Chxrlieds

[chxrlieds-blog]

Psa

Okay, an update as to why I've pretty much gone on a short hiatus. My sister was admitted to the hospital the other night for post-op bleeding, meaning that after she had surgery, she continued to bleed and had to go in for another round of surgery to fix this problem. She's feeling much better, though, and has an appointment today to see if her recovery time will be delayed. SO, I am hoping you will all see me on either tonight, or tomorrow depending on how that goes. Thank you for being patient with me, I'll try to respond to messages first when I return seeing as I've let the pile up...

[the-wanderer-willow-deactivated]

Willow dared to touch her shoulder, smiling sweetly at Charlie to try and ease her nerves. No reason for them to both fall apart right now.

“Whatever the shadows are planning, we can survive it. I mean, that’s what we do as survivors, isn’t it? I don’t understand what kinda limits, what kind of rules you have to stick to, but I know you can’t go against them. I’m not asking you to. But we’re all gonna leave one day. I know we will.”

Even if the scars stuck forever, Willow had still clung to that hope.

“Maybe you have grown stronger. If you have, good for you…I know I haven’t. That’s me.”

[chxrlieds-blog]

     Charlie gave a soft smile. “It seems you might be the last shining beacon we have in this dark, dreary world...I know that I’ve long since given up, Maxwell is on his last leg, and Wilson...well, he’s succeeded once. Perhaps he’ll do so again.” She said, adding a bit of hope onto the end of her sentence.

     “All we can do is survive with the least amount of pain possible. Easier said than done, but what else is there for us?”

[chxrlieds-blog]

     “I need....” She wasn’t quite sure how to voice what she needed. She mused it over for a moment and spoke again. “I would like some company.” She said finally.

     Her stomach churned and she groaned slightly, making a face of discomfort. What was wrong with her? She couldn’t be....no, of course she couldn’t. It would be dumb to even think that. “And some herbal tea, if you have it? If not water is just fine by me.”

[chxrlieds-blog]

I'm terribly sorry for the lack of response from me. The past day or two have been very demanding of me, but I'll try to do my best with the two or so hours of break time I've been granted...

[batter666-deactivated20180822]

[maxwellsdoor-moved]

Maxwell exhaled a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding. Thank goodness Charlie was okay… he didn’t know how he would’ve reacted if she didn’t stir.

The hand stroking her hair moved down to her cheek, the stayed there. Maxwell looked into Charlie’s eyes again, his eyebrows lowered with concern.

“You did,” Maxwell said, his voice quiet and gentle. “It’s okay, now, though. I’ve got you.”

The burning against his hand was concerning him a lot. He had to bring the fever down. He could call a doctor, but who knew how long they would take to get to his house? Especially in this weather… snow poured, blanketing the ground in thick layers. Sub-zero temperatures, if not already here, seemed just around the corner. He didn’t see how the doctor would even be able to leave their house without risking their own safety. Medics in this town didn’t take their jobs that seriously. They wouldn’t be here.

“I will be back in a moment,” he told Charlie before standing up, then heading to the bathroom. He picked up a wash cloth and a bucket, then filled the bucket up with cool water. He returned to Charlie again.

After soaking the cloth in the water, he wrung it and placed it on her forehead. “I know it’s cold,” he said sympathetically. “You have a fever, and I have to bring it down. I’m so, so sorry, Charlie.”

His hand returned to her cheek.

“How are you feeling?” He asked at last. He though back to the brief moment he caught her hunched down, grabbing her stomach and head in pain. “Please… be honest with me.”

[chxrlieds-blog]

     “Oh gosh,” She mumbled. “I’m sorry, Maxy. I didn’t mean to make you worry.” She honestly didn’t know what was wrong with her...She just felt ill suddenly and out of the blue. There wasn’t really a warning to it, just a wave of pain and nausea.

     She watched Maxwell leave the room and wondered briefly where he was going, but she understood once he came back with the bucket. She flinched as the cool cloth came in contact with her skin. It felt terrible, but she trusted Maxwell. More than he, nor she, knew. “It’s not your fault, Maxy. Really. I’m....I’m truly thankful for this.” She tried to offer a charming smile, but she found it too taxing, and instead sank further into the bed, taking comfort in it.

[chxrlieds-blog]

     “Thank you.” She says, smiling slightly. Her head was pounding, and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears, and she wondered briefly if it was from the head injury, or from how close the doctor had suddenly gotten to her. She had to admit, he was handsome. Not really her type, but who knew what laid beneath that grouchy exterior?

     She scolded herself. This was no time be be thinking stuff like that. She had larger, more life-pressing matters to deal with. “Pal?” She laughed a bit at that. “What are you, from the 1920s?”

     Once she was done laughing she nodded at him slightly. “Alright, Doc. If you think it’s what’s best, I’ll believe you.”

[maxwellsdoor-moved]

“Mhm,” Maxwell replied, straightening up and grabbing the otoscope from the stand above the bed.

At her question, Maxwell couldn’t help a chuckle. “Err, no? But my grandparents were, and I was practically raised by them, so perhaps I’ve picked up some of their mannerisms.”

Maxwell bent down again, close to Charlie’s face. He turned the light of the small device on, shining it in her eyes. “Let me know if it hurts too much, okay? I’ll turn the light off if it does.”

[chxrlieds-blog]

     Charlie hummed a response. “It’s kinda cute. You’re like a handsome, old-timey gentleman.” She said, without really thinking about the words before she said them.

     As the small light shined on her eyes, the dull ache that was constantly pulsing behind her eyes sharpened. She the inside of her lip hard, trying to keep still so that the doctor could do his job. Sure, he said tell him if it hurt too much, but she was too prideful to admit that it felt like there were hot coals burning between her ears. So instead she dug her nails into the sheets beneath her and endured it.

[maxwellsdoor-moved]

Maxwell watched helplessly as Charlie collapsed. He lunged forward, but at that time, Charlie was already too far and too close to the floor. He couldn’t catch her before she hit the ground.

Immediately he ran up to her, trying not to hyperventilate and pass out himself. He needed to stay strong, for he feared this illness would take her if he wasn’t there for her.

Without pausing to think things through, Maxwell bent down and picked Charlie up, holding her so that her head was resting against his shoulder, with one arm under her knees, and the other supporting her back. He frowned as he felt the warmth radiating from her. A fever was raging.

Maxwell made his way down the hallway quickly, then entered a room on the far left. The room was simply adorned— there was a closet on the wall containing some clothes and some belongings in boxes. A queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the room against a wall, covered by a puffy plaid blanket, and on either side of it were two night stands with two oil lamps sitting on top.

Maxwell moved the hand that was supporting Charlie’s back to pull back the sheet off slightly. While he was doing this, he made sure that the other arm was supporting her sufficiently enough so that she wouldn’t tumble to the floor again.

Once the sheet was adequately off, Maxwell gently laid Charlie on the bed, then pulled the blankets over her.

Now that that was done, he could allow himself to think things through. Charlie hit he floor pretty hard, and he was terrified. What if she was seriously injured? What if she… never woke up? Maxwell knew he was jumping to conclusions, but he was terrified nonetheless. He didn’t think he had ever seen Charlie sick once, and now here she was, unconscious on his bed…

“Charlie?” Maxwell asked in a low voice, trying with all his might to remain composed. It was getting harder and harder. “Are you awake, Charlie? Can you hear me?”

He gently stroked her hair.

[chxrlieds-blog]

     Charlie was only vague aware that she fell. Luckily she didn’t hit her head when she fell, but she did throw all of her weight onto her arm, and she would most likely feel it later.

     She felt his arms wrap around her, though. And she sunk into him, absorbing his warmth. Maxwell was a bit bony, but he was comfortable. If she had the strength to open her eyes, she’d look up at him.

     She felt him shuffling his arms under her, and before she knew it her, her back was met with the softness of what she assumed to be a bed. She heard vague, muffled noises. But slowly they became clearer. Can you hear me?

     She gently reached up and put a hand over the one stroking her hair gently, and pressed her head against it. It felt warm, and she felt so so, so cold. A fever probably, but she was still in denial. “I hear ya.” She said, her voice a bit hoarse at first, but she cleared her throat and spoke again. “Did I fall?” She asked.

     She felt a bit detached from her surroundings. Most likely because she had denied her illness for so long that it was now to it’s boiling point. And she let this all happen in front of Maxwell...how stupid of her. She probably looked utterly silly.

[chxrlieds-blog]

     Charlie laughed darkly, her eyes closing with the effort. Once done she wiped away an imaginary tear. “As If,” She took one last steadying breath before her feature went flat. “I’d simply tell you what It is I’ve been up to.”

     “I’m The Queen in these parts.” She said softly, yet threateningly. “I do and answer what I please. But, if you truly are curious, I’ll give you a hint. It involves that Scientist...Wilson.”

[chxrlieds-blog]

someone has a crush on you 😉

     Charlie raised a brow. A crush? On her? How silly. How absurd! She was The Queen, and a killer at that....Who would be crazy enough to have a crush on her? “Than you.” She says curtly, not letting an ounce of emotion leak into her tone. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

[chxrlieds-blog]

     “Thank you.” She says, smiling slightly. Her head was pounding, and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears, and she wondered briefly if it was from the head injury, or from how close the doctor had suddenly gotten to her. She had to admit, he was handsome. Not really her type, but who knew what laid beneath that grouchy exterior?

     She scolded herself. This was no time be be thinking stuff like that. She had larger, more life-pressing matters to deal with. “Pal?” She laughed a bit at that. “What are you, from the 1920s?”

     Once she was done laughing she nodded at him slightly. “Alright, Doc. If you think it’s what’s best, I’ll believe you.”

[chxrlieds-blog]

Continued from Here [X] [@maxwellsdoor] ---------------------------------

     Charlie knocked away his hand, her brows knitting together. “I’m fine Maxy, I’m just a bit tired is all.” She stepped back from him, unable to keep the lie going while looking into his stunning grey eyes. “I’m fine. Trust me.”

     But unfortunately, as she took a step back she was suddenly struck with a woozy feeling that knocked her off balance. Her vision darkened as she suddenly felt detached from her limbs. She fell like a rag doll, her body hardly reacting as she came closer and closer to the ground beneath her.

[maxwellsdoor-moved]

Maxwell nodded, jotting this down on a notepad. Though he wouldn’t admit it, this was concerning to him. If he was correct in assuming that there was a correlation between the seizure and the head injury, this could be very bad news. Maxwell guessed a brain bleed, but it was impossible to be one hundred percent sure without a CT scan. And based on Charlie’s condition, she needed one swiftly. “Between hitting your head on the bathtub and now, have you experienced any other symptoms like vomiting, fainting, losing balance, or double vision? Anything at all?” Maxwell repressed the urge to click his pen out of nervousness. The fact that Charlie was young and in otherwise perfect health concerned him as well. A simple bump on the head shouldn’t cause a seizure. But again, he didn’t say a word about this to the patient. It was his job to reassure the patient, not scare her.

[chxrlieds-blog]

     “Oh,” Charlie said, tapping her chin with her finger. “Well, now that you mention it, yes. I’ve had a constant headache since the incident, and I’ve been feeling a bit light headed every so often” Now that she said it out loud, she probably should have suspected something was happening to her. “I just thought that I was having a migraine...”

     She’d have to berate herself for being an idiot later. For now, she had to deal with...whatever she was dealing with. A cracked skull? A dented brain? Who knew. “Probably a bit idiotic of me.”

[chxrlieds-blog]

(maxwellsdoor) [for the three word starter thing if you're still doing it!] ❛ are you sick? ❜

[Of course! All of my starters are good forever!][@maxwellsdoor]--------------------------------------------------------------

     Charlie looked at Maxwell and frowned. Her? Sick? Never.

     Sure, she was feeling a bit cold, and yeah, maybe her stomach felt a little uneasy. But she wasn’t sick. She hated being sick.

     “No. I’m fine.” She lied, straightening up slightly. She had been hunched over, holding both her stomach and head, trying to quell the pain she felt in both. But now she stood at attention, hands by her side and a fake smile on her lips. “Why would yo ask such a silly question?”

[maxwellsdoor-moved]

Maxwell was a little bit taken aback at his patient’s kindness towards him, especially considering the situation Charlie was in. Maxwell could’ve guessed that she was tired, stressed out, and in pain. But still, she seemed to be keeping her composure. That was… admirable.

Maxwell gave Charlie’s hand a firm shake. “A pleasure,” he concurred with a nod. 

Immediately after that brief introduction, Maxwell headed over to the counter in the corner of the room and flipped through Charlie’s medical records one more time. 

“Don’t worry about having a seizure here,” Maxwell said, as if reading Charlie’s mind. This was a concern that many patients had, after all. “Even if it happens, we know how to deal with it. You won’t get hurt again.”

Maxwell picked the records up again and stacked them neatly. 

“Now, that bump on your head there. Did it happen before or after the seizure?” If it was before, then Maxwell thought it would be pretty obvious as to what caused it. But if it was after…

“Either way, I think a CT scan of your brain is in order, I’m afraid.”

[chxrlieds-blog]

     Charlie let out the breathe she didn’t know she was holding. “That’s....That’s a huge relief.” She admitted, allowing the tension to leave her shoulders at last. “I don’t normally trust doctors all that much, but I’ll make an exception for you, Dr. Carter.” She smiled slightly at the doctor.

     Charlie was a brave person, she supposed. But when it came to trusting her life to the hands of strangers...she felt less than brave. Something about not having control over her fate scared her. But the Doctor calmed her, somehow. Maybe it was because he wasn’t treating her like a child like most other doctors did? She may look fragile, but Charlie was a capable woman, so when she was treated like a child she always felt resentment towards the doctor responsible. Anyways, it was silly not to trust Dr. Carter. It wasn’t like she could treat a seizure herself.

     Charlie reached up and gentle touched the bump on her head, and winced. “I’ve actually had it for a while,” She admitted. “Yesterday morning I slipped and fell, and when I did I hit my head against the bathtub in my restroom.” It was just a bump, so Charlie took care of it herself and skipped the trip to the doctor’s. 

     At the mention of a CT scan she bit her lip. Wasn’t that the one where they put dye into your veins? She had received a few of them before for broken bones, but she never enjoyed the feeling that the dye gave her. But she’d endure it as long as she knew she was safe.

[askthedarkqueen-deactivated2019]

this is it. This is don’t starve

[chxrlieds-blog]

@maxwellsdoor

[maxwellsdoor-moved]

Hospital AU starter for @chxrlieds; thank you for liking this starter call!

Maxwell walked swiftly down the hospital hallway, grumbling under his breath quietly. He wanted to make sure that no one heard him, as he wanted to keep his job, but at the same time he couldn’t stifle his irritation. He saw dozens of patients each day. To him, a patient having a seizure for the first time was not something he wanted to deal with. A seizure didn’t phase him. At least, not after he had seen patients so wracked with pain that they couldn’t move, children with brain tumors the size of golf balls, and senile patients with dementia that couldn’t even remember their own children and grandchildren. To him, this was a waste of time. 

The patient in the hospital room, however, made him stop. She looked so… frail. So defeated. The giant wound on her head was probably from slamming the ground when she had the seizure, Maxwell thought. Though she was an average height, she looked so small there in the hospital bed.

Maxwell wouldn’t let his pity or concern show too much, though. He was a doctor. He had to remain professional.

“I’m Dr. Carter,” Maxwell said flatly. “I’m going to be your neurologist. We want to figure out why you had a seizure.”

[chxrlieds-blog]

     Charlie sat nervously on the hospital bed, flinching whenever a too-loud commercial appeared on the rustic TV hung in the corner of the room, or whenever she heard a noise coming from the hallway. Her head hurt, but she refrained from touching it, or even thinking about it too much. It scared her a bit too much, honestly.

     She had never had a seizure before, and she was terrified of triggering another one somehow. The nurse had reassured her, but she still felt the fear welling up inside of her. She didn’t care why she had the seizure, she just cared that she didn’t have another. Her own paranoia made her feel small. Weak. And she didn’t care too much for feeling like either.

     The door to her room opened and the hinges protested with a loud noise that made Charlie shrink slightly and scrunch her nose. When she looked up, she was met with a rather tall doctor. His face was handsome enough, but unwelcoming. He looked like he’d rather be somewhere else, and she could hardly blame him. She felt the same.

     She pulled herself together, and tried to sit up a bit taller in order to not look as wilted as she felt. “Hello Dr. Carter.” She stuck her hand out and offered as sweet a smile as she could manage. What could she say, she was raised with more manners than she knew what to do with. “My name is Charlie Kingsley. Although you probably already knew that...” She trailed off, realizing that the Doctor had most likely read her medical record, and therefore already known her name. “It’s lovely to meet you.”