6440/A Momentary Lapse of Derangement

A Momentary Lapse of Derangement
Date of Scene:	04 June 2021
Location:	St. Luke's Hospital
Synopsis:	Emma fights off Winston again and puts the fear of God into a hapless nurse. Christian tears her heart into shreds. Allies are found for the obliteration of a bunch of vile humans.
Cast of Characters:	Emma Frost, Christian Frost

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Emma Frost has posed:
It's been a ride. An exhausting one. And it's not showing signs of ending. But it slowed down enough, for a bit, that Emma managed to drop a call in and get one of her assistants to collect things from her home.

She's finally dressed. (By her standards. By the world's ... needs a few more acres of coverage.) She's got bloodied bandages, bloodshot eyes, frazzled hair, and her makeup's wearing off, but she's dressed at least. And she had a comfortable armchair delivered to Christian's private room, so she could sit and sleep while still being alert to his needs.

So, you know, not sleeping much at all given the never-ending parade of doctors and nurses.

So, looking like a cross between Bimbo the Birthday Clown and a Vegas streetwalker, she's there. And she doesn't even care enough to correct the first part in the endless parade of humans passing by.

Christian Frost has posed:
    Christian has been mostly out cold to the average observer, but his mind certainly hasn't been sleeping. DaddyMonster has made an appearance twice since he's been in the ICU. Both times Emma was able to rouse him just enough for him to make the horror go away. ...barely, but it's getting to be more and more difficult each time. There's been a lot of talk from the doctors about brain swelling and potential surgery to relieve pressure, but that seems to slowly be resolving itself without surgical intervention, thank God... or Goddess or... whoever. At least he's been breathing on his own the entire time, so that's always a good sign. The more that swelling resolves, the more it seems he's trying to actually wake up on his own.
    ...and now, for the first time, he tries to speak. He opens his mouth and fails the first time, only managing to make a little grunt of a squeak. Another try and he manages, "Ems?" Of course she's the first person he'd ask for upon waking.

Emma Frost has posed:
Little noises take Emma halfway out of sleep, but not all the way. Not enough to avoid the dreams haunting her. Hearing her name (well, the nickname only he can use and survive) is more like an electric shock jolting her to reality. Her brain isn't even fully functional yet when she's next to Christian--woe betide any nurse who thinks they can get in the way!--and she's ... oh-so-unwillingly not touching him.

"Christian?" she asks. "Are you awake darling? You've got to stop terrifying me."

Caring love and frustrated fear mix in that voice.

"But welcome back. I've been waiting for you."

Christian Frost has posed:
    Christian's brow furrows in confusion. He's there now, awake, but he's not entirely sure where 'there' is. "What happened?"
    No, oh no, those nurses are staying out of the way. Maybe only because they feel like maybe both of the Frost siblings need this? One of them even wanders by only to whisper to Emma, "You can hold his hand, he won't break."

Emma Frost has posed:
That nurse lives.

Or, less dramatically, gets a smile from Emma. One of thanks. Though in her state that could just as much come across as a grimace from a jugalette about to go on a murder spree.

Emma takes up Christian's hand, squeezing it lightly. "You're in the hospital. You overdid something and had a run-in with ... someone. That we both hate. But you're OK now. You've been treated by the best. You'll be fine."

I mean what's she going to say? We don't know if you'll live? If he doesn't, he won't know about the lie, if he does, she was right. It's the obvious thing to say, right?

Emma sighs as her brain does its morbid overtime.

"You've got to stop doing this to yourself, Christian. You got really close this time. You're going to be in hospital for a long time. It's ... it's got to stop."

Christian Frost has posed:
    ... the Kick. Christian remembers now, or at least for now. He might forget when he fades out and wakes back up again. "I'm sorry, Ems..." His voice is that wavering, halting thing that happens when he's trying really hard to not ugly cry. "I should have called you when I ran..." Ran? What? "...but Winston took my phone and then.. I just... after... Blue Mountain, I... couldn't face you." The fuck is Blue Mountain? His heart is starting to race, as evidenced by the frantic beeping of the monitors. Tears tumble down his cheeks unchecked. Christian tears.... Emma's weakness. Someone should bottle those.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma tries to settle Christian down with soothing words and a cool hand across his brow. Just meaningless "I am here" kinds of noises.

"Calm down, Christian. It's safe now. I don't understand. Your phone? We've been texting, like, almost daily. Remember? You teasing me about my outreach?" She sighs in exasperation. "What is Blue Mountain, Christian? Something you saw when taking the Kick?"

Afraid to hug, she squeezes Christian's hand harder. I'm still here. You're still safe.

"Whatever happened, Christian, you're still my brother and I'm always here for you. You know that."

Christian Frost has posed:
    "No..." Normally her presence, her touch, her words would be all it took to soothe him, but not this time. "No, Ems, he took my phone," Christian *insists*. "And they wouldn't let me use one. Blue Mountain Psychiatric." It's getting harder for him to breathe now and some of the nurses are looking concerned. "...for aversion therapy." Those last few words are choked out in a whisper, barely there and then... well, he's just a downright ugly crying sobbing mess, machines are beeping and blipping and being annoying and loud, nurses are rushing over and doctors are likely to follow if he doesn't calm down.
    "I'm sorry Ms. Frost, but we need to give him something to settle him down," one nurse says and then... "...you can't stay here if you're going to upset him like this." Oh. No. She. Did. Not!

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma steps back for the medical staff, deferring at first to the nurse, then..

She said. That.

"You," she says to a different nurse. "Get another of your colleagues in here to assist you. This one will be busy."

That way her unmade face had the hint of deranged jugolette? It's not a hint any longer. There's murder in those ice blue eyes.

"You, come."

That of course to the offending nurse.

The nurse comes. She can't help herself. She really wants to come. She couldn't not come if she was actively fighting it, but that's ridiculous. Why would she actively fight something she so desperately wants to do?

Mental control can be very subtle that way.

Out in the hall, Emma looks for the best place to humiliate the nurse. Ah, right here. Yes. Perfect. She stops and turns to face the nurse, releasing that compulsion of wanting to be there. And as the confused nurse looks around, she starts talking.

"The first part of that was fine, nurse. Very professional. Very suitable."

Emma pauses a moment to let that sit in before exploding like a thousand atom bombs.

"The rest of that was UNFORGIVABLE YOU FUCKING HARPY!"

That spoken loudly enough to let everybody in hearing catch the precise nuance of her vocal inflections. And in public enough a place that there are now a dozen pairs of eyes looking their way.

"IF YOU EVER, EVEN ONCE, TRY A STUNT LIKE THAT AGAIN, I WILL DISMANTLE MY ENTIRE FUCKING BUSINESS EMPIRE TO PAY OFF EVERY FUCKING CERTIFYING AUTHORITY ON THE FUCKING PLANET TO ENSURE THE CLOSEST YOU EVER GET TO A HEALTH-RELATED JOB IS AS A PATIENT IN A FUCKING SUICIDE WARD IN A MENTAL INSTITUTION!"

She lets that sink in, making it literally echo in the nurse's head for a few dozen times. Just to get that message home as she smiles cruelly.

"Now, you are off that case. I don't give a fucking shit which fucking bureaucrat in this fucking festering shitpile of a hospital thinks otherwise, if you set foot in that room ever again, I will ensure you regret that rash act for the rest of your miserable little life. Do whatever fucking paperwork needs to be done to arrange it. Just don't ever get within visual range of that patient ever again."

And with that she storms back to Christian's room, leaving the nurse gaping in her wake.

Christian Frost has posed:
    Well, no one will ever make the mistake of asking her to leave again, that's for certain. Not even other shifts because they'll all hear about this. However, by the time Emma returns, Christian is considerably calmer, but that's only because they've give him that 'something to calm him down'. It's unlikely that he'll be awake much longer. It's also likely that once he falls asleep, after the news he just delivered, his dreams won't be pleasant. He is still awake for the moment though. "I'm sorry, Ems," he murmurs in a voice that's thick and heavy, like suddenly his mouth is filled with cotton. "Maybe it'd be better if I..." She likely knows where he was going with that, but Christian stops himself short of saying it outloud.

Emma Frost has posed:
Ignoring the likely shell-shocked medical staff (she wasn't subtle in her 'critique' of the nurse and much of it likely made its way up the halls, the gist at least, if not every word), Emma returns to Christian's side, looking down on him with that pained expression again, the rage purged temporarily, needing rebuilding and stoking before she can unleash it again.

"Don't finish that, Christian," she says through tears. "Don't ever finish that. Please."

"And don't apologize. You'll never be a burden to me. Never. I'm not Hazel. I'm not Adrienne or Cordelia even. I'm the little girl you protected. It's just my turn."

The glance she darts the way of the remaining staff hints at just how much protection can be brought to bear. As Christian slips into unconsciousness, she makes way for them again, sitting in the chair and watching. Like a watchdog. And about as friendly.

Once they leave and the pair are alone, Emma pulls out her phone and starts. "Nico. I need you to look up all the information you can on Blue Mountain. And not the coffee. This will be related in some way to medicine. Compile and send me the information."

Then, and only then, does she close her eyes. "Only for a minute." Thus it is later when she is awoken by...

Christian Frost has posed:
    ...the sound of Winston's voice whispering in her ear, "He would be better off dead than a faggot."
    Just as her phone pings, likely with the information on Blue Mountain. Nestled in the beautiful Colorado mountains, Blue Mountain has an 85 percent success rate, so they claim. 85 percent of their 'clients' - the ads don't even call the patients - leave free of the 'affliction' homosexuality. But the stuff that Nico finds beneath the surface, the real truth behind the pretty spa-like pictures in the adds will make Emma's blood boil. Full on, no holds barred aversion therapy and her brother just went through at least, three? Four months of it?
    ...but still, there's DaddyMonster to deal with first. "It would be easier on him if you just smother him with his pillow right now," still whispering in her ear. But then, the same monstrous visage as before is beside Christian's bed... lifting a pillow.

Emma Frost has posed:
"This shit again..." Emma mumbles to herself. Then, in a bone-weary voice, "Don't you get tired you misbegotten piece of shit? Daddy, I mean." She stands up, pointing her finger at WinstonCreature with threatening stance. "Get out of here or I'll convince that waste of space you call my mother that she's allergic to Xanax. And while she's withdrawing, I'll give her the photos of you with each of your secretaries. By selling them to the press."

She grabs the pillow.

"Fuck off back to wherever you came from because I'm through with you. If I have to kill you a thousand times, I'll kill you a thousand times."

And then she jostles Christian to get him out of his dream state.

Christian Frost has posed:
    Jostling does the trick, mostly because jostling hurts a little. Christian lets out a soft little groan, shifts a little... and drifts back off again. This time, DaddyMonster doesn't return, but was that the last time? Really, how long can Emma just hang at the hospital making sure her crazy big brother doesn't conjure up a nightmare that winds up killing him... or someone else.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma settles down to read, finding a new way to stay awake and keep watch over her brother: outrage. Page after page flicks past her screen, each bringing with it more and more outrage. Cold fires stoke in her heart.

There will be reckoning. No homo sapiens was going to do these outrages to her homo superior brother and survive to tell the tale. And this is something that Winston will pay for. She swears it.

Blithely ignoring that he's done this for years and nobody has ever stood up to him over it. That inconvenient truth gets papered over.

"Christian," she mourns quietly. "I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me?"

It hasn't registered yet that she'd been communicating with someone not Christian.