( open ) we do what we can

[naloxone]

CHARACTERS: marta cabrera et al.
LOCATION: around the station
DATE: after mission: scorpion's bend, the rest of february
CONTENT: marta deals with the aftermath of her first mission
WARNINGS: alcohol use, description of stabbing injury, brief mentions of malnutrition (will update as needed)



undo your regret, they said.
it'll be fun, they said.

( open starters )

Comments

infirmary | february 13-15

[naloxone]

CW: MENTIONS OF STABBING, MALNUTRITION & THE AFTER-EFFECTS OF BOTH

[ she had been awake when their group was brought back to station, as abrupt and jarring as her initial arrival had been. turns out second time's not the charm, feeling no more prepared for it as the first time around, but maybe that could have more to do with the fact she's still recovering from her injury, without any of the nutrition or medication available to aid in it.

or maybe it was hearing everything that the orb had to say, knowing none of the context for it, and all the more helpless because of it.

not that it wasn't hard to put two and two together after the fact. not that she could have done anything to help even if she'd known.

for the next couple of days, marta is on self-imposed bedrest in the infirmary as she receives the proper medication to recover from all that scorpion's bend had proved to be. each day, her pallor and condition improves, but even if her spirit hasn't quite caught up yet she will always spare a welcoming smile for anyone that happens to drop by. (a stark contrast, perhaps, to the fellow orber hovering around her bedside, like some half-guarddog, half-gargoyle manifestation of guilt. he probably won't bite, but all the same it's maybe best to wait until he's dipped out for a smoke or something.) ]

15th

[morethan084]

[It takes Daisy longer than it should have to come check up on the people in the infirmary, but she finally shows up two days later. Nearly bumping into Kovacs as he leaves the room, Daisy can guess who he was here to see. Marta isn't hard to spot, and as she approaches her bed, Daisy realizes she should've brought something for her.]

Hey.

[Daisy speaks softly,]

How are you doing?

[naloxone]

[ truthfully, it would have only embarrassed marta if daisy had brought anything to her bedside, embarrassed enough as she is having to be on bedrest in the first place. just her presence and company is enough to put a smile back on her face, where previously it might have looked mildly exasperated likely thanks to the person daisy had just bumped into along the way. she sits up a little more in bed as daisy approaches, huffing out a light laugh at her question. ]

Not terrible enough you need to speak so carefully. [ her words are reassuring rather than mocking or chiding, with just a light sprinkle of self-deprecation. you know, for flavor. ]

I'll only be here a few days, thankfully. Yelena and Erik did wonders for me back on the station.

[ she tilts her head at daisy, gesturing her arm towards the chair that had just been recently vacated. ]

I heard you took care of the mines.

13;

[kovach]

[ whatever happens with the orb, even the result of what happened to old man welford — once they get that familiar pull that transports them back to the station, landing him amongst the large crowd of orbers and standing before degar who all too swiftly disappears into the north wing, kovacs' eyes are focused on peering around through the different faces, familiar enough with plenty of them but concerned in finding one in particular.

he still stands there in her blood, though it's long since dried now, clothes partially covered in crimson, stained with dirt and rippled in plenty of places. there's bouldersnake blood on him too, something that certain others had been quite vocal about in their disapproval, but that argument is the furthest thing from his mind, knowing precisely what had gotten him entangled in the fights in the first place.

when he does finally see her, he goes still for a moment, like he has to make sure that it's her, that his own blood loss and likely concussions aren't tricking his mind right now. she's alive, she's conscious, she's standing, and though he's still too far to get good insight on the state of her injuries, she's no longer that passed out body that he'd carried in his arms, desperate for help.

his feet are already moving, nudging through bodies, not concerned if he pushes a little too hard as he meets her eyes and rushes forward to meet her. ]

[naloxone]

[ it's such a weird feeling, being brought back like that, in the blink of an eye. she doesn't know if it's due to the bloodloss or the malnutrition, but she "lands" unstably, swaying from the shock of the transport so much so that she has to throw a hand out against the nearby wall for support. before them viveca and degar are speaking, but she hardly hears a word they say as she passes a hand across her damp brow. she should get to the infirmary, check on her vitals, finally change out of these blood-stained clothes, and maybe even grab a power bar on the way, but her mind is buzzing, her skin feels raw and electric. ironically enough no nausea befalls her, even as she works on steadying herself on her own two feet.

degar leaves, viveca dismisses them, and slowly the lot of them work on putting the pieces of themselves back together. marta looks up as the bodies around her begin to shift, and just like that her mind catches up with the rest of her. faces she hadn't seen for hours stand before her now, and immediately her eyes start to scan the crowd for one in particular. if they're all back, does that mean—?

their eyes meet just as he crosses the room towards her, and instinctively she moves too, giving into a different kind of pull in her gut. she shouldn't, but she does it anyway, reaching for him the instant he's within distance and curling her arms around him as tight as she can muster. there are a dozen things she could say in that moment when they finally meet halfway, but she's tired and hungry and aching somewhere she can't reach. ]

Dónde estabas?

14th

[coordination]

[ One thing that absolutely blows in this aftermath is catching up with people and realizing others were hurt in that last, chaotic struggle. Now that Yzak is back on his feet again (he wasn't hurt any more, simply spent that first day back alone and going thru it as everything came back to hit him) he's checking in on his teammates here.

And he's surprised to see Marta among them. ]

What the hell happened to you?

[ Words blunt, but his tone lacks that, sounding more concerned than anything. ]

[naloxone]

[ marta would much rather have her nose buried in a book standing vigil at someone else's bedside and monitoring their vitals than be one of the ones bedridden herself, but then again maybe that's a common sentiment. it's not like anyone likes being unwell, but there's a certain level of shame here when marta considers her profession, the fact this is her first mission in general.

still, she can appreciate yzak's candor, even prompting a wan little smile from her that's definitely amused, if a little tired. (of herself, of course.) ]

Made friends with a Bouldersnake's bladed tail, [ she answers around a sigh. ] But I'm better now, I promise.

13th

[flickerandfade]

[ Megatron is frazzled and worn thin by the time he gets to Marta's bedside. With doctor McCoy also wounded, he's taken a good deal of the treatment and monitoring on himself, though he's a relative novice at human medicine. Thankfully the tools McCoy has help quite a bit and the medical texts on hand serve to fill in the gaps in knowledge.

So Marta shouldn't be too alarmed when a large metallic robot of a person leans over her bed. He's probably twice her height, maybe a little less with his mass shifted to better fit on the station. ]

How are you feeling?

[ A brusque question as he consults the medical chart and readouts. ]

Stabbed, were you?

[naloxone]

[ while it's certainly not marta's first time seeing one of the towering inorganics in their motley crew, the sight has yet to become common enough for her not to give a slight start when she stirs from her light rest to find one of them hovering over her, chart in hand.

it's just for a second, though, before her brain catches up her eyes, and she recalls megatron's tireless work tending to those of them who had been immediately admitted. ]

Yes, [ she answers, all business to match his own tone. for a second she distractedly glances at the chair beside the bed — empty. perhaps kovacs had finally heeded her insistence in getting himself something to eat.

shifting her attention back to megatron, her lips flatten out into a faint smile. ]

Liver. I was stabilized, then closed up by Charter magic to prevent further bleeding.

[ ah, wait. he had a more subjective question, hadn't he? ]

I'm... fine. The IV is helping a lot.

feb 13 (she thinks?)

[oiorpata]

[ andy can count on one hand the number of times she's been to the infirmary. this might genuinely be only the second time, and it's only because she is making sure everyone gets there who needs to be. ]

[ she spies marta looking a little worse for wear, but she also sees kovacs looking like the grumpiest man in the world. she might not know what his deal is here, but she knows exhaustion when she sees it. before she steps in the room, she grabs some food from the kitchens and returns, literally chucking some bread at his face. "go take a fucking nap, old man." when he leaves and scowls, andy sweeps into his seat. ]

[ she is still fresh from planet-side herself, still dressed in her own flavor of bloodstained clothes - a mix of her own and the bouldersnakes'. but as marta has already seen, the wounds didn't stick, and she didn't care to hold back fighting them either, leaving her about as messy as kovacs was. when she speaks to marta, it's once again in spanish, because that's what she used last time. ]

Are you okay? What happened?

[naloxone]

[ had marta more of her wits about her, had she more energy to spare after using so much of it up to get her body back to this point of health, were she not already so tired from the tense impasse she and kovacs had found themselves after airing out all that they needed to — she definitely would have greatly appreciated how deftly the older woman wrangled kovacs as if he were nothing more than the domesticated horses back on scorpion's bend.

it brings, at least, a glimmer of amusement in marta's eyes as andy takes her place at marta's bedside, eyes bright and happy to see a friend despite the circumstances that necessitated it. ]

Oh, you know... Stupidity.

[ her smile is wan, but from the shame that creeps up and colors her cheeks pink, it's pretty obvious where said stupidity lies in this story. ]

I stopped to help a wounded Bouldersnake, but all it did was put myself and Kovacs in more danger.

I'm okay though. Yelena and Erik were able to stabilize me on the planet.

15th

[winscenario]

[ Spirits are overall low, the very air on the station weighing heavy from it, so that's no different in the infirmary than anywhere else. At least most people seem to have recovered well physically, the one thing Jim chooses to focus on for the moment since everything else about this mission makes him feel like shit.

He's not here out of necessity, having managed to come back with little more than scrapes and bruises and some malnutrition just like everyone else; all of it was taken care of on his first day back. He is here to offer a helping hand, while Bones is on his own self-imposed shift; he's no doctor or nurse, but he's been learning plenty about infirmary work, and being here certainly beats sitting alone in their room, waiting for Bones to get back.

He spots her on the bed, alone this time, and returns her smile while approaching. Out of habit, he checks the screens, but she seems to be mostly recovered by now, so there's really nothing to do or worry about there. ]

Hey. Feeling better, now?

[naloxone]

[ marta isn't surprised to see jim in the infirmary, especially as bones himself had just drifted by to check her vitals and look over her chart. he'd been pretty optimistic that she would be well enough to be cleared later in the day, likely by his second round, so she's in better spirits than if jim were to visit her two days earlier.

still, her smile is muted, if only because this is an infirmary after all, and her good news doesn't often mean the same for anyone else. ]

Much better, [ she assures jim as he hovers by her bedside, nodding. ] It could have been a lot worse, but all the same, I think I'll leave the action to the rest of you.

[bossily]

[Clara pops in to check in on Marta a few times in those first days. With both her and Leonard down and out, there aren't very many people left to try and help. It's not like she knows what she's doing, but she helps Viveca and whoever else is qualified where she can. And part of what she's best at is simply taking care of others. So she peeks in on Marta to make sure she's doing fine.

But she always makes sure to do it while the other woman is resting, not wanting to dive into a conversation about her taking on too many of other people's problems.

One day though, she decides to give Kovacs a break. She shows up with coffee for him and an order to go shower and eat. Not taking no for an answer, she kicks him out and takes his place at Marta's bedside. Where she opens her worn and well loved copy of Pride & Prejudice and starts to read from the beginning. It's easy to lose herself in the words on the page, the story always capturing her attention in the best of ways.

Marta may be asleep, but she quietly reads with enthusiasm and animation. By the time she notices her friend's awake, she's in the middle of the third chapter. Clara pauses, peeking up and over the book.]

I'd apologize for waking you up, but it's good to see you smiling again.

[naloxone]

[ marta's smile is faint and tired with just a tinge of surprise, but no less genuine to find that the soft voice she'd woken up to hadn't just been a remnant from an already forgotten dream. ]

Hi, [ she manages, voice low and raspy from sleep. her lips feel dry and there's the telltale fogginess in her brain that tells her regardless how many hours she'd slept, it had been far more than her usual. not that that's saying much.

slowly, she pushes herself up to sit up a little more, blinking away the last of of her unconsciousness. ]

Were you here long?

infirmary | all throughout the rest of february

[naloxone]

[ of course, as soon as she's discharged and able, marta will be right back on her daily grind. determined not to carry back the utter uselessness she'd felt all throughout the mission at scorpion's bend, she throws herself back into putting in as many hours as she can at the infirmary, checking in on those who are still healing, tracking down those who may still need healing, helping out where she can — even if all that amounts to is keeping people company with a good chat or book, or taking stock of their inventory (again).

feel free to catch her doing any of these, all of these — stop by for a check-up, flag her down for the next chapter in today's true crime novel, challenge her to a game of go, tell her to slow down maybe. ]

[firstroar]

[he missed out on her convalescence, having slept pretty hard from the moment they all returned. still, there was a faint inkling of Marta nearby...until there wasn't. same as others: flickers of presence...and then nothing. it's hard to parse as dream or reality in this state, but one particular moment leads to him stirring, softly startling awake as the feeling of others nearby simply...vanishes.

Blue's breath sucks in sharply as his eyes flutter open, filled with fresh alarm.

where is he. where is...anyone?]

[naloxone]

[ marta looks up from the monitor she'd been taking notes on when blue stirs, quick to slide to his side so he can see he isn't alone. ]

Hey, [ she greets, voice soft. her hand comes to rest lightly over his wrist, the pressure a gentle reassurance of reality. ] It's okay. You're back on the station, in the infirmary.

sunlight room | february 21

[naloxone]

CW: ALCOHOL USE, MENTIONS OF MALNUTRITION

[ hello insomnia, her old friend. the few nights of rest she'd had towards the end of scorpion's bend — largely aided in part because of the malnutrition finally getting to her (and the cozy comforts of a dear friend) — and all that bedrest in the infirmary had done her well... but it seems her mind has decided,okay, enough of that, and now she's back to her usual sleepless nights.

one particular night finds marta wandering into the sunlight room, lacking the book usually attached to her hand. instead she carries with her a bottle of tequila pilfered from the supply room, already cracked open and sampled. hanging from the corner of her lips is a yet unlit corona cigar, a remnant of her stocking stuffer from the last time they'd all been on the station — what seems like ages ago now.

she picks her way through the field, half-melted snow crunching under her shoes. the sky is dark and angry-looking, matching the melancholy mood she finds herself in that night. finally coming upon a decent spot, marta settles herself down on a fallen stump. to the sky and no one at all, she lifts the bottle and toasts: ]

To Welford.

[callada]

[That's a sad little sight, isn't it? Rosinante finds himself lurking in the sunlight room often just to get away from the slightly claustrophobic feeling of those hallways he just barely fits in, and so he often sees people come and go who are looking for some kind of escape of their own.

He doesn't often join them, but this looks like a time it's called for. He makes his way over slowly, hands in his pockets, then withdraws his lighter and flicks the flame to life, holding it out in front of her.]

To Welford. Poor man.

[naloxone]

[ marta had already plucked the cigar from her mouth so she could take a swig in honor of the man they'd left behind, the burn from the liquor pulling a grimace on her face before she can control it into something milder once he makes his presence known. (strange, she thinks distractedly; large man like rosinante, and she hadn't noticed him at all until now.)

mouth no longer preoccupied, she replaces the cigar and takes a few puffs to get it started before leaning back to give him a grateful nod through the clouds of smoke. ]

Thanks. [ for the light. for the commiseration.

she holds out both the cigar and the bottle in offering. ]

Pick your poison?

small teleportation room/supply drop room | end of february

[naloxone]

[ ...anyway, enough of that. there's only so many things she can control, only so many regrets she can undo (that is: one). what was it her mother always says? grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, courage to change the things i can, and wisdom to know the difference. she gets to the last part, eventually. you know, after all that tequila.

she's not the best at pretending everything's a-okay, cherry sundae sunshine, but she definitely starts to make more of a dedicated effort to picking herself up and moving— maybe not on, not yet, but... forward. gradually. any step is still progress.

today she's in the supply room, falling back on an old pasttime of station dumpster-diving. she picks her way through the leftover supplies and items from past delivery days. anyone happening in on her will find she's already been there quite a while, if the tote bag filled with random items and the costume jewelry she wears are of any indication. if you happen to join her, she will turn to you holding up a pretty unique-looking coat. ]

What do you think? Is it my color?

[bijective]

[Ah yes, the supply room. Even when Hermann is not sauntering between the lab and the sunlight room, he will poke his head inside on occasion. And it so happens that Hermann fumbled in just when Marta is doing her fair share of dumpster-diving. And he is hard-pressed to pass judgment on the look of excitement on her face as she plucks out the little trinkets from every nook and cranny she spots.

That coat on the other hand? Well…]

Practical. Though I’m afraid it does little to protect your legs if inclimate weather were to pass.

[naloxone]

[ marta glances down as she holds the coat a little closer to her body, lips pursing as she tries to imagine herself sporting the look. it would probably look quite silly with all the costume jewelry she's got on, but luckily there doesn't seem to be a mirror around to dissuade her. she'd have to take hermann's word for it and, true to form, practical is a perfect assessment for her. ]

So what you're saying is now I need to find some high boots.

[groupiedrifter]

[Newt, of course, retrieves the tiara from the bag and places it upon his head.]

Pretty sure when you're as cute as you are, anything's your color. Just sayin'.

Are you in here blowing off some steam by playing dress-up? 'Cus I gotta say, I'm into it! I make people play dress-up all the time off-station, so it's about time we did it here, too.