House Call

Date/Timing: 23 December 2011
Setting: Hermann & Edan's flat; Battersea, London, England, United Kingdom
.
Edan hunches, Hermann's arm thrown across his shoulders and his cane tucked under his arm. "I'm lucky you're so light."
Hermann snorts. "If I wasn't so light, I wouldn't be—" Hisses as a lurching step jostles his right arm.
Edan winces. "Do you want to—"
"Keep. Going."
"If you're sure—"
"/Yes."
"I'd feel better if—"
"/No. No hospital."
"But—"
"I love you but fucking do what I say." He squeezes his eyes shut. "Please."
Edan swallows. "Sorry." Resumes their shuffle for the flat.
The last half-block takes an absolute /age, but they make it and Edan manages to the lock and the lobby and the lift and the hall and the lock and their shoes and the hall to the bedroom.
Hermann, pale and sweating, eases down to the mattress, then flat onto his back, arm stiff at his side.
Edan hovers, runs a hand through his hair. "Let's have a look at it."
"It's broken. There's nothing to see."
"But—"
"There's nothing. I can't go to hospital, be x-rayed."
"But—"
"/No."
"I can't just /leave you like this!"
"You have to."
"At—at least let me look at it."
Hermann sighs, lets his eyes fall shut. "Fine."
"Thank you, /leannan." Frowns at Hermann's layers. "I'm going to have to cut you out of this, aren't I."
Hermann grunts.
"I'll be right back." Edan flies to the office, zips back with the scissors.
Hermann keeps lying there, breathing shallow.
Edan carefully cuts along the center of the outer jumper sleeve, then the inner, then through Hermann's shirt. He peels the layers away, revealing a pale arm going purple from a spot just off-center.
No bone, no blood, thank God.
"You've got a great, ugly bruise."
"Displaced, then," croaks Hermann.
"We have to—"
"/No."
"But—"
Hermann sighs. "Call Dietrich. He'll help."
"I'll be right back. Don't move."
"As if I would."
Edan dives into the office, fumbles his way through his contacts, connects to Dietrich, flutters as it rings through.
""Edan? What's—""
"Hermann went down on ice and I think his arm is broken—it's gone all purple and swelling—but I can't get him to go to A and E have it seen to—" Gasps. "—or call an ambu—"
""Edan, take a deep breath.""
He does.
""Get a notepad and pencil. I'm going to give you a number to call for help, okay?""
"A-alright." Edan fumbles some scrap paper and a pen over. "Go."
Dee reads out a phone number, a foreign one.
"What's—"
""It's best not to ask questions about these people.""
Edan swallows. "A-alright."
""Call them, do what they say, don't ask questions, and don't leave Hermann alone with them. Understand?""
"Y-yea." Swallows again, stomach dropping. "I'll do that right now."
""Good. Until they get to you, keep Manny as comfortable as possible without letting him take any extra pills. Put ice on the swelling, give him water to drink if he wants anything.""
"Will do. Thanks."
""You're welcome."" A deep breath. ""It'll be alright.""
"Right. Thanks." Edan stabs 'end', takes a deep breath, types in the new number, connects.
««Who is this?»» demands a male voice.
«Edan Reid. I'm calling for Hermann Gottlieb.»
««Ah. Apologies for my rudeness. How may I assist Mr Gottlieb?»»
«He fell and busted his arm and needs it seen to but won't go to hospital and his brother said—»
««I'm organizing treatment now. A moment, please.»»
Edan swallows, waits, tapping a foot.
««You are at your Battersea address, yes?»»
His stomach goes funnier. «Y-yea.» 
««A medic will be with you within the half-hour, Mr Reid.»»
«Thank you.»
««We are here to assist.»»
The mobile chimes.
Edan swallows, puts his shoulders back, dives into the kitchen, dumps ice from the freezer into a plastic bag, nabs a tea towel, races to the bedroom.
Hermann lies there, absently rubbing Dottie's ears.
She twitches her ears forward, expression hopeful.
"You're not allowed on the bed—"
Dottie looks mournful.
"—but I'll make an exception."
Dottie thumps her tail against the pillow.
"Dietrich says to put ice on it." Edan wraps the ice in the towel places it on the bed next to the purplest point.
"You need to set it on my arm if you want it to do any good."
"Won't that hurt?"
"Only 'til it goes numb."
"/Jesus."
"Just do it."
Edan resettles—
Hermann hisses.
—grits his teeth, positions the thing, straightens, shifts his feet.
"It's already a little better."
"Thank God." Deep breath. "Can I get you anything—except drugs? Water?"
"I'm fine. The best thing is to let me lie here a bit."
"I can do that." He pulls over the chair, perches.
They rest like that a while.
"How's the ice doing?"
"Holding out," mumbles Hermann.
The doorbell sounds.
Hermann startles, hisses; Dottie lifts her head; Edan throws himself out of the chair.
"What's—"
Edan twitches open the door. "Are you—"
"The Frenchmen sent me. Where's he?" snips the small woman on the threshold.
He opens the door a little wider. "In-in the bedroom. I'll—"
She pushes past, stride clipped.
Edan hustles after her, catches up as she crouches next to the bed.
"Who are you?" growls Hermann.
"Doctor Yiannaki. I don't ask questions and I'm here for your arm."
Hermann exhales. "Fine."
"You made a hash of these clothes."
"He did it."
Yiannaki frowns at Edan.
He puffs up. "I'm an astrophysicist, not a doctor. Or a tailor."
She laughs a bit at that, finds some scissors in the satchel she brought along. "You taken anything beside your normal meds?"
"No."
"Good." Cuts the sleeves clean off, slits the side seams of the jumpers and the shirt.
"Not the wrap."
"Alright." Yiannaki folds the front half back, lifts the ice away, takes a close look at Hermann's even more swollen, even purpler arm. "I'll need to set this."
Hermann sniffs.
Edan hovers.
She brings out an alcohol wipe, a vial, and a needle. "I'm gonna jab you with something to numb this so I can set it without you screaming blue murder, yea?"
Edan cringes.
"Fine," Hermann replies.
Dottie looks across Hermann, woffles.
"Get that dog out of here."
Edan jumps. "Dottie, please come."
With a quick glance at Hermann and Yiannaki, Dottie slinks off the bed, tail low.
"Thank you, sweet." Edan leads her to the door, stuffs her out, shuts the door, whirls.
"Feel that?"
"No."
Yiannaki prods and presses the bruised area. "Right. This'll make a horrible sound."
"Heard it before," mumbles Hermann.
"On three, then. One ... two ... three."
She's right: it's a /horrible sound.
Edan's stomach lurches into his throat and his eyes slam shut. 
When he pries them open again, Yiannaki's wrapping a plastic and cloth brace around Hermann's arm. She checks his pulse, nods approval, gathers bits and bobs from the duvet into her satchel, stands, and strides out the door.
"That's /it?" squeaks Edan, dodging Dottie and pursuing.
"Yea. Except—" She pulls a bottle from an outside pocket of the bag, puts it in Edan's hand. "—feed him one of these every six hours if his normal meds stop cutting it."
"O-okay."
"Don't let him take the cuff off for three days, then only for washing up for the next month." Settles the satchel on her shoulder. "If his lower arm or hand turn purple, he gets red streaks on the arm or loses his pulse in that wrist, get the cuff off and call the Frenchmen again immediately."
"Will—" Swallows. "—do."
"Good. Then I'm off."
"Thanks—" Edan clears his throat. "Thank you, Doctor."
Yiannaki shrugs, heads for the door and out.
Edan locks up, slumps against the wall, tries to breathe around a stuttering heart. He pushes off, sprints back to the bedroom.
Dottie lies on the bed, curled up against Hermann's side.
"Any-anything I can do for you?"
"Not just now." Hermann smiles a bit. "I'm waiting for the floatiness from the second shot she gave me to kick in."
Edan's heart drops. "She gave you two?" 
"Just the anesthetic and something else for the pain."
Edan sags into the chair, lets his head roll back, swallows. "I suppose floaty is good?"
"Much better than the ache from something like this."
Edan hums.
They rest like that a while.
"Edan?"
He sits up. "Hmm?"
"Who was that?"
"I don't rightly know? I, uh, called the number Dietrich gave me and she showed up?"
"What number was that?"
"Some foreign one. Bloke on the other end spoke French."
Hermann inhales deeply. "Edan, under /no circumstances call that number again."
"But—"
"/Ever."
"Hermann, what's—"
"I want /nothing to do with those people."
"But who /are—"
"Let me sleep, please."
"A-alright." Swallows. "Is it alright if I stay here and read?"
"That's fine."
"Goodnight, then, /leannan."
Hermann grunts.
Edan drags a hand down his face, pulls out his mobile and loads up a book, tries not to think about what'd just happened.
Category:Prompt
Category:Pages with comments
Category:Celestial Mechanics
2011 12 23
Category:Ficlet
Category:London (setting)
Category:Edan
Category:Edan's POV
Category:Edan (ficlet)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Peridot
Category:Peridot (ficlet)
Category:Dietrich
Category:Dietrich (ficlet)
Category:Conversations via mobiles
Category:Yiannaki
Category:Yiannaki (ficlet)
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