hadriel | Dictation - 3 [Voice][Dated for the 18th]

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Dictation - 3 [Voice][Dated for the 18th]

Hello everyone, I just wanted to notify you th---

[Rosen is very abruptly cut off by an aggressive fit of coughing, broken intermittently by wheezes and what sounds like choking before devolving into more coughing.

~Guess who caught a cold in the storm~!

And he looks like the walking dead, his normally tanner skin having gone powdery white and his eyes bloodshot with dark bags beneath them, which is why he's opted for a voice recording. Also because he doesn't want to reveal the fact that he's pathetically knotted up in his blankets despite it being mid afternoon]

---Sorry. [He swallows hard trying to steady his voice]

I wanted to notify everyone that I will not be a-available at the clinic for the next f-few days.

['For reasons of illness' goes unsaid as he quickly tries to end the recording as a new wave of coughing starts to overtake him]

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[Rosen's eyes follow Lance, his frown deepening in thought when he puts two and two together that Lance is actually using the stove, but he gets distracted by the water held out to him.

And though he shares the same moment of deja-vu, he doesn't mention it, simply taking the offered bottle and holding it between his hands.]

It may be foolish, but I'm still hoping its one of those 24 hour colds.

Stranger things have happened.

[Maybe Rosen'll get lucky, especially if he gets enough rest and food and all that. Lance gestures to the pill bottles on the table, giving a slightly sheepish grin.]

I grabbed anything that looked even semi-useful, but you'll have to sort out what actually is.

[Lee is less optimistic but doesn't say more on the subject for the moment, turning his attention to the pill bottles. He picks on up, then another, so on and so forth, humming lowly to himself.]

You made good selections.

[At last he gathers together a selection of pills on the surface of the table, sorting two into the 'take after food' category, and proceeding to swallow another.]

Though I hope none of this was stock that was running low. We should save what we can.

[Despite the situation, Lance looks distinctly pleased for a moment at the compliment before he manages to return his expression to a more neutral one. It's not too difficult to keep at that way at Rosen's next comment.]

I seem to remember you telling me something about not worrying about stock when there's a need to use it.

[Or something like that. It had been implied, at least; Lance doesn't really remember the conversation exactly.]

That is what it's there for, after all.

[But at least Rosen's taking it.]

[Ah. Its always so pleasant to have one's advice used against them. Rosen, despite essentially looking like he crawled out of a grave, attempts a sarcastic eye roll.]

That doesn't sound like anyone I know--

[The last bit of his comment dies as he is taken by a smaller fit of cough and he fumbles with the water bottle, drinking deeply]

[It's probably unfair--not to mention immature--to be competing with someone who's sick, but still. Score one point for Lance.

Though he winces in sympathy at the coughing, moving to the stove to take the soup off the heat while Rosen drinks some of the water.]

You should have some soup and then go back to bed.

[When his breath steadies Rosen is left with a dizzy feeling, and he eases back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment to let the room stop its swaying.]

I've been thinking, the clinic staff is going to have to have a meeting at some point

[He downs another mouthful of water]

When Kate disappeared there were a lot of loose ends. We need to make sure the systems at the clinic are less vulnerable to changes like that.

['changes' meaning 'people disappearing.']

That has nothing to do with what I just said.

[Lance informs him pointedly, just to make it known that he won't be distracted, but he does nod at Rosen's suggestion while looking for a bowl.]

I think it's a good idea. At the very least we should all actually meet each other.

[So as to limit any interpersonal problems, hopefully, as well as on the logistics side of things.]

[When his eyes open again it is to shoot Lance a look that, despite being exhausted and bloodshot, says 'I know'. And he had also learned by now to expect Lance to meet his dodges move for move. At times its like a game of chess, a chess to see who could out stubborn the other]

Even I haven't met all of them

[He nods before coughing violently again]

You should be careful, I don't want you catching whatever it is I have.

[Lance wasn't an officially-ranked chessmaster for no reason, but the acknowledgement in the form of that look is enough for him to feel satisfied with his victory and allow the conversation to move on. He can always revisit the topic later.]

As I said before, I have a strong immune system.

[Which he's counting on, because although his ribs are far better now he still doesn't have any interest in doing a lot of coughing.

He also finally manages to procure a bowl; now to see if he can find a ladle or something.]

Besides, I'm not elderly.

[He adds the comment after a moment or two, while his back is to Rosen, so that his teasing grin isn't visible. It's probably more than easy enough to imagine, though.]

[The hacking sound that follows that remark is the result of Rosen trying to huff in indignation, cough, and laugh all at once but he doesn't miss a beat]

Prepubescents are also particularly vulnerable to i-infections of the lungs

[He takes another swallow of water as his voice waivers with the itchy burning of his throat, never looking over at Lance]

[Damnit, he totally set that one up. He's torn between feeling a little pleased at making Rosen laugh, and a bit guilty for the same thing considering it sounded kind of unpleasant.]

Ha ha. I'll just take solace in that I didn't have to exaggerate; you really are old.

[So there. He also won't mention that one of the times he had pneumonia had been as a kid, both because it had really sucked and because Rosen doesn't need the encouragement.]

[Damn. Checkmate. Its almost like chess with Marcus all over again. Or he's delirious with his illness to even think about Marcus in this moment. Marcus and Lance share very few points of connection, after all.

There's a soft chuckle under his breath as his mind drifts away into a fuzz, thoughts in some static between life back home and life here.

Then distantly, distractedly he murmurs down towards the table.]

Yeah. I am.

[Its almost as if he's not aware that he's speaking]

[Lance isn't sure if there's something about the conversation that's upset him or just that he's not feeling well, and he's not sure which he should hope for. But either way Lance finally manages to gather everything necessary to set the bowl of soup and a spoon in front of Rosen, and then settles back into his previous seat at the table.]

Hopefully Hannibal is a decent cook.

[Actually that makes him think of something, and he gives a small grin.]

Is being able to cook a prerequisite for becoming a psychiatrist? You can, and Hannibal apparently can too, and a friend of mine at home actually left psychiatry to become a chef. I still think it's a weird choice, but it seems to make him happy, so...

[That's what's really important. Also wow, he realizes he really wishes Doctor--or Chef, he supposes--Wyatt was here. He'd be a huge help.]

[Rosen hums at the comment about Hannibal's cooking as if that were a sufficient enough confirmation of the man's elite culinary skills, then chuckles with rasping breath at Lance's observation]

I w-would argue its a general prerequisite for adulthood. But there are some who'd dis-disagree with me.

[A few more coughs]

When my diet b-became too strict, my wife told me I had better be prepared to do all the cooking

[Lance gives him a flat look for that first comment, mock-annoyed.]

My four degrees didn't come with any cooking lessons, unfortunately.

[He was too busy learning other things to learn something practical like cooking, gosh.]

Is it strict because you choose it to be?

[Because that'll determine whether Rosen's wife was totally justified or being a jerk with that comment.]

[Rosen cants his head to one side]

In truth it was a bit of both. [He drums his fingers on the table.] Jewish family, wife was not, daughter was not... there were also some health problems from when I was younger, and then once I was a doctor it just became stricter the more I learn.

I can teach you if you'd like.

[Obviously not right this moment, however]

[Ah, there's a lot to it, then. He nods at the offer; he really should learn, honestly. It's not like he has anything better to do.]

Sure, but if I burn down an apartment it's on you.

[Just saying, though he offers a small grin that indicates he's both joking and doesn't think it'll be that bad.]

I've also been meaning to ask you about learning more about dealing with injuries and that sort of thing; I think I should at least be able to manage stitches.

[Considering how many stitches he's had in his life he's pretty sure he's got the idea down already anyway, and it seems like something that would be practical to know.]

[There's a huff of air trying to be a laugh]

I'll take my chances

[Before he looks up from the table, a bit surprised.]

Of course I'd be happy to g-give you training. [He had actually been hoping Lance would get interested in the more hands on side of the clinic] Have you had any first aid or wound treatment training before?

Some, yeah. We get basics at the FBI, I went to a class or two in college, and I've picked up some things from knowing a lot of people with--or training to get--medical degrees. Also I'm really accident-prone.

[He adds the last part as a joke, but it's also true; it's not the whole story, of course, but more than enough reason on its own.]

[That last part is the farthest thing from a surprise]

W-with most people I wouldn't bother trying to train them- [He wheezes a bit as a cough seems to be brewing but dissipates before it can even get out of his throat] -B-but you're a fast learner.

[And Lance has proven himself a talented and quick hand with whatever he's put his mind to learning]

[Hey, surely there's someone else who's managed to fall out of two different trees two years in a row and break their arm both times, right?

RIGHT?

He brightens at the compliment, ready to affirm that he's indeed a fast learner and it won't be a waste of time or anything, but there are more important things to focus on.]

I don't think you're supposed to be suppressing a cough.

[Just saying. In fact, he's pretty sure that's one of the ways you end up with pneumonia.]

[Rosen grimaces before making an attempt at the soup, less out of hunger and more out of avoidance of addressing Lance's annoyingly accurate statement]

C-can I ask you why you decided to become a psychologist? I mean, rather than an MD or something along those lines

[Well, mission accomplished, he supposes. Sort of. He'll take it.

The question, though, earns some hesitation; he has different answers for it depending on how honest he feels like being and who he's talking to, so he has to decide exactly what and how much to say.

He studies the table for a short time before responding.]

I thought about it. Becoming an MD, I mean.

[He'd considered several other fields too, especially in his short break between high school and starting college when he realized just how fast everything had gone and that he really needed to make a decision.]

I wanted to do something that would help people, and ultimately it came down to that I wanted to work more personally with individuals that a doctor normally does. I've um... I've been to a lot of doctors, but I only remember the name of one of them; the three therapists I've seen--although one was a psychiatrist, not a psychologist--I know whether they were married, how many kids or pets they had, where they went to school, what their hobbies were outside of work...

[And all of them, even the psychiatrist he'd only seen a few times, had made much more of an impact on his life than the medical doctors had, even though the latter had all been very competent and well-meaning people.]

You wanted to tr-treat the patient as a whole not as a body of symptoms.

[Rosen's eyes rest on Lance, red at the corners and clearly exhausted, but intent on him. Curious.]

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lifetothefullest - 2017-07-18 01:45 (UTC) - Expand

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