[Max has to keep herself from collapsing into the house as Angela opens the door. Even then she grabs at the woman for support, getting blood onto her clothes - a fact which Max's hazy thoughts latch onto, instead of the question.]
S-sorry-...
[Her expression betrays her fear, however, as her eyes try to focus on Angela's face. She stammers through an unintelligble explanation, something about a phone. She leans on her heavily as she's led to the room, and tries to speak again in a clearer voice.]
[ Angela could never have kept count of the number of times she had been covered in the blood of other people. It doesn't even phase her anymore, and it's the least of her worries as she gathers Max against her for support. ]
Don't worry. It's a professional hazard.
[ She kept her voice light as she made a play at humor. Despite that she doubts she did a good job of hiding the underlying concern in her voice. She is both worried about Max, and then Chloe as the girl asks her not to tell her.
She wonders how best to approach it. Keeping secrets is never good and confidentiality laws were a bit different in Deerington. Still she's kept enough medical secrets to know how, even when they involve people she loves. ]
Another professional hallmark; patient confidentiality. Whatever you tell me is in confidence.
[Max appreciates Angela pulling her in. She makes the most of it, leaning very heavily against the doctor, allowing herself to be led to the back bedroom. The bed looks amazing - a huge relief for her very weak legs, and from the long walk between houses.
She's glad to hear about confidentiality. She could not handle Chloe's worrying and potential anger right now.]
I... screwed up.
[That's all she really manages for now, stumbling forward toward the bed. The wounds all over her torso and arms sting sharply in protest.]
[ Angela luckily kept sterile sheets on the bed at all times for any emergency that might arise. She still doesn't entirely know what it is that Max screwed up on, but she's got more pressing matters to attend to as she starts to help her out of her shirt. ]
It's okay. We all screw up. Let's just focus on getting you fixed up. Then we can talk.
I need you to take off your clothes anywhere you are injured, so I can see everything. I'll put you in clean clothes once we are done.
[ She knows it's never a fun thing to get undressed in front of a stranger. Typically she'd have a nurse or something in the room, but it's only them at the moment and she doubts Max wants her to go grab Chloe to bear witness. ]
[She pauses but then nods. Normally this would be a hugely embarrassing thing with someone like Angela. And normally she'd be blushing red red red... if she wasn't so terribly pale. But it's a medical emergency, so she does her best to get her torso undressed. It's a struggle, and painful, and she grunts with effort, but they manage.
There are scars. Light ones criss-cross her torso and arms, like she ran through a barbed wire fence. And there's a deep one right under her collarbone. They had all torn open, bleeding heavily. Her skin is sticky with dried blood.
But for now they almost all appear to have mildly clotted. Fortunately she'd stopped her rewind short of anything more damaging.
Not that she knows that. The sight of all the blood and the damage to her skin makes her squirm on the bed, a small whimper escaping her.]
It... That's... a lot...
[She looks up at Angela as though for confirmation.]
[ Angela helps with the removal when she sees her struggling, all the while telling her exactly what she's doing and going to do next. Where blood has dried she is especially careful in the removal.
She frowns when she sees the scars. This isn't at all what she had been expecting. The wounds have newly bled, but it's clear from the edges of them that they have been healing and reopening. When she squirms she reaches out to place a gloved hand on her knee for reassurance. ]
It's okay. There isn't really anything here that even needs stitches. Though I may use a little tape on these two. [ And she points to the ones that seem a little more raw and violent. ]
What's been happening to you, you didn't get these tonight?
[The words and the hand on her knee are a lot more comforting than Max would've thought. She feels the worry ebbing out of her, though there's still the mild shock underneath it all. Did she really lose all that blood? Is she really going to be okay?
She shakes her head as though to lift a haze over her mind. It's hard to think with so much of her blood on her clothes.]
The... The scars? They're from... maybe months ago. Or... or more. [She shakes her head again.] They just opened again...
[ Angela is less worried about the amount of blood loss. The wounds look worse than they are, and Max is showing no signs of having lost too much blood.
Angela stands up as she thinks for a moment on what she said and begins collecting things to clean up each of the wounds along with a pair of butterfly stitches for the worst ones. ]
Months ago. Before you even arrived here? Can you tell me how you got them.
[ She begins to dab at the wounds with a cleansing agent and some gauze. She wants to hurt whoever or whatever did this to her. ]
[Max watches Angela clean up the wounds with trepidation. She flinches now and then, as though expecting it to hurt. The woman seems very intent on the scars, and Max can't really blame her, but the line of questioning does make her nervous.]
Uh. I dunno if Chloe's told you, but I was in a different place for a few years before Deerington. A dangerous place. Not regular old Earth, anyway.
[She'd shrug if she wasn't worried about interrupting Angela's work.]
One day I wasn't being myself. I tried to do something... bad. And my friend tried to stop me. [She wavers in her explanation, not quite willing to go into further detail.] It was an accident.
[ Though it's a common joke that Doctor's lack a beside manner, Angela would have broken all stereotypes. Her mannerism is very gentle and she recognizes the tension that rises in Max. She pauses in cleaning the wounds to look up at her ]
Don't be so nervous, it's only me. I just want to know to make sure of the best course of treatment. You have my complete confidence.
[ She has met others who had been in places before this, so the information isn't a surprise. It's hard to imagine a place more dangerous than Deerington.]
So this is sort of like a payment or punishment or something. Moira can has the ability to heal when she takes care of others, but here she loses her life if she heals others. Something like that? I see, so it's sort of like a
[Max gives her a very weak smile. It's small, but bloodied up like she is, half naked with a near stranger, drawing out any sign of comfort is a pretty impressive feat on Angela's part.]
Well... punishment for being so weak to mind-control, I guess. [After all, her friend had resisted well enough. And when mind controlled Max had threatened to hurt everyone, she had to be stopped. By lethal force, when it came down to it - hence the scars.]
As for the bleeding just now... [She gives Angela an odd look.] I guess comparing it to Moira isn't so bad. [Payment for rewinding. Chloe said that powers don't work the same. Max should've taken that warning more seriously.]
[ She takes that smile as a good sign and returns it as she continues to work on patching her up. She always had had a way with people as far as making them feel comfortable went. There were reasons she was known as the "Guardian Angel" of Overwatch with her name publicized as Mercy. ]
Nowhere in any world does someone deserve any kind of punishment like this. It's cruelty and I am sorry that you are reliving it now. Old wounds should never be reopened, but if you wish to speak further about your trauma at any time, I'm here for you. Any day, any time.
[ She puts on the last bandage and goes to stand. ] How about you get dressed now. I'd like to give you an nanobiotic injection to boost your body's healing system. It may or may not help, depending on the reasons Deerington has for this. However, it won't do you any harm.
[...She's never really talked to anyone about that day in Wonderland. About lying on the hard, rocky ground, the pool of her blood growing around her. Listening to Sans' dying words before he turned into a pile of dust at her feet.
And then being alone, waiting for the end to come, as the blood loss eventually claimed her.]
Thanks. I'll... keep that in mind.
[She doubts she'll find a chance to talk about it here, if she never did in Wonderland.
She struggles to put her clothes on, taking her time and pushing through the stinging pain.]
Nanobots, huh? [She tries to lighten the mood a little, unaware if she's stepping on any improper topics.] Sure they won't make me a pawn in the inevitable robot uprising?
[ Angela went to retrieve her staff. She knew that for Max the joke was directed at the idea that such a thing would likely never happen. The sad truth was that for Angela that was the truth she lived in. Wars between the omnics and the humans. It had been unending and it had taken so many people that she had loved.
She let out a sad laugh. She knew she had meant no harm by it, but it brought a pang to her chest all the same. ]
Not these little guys, thankfully. I have enough coursing through my veins that I am actually constantly rebuilding my genetic make up to heal.
No, it's the bigger ones in my world that you have to worry about. The ones that have become sentient, or at least some of them. Some are very peaceful and just want to live.
[Max looks a little surprised at Angela's first statements. Up until that point nanobots kind of sounded like make-believe sci-fi, not something to be taken too seriously. But finding out that there are some inside Angela, that they're actually changing her... well, that sounds very real.
The surprise only grows as Angela goes on. Max adjusts her clothes awkwardly, fully dressed now, but embarrassed for an entirely new reason.]
...I'm sorry. It was a bad joke. [Excuse her while she stares at her knees.] I guess I... never really believed it'd come to that.
[ She waved off the concern with a flick of her wrist and another warm smile. ]
There is nothing at all to worry about. With all the worlds out there it's hard to know which ones cross. Perhaps it is not the future you will see.
Machines are so very important. Our technology can do so many things. The issues are that people don't have respect for machines. They treated them like slaves, but when some of them became sentient, they rightfully fought against that treatment. I worked for an agency that was responsible for bringing about a brief time of peace. However, it peace is often short lived when those in power forget to be kind. I suppose we'll continue fighting for that peace.
[ It was the abridged version of it all, but she hoped it at least explained it a little better. ]
So when you go back, be kind to machines. They may yet someday rule the world.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
S-sorry-...
[Her expression betrays her fear, however, as her eyes try to focus on Angela's face. She stammers through an unintelligble explanation, something about a phone. She leans on her heavily as she's led to the room, and tries to speak again in a clearer voice.]
Don't tell... Chloe.
no subject
Don't worry. It's a professional hazard.
[ She kept her voice light as she made a play at humor. Despite that she doubts she did a good job of hiding the underlying concern in her voice. She is both worried about Max, and then Chloe as the girl asks her not to tell her.
She wonders how best to approach it. Keeping secrets is never good and confidentiality laws were a bit different in Deerington. Still she's kept enough medical secrets to know how, even when they involve people she loves. ]
Another professional hallmark; patient confidentiality. Whatever you tell me is in confidence.
no subject
She's glad to hear about confidentiality. She could not handle Chloe's worrying and potential anger right now.]
I... screwed up.
[That's all she really manages for now, stumbling forward toward the bed. The wounds all over her torso and arms sting sharply in protest.]
no subject
It's okay. We all screw up. Let's just focus on getting you fixed up. Then we can talk.
I need you to take off your clothes anywhere you are injured, so I can see everything. I'll put you in clean clothes once we are done.
[ She knows it's never a fun thing to get undressed in front of a stranger. Typically she'd have a nurse or something in the room, but it's only them at the moment and she doubts Max wants her to go grab Chloe to bear witness. ]
Are you okay with that?
no subject
There are scars. Light ones criss-cross her torso and arms, like she ran through a barbed wire fence. And there's a deep one right under her collarbone. They had all torn open, bleeding heavily. Her skin is sticky with dried blood.
But for now they almost all appear to have mildly clotted. Fortunately she'd stopped her rewind short of anything more damaging.
Not that she knows that. The sight of all the blood and the damage to her skin makes her squirm on the bed, a small whimper escaping her.]
It... That's... a lot...
[She looks up at Angela as though for confirmation.]
no subject
She frowns when she sees the scars. This isn't at all what she had been expecting. The wounds have newly bled, but it's clear from the edges of them that they have been healing and reopening. When she squirms she reaches out to place a gloved hand on her knee for reassurance. ]
It's okay. There isn't really anything here that even needs stitches. Though I may use a little tape on these two. [ And she points to the ones that seem a little more raw and violent. ]
What's been happening to you, you didn't get these tonight?
no subject
She shakes her head as though to lift a haze over her mind. It's hard to think with so much of her blood on her clothes.]
The... The scars? They're from... maybe months ago. Or... or more. [She shakes her head again.] They just opened again...
no subject
Angela stands up as she thinks for a moment on what she said and begins collecting things to clean up each of the wounds along with a pair of butterfly stitches for the worst ones. ]
Months ago. Before you even arrived here? Can you tell me how you got them.
[ She begins to dab at the wounds with a cleansing agent and some gauze. She wants to hurt whoever or whatever did this to her. ]
no subject
Uh. I dunno if Chloe's told you, but I was in a different place for a few years before Deerington. A dangerous place. Not regular old Earth, anyway.
[She'd shrug if she wasn't worried about interrupting Angela's work.]
One day I wasn't being myself. I tried to do something... bad. And my friend tried to stop me. [She wavers in her explanation, not quite willing to go into further detail.] It was an accident.
no subject
Don't be so nervous, it's only me. I just want to know to make sure of the best course of treatment. You have my complete confidence.
[ She has met others who had been in places before this, so the information isn't a surprise. It's hard to imagine a place more dangerous than Deerington.]
So this is sort of like a payment or punishment or something. Moira can has the ability to heal when she takes care of others, but here she loses her life if she heals others. Something like that?
I see, so it's sort of like a
no subject
Well... punishment for being so weak to mind-control, I guess. [After all, her friend had resisted well enough. And when mind controlled Max had threatened to hurt everyone, she had to be stopped. By lethal force, when it came down to it - hence the scars.]
As for the bleeding just now... [She gives Angela an odd look.] I guess comparing it to Moira isn't so bad. [Payment for rewinding. Chloe said that powers don't work the same. Max should've taken that warning more seriously.]
no subject
Nowhere in any world does someone deserve any kind of punishment like this. It's cruelty and I am sorry that you are reliving it now. Old wounds should never be reopened, but if you wish to speak further about your trauma at any time, I'm here for you. Any day, any time.
[ She puts on the last bandage and goes to stand. ] How about you get dressed now. I'd like to give you an nanobiotic injection to boost your body's healing system. It may or may not help, depending on the reasons Deerington has for this. However, it won't do you any harm.
no subject
And then being alone, waiting for the end to come, as the blood loss eventually claimed her.]
Thanks. I'll... keep that in mind.
[She doubts she'll find a chance to talk about it here, if she never did in Wonderland.
She struggles to put her clothes on, taking her time and pushing through the stinging pain.]
Nanobots, huh? [She tries to lighten the mood a little, unaware if she's stepping on any improper topics.] Sure they won't make me a pawn in the inevitable robot uprising?
no subject
She let out a sad laugh. She knew she had meant no harm by it, but it brought a pang to her chest all the same. ]
Not these little guys, thankfully. I have enough coursing through my veins that I am actually constantly rebuilding my genetic make up to heal.
No, it's the bigger ones in my world that you have to worry about. The ones that have become sentient, or at least some of them. Some are very peaceful and just want to live.
no subject
The surprise only grows as Angela goes on. Max adjusts her clothes awkwardly, fully dressed now, but embarrassed for an entirely new reason.]
...I'm sorry. It was a bad joke. [Excuse her while she stares at her knees.] I guess I... never really believed it'd come to that.
no subject
There is nothing at all to worry about. With all the worlds out there it's hard to know which ones cross. Perhaps it is not the future you will see.
Machines are so very important. Our technology can do so many things. The issues are that people don't have respect for machines. They treated them like slaves, but when some of them became sentient, they rightfully fought against that treatment. I worked for an agency that was responsible for bringing about a brief time of peace. However, it peace is often short lived when those in power forget to be kind. I suppose we'll continue fighting for that peace.
[ It was the abridged version of it all, but she hoped it at least explained it a little better. ]
So when you go back, be kind to machines. They may yet someday rule the world.