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Post by Red Arrow on Sept 5, 2012 17:40:21 GMT -5
Roy had been pacing at the foot of his daughters bed for the past two nights. Checking her temperature every two hours. He'd taken her to the doctor Friday afternoon after her teacher had called him, saying Lian was running a fever. He was upset that he'd missed the signs. Lian hadn't eaten that morning claiming she wasn't hungry.
His pediatrician said that it was simply a fever, a cold and it would break the next morning. Saturday morning came, and her fever didn't break. He had snarled his aggregation out at the doctor and had openly threatened him, not the smartest move. Roy had called Kendra in a moment of distress and worry. Lian's fever should have broken, and it still hadn't. With his trust in the normal populace gone at this moment. He'd called Soranik Natu. She came recommended from the Justice League, everyone knew of Roy's weariness with the ignorant when it came to his baby girl.
His home remedies weren't helping and Lian was sleeping more frequently and that could be good or bad. It had been pretty late when he'd given Soranik the call, she was of the Lantern Corps. He knew a few of them, but that didn't mean much.
He squeezed Lian's hand with a gentleness, very few saw. His daughter would forever be his greatest weakness. He placed his wrist on her sweaty forehead, his lips pulling down. This was hard to handle, being unable to do anything. Roy Harper could not fight Lian's sickness.
"Princess...don't you worry. Daddy's going to get you some help"
The whispered words came softly, as he moved the once more cool, damp washcloth once more gently on her forehead. His blue eyes narrowed at the sound of knocking. Padding from the room, bare feet light on the carpeted floors, Roy in just sweats, his head hurt but he blew it off to lack of sleep and nerves. Roy went to his front door, a pistol in his hand,cocked and loaded.
Paranoid some called him.
No, Roy Harper was prepared, always.
"Who is it?" came the rough voice on the other side of the thick oak door.
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Post by Soranik Natu on Sept 6, 2012 5:25:38 GMT -5
When she had come to Earth, Soranik hadn’t expected to be acting as a doctor. After all, while it was not quite as advanced in medical technology as Korugar, Earth was not backwards. It had doctors, it had surgeons and it had medical facilities of its own, all of which were far more familiar with human biology and diseases than she was. That was not to say that she thought that they were better doctors than she was, because without being unduly prideful Natu knew that she was the best in her own sector and in the Green Lantern Corps, but the human doctors did spend their time curing their own species so they had a greater familiarity with their genetics than she did.
Therefore, when she had been contacted by one of the Justice League, the group of vigilante superheroes who protected the world from its own villains, Soranik was doubly surprised. Of course, the Earth-bound Green Lanterns were or had been members, so it was not surprising that they were able to contact her, but it had still taken her by surprise to receive a call from any of them, particularly one that was not one of the Corps. Still, the fact that he had known who she was and how to contact her suggested that he was who he said he was.
That had been Roy Harper, a colleague of several members of the League, and more relevantly a father with a sick daughter. Seemingly, Earth doctors could do little for her and he had wanted a second opinion from someone with greater qualifications. He had been recommended to her.
It had been late when he called her and, in the room that she had been able to rent, Soranik had been about to sleep. Therefore, he had given her his address and she, in turn, had promised to attend upon his daughter the next morning. She intended to keep her word and, having paused only to consult with Salaak on the matter of her ongoing mission here, she had headed for the city of Seattle. It was not one that she had been to before, but Natu did not pause for sightseeing as she flew towards the home in question.
She paused a little way away, landing in an alley and covering her uniform with a coat to avoid drawing too much attention and covering her face with a scarf. An unnamed visitor to the house would doubtless draw less attention than a Green Lantern. Some might have been surprised that she thought of that. However, it was not surprising, given that she had hidden her uniform while working on Korugar before the Sinestro Corps War, and she knew that Earth’s heroes tended to be protective of their identities. No doubt, this Roy Harper would prefer not to have her appear on his doorstep in the full glory of the Corps.
Disguise in place, such as it was, she approached the home she had been told to come to, knocking authoritatively on the door and stepping back. She was not kept waiting long before a voice, rough from (she predicted) exhaustion answered. Parents with sick children were rarely able to sleep in her limited experience of such cases.
“Doctor Soranik Natu,” she answered, tugging back her scarf and coat so that he could see the reddish tone of her skin and the symbol of the Corps on her chest. “You asked me to examine your daughter. May I come in?”
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Post by Red Arrow on Sept 8, 2012 7:14:28 GMT -5
Roy took in the woman’s get up, and watched as she pulled down the scarf she was wearing and allowed him to see her skin color and the corps insignia on her chest. She was legit and if she wound up not being so, well he’d take care of it. That was what he did; Red Arrow handled things, lots of things.
He pulled the latch on the door, his gun being placed on the table by the door for a moment within easy reach for him. As he stepped back to allow her room to enter his humble apartment, his blue eyes watched her as she came in. The apartment was spacious easily giving enough room that Lian could run around without a problem. He reached over his hand curling over the gun as he moved to put it up on a ledge you’d have to be his height or higher to reach, and it wasn’t openly visible.
He looked at her only finally speaking as he held out his hand to her.
“Thank you for coming Miss. Natu. I know you’ve come quite a distance and I’m grateful,”
He said to her as his hand would cover hers. He looked exhausted and his eyes were heavy and bags under his eyes stood out. He looked ready to fall asleep standing up, but that wouldn’t happen, Red Arrow was constantly awake or at least tried to do so, and he kept himself awake but his body being tense all the time. The muscles on his bar arms danced and pulled across his back as he moved around his living room, absently picking up things here and there just to give himself something to do before he’d take her to see Lian.
“Lian has been sick since Friday…with a fever and nausa. Usually I’d be fine with that, but her fever hasn’t broken it’s been two days, for a four year old that isn’t normal. Is it possible she’s caught a space born disease with who I’ve been around lately?”
He question, he’d just recently gone on a mission with several of the League’s inter-terrestrial members. He looked at her, his back against the kitchen counter, arms folded and red hair up, but a few of the strands were sticking up out of place, from the obvious little hands that liked to run through his hair.
He wouldn't just blindly let this woman so close to his daughter, not yet, he had to be sure, she was who she said she was. If she wasn't...Lian could be in danger. He wasn't worried that he couldn't handle himself, but Lian was defenseless, he had things set in place but those only went so far.
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Post by Soranik Natu on Sept 11, 2012 5:28:14 GMT -5
Tugging her coat and scarf back into place, Soranik was not kept waiting for long before the door swung open to reveal a red haired man with blue eyes, tired and worn but clearly wary for all that. Not feeling she needed any further invitation, the Korugaran stepped inside, unwinding her scarf and removing her coat as she did so to reveal the Green Lantern uniform beneath. She did not have a bag with her, but then her ring now provided all the instruments that she needed.
After a moment, during which her violet eyes surveyed the apartment before her swiftly, he offered her a hand which she accepted with a nod. “I’m a doctor,” She told him, feeling that was sufficient explanation of her presence, “And if I can help, I will. You didn’t give me many details though – what is your daughter’s condition?”
She would not need to be a doctor to see that Roy Harper had had better days, although all the signs were very familiar from her previous experience with worried relatives and worried parents in particular. His hair stuck up, from having hands run through it in frustration, while he hadn’t shaved, his eyes barely qualified as open and the bags underneath were very noticeable. Her eyes followed him around the room as he fidgeted, tidying it in what was clearly an absent-minded fashion. All the signs of a worried and, if she were any judge, single parent. There were no signs of a mother here, no signs that anyone else was present, and the fact that Mr Harper himself was so exhausted strongly argued in her mind at least in favour of him being the only adult present.
Soranik pursed her lips thoughtfully as the father explained the symptoms so far and suggested that he was concerned that his daughter might have been infected with a disease either directly from one of his non-human colleagues or through him. The symptoms were a persistent fever and nausea, neither of which was particularly definitive by themselves. His theory was possible though. There were diseases that crossed species, as she had noted in her research in the Green Lantern corps after leaving Korugar. If he had in fact been exposed to one then neither he nor his daughter would necessarily have any immunity to it, however, there was one reason that she felt it was unlikely.
“It is possible,” she agreed. “However, if she had caught this from you, I would expect you to be showing symptoms, particularly given your visible exhaustion and the probability that neither of you will be vaccinated or even resistant to such an illness. Even if she caught it directly from one of your colleagues, I would think that you would have been at grave risk given your close proximity to her for the last two days.”
Soranik gave him a reassuring smile. “I will need to see her to confirm, but I believe it more likely to be a human illness. I would also think that an illness from another species would manifest in more… unusual ways than a fever and nausea.” She stepped forward, raising her ring hand as a thermometer construct materialised between the two of them.
“If you hold still, I will just check your temperature. Have you been experiencing nausea or any other unusual symptoms recently?” This was the easiest way to convince him that it was unlikely to be anything he passed along to his daughter, then she could take a look at her actual patient.
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Post by Red Arrow on Sept 12, 2012 11:00:11 GMT -5
Roy shot her an irritable look, one that if he had his mask on might make her second guess trying to treat him, to see if he was sick as well. The sick patient was his daughter, but he also knew he wasn't make this any easier on her. He was in fact making her job terribly complicated.
He held up his hands in surrender, but allowed her to check and see if he hand a fever, as she stepped closer pressing the green stethoscope to his bare chest over his heart, he slowly let his body relax. His muscular arms falling to his side as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I'm not making your job any easier, I'm sorry Dr. Natu,"
The words came gently from his lips a sign of the exhaustion, usually Roy Harper was harsh and didn't give up easily, but it proved just how exhausted and how worried he truly was. His blue eyes wanted to close in his own need for sleep, but Roy was stubborn and he his priorities were always right, Lian came first.
He ran his fingers slowly through his hair as he stepped around her once she was done checking his heart rate. He lead the way down the hall, his tattoos stand out against his arm as he entered a smaller room. The room was obviously Lian's room, it help pink walls, stuffed animals and a couple of books and a dresser for clothes and a slightly opened closet door, that showed clothes and more toys.
In the bed was a tossing and turning Lian, although she was asleep, she was sleeping fitfully and couldn't seem to get comfortable. She was tucked into her bed, but was hard to tell if she was cold or hot, with the she seemed to shiver yet the sweat on her face, was another sign she had a fever.
Roy went quietly up to the bed, his fingers gently brushing along his daughters cheek, as his fingers ran carefully through her hair.
"Lian sweet heart, you need to awake up, please...Dr. Soranik is going to check your temperature and some other stuff."
His gently words seemed to rouse the little girl, and she rubbed her eyes sleepily and slowly sat up, her pink jp's covering her body. Those youthful blue eyes looked at Sora and they were glossy and dilated, her features spoke for themselves that she didn't feel well.
"Hi..." came the meek response, her arms wrapping around Roy's much larger one as she pressed her forehead against his upper arm, as if he could take the hurt away.
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Post by Soranik Natu on Sept 16, 2012 18:14:57 GMT -5
At first, Natu’s order netted her an irritable look but, mask or no, she had seen worse and the Green Lantern ignored it readily. In any case, he let her check. He was, the obvious exceptions aside, in good shape, she noted professionally, as she examined him. No fever… After a moment, he spoke, the words an explanation and an apology which were, although appreciated, not strictly necessary.
As he apologised, Soranik glanced up from where she was checking his vitals with a wry smile quirking at the corner of her mouth.
“I assure you, you are not the first worried parent I have met, Mister Harper. No offence was taken.”
Carefully, she went about her business, checking his heart rate, his blood pressure and a handful of other things with the quick professionalism of the seasoned professional. The doctor had done all of this before, to humans as well as others, and she did not linger, aware that she was there for the daughter, not the father. In any case, he seemed as healthy as she might expect, given the obvious signs of sleep-deprivation and her suspicions that he likely had not been eating properly while his daughter was sick. It was understandable, but there were no signs of infection and certainly not of anything foreign to the Earth. Again, she suspected that any such agents would leave unmistakeable signs of their presence in ways that would be very obviously wrong.
“You’re fine,” she told him, taking one last look at his eyes. “I would tell you to get a good night’s sleep and a decent meal, but again you are not the first worried parent and I know you won’t take my advice. But you are no use to your daughter exhausted and hungry. Understood?” Her tone was quiet but firm, meant to be as much friendly advice as a doctor’s professional advice.
Regardless of his answer, Soranik gave him a reassuring nod. “Alright. May I see your daughter now?”
He promptly stepped around her and led her further into the apartment, down a hall and into a room that Natu barely glanced at, her focus entirely upon the girl child on the bed at the centre. She looked to be asleep, but even a quick glance showed the telltale signs of fever – sweat on her brow while she tossed and turned, shivering despite the room not being cold. The doctor paused in the doorway, watching as Harper went to his daughter, stroking her cheek and murmuring to her. The sight brought a slight smile to her, before she went to join them, crouching down besides the father and smiling at the daughter as he explained to the young girl what was going on.
“Hello Lian,” She greeted the girl softly, with her reassuring smile firmly in place. “My name is Sora. I just need to check a few things. This might be a little different than you’re used to, but just hold still and I’ll see if I can make you feel better, alright?”
By now, using her ring to make medical instruments was second nature to Soranik. She conjured up a thermometer, a ring construct holding it firmly still in Lian’s mouth while it worked. In the meantime, the doctor leant over a little, peeling the eyelid back gently and using an instrument to examine the dilated eye. Then, glancing over the readout on the thermometer, the Green Lantern pursed her lips thoughtfully and raised her ring, instructing it to run a general scan of the girl’s body. While it worked, she looked back at the two of them.
“Lian, I need to ask you some questions and I need you to answer as best you can, alright? Just nod.” Quickly, Soranik ran down the list of symptoms for the condition she had in mind, receiving a nod or quiet agreement to each in turn. Yes, she had had a cough; yes, she had a runny nose; yes, her body ached; yes, she was always tired. By the time the ring’s scan was done, it just confirmed her suspicions and Soranik sat back a little, ruffling her short hair absently with a gloved hand.
“That’s everything. Mister Harper, do you want me to tell you here or shall we go outside for the diagnosis?”
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Post by Red Arrow on Sept 17, 2012 12:32:33 GMT -5
Roy watched as Lian answered all her questions and told her as best she could what was wrong. He touched his daughter's cheek, and curled his large arm around her body. As Sora ran her tests and did her check of Lian, his body had tensed up, and his knuckles had been white when he'd seen the ring's green glow scan his daughter. He had to remind himself that it was safe, that nothing would happen, but that didn't stop his heart from quickening its pace. He knew what that ring could do, how powerfully it truly was.
He stood up his features tight. As he turned his back to Sora, his arms curled around his daughter, gentle yet filled with a great amount of love and affection. He kissed her temple and covered her once more with the blanket, he whispered something far too low in her ear to be hear by anyone else. Lian's small face frowned slightly, but she didn't say anything, simply curled herself back under the covers, a small device with a red button in her hand and slid her hands under her pillow.
Roy watched her for a moment before caroling Sora and moving to get her out of the room. "Outside." The single word came from his lips as he carefully shut his daughters room. That small device was a tracking beacon, it was his, it'd send a distress signal to the league. He couldn't explain the feeling he was getting, but things wouldn't stay quiet, not for long, his Navajo senses were on fire. He knew soon things wouldn't be the same and he needed to make sure Lian was safe. That she'd be protected.
"What's wrong with her?" He questioned, he wasn't about to explain that device to her, no Lian needed to hold on to it at all times, it was just a feeling, and he had yet to figure out what it means, but he would all he'd need was a little more time.
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Post by Soranik Natu on Sept 22, 2012 12:16:26 GMT -5
Soranik let him have the time with his daughter, standing up to give them room. She didn’t take offence at how he was treating her, none at all. Parents, especially worried parents with sick children, were not in the best frame of mind for politeness. And that was understandable enough, to her mind. It was perhaps the same when the situation was reversed, but parents were expected to grow old and, someday, pass away. No parent ever wished to see their child lying in a sickbed, let alone to feel helpless to defend them and she imagined it had to be worse for a man who was accustomed to being able to defeat any threat that presented itself and who now had nothing to do but wait and worry and fear what the dawn might bring.
And so, she stepped back, allowing them their time and their space. Still, she was too much the physician to look away, keeping a watchful eye on her patient as the two embraced, as Harper pushed something into his daughter’s hand, whispered something that Natu couldn’t catch in her ear and then just watched for a moment. The Korugaran waited patiently. Then, apparently done, he went to move her out of the room. The red-skinned doctor resisted, giving him a look that indicated she was more than capable of making her own way out and refused to move or be moved until he stopped acting like an idiot again. He might be a worried parent, this might be his home, but neither gave him the right to push her around. She was here as a favour, the least he could do is act with some degree of politeness.
Once outside, with the door shut so that the small girl within the room could not hear their conversation, the two adults turned to each other. Soranik’s face was expressionless, whatever she thought for the moment kept hidden beneath the mask of professional ethics. “Mr Harper, your daughter has a relative mild form of the influenza virus, that is all. My opinion is that her system was less resistant to it, because she was already stressed and probably not getting enough fluids.”
She paused, looking to see that what she had said was sinking in. “She should recover. I recommend that you make sure she gets plenty of rest and that she stays hydrated. If possible, I would suggest she take an appropriate form of anti-viral drug as well. But, unless something changes, there isn’t much danger that she will get worse. Ideally, I would like to stay for a while to monitor her condition though.” Soranik had phrased it as a request, but there was something in the set of her expression and the challenging arc of her eyebrow that made it clear that, unless he had an excellent reason why not, Natu was staying.
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Post by Red Arrow on Sept 24, 2012 10:50:16 GMT -5
Roy leaned back against the wall next to Lian’s closed door. He would have liked to have this conversation in the living room or the kitchen, but apparently right here would work for her. He didn’t say anything merely keeping his mouth shut and his lips pressed in a thin line a look of thought on his face for a moment. His attention was brought back to Sora; he wondered what he’d do with her, how long was she planning on staying. He didn’t have much to do; it wasn’t like he did much outside of the League outside of caring for Lian. He didn’t have a life…yet. He was working on it for what that was worth.
He knew what the polite thing to do was tell her to stay as long as she liked, but how would he entertain her? He could barely entertain himself much less anyone else. He looked her and shrugged. He needed to work on his attitude, but it just wasn’t working right now. Usually he was far more personable he blamed it on lack of sleep. ”Knock yourself out, stay as long as you want Doctor, but there isn’t much to do around here.”
Roy walked passed her down the hallway past the closed door on the left at the beginning of the hallway that lead out into the family room and then from there branched off into the kitchen. “Make yourself at home Soranik,” he called back to her. He disappeared into the kitchen rummaging around in there for a moment before coming back out with two bottles of water, he wasn’t sure she’d drink a soda, but he had that and tons of those boxed juices Lian liked, not that he could understand why, it was all just a bunch of sugar mainly.
He held out the water to her from his place on one of the leather chairs, the chair was at an angle making it easy for him to see the front door and down the hall from where he sat, how much did you want to guess he’d put it right there on purpose and set it up that way. Red Arrow was defiantly paranoid, but who in the League could say they weren’t not even a little bit? They all had their own issues. Roy held the bottle out as some sort of peace offering. “How long have you been with the Lanterns?” he asked as a way to try and start conversation, perhaps they could reach a better understanding of each other.
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