2007-10-14: I'm Okay, You're Okay

Starring:

Elena_icon.gif Mikhail_icon.gif

Summary: Thanks to the Internet, despite the quarantine, Elena manages to keep in touch with one of her college friends…one with a secret of his own.

Date It Happened: October 14th, 2007

I'm Okay, You're Okay


Bat Country Labs, Brooklyn, New York

The sneeze almost blows her head off, Elena's head rocking back a bit, and forward, sniffling miserably on a piece of Kleenex. Bless Cass and her good soul but she seems to have supplied an endless supply of Kleenex Boxes for the sudden quarantine she found Bat Country Labs in. Part of her feels a little guilty, she can't help but feel at the very least partly responsible for this. She still doesn't understand really….they were cleared by Mount Sinai. If Cass and Peter were right and it happened then, so why…?

Then again now that she thinks about it, the possibilities are endless. The needles could've been contaminated. They might've not known what to look for. From what she remembered of the virus file that Gene managed to retrieve for her so many months ago from the Chief of Pharmacology/Toxicology's files, it wasn't a hantavirus but something else. She groans. All those people in the ER that day…were they all infected?

Her father had been kind enough to retrieve some things for her from her apartment, including her school books and her bookbag. Her e-mail inbox was full to bursting, including one angry e-mail from Latisha ('What do you MEAN you're sick?! Can't you walk it off, the Battle in the Bronx is next Friday!'), to one concerned e-mail from Nadia ('What do you MEAN you're sick?! We have a midterm next week!'), and a bunch of others from her science study groups and her professors who have mostly told her that yes, she could turn in her assignments through e-mail.

Clicking away at her laptop and taking advantage of the Internet access available through her jPhone, she sneezes again.

This is pathetic.

Exeter Hall, New York University Campus, Greenwich Village

The message is simple. Elena is sick. People get sick all of the time, don't they? Of course, that depends on the person. The girl looked healthy to him. Mikhail couldn't put his finger on something like this too easily considering he knew her about a month ago. He saw nothing wrong, and he never asked anything further than 'how are you' as a standard greeting. The rest of the conversation usually steered off the deep end from that point on.

The day is slow, and he had nothing else better to do than go over his sketches. Papers are strewn all over the floor of his dorm room, his bag half-open on top of his messily-made bed. Posters keep the walls from being boring along with all of the extra additions he's been adding on with each passing week. The computer screen glows as the media player shows off its swirly psychedelic goodness in time to the beats, a window broswer open over an artsy-graffiti desktop.

LenaNYU has signed in.

Blue gray eyes fell upon the email he got recently, rereading the words as if there was a cryptic message beneath the surface. He can send back an email, but the cursor goes over to the AIM window to check the buddy list. Ah, she's on. Mikhail clicks on the screen name, typing out a simple "You okay?" before sending.

After a few moments..

Through the Internet

LenaNYU (8:20:38): I hate being sick. How are you?
M1k1MAUS (8:22:30): I'm fine. How bad is it?
LenaNYU (8:23:08): I've got the whole nine yards. I kind of really miss going to school. Thanks for the notes you scanned. I like the robot-fish.
M1k1MAUS (8:23:20): Uh…yeah, you're welcmoe.
M1k1MAUS (8:23:34): I was trying really hard to focus.
LenaNYU (8:25:20): Hahahaha I know you tend to zone out in class.
LenaNYU (8:25:25): I miss hanging out. You okay?
M1k1MAUS (8:25:34): Yeah, srsly. We…
LenaNYU (8:27:31): We?
M1k1MAUS (8:28:10): I…miss you too. And I'm doing okay. Major critique yesterday tore most of the class to shreds.
M1k1MAUS (8:28:15): The prof's a jerk sometimes.
LenaNYU (8:28:30): I…didn't know those critique sessions were that bad…
LenaNYU (8:28:37): Is that why you wigged out that day? I'm sorry…I didn't know your professor was a jerk.
M1k1MAUS (8:29:20): Ah. That day.
LenaNYU (8:30:12): Yeah. I didn't really know what to do. Are you feeling better now?
M1k1MAUS (8:30:34): Yeah. Sorry about that.
LenaNYU (8:32:09): I'm not really mad about that. I was just…you know…
LenaNYU (8:32:15): I got worried.
M1k1MAUS (8:32:28): Ahaha, I see
M1k1MAUS (8:32:34): Actually…that was only part of the reason
LenaNYU (8:34:22): What was the other reason?
LenaNYU (8:34:25): Sorry.
M1k1MAUS (8:34:36): Well…
LenaNYU (8:34:43): You don't have to tell me.
LenaNYU (8:34:45): I don't want to be the nosy friend that gets you all uncomfortable.
M1k1MAUS (8:34:55): …Okay then.
LenaNYU (8:35:03): Just…I'm your friend. If you need to talk or anything…yeah?
M1k1MAUS (8:35:14): …Yeah.
LenaNYU (8:37:21): Cool. :)
M1k1MAUS (8:37:37): Heh.
M1k1MAUS (8:37:42): So…
LenaNYU (8:38:10): Erm…
M1k1MAUS (8:38:16): …Dangit.
LenaNYU (8:38:15): This might sound a little weird but…
LenaNYU (8:38:17): Dangit? What?
M1k1MAUS (8:38:21): Ah? Oh - nothing go on
LenaNYU (8:39:40): I was…this might sound a little weird but after the party at my place, you felt okay, right?
M1k1MAUS (8:40:09): Yeah. Why?
LenaNYU (8:40:13): Just checking….the doctors don't really know what I have.
LenaNYU (8:40:20): No tiredness or anything?
M1k1MAUS (8:40:31): Maybe a little tired, but I think that's from lack of sleep.
LenaNYU (8:42:30): You need to sleep more :(
M1k1MAUS (8:43:11): I drink lots of fluids, so I'm go-you sound like mommy. :( I got a call from her last night.
LenaNYU (8:44:10): Well it's true. You're always half-comatose every time I see you!
M1k1MAUS (8:44:15): That
M1k1MAUS (8:44:20): That is how I roll yo
LenaNYU (8:46:37): LOL. Whateeeeever~
LenaNYU (8:47:02): I'm glad you're ok though.
M1k1MAUS (8:47:20): lol
M1k1MAUS (8:47:39): Hope you get better too.
M1k1MAUS (8:48:02): You well enough to visit?
LenaNYU (8:49:19): Me too. I hate being sick.
LenaNYU (8:49:23): Dunno yet. I have to ask my doctor. :/
LenaNYU (8:49:33): I don't want you to catch what I have.
M1k1MAUS (8:49:43): Aw. All right.
LenaNYU (8:51:33): Once I am I'll let you know though.
LenaNYU (8:51:39): You're sweet to want to.
M1k1MAUS (8:52:10): Okay.
M1k1MAUS (8:52:13): …..
M1k1MAUS (8:52:36): Say nothing of that to the others.
LenaNYU (8:53:08): LOL. I would hate to tarnish your stoic manly exterior.
M1k1MAUS (8:53:23): Yes. Fear my awesome.
LenaNYU (8:55:44): How's everything else?
LenaNYU (8:55:52): Seen the guys lately?
M1k1MAUS (8:56:14): I met up with Ian.
M1k1MAUS (8:56:20): He needed me for tattoo advice.
LenaNYU (8:57:10): Oh god.
LenaNYU (8:57:19): What did you tell him?
M1k1MAUS (8:57:40): Besides nice abs?
LenaNYU (8:58:01): …..
M1k1MAUS (8:58:02): Something simple. And not cliched placement.
M1k1MAUS (8:58:05): What
LenaNYU (8:58:19): Why? Why would you feed his ego
LenaNYU (8:58:22): Like that?
M1k1MAUS (8:58:28): Dude, he was pale.
LenaNYU (8:58:30): WHAT EVIL HAVE YOU WROUGHT?
M1k1MAUS (8:58:35): OKAY WAIT
M1k1MAUS (8:58:59): He had a crazy party idea. I'd watch out if I were you.
LenaNYU (9:00:30): …man I better be well enough to come!
LenaNYU (9:00:42): What sort of party?
M1k1MAUS (9:01:05): Has to do with booze and markers
M1k1MAUS (9:01:30): Yes.
LenaNYU (9:01:32): I…
LenaNYU (9:01:36): What?????
M1k1MAUS (9:01:43): It's true!
M1k1MAUS (9:02:00): He said people can get plastered and then draw all over each other
LenaNYU (9:03:10): …people won't be naked will they?
M1k1MAUS (9:02:14): But he wanted to contact you too. I think I spoiled that for him. Eh
M1k1MAUS (9:02:20): ……..
M1k1MAUS (9:02:30): I hope not. I've seen enough nekkidness.
LenaNYU (9:04:08): LOL I know you told me.
LenaNYU (9:04:13): I called him too since he's my lab partner. I feel so bad.
M1k1MAUS (9:04:22): Lol. Yeah, just catch up.
LenaNYU (9:04:45): God I hope whoever he gets to replace me for a little while doesn't suck.
LenaNYU (9:04:47): We do a good job together.
M1k1MAUS (9:05:07): Without the exploding?
LenaNYU (9:05:11): Yes.
LenaNYU (9:05:19): I already did that once.
LenaNYU (9:05:20): Got kidnapped out of class.
M1k1MAUS (9:05:32): …Noice.
LenaNYU (9:05:39): It was pretty hilarious.
LenaNYU (9:05:44): Well, now.
LenaNYU (9:05:47): I was pretty mortified during it.
M1k1MAUS (9:06:09): Ahah. I see.
M1k1MAUS (9:09:01): …Crap, I forgot I was sorting through things.
LenaNYU (9:10:05): …what happened?
M1k1MAUS (9:10:23): Sketches. I needed to pick out some for other pieces.
LenaNYU (9:10:45): Are they scanned?
M1k1MAUS (9:10:55): Eeeeeesome of them
M1k1MAUS (9:11:23): Sent via email.
LenaNYU (9:12:40): Got it! Let me look.
LenaNYU (9:30:10): Wow.
LenaNYU (9:30:12): These are really good Miki.
M1k1MAUS (9:30:22): Thanks.
LenaNYU (9:32:33): I think I like the last two the best.
M1k1MAUS (9:33:12): Really?
M1k1MAUS (9:33:20): I don't know…
LenaNYU (9:35:40): I don't know much about art.
LenaNYU (9:35:43): But I really like the last two.
M1k1MAUS (9:36:00): Lol, it's cool.
M1k1MAUS (9:36:23): I just gotta make the images bigger now
LenaNYU (9:36:40): When do you need to show these?
M1k1MAUS (9:37:35): One prof says this date, the other prof said something different. It's frustratingly confusing.
LenaNYU (9:38:02): I'm sorry. That really sucks.
M1k1MAUS (9:38:24): np I'll figure it out soon.
M1k1MAUS (9:38:30): And you guyz can come over
LenaNYU (9:39:19): That would be cool.
M1k1MAUS (9:39:40): Yeah.
LenaNYU (9:39:44): No idea when you're showing yet?
M1k1MAUS (9:39:58): No, but there'll be food.
LenaNYU (9:40:02): Yay food!
M1k1MAUS (9:40:19): Hopefully there will be meat.
M1k1MAUS (9:40:22): If not, then I'll protest.
LenaNYU (9:40:24): I told Monica you tend to not wake up unless you've consumed the flesh of something that used to bleed.
LenaNYU (9:40:28): I guess if someone puts it that way it sounds pretty wrong. ;)
M1k1MAUS (9:40:33): O RLY lol
M1k1MAUS (9:40:36): I like it ;)
LenaNYU (9:41:11): I figured. ;)
LenaNYU (9:41:20): Ugh. I should go bathe.
M1k1MAUS (9:42:00): …You do that.
LenaNYU (9:42:07): I'll call you tomorrow.
M1k1MAUS (9:42:14): Aight.
M1k1MAUS (9:42:20): Night for now
LenaNYU (9:43:02): Sure you don't wanna talk about anything?
M1k1MAUS (9:43:23): …
M1k1MAUS (9:43:49): In person. It would be better in person.
LenaNYU (9:43:50): Ok. You're right.
LenaNYU (9:44:08): Sleep well when you do, ok?
M1k1MAUS (9:44:13): Ok
LenaNYU (9:44:22): *hug* Night!
M1k1MAUS (9:44:39): Nightnight

LenaNYU is offline and will receive your IMs when signing back in.

Bat Country Labs, Brooklyn, New York

After signing off, Elena sighs, and coughs into her Kleenex again. Spraying another shot of Vicks 44 in her mouth, she wrinkles her nose at the taste, and stands up. Wrapping her blanket around herself, she coughs again as she moves towards the door. She needs a shower, and she needs a shower bad. She can't help but be curious, and a little worried however…

What did Mikhail want to tell her in person?

Was it bad?

Exeter Hall, New York University Campus, Greenwich Village

The chair tilt back and away from the desk. The small chat window is still left open on his screen. Mikhail leans back after a moment, his eyes lingering on the screen as his right hand fidgets slightly. It then moves from the mouse, falling lightly over the folds of his left sleeve. He glance downward as his fingers trace over his wrist, his mouth forming a thin line from thinking it over.

Should he? Or shouldn't he?

To have people worry about him is the last thing he needed. Everyone says they can help. They can listen. He can't trust that, but he shouldn't keep it to himself.

He clenches his left hand into a fist. "…She'll worry more if I don't," he smirks mirthlessly to himself.

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