Day 44: Intercom, Dawn
Instead of the incessantly cheery voice of a man or machine, the first sound heard over the morning intercom broadcast was a loud and painful gasp.
"Dr. Landel!" was the next thing, in a much different, much more feminine voice. It might have taken the patients a couple of groggy seconds to realize that, despite the uncharacteristic surprise and worry, it was Head Nurse Lydia's. "My god- are you-?"
"I'm-" came the Head Doctor's voice, hoarser than usual, and filled with a quality that wasn't usually present during his upbeat announcements or nighttime tirades. He took a deep breath.
"I'm fine- he-"
"I know," said Lydia, and her voice seemed to have lost most of its emotionality and gone back to its usual professionalism. "Would you like me to take you to the medical wing, sir?"
"No, no, I'm fine, and... damn thing's still under construction, isn't it?" He laughed weakly. "Contractors are so... unreliable..."
He trailed off, as if realizing that the intercom switch was flipped on. However, instead of rushing to try to cover himself up, he instead sighed and the volume of his voice increased, as if he'd leaned closer to the microphone.
"Hello, everyone. I am... truly sorry for the interruptions to our daily schedules these last couple of days, and I only hope our staff has handled the changes with all the professionalism they should."
He paused.
"Breakfast this morning is french toast. Usual sides, drinks, and fruits. I hope to speak to you again soon."
After a few shaky tries, the intercom clicked off.
[ Any stragglers from the last application cycle who chose to introduce their characters during this dayshift may do so now. Please post your character waking up in a comment in response to this post with their room number as the subject line. Once awake, you may move them to breakfast. Thank you! ]
"Dr. Landel!" was the next thing, in a much different, much more feminine voice. It might have taken the patients a couple of groggy seconds to realize that, despite the uncharacteristic surprise and worry, it was Head Nurse Lydia's. "My god- are you-?"
"I'm-" came the Head Doctor's voice, hoarser than usual, and filled with a quality that wasn't usually present during his upbeat announcements or nighttime tirades. He took a deep breath.
"I'm fine- he-"
"I know," said Lydia, and her voice seemed to have lost most of its emotionality and gone back to its usual professionalism. "Would you like me to take you to the medical wing, sir?"
"No, no, I'm fine, and... damn thing's still under construction, isn't it?" He laughed weakly. "Contractors are so... unreliable..."
He trailed off, as if realizing that the intercom switch was flipped on. However, instead of rushing to try to cover himself up, he instead sighed and the volume of his voice increased, as if he'd leaned closer to the microphone.
"Hello, everyone. I am... truly sorry for the interruptions to our daily schedules these last couple of days, and I only hope our staff has handled the changes with all the professionalism they should."
He paused.
"Breakfast this morning is french toast. Usual sides, drinks, and fruits. I hope to speak to you again soon."
After a few shaky tries, the intercom clicked off.
[ Any stragglers from the last application cycle who chose to introduce their characters during this dayshift may do so now. Please post your character waking up in a comment in response to this post with their room number as the subject line. Once awake, you may move them to breakfast. Thank you! ]