Nachton Hospital / Getting a tip (hospital) / Kyle Evans 18 years ago

Getting a tip (hospital)

(follows later in the afternoon of "Dry cleaners and stains" )

Kyle's stomach grumbled in between his shaking spells. He checked his watch. 'Wow, 6:30pm.' The sun was just starting to set in Nachton as Kyle decided to grab something to eat.

He had been running down tips all day to keep his mind off of drinking. The assistant district attorney's death proved interesting although he couldnt glean any more information from the coroner, Dr. Ava Kaufmann. With legs up to her eyeballs, his efforts to secure her phone number were met with cold resistance. He had heard she was dating some bigwig...or at the very least fucking him senseless. Dejected he ran down some other possible tips.

As he walked along the food corridor of The Strip, his hands went into his pockets as he decided what to eat. Kyle fingered the piece of paper in his left pocket and pulled it out.

'Ahhh,' Kyle smiled. Carol's phone number. Perfect opportunity to...then his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID and considered not answering but thought better of it.

'Yes, Grant.'

'Got something for you,' said Grant Thorps, he's editor.

'Ooh, give give. I've had nothing but road blocks all day on that assistant DA murder.'

'Well, it's nothing more on that, but we just heard that Marthinus Steyn of Duibne Industries had a heart attack, maybe 2.'

Kyle sighed, 'What, you want me to write the obit for it? Am I getting demoted?'

'Idiot, he's a Nachton icon, benefactor and CEO of the larget pharmecutical company in the city if not the eastern seaboard. He's at Nachton Hospital, 8th floor. GO.'

'Yes, yes,' Kyle said and hung up his cell phone. The day turned into dusk as he hailed a yellow cab with a sharp whistle. It pulled up to him and he jumped in.

'Nachton Hospital,' and the yellow cab sped off.

Nova 18 years ago

Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood: and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago: and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days.*

Nova rested the book on the side table and smiled down at Marthinus.

Guess maybe I'll have to get another. Sure would be nice if you would wake up and talk some; this might come as something of a shock but hell, I'm runnin' out of things to say here. Little help man? She shook her head, still smiling. Well, doctor says you're picking up. Even so, I sure as hell ain't leavin' again after what happened last time. You'll wake up when you're good and ready I guess, don't let me push you into anything.

Nova reflected for a moment on what "anything"Â? could entail, and sighed. Perhaps they had more time to make this choice, but in spite of Marthinus's encouraging progress, she had her doubts.

The Doctor had acted...strange...when he told her how her friend was faring, and she didn't like the direction of her thoughts. Reading seemed a good distraction from that, and helped her to get her mind off wondering where Simon was, and the current condition of Hillman. She had been there since just before sunrise, either raising hell in the waiting room when not permitted to see the CEO or quietly reading in Marthinus's room when she was. She guessed that the nurses and staff had figured out which Nova they would rather be dealing with, and didn't give her too much grief on the matter of visiting hours. The result of that, though, was that Nova had run out of books. She would have brought more if she were thinking straight, which she wasn't.

Hey, I'm gonna walk over to the gift shop and see if they got anything descent for us, alright? I'll be -right- back.

With that, Nova slipped quietly out of the room.

/ooc *Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

Doctor 18 years ago

'Uh....' Said the Dr. Taylor, the nervous and aware doctor for Marthinus. He was reading over his patients blood work results in his office. It was a surprise but it wasn't. The high levels of white blood cells and sudden regeneration of his heart. Dr. Taylor rested his head on his desk.

His master must've given him vampire blood.

Dr. Taylor printed out the results and made a mental note to burn the paper copies as he deleted the results out of the computer. He'd have to cover this trail before this leaked out. There would be reporters and people trying to get into the system.

Dr. Taylor pounded his head onto his desk several times.

****

Tucking the papers into his pocket and nursing his sore forehead, Dr. Taylor set out to find Marthinus guest, Nova. He peeked into Marthinus room quickly to check his vitals.

Strong heart beat. His lips puckered. He walked back out and instructed the nurses to take Mr. Steyn off his life support, he reasoning was littered with medical jargon. The nurses looked at him blankly and then set off to their task.

Lips puckered, Dr. Taylor searched the floor and could not find Nova. The gift shop maybe, he thought to himself and pressed the down call button for the elevator.

Kyle Evans 18 years ago

Kyle managed to grab the elevator just as the doors were closing. Slipping inside, he adjusted the white doctor's coat he had snagged from the laundry room in the basement. It took him a few minutes to find a name tag sitting on the counter of an empty nurses station. He watched the numbers light up as he travelled upwards. Kyle thought a moment about who he was going to see.

Marthinus T. Steyn was a known familiar, probably the highest ranking familiar in his particular clan. He was still iffy about how many clans there were in Nachton, but he knew of at least 2, maybe 3. He was CEO for Duibne industries which, he had found after much toil, was linked to his family. It would appear that each generation of Steyns served in some capacity with the company name Duibne. Marthinus was important and him dying was interesting nonetheless. He'd have to check on his descendants, to see if they were moving to replace him at the helm of Duibne.

The elevator dinged and opened its door. He nearly ran into a nervous looking doctor who was charging in.

'Excuse me,' the other doctor mumbled.

'No problem,' Kyle said, stepping aside to dodge the man and exiting. Kyle made a note of his name, Taylor, as the doors closed silently. Turning around, he checked the area. The nurses station was cleared.

Too easy.

Kyle realized why as he approached the station to find Steyn's room number hopefully noted on the wall. He looked to his left and saw the bussle of nurses taking equipment out of a room. Two were pushing what he assumed was a breathing machine and the other taking some blood samples in the other direction. The floor was completely cleared. Looking again at the dry eraser board they used for noting patience, he saw that Steyn was in 801, the room the nurses had just come out of.

Kyle straighened his jacket again and walked right into Marthinus room.

Nova 18 years ago

'Hmm...John Grisham...no...Steven King...no, I think not...think Marthinus might be a bit beyond Goosebumps and Babysitter's Club...damn. Yeah, don't think we need The South Beach Diet.'

Nova thumbed through the rack of books, mostly paperback bestsellers, looking for something reasonably appropriate. She rejected a batch of bodice rippers completely, though she snickered at a few of the titles, and passed over the horror titles with a grimace. She finally settled on Charlie and the Chocolate factory, done up with a somewhat creepy cover based on the new movie.

She pulled her wallet out of her cargo pocket and went up to the register to pay, stopping to grab a package of bubblegum on the way. At the door chime she looked up, and set her purchases on the counter, letting the clerk ring her up while she spoke with the doctor who had just entered. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if Dr. Taylor was on break or something, and maybe it was a little rude to harass him right this minute, but...eh, fuck it, it's his job.

What's the good word doc?

Kyle Evans 18 years ago

Kyle closed Steyn's door quietly and looked at the man in bed. He looked quite well for a man who's had 2 heart attacks. Kyle paused. Steyn looked fantastic, in fact.

He spun in a circle and looked for his chart but his eyes fell on the computer sitting on a wheeled stand. He approached it quickly and read the screen. It was his chart and it was left on the last page, detailing what they had just done to Mr. Steyn. Backing up a few pages, Kyle barely managed to get to the main menu.

Lab Results
Medication
Daily Details
Overall Status
Current Status

Kyle stuck his arms up into the air and silently cheered.

Doctor 18 years ago

'What's the good word doc?'

Without a word, he shoved the papers into Nova's hand. He knew Nova was medically trained, they had enough conversations about his health in the past 24hrs to know that. He let the documents speak for themselves.

He spied the bubblegum, 'Can I get...?' and opened the bag, grabbing a piece.

Nova 18 years ago

Nova reached out a hand and swatted absently at the doctor's arm, missing by a mile but not really sweating it. She didn't mind sharing, even if Dr. Taylor -was- a little weird for just reaching into her bag like that. She spoke a little too loudly as she read.

Yeah go right ahead, help yourself why don't you?

Freakin' weirdo.

She paged through the paperwork, reading briskly. 'Damn. Thought he might be getting better on his own.' Nova sighed. She had, of course, known better, but it had been easier to read children's books and dream of revenge. 'Man. I hate this.'

Marthinus getting hooked to the blood was just about the last way Nova wanted to see him. She couldn't even imagine her friend reduced to that state, and didn't figure Marthinus would find it all that pleasant either. It was somehow too...undignified for the man. Better turned than this, by far.

She knew it wasn't her place to question. But damn. What was Simon thinking?

As soon as she asked herself the question, she thought she understood. Simon was very likely having a hard time facing this choice. It was easier, for the moment, to delay making it. She could sympathize, in all fairness, even if it saddened and frustrated her.

She gave a grunt, pushed the papers back into the doctor's hands, and walked off to be with Marthinus again.

Clerk 18 years ago

That's a seriously yellow phone.

That's the the clerk was thinking as he held the yellow cell phone in his hand. It was just delievered via a courier with instructions to find this 'Nova Piestewa'.

With a whistle, the clerk picked up his phone and dialed the number for the overhead speaker. 'Paging a Nova...Pie...stew...ah?' The clerk shook his head. 'Paging a Nova Pew...stewa to the main lobby front desk, please.'

Nova 18 years ago

Not. That. Hard.

God.

Nova made her way at her usual fast walk to the main lobby, wondering if the page signaled another visitor for Marthinus. Once she rounded the corner, though, she could see even from a distance the reason for the call. She picked up the pace and approached the counter, grinning.

That would be mine.

She snatched the phone away from the clerk and turned it over in her hand. Her "may cause drowsiness"Â? sticker was peeling at one end and it looked like maybe the whole thing had been dropped in a puddle or something, but it was pretty much unharmed and it wasn't like Nova took especially good care of the thing to begin with.

She shrugged and checked the phone for messages. There was one waiting, from Simon.

She dialed as she passed through the double doors leading to the ambulance bay.

Simon Huntington 18 years ago

Simon sat in his Domicile office waiting for Nova's phone call. Her cell phone should've been delivered by now. He leaned back in his chair, his office lights off and his hazel eyes pierced the darkness. He rested one elbow on the arm of his chair and he tapped his lips with his index finger.

His sleek, new cell phone sat in the middle of his large desk. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus his mind on Nova. She was one of his last personal turns before he started to designate other lower vampires. Not as old as Ellis, it was beginning to be an issue of his blood creating abnormally stronger vampires. He was very picky about whom he turned, but there were always a few that took the new powers and immediately drew attention to themselves.

Those vampires were executed quickly.

Nova on the other hand. She warmed his heart. He knew he could trust her with Marthinus and thru her, he got to know Marthinus for the respected man he was. Marthinus was close to dying...he'd have to make a choice. 'I cannot let Ellis treat another Huntington descendant like property. Why has it suddenly come down to this day, this hour?'

Suddenly his cell phone rang. He quickled reached out and answered it.

'Nova?' He didnt wait for her answer, 'How is Marthinus?'

Nova 18 years ago

Frowning in an attempt to gauge Simon's current mood, Nova spoke carefully into the phone.

He is improving. Hasn't woken up yet, but the doc assures me he will soon; he's in a natural sleep now, they aren't calling him comatose anymore, and if he's not off life support machines already he will be very soon. I just saw the papers myself. Vitals are looking better, if not perfect yet. She smiled into the phone. He looks good, considering.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek, wanting to say more but feeling it best to let the good news sink in if only for a moment.

Hell, it's been a moment.

Simon...I know that -sounds- really good, and it is and all...but I would be a shitty friend to Marthinus if I didn't tell you that you two gotta use this borrowed time to make a call on what you two wanna do. Now I told Marthinus, and I'll tell you...I'm behind you, whatever you decide.

I'm sorry man. I know this is a hard choice for you, particularly this late in the game, but it's got to be done.

She stopped her pacing and braced herself for Simon's reaction. She didn't like being a hardass, especially now, but hell, Simon had asked her to stay with him knowing who she was and how she worked and she would live up to that. Simon needed honesty, and Marthinus needed someone to stick up for him.

Simon Huntington 18 years ago

'I'm sorry man. I know this is a hard choice for you, particularly this late in the game, but it's got to be done.'

Simon leaned forward in his chair and placed his hand where his cell phone had been sitting. He put his hand flat on the surface, then turned it over to look at his palm. His features had not changed in hundreds of years. Was he ready to inflict this kind of sentence on someone close to him? His flesh and blood?

Softly he said, 'I know, Nova.' He tucked his hand back, hanging it off the desk in front of him. 'Ellis has made it quite clear that she has no plans to turn him. Jacob is on his way to assume Marthinus' position.'

Simon recalled the hate in him as Ellis, in no uncertain terms, claimed Marthinus' life as her property. Again he closed his eyes, trying to focus.

'I have been told that this is not my choice to make.'

Nova 18 years ago

Nova winced, and took a steadying breath before further treading dangerous ground. She deliberately slowed her speaking as she raised her volume.

Simon. I'm going to say this once more.

Whatever -you- and -Marthinus- decide. I'm with you.

Got that?

She was way out of line and she knew it, and her creator had every right to lay the smack down for what she had just said. But if he had intended to go along with Ellis's wishes, why bother with the vampire blood?

Damn good thing this talk is over the phone.

She bit her cheek again, and decided it would probably be good to shut up now.

She wondered vaguely if she had a death wish.

Look, just...for God's sake, don't dick around with this. You're only making it harder on both of you by yo-yoing with his health, it's not fair to Marthinus and it's not fair to you either.

Just this once, you've got the time you need.

Simon Huntington 18 years ago

Simon's forehead crinkled. 'What are you talking about? Yo-yoing with his health?' He stood now, 'Is there something going on?'

He was frantic now, but confused. He was doing well but he had two heart attacks. Why was that bad, he was doing well now. Simon's jaw gaped open.

'Was he given something, Nova? Is someone using Eternity on him?'

Oh dear god. Not Eternity. Who would give him Eternity? That would prolong his life and in fact regenerate him tremendously but too much of it would make him hopelessly addicted and not near the man he once was. Would Ellis? No, why would she? She could care less about my feelings about a member of his family. Oh god...how much had he been given already? Simon thought frantically to himself.

He broke out into a cold sweat as he waited for Nova to answer.

Kyle Evans 18 years ago

Kyle squinted his eyes and cursed himself for not getting his vision checked in the past 2 years. God damn small print, he thought to himself.

He tabbed thru Steyn's overall condition and saw that he was improving. Recent lab results indicated that he would be fine off the life support. He tabbed back to read the lab results.

Deleted by Dr. R Taylor.

Taylor. Kyle looked up, confused. Why is this name familiar? Suddenly he snapped his fingers. The doctor coming into the elevator when he came out. 'I have to talk to him.'

He looked back and read over the exisiting lab results. They were all grim looking, his systems slowly down and having to be carried by the life support, but now...he was sleeping, albeit deeply. Kyle took a step closer to Steyn. He looked incredible for his age. Fifty something?

Curious, Kyle thought.

Nova 18 years ago

Nova hesitated, confused and suddenly not knowing what to say.

Uh...yeah?

Oh, brilliant thing to say. Still...it was pretty obvious Simon had no idea Eternity had been used.

I mean, I don't have photographic evidence or anything, but the charts indicated either Eternity or an act of God. And...fuck, don't think I don't see the appeal of holding onto him a while longer while you guys make up your minds...but...shit, what's going on? If you didn't give it to him, and I sure as hell didn't, who did?

Nova frowned.

I was operating from the assumption that the person who did this, er, you to be specific, had Marthinus's best interests at heart.

Now I'm not so sure.

Simon Huntington 18 years ago

'Well who else could it be? Who else knows that he's been admitted?' Simon thought back, the list was short. Carol? No, she wouldnt dare risk Ellis' wrath. Alafrinn and Thaddeus? Why would they, to help me maybe? Nova, myself and...

'Jacob. His son. He must've had someone do it.' He ran his fingers thru his hair. 'It had to have been during the day? When is Marthinus left alone?' Nova was there but she had to be outside or near the exit. That could only mean that he was alone right now.

'Go, Nova. I'll find out what I can.'

Nova 18 years ago

Though very confused, Nova caught Simon's meaning and snapped her phone closed, walking back into the hospital briskly.

So it wasn't anyone malicious...just a stupid kid who didn't know what he was playing with and only knew his daddy was dying. She found herself sort of hoping Simon wasn't too hard on him...but she was far more concerned with making sure this sort of thing didn't happen again.

She waited about ten seconds for the elevator before giving up in a fit of impatience and taking the stairs two at a time all the way up. She flung the stairwell door open, nearly collided with the nurse's station, and slowed down just as she reached Marthinus's door, which she opened much more gently and quietly in spite of the fact that she had made more noise than a herd of elephants just outside.

She forgot her efforts at quiet at the sight of a stranger in the room, at the computer station.

Who the fuck are you? She approached the man, glaring. What did you do to him?

She turned to regard Marthinus, taking in the sudden lack of life support machines.

You're not supposed to be here. This is Dr. Taylor's patient. Who sent you?

Marthinus T. Steyn 18 years ago

'His name is Kyle Evans and he's a reporter from the Times.'

Marthinus had expected his voice to be much weaker. He felt fine, much to his amazement. The pain in his chest was gone and except for some lingering soreness, he was able to sit himself up in bed to look at his loud visitors.

'Mr. Evans here is a conspiracy theorist, our city's finest, Nova.' He sat full up and his posture was as keen as ever. He straightened his dishelved gown, trying to look respectable and somehow...Marthinus T. Steyn achieved it. Marthinus continued his introduction of Evans. 'He also believes in vampires, Nova.'

He paused, giving Evans a rigid smile. 'Imagine that.'

Kyle Evans 18 years ago

Kyle took a step back, looking for a quick escape as the well built woman came in and demanded to know who he was and who sent him. He had begun to reply when Steyn did it for him.

'Imagine that,' said Steyn.

Kyle's jaw dropped as he watched Steyn sit up without any help and properly introduce him. He pointed at the supposedly bed ridden man, 'You...' he shook his head, taking a step closer to Marthinus.

'You're part of them, aren't you?' He waggled his finger, accusing Marthinus. 'You're a familiar, I knew it.' Then he pointed a finger towards Nova and his face became sad. 'How...did you do something to him? That computer's earlier tests results say he should be dead by now.'

Kyle circled the foot of the bed and approached Nova, looking at her. Suddenly he lowered himself to look at her eye level, then peered at her mouth. He imagined he looked like an idiot but he knew they would know what he was looking for on Nova.

'Where are they? Show them to me.' He straightened and again pointed a finger at Marthinus but addressed Nova. 'I know he's not, but I know you are. The fangs, show them to me.'

Kyle half pleaded with her. This was potentially the closest he had ever been to a high ranking familiar, much less a vampire. He couldnt tell exactly if the woman was one but they wouldnt leave a human to guard their CEO. He had to know he wasn't as crazy as everyone said he was.