Issue 11: The Waiting

[Isabel Galen]

Isabel was sitting at a desk at the nurse's station, doing data entry.

[Derek Scott]

Derek, meanwhile, was pacing. And pacing. ANd pacing some more. Probably to the aggravation of all around him.

[Isabel Galen]

"Dude, sit down." Isabel said "You're making me nervous."

[Derek Scott]

"What?" Derek said, glancing around, his eyes fixing on Izzy. "I... oh. Sorry," he said, sitting down and trying not to fidget. "God, I hate this part..."

[Isabel Galen]

"They've got a team out looking for them, we're ready to deal with any injuries that come in, and she's an X-man." Isabel said, trying to sound reasonable. "Its going to be fine. I promise."

[Derek Scott]

"I know," he sighed. "Just... I don't know. That's what the bad guys probably think, too. 'Oh, we have our best people out there, no way can we lose.'"

[Isabel Galen]

"Nah, the bad guys are too busy polishing their monologue." Isabel said "They aren't anything that the team can't handle. They might get banged up, but we can take care of that."

[Derek Scott]

"Yeah, I know, you're probably right. It's just... yeah. I think I like it better when they send me to be the field medic."

[Isabel Galen]

"Waiting around sucks ass." Isabel agreed.

[Derek Scott]

"Feel like I'm the most useless person in this building," he sighed. "Can't heal, can't fight, just running around picking things up for everyone that can actually do something."

[Isabel Galen]

"That matters too." Isabel said "Using regular medicine lets healers save our juice for the serious cases. Plus a lot of healers do better if the person is stable."

[Derek Scott]

"And I'm not even any good at that. God damn it... Ah, hell, I sound like an asshole right now, don't I."

[Isabel Galen]

"You'll get better at it." Isabel said "and you sound worried. Makes sense, with Chloe missing."

[Derek Scott]

"Just gotta have faith, right?" he sighed. "Makes me wonder why we all gather in here before. All we're going to do is drive ourselves crazy."

[Isabel Galen]

"Because otherwise we'd be sitting around going nuts somewhere else."

[Derek Scott]

Derek sighed. "Yeah... And who am I kidding, I'd just end up going to the bar anyway."

[Isabel Galen]

"And I'd be right there with you." Isabel said "This way, we'll be sober when they come in."

[Derek Scott]

"And we won't be smashed until AFTER the shift's up."

[Isabel Galen]

"Exactly." Isabel said "Unless your girl decides to keep you busy."

[Derek Scott]

"Yeah, she's probably going to come back and need to be here for a week or something. So I see drinking in the future."

[Isabel Galen]

"Awww, no sitting by her bedside?" Isabel teased.

[Derek Scott]

"Yeah, but she'll have to sleep. And I'll need to eat. And like hell will I be eating hospital food."

[Isabel Galen]

"And the sad thing is that the food here isn't too bad."