IC CONTACT POST

[somesayinfire]

You've reached Brooke Reynolds. I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!

[also acceptable forms of communication: text message, regular non-voice mail phone calls, IMs, smoke signals, whatever]

Comments

[phone; Tuesday 2/25; ~10am]

[healspec]

[So this happened. And Ravi is Not Okay. He's spent the past hour alternating between furious and hysterical. He is literally so upset he's shaking, and the fact that he's two hours late for bed and has work at 7pm today is not helping either. Because he cannot sleep like this, and the longer he stays awake is the less sleep he has to function on for a 12-hour ER shift and it's such a stupid little thing compared to the fight with Alex but every time he looks at the clock and sees how much more fucked his schedule just got only adds to his freaking out.]

[He has no idea what to do. He doesn't know how to handle this. It's all his greatest fears rolled into one, Echoes fucking up his life and being abandoned by someone he cares about and the invasion of his autonomy by someone he trusted. He could call his therapist but he cannot do context right now, but he needs to talk to someone.]

[He's still not quite on solid footing with Kotetsu, and Brooke's the only other person he trusts enough to go to in this state. Normally he's not a huge fan of phones but he just wants to hear a friendly voice and you can't get that over text.]

[so that is why her phone is ringing at 10AM Tuesday morning with Ravi's number on the caller ID.]

[somesayinfire]

[her phone ringing wakes her up, which isn't totally unwelcome since she has stuff to do today, but when she sees who's calling her she has to check to make sure she's actually awake. why is Ravi, of everyone, calling her at this hour? isn't he normally asleep right now anyway?]

[she clears her throat to try to get the sleepiness out of her voice before she picks up.]

Hello? Ravi? What's up?

[healspec]

[there is a very distinctly Not Okay quality to his voice. he's not crying, but he sounds like he might, or like he might slam some doors or flip some tables, or like he might be too overwhelmed to even be talking to anyone right now.]

Alex left.

[that explains most of it, he thinks. why he's calling and why he sounds so upset. the important parts. the rest can come after.]

[somesayinfire]

[it's probably a bad sign that her first thought is "that's one less black market client", even before anything sympathetic flashes through her mind. call it half-awake logic.]

Oh my god. Ravi, I'm so sorry. Do you want me to come over?

[she's in no condition to do that, but they're probably good enough friends at this point where she can just head over wearing scrubs and no makeup and not have to worry about it. and given her upbringing, that's a pretty big deal.]

[healspec]

[deep, shaky breath. he looks up at his apartment. the living room. the kitchen. not much different from here. only slightly emptier. a few things missing from the shelves, Alex's shoes missing from beside the doorway. he could almost pretend it didn't happen.]

[normally he'd say he's fine, she doesn't need to worry herself about it, he'll be okay. but...his best friend just left, and he feels like he's been betrayed. all he wants right now is to not be alone.]

Yes.

[somesayinfire]

I'll be right over. [there's the sound of her rolling around, pulling herself out of bed.]

You're still in the same place, right? Want me to bring you anything?

[McDonald's should still be serving breakfast by the time she gets there. not that that's incredibly healthy, but sometimes you just need bacon and eggs wrapped in syrup-filled pancakes.]

[healspec]

Yes. [to the first question. his response to the second is delayed, as it takes him a moment to realize he even needs to answer it at all.]

[he can't think of anything. there's nothing she can bring that will help this. even bringing herself won't really help, it'll just give him someone to be miserable with.] No, I--it's fine. [IT'S NOT FINE. it's just a habit of his to use that dismissively.]

[if she does bring food, he's probably hungry enough to eat it, though.]

[somesayinfire]

[oh right, maybe bacon wouldn't be the best idea. well, she'll get something for him on the way. maybe something healthy. like a vegetarian breakfast burrito.]

I'll be over in a few minutes, okay? I mean, as soon as I can. [rush hour should be over by now, at least.] I'm bringing food whether you like it or not. I'll see you soon.

[soon enough, at least! she does in fact have food with her when she knocks. it's just a couple breakfast burritos, like she thought she'd end up getting, but they're as vegetarian as she can get them and it should be enough to keep his stomach distracted long enough so she can work on his emotions.]

[healspec]

I--ah. [no sense in arguing with it, really.] Alright.

[when the call ends, he just lowers his phone to his lap and stares at the blank screen for what feels like ages. he's in that strange sort of fog where time no longer seems to flow correctly, and you can space out for minutes and feel like it was only seconds, and vice versa. he doesn't move until Adhi jumps up to headbutt his arm and nose his way into his lap.]

[sorry Adhi, you just snapped him out of it and made him realize he should do something. there is no time for snuggling with cats.]

[first order of business is unlocking the door for Brooke. second order of business is grabbing his ashtray from the balcony and moving it to the coffee table because FUCK YOU ALEX HE CAN SMOKE INSIDE HIS OWN APARTMENT NOW. third is making sure the apartment looks presentable, which is when he finds the envelope full of money that Alex left behind on the island to start paying him back for the expenses Ravi was covering while he was "dead" since December.]

[and wow that is a serious gutpunch.]

[he sits there at the kitchen side of the island and counts it out. shoves it back into the envelope. sits there, staring at it. he doesn't know what to think. he's still trying to figure it out when Brooke arrives.]

[he looks up at the door. doesn't want to move.] Come in.

[he hasn't changed out of his scrubs, and he still smells like a hospital. the whole thing with Alex happened before he had a chance to shower and change, so. obviously it hasn't happened at all yet.]

Text Message; 03/23 - afternoon

[vetala]

Brooke it's Kanti. I got a new phone. I don't want to overstep my boundaries, but is there any way you could get me two body bags?