In Every Job that Must be Done...

[oncewasroman]

WHO: Rory Williams
WHERE: Hospital
WHEN: January 27-January 31
OPEN TO: ALL
WARNINGS: Nothing too bad...
STATUS: Open

---

While Rory was glad to be reunited with his wife and confident that he could offer his nursing skills as needed, there was one thing still bothering him about his circumstances. While he had not heard of any serious injuries or sicknesses taking the Inn yet, he felt it a little on the "unprepared" side of things that the building that was clearly a hospital had seen such little attention. Sure, the village wasn't big now and probably any minor injuries had been treated on the spot or in people's homes, but what happened when a massive outbreak occurred and they needed a quarantine? Or what if there were massive injuries that made home visits illogical? The snow certainly wasn't going to help those matters at the moment.

So, with little better to do, Rory decided on a job he would assign himself and get to work on immediately: cleaning out and getting the hospital back in working order.

Step 1. Would be to "tour" the facility and see what was left of the place. How many rooms? How many beds? Where were the different stations. It was one of the bigger buildings so that could be a task that took several hours on its own. Unless someone joined to help of course.

Step 2. Would be to start repairing and clearing out any animals that might have taken up residence. There was no way he was going to get all of that done in one day, but people would probably take notice of a skinny Brit lugging broken pieces of furniture out of the building or yelling at rats to "shoo" and chasing them out with a makeshift broom.

Step 3. And once most of the major clearing was done there was, of course, the problem of actually cleaning the place. If the hospital was dirty there was going to be no point in using it. He knew they were lacking in disinfectants and any real cleaning supplies -- but honestly just getting out all of the cobwebs and dust would be a major step in the right direction.

Of course, for one man this would probably be too much. if he's by himself it's likely he won't even get a hallway done, let alone a whole wing or floor of this place. Still, all the more reason to start now and hopefully someone will happen along to help.

(ooc: Feel free to indicate what "step" you want to be helping with. Be prepared for random animal encounters too)

Comments

Step 2

[zomboligist]

"Not the rat!" he exclaims warily as he chases into the hospital in order to go after one of the ones skittering away, that looks defiantly white and not like the other dirty little infested creatures. He's been searching for this rat ever since it ran away from him when it arrived in the box and it's not like he'd expected to find them in the hospital, but now that he's here and helping in the clean-up, the fact that he's potentially found the escapee artist means he needs it to stay.

"Damn it," he curses, when he doesn't see it. "Now it's probably gone back to some rat-infested hole, learning terrible habits from the other rats."

[oncewasroman]

Rory lowers the broom he'd been using as, get this, a broom. "You want the rat," he asked in bewilderment. He was too slow on the uptake and could only stand and watch as it scurries off into one of the holes in the wall. He was probably responsible for stirring it in the first place and he was trying to get rid of them.

"Why shouldn't it join other rats exactly? I'd actually prefer them all to be out of the hospital."

[zomboligist]

"The white one, yes," Ravi clarifies firmly, searching around as he yanks up a small little box that used to be for discarded junk, but now is going to be the rat's home, if only he could...no, damn it, it's gone. He lets his head fall back in defeat, feeling like he's never going to get the rat back, at least not before it becomes some giant mutated version. That, or it's going to be eaten by something larger than itself. "I got lab rats, here," he explains.

"Except one ran away and I am ninety percent sure that was my rat," he says, aware that he sounds just a little crazy at this exact moment.

[oncewasroman]

"Sorry. I didn't realize I needed to be sorting the rats I was trying to get out of what is supposed to be a hospital," Rory asserts, raising an eyebrow and failing to see how losing a rat could be such a serious problem.

Weren't they supposed to be cleaning after all?

[zomboligist]

"If they let you, you'd have found the most advanced scientific lab rats known to mankind," he says, sighing as he realizes that it's a lost cause again. "Rats have metacognition," he explains to Rory as he starts picking up some of the pine-needly-brooms he'd put together to keep cleaning things. "I've been using mine in a controlled experiment to gauge the effects of our environment, but having another one would be instrumental," he admits, seeing as the only thing he's been able to prove is that constant exposure to the spring water makes one of the rats have glossy fur.

It's hardly worth any scientific prize, unfortunately, but he could make a killing at L'Oreal, if only he could prove it and somehow sneak it out of here whenever they do escape.

[oncewasroman]

Rory forgot sometimes that, as a medical examiner, Ravi was perhaps more in line with a medical researcher than someone who practiced medicine. Still, it was an interesting idea -- experimenting on animals while they themselves were being possibly experimented on.

"I see. Well, how is that progressing so far? Learn anything new?"

[zomboligist]

"If you're after a particularly shiny mane of hair or very healthy and elastic skin, nothing," he says, which isn't nothing, but the effects of a beauty regimen are hardly the sort of world-changing solution he's after. He's trying to figure out the bones of this place, but instead he's been given a how to on grooming and upkeep.

True, for his beard's sake, he's at least a little interested, but it's all personal. "Since I've now used these rats for that test, I need new ones if I want new controls. Hence, the need for rats."

Step 3. January 31st

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana wasn't used to cleaning but after hearing what Rory was doing she wanted to try and help. It took her a full day to find something to carry water in and so she wasn't able to start until the next morning. Rising with the sun, she ran down to the river, pooling the freezing water into the bucket and then carrying it to the hospital. It took time and Moana was careful not to spill any water.

When she arrived she began to wipe down the walls with a spare shirt that she'd been given in her pack. She figured that she could always clean it in the river later. She worked until the water turning murky and black before she pulled the bucket from the building, tossing the water on the snow banks to the side and then going to refill it.

Moana was only able to repeat this process twice before she collapsed from the work but she was able to get a lot done. She was used to working all day and it felt good to do that again.

--earlier in her work

[oncewasroman]

Rory wasn't so involved in the project that he was getting up quite that early. He came in an hour or so after the sun had risen though -- it was difficult to sleep in when you had no curtains -- and was a little surprised to see Moana already in the middle of cleaning. He could tell she was in the middle of it because the wall she was standing near was much cleaner already.

He ran his hand through his already mess hair, "When you offered to help, I didn't think you were going to be here quite this early or I would have gotten here sooner." He opened up his bag and pulled out one of the rags he'd taken from the inn for this purpose. He wasn't going to let Moana do it all by herself after all.

--earlier in her work

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana was happy to have a distraction and she preferred to start at an early hour. It was what she was used too, since very little could be done when the sun set. At best they would gather and talk, eat and at times celebrate.

Her head turned when she heard Rory, her lips tugging into a sheepish grin. "Oh, is that bad? I’m find with working alone." Her smile grew with each new word. "I’d love help. I brought the water from the river. I thought it could help." She was used to dirt floors and clay walls, neither of which needed to be cleaned. At the same time she found cleaning to be an easy task and when the floor was damp enough she’d slide across it in her bare feet. Which had already happened once that morning.

"I don’t have another clothing though." She looked at her shirt which was probably ruined anyway. "I can rip this one…"

[oncewasroman]

Rory gave her a small smile and shook his head, "No, no. It's fine. I was just saying it was a bit surprising is all." He felt bad given that this was supposed to be his "pet project" and all. "Getting water was a smart idea, we're certainly going to need to scrub this place as best as possible if we want to eventually treat sick or injured people in here," he remarked. While they were lacking in disinfectants and the hundreds of other supplies he typically associated with hospitals, they could at least get it clean in that sense.

He held up the rag he'd just pulled from his bag, "Don't worry. I at least came prepared enough for that much."

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana didn't know a lot about chemicals but she knew that washing away whatever was growing on the walls with water was a good first start. Those who got sick on her island rarely got well again but then sickness was also very uncommon. All of this, along with a million other things, was something new.

"I borrowed the bucket but I can leave it here for a few days if you think you'll use it." She was helping today and she might stop by at other times but there was more that Moana wanted to do.

She flashed him a smile. "Great. So what is this place supposed to look like exactly?"

[oncewasroman]

"Considering we only just started -- I would say we are definitely going to need it over the next few days," he remarked. The cleaning and repairing of the hospital was certainly a daunting task, but he was prepared for it. Or at least, he knew they were going to needs this facility sooner rather than later.

He considered her question, at first not quite sure how to answer it. "Well, this is my first time seeing a hospital like this one. Where I'm from they are actually usually bigger. But typically you have beds lined in a row so you can move efficiently from patient to patient and everything is kept clean so as to prevent infection and other problems related to working with bodily fluids."

Step 1: Find the fun and snap the job becomes a game

[thesavior]

Emma didn't know much about medicine, or about healing, but she could heal, albeit slowly and not all the time, thanks to this place, but she was wandering by the hospital and noticed some movement by one of the windows. She stopped and stared a little longer and when she saw it again, she decided to check it out.

It had been a while since she used those skills.

She walked into the hospital cautiously. "Hello?" She called out, hoping that someone friendly would answer. She probably should have thought this out better.

[oncewasroman]

Rory was glad he was exploring during the daytime; but even then the overcast weather and lack of proper lighting made the old, unused hospital a little creepier than it might normally have been. Rory may have worked in a hospital, but even he had to admit that they got pretty creepy at night even when they WERE well kept up and maintained. Take that away and it only went downhill from there. Maybe because so many horror films were set in abandoned hospitals or insane asylums -- which had similar layouts anyway -- that it just stuck with you.

He was down one of the hallways leading off from the main lobby when he heard a voice behind him. If the call hadn't been so friendly he might have jumped. Even so, he was still a little paranoid. Rory was in shadow, but he could see well enough to make out a figure in the lobby area. He called back, "Hello? Please tell me you're not a ghost."

[thesavior]

Emma turned, surprised at the sound of the sudden voice ahead of her. She didn't scream or jump or anything, but she did not like to be surprised by people.

"Me? Nope. As solid as they come," She said shaking her head.

"Where are you?"

[oncewasroman]

Rory relaxed. Probably not the best idea, but honestly he was tired of being paranoid and as long as it wasn't a ghost he was fairly certain he could handle it.

Or in this case, her. As he could tell by the voice he was talking to a woman. He stepped out of the shadows, not quite heading all the way back but at least going for better lighting, "Down this way. I was just about to start checking this place out...see what I could do to start fixing it up."

He paused and then added, "I'm Rory."

[thesavior]

Emma followed the sound of his voice, until she spotted him. She really wished she had a flashlight, she wasn't going lie, but from the shadows he looked harmless enough. Worst case, she could blast him a bit and get out of here.

"Emma," She said. "Nice to meet you. What do you have to fix it up with?" It was a genuine question because Emma certainly wasn't above a little hard work.

[oncewasroman]

"Well...I haven't gotten the supplies yet. I was wanting to take stock and inventory first -- weed out what was even salvagable and the like," he admitted. He looked over his shoulder, "Of course, I perhaps should have had the foresight to bring a torch or something first. But it's not the creepiest place I've been in."

After all, he was fairly certain there were no aliens lurking in the corners (he was mark free) nor were their dolls waiting to grab him and turn him into one himself. That had certainly been an unsettling experience. "A second pair of eyes might help too if you're interested. I need to figure out how big this place is, what equipment we have available, and if there are any creatures we need to clear out."

Step 2

[pretendtoneedme]

That skinny Brit lugging stuff out of the hospital did indeed attract some attention, because anyone doing heavy work even sort out out-of-doors at the ass-end of winter was either insane or really bored. It could go either way, really. Clint was heading out to try and set some more snares for hunting, though he wasn't really counting on catching much - too much of the game was burrowed in for the winter - but seeing someone lug things out of the hospital was enough to make him reverse course and head over to see what was up.

"You gonna throw all this out, or is any of this usable with a little fixing?" he asked, eyeing a few chairs that were already there along with a couple of things he... couldn't identify from just the scraps. They'd probably be good for firewood, at least...

[oncewasroman]

It might be hard to say with Rory, but to be fair with it being so cold it isn't like he's going to overheat and he can stay warm by doing all of this labor. The snowfall was down at least.

Rory grunted as he let the pieces of a broken chair legs drop. He looked up, brushing his hands on his pants as he noticed he wasn't alone. "Hm? Oh...I hadn't really thought about it. Some of it might be salvageable, but I was never much of a handyman," he looked back at some of the pieces he'd taken out, "If you want to look them over and have an idea of how we could reuse them for the hospital it'd be appreciated."

[pretendtoneedme]

"Some of this can probably be fixed," Clint said, idly kicking at one of the chairs missing two legs - it looked like they'd come off cleanly, at least, which meant that if either they or some suitable substitutes could be found, with a couple of nails and a little wood glue it should be as good as new. " Some of it's just scrap, but it could be burned, or at least turned into tinder." Waste not, want not - he'd gotten in the habit of using everything he could at an early age, because there often just weren't a lot of options.

A few moments passed with Clint looking at some of the other things Rory had brought out, and he was overall pleased to see how little of it was actually completely unusable as opposed to just needing a little work. Whoever'd lived here before and founded this village knew how to build things to last. "They probably wouldn't hold up for another fifty years, but it looks like most of this stuff can be repaired. You thinking about trying to open this place up again?"

[oncewasroman]

Rory nodded, "Well the weather is probably cold enough that a bonfire might actually be kind of nice." It wasn't exactly something he'd thought of, though it did remind him of the suggestion he'd made to Sonny about building a big fire to see if they could attract attention. Smoke signals would be an interesting experiment to look into -- though he hadn't seen anything in the air that might see it there was still the option that people could see it from the distance.

He crossed his arms, watching the man inspect the material. The question caught him off guard because he'd gotten himself lost in thought. "Y-yeah. I was a nurse back home and given the number of people here it seems to me that a facility where we can actually properly look after injured or sick would be good. I'm working on cleaning it out right now," he gestured at the pile of things he'd brought out. "Easier to do without all the furniture in there. Not that there's a lot mind you."

[pretendtoneedme]

"Not a bonfire, I meant in the furnaces. This stuff can be broken down to twigs to give people tinder to catch a spark. But yeah, a bonfire could be nice, too." It's be something cheerful to look at, at least. And bonfires used to be big community events, signalling gatherings in many towns. Maybe it could be the same here. And it could definitely pull double duty as a signal fire, too - something to look into.

Clint nodded at the explanation, no indication that a man being a nurse was anything to look down on; he'd been under the care of too many different nurses with S.H.I.E.L.D. to think it weird. And in this place, they needed all the medical acumen they could get. "It's better than nothing. And we do need a place to take care of people who get hurt, even if we don't have the equipment to do it right."

[oncewasroman]

"Oh." That made more sense. Rory felt a little dense, but it wasn't like he was used to situations like this. It seemed like a minor thing at any rate.

Rory was pretty used to most reactions to his profession by now. Nothing really phased him because he knew how useful it could be and no one was going to scoff at it now. "I suppose before now people were doing there best and it doesn't sound like anyone suffered too terrible of injuries. But I'd rather prepare for the worst case scenario than have to scramble later." The lack of supplies was troubling, but people were pretty helpful and making do with what they had at least.

"I've talked with one of the others here who also seems to have medical knowledge. We do have a few supplies, but I'm hoping when it starts to warm up that someone can show me if there are any medicinal plants we could use." Of course, if he was really lucky maybe he'd get one of those boxes people talked about, but he wasn't sure if that would be a good thing or not considering who the source likely was.