5168/Shine: Caroline

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Shine: Caroline
Date of Scene: 13 February 2021
Location: St. Raphael's Hospital, Upstate NY
Synopsis: Caroline Beacon wakes up, and finds out that not only was she nearly killed, her daughter is missing, and she's no longer in Gotham because someone wants her out of the picture -- but there's an Agent of SHIELD who is on the case, Commissioner Gordon himself is involved, and that is an awful lot for a middle school social studies teacher to wake up to after three months.
Cast of Characters: Phoebe Beacon, Achilles




Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    After an utterly chaotic patient transfer, reviewal of charts, toxicity bloodwork, a new round of strong antibiotics, examinations by the best burn doctors and dermetologists in the field with consultations with doctors from around the world, Caroline Beacon -- who two weeks ago was not expected to make it twenty-four hours after being detubed -- is resting, comfortably. The window in the private room looked out over a serene meadow and the Adirondack Mountains in the distance, with a winding river covered with ice and snow. There was a still life in soft greens and pinks on the wall. She had been hooked up to IV's, and her lines re-done.

    Most notably, though, they found that as she was removed from Gotham and then allowed to rest without someone actively poisoning her body, she was healing faster than normal. Even initial skin grafts were taking faster than expected -- and no one really had an explaination for it.

    So, Caroline Beacon was out of the woods and well on the mend, though her skin was still very dry and patchy in places, they had found that her face, at least, was healed well enough to uncover, though her hair was mostly singed away and she was wearing a skullcap to keep it covered and the dressings on.

    She stirred, foggily opening her eyes in the room, with a lost expression on her face.

Achilles has posed:
    And so, while Angelo wasn't able to be on hand 24/7, he -did- ask to be notified if there was -any- change in Caroline's condition. He also kept a paper file folder of the current status of the investigation to find Phoebe. He has found that having hardcopy in hand is best for someone trying to play catchup.
    But when he got the call about her condition, he jumped on the first plane and got there as fast as he could. Given that he has no powers that let him fly, run fast, or teleport or whatever, he is limited to mundane methods of travel.
    So when the car pulled up out front, he strode inside with a purpose. He is not above pulling out the SHIELD badge to get access to Caroline if needed, but he'd rather avoid having to do that... either way, he's hoping he got there before she awoke, or at least right afterwards....

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Considering it at Angelo's funding that put Caroline Beacon in a very exclusive and private clinic, Angelo would be allowed in with no trouble.

    He's met by Dr. Joel Stevens, who has close cropped hair, a closely cut goatee and is the picture of professionalism. The man gives a smile to Angelo as he makes his approach, and gives a nod.

    "Mr. Tampambulos." he states, reaching out for a breif handshake.

    "I know you wanted to be notified if her condition bettered. It seems that she's progressing remarkably fast. We're anticipating her to be awake by this evening. She's nothing if not tough -- I suppose they have to be, being a schoolteacher in Gotham City." he states, and motions Angelo towards the suite. "I'll bring you in."

Achilles has posed:
    "Indeed. Also having raised a daughter in Gotham." replies Angelo as he shakes the Doctor's hand. "I wanted to thank you for the amazing work you and your people have done here. I realize that money can make things happen, but without you and yours... all of the money in the world couldn't help her."
    That said, he turns to follow, "Please though, lead on but first... do you have any coffee? It has been a long night flying here."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Here you are, sir, Doctor." An aide quips, equipping both with thick paper cups of coffee, and she gives Angelos a very curious expression, looking him up and down before she returns to the nurses' station.

    "True as that may be, Mr. Tampambulos, all the money and the best doctors can't help a patient who's given up." Joel states, and he takes out a card, swiping it at a door and making his way towards the suite. "How has the search for her daughter been progressing? I saw a small mention of it on the news."

Achilles has posed:
    "It is still progressing, but we are allocating more and more resources to it. As you know, investigations are not like in the movies. Investigators' breaks usually come from bonehead moves made by those being investigated. We think they have moved her out of Gotham, and... well... it's progressing. I am giving all of the support that I can to the Gotham PD. They are the boots on the ground. The heroes working the front lines. Federal agencies aren't like the movies either. We are there to help and support local law enf... you know, you're not here to get a lecture from me on this." Angelo smiles and gives a nod to the aide as he takes his own coffee and sips it. In the end, it's not the quality of the coffee that is important. It is the -presence- of that coffee in a psychological sense. It has been like that for centuries with Angelo, or whatever name he is currently using. "Is there anything more that I can do or provide for our patient?" he asks Joel.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Trust me, Angelo, when I say that the best thing you could have done /was/ to move her here. Gotham General really does need to have an internal investigation over what *quack* issued her medications. She almost died a very slow death." Joel replies with a slight smile, and he swipes his card again, opening the door to the suite proper and...

    There is a soft croak from a throat overly dry, and a voice that hadn't been used in months:

    "... where am I?"

    Caroline Beacon was watching as the two men enter with wide eyes, full of concern, unsuredness and fear. This sure as hell wasn't Gotham.

Achilles has posed:
    "Oh, you can believe me. Commissioner Gordon is going to insure that Gotham General ends up having a -very- thorough investigation of their personnel. We believe this was not done accidentally. Which is why I moved her here immediately." offers Angelo before he hears the voice. At that, he offers a smile as he steps aside, "Doctor, I believe your patient is awake." he adds as he tries to basically -not- scare her as a primary thing.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Joel looks surprised as not only is Caroline awake, but *lucid*. He pulls a stool out from the wall, and sits at her bedside.

    "Mrs. Beacon. My name is Joel. You're at St. Raphael's Hospital." he explains, "You were transferred here from Gotham General for treatment for your burns. What's the last thing you remember?" he questions, and begins to check her vitals. He's very gentle.

    "I... I remember smoke. Sirens. I saw a man running from the back yard... I... I was going to the -- oh, oh God -- where's Phoebe? Was my daughter hurt? Is she all right?" she questions, sitting up a little straighter until the pain kicks in. She tries to ignore it, and in fact tries to sit up --

    "Mrs. Beacon, take a breath. You still have burns over almost eighty percent of your body. You were very touch-and-go for a long time." Joel states gently.

    "You were taken out of your home by a young superhero. He transferred you to the ambulence, and they took you to Gotham General, where you were sedated and kept in a medical coma."

Achilles has posed:
    Once the Doctor says that, Angelo winces just a bit. He stays quiet until addressed once more, and just does his best to radiate confidence and support. Something he has learned over the years.
    When eyes turn his way he says, "Mrs. Beacon, my name is Angelo. I am assisting the Gotham PD in the search for your daughter. We have learned that she was taken by a cousin who claimed.. and provided documentation to claim that she was her birth mother. We are closing in on them ma'am, and you have my word that I will do everything in my power to see her returned."
    He smiles though and adds, "The fact that you are recovering will go a long way towards helping with that. As we will make sure she knows you are recovering, so that -she- does not give up."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... that... that's ridiculous... Phoebe was... she was abandoned. Birth mother? Any of her family coming out of the woodwork now?" she asks, incredulous, and Caroline leans back on the cushion behind her.

    Joel stands a moment, goes into the bathroom and returns with a cup with a little water in it.

    "... you've apparently never met Phoebe. She's a Beacon, and probably *the* most stubborn of the family, through and through." she states qith quiet confidence and no small amount of pride. "I'm sure she's giving whoever tried to take her Hell."

    Joel stands. "I'll go update the nurses on her condition, and get some ice chips. Tomorrow we can see how you do on soft foods." Joel states quietly, and goes to leave the room, leaving Angelo with Caroline.

Achilles has posed:
    Smiling, Angelo nods as he moves closer to the bed. "Either way, knowing that her 'mother'.." and he emphasizes that to show that he knows this woman is Phoebe's mother in every sense of it. He almost reaches out to her, but doesn't want to aggravate burns. ".. is recovering, can only help her."
    He looks up and nods to the Doctor, "Thank you again Doctor." he adds. Then he looks down to Caroline and says softly, "As I said, we know that this woman is not her birth mother. The belief is that it was put forth to make a media company a lot of money to publish and broadcast stories related to this... miracle discovery of her real family.." He did finger quotes at the term 'real family'. "And before you say anything yes, I know for a -fact- that you -are- her real family."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... I already like you Angelo." Caroline states dourly, and she relaxes, her eyes closing. She takes a deep breath, and slowly lets it go.

    "Which... media group? FOX? MSN? The Gazette?" she questions, trying to find a place that was comfortable to lay.

Achilles has posed:
    Smiling a bit, Angelo shrugs, "My mother was heavily involved in my life before I joined up with the army and shipped out. But to this day, I have very fond memories of her helping me learn how to l ive a good life. Not that I listened until afterwards." he admits with a shrug. "And no, a local forum... Gotham Gate I believe. Their owner is currently under investigation and potential indictment already. But please... your focus needs to be getting better. I will be out there fighting for your daughter." he adds before offering a hand, "My name is Angelo Tampambulos. I am an agent of SHIELD, and I am officially on this case."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I'm a teacher, I can focus on multiple things at once." Caroline replies dryly, and she frowns. "The Gotham Gate? ... that's... odd. They had tried to get permission to interview her for a 'Where are they Now' type thing -- I flat out refused. She's a teenager, I'm the only mother she's known, and she was already the subject of two small circuses in Gotham." she frowns, and she looks up to Angelo.

    "... SHIELD?

Achilles has posed:
    "A federal agency. It is a very long and complicated Acronym. But in essence, somebody wanted it to spell out SHIELD." offers Angelo with a shake of his head. "Sufficed to say, we are a logistic support mechanism for law enforcement. We also deal with metahuman threats. Now, that is not to say that we believe this is a metahuman who took her. I literally just happened to be at the press conference when things went a bit wonky, and offered my assistance to Commissioner Gordon." No, he's not even planning to -ever- tell her that he paid for her to be moved here or whatnot. He did it because it was right, not for glory. He has changed in 3200 years. Man, looking back on the man he used to be, even he thinks he was a dick.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Everyone involved in the Trojan War was a dick. Hector, Paris, the Spartans --

    "I'm... pretty familiar with... so you just happened to be there, and it's not like she's fodder for some one. Oh, oh good. Mother's worst fear in Gotham is always clowns." she frowns a moment, letting a breath out again she turns to Angelo Tampambulos, and gives a small smile. "Well, it seems your mother raised a fine gentleman. I'll have to send my regards."

Achilles has posed:
    Wincing -just- a bit, Angelo remarks, "She is.. not around anymore." he adds. What? She's a sea goddess. He is -not- going to be talking about that. "I still talk to her now and then. In my prayers." he states softly. Again, semantics.
    "But don't worry... we will find her and bring your family back together. But... for now, is there anything that I can do for you?" he asks.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Why not? Phoebe spends time with literal Amazons.

    "I... I just..." Caroline Beacon looks lost a moment more, and she looks out the window at those cold mountains. Her heart was heavy.

    "Phoebe already lost her Dad... she must be feeling so hopeless right now." she turns to Angelo a moment. "If-- /when/ you meet her, tell her I'll be just fine. And I am beside myself and worried sick about her in the meantime, until I can set my eyes on her again."

Achilles has posed:
    Smiling, Angelo leans in and says, "If you recall, I already told you that was going to be a priority of mine. Making sure that she knows you are recovering." He reaches a hand to offer it to shake, "But I swear that I will do so. I will say, you are in an undisclosed location right now. So please do not use the phone to reach out to anyone. I will have an encrypted tablet brought in that you can use to send messages if you need to. We believe that someone was -trying- to insure that you didn't survive, and so you were relocated for your safety. Let -us- find your daughter, and you please stay safe." A pause, and he inclines his head. "I will provide you with a mobile phone to use with one number in it. Mine... and you can call -me- any time you might need."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... relocated for my--" Caroline looks utterly baffled. "Who would -- why... I'm... just a school teacher. Is this someone who's angry at the Embassy for some reason? I know Phoebe goes there and works as a junior... something. It involves a lot of research and a lot of books. She even dropped doing Aikido demos for it, and she loves martial arts." she states, looking concerned a moment, and then she closes her eyes.

    "Well, if SHIELD is involved... itmust be something very serious or very hush-hush." she quietly comments, and she reaches out, with a little pain evident but she's trying not to let it show.

    "Thank you, Agent Tampambulos. I don't think I can express how relieved I am that you and The Commissioner himself are watching out for Phoebe."

Achilles has posed:
    Shaking his head, Angelo says, "I believe they wanted you out of the way, so there was no question of where your daughter should go. So that there was no other guardian for her. That is something we are working on investigating."
    A pause as he inclines his head and nods, "Aikido. I see. That is good and helpful. It means that she has learned discipline, patience, and control. It means that she will not panic as easily as I was worried for."
    He smiles and stands to depart, "Get better. Your responsibility is to get well so that you -can- care for your daughter when we get her back to you. That's an order." he adds with a smirk.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Caroline gives a slight smile, and inclines her head. "I suppose, since I'm in the bed, I might as well use it and get better... I can't wait to tell my students that I'll be all right. I'm sure the school's worried about me." she murmurs quietly, and settles back against the cushion.

    "Thank you again, Agent Tampambulos."