what is to be

[Ellie Kennigan]

Except for one snarky "walk it off" comment to Lou's complaint about bites, Ellie has been silent in her work through the latest banter, letting Kelsey do the talking as the medic knew more of what happened than she did. Taking the nod from Kelsey, they move Lou onto the stretcher like the pair of professionals they are. "This is just to get you up the hill," she says, securing him. "Don't think I'm not going to make you walk to the car."

The doctor waits for Kelsey to be in position again and commands simply, "Lift." And they do.

"I've seen plenty enough men around here settle things with their fists, and it's not usually pretty. Didn't expect to find you to be one of them though, Lou." Maybe only Sally sees that her normal (practiced?) nonplussed inflection is accompanied by a confused look of concern since she's faced away from Lou and Kelsey carrying the stretcher. "Mostly because I didn't think anyone would have occasion to take a swing at you, of all people."

[ronfiction]

"It's usually a buffalo Sabres fan that I brawl with thank you."

Lou says still slurring his speech some.

"V... Well... What a way to end a friendship."

Lou says and trails off, relenting at last to all the medical attention and the help up the hill.

[Sally]

Sally looks over all of this with a furrowed brow, and shrugs, "I feel like I am unable to make any sortsa comment or judgement on folks throwin' fists." He looks to Dr. Kennigan, though, and his face clearly shares her confusion.

"I also feel like the fact that I outweigh er'ry one here by, at a min-i-mum, se'enty-figh pounds, means one a' ya'll needs to hand me over that stretcher." While not the brightest man, Sally Lautner ain't nearly so dumb as to even insinuate who he thinks should be more inclined to do so.

"I mean, I'd offer to throw 'im o'er my shoulder, but I just feel like ya'll'd shoot that 'un down," Sally grins some, "On account 'a this here kai-yote bein' an un-sani-tary accomplice."

Sally steps forward to offer assistance on the uphill climb.

[Owle Isohos]

"Thanks, Sally." Kelsey grinned at him, but showed no inclination to stop doing what she was doing. She just kept plodding determinedly in time with Dr. Kennigan, keeping Lou's stretcher as level and steady as possible on the uphill climb. "But I got this."

She didn't know how much practice Sally had at carrying injured folks - probably more than he wanted to, all things considered. But this was Kelsey's job, and she aimed to do it.

"Tell you what, though," she added with a chuckle. "I'll keep that offer in mind if I ever end up having to carry JD."

[Sally]

"You the boss, ladies," Sally said, tucking his thumbs into his gun belt, and looking down to Lou, "Gotcherself a coupla dings on the chassis there, Ben-oit. Get you a couple bits a pen-o-cillian, an' you'll be right as rain."

Sally glanced to Dr. Kennigan and grimaced some. Having been on both the receiving and dealing ends of such things, he knew that ribs and eyes were nasty injuries that took their sweet time to set right.

His voice was calm, placid even, when said, "Looks like they's a clutch of folks up ahead," he gestures to where Vacily, Leo, and Herne had accumulated. "I'm ass-umin' I got no need to draw my gun again, right?"

He looked to Kelsey as he said this.

[Ellie Kennigan]

Ellie, for her part, has let her face do the talking in the last few moments. She shakes her head at Lou's bravado. When Sally suggests either Ellie or Kelsey 'needs' to hand over the stretcher, she merely raises an eyebrow at him and keeps walking. Smirks at Kelsey's comment about carrying JD. Is clearly listening to Sally as he tries to comfort the janitor. And when Sally grimaces at her, she doesn't. Hers is the steady glance of one knowing the work ahead--and not all of it Lou's injuries.

"Don't know," she answers him, but the doctor doesn't appear worried. Jaded to such smaller dangers, per usual.

[Owle Isohos]

Kelsey shook her head. "Don't think so," she replied. "Not right now, anyways."

She glanced over towards the small group, her expression betraying her concern. Though she feared no immediate threat, she worried - both for her friends and for the future.

"V was talking about how he'd fight to keep an innocent life from being taken, even if the other option means they all get snuffed out," she explained quietly. "I think he meant it. He also threatened to kill Lou, but I think maybe he didn't mean that one."

The medic turned her focus back to the road in front of her.

"Either way, I don't think we need to worry about either one just now. It's not like we're being faced with the trolley problem right now, and I don't think V's planning on going after Lou unless he has to."

She gave Lou an apologetic look.

"Sorry. Don't mean to be talking about you like you're not here."

[ronfiction]

Lou waves off the apology of the medic, seeming uninterested in what they were discussing and more focused on his broken bones and throbbing eye.

[Ellie Kennigan]

[A note to players: Feel free to let me know of my god-moding of your character is not what you would be doing in this scene. Just moving this along. Feel free to keep playing in the car if you want to, or take it to PM. Ellie's just going to drive.]

Eventually, Kelsey and Ellie get Lou to the top of the hill with Sally in tow. Lou has been a bit introspective on the way up after waving off attempts to comfort him, and everybody else awkwardly shrugs at each other, loathe to bother him. In fact, they carry him a bit further than the hill, maybe halfway to the clinic before Dr. Kennigan directs Kelsey to put him down. Though he wouldn't admit it aloud, Lou was thankful for the rest and didn't Immediately start to get up. "Oh, Lou, hang on. I was just getting Sally to take over for me," Ellie says casually. Kelsey catches the doctor's test, of course. Ellie tries not to let on that she was getting a bit tired anyway.

Sally and Kelsey carry Lou to the clinic where the extern has gotten Ellie's car ready to go. Ellie mutters something about definitely not waiting around all day for an ambulance to get here from God knows where when she's sure Lou can sit upright. It's now that Lou starts to protest. He can walk for himself. He even starts to argue that he's fine, really doc, just need some ice, a recliner, and a Pats game. He doesn't need to go to Berlin. "You DPL guys are all the same," Ellie snorts. "I'm not an ophthamologist or an optemetrist, and I don't have the specialized equipment to check your eye out. You're going to the hospital." Lou looks uncomfortable, but he gets in the back seat of the car. Without prompting, Kelsey picks up the med kit in the back and sits next to Lou. Ellie doesn't say anything to Sally, but she glances at him, at her passenger's seat, and gets in to drive. He gets in. WZON is on the radio.

[Sally]

[STORY FOR THE STORY GOD, AND WORDS FOR THE WORD THRONE]

Sally Lautner, looking 12 and not 38, calls out "Shotgun!" and grins madly at Kelsey before doing that strange He's-really-quick-for-200-plus-pound-guy-pushing-40 thing he does to get into said seat.

Of course, there's no one else to sit Shot Gun, but the ritual must be fulfilled.