Cw: gun violence, restraints in a medical setting, mcd
Whumpee 1 and Whumpee 2 had been through nearly everything together up until the rescue. They suffered together, cried together, talked about the first meal they would eat at home together, but in the rescue, something went terribly wrong. A stray bullet caught Whumpee 2 in the wrong place and they went down. They didn't get up. After Whumper was determined to no longer be a threat, the Team was able to focus their attention on the two captives.
Whumpee 2 was comatose by the time the Team had taken down Whumper. Whumper was too great of a threat for them to split up so they weren't able to perform any field medical care until it was too late. Whumpee 1 had to be dragged away, a Team Member at each arm as the other two took turns with CPR. It didn't work. Whumpee 1 shrieked in horror as the two Team Members laid a dirty cell blanket over Whumpee 2.
Whumpee 1 had to be sedated to be calm enough to ride in the ambulance. Through the sedation, they sobbed the entire time. Arriving at the hospital, the emergency room team had quite a fright seeing a loopy, blood-covered Whumpee 1 sobbing hysterically. They knew one was shot and thought it was Whumpee 1. After cleaning them up and discussing with (Team Leader) Caretaker, they were able to see that the blood wasn't their own, and that at worst, they were only severely malnourished and severely bruised with multiple healed bone breaks.
Whumpee 1 was still inconsolable days after and was uncooperative with medical care. Any time they needed a bandage change or to be checked over, it was a fight. They would scream and kick and despite their wiry frame, it took at least three large adults to keep them under some semblance of control.
Finally, the doctor came to Caretaker and said "Listen. I know you don't like it when we sedate Whumpee 1, but they just kicked a nurse in the face. We can't keep doing this. Either you get them to calm down, or we sedate them again and keep them that way until discharge."
Caretaker sighed. "Let me try talking to them, if it doesn't work, you have my consent to do what is necessary."
"Whumpee 1?" Caretaker found them waiting in bed defensively, prepared for the next set of orderlies to come in. "Listen. The doctors and nurses, they're here to help you. You have to let them hel-"
"I don't give a fuck. They need to stay the hell away from me. I can and will kick a bitch again. I'm not playing."
"I'm sure you're not, and I know this is very stress-"
"Actually you don't. You don't know how stressful this is. You always say that but you really have no idea what Whumpee 2 and I went through. How we thought each night was our last. And now they're gone and I'm stuck in a fucking hospital being told what to do and when and being held down every time a nurse needs to take my damn pulse."
"Whumpee 1, you're not exactly making it easy,"
"Do I look like I care? I can't tell. I can barely see with this black eye."
"Look I'm sorry but-" "Sorry doesn't exactly bring Whumpee 2 back does it?"
Caretaker had had enough. "Whumpee 1? Shut your mouth and listen to me right now." Whumpee 1 was not used to being spoken to so harshly by Caretaker. The surprise gave Caretaker their chance. "Look. I'm sorry. Ok? I'm really fucking sorry this happened. About everything. That you got taken, that you were tortured, that your friend was killed during what was supposed to be a rescue. But right now, you need to get your shit together enough to let us help you. There is a doctor outside who is threatening to keep you drugged so heavily until you leave here for good that you won't even be able to say your own name. If that doesn't entice you, then think about Whumpee 2. What would they say if they saw you acting this way? Huh? You don't really believe that they'd be ok with your behavior right now, do you? If not for yourself, pull yourself together and behave for the medical care that Whumpee 2 didn't get to have. I say this out of love and for the fact that you didn't just lose a friend, we all did."
Whumpee 1's mouth dropped open and they had nothing more to say.
Caretaker eyed them over one last time and said quietly: "thank you. I'm sorry it had to come to me saying that. The nurse will be in soon. If you'd like, I'll sit with you while they check you over today.
Whumpee nodded silently.
Caretaker walked into the hall and said to the doctor "you shouldn't be having anymore trouble. Thanks for your patience, they've really been through a lot. Just remember that. If you've had any training in emotional trauma, now would be the time to use it and remember that coming from such a trauma, people like Whumpee 1 may react violently towards any sort of control exerted over them, even if it's meant to help. So announce what you're doing, give them time to consent or talk it over, and move slowly." The doctor started to argue but was cut off "Just because I gave Whumpee 1 my expectations doesn't mean I can't have expectations of staff as well. I'm here to look out for them since they can't look out for themselves. Please be gentle."
