Cw: sick whump, lab whump, experiment whumpee, syncope (fainting)
Whumpee breathed in and out with a lot of effort. In. Out. In. Out. In..... Out. Cracking their eye open, the saw the hazmat suits enter again. 'Ugh. What now?'
The shorter of the two scanned Whumpee with a temperature sensor and gleefully exclaimed "Wow! In three hours after inoculation, Specimen 7.6.G's temperature has soared from average to 104 degrees Fahrenheit!"
The tall one recorded this information and curtly ran through a checklist of symptoms for Whumpee to answer. Barely able to speak, they yes/no'd their way through the seemingly never-ending list.
Fever: yes
Vomiting: no
Nausea: yes
Nasal congestion: yes
Chest congestion: yes
Diarrhea: no
Racing heart: no
Aches and malaise: yes
Headache: yes
Light sensitivity: yes
Sound sensitivity: yes
Sweating: yes
Chills: yes
Loss of senses: no
Limb numbness: no
Sensation of pins and needles: no
Difficulty breathing: yes
Episodes of syncope: no yes
Episodes of syncope was crossed out and corrected when they did a tilt test to see how Whumpee's blood pressure would respond.
"7.6.G I will NOT ask again. Stand UP." The tall one was losing patience. Whumpee couldn't see their face through the mirrored face shield but they knew it likely wasn't a pretty sight. Taking a deep breath, they pulled the blankets back, shivering violently. They managed to stand up, though they were hunched over, holding onto the bed frame.
"Stand up all the way."
Shaking, knees quaking, and wheezing, Whumpee straightened their spine out and immediately collapsed to the floor. Their body couldn't handle it. The tall one corrected the symptom list as a third and fourth person entered wearing hazmats. They lifted Whumpee back into bed as the first two were above lifting and moving specimens.
The tall one and short one debated on whether they put Whumpee on oxygen.
"We need to see how nature takes its course."
"Do we not want to see how long we can sustain someone's last bit of health with the new pathogen?" The shorter of the two asked, concerned for the answer.
"No. That's what specimens 7.6.H and 7.6.I are going to demonstrate. You're not assigned to them, you are assigned to 7.6.G."
Looking back at the sick person curling into themselves on their institute-provided bed, the shorter person in hazmat gear felt a pinch in their soul. Was it.. remorse? They've never felt it on the job before. Taking one last peek, they followed the tall person from the cell to enter notes into the database.
Sweaty and uncomfortable, Whumpee slipped into a fitful sleep.
