evocation | (no subject)

Absolutely. That man has nine lives, he shouldn't have survived the transport but here he is!

[ The elevator opens, and Doctor Grey guides Kyna forward with a hand on her shoulder. ]

Are you ready?

[Kyna's mouth twists. Emily says it so cheerfully, but all Kyna can think about is the fact that Wash doesn't deserve any of this. He should be safe somewhere, not fighting a war for the millionth time and almost dying, but she just nods.]

[ It's impossible to read Emily behind her visor, but her hand tightens a little on Kyna's shoulder before she leads the other woman into the ICU, the doors opening for them automatically. The guard escorting them stays two steps behind, politely giving them space but still doing his job.

The area is an open floor plan, beds set up along both walls separated by curtain dividers. The staff here isn't in armor, and their glances at Kyna and her escort are curious but no one approaches. Not yet, at least. Emily pulls back the curtain on the bed closest to the nurse's station on the left -- obviously they're keeping a very close eye on Wash.

He's unconscious, just as Kyna was told. Whether it's sleep, a coma, or just the sedation is impossible to tell at a glance, but at least whatever it is, he's peaceful. Emily wasn't wrong about it looking scary, either. There are wires running from leads on his chest for the monitors, an IV in his arm and heavy bandaging around his neck, besides the intubation tube down his throat. He's pale and there are dark smudges under his eyes, though at least from what she can see exposed by his gown's short sleeves there aren't any other injuries. Emily glances over her shoulder towards the nurse's station and calls for a report on Wash, while Kyna takes the sight in. ]

[Kyna wasn't lying—she has never, ever been in a setting like this. Any severe injuries she's ever seen have been dealt with by magic. Still terrifying, of course, but nothing like this. She freezes up, hands going to her mouth automatically, and whatever hopes she had of not crying in front of everyone on this floor are dashed immediately. Her vision blurs and she swallows, struggling to choke down a sob. Before she can think better of it, she tries to pull away from Emily to get to Wash's side. Nothing else really matters right now, not even the guard with a gun behind her.]

[ When Kyna pulls away without permission, the guard raises his gun and calls out a warning for her to stand back. Emily, however, is studying Kyna. And doesn't think she's faking. ]

It's alright, private. Why don't you go get her a chair?

[ She steps up to Wash's bedside, glancing at the monitor and medications. He seems to be comfortable, right now. ]

Kyna, please don't dislodge the tubes.

[It's probably a good thing Emily took that one, because Kyna would have done some not very intelligent things to get past that guard. She's tense, wiping the tears from her cheeks awkwardly.]

Does that mean you're not going to try to shoot me if I touch him?

[ The solider comes back with a folding chair and sets it beside the bed, then takes up position near the foot of it, gun still ready but no longer aimed at Kyna. He seems to be taking cues from Emily. ]

You can touch him, sweetie. Gently. Just mind the lines.

[Kyna just nods, reaching up to smooth his hair down, though that's much more difficult with her hands bound together. When she sits, she takes his hand, kissing his knuckles softly. Emily said he would be fine, but Kyna can't imagine how. This must have been what Carolina was talking about when she told him about being shot in the throat, and she said he'd be okay, too, but Kyna's eyes keep catching on the tube snaking down his throat, and all she can feel is panic.

She sniffles, trying in vain to keep her voice from trembling, but she can't bring herself to look up at Emily when she finally speaks up.]

What are you going to do? Just... wait for him to wake up?

[ Interesting... very interesting. Emily glances again at the dog tags around Kyna's neck, the ones she refused to give up when she was searched, and wonders exactly what sort of relationship they'd developed. At least she's fairly certain now that Kyna isn't a threat. ]

That's all we can do. Initial scans were promising and when he comes to I'll do a full workup but he's on the good stuff at the moment. Might be awhile longer.

["Promising" is vague, but Kyna wouldn't understand a string of medical jargon anyway, so she just nods, thumb running back and forth over Wash's knuckles.]

Days longer or weeks longer?

[Basically, how long should she prepare herself to be in this chair?]

Days seems more likely, could only be hours. I wasn't planning on lowering the meds until someone was here for him, but...

[ Maybe Kyna's presence would be welcome? If her story is true. Her feelings seem to be. ]

[Kyna nods, gaze still locked on Wash.]

I'm staying.

[Even with the guard staring her down. She wishes they were in a private room, and she wishes that soldier would just leave, but that doesn't seem like an option.]

Okie dokie, then.

[ And with that Emily leans in and presses some buttons on the machine Wash is hooked up to, lowering his dosages. They'll see what happens now. ]

I'll see if someone can bring you a meal, you're looking a little weak. The nurses will page me if anything exciting happens.

Um, okay. Thanks.

[Kyna's probably not going to be able to eat, but it's sweet of Emily, anyway. And she's right—that plane shift spell totally wiped Kyna out, but that's the last thing on her mind right now.]

[ With that, Doctor Grey is gone. She has other patients, after all. The guard obviously stays behind, watching over Kyna and Wash as others come and go. Nurses check his meds and vitals, refill his fluids, and twice they bring her meal trays of tasteless hospital food. When she needs the restroom the guard escorts her and is kind enough to remove the cuffs, though he asks her not to tell anyone. She's offered a bed in an unoccupied hospital room on another floor that night, and when she turns it down they bring her a blanket of her own instead. The guard changes. Time ticks by.

It's almost 3am when Wash's fingers twitch in Kyna's hand. ]

[Kyna picks at the food and watches with her heart in her throat when the nurses check on Wash. Every time, she's afraid they'll say something is wrong, but they don't. It's business as usual, apparently. It's a relief when the cuffs come off, and she half expects the next guard to say something about it, but he doesn't. She wraps herself in the blanket and waits.

By the time the wee hours of the morning roll around, Kyna is so exhausted that she finally gives in and folds her arms on the mattress and lays her head down, promising herself she won't fall asleep. And she doesn't, or not quite. She's half-dozing when she feels his fingers twitch, and for a second, she thinks she might be imagining it. She lifts her head, squeezing his hand.]

Wash?

[ Coming to is a slow process. The dosage of meds he's on now might not be enough to keep him under, but they're enough to keep him fuzzy. Which is good, honestly, it keeps him from panicking as he wakes. This isn't the first time he's come to in a hospital bed, and he doesn't have fond memories of the prior occasions. He's always been alone. He vaguely registers pain, pressure, and is taking a slow assessment of himself before opening his eyes, but then... someone calls his name.

He's not alone. Someone's got his hand, and his eyes flutter open to wince against the lights -- they're dimmed, but he's still staring straight up at them. Grimacing makes him realize there's something in his mouth -- a tube, down his throat. That explains some of the pressure, he thinks. Okay. Stay calm. Don't move. It's easier than it should be, considering, and he attributes that to whatever they have him on at the moment that's keeping the pain at bay. His gaze moves towards the voice.

--Kyna?

Foggy enough to forget the facts he just realized, he tries to speak, and promptly chokes on the intubation. Alarms beep as his heart rate spikes, and when the nurses look over and see he's awake they're instantly at the bedside, one sending the other to page Doctor Grey. There's movement in his peripheral vision but he's just staring at Kyna, his hand clenching around hers in shock. This can't be real. He's hallucinating again, like in the room with the frozen Freelancers.

The tube comes out and he coughs, and it hurts like hell but he can still breathe without it. He's breathing. That's a start. His voice is rough and lower than it should be, but he can speak. ]

Kyna?

[Kyna nearly panics when the alarms go off, but the nurses are there almost instantly, and she stays out of the way the best she can, though she refuses to let go of his hand. She winces when the tube comes out, but then he says her name, and the relief is overwhelming. He's okay, and then she's crying all over again, struggling to keep herself under control for him and failing utterly. She leans down to kiss his forehead, fingers still tangled in his and voice trembling.]

Hey.

[It's all she can really manage. There are a million things she wants to say, that she planned to say, but none of the words seem to come.]

[ Okay... she's crying, and touching him. It's not a hallucination. He's processing that, at least, though the questions that drift through his fogged mind don't quite form. How did she get here? Why did it take so long? How long has she been here... how long was he out? Honestly, he doesn't really remember what happened after the lockdown.

The nurse presses a few buttons and Wash feels a rush of something cool in his arm, then he feels... lighter. He smiles at Kyna, a little dopily. ]

Hey. Don't cry.

[Seeing him smile makes her heart flutter, even though she's fairly certain it's just because he's drugged out of his mind. She smiles back shakily, sitting down again and pressing another kiss to his knuckles. She's not sure she can make herself stop crying just yet, but she's trying.]

Sorry, I just— I was so afraid that you...

[Kyna trails off, takes a deep breath.]

Are you okay? Does it hurt?

[ The drugs are contributing, but he's also actually happy to see her. Even if it's incredibly confusing. It feels like Hadriel was a lifetime ago -- sometimes he feels like it wasn't real, it's only that Tucker and Caboose remember that has assured him he isn't crazy. And Carolina... will probably remember soon. She was from after this, he remembers. This must have been what she was talking about.

He hopes they're here soon. All of them. That they're okay without him.

Kyna's asking him something. Wash struggles to focus so he can answer. ]

A little.

You made it. [ His eyes fall to the dog tags around her neck. "It means I'll come back to you," he remembers himself saying. And she had. ] You're so beautiful.

[That actually gets Kyna to laugh weakly, and she reaches up to comb her fingers through his hair gently. There are still a million people around, but suddenly it doesn't matter. She doesn't care.]

I missed you so much. I'm sorry it took me so long. I was just... I had to make sure it would work, you know? But I was... I never stopped thinking about you.

[ Wash wants to tell her he missed her too. That he kept hoping she'd show up, and is sorry for the bad timing now. Until Dylan showed up and all this craziness started, he'd kept making her flowers. Just so he had the perfect bouquet when she finally appeared. But he's a little too blurry to articulate all that, and so what comes out is: ]

There are so many flowers for you on the moon.

[What Kyna doesn't really know how to articulate is that she's felt like a part of her was missing the entire time she was home, and so even though he's lying in a hospital bed making absolutely no sense, she's bursting with so much relief and affection that she just grins. He's okay, and they're together again, and everything else will work out.]

God, they really do have you on the good stuff. I don't know what that means.

[ Yeah, he's high as a kite, but it totally makes sense. He'll explain later. ]

They're not as pretty as you.

[ That's when Emily shows up, her usual chipper self even after being woken at three in the morning. She proceeds to give Wash an exam, and though he follows along with her instructions he doesn't let go of Kyna's hand the whole time he's being prodded. ]