. Family members, close friends, the sorrow of the death of a loved one or a diagnosis that might as well had signed a death certificate. She had never been able to get over the pit that grew in her chest as they had to digest the news. And he looked drained. She pulled out another glass, filling it with water. Not that it would take away the feeling of the bourbon that he had already downed, but he would appreciate it a little bit in the morning. She placed the glass in front of him. “Drink up, Agent.” They hadn’t exchanged names, nor did she feel like she needed to at this point. She was okay with keeping up the rouse that he was a secret agent.
“If it had been you, then they would be sitting here in the same seat as you. Asking the red head pretending to be a bartender the same thing. We can’t control everything. Unfortunate at times. But we do not hold all the cards in our hands. What we can do, is play the best hand we can when we have the cards we are dealt.” She said, leaning to get on his level. Her brown eyes searching him for a moment as she pushed the water closer to him still. “What matters is what you can do to help. Suspension sucks, but doesn’t mean you can’t do other things. You’ve already checked hospitals for Jane or John Doe’s? Missing flyers? Called family or friends?” She was probably asking stupid questions, but hoped that maybe it sparked something for him.
Brynlee laughed lightly as the man mumbled to himself something about having a young woman worrying over him. She patted his shoulder lightly as she started pushing him down the hallway. “Now now, Mr. Jackson. That’s the best part of your stay here! All the attention you could want.” She laughed, a few strands of her bright red hair falling out of the messy bun she had thrown it in. She started pushing his wheelchair down the hallway with ease.
As she pointed out a few different areas to him, she was headed straight for the main nurses station to see if she could get some information on him. Where he was supposed to be and what exactly he was in the hospital for. She reminded herself to scrub herself down well, and get herself with the face mask on, she could never be too careful now a days. With everything, cases spiking, more people showing up in a panic to the hospital over the smallest cough, she was exposed more than ever to people.
Her head turned as she heard a voice draw closer, calling out to Mr. Jackson. Ah, here is who is supposed to be in charge of him. Clearly from her coat, she was a new resident. She remembered being there. She felt her cheeks lift as she smiled at the brunette. “Mr. Jackson seemed like he really wanted to come visit the front desk. Found him on my way in, and we’ve just been having a lovely little tour of the first floor. But I’m sure that he would love to get back into his bed, right Mr. Jackson?” She said, patting his shoulder lightly and leaning forward to look at him. He nodded tiredly.
As the other woman looked to her, thanking her, Brynlee waved her hand in the air in a dismissive way. “Just helping out. First year?” She asked lightly, giving her another bright smile. Brynlee was beyond friendly and was known for making people feel comfortable around her easily. “Dr. Brynlee Valentine,” She introduced her. “Lethford’s biomedical engineer who also apparently helps fill in on all other duties when people call out. No matter when I had left last.” She said with a small laugh, though clearly she was tired. “And you, doctor...?”
tag: Kane Shelby | OOC: i’m ready for ada to be explained!
She snorted out a small laugh as he choked on his drink. Not that she wanted him actually choking, but she knew he was tough and could handle the action. Her smirk flashing over her features as she stared down at him. His grin had her almost laughing again. “Never claimed there would be one. You are in for one hell of a ride if you stick around blondie.” She explained, a smug look on her face. He really was going to be entertained, at the very least.
Brynlee found herself eyeing him with a certain type of skepticism. “Hook ups, one night stands? Are those better ways to refer to them then?” She said with a raised eyebrow. She somehow didn’t see him not being someone who didn’t at least find the comfort of a woman for a night or so. No matter how busy he claimed his job kept him. Which made her think, was she willing to be one of those? A bed warmer for his time in Lethford, until he got called away, with more SEAL tasks? If he kept looking at her the way he was, she knew what her answer was. But he also would be in for a rude awakening if he expected her to be forgotten about.
She laughed as he held his hands up to her, apologizing for his ‘ma’am’ing her. “Be glad I am not going to make you walk back to your apartment.” She warned him. Though she found herself laughing. “’Defenseless?’, yeah okay. I have seen you in action. Even injured you were ready to defend me and that other nurse. I wouldn’t use that word to describe you, ever.” She pressed. “And besides, the back of my truck would be a nice smooth ride. You could lay down and everything back there.” She bit her lip to try and hold back the smile that threatened to burst forward. Though she felt her brows pull together as he called her Aida? A look that held a hundred questions was tossed his way.
“Aida? How in the world did you even get that from Brynlee?” She asked, laughing lightly. “Or do you mean like ADA? The American’s with Disabilities Act?” Now she felt like she was grasping at straws. What did that even mean? He seemed to really enjoy whatever it was that he named her. And now she was curious. And waiting far too long already for an explanation when he didnt’ just tell her right away why he was going to call her that.
He shifted her and at first she almost felt like maybe she laid on the flirting a little to thick until his arm wrapped around her. She let out a small breath of comfort as she did her best to not just plaster herself to his side, knowing his wounds were still tender even with pain killers on board for him. She readjusted her hold as he gave her his other hand and kissed the top of her head. “I should be telling you that. I wasn’t the one who just went through hours of surgery.” She said, tucking her head against his shoulder.
Her eyes flashed with amusement. He already wanted to keep her around in a small way, huh? “Maybe you can talk to your boss. I make a damn good addition to any team that needs a professional tinkerer. I have degrees to prove it.” She said with a laugh. “Dr. Brynlee Rose Valentine. Tinkerer extraordinaire.” She offered to him, though she couldn’t picture herself being a SEAL. Let along making it through boot camp. She would find herself in all kinds of trouble along the way with her wit and comments. And she certainly wouldn’t want it worked out of her.
“So its settled then. I get to black out sleep my first twenty four hours off, you invade my apartment for the rest of it. Sounds like a plan blondie.” She sealed the deal. Whether he realized it or not, he had just signed himself up for a rather interesting date, that might be more than a few hours. She did huff out a small, smug laugh at his comment of the person defying her wishes. With that damn nickname tacked on. “He did not stand a chance. I made sure of it.”
As he asked about Lethford, it wasn’t one that she hadn’t answered before. Her family asked the same thing. With as bright and bold as she was, why did she not shoot for the biggest hospital to be in. Where her talents would truly shine through and used to their fullest capabilities. A knock on the door had her looking at him for a moment. “Hold that question,” She said as she untangled herself from the bed and went to the door. “Ah, you little saint Deb, bringing forth the best morsels for us!” She joked as she opened the door for the food to be delivered. The little woman came forth as she swatted Brynlee’s arm playfully. Her gray hair was pulled back and she seemed to do a double take at Kane in the bed. She shot Bryn a look which could only be returned with one that said “oh I know. He’s quite the looker isn’t he” back.
“Well I wish she would have warned me about a handsome man being the one she ordered food for. You dearie, are just adorable. You take good care of little Bryn here, she’s a handful.” Which earned a wide eyed, shocked expression from the red head. “Deb!” She laughed lightly as the woman waved her hand over her shoulder as she left the room. Only to let Brynlee stand there with her arms crossed over her chest and laugh. “And that’s Debbie for you.” She walked back over and immediately moved her wave back to sitting beside him in the bed, pulling the tray stand close so they could both reach the arrangement in front of them.
“Lethford,” She started as she lifted the tops off their plates to reveal their BLT’s and sides of jello. “Honestly, I wanted to start off small. Get my footing with my job, start to build a name for myself in a way. Lethford offered that for me. And I’m sure after my resume now, I could transfer to where I wanted to. Though I haven’t quite gotten to that next step yet. Where to go, what to do.” She said with a light shrug as she grabbed the sandwich and took a bite. It was utter perfection for a BLT. She chewed thoughtfully before she looked at him. “What made you want to be... a police officer?” Her tone suggested that she didn’t actually mean ‘police officer’, but was hinting at his SEAL decision.
”Well I figured since you've seen the inside of me, sharing food wouldn't be such a milestone.”
Brynlee immediately felt the banter rise in her. Unable to stop herself even if she really wanted to. Her freckled face lifted into a smirk. “I did more than just see the inside of you. I was inside of you.” She laughed. It wasn’t every day that she got to do something out of the normal for her, or perhaps it was becoming normal at this point, and still have some flirting with the patient afterwards. Not to push aside the fact that she had also already shared a kiss with him as well. More than one. Her cheeks tinted a light pink at the sudden memory, but the smirk didn’t fall. “How many of your dates can say that to you?” She joked.
”That's some high praise for Jello. I was always more of a pudding kid, but I'll give it a shot.”
She snapped her fingers together, and exclaimed, “Well, damn. That’s information you’ve gotta tell a girl before she starts placing orders. Next time we will shoot for pudding. That’s not at the hospital. Trust me on that one.” She laughed, her hands going up at that point to try and detangle a few pieces of her red hair that she was sure was a mess at this point. And when her eyes met him, she had to just enjoy the moment.
She knew that she could be overwhelming at times. She had gotten off on the wrong foot several times with people over the fact that she’d push their comfort zones. She overstepped clear boundaries most the time. Some people really enjoyed it, made it so that there was none of that awkward ‘hey, hows the weather today?’ kind of conversation. But Kane, he was the one who was making her feel slightly overwhelmed, in a good way. In a nerve wrecking way. In a way that made her heart pound and a wide smile take up residence on her face. And when he ‘ma’am’ ed her, she almost swatted his arm. Stopping herself just shy of his arm, suddenly remembering why he was in the hospital bed.
She pursed her lips at him then. “You are just bound and determined to be in trouble for that word aren’t you? You keep that up and you will be riding in the back of my truck.” She teased, trying her best to hold back the smile that was tugging at her. She already warned him before she hated being called ma’am. Though she knew it was that military training in him, and maybe it was also because of her reaction now that he liked to press on about it. His way of teasing her just as she did to him. “Does it work the same way to you if I call you ‘sir’?” Wondering if it struck the same playful nerve.
Brynlee shrugged next to him as he talked about barricades and what the military could be doing to support them. “Honestly, it could be up for all I know at this point. I’ve been running between so many cases, I’ve barely had time to think about breathing, let alone what is happening outside this building. Though you seemed to take up quite a bit of those thoughts.” She teased, her hand reaching out to try and grab the one closest to her. If she managed to snag it she’d pull it to her lap and stroke the backside of his hand with her other one. A bold move for just about anyone else, but she liked being bold with him.
She let out a snort, as if mocking a laugh. “Yes, because clearly that tactic has worked so well this far.” She said, without her actually pointing at the fact that the people did just revolt and started something so violent in their city. She shot a look over her shoulder to him. “Sorry, I blame being exhausted for that.” She offered a small smile, her hand still stroking his lightly as he asked her about a hobby. “When I was a kid, I used to take things apart around the house and put them back together again. See if I could make them work just as well if not better.” She laughed lightly at the memory. “My dad used to get so pissed. He’d come home from work, and find the television apart in pieces on the living room floor. I always got it back together for the third quarter of the football game though.” She said, flashing a smile over to him. Her brown eyes crinkled lightly in the corners at the memory. “But honestly, I think this time off will be more spent in bed, eating, and maybe with some of your company as well.”
As he complimented her, she stared over at him for a moment. She was action oriented. Had always been that. Blame it on having four other siblings and having to stand out. But to hear him, out of all people, give her that compliment, was something that made her cheeks heat up. “I think you’d be most proud of the moment I almost kicked a surgeon’s ass for trying to brush me off when I told him to prep the surgery room.” She laughed lightly. It was true. She dragged that man right down to her height and was ready to go toe to toe with him. “I had to protect you, and I think I did a damn good job.” She smiled bright at him, giving his hand a light squeeze as she looked at him.
”Hmm. How about a BLT? Not too heavy and you get bacon. Maybe I can tempt you into splitting some fries with me?”
She smiled lightly. The bread wouldn’t be too rough, lettuce wasn’t harsh, and if he felt up for the bacon they could give it a shot. Starch wasn’t bad either, normally she’d recommend the regular buttered pasta to people but she had a feeling this wasn’t his first go around. “Sharing food? Isn’t that more a second date kind of thing?” She joked lightly, her brown eyes narrowing lightly on him in a playful way. Even in a hospital bed he was handsome. She reached over to the side of the bed and picked up the phone, pressing the numbers until she head a voice pop through. “Deb, it’s Bryn.” She smiled as the woman on the other end greeted her with excitement. Her eyes moved over to look at Kane for a moment as the woman chatted away for a moment on the other line. Clearly she was busy and needed someone to just vent to, which the redhead would offer that spot to her. But her eyes remained focused on the man in front of her. She was drawn to him unlike any other and the way he looked at her made her stomach do back flips.
“Hello? Bryn are you there.” She snapped out of it and quickly turned her attention back to the phone. “Ah, yes sorry Deb. Listen, can you send up two BLT’s and a plate of fries to 204? And the best jello you have. You’re a doll. Thanks!” She hung up the phone and turned her attention back to Kane. “Be glad I have some connections. That jello is going to rock your world.” she said with a small smile. She could feel the tiredness pulling at her, but it was not a new feeling. Lately, she had been doing this show and had it memorized. Besides, she wasn’t ready to clock out just yet. Not with Kane up and actually seeming like he was a in rather good spirits considering everything.
“Do you still want to take me up on a date after hearing all that? Let me feel your head, you might be the one needing some medical attention.”
She chuckled as his hand made contact with her forehead. This was something so familiar. Something she had joked with him about the first time that she met him. That he needed more medical help if he saw things different from her, and that they’d work out the cost because that police salary might not cut it. She wondered how long he had been undercover at that point. “You can’t back out of it that easy.” She pressed back to him, only to shut her eyes as his hand moved down and his thumb slid over her cheek. She slowly reopened them in time for his eyes to land back on hers. He spoke about them being even, and she found her lips twitching into a smile. They were in a way. He saved her, and in return, she had saved him. With some assistance at the end, but she got the job started. “Ditto.” She shot back, this was clearly their mutual playing ground. She looked him over, just once before she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek before she sat back on the bed.
As he brushed off her offer to take him home, she shook her head at him. “Oh no, you are getting a ride home. It’s in your paperwork that you are released to me.” She pushed on, a look of confidence on her. One that said ‘try me, I’ll win this fight’. She had a lot of pull here at the hospital and quite a few people owed her favors. So she’d make it happen. Though her smile fell a bit as he asked about the aftermath. Did he really want to know that? She took a deep breath as she looked towards the door. “It’s rough. We have a lot to try and recover from, we are overwhelmed with the numbers. Our biggest concern is trying to keep the infected away from everyone else.” She paused before she shifted herself. She moved so she could sit next to him and face the same way he was facing. She didn’t press herself against him as she sat, she didn’t want to cause any pain.
“City hall is a mess. The police station was overrun at some point. Of course, all the information we are getting is that ‘everything is back under control’ and whatever other bullshit comes out of them. But the hospital officials are expecting really high amounts of deaths. We lost several of our own already.” She let out a sad laugh that came out in a harsh huff. “Thankfully they are giving us who went through the riot some time off. I postponed mine for a bit. I didn’t want you waking up without me here.” Brynlee wasn’t sure why that mattered so much to her. But she had put up a good fight on it. And thankfully they didn’t push it too much. They did need some staff still there while others took time off.
Joking was good, she thought as he grinned at her and went on about how she doubted her own skills. It made her heart feel like and she couldn’t help the small laugh that came from her at it. He was so much more confident in what she did than she was. What she did for him, was so out of her element. She did the best she could, but at the end of the day it was the surgeon that she almost gave a beat down that really saved him. “I’m glad to see you feel very confident with that statement.” She laughed, giving him a small glimpse at the insecurity and uncertainty that she had felt. What he did have working for him, was the fact that she was not afraid to find someone to give him that chance. Even though she assisted in the surgery, she was just a pair of steady hands.
Brynlee found herself watching him closely as he drank some water. A doctor’s eye in a way. Her siblings found it quite unnerving when she did it, but it was her way of assessing that things were working normally. He obviously had cotton mouth from the pain killers, which was normal. It meant they were working for him. She made a small note in her mind to maybe see if they could switch to something else that wouldn’t affect him as much. She was personally one that would rather feel pain than not feel in control of herself completely if she could. And thankfully she had never had to deal with anything like he was right now.
“How are you? When's the last time you've eaten something? Can I tempt you into having some five-star gourmet dinner with me?”
She felt her heart pick up a little as he fussed over her for a moment. Here he was, lying in the hospital bed, pain medication on board, body recovering from surgeries and exhaustion, and he was here worrying about her. When was the last time she ate? God, probably before everything happened at the hospital. Her stomach growled at the thought and she let out a laugh. “Trader.” She said down to it before she got up and grabbed the menu. It wasn’t the best thing ever, but she had to admit that the food, for the most part, was pretty damn good for hospital food. She knew what was on the menu by heart by now. And she handed it out to him. “I’d suggest something light. I don’t want you emptying your stomach because of the meds. It won’t be fun on your end.” She joked, but it was also partially true.
When she had his dog tags out for him, she watched his face. She had so many questions for him, and she couldn’t imagine the answers that she’d even get. Of course, she had looked over the information stamped on them. It seemed his name was what he told her. At least that was true. And she was sure that he had been genuine in their interactions. So why did it matter that he lied to her about being a police officer? As he took them from her hand, she shifted her weight from one foot to another but never looked away from him as he started talking. Her arms crossed over her chest as she listened.
Undercover. Dear God, what was going on that a navy SEAL was having to be placed undercover as a police officer. And from what she saw, he was a damn good one. No police training taught him how to handle the situations she saw him handle as easily as he did. She searched his face as if words would appear for her to read them to tell her what to do. Could she be trusted? Of course. That she had no question about. She glanced at the door herself, wishing that there was a lock she could slide into place so they could be unbothered by anyone and everyone that could come thru it. She crossed the room and took a seat on his bed, bending her knee up so she could sit closer to him.
“I thank you officer blondie for saving my ass back there.” She said with a slow smile. “But I will warn you, I will have so many questions on that date you promised me.” She was grinning by the end of that sentence before she took the menu from him and looked down at it with a thoughtful look. “Now, how about we get something to eat. We can try and get you out of bed afterward if you’d like to try out your legs. I already told the nursing staff that when you are released to let me know if I’m back on duty so I can take you home.” She wasn’t going to be told no. She would see him home when the time came.
She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, nor why her body felt weirdly placed. The first thing that stirred her was a soft weight being placed over her. A blanket, which only made her sigh and relax a bit more. Letting the warmth start to cover her which just made her feel the exhaustion in her muscles loosen up a bit more. And then the soft movement of a someone holding her hand. Her hand twitched lightly at the feeling, encouraging whoever it was to keep on. Their warm hand was comforting and she wanted them to continue in the daze of her sleep filled mind.
And then a ringing started up. A soft groan left her. No, it was too early to have an alarm going off. There shouldn't be an alarm. But the grunt of pain was what caught her attention. Her eyes pried open only to reshut when the light hit her and caused her to be temporarily blind. She wasn't at home. She was inside the hospital still. Which made sense because she didn't remember driving home.
"Shh, it's okay. Go back to sleep."
Oh, she knew that voice. Her mind immediately pulling up an image of bright blue eyes. Kane. The police officer... no. He wasn't police. Military of some kind. The dog tags gave her that clue, and the fact that he mentioned something to her about SEAL training. Her eyes opened as she heard him talk again. The muffled voice replying to him as well. She shifted her head and looked up at him. Tears pricked the corners of her brown eyes, seeing him awake, talking. He was okay. When he hung up the phone, they met eyes and she gave him the brightest smile. One that she was sure would have broken her cheeks if that was possible. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, blondie." Her voice was rough from sleep, but she was so happy to see him.
Brynlee sat up and did a once over of him in the bed before she reached for his clipboard and briefly looked over the latest readings. Well, look at that, they were just there not too long ago. "Vitals look good," She said lightly, for once being at a loss for words as she placed the clipboard back into its spot on the end of his bed. She turned to look at him and she gripped the blanket a little tighter around her shoulders. "You had me scared there for a bit. And that's one hell of an accomplishment there, I normally don't spook easily." Truth be told, she was scared beyond anything she had felt. Even more so then when she was being forced against the door when the masked man was trying to force her to open a locked door.
"How are you feeling? We had to do a bit more intensive surgery when I got us out of that room. You had a few blood transfusions as well. Oh, and here," She jumped up and headed to a pile of now clean clothes of hers in the room. She reached into a pocket and pulled out his dog tags, the ones she removed before they wheeled him into surgery. She had a feeling that whatever he was doing, it would be best if they didn't see that he was not a cop like what he told her before. "I figured you wouldn't want everyone seeing these."
