hadriel_logs | OTA Clinic Mingle!

Entry tags:

OTA Clinic Mingle!

Who: anyone!
What: fixing up anyone who needs medical attention, as well as first aid and/or healing lessons
Where: the clinic mostly, but potentially anywhere
When: from the STAMPEDE on, open until the next mingle for anyone to stop by
Warnings: possibly injuries

[ Stampeding wildlife seems like it's going to cause a few injuries, so why not a place to get patched up afterwards? The Clinic Mingle is here for all your needs and then some. Just want to come by and chat with your fellow staff, or a friend on staff? It works for that too. First aid or healing lessons? Hoping for a new supply kit? Got a headache you can't shake? Or did you just fall into the lake or hang out outside a bit too long and think you might have hypothermia? Come on in! Anyone just looking to help out is also very much welcome. ]

((For reference: the staff list is here at

undersupplied.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Sitting seems like the right call right now, honestly, no matter what origin Connor is. Pell considers his question. ]

Ah... we have medical tape, but I don't know if it would adhere the same way it does to skin. What are the lines made of? And can we clean them off somehow to try? Your blood is everywhere.

[ He doesn't want to ask if it's too oily to clean off in that way, speaking as if Connor were a car or something. Instead he'll offer that towel now, because... there really is blood all over him. ]

I'm happy to try and help but if I can't and you don't want to risk going back out with a clamp sticking out of your arm, I could call for someone more mechanically inclined.

[He takes the offered towel gratefully, also appreciative that Pell is being practical and considerate about this. Now that the immediate threat is handled he's getting a bit more stressed out about the whole situation.]

I don't think medical tape will work. The lines are made primarily of metal.

[Very flexible, fine metal with some other components, but basically Pell's right that medical tape won't adhere well. As far as cleaning up the thirium, Connor's doing his best to wipe some of it off the surface and out of the inside of his arm, but it's definitely not the easiest stuff to manage.]

If there's nothing that can be done here, then calling Alphys might be helpful. But I'd like to try to figure out something else.

[Both for his and Alphys' sake; he doesn't want to cause her any more stress then necessary either. Meanwhile, for himself, talking is making this a little less upsetting and so he keeps doing it.]

I have a limited ability to self-repair, but the line would have to be held together correctly for several minutes.

Metal?

[ Pell doesn't have to be an engineer to tell that the stranger is getting stressed by the damage now that he isn't in immediate danger. That emotion is extremely relatable. You hold it together when you need to, then you start to slip. He's thinking as Connor continues... he doesn't want to call Alphys? Well then maybe something experimental would be welcome. ]

I could try... I mean, there's something I've been practicing for Nick, but I've never tested it. Or do you know offhand how hot the metal would need to get to fuse together for a repair?

[Well that sounds all kinds of not reassuring, though it isn't like he has many great options. Connor mentally cancels out a few warning messages alerting him to decreased functionality in his hand, as he rattles off the information Pell asked for about the necessary temperature.]

What do you want to try to do?

Well, it looks like I could try to mend it.

[ What he was originally thinking seems unnecessary now that he's peering closer at Connor's arm -- there isn't a chunk of cable missing, it's just severed. He comes to sit beside the stranger and reaches out curiously to see if they line back up cleanly, then hesitates. Use your words first, Pell, explain. ]

Either by manipulating the state of the metal itself, that's what I've been practicing, or just heating the edges until they bond in the right position so your repair can take over. But I've never done anything like this on a person.

[Connor's a little jumpy from everything that happened at home, but that's more for threats than in a situation like this and so he doesn't flinch away when Pell moves closer. He does appreciate the switch to an explanation, though, and it sounds like exactly what Connor had been considering, so after a moment he nods.]

That should work. The problem lies in keeping the edges aligned while you work, because thirium flow will resume once the clamp is removed.

[Although maybe--]

Do you have another clamp? If one is used on each end of the tube, it may be easier.

[With any luck, anyway, and it would also give less chance of accidentally scorching any thirium. He can't afford to lose much more.]

[ Oh, he hadn't thought about the ... stuff..? (what's thirium, exactly?) flowing again, but nods his understanding. He'd have to unclamp them from where they're together to get them back in the right place. ]

We do, yes, I'll be right back. Why don't you move to the private exam room while I find it?

[ Pell points to the next door, which will give Connor a little more privacy. Then it's to the supply room! It's easy enough to open up another kit and grab a second clamp, and he comes back with some of the clinic's precious gauze supply as well. Just to be certain that the edges of the tubes are clean enough for him to do this.

And now? Now he's actually nervous about not knowing what the hell he's doing. ]

Okay. Let's get those separated and lined up. And maybe a name, since I don't know yours yet... mine's Pell.

[ Years of practice soothing patients has him putting on a pretty good 'I can handle this' act, at least? ]

[Right, a private room sounds great, and Connor takes a moment to grab his coat and the blue-stained towel before disappearing into the room as quickly as possible. Being out of sight helps make him a little less nervous, even if it's not by much, and anything is better than nothing.

He assumes it's just Pell again when the door opens, and thankfully it is. Connor nods once, glancing around the room briefly in aimless agitation before looking back at him again.]

It's Connor. Nice to meet you, Pell.

[He says it as genuinely as possible for the situation, but it might come out a bit strained; there's a conflict between the programming that tells him to be polite, his own actual desire to be so, and then the stress of the situation making him care very little about niceties. Emotions are hard.

So, talking more to distract from that--]

Losing a little more thirium won't have any negative consequences, but it should still be minimized as much as possible.

[In the whole unclamp, reclamp process. He's not sure if he's trying to reassure himself or Pell more about the process, but it's also just generally good information to know.]

[ Small talk is usually what calms patients, not talking about the procedure, but Connor might find more comfort in the procedure than a human would. He obviously isn't distressed by the damage in the same way... if a human saw their arm torn open like this they'd probably have fainted already, be disgusted as much as fearful of the injury. His bedside manner is pretty adaptable, luckily, and he knows he shouldn't hold Connor to the same standard as the people he usually cares for. So he course corrects. ]

I understand. I'm going to clamp off one higher, then release the first just enough to separate them. It should only take a second.

[ He goes about the first step now, getting as close as he can to the existing clamp to minimize any loss at all on that one. The other will bleed a bit no matter what but he didn't see a third one in the supply room and doesn't want to disappear indefinitely hunting for a supply they might not have, with how little they use such things. In fact, he never has before. He remembers Dr Banner explaining to him what it was in the first place, years ago. ]

How much have you lost already? Do you have a way to replenish somehow?

[ Pell has no idea how this works, but maybe explaining it to him will distract Connor while he does the reclamp. Which is happening in three, two.... ]

Okay.

[He nods in understanding at what Pell's going to do, and it's definitely the best way to go about it; considering Connor's general opinion of many here is that they don't have much sense, it's a pleasant surprise.

His gaze is locked on what Pell is doing, watching in both fascination and just to make sure he knows what's going on and can control things if necessary. The question is met with silence for a few seconds, not just so Connor can pay attention to what's going on but because he doesn't like the answer and saying it makes it more difficult to deny to himself.]

I have 84% remaining. Below 70% will begin to impair general function, just as blood loss would in a human, and below 30% will cause me to shut down. There is no way to replenish it without an outside source.

[ Carefully, very carefully, Pell pinches the tube that's only clamped by the one holding both closed -- he knows his grip won't help all that much but it's something and he'll move fast. His hands may be blocking Connor's view, and he waits until the other is speaking before releasing the first clamp.

Indeed, his fingers don't close it off completely, and some thirium trickles out as he unclamps and reclamps the line. It's not a gush, though, and just as he said it only takes a second. Less than that, probably, but the moment stretches out for him. He's still done before Connor's finished speaking, reaching for the gauze to clean off the damaged edges and trying to keep up the guise of confidence poking at robot parts. Everything is new the first time, he reminds himself. It's just like when he started healing, just like when he took over the clinic. You just do it, and try not your best to screw up. ]

There, so far so good. Hopefully we didn't even hit 83 just then. I think I'll need you to hold the clamps up for me for this part, out of the way. Are you still okay?

[He can't see particularly well, but between his scanners and the general information readouts he can tell what's happening enough to feel somewhat calm. A warning alerts him to a thirium leak as the clamp is temporarily released, but--]

It didn't; still at 84%.

[Fortunately he has a little more thirium than an average android since he's expected to be damaged a lot, so the small loss is definitely not enough to be concerned about. It's less than he was expecting in the process, but that's probably just because he's stressed and preparing for the worst.

He reaches to move the clamps, though he does so in a practical but possibly weird way by simply wedging them inside his arm so they're out of the way. It works, and that's what matters, right?]

I'm fine.

[Aside from being somewhat scared and agitated, he could be worse. He takes the question to be mostly about his physical state, though, and so clarifies--]

We don't feel pain in the way a human might.

Excellent. Let's try to keep it there.

[ That's great, really, but he doesn't want to get overconfident just because he swapped a clamp. He lets Connor tuck them out of the way, as strange and vaguely disturbing as the 'where' they go is.... next step, then. ]

So far so good... [ He's soothing himself more than Connor, he suspects, but keeps talking as he reaches back into the other's arm, arranging the severed tubes and focusing a little, trying to sense what they're made of. He knows about how hot it'll have to get but if he understands the material on this level it'll be easier. ]

I wasn't referring to pain, actually. This must be disconcerting.

[Connor's silent again while Pell messes with arranging the ends of the tube, trying to ignore that he suddenly doesn't like the feeling of hands in his arm. It's not that he's at all afraid of Pell, and like he'd told him it doesn't physically hurt, but he's just feeling some odd sense of... Revulsion? He's not sure, because it's strange and he doesn't have enough practice identifying it, but he decides to just attempt not to focus on it.

He does, though, at least respond a little honestly to Pell's last comment.]

It's... Unpleasant. But I imagine it's also unpleasant for you.

[He hasn't missed that Pell seems a little nervous himself, and Connor appreciates both that he's genuinely trying to help and not treating him like a science experiment, so his empathy is pretty strong at the moment.]

[ Maybe it's like a human going to a dentist -- just because you're numb and it doesn't hurt? Doesn't make it any better that someone's poking at you. Pell nods, not sure what to make of the acknowledgment that he's uncomfortable too. He wants to come across as someone who will do a good job, but he's always worn his heart on his sleeve. ]

I'm outside of my comfort zone, but that's happened before and turned out well. I'm going to do my best. If anything feels wrong, please stop me.

[ One tube at a time, so he can hold them in place better. He lines them up and wills it to mend, to melt back together -- generating heat is nothing new for him but in such a small, controlled way is different. No flame, and so carefully. It does seem to be working, though slowly for his caution. The tube's torn edges meld and mend, just enough to hold. He doesn't want to make the metal fuse to itself and collapse the whole thing. That's sort of beside the point of it being a tube. ]

[Connor's made to read people, both so he can properly adapt and integrate with them and so he can manipulate suspects in investigations, so even if Pell were really good at hiding his emotions it'd be a little difficult with Connor. He doesn't think badly of Pell at all for being unsure of himself in this situation.

When Pell starts generating the heat, Connor's sensors light up with warnings and he has to will himself not to flinch away; it doesn't hurt, of course, but heat is one of those things can definitely be dangerous to him and even though he knows it's helpful here the sudden influx of warning alerts still produces the sort of instinctual reaction pain would in a human. But he tries to ignore it, monitoring the warnings for anything outside of what's meant to be happening, but so far--]

I think it's working. As long as it'll hold enough for thirium to flow, the self-repair will begin.

[And, if so, then it'll be good as new--aside from the lost thirium--within the hour.]

[ Pell examines the tubing carefully, runs his fingers over the seal and tries to sense if it's solid... it seems to be. ]

I think it's holding, yes. I'm going to release the first clamp, and if it worked we'll do the second.

[ Moment of truth... he reaches up and frees the handle of the first clamp, unclipping it but holding it in place just in case he needs to reclamp it quickly. But it would seem they were both correct -- the blue fluid flows through, no leaking. Pell lets out the breath he was holding, relieved. ]

It worked.

[Connor doesn't have to breathe, and in fact doing so is entirely for the benefit of humans in appearing more natural to them, but a part of that means mimicking human behaviors regarding it. So he automatically holds his breath for a moment when Pell removes the clamp, and lets it out slowly when he can both see and feel that the repair is stable enough.

Warning messages change to information alerts and status readings, which is reassuring, and Connor begins to feel a little calmer as he diverts processing power to enhance his self-repair and get everything in order.]

It did. Everything seems to be fine, and my systems checks so far look like they should in order for repair to begin.

[His eyes are unfocused as he reads messages instead of looking at his surroundings while he talks, but afterward his gaze shifts to Pell.]

Thank you.

[It's simple, but probably clear in his tone that he very genuinely means the sentiment.]

[ Pell smiles broadly when he hears that it worked, looking quite pleased both for Connor and himself -- they did it? He's never fixed an inorganic thing before, not really... he's helped build a town but wielding a hammer isn't the same as being skilled with this sort of repair. He's clearly delighted that it worked. ]

You're very welcome. Let's get this one done, then.

[ He sounds infinitely more confident in his process now, and reaches for another pad of gauze to clean up the second broken tube and carefully line it up. ]

Do you feel better as well? I know you said there's not pain, exactly, but you seem better.

[Connor relaxes a bit more as Pell continues working; it isn't shown exactly like it would be for a human, but his posture isn't quite as stiff and he's less still, letting his fingers start fiddling with the fabric of his too-long sleeve. He also doesn't feel quite as compelled to carefully monitor what Pell's doing, more confident he's both trying to help and genuinely capable of it.]

Yes, thank you.

[He answers the question easily enough, even if he's not sure he can explain how exactly he feels better and he's interested in what might've given it away to Pell. He hesitates a few seconds, trying to decide if he wants to say anything further, but decides to try to continue being honest--]

I wasn't sure if it was going to be possible to repair.

[And the implications there are probably obvious; if it's irreparable the best case scenario is that the arm is unusable, worst case that he loses too much thirium and shuts down. Worrying about that definitely causes some stress.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

OTA Clinic Mingle!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject