Zero Hour

Catt Hatter:  *It was the morning of the operation and Catt,
after an uneasy rest, had opted to avoid the kitchen and dining room. She
instead waited in the Library reading a copy of the play Romeo and Juliet to
pass time. The scent of all that food would only make her more hungry than she
already was. All that, delicious, savoury breakfast.
Nope! No! Don't think about it! She commanded herself as her
stomach grumbled at her, not for the first time.*
Ungh... *She groaned, burying her face in the book. Why did people have to not
eat before an operation anyway?*
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( A familiar tall man appears in the hall, but there is something
different...
... Scrubs. In place of his usual decorative suit, he is stressed from head to
toe in the plain white garments. His musical voice, however, remains the same.
He calls softly. )
...Catt?
Catt Hatter:  Mn? Oh,
Hen, it's you. *She said, pulling her face out of the book.* Is it time then?
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( His smile warms, forming wrinkles around his eyes. )
You've got it kiddo.
Catt Hatter:  Okay. *She
set the book down on a nearby table and walked over to him.* So I guess today
you're my doctor, as opposed to just a doctor. *She met his
crinkled eyes with a smile.*
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  That's a wonderful way to look at it! ( He holds the door
open. ) And to add to that, you are so special that you have two of
us at your every beck and call today. Lucky girl!
Catt Hatter:  Two of
you? *She asked, stepping through the doorway with a quick thank you.* Don't
tell me you went and used one of my experiments to be here twice. They aren't
safe for regular people to use yet.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( Halfway to the stairs he halts, creating an eerie
silence. That silence is then broken by bellowing laughter. )
Catt Hatter:  *Catt
stopped with him, and broke into a grin once he started laughing.Oh good! He
got that I was joking. she thought.* Heehee, so if my second doctor
isn't also you, then whom shall I be meeting?
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  Oh you're going to love him! ( Hen continues up the
stairs and holds that door open. )
Catt Hatter:  *She
hurriedly followed him up the stairs and walked through.* Love or not, I'll
have to trust him won't I? *She joked.* But really, I look forward to meeting
him! Is he a colleague of yours?
Dr. de Lezo:  ( Standing
in front of the desk is a man of similar stature wearing identical scrubs. His
voice is similarly musical but his accent is thick, Spanish- a harsh contrast
to Hen's posher upscale dialect. )
It's a little early for the operation, no? I mean, usually my patients are
under by the time they come in. ( He winks. )
Catt Hatter:  *Catt
turned in surprise.* Oh hello! I didn't see you there! Well, it would've been
more difficult for Hen to get me here if I were already unconscious, don't you
think? *She said grinning at the new man.* I suppose you already know I'm Catt?
Dr. de Lezo:  Yes I do,
but you haven't met me. I'm Dr. Alano Diego de Lezo. I'll be the
one going fishing today.
Catt Hatter:  *She
snickered at the clever simili.* Just going to pick my brain for a little
something? Pleasure to meet you Dr. Alano. *She did her best to match his
pronunciation so she didn't butcher his name.* Would a handshake be out of the
question because of sanitisation reasons?
Dr. de Lezo:  ( He and
Hen exchange glances. As if to say "to hell with it", he peels off
his glove and grabs Catt's hand. ) Gloves are cheap, I can spring for an extra
pair. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Catt.
Catt Hatter:  You as
well! *She said brightly, shaking his hand.* With introductions over, what
should I do now? I've never done this before.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  We should hope you haven't! In all seriousness, we have a
drawer of garments in the infirmary. Hold on. ( Hen disappears behind the
moving bookcase and returns. ) I'm sorry, I forgot to ask. We have a variety of
designs. Hot air balloons, clocks, scientific lab equipment, or Rogue Science
icons. Take your pick.
Dr. de Lezo:  ( Alano balks.
) What kinds of designs are THOSE? patients don't want to be looking at beakers
and werewolves when they're suffering a terrifying health crisis!
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  You'd be surprised.
Catt Hatter:  *Catt
laughed at the selections before turning to address the Spanish doctor's
reaction.* Oh don't worry, I'm not scared at all! It's actually the sole reason
I had been putting off this operation for so long. Hmm... *She considered the
designs before answering.* I think I'll take the lab equipment please!
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  Smart choice. ( He disappears again. The sound of a
drawer opening and closing can be heard from the other side. He pops back out
from behind the bookcase. In his hand is a hospital gown decorated with cartoon
chemistry sets. He hands it to Catt. ) Here you go Madam. We have a few bathrooms
in the back, most of which are for collecting samples. I highly recommend not
using those. There is a rather lovely staff bathroom behind the medicine
cabinet. Use that one to change.
Catt Hatter:  Okay, thank
you. *She quickly found the staff bathroom and changed into the hospital gown,
giggling again at the fanciful pattern. A few minutes later she returned, bare
feet slapping the floor and carrying her neatly folded garments with her hatt
resting on top, one hand keeping it from falling.* Where should I put my
clothes?
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  An excellent question! ( Hen takes the pile and tucks the
clothes into one of his drawers. The Hatt rests on top of the desk. )
Catt Hatter:  Thank you.
*She smiled, ignoring the tingle that had started in her fingers and toes when
she let go of her hatt.* What do I do next?
Dr. de Lezo:  This is
where I come in, beyond our bathroom is an Operating Theater. We will take you
there, get the monitors started and run some sedative anesthesia. Don't worry
about the pain because you will be out like a light!
Catt Hatter:  Heh,
y'know it's funny, *she bowed her head, fiddling with her hands.* Normally, the
mention of pain would have me running out the door. I hope you'll bear with me
once I'm, once I'm no longer so, fearless. I, suspect a, backlash, of some
sort, from the repressed emotion.
Dr. de Lezo:  That's the
beauty of the anesthesia. There IS no pain! ( He approaches Catt, gingerly
touching her hands. ) Hey, it's alright. You feel what you need to feel and
process it. Really notice those pictures before you let them
go, eh?
Catt Hatter:  Yeah, *she
held his hands, taking comfort from the gesture.* It's just, a lot has happened
since the incident, much of which I should have been afraid of. These past
months have been amazing, but the long range price is too high. I don't want to
worry or hurt my friends like that. *Her eyes were shimmering, the tears trying
to fight their way past the brink of her lashes. She sniffed and blinked them
back.* W-we should probably get started.
Dr. de Lezo:  Take your
time amigo. We're here for you and we'll get through this together.
Catt Hatter:  Take my
time for what? *She sniffed again.* I j-just want to get it over with so I can
get back to my friends, being healthy, and not needing to wear that hatt to bed
anymore! *Shining droplets traced their way down her cheeks, finally out
matching her attempts to hold them back.*
Dr. de Lezo:  ( Without
a word, Alano pulls Catt into a quick hug before stepping back. ) Then let's
get you better.
Catt Hatter:  *Catt
wrapped her arms around him, glad for the support. Not just from him, but from
all her friends who were waiting for the news that she was better.* Y-yeah.
Dr. de Lezo:  ( He opens
the bookcase and steps back. ) After you.
Catt Hatter:  *She
nodded and stepped past him into the room beyond. The floor was cold, and hard
against her exposed feet.*
Dr. de Lezo:  ( He leads
her into the OR, where a giant metal slab stands- almost like a kitchen island.
Behind it are several unhooked monitors lined in a neat formation parallel to
the table's side. In the middle of them lies a table lined with surgical
instruments. ) Here we are, home sweet home.
Catt Hatter:  *Catt
stared at the equipment, simultaneously intrigued and feeling very alone in the
sterile, cold space. Her voice cracked as she tried to speak, no longer up for
making jokes. The timing seemed bad for humour.* Should I-, should I get on the
table now?
Dr. de Lezo:  hmm hang
on ( He goes to a cabinet and sets several thick sheets on the table. )
...mmm...( He goes back and retrieves a giant, very soft pillow. He sets it at
the head of the table. He nods in approval) Okay. Now you can get on the table.
Catt Hatter:  'Kay. *She
clambered onto the steel platform, and did her best not to mess up the sheets
in the process. The pillow held her head at a nice, comfortable angle, and the
sensation helped her to feel a little better. She wondered if she could get one
like it made for her to use regularly.*
Dr. de Lezo:  ( He goes
back to the cabinet. ) Now you're probably wondering why we mean doctors asked
you not to put anything in your stomach. ( He looks back at her. ) You didn't
put anything in your stomach, did you?
Catt Hatter:  I didn't
and, yeah. I was wondering that just before Hen came to pick me up. *She said,
grateful for the distraction.* As far as I know, the state of the digestive
system wouldn't have much effect on a brain operation.
Dr. de Lezo:  Ahhh but
THIS would! ( He holds up a giant gas tank. ) Miss Catt, meet your dreams in a
can! ( He wheels it over to the left side of the bed. ) A mixture of oxygen,
laughing gas, and something special, this is going going be your stairway to
heaven ( flatly ) but not literally. Don't die on us, 'kay? ( His tone reverts
back to its original bubbly state. ) It may smell like cherries, but it's not
going to feel like cherries after a while, especially when you
wake up. With this kind of anesthetic, you don't have a gag reflex. Without a
gag reflex, you choke on your puke. Without food, you don't have anything to
get rid of, so you're safe!
Catt Hatter:  Dr. de Lezo • 6 days ago
Lovely, *she grimaced.* That does make sense, thank
you. Though I don't think I'd want to have my dreams in a can, they tend not to
be very nice. Also, I have no plans on dying today, so you don't have to worry
about that.
Dr. de Lezo:  Good!
because I think you're going to WANT your dreams in a can today judging by what
we have planned. ( He gets to work, setting the O2 monitor on her finger and
the leads on her chest. ) I wouldn't worry though, it's more like
hallucinations in a can. Most people see some pretty trippy stuff up there.
Catt Hatter:  Oh? Oh
dear. I hope it's nothing horrible, I don't need any more of that.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( A smiley Hen pokes his head through the door. ) feeling
scared yet?
Catt Hatter:  No, *Catt
chuckled.* I can't, remember? I'd just rather avoid more unpleasantness
stemming from my subconscious. The regular nightmares are quite enough on their
own.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  Ah. So I guess you won't be needing this then.
( Hen steps fully into the room, twirling the Hatt in his fingertips. )
Catt Hatter:  Not for
preventing fear, no. *She smiled at the theatrics.* At this point, I think all
it did was keep the brain damage from killing me earlier.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):'  Well, I suppose you can use it to keep the...Vinyl
Ether? really Alano? you couldn't have at least picked a nicer
anesthetic? ( tsking, he briskly strides across the room and pulls out a
different tank, wheeling THAT one to the bed. ) We want the best for our
patients. ( He leans in towards Catt's ear. )
Victorians.
Catt Hatter:  *She
didn't quite understand what he meant, but it sounded like he was trying to
make a joke. So she gave a small chuckle.* I didn't know there were different
types of anesthetic.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  my dear, Vinyl Ether is the most volatile of all inhaled
anesthetics.
Dr. de Lezo:  Vinyl
Ether is the only anesthetic.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  If you believe that, my comrade, then you didn't look
hard enough.
Catt Hatter:  How many
different types are there? *Catt asked, curiosity getting the better of her
manners.*
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  Excellent question! Including the rather toxic ones
native to this time period, I count 24
Catt Hatter:  Wow,
that's a lot. *She murmured.* I wasn't expecting more than ten.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  There aren't more than 10 that can safely be used on
human beings. Most are either going to be discontinued due to arrhythmia and
organ failure or weren't extensively researched to begin with.
Catt Hatter:  From the
way you're speaking can I extrapolate that you're not from this era either?
*She asked, raising an eyebrow amusedly.*
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  I'm sort of a cross between both worlds. I come from a
place where your experiments are actually our homes. How else do you think I
managed to get these monitors and this brand spanking new Sevoflurane mixture
in here?
Catt Hatter:  My experiments? *She asked surprised.* Or, do you mean
the Society's collective experiments?
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( He walks over to the other edge of the table, covering
Catt's lower body with a blanket and placing the Hatt on her foot. ) By your
experiments, I am of course referring to the portals you've been making. Not
that someone made ours...they just sort of...came with the house, I suppose.
Catt Hatter:  My Time
Creases last that long? *Despite being stunned, she couldn't help but grin at
the news. If he was here, then she must have made improvements to the machine!
Currently the furthest back any of them linked was just over a week. She
wondered how she pulled it off.* Did the Space Folds survive too, or did you
find any?
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( He begins to unwind the tubing around the machine. )
I'm not sure, but I wouldn't doubt it! You see, the way this house works is
that the first story is that of an ordinary fully functioning home. We have a
Matron who prepares meals and we gather round the table, all 100 of us. The top
floor is where it gets interesting. ( He snaps the mask on Catt. ) You see, the
top floor, in addition to laundry room and spare bath, contains a room for each
being residing in the house- only they aren't rooms. They're, creases, if you
will, leading to each person's native realm. Countless realms. Parallel
universes. Alternate time periods. This floor holds them all, personalizing
each portal for the person whose name is on that door. Not only that, but...it
KNOWS when new arrivals come. It makes them their very own door. Now some don't
actually have creases. Those that reside in that realm natively have real
bedrooms. Nice ones at that.
Catt Hatter:  Holy. *Her
voice was slightly muffled by the mask.* Did I accidentally create a universe
time dissonance nexus? Those can be destabilized pretty easily. But it sounds
like a lovely place. Do you think I could visit sometime?
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( He chuckles. ) Not this one. We've been living there
for the past 9 years. Excluding me, of course. I'm actually fairly new.
Catt Hatter:  So I can't
visit? Shame, it sounds interesting. *She liked exploring new places, sometimes
even ones she wasn't supposed to.* New to their group?
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  You can certainly visit! we'd love to have you! Of
course, there's been a temporary change in leadership because our Matron is
married to a rock star and has decided to join her in-laws on their adventures.
Victoria has done a marvelous job of taking things over. You'll feel right at
home.
Catt Hatter:  Yay! *She
brightened slightly at the prospect.* Heehee, they sound like a lively bunch
and I can't wait to meet them. After I'm better though.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  Absolutely! Although...if you do fall ill again, my lab
there is state of the art. It's outfitted with technology that hasn't even been
formally invented yet.
Catt Hatter:  Well, if I
do fall "sick" again, I certainly hope it won't be from the same
"lead poisoning." Heh. But I would enjoy seeing your lab from the
future.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  I will confess, it turns into a rave on Fridays.
Catt Hatter:  Best make
sure it's not on a Friday then, I like being able to hear what my
conversational partner is saying. *Despite the conversation, she couldn't help
feeling antsy.* How much longer?
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  The gas is on, you should be noticing its effects.
Tingling, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, euphoria, drowsiness...
Catt Hatter:  Oh, I
thought I was, just getting bored. *She murmured, her speech beginning to slow
as a priclking sensation began climbing over her scalp.* Or, somethin'...
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( Noticing her beginning to drift, Hen deliberately
continues rattling off side effects. ) If you feel any rash; hives; itching;
difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face,
lips, or tongue; chills; fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat; fever; seizures;
unusual change in amount or urine; yellowing of the skin or eyes.. LET US KNOW.
Catt Hatter:  D'ya
really think I'd be able to tell y' if my eyes turn'd y'llow? *She giggled,
blinking slowly up at him.*
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  Of course not! the seizures are a pretty obvious symptom
you wouldn't be able to observe either. Don't you find those long side effect
lists to be boring though?
Catt Hatter:  Nah, I
din' cath most u' it tho... *She mumbled, her eyes slid closed and she was
out.*
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( Hen watches the heart rate on the monitor slide down to
a steady 60 beats per minute, blood pressure dropping to match. He lifts an
eyelid, observing the dilated pupil beneath before sliding it shut for a second
time. He turns to Alano. ) She's out.
Dr. de Lezo:  Then it's
time for us to get to work. The doctors are in.
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( He rises from the chair he had drawn up and tucks it
aside. )indeed.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile...
Mz.Hyde: * Mz. Hyde was sitting in the infirmary, waiting
for Catt to come out of her operation. She had originally planned to read a
little to pass the time, but couldn't concentrate enough to even read a single
paragraph. So she just sat there, waiting for her friend.*
Sarashina
Hyde:  ( After about 8 hours, a familiar figure slinks down the
hallway and occupies a vacant bed nearby. )
Ye've been 'ere quoi a whoile.
Mz.Hyde: Oh, hey Sara...I'm just waiting on someone...
Sarashina
Hyde:  Th' 'atter roigh? ( She whistles. ) Nasty blow tha' un
got. Oi'm surprised she lived. ( She gives Mz. Hyde a sideways look. ) She'll
be 'n th' chop shop fer a whoile. Gots ta make sure ya dun injure the brains
any worse...Thems squiggly loines 'r 'olroight n she's breevin' okay... nuffin
ta fret over really.
Mz.Hyde: *She sighs.*
Thanks Sara...
Sarashina
Hyde:  Yeh should probably go eat summat. 's at least hits
another 8 ta go.
Mz.Hyde: I'm not hungry right now, thanks.
Sarashina
Hyde:  F'ya say so ( she flops down onto the bed. )
Mz.Hyde: *Mz. Hyde glanced over at Sara, before looking down
at the floor with worry written all over her face.*
Sarashina
Hyde:  ...Yeh wanna go see fer yerself?
Mz.Hyde: Aren't only the surgeons supposed to be in there?
Because of germs and stuff?
Sarashina
Hyde:  ( Grinning, Sara sits up and taps her nose twice. )
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catt
Hatter: *Towards the end of the
surgery, just as the doctors closing the incision, much to the surprise and
momentary horror of most everyone present, Catt's voice was heard.*
You're just angry that I survived and dad didn't. *Despite the speech, she had
not woken, nor had her lips done more than parted. Yet the sentence had been
spoken with her voice, monotone, but unmistakable.*
Dr.
de Lezo:  ( Alano quickly withdraws his hand, as if having been
burned- hissing Spanish cuss words under his breath. )
Dr.
Jekyll II ( Mother Hen ):  ( Hen jumps, dropping his tools. ) Oh God it happened
again!
== Obtained From ==
Surgery? Surgery.
Category:Main Plot
Category:Tales from the ER