#tomorrow is my last day on antibiotics so my sleep will no longer be interrupted by alarms to take meds

[hexxborne]

pbbbbts a little bit because fuck im so tired

[akimmito]

Heroes are made by the path they choose

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Master List

Chapter 11

It's not the MT

Silent Hill: Nightwing and Robin have gone to Paris.

It’s a Nara: Do you know their motives? We are not aware of any crime or related crime network between Gotham and Paris

Silent Hill: Red Hood told them about the MT

Almost pretty: Corvus should pay him a visit and shoot him in the knee

Three balls: with real bullets

Plasticine: or a rocket launcher

Wild goat: Can I go? So I can test my confetti grenades

Silent Hill: I think that sense of humor fits in well with Gotham

Needle: With the rogues

Olive: I totally approve of any kind of aggression against the nosy man

Great mother: If you do something illegal, make sure no one knows it was you

Almost pretty: the boss has spoken

Divine gift: It’s my duty to remind you that you must be investigating, if the foreign watchers have affairs with us, we will know in due course. Let's not do anything rash.

It’s a Nara: He’s right. I'm going to check the security cameras for any sign of them… Is Nightwing wearing his own outfit or did he come as Batman?

Silent Hill: Batman can't leave Gotham

The Antibiotic: Do you think if I get on a roof I can get a Nightwing autograph?

Wild goat: If you get on it, maybe Byakko accidentally shoves you into the void

-------------

Marinette sighs as she watches the group chat, foreign vigilantes while she and Felix have plans to get out of Paris, just wonderful, but she can't stop to think about it. She must first speak to Damian and then prepare for her travel.

She's heading towards her son's room, she can hear the little barking of the puppies as she gets closer. Adult dogs are used to sleeping in a room set up for them, except for Ícaro, the Australian Shepherd, who likes to sleep with Damian when he visits (which means that there will now be five dogs in that room, alongside Picatso, Dafne prefers to sleep with she). She knocks on the door and before long, he opens it, wearing only his pajama bottoms because his shirt is being used as a bed by Ringo.

"Is something wrong, mother?" Damian opens the door completely for her to enter, ignoring, for the moment, his previous fight against the cubs for his kidnapped shirt.

"Yeah... Tomorrow I will go on a trip with Felix, we will go to Turkey."

"Why?"

"Oh well, it's... there's a prodigy in Turkey and it seems like a demon wants it, so we'll find it before it becomes a problem." She explains, she was about to tell him about John, but with her out of the country, there was nothing to prevent him from discovering his identity and she doesn't know what could happen for his small Machiavellian head.

Marinette loves her child, but she can't quite predict it right now. Luka, a divine gift for her, explained that Damian doesn't want to be taken away from her and that he fears that someone external can achieve it, that he desperately clings to the only person who loves him for what he is and that if they take him away from him add more weight, separate he from his new family; that she represents his whole world. He also explained that it will take a while for him to get used to receiving people outside the MT, especially if they seem to show interest in she and that after Michel Laforet, well, the boy doesn't have a good impression of men. Although he showed bewilderment about his reaction for his two new clients, since he was openly hostile and he could not give him a definitive answer, but that he would analyze his behavior to help him go through the process he's living.

"I see... why don't you take me, mother? Am I not good enough to accompany you on your missions?" She sighs to see his hurt look and sits on the sofa in the room, inviting him to sit next to her, he immediately obeys and sits down, allowing himself to be embraced by his mother.

"It has nothing to do with anyone's abilities, if it did, it will lead other team members not only to Felix." She explains, beginning to pat her son's head, looking up at the ceiling as she decides to explain herself better and be totally honest with Damian. "When I founded the MT, I had been working alone with Felix for a while we were looking for evidence to convict Gabriel Agreste once and for all, we found so many charges that the prosecution would have a field day in the case... so that our victory was bitter because someone stole the butterfly brooch..."

"Mother, why are you telling me that? I know the story. ”He interrupts, not understanding Marinette's intentions.

"I know, you know the origin, but not the process." She responds with a nostalgic smile. "We spent half a year locked up cursing the person who dared to steal the Miraculous and realized that, as heroes, we could not hunt it without attracting attention... Hence the first idea of the MT arose and we founded it officially a week after the last Gabriel's trial, along with Kagami and Tomoe, who joined Luka soon after. Adrien decided not to be an active part of everything, but he became an unofficial member a year later because of his desire to find Nathalie's murderer, becoming an informant and investigator, everything that we could not take, he did it by getting a job modeling in the city where I was supposed to go. "

Damian did not know that, he believed that Agreste was affiliated with the MT just because he was previously one of the heroes, but, considering that not all the old Miraculous wearers are related, he should have considered another possibility (especially since the old wearers still wield a prodigy and he doesn't). He credits him for his commitment and intelligence to have a reason to go to those places, that also explains why he has been modeling for so many brands (some very strange ones like a brand of sardines with yellow peppers, he still remembers the jokes in the chat about his sardine costume).

"After we had an initial team in place, we started building our local network and expanding it using my grandmother Gina's connections, before long we were up and running and took Tomoe's recommendation to build a stronger team, in part for our work and so that the prodigies would have more places to be transferred… Each person who associates with the MT and proves to be loyal, receives the tattoo of the guardians. "Damian goes away to see his mother, that is something that he didn't know,  why? "That is why everyone knows magic, although not everyone is compatible..."

"Why don't I have it?"

"Because I wanted you to have options, not because you are my son and part of the MT means that you must bear that responsibility. I took you out of an organization where you were against your will… I wasn't going to put you in another, that's why we didn't introduce you to training until you asked for it. "Damian doesn't know what to say, is she taking his decisions into consideration? Does he want to be part of it in the same way as the others? He doesn't know, because he doesn't know what it means to be a guardian, but if he ask, his mother is sure to explain and give him all the time he need to make a decision.

"Why are you telling me now?" It's the only thing he can ask, he doesn't understand how conversation came to that.

"Because it's one of the reasons I am not taking you to Turkey." He understands, that is a job for them as guardians and he's not one, it should be obvious, but he still feels displaced. "The other is directly related to the history of the MT... I learned to work with Felix, we both know what to do and we don't stop, we create our own system over the years. We have had our difficulties, like four years ago in Liverpool, but here we are... And we just need to learn to coordinate us, for you. "

Marinette draws him back into her hug, this time placing a kiss on his head.

"What is the reason for the nicknames in the chat?"The question surprises Marinette, he was complaining about it, especially since his is Olive.

"Protect the identities of informants affiliated with the MT, that is, those who received a tattoo, but who are not part of the official registry."

"Is your lover one of those?"

Marinette smiles in amusement, of course her child would start tying up dots. Taking into account that they are traveling almost unexpectedly (he knows when it's so and it not a planned one, because she would have warned him in time) and for that to happen he must have found out very recently, that is, the day before and that day was see to John.

"Yup... And I won't tell you what his code name is." He just clicks his tongue, there are four users whose identity he doesn't know: God Shit, Not in Hell, Guardian Angel and Silent Hill. It could be any one of them, but he's noticed that Silent Hill maybe a girl, so he dismisses it. Returning to the users, only one is active, the others have not spoken to date, despite the fact that they are registered and that makes it more difficult... especially since man is related to magic, the occult and those things, hardly he can dismiss one and only because he's sure Guardian Angel is too bright for someone he know deals with demons, leaving him with the last two.

"I'll find out eventually. "He declares and Marinette knows it's true, one way or another he will. She hoped that didn't imply any international problem, considering that John lives in England.

"I know." She hugs him tighter before releasing him. "I wish it lasted longer, but I have to finish packing... Rest, Damian. I will come in the morning to say goodbye, I love you. "

Marinette gets up, but not before leaving another kiss on her son's head and then leaving the room.

Damian watches her go and his head begins to form a plan to take advantage of his mother's departure.

He will find the lover and question him (he will also threaten him a lot).

----------

Marie L. @MarieLenoir

It's always a pleasure to contribute to a good cause. Istanbul wait for us.

Chloe B. @BourgeoisQueen

I also want to travel, how unfair it's to be trapped in Paris

Dick Grayson @TheFlyingGrayson

The vigilantes of this city feel very happy or maybe Batman is too gloomy

Roy @RoyHarperQ

@TheFlyingGrayson Probably, although Green Arrow can be very gloomy when he wants

Jason @IAmYisus_XD

@TheFylingGrayson yes, well, it's that Batman is the living reflection of Gotham... gloomy and a piece of shit

-------

Damian gets up early and rushes into his mother's room to get Plagg out and talk to him, the night before he placed an order for various types of gourmet cheeses and his beloved Camembert cheese (specifically Camembert from Normandy), to please the more exotic tastes of the little god (especially since he has money that he doesn't use and has been accumulating for too long and this was a strategic move for information).

He takes him to his room, Longg is already awake and looks at him without much surprise, deciding to ignore the situation, knowing that he's a boy on a mission, the best thing to do is wait and advise him in a timely manner.

"Plagg, I need you to tell me the name of my mother's lover."

"Boy, as much as you want to say it, I won't betray... What's that?" The little cat asks noticing that the computer screen is on a website that he knows well, that's where Marinette asks for some cheese on occasion.

"That is the cheese order I made for you, if you tell me the name, of course, otherwise, I will cancel... All those cheeses that mother only allows you to eat once every three months, lost by a man." Damian smiles when he sees the excitement shining in Plagg's green eyes, he is sure he will say him.

"Did you ask for Camembert?"

"The original, Camembert of Normandy. "

Plagg is in conflict, so many delicious cheeses at his fingertips.

"When you get back from Turkey, they'll be here waiting for you." Damian keeps pushing for the name, he needs to know it, and besides Felix, Plagg is the only one who knows him and the little god is easier to convince. "You just have to give me a name. "

"FINE! Don't torture me, boy. "

"So?"

"John Constantine, blond, out of the same hell. You will recognize him immediately, he never quits the damn cigarette. I don't know how Marinette enjoys being with him, it's all the unpleasantness of humans combined in the same man. ”Plagg says wearily. "I better see those cheeses when I get back or I'll cry with Marinette about how cruel you were to me. "

"I think we all know that's impossible." Longg intervenes from his location, away from both of them. He watches with a little amusement the interaction of both, he knows that to obtain that Plagg decides to cooperate normally requires less moral methods. "It would be more credible that you were cruel to my dragon. "

"I can use blackmail, however, you're warned, boy. I can also cause nightmares. ”Plagg leaves the room to give his warning, returning to Marinette.

Damian smiles and goes back to bed satisfied, waiting for his mother to say goodbye and to plan how he will get to that man to talk. He pulls out his phone and starts checking group chats, Not the MT is always one of the most active, although Let's save Adrien is also usually enough active when they plan crazy and ridiculous ways to get rid of Lila Rossi, Adrien's wife.  Among the most extreme forms is sending her to hell or offering her as a sacrifice to some ancient god in America, although he knows that they will not do that, because only his mother can and she doesn't approve (she also scared them telling her about how everything can go wrong and condemn them all to hell, no one ever mentioned it again later.)

After a while finishing reviewing all the conversation that followed about the vigilantes and as the other heroes they know or admire got sidetracked, he leaves his phone aside and lets Picatso jump on him purring happy to be petted, the puppies seem they share the idea and they also get into bed... the best they can, although their jumping skills leave a lot to be desired, at least they are creative dogs.

Several minutes later, after feeling sorry for Ringo and putting him to bed, Marinette, completely groomed, gives him a funny but affectionate look before fully entering and sitting on the bed.

"Felix will be here soon, do you want to have breakfast with me before I leave?"

"Of course, mother."

She smiles and takes Titus in her arms to carry him with her, Damian takes Ringo when he gets up and Milo jumps out of bed to go after them, with Picatso following close behind. Ícaro continues sleeping.

-----

Bruce Wayne is Batman

I can jump from eighth floor and survive: Who changed the name of the chat?

I'll rest when I die: The same one that changed our names ... at least it's right

Hell rejected me : I think it gives us more personality than our names

I can jump from eighth floor and survive: Ok?

I can jump from eighth floor and survive: So! Since we will spend several days in Paris, I thought it would be good to wait a little to see the routes without them knowing about our presence

Hell rejected me: So yeah you are going to show up

I’ll rest when I die: It seems so, although from what I discovered patrols take turns in pairs or trios, last night only the sighting of Byakko and Genbu was recorded.

I’ll rest when I die: And last night it was Pyxis and Caelum

Nothing escapes me: They must have a very well protected base of operations, perhaps magic, I identified a network that connects all of Paris, but not the source

Nothing escapes me: I deciphered the accessible code, but it's incomplete. I don't think I can go any further

I can jump from eighth floor and survive: That only tells us how competent they are, I think we can get to know them and not meddle more in their affairs

Hell rejected me: Considering that all your interest is sexual, yep it's posible

I'm not Batman: What are you talking about?

--------

Max is not usually frustrated much, he has had to develop his patience and mental strength to solve the problems he encounters, but among the attempt to find the source of the MT by an unknown hacker (although if he must guess it must be related to the bats) and appreciates the magical defenses that only allow just a bit to crack all the code, just the general parts that don't show anything from the entire system. Of course, he could hack back and issue fixed, preventing him from trying again, but his priority is developing a new algorithm for butterfly detection, the old one was unfortunate when tested with one of Duusu's feathers (being that they share the same characteristics).

He has not slept the last twenty-four hours and is beginning to resent, but he must wait for Marc's arrival to be able to drop into one of the beds at the base for a little nap, if someone else comes with him, much better, so they can check all manual while he rests.

With Marinette and Felix going on a trip, it's inevitable that the leadership will fall into the hands of Chloe, who seems ready to go to war at the first hint of the butterfly (also Kagami, but she's leaving more ready to go on a murder mission).

This is not how he thought everything would go, they had seven years of preparation and at the moment of truth, none of them really knows which direction to take. Marinette and Felix are very determined to analyze the whole situation from a general perspective, looking at each variable and, while he agree, most of the team seems to want to just go after the thief and take away the jewel, without fully considering that this new villain's way of acting is much more lethal, his Akuma are well thought out to generate problems for them if they make any mistakes, as happened with the last attack if it wasn't for the second chance they would have lost (Luka explained what happened).

"Good morning..." Marc comes in yawning, his hair totally disheveled and still wearing his pajama bottoms, but with a dark blue sweatshirt on. He decided to sleep at the headquarters the night before to facilitate his arrival, in the same way Luka and Alix, because their work schedules allow it (advantages of being their own boss).

"Good morning, today you can dedicate yourself to review the surveillance cameras... although so far none have caught the butterfly."

"Okay, I'll check."

"I'll leave you then, I'll go to sleep... will you wake me up when breakfast is served?" Max gets up from his chair and feels his bones creak with movement, resentful at his disuse.

"Sure." He smiles sleepily and adjusts himself to the vacant post, ready to manually check each camera, starting with the ones closest to the last Akuma and starting to rewind to, perhaps, identify something.

He spends about three hours like this, watching the video tapes of at least four cameras from where the Akuma originated, noting that the butterfly is arriving and then the giant rhomb is present, but when he looks for the route... he only loses it, as if it had just appeared near the victim's residence.

There are multiple cameras in that area, but there are still blind points, if someone knows the exact location, they should be able to position themselves in those places. Could it be that the new villain was close to his future victim? Will he live there or did he decide to run to the place? If it's the latter, it makes him bolder than Gabriel, that's for sure, but it should make him more sloppy and still they are unable to find a clue.

According to Max, who was reviewing footage, the first Akuma came out of nowhere. No camera records the butterfly that should have come from somewhere.

So for him there are only two viable alternatives and neither is positive for his research.

Still, the possibilities are various and he can only guess the villain's line of thought.

[fluffyllamas-23]

The Blind Date (2/2)

This is...just...way longer than I anticipated.  I’m v sorry lmao

Part 1 can be found here

“You’re doing that thing again,” Hannah says, taking a seat on the other side of her couch.

“What thing?” Chloe mumbles sleepily, looking up from the textbook in her lap.

“The thing where you run yourself into the ground.”

“I am not.”

“Yes you are,” Hannah says, rolling her eyes, “you look like you could sleep for ten years. And you never come to my place unless you’re exceptionally stressed out. Take a break.”

Chloe yawns, “we’re in the nursing program. We all need ten years of sleep.”

“Have you talked to Sawyer? He called out of work again, and I’m annoyed.”

“Why?”

“Because, he was the only thing keeping me from throttling our incompetent, fucking moron of a coworker,” she scowls.

“He texted me this morning that he’s still not feeling well.  I’m going to bring him some soup in a little bit.”

“That’s very girlfriend-y of you,” Hannah grins, nudging Chloe with her foot.

Chloe flushes, “shut up.”

“You’ve never been this forward with a guy before.”

She chews on her bottom lip, “I just…really like him…a lot and it’s scary.”

“That’s so cute!  Anyways, how many days in a row have you even been over there?”

“I dunno…however many it’s been since Friday night.”

“Holy shit. You know you’re going to wind up catching it, right?”

“Doubtful. It’s been four days, and I’m still fine.”

“I dunno...you look like you feel pretty shitty.”

“I haven’t slept in two nights, that’s probably why.”

“Just...don’t...die. Or infect me. Paige and I have a hot date tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow is Wednesday. Who the hell has a Wednesday night date night?”

“Two people who have completely conflicting schedules, that’s who. My class is cancelled, and she has the night off work.”

“That sounds nice.”

“She’s coming over in a little bit, actually.  We’re going to try and get some studying done...do you mind?”

“Not unless you guys start makin’ out.”

Hannah smiles wryly, “duly noted.”

Chloe rubs her eyes, which are throbbing with exhaustion at this point, before closing her textbook. She’s been staring at the same page for almost an hour, now, and she’s given up on the idea of studying anymore tonight.

Her insomnia really only kicks in when she’s stressed, and boy, is she stressed.  Not only is she stressed because of school, but she’s stressed because she’s moving into Hannah’s apartment that weekend, and now she’s even more stressed because Sawyer is sick, and doesn’t seem to be getting better, and she hates it.  

“Hey, guys,” Paige chirps, walking inside Hannah’s apartment, “I brought food! And coffee, I figured you haven’t slept, Chloe.”

“You’re the best, holy shit,” Chloe groans, pulling herself off the couch, “Hannah, your girlfriend is the best."

“God bless you, you beautiful angel,” Hannah says, pecking Paige’s cheek, before the bag and drink carrier from her.

“Here,” Paige says, handing Chloe a large cup.  

“Thank you, you’re a lifesaver. Okay, I’m going to head out.”

“Tell Sawyer he’d better get his ass in gear and show up to his next shift,” Hannah calls after her at the same time Paige chirps out a, “bye, have fun!”

At this point, Chloe doesn’t even bother knocking.  It’s easier that way, because he doesn’t have to worry about getting up, which he really doesn’t have the energy to do.

After letting herself in, she follows the sound of his coughing to the couch.  

“Hi…I’m sorry you’re still sick,” she frowns, putting a hand on his forehead.

He’s shivering beneath the blanket, gripping it tightly as he stares at her with glassy, fever-bright eyes.  His cheeks are flushed from the fever, a stark contrast to how pale his face is.  

“S’okay,” he rasps, clearing his throat a couple of times.  

“We’re going to the emergency room.”

“Nooooo,” he groans, “I don’t need to go.”

“Yes you do. You’ve had a fever for four days now, and you sound awful. You might need antibiotics.”

“But-”

“-It’s not up for discussion.”

He lets out a croaky groan of frustration, “fine.”

“Hannah is mad at you, by the way.”

“What?!” He squawks, “how? I haven’t even seen her.”

“That’s why. She said you’re the only one who keeps her from throttling your dumbass coworkers.”

He bursts out laughing, which turns into a coughing fit that makes his chest burn and throat ache, “ugh...yeah, I’ll bribe her with food.  She’ll be fine.”

They’ve been in the ER for over two hours now.  Sawyer is slumped against her, head on her shoulder as he drifts in and out of sleep.

She’s exhausted.  It’s been awhile since she’s gone this long without sleep, and between the god-awful headache, sore throat and her heavy, aching body (all of which make her desperate to go and lie down), she’s forgotten how miserable it is.

Sawyer shifts beside her, and she looks over to see him sit up and rub at his eyes.

“Welcome back,” she grins.  

“They still haven’t called me?” He asks, grimacing as his hand darts to his throat.  

“We wouldn’t be here if they had called you, would we?” She asks, annoyance edging into her tone.  

“Uh...no, I guess not.”

“Sorry...I just...want to get you checked out so we can leave.  I’m exhausted.”

“You and me both,” he sighs, coughing into a fist.  “Didn’t you say you’re moving in with Hannah this weekend?”

“Mmmm,” she mumbles, nodding.

“Do you need help?” He asks.

“If you’re feeling better by then, I’d love some.”

He squints, “so…why are you moving in with her? I think you might have told me, but I can’t remember.”

“Her roommate just moved out.  My lease is up, too, and it’s cheaper for me to move in with her than it is to extend it...we’re over at each other’s places all the time anyways.”

“Oh yeah...I think you told me that already.”

“The fever is turning your brain to mush,” she teases.

“I feel awful,” he groans.

Her heart drops, “I know...but hey, at least the congestion is pretty much gone.”         

They lapse into silence again, and as the minutes tick by, she finds herself sagging against Sawyer this time.  

“You okay?” He asks softly.

“Just...tired. I haven’t slept in two…almost three days.”

“What?” He cries, launching himself into a coughing fit.  

She pats his back with a grimace, “relax. It’s just insomnia.”  

“Is there anything you can do?”

“Not really...s’just from stress.”

“I-”

“-Sawyer Daniels?” A nurse interrupts.  Chloe helps him to his feet, and then trails behind them as they go into an examination room.

As soon as they get back to his place, Sawyer goes right to his room/ Chloe follows him, but suddenly feels uncomfortable  and hangs in his doorway, unsure of what to do or where to go.

“You can...um...you can lie down with me...if you want.”

“Are you sure?”

He nods, eyelids drooping, “yeah.”

When she climbs into bed next to him, he immediately cuddles up to her, resting his head on her chest. As Sawyer drifts to sleep, Chloe lies awake. She wants to sleep, her body is begging her to, but she can’t. Her mind is racing, refusing to shut off and allow her any peace and quiet.

She’s suddenly filled with anxiety.

The move is coming up fast, and she’s nowhere near ready. She hasn’t even started packing up her apartment, and she has to be out of there by Saturday. She has the week from hell - two tests, three papers and a group presentation all due, the last of which is due on Thursday. Sawyer has the flu and bronchitis, bordering on pneumonia, and even though he has antibiotics, she still can’t help but worry.

Everything is too much.  She tries to stay where she is, because he’s comfy, but her skin is crawling and she has the overwhelming urge to bolt.

Chloe slides out from underneath him, heart pounding in her chest and ringing in her ears as she struggles to get her breathing under control. She, unfortunately, didn’t get out of bed very gently.  Her movements are jerky and frantic, and Sawyer forces his eyes open.  

“Chloe?”

“I, uh-” her breath catches in her throat, “I n-need to l-leave.”

“Are you okay?” He asks, voice thick with sleep.

She nods emphatically, biting down on her lip so hard she tastes copper, “yeah! Yeah! I’m great!”

“Chloe-”

“I’m great!” She repeats, a little bit more forcefully this time.  

His eyes search her face, but ultimately, he’s too tired and feels too shitty to say anything other than, “okay.”

Hannah is lying on her back, legs straight in the air as she holds her textbook above her face.  Her phone rings, and when she goes to answer it, she drops the book directly on her face.

“Fuck! Sonuvabitch!” She yelps.  

Paige bursts out laughing, and pulls the book off of Hannah’s face, “oh no, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine...fuckin’ book,” she grumbles, rubbing her nose. She glances at her phone briefly before she makes a face and answers it, “what’s up, deadbeat? Are you calling to apologize for leaving me with the fuckin’ moron?”

“Is Chloe with you?” Sawyer asks, ignoring the dig.  

Hannah frowns, sitting up straighter, “you sound like shit.”

“I’m aware,” he snaps, and her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, “Chloe. Is she with you?”

“What? No. Why? I thought she was with you?”

“She left hours ago...she looked freaked out,” he rasps, “she’s not answering my calls.”

“Oh...she...shit, she’s been really stressed out and not sleeping...I’ll try her too.”

“Is she okay?”

“I’m sure she’s fine...she’s probably at her apartment.”

“Okay.”

“So what’s wrong with you?”

“The flu...and bronchitis.”

“Fuck. Don’t die.”

“Workin’ on it,” he mumbles.  

She grimaces when she hears him start to cough, “okay, I was mad at you for bailing on your shift, but now I’m glad you did, because you have the fucking plague and nobody wants you to cough all over their food and coffee...unless you wanna come in and just like...cough on Robert.  He sucks, I hate him.”

“Leave Robert alone.”

“I will not.”

Sawyer sighs, coughing again, “will you just text me when you get ahold of her?”

“Yeah.”

Hannah hangs up with Sawyer, and then immediately dials Chloe’s number.  

“Hello?” she whispers, finally picking up after what must have been fifteen tries.

“Chloe, thank GOD,” Hannah breathes, “are you alright?”

“Um...no...n-not really.”

Her heart drops, “do you need some company? Or do you want to be left alone?”

“Alone...I c-can’t...I need to be alone.”

“That’s fine,” Hannah says softly, “just...text me when you’re okay.”

“Okay.”

Hannah hangs up, and then shoots Sawyer a text saying she’s okay and not to worry.

“Is everything okay?” Paige asks when Hannah groans and puts her head in her lap.  

“Chloe’s having a hard time,” Hannah mumbles, pressing her face against Paige’s thigh.

“Does she need anything?” Paige asks, playing with Hannah’s long brown hair.

“No...she just wants to be alone...which is fine.  Maybe she’ll finally sleep, God knows she needs it.”

Chloe rolls over in bed the next morning, gripping her pillow.  The anxiety has passed for the most part, which is good, but she’s still stressed out, and has no desire to get out of bed and face the world.

On top of the sheer exhaustion she feels from the mixture of two and a half days without sleep, and the anxiety from yesterday, the sore throat and headache are back with a vengeance.  She groans as her body throbs, and is filled with the sinking realization that she’s finally come down with what Sawyer has.  

Somehow, she manages to force herself out of bed, and go about her day, which passes in a blur.  She feels as if she’s on autopilot, and when it ends, she walks into Hannah’s apartment and collapses onto the couch.

“Hello to you, too,” Hannah says, patting Chloe’s back.

Chloe sniffles, “I’m so tired.”

“Yeah, and you sound like shit.  Finally caught what Sawyer has?”

“No...I’m not sick, just tired.”

“Yeah, okay.  So you want some DayQuil?”

“...yeah.”

Hannah rolls her eyes, but grabs Chloe the medicine anyways, “don’t be an idiot.”

“I’m fine.  It’s not a big deal.”

“You had a panic attack yesterday.”

“I didn’t...I had anxiety, that was it.”

“Okay, fine.  Whatever.  You had anxiety, which never flares up that bad unless you need a break.”

“I took a sleeping pill last night.  I slept, I’m fine.”

“Uh-huh.  How long did you sleep?”

“Like...seven hours.”

“You’re going to die.”

“Will you give my eulogy?” Chloe asks, voice muffled by the couch cushions.

“Yeah, it’ll be the best one, too.”

“Great. Thanks.”

“Sawyer was worried about you.  Have you texted him?”

“I’m going over there in a little.”

“Are you going to tell him you’re sick?”

“Why would I do that?”

“...Have you heard yourself? Or seen yourself? You look rough, dude...don’t sound much better.”

She sniffles again, “I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“You’re shivering. Do you have a fever?”

“I dunno.”

Hannah presses a hand to her forehead, “you do. Oh shit, you’re burning up, dude.”

“M’fine,” she mumbles, “just give me the meds, I have shit to do.”

“I don’t approve.”

“Nobody cares.”

“Rude,” Hannah says, dropping a blister pack of DayQuil next to her.

Chloe lets herself into Sawyer’s apartment, and then stops in her tracks when she finds him at the stove, stirring something in a pot.

“Um...hey.  Feeling better?”

He wheels around to look at her, a grin crossing his face, “yeah, a little bit.”

“Oh, good,” she sighs.

“Are you alright?” He asks, the grin dropping from his face, “I didn’t think you were going to come back today.”

She rubs the back of her neck, “ah...yeah...sorry about that.”

“What happened?”

She drops her eyes to the floor, fiddling with the ring on her finger, “uh...anxiety has been kicking my ass. I just...I couldn’t handle it yesterday. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

She groans, pouring herself into a seat at his kitchen table, “I don’t know, I just...heh...ihtchiew! Snff…snfff,” she rubs at her itchy nose, making a face, “I feel bad I just left yesterday.”

“Bless you,” he frowns, “don’t feel bad. You’re allowed to take time for yourself, you know that right? You’ve been over here everyday since Friday night, and I really, really appreciate it, but I know it must have been hard.”

“I guess,” she mutters, slumping down in her seat. She still feels like shit, and if anything, the medicine is making it worse, and she just wants to go lie down.  She pitches forward with another sneeze, and then blinks tiredly at the table for a second before she pushes her hair off of her face.

“Hey, how about we go watch a movie?” He suggests, coughing into his elbow. “I’m exhausted, and I’m sure you are, too.”

She sniffles, “yeah...you read my mind.”

“Feeling okay?” He asks softly.  

“Yeah,” she lies, “just...exhausted.”

“How’s the...uh...the anxiety? You okay?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck.

She rubs her left eye with the heel of her palm, “It’s better...sleep helped.”

He wants to ask her if she’s alright again, push her a little bit, but he’s reminded that he’s only known her for five days.  He feels like he’s known her forever, but it’s only been five days. Five days isn’t long enough to prod.  

He thinks she might have caught what he has, and the thought is enough to fill him with dread, especially because he still feels shitty, and if she’s sick, he wants to be able to take care of her.  

She deserves it.  

“What movie do you want to watch?” Chloe asks, plopping down onto the couch.

“Harry Potter,” he grins.

“Again?”

He pokes his bottom lip out, “yes.  Please?”

She grins weakly, “you’re lucky you’re cute.”

Halfway through the movie, she’s so congested she can barely breathe. Her head is spinning, and all she can do is lean against Sawyer and try not to pass out, throw up, or both.  

“Hey, Sawyer?” She croaks, grimacing at how awful she sounds.  

He’s half asleep, but forces his eyes open so he can look down at her, “yeah?”

“I think I’m going to head out.”

“You okay?”

“I am,” she lies, “I’m really tired, though.”

Chloe isn’t completely lying - she IS tired.  Exhausted, really, even more now that she’s officially ready to admit to herself that she’s sick.

Her entire body aches, as does her head and throat, and she just wants to crawl into a hole and be put out of her misery.  Surely death would be more pleasant than this.   She wants to tell Sawyer - he’s staring at her so intently with this cute, worried expression, like he knows how awful she’s feeling.  

“Actually...would you mbind if I slept here?” She asks, tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth and words blurring with congestion, “I dond’t trust mbyself to drive.”

“Yeah, of course. You can take my bed.”

She opens her mouth to argue, but the words die on the tip of her tongue, “Okay...thank you.”

“You sound a little stuffed up,” he frowns, “are you feeling okay?”

“I’mb just tired,” she sniffles, “I’mb finde.”

Chloe rolls over, sniffling as she nuzzles her face into his pillow. She squints as the light streaming through the curtains send a stab of pain through her skull.

“Oh, god,” she croaks, grimacing as she pushes herself into a sitting position.

Everything hurts.

She looks at the nightstand, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth when she sees the humidifier set up. There’s a glass of water and an open blister pack of medicine next to a box of DayQuil and a box of tissues, and she doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Exhaustion weighs her down, but the moment she looks at her phone, she nearly has a heart attack, and she nearly trips over herself as she scrambles to get out of bed.

10:16 am.

She has class in fourteen minutes.

She has a test.

Sawyer is half asleep on the couch, playing on his phone when she comes flying out of the room, a look of sheer panic on her face.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” He croaks.

“I overslept!” She squeaks, voice cracking on the last word.

“Chloe,” he says, struggling to a sitting position. She’s still running around in a panic, looking for her stuff, and he tugs on her hand gently, “relax.”

“I cand’t!” She cries, eyes filling with tears, “I have a test!”

He puts a hand on her cheek, and inhales sharply, “you also have a fever.”

She pushes his hand away, “I’mb finde...I have to go.”

Sawyer runs a hand over his face as she runs out the door, worry gnawing at his chest. She’s burning up, and definitely doesn’t look like she’s feeling well.

He plops down on the couch, eyes burning as he rubs at them.

The door opens and he looks up to see his roommate.

Sawyer grins weakly at him, “long time no see, thought you were dead.”

“Sorry...I was visiting family and it ended up lasting longer than I thought it would,” Owen frowns, taking in Sawyer’s appearance, “shit, you’re still sick? It’s been like...six days since the gig.”

“I feel better...antibiotics helped.”

“Antibiotics? You actually went to the doctor?”

“Chloe made me.”

“Chloe...is that the chick you were supposed to go on a date with?”

“Mmhmm.”

“How’d she manage that? Remember the last time you got sick? We had to drag you kicking and screaming to the doctor.”

“It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Dude, you had a sinus infection and strep and we had to keep an eye on you in case you wound up with bronchitis, what do you mean it wasn’t a big deal.”

Sawyer shoots him an annoyed look, “it was fine.”

“Anyways, how’d she get you to the doctor? Did she drug you?”

“I didn’t want to tell her no...and I’d had a fever for four days...and she’s a nursing student and I trust her opinion.”

“So what’s the matter with you? Do we need to find a new lead singer?”

“S’the flu and bronchitis,” he mumbles, coughing into the crook of his elbow.

“Ouch. No wonder you sounded so shitty. Just...don’t die on us. We don’t want to have to try and find your replacement. Too much effort. We’re lazy.”

Sawyer smiles weakly, standing up, “no promises.”

“So you really like her, huh?”

Sawyer’s cheeks flush, “yeah, she’s great.”

“Our baby is in love!” Owen cries, launching himself at Sawyer.

Sawyer groans as they collide and he falls back into the couch, “why are you like this? Get off me.”

“Shit…fuck, sorry…I forgot you’re on your deathbed. You okay?” Owen says, pulling him to his feet.

“I’m fine…going to bed.”

Chloe walks out of her class, trembling so hard that her knees have nearly buckled three times.

She stumbles to a bench, and collapses onto it, feeling like she’s about to pass out as she pulls her phone out of her pocket. She dials Hannah’s number with shaky fingers, and when she doesn’t pick up, Chloe tries Paige’s number. When she doesn’t pick up, Chloe nearly bursts into tears. She just wants to go home and she doesn’t feel well enough to drive - not without crashing at least.

She dials Sawyer’s number, rubbing at her itchy nose.

“Hey,” he greets her.

“I’mb really sorry,” she whimpers

“What are you sorry about? What’s wrong?”

She leans over so that her head is between her knees.

“Chloe? What’s wrong, are you okay?”

“I’mb gonnda pass out...mb’stranded at school.”

“Okay, Okay,” he soothes, “just breathe, I can come get you, can you remind me what school you go to and where you are?”

She manages to tell him what school she attends, but her head is so fuzzy, she can’t remember the building.

“I really dond’t feel very good,” she croaks weakly.

“I know darlin’, I know,” he says softly, “just hang tight. I’ll be there soon.”

She hangs up the phone before curling up on the bench as a shiver runs down her spine.

She drifts in and out of sleep, until she feels a cool hand on her cheek, then the back of her neck, and then between her shoulder blades.  

“Huh?” She mutters groggily.  

“Hey, there,” he says gently, “ready to go home?”

“I’mb sorry,” she croaks, blinking away the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

“Why do you keep apologizing?” He asks, helping her to sit up.  When he goes to pull her to her feet, she shakes her head.  

“W-wait...dizzy,” she says weakly, gripping his arm tightly.  

He crouches in front of her, putting a hand on her cheek, “okay.  Alright, we’ll go slow.”

As soon as she’s okay to move, he gets her to his car, where she apologizes again, “I’mb sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“You’re sick,” she sniffles after a few moments of blinking heavily.  

He chuckles lightly, coughing into a fist, “I’m fine.  You, however…I need an address...I don’t know where you live.”

She’s shivering beneath a thick blanket.  She can’t find the energy to move, and each sneeze sounds as weak and tired as Sawyer thinks she feels.

He coughs into his shoulder, pausing so he doesn’t spill the tea he had made her.  

“Here,” he says, putting it on the nightstand.  

She sniffles, “thanks...umb...could you help mbe with sombethi’gg?...hih...ihhh...hih’tshh! Ihtsch! Tsch! SnffSNFF...ugh...”

He hands her the box of tissues, “yeah, of course.”

“I ndeed to findish packi’gg up mby apartmbendt.”

“Are you serious? Chloe...you have a one hundred and three degree fever.  You’re miserable, you need to be resting.”

“I’mb mbovi’gg ind two days...mby lease is up Saturday...I dond’t have a choice...I havend’t evend started yet.”

“Okay...how about I call Hannah to come help, then?”

She hides her face in the blanket, “do what you wandt.”

He takes that as his cue to drop down onto the couch and pull his phone out with a yawn.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Hannah asks when she answers the phone. “I’m assuming it has something to do with Chloe, because she’s the only thing you ever call or text about.”

“It does.”

“Knew it,” Hannah chuckles, “what do you want?”

“She says that she has to be out of her apartment by Saturday.”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“She’s sick and she wants to pack up because she hasn’t started yet.”

“Aw, fuck. That sounds like her,” Hannah groans. “How bad is she?”

“She has a fever.”

“Shit. How high?”

“Oh hundred and three...I don’t think she should be trying to pack up her apartment.”

“Yeah me neither. Paige and I will be there soon. Does she have boxes?”

“I’m not sure.”

“...Are you going to ask?”

“...Oh. Right. Hey, Chloe? Do you have boxes?”

“Ndo.”

“She says no.”

“She’s the worst at this kind of stuff, oh my god. We’ll be there in an hour.”

True to her word, she walks through the door exactly an hour later.  Paige walks in behind her and goes right to the kitchen.  Hannah makes a b-line for Chloe.

She presses her hand to Chloe’s forehead, sucking her teeth in disapproval, “you did that fucking thing again, babe.”

“Go away,” Chloe whines, hiding her face with the blanket as she sneezes for what feels like the thousandth time.

“You moron,” Hannah scolds gently, ruffling Chloe’s hair, “you do this all the time, and then you practically kill yourself.”

“Dond’t be mbeand to mbe.”

“Well who else am I going to be mean to,” she teases, “Paige made you some tea and soup.”

“And also brownies,” Paige says, walking out of the kitchen with a box before sitting down next to Chloe’s book case.

“Oooh did someone say brownies?” Sawyer asks, poking his head out of her bedroom.

“They’re on the counter if you want one.”

“Hell yeah, I want one.”

“Are you finally coming back to work?” Hannah asks, turning to look at sawyer

“Yeah, but I’m not scheduled until Sunday night,” he mumbles, words muffled by an entire brownie shoved in his mouth

“Halle-fucking-lujah,” Hannah groans, sticking the thermometer in Chloe’s mouth.

“Hanndah-“

“Shut up and let me take your temperature.”

“Your bedside mbannder could use sombe work,” Chloe grumbles.

Hannah grins, “my bedside manner is great.”

“I beg to differ.”

“Shut up. I want to get a reading on your fever, will you just be quiet?” She snaps.

Her eyes fill with tears, and she chokes on a sob as she averts her eyes, “sorry.”

“Oh shit,” Hannah grimaces, taking the thermometer out of her mouth before crouching down and putting a hand on Chloe’s burning cheek, “hey, look at me.”

Chloe sniffles, rolling on her side to look at Hannah, “I’mb sorry...please dond’t be mbad.”

“You know I’m just worried, right?” She says softly, “I’m not mad at you...I just don’t like it when you’re this sick.”

Chloe shivers, hiding her face in the pillow again, “cand I have sombe ndyquil?”

“I will absolutely give you some after I take your temperature.”

Hours later, they have a little more than half of her apartment packed away. Sawyer can feel himself dragging, exhaustion seeping into his bones and muscles and making him ache again.

The NyQuil had completely knocked her out, so much that she didn’t even budge when he scooped her up and carried her into her room.  

“Okay,” Sawyer says, walking back out into the living area, “I got her to her bed, and I’m exhausted...I think we should be done for the night.”

“I agree,” Hannah yawns.

“Thank you guys so much.”

“Yeah, of course,” Paige says, “you should get some sleep.”

“Take the couch. One of the boxes has a blanket in it…” Hannah trails off, looking around. “Hey, I have a question.”

“Yeah?”

“When are you going to man up and ask her to be your girlfriend already?”

“What?”

“When are you going to ask her to be your girlfriend?” she asks slowly, as if she’s speaking to a child. “Seriously, you can’t be this dense. You two are practically dating at this point, just ask her already, you coward.”

He rolls his eyes, “goodbye, Hannah.”

“But-“

“-let’s go, honey,” Paige says, nudging her towards the door. “Stop bullying the poor guy.”

“If anybody is being bullied, it’s me,” Hannah grumbles.

Paige giggles, “let’s just go. I’m starving.”

Sawyer closes the door after them, dissolving into a coughing fit.  

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sawyer asks anxiously.  

It’s officially move in day.  Chloe had spent all of Friday in bed, skipping classes and only waking for food, water, and to use the bathroom. Still though, she still only feels slightly better.  

Sawyer would give anything for her to be able to rest, but instead, she’s on as many cold and flu meds as humanly possible, so that she can function enough to get everything moved.  

“I’m...I feel like shit...but I’m okay,” she mumbles.  

“I’m so sorry I got you sick...you can punch me in the face.  I told you that you could.”

“Don’t be so dramatic...s’fine. It happens.”

“Okay, so what needs to be done?” He asks, more than grateful that he feels almost completely better (save for an annoying lingering cough, and some fatigue).  He’s not sure how this would have worked if they were both sick.

“Uh,” she says, rubbing her forehead, “Hannah should be here with the moving truck at like...shit, I can’t remember what time...but...soon?  We need to scrub this place down and make it l...heh...heh’tschh! Snff…guh...we have to make it look like new...I need that deposit bahhh...heh...hhh...hihtsch! Ihtsch!  Snff! Back.”

“Bless you.”

She gives a couple of coughs into the inside of her wrist as the front door opens.  

Hannah walks inside, “alright, let’s do this shit. How do you feel?”

“I crave death.”

“You can’t die, I need help with rent.”

Paige flicks the back of Hannah’s head, “be nice.”

“Ouch!” She yelps, rubbing the abused spot.  

Paige grins, kissing Hannah’s cheek, “better?”

“Yeah…you’re lucky I love you.” Chloe coughs again, and Hannah grimaces, “you’re coughing now? You almost never cough when you’re sick.”

“You don’t?!” Sawyer asks, eyes snapping to her face, “do you want to go to the ER? You’ve been coughing all morning.”

“I’m fine,” she croaks, “I just want to get this over with so I can go back to sleep.”

“We can do it for you, and you can go lie down.”

“What? No, absolutely not.  I’m not dumping that on you. I’ll be fine.”

Despite her claims, it’s very obvious that she’s struggling, even from right off the bat.  Her movements are sluggish and half-hearted, and since nobody trusts her to walk up and down the stairs to put boxes into the car, she’s been put on cleaning duty.

“Honey, you’ve been cleaning the same spot for the last thirty minutes,” Sawyer says softly, putting a hand on her lower back.

“Huh?”

“Go sit down, you’re miserable.”

“No...m’fine.”

She forces herself to keep going, because the cleaning needs to be done, and she’s determined not to be useless.  

Sawyer keeps trying to get her to rest, but she’s adamant that she’s okay, and that she doesn’t need to.  

Paige, Hannah and Sawyer get the moving van all loaded up as quickly as they can.  Both Sawyer and Paige return to Chloe’s apartment, while Hannah goes to her and Chloe’s apartment to start unloading.

“I’ll start in the bathroom, you go help Chloe,” Paige says, shutting the door behind them.

Sawyer finds her in her bedroom, sitting on the bed and staring blankly at the door.

“Shit,” he hisses, crouching in front of her. He presses a hand to her forehead and then shakes his head, “You’re done. Paige and I will finish cleaning, you’re going to sit here and rest, okay?”

“But I-“ she breaks off coughing, and Sawyer rubs her back gently.

“But nothing. You have a fever, you’ve helped enough.  We’ve got this.”

When all the cleaning is done, and Sawyer gets her to her new place, she nearly cries in relief when she lays down in bed.

Her bedding is the only thing unpacked, and she’s never been more grateful for Hannah in her entire life.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help?” She mumbles into her pillow, already half asleep.

“I’m one hundred percent sure we don’t want your help,” Sawyer says gently, “all we want is for you to go back to sleep. I’ll come back in to check on you in a little bit.”

“Okay,” she mumbles, eyes drooping shut as she falls asleep.

Sawyer breathes a sigh of relief, kisses her burning cheek, and then leaves her room quietly, shutting the door behind him.

[mary-gs-travel]

Two Days

How can I describe a months worth of time onboard the Africa Mercy in Douala, Cameroon? I am finding the task impossible, so today I set out to describe 2 days. Let’s start with this Monday.

 A Messy, Magnificent, Manic Monday on the Mercy Ship

 0630 Wake up to alarm. Climb out of top bunk as quietly as possible with a flashlight to avoid waking up my 3 roommates (If they’ve managed to sleep through my alarm). Brush teeth, wash face, and dress into my blue scrubs that I laid out on top of the mini-fridge the night before.

 0645 Walk up 1 flight of stairs to stand in line in dining hall. Grab a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee. Sit in corner and keep head down. Eye contact invites the morning people to engage you in conversation; this must be avoided until the caffeine helps my brain realize that yes, I am, in fact, awake.

 0700 Go down 2 flights of stairs to Deck 3. This is where work begins. I am assigned as Charge Nurse this dayshift, so as I step onto the ward I sign all the Day Crew in and out and make sure all our Nurses have arrived. I greet the few patients that are already awake. I lead the team in a quick prayer, and then we start handover report. I can feel the patient in Bed 10 poking my back through the curtain as we pray, and when I peak around the corner of the curtain I see her mischievous grin.

 0715 Read the notes from the weekend’s Charge Nurses. Our woman in Bed 13 has been ill since Friday with various symptoms that don’t seem to make sense.

 0730 Rounds (check on the patients) with the current surgeon onboard.

 0735 I learn that 1 of our 2 bathrooms for the patients is not draining properly and has flooded. Page the Plumber.

 0740 We’re out of a handful of medications. I scamper over to B-ward to pilfer some of what we need until Pharmacy comes by to restock our supply.

 0745 Go up to Deck 6 for Monday Morning Meeting, where I take notes to relay information given back to the nurses who are on the wards and will miss the meeting. We learn about some places to go and not to go in town and about events that will be happening on the ship this week.

 0830 Return to ward and do rounds (check on the patients) with Medical Doctor onboard. Be interrupted multiple times with questions and news that the second of our 2 toilets is no longer flushing. Send up a mental prayer that the plumber will arrive soon. Bed 4 has a hernia in addition to her childbirth injury. It causes her much discomfort, but our general surgeon is not yet onboard and the surgery schedule for hernias is already full. We can treat this patient’s women’s health issue, but not the hernia. I try to remind myself that treating something is better than nothing, but my insides feel rotten. If this women had proper access to healthcare, like I do in my home country, than she never would have suffered this childbirth injury in the first place.  

 0900 Check in with Nurse Team Leader and ask her all the questions that have arisen over the weekend and the past two hours. Hear the good news that 8 of our patients (5 who have already been discharged and 3 who are still onboard) will be in the Dress Ceremony today to celebrate their healing.

 0930 Watch as a Nurse and Day Crew inform Bed 10 that she will be in the Dress Ceremony today. Enjoy the smiles.

 1000 One of our Day Crew isn’t feeling well. At the Crew Clinic it was found she has a fever, so I sign her out to go home and rest.

 1015 The toilets and vacuum system seem to be working again, thank you to the plumber. One of our Day Crew mopped up all the water and cleaned both bathrooms without anyone asking him to.

 1030 Lab results are in, hand delivered by our Lab Crew. I page the Medical Doctor. Bed 13’s labs are not great, but not worse. Bed 10 has an infection, so after the dress ceremony she’ll need to stay a few more days for IV antibiotics. Two other patients have infections that will require antibiotics. One patient’s culture showed no infection, so she will get to be discharged tomorrow.

 1100 Meet with Admissions, OR and Team Leaders to determine what beds the patients being admitted to the hospital this evening will be placed in.  Today is a screening day for Women’s Health, and we don’t yet know who our admissions will be. Per suggestion of my Team Leader I have 3 beds set aside for admissions, but we won’t know until the last minute who those admissions will be.

 1105 Meet with Ward Supervisor to discuss nurse staffing for the next 3 shifts. She leads us in a mini-devotional before we talk about how many nurses we have and how many we need to take care of our patients.

 1130 Return to ward. Organize Nurse/Day Crew Lunch breaks. The Day Crew already had planned who would go first and who would go second.

 1200 Another Day Crew feels unwell and complains of headache. I send her to the Crew Clinic and hope no one else is going to be sick today.

 1230 Sit at desk and update patient information from the morning into the computer system while fielding questions from Nurses and Day Crew about various patient issues. Make assignments for which nurses will take care of which patients (including our still unknown admissions) on the next shift.

 1250 I say goodbye to our patient being discharged. She is in her early twenties and came to us for a biopsy of a tumor. The results showed that the patient has advanced cancer that is beyond our abilities to treat. She is being sent back home with her husband. While onboard she and her husband received counseling with our Hospital Chaplaincy Team, and we’ve sent her with pain medication to manage her symptoms, but it doesn’t feel like enough. It is not enough. She deserves so much more than this.

 1255 Go up to dining hall to grab lunch before it closes at 1300. Onion Soup and carrot sticks.

 1320 Return to Ward. Check on Patients, Nurses and Daycrew. Find a saline syringe sitting on the Charge Nurse keyboard. Squirt saline water gun style at Nurse Ashley. Watch Bed 10 laugh.

 1330 Find out that I was supposed to send half my Daycrew to a Malaria education session a half hour ago, but it’s too late now to send anyone.

 1340 Bed 13 is vomiting.

 1345 Find Malaria Education for Daycrew flyer underneath my stack of papers on the Charge Nurse desk… oh, that’s where that was. Try to input the last of the shift’s information into the computer before the next shift arrives.

 1400 Shift change. I relay all the information from Monday Morning Meeting. Then we pray together before I give a handover report in the hallway (it’s too noisy in the ward) to the Charge Nurse taking my place.

 1445 Return to the ward. All the patients except Bed 13 have been moved down the E-ward for the Dress Ceremony. I’m exhausted and am not sure if I really want to go sit for the Ceremony, but our Team Leader encourages me to go. “It’s the best part,” she says.

 1500 I’m in E-Ward for the Dress Ceremony. 8 of our Ladies are walking into the ward singing songs of praise and worship. They are dressed in bright colors and look radiant.  Our chaplaincy team has spent the morning setting up the ward and preparing the ladies. We celebrate with them and sing songs of worship. Each lady takes a turn to speak into the microphone and tell their story. They tell stories of loss turned to triumph. Each woman is presented with a gift. I get to present a gift to a patient that we all referred to as our Mama on the Ward. I have never given a gift before during a Dress Ceremony, and I am so honored that I was able to present Mama with hers.

 1600 Picture time with the ladies in their Dress Ceremony outfits. We shared lots of hugs and laughter and joy. This is also the time where it starts to become bittersweet because soon I will have to say goodbye.

 1620 I see a positive malaria test sitting on the counter in the Ward. So that’s why Bed 13 has been so ill.

 1630 I fill in a few orders in charts that I hadn’t had time to do during the dayshift. I say goodbye to the patients in the ward and give hugs to the ladies headed off the ship.

 1645 I walk up a flight of stairs, down the hallway, and into my cabin. Time to sit for a moment and process my day.

 1730 Grabbed dinner from the dining hall. Dinner is a hamburger patty on bread with carrot sticks and a papaya. I took my meal to a conference room where a group of my friends and I watched Agent Carter (we are attempting to watch all the Marvel Movies and some TV shows in chronological order during this field service).

1900 Shower

 1930 Play a round of Qwirkle with friends in the dining hall.

 2100 Climb up into my bed and watch Game of Thrones on Movienight (our online video sharing system on the ship) until I fall asleep.

   And then here is Today, Tuesday, a typical day off.

  0930 Wake up to find 2 of my roommates had woken up and left while I slept. I lay in bed drowsing a little while longer because today I have no where to rush off to.

 1000 My 3rd roommate has left and I have the cabin to myself. I turn on all the lights and use my electric kettle to boil some water to make coffee with my pour-over pot. I play some music without having to use headphones. I drink the Cameroonian coffee that I bought from the grocery store a few days ago. Sadly, it’s not very good. But I drink it slowly while I journal and relax on the couch in our room.

 1200 I get dressed and venture out of my cabin to go look out a window. The sky is grey, cloud covered. I grab some lunch (Onion Soup, again, and a salad) from the dining hall and take it to the café. I eat lunch with friends and then spend the afternoon drinking more coffee and working on this record of my days. People filter through the area and I take many breaks from writing to chat.

 1630 Nurse Ashley stops by my table to say hello. Promises revenge for yesterdays water-gun saline prank.

 1715 Dinner is being served, but I’m not hungry. I grab a plate and wrap it up to save for later because dinner closes at 1830. I change into my Cameroon-appropriate exercise gear (got to keep those knees covered) and head out to the dock. I run some laps around our dock, which is lined with cargo containers and barbed wire that serves as our “Wall”.

 1845 Watch the sunset from Deck 8. The clouds have broken up and every now and then you can see snatches of Mount Cameroon off in the distance.

 1930 Shower followed by dinner. I get a FaceTime call from home and get to see my sister and my nieces.

 2000 Back to my room to finish this.  

 So there you go. A typical day at work and a typical day off.  I felt like these two days expressed the highs and lows of ship life and working in a volunteer hospital. The pros and cons of living in such a tight knit community. The joys and sorrows of the Women’s Health ward.