#bedside vigil

[scumashling]

Right now I'm thinking about Caretaker sitting bedside vigil to a Whumpee who's in such excruciating pain, the ragged breath, soaked in sweat, eyes clenched, can barely move or think type of pain. They have no painkillers, so Caretaker offers their hand, their wrist, their upper arm and tells Whumpee "squeeze". Whumpee takes the offer, and Caretaker can feel the slight tremble as Whumpee holds onto them for dear life, desperate to focus on anything else besides the agony. Caretaker wincing as Whumpee squeezes harder and harder, but refusing to pull away or complain. Whumpee feeling guilty the next day when the worst of it is over and they can see the the dark finger-shaped bruises they pressed into Caretaker. Caretaker reassuring them, Caretaker offered after all, and they're just glad Whumpee is doing better. Do you see my vision

[comfortingcatharsis]

Nighttime exacerbating everything- fevers spiking, afflicted characters more fretful and restless, the dark worsening disorientation or delirium, exhaustion gnawing more keenly, the situation seeming worse and more hopeless without the light and clarity of day as characters endure the interminable long, dark watches of the night.

[promptsforyourwhumpfic]

Whump Prompt #1736

 "Don't worry, I'll keep watch." The caretaker says, settling in for the long haul. The whumpee frowns.

"That's my job." They slur from behind the oxygen mask.

"I think you've earned a day off." Smiles the caretaker.

[thingsthatgowhumpinthenight]

Thinking about when a Caretaker reads to a whumpee.

Like not because they're bored or asked to hear a story, like that can be cute, but that's not what I'm talking about.

When Whumpee is barely conscious if at all from fever, meds, injuries, w/e, and it's all so quiet in their room, and they're reading for whumpee, but not in the sense that they hear any more than a few bits of the story, they're reading to fill that smothering silence, to show them how much they care about them through their presence or the content of the words they're not even really hearing. Because someone should be with them in some small way and they shouldn't just be left to their pain and the silent room.

Maybe caretaker doesn't realize how much their presence is company and they see the book as a better companion, maybe they need to try and tell Whumpee that they care about them and another person's voice seems like the only way to do it. Maybe they don't trust themselves not to put their own pain first if they speak so they're reading off the page. Maybe the book is one of Whumpee or caretaker's favorites and the other knows nothing about it, but they can only hope it can bring Whumpee some measure of comfort when there's nothing else they can really do until something in their condition changes better or worse.

A bedside vigil with a paper shield.

[whumpetywhump]

Revamp The Undead Story - Ep. 6

[whumpmyworld]

@whumpgifathon || Day 18: Hospital Needing Oxygen | Coma | Bedside Vigil 911 - Evan 'Buck' Buckley 6x11

[acornsandacorns]

Caretaker held A’s hand back at they were about to shake whumpee awake.

“Let them rest,” Caretaker whispered, not even looking up at A. They just continued to softly gaze at whumpee’s sleeping form, swaddled up in blankets.

A furrowed their eyebrows and shook their head, “but we need whumpee right now—”

“And whumpee needs rest right now. You can wake whumpee up later. But for now? Let them sleep,” Caretaker cut A off, their voice slightly firmer. They then looked up at A with an unreadable expression on their face, “I’m sure you guys can handle a day or two without whumpee.”

A didn’t respond to Caretaker, they just stared down at them with an annoyed expression before letting out a scoff and walking out of the room. Caretaker sighed and looked back down at whumpee’s sleeping form, carefully brushed some hair out of their face.

“Some days I really do wonder how you manage all this…” Caretaker murmured, their expression growing concerned.

One day or another, caretaker is most certainly going to have a…talk with the others about how reliant they are on Whumpee.

[whumpster-dumpster]

Caretaker at the whumpee's bedside, reassuring them that they're still here every time they stir but Whumpee's only half-conscious and thinks it's Whumper saying it