fandom_clinic | FTEC, Thursday, September 27

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FTEC, Thursday, September 27 - Day Shift

There were still two or three holes in the clinic schedule, and since Ronan and Katara were working out well, Christian was hoping there was another medically-inclined student among the new arrivals who would be interested in working at the clinic. He'd have to put up another ad.

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The doctor is in.

Karal, looking quite pale, very tentatively made his way into the clinic. He was only there because he'd given his word. "Hello?" he said hesitantly.

Christian looked up from his notes. "Can I help you?" he said, looking the boy over.

"I believe so? My name is Karal Austreben, I'm a student at the school." He folded his arms around himself, trying for a smile. "I promised I would see a," he nearly said Healer, but he knew that was the wrong word for this world, "doctor when I returned to Fandom."

"What seems to be the problem?" Christian asked, standing up to move to the front side of the desk so he could look at Karal more closely.

"My stomach is sore," he said in a quiet voice. "And I have not been sleeping well." Understatements both, but he was uncomfortable complaining. "I am sure it's nothing serious."

"Better take a look at you, just in case," Christian said. "Come with me (http://community.livejournal.com/fandom_clinic/389803.html?thread=9077931#t9077931)."

. . .

Christian escorted Karal into the exam room. "Just hop up there on the table," he said, getting out a blood pressure cuff.

Karal obediently sat on the table, gathering his robes up to do so. He couldn't help staring at the thing in the doctor's hands. "May I ask, what is that?" He was starting to be just a little nervous.

"I put this on your arm and it tells me what your blood pressure is," Christian said, not very surprised that a kid dressed in robes wouldn't know what basic medical equipment was.

He didn't know what blood pressure was, but after a second he decided he was too tired to care. Without another word, he pushed up his sleeve to the shoulder and held out his arm.

Christian checked Karal's blood pressure, then took his pulse and used a stethoscope to check his heart and lungs. "How's your appetite?" he asked. "Have you been under a lot of stress recently?"

He couldn't help a small grimace at the question. "Some, yes. It ties my stomach in knots. And I'm not hungry." He couldn't actually remember the last time he ate. "It makes me ill to eat."

Christian did a few more ~~handwavey~~ tests and nodded to himself. He was surprised that this kind of thing didn't happen more often at this crazy school. "Looks like you've got yourself the beginnings of a peptic ulcer," he said.

Karal, ever obedient and more than compliant when he was ill, slumped back on the table. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what that is," he said wearily. "Will it go away?"

"Your stomach is producing too much acid," Christian explained. "It's causing a sore on the the lining of your stomach. Too much stress can do that to you." He turned and began to rummage through the medication cabinet. "I can give you some Zantac to reduce the stomach acid, and some Ambien to help you sleep. In the meantime, you should avoid alcohol, smoking, caffeine, and spicy foods. It should start to clear up in a few weeks."

Karal didn't know what those were either, but he didn't ask. It was enough to know that they would help. "Thank you for your care," he said, sliding off the table. "I will avoid all those things, you have my word."

Christian gave Karal two bottles, one with the Zantac and one with the sleeping pills. "Take this one twice a day," he said, pointing to the Zantac. "Use the other at night if you are having trouble sleeping. If the pain starts to get worse or you see any signs of bleeding, come straight back here."

He clutched the bottles and nodded, eyes widening a little at the mention of bleeding. He'd heard of bleeding stomachs, and they were very bad things. "I will," he replied earnestly, looking down at the bottles. "Do I need to give you something in exchange for these?"

"The school covers all prescriptions for students," Christian said with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it."

Karal nodded again. "Again, my thanks," he said quietly, and turned towards the door. "And I think my bed might be the best place for me now."

"Yes," Christian nodded. "Get plenty of rest, try to relax. We have a therapist here if you need to talk to anyone about your stress."

"I'm not sure there is anything to be done about it," he said quietly, feeling unusually fatalistic. "But I will remember."

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FTEC, Thursday, September 27 - Day Shift

Front Desk

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