No Chunks
When Deb checked in on Rob the next day, his room was empty. Alarmed, she found the nearest nurses' station and asked if they knew where he was.
"Oh, he's still in testing. Doctor Marqea wanted to be quite thorough with the patient."
"Are they going to be done soon? I'm Mr. Dalton's ride home."
The nurse shrugged as she pecked away at her keyboard. "Sorry, they don't really tell us that."
Deb grunted softly in annoyance. "Is there any way I can find out where he is?"
"Are you family?"
"No, but I might as well be."
"Sorry. Only family are allowed in testing."
Deb muttered something under her breath and went back into Rob's room to wait. Not long after, a different nurse tapped on the door frame. "Ms. Masters?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Follow me. I'll take you to Doctor Marqea and Mr. Dalton."
"Oh, thank you."
"No problem. Mr. Dalton was, uhm, insistant that you be brought up to Radiology when you arrived."
She ducked her head and smiled, then chuckled. "That sounds like Robbie." The fondness in her voice was unmistakable.
The nurse made a sound, not unlike what Doctor Marqea kept making yesterday. "He is a handful, miss."
Deb followed the nurse into an elevator and up to Radiology. No sooner did the elevator door open, than Deb heard Rob rather loudly demanding that the Doctor stop with the tests.
"Please, Mr. Dalton! Would you rather not know what is wrong?"
"Doctor, if you could find out what the hell was wrong with me, I think you would have ten tests ago! Half of which were done yesterday, too!"
Deb entered the room to see Doctor Marqea with a very pained look on his face, and Rob with a determined expression. Well, more irritated, really.
"Giving the nice doctor fits are we?"
He looked over at her, relief washed over him. "Thank God, Deb! Get me out of here! I'm tired of being poked and prodded."
"Is he done?"
Doctor Marqea puffed up slightly, "Look Ms. Masters, I appreciate that you have his well being in mind, but you can't rush these tests."
"I know, Doctor. But", Deb moved closer and said in a low voice, "he's just going to get worse."
"I heard that!"
The Doctor looked at Deb for a second, then Rob, then back at Deb. "Point."
Rob grumped and Deb gave him a smirk.
Doctor Marqea heaved a sigh and dismissed the nurses, then took a chair and indicated Deb do the same. "I'll let you go home on one condition. If anything out of the ordinary happens, such as absorbing more items, you come right back."
"Fine, but I'm not going through all these tests again."
Marqea shook his head, "Just blood work and an x-ray. I promise."
Rob nodded. "Deal. Can I go now?"
Deb smacked him on the shoulder. "Oh you big baby."
"Ow! I am not!"
She shook her head. "Anything else we should watch out for?"
"Just... anything unusual. I don't want to say any more than that."
Rob looked at him shrewdly. "What aren't you telling us?"
The Doctor looked uncomfortable. "I've seen this sort of thing before. Not your specific case, mind."
"Yeah, you said that there's been more than a few people with odd conditions."
"No. Before that. In my last position. Some of the work I was doing..." he trailed off.
"What kind of work, Doctor?"
He ignored Deb's question and pointed at the door, "You're free to go. I'll let the front desk know. Like I said, anything abnormal."
Rob shared an uneasy look with Deb, "Yeah, I gotcha, Doc." He touched Deb's arm. "C'mon. Let's go."
The two of them left Radiology and hit the elevator, both on parallel trains of thought. They didn't talk until they had signed the discharge papers and were outside headed to Deb's car.
"That was creepy." Deb ventured.
"More than." Rob had that look in his eyes when he got nosy. "Do you have enough time to stop down and see Larry?"
"Larry? Why? You can thank him for the flowers and clothes tomorrow. I want to get you settled before I go back to the office." She paused. "I don't see why not, though." She laughed.
"What?"
"It's not like I'm gonna get much work done today anyway. The whole damn office is going to line up at my desk to get an update."
Rob grinned. "It's nice to be missed."
"Ha."
"Oh, he's still in testing. Doctor Marqea wanted to be quite thorough with the patient."
"Are they going to be done soon? I'm Mr. Dalton's ride home."
The nurse shrugged as she pecked away at her keyboard. "Sorry, they don't really tell us that."
Deb grunted softly in annoyance. "Is there any way I can find out where he is?"
"Are you family?"
"No, but I might as well be."
"Sorry. Only family are allowed in testing."
Deb muttered something under her breath and went back into Rob's room to wait. Not long after, a different nurse tapped on the door frame. "Ms. Masters?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Follow me. I'll take you to Doctor Marqea and Mr. Dalton."
"Oh, thank you."
"No problem. Mr. Dalton was, uhm, insistant that you be brought up to Radiology when you arrived."
She ducked her head and smiled, then chuckled. "That sounds like Robbie." The fondness in her voice was unmistakable.
The nurse made a sound, not unlike what Doctor Marqea kept making yesterday. "He is a handful, miss."
Deb followed the nurse into an elevator and up to Radiology. No sooner did the elevator door open, than Deb heard Rob rather loudly demanding that the Doctor stop with the tests.
"Please, Mr. Dalton! Would you rather not know what is wrong?"
"Doctor, if you could find out what the hell was wrong with me, I think you would have ten tests ago! Half of which were done yesterday, too!"
Deb entered the room to see Doctor Marqea with a very pained look on his face, and Rob with a determined expression. Well, more irritated, really.
"Giving the nice doctor fits are we?"
He looked over at her, relief washed over him. "Thank God, Deb! Get me out of here! I'm tired of being poked and prodded."
"Is he done?"
Doctor Marqea puffed up slightly, "Look Ms. Masters, I appreciate that you have his well being in mind, but you can't rush these tests."
"I know, Doctor. But", Deb moved closer and said in a low voice, "he's just going to get worse."
"I heard that!"
The Doctor looked at Deb for a second, then Rob, then back at Deb. "Point."
Rob grumped and Deb gave him a smirk.
Doctor Marqea heaved a sigh and dismissed the nurses, then took a chair and indicated Deb do the same. "I'll let you go home on one condition. If anything out of the ordinary happens, such as absorbing more items, you come right back."
"Fine, but I'm not going through all these tests again."
Marqea shook his head, "Just blood work and an x-ray. I promise."
Rob nodded. "Deal. Can I go now?"
Deb smacked him on the shoulder. "Oh you big baby."
"Ow! I am not!"
She shook her head. "Anything else we should watch out for?"
"Just... anything unusual. I don't want to say any more than that."
Rob looked at him shrewdly. "What aren't you telling us?"
The Doctor looked uncomfortable. "I've seen this sort of thing before. Not your specific case, mind."
"Yeah, you said that there's been more than a few people with odd conditions."
"No. Before that. In my last position. Some of the work I was doing..." he trailed off.
"What kind of work, Doctor?"
He ignored Deb's question and pointed at the door, "You're free to go. I'll let the front desk know. Like I said, anything abnormal."
Rob shared an uneasy look with Deb, "Yeah, I gotcha, Doc." He touched Deb's arm. "C'mon. Let's go."
The two of them left Radiology and hit the elevator, both on parallel trains of thought. They didn't talk until they had signed the discharge papers and were outside headed to Deb's car.
"That was creepy." Deb ventured.
"More than." Rob had that look in his eyes when he got nosy. "Do you have enough time to stop down and see Larry?"
"Larry? Why? You can thank him for the flowers and clothes tomorrow. I want to get you settled before I go back to the office." She paused. "I don't see why not, though." She laughed.
"What?"
"It's not like I'm gonna get much work done today anyway. The whole damn office is going to line up at my desk to get an update."
Rob grinned. "It's nice to be missed."
"Ha."
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