Never Trust a Sick Boy
[Characters as usual. I love Joly.]

Javert laughs. Javvie's walking along the street and suddenly a young man passing by falls down and starts twitching ont he ground... ;)
Joly asks, "Does my tongue look funny to you, Monsieur?"
Joly says, "You see I think I was exposed to cholera yesterday."
Joly coughs.
Javert takes a step back. "Um, why, yes. Your tongue looks awful."
Joly grins from ear to ear and looks very healthy all of a sudden. "Thank you, Monsieur!"
Joly swoons, incongruously.
Joly collapses to the ground. He can talk himself into anything.
Javert blinks, looking down at this sick fellow.
Joly twitches. He manages to gasp out, "Help....monsieur..."
Javert nods, the words calling him out of his contemplation.
Joly says, "Hospital..."
Javert leans down and grasps the young man under the arms, lifting him.
Joly sniffles.
Javert drops Joly in bed.
Joly twitches and coughs again.
Joly reaches out feebly. "Monsieur, don't leave me here alone. My mentor is not on call today..."
Javert looks around desperately for a nurse or someone to come take care of this boy so he can get out of here.
Joly coughs again. "My bag...I dropped it in the street."
Javert looks back at Joly. "Your... bag. Right. What does it look like?"
Joly says, "It's a black (cough) doctor bag (cough hack) Monsieur. It (choke cough) has my name on it (cough cough hack) Joly."
Javert nods, murmurs, "Joly." "Will you be all right until I get back?"
Joly coughs. "I think (cough hack choke cough retch) so.
Javert nods, and departs quickly. Things don't generally last too long when left untended on the streets of Paris, but he can try... it hasn't been long.
Joly wriggles and feels close to death until the door shuts, then sits up and smiles as he watches the Inspector walk away. "It's all ready!" he whispers loudly.
Bahorel sneaks in. "Did you get his badge?"
Joly says, "Did I ever!"
Joly shows Bahorel, then gets up and nearly skips to the door.
The Amis, sweet healthy young men, all of them, look at Joly as he comes back into the lobby.
Bossuet takes the badge from Joly and hugs him. "Now we just have to find you sideburns, and you can be that poor sap when the Revolution comes."
Joly says, "I know."
Joly says, "Let's get out of here before he figures out I left my bag at home and comes back."
Javert steps back up the stairs to the door of the hospital, having been unable to find the mentioned bag.
Joly's cronies dive under the beds. He lies there twitching and hacking up a storm.
Javert pauses in the lobby to speak with the receptionist. He points over to the door to ward 1. "Yes, I just dropped a young man off in there. Very ill, indeed. Someone must look at him right away."
Joly hears the Inspector in the lobby and takes a good look at the window.
Joly tries to open the window and shoo his buddies out.
Javert finally gets a doctor to come over, and he briefly gives a description of the young man's symptoms as they go over to unlock the door and step in.
Joly twitches.
Javert and the doctor enter.
Joly barely glances over and sees Bahorel running down the street. He coughs to cover the receding noise of feet and distract from the open window.
Doctor says, "You must be the young fellow the Inspector brought in?"
Joly coughs again. "Yes Monsieur." Cough choke cough.
Doctor blinks. "Christ."
Joly groans and tries to distort his face so he won't be recognized.
Doctor steps over to Joly, and feels his neck.
Joly writhes.
Doctor hms. "No apparent swelling."
Doctor says, "Open, please?"
Joly says "Ahhhh" but coughs in the middle.
Doctor steps back to avoid being coughed in the face, then peers down Joly's throat.
Joly coughs again and begins having spasms.
Doctor steps back and toward the Inspector, whispering to him, "Looks bad... I can't see anything wrong in the throat or neck, must be in the lungs." He turns to Joly, "Do you smoke?"
Joly says, "No, Monsieur. (cough cough choke) I don't."
Doctor frowns. "You should. I've heard it can do wonders."
Joly says, "I don't like the (cough choke) taste, Monsieur."
Doctor takes a few cigarettes out of his pocket and puts them on the table next to the bed. He then peers over at the open window. "What's that doing like that?"
Doctor rushes over and shuts the window.
Joly takes this opportunity to cough more.
Doctor comes back over, looking distressed at the coughing. "Where do you live? Do you have anything you need taken care of? We're going to keep you here for a few days."
Joly says, "I...I...I feel better."
Doctor says, "Nonsense, boy. You're sicker than hell."
Joly sits up and gives the Doctor his best smile. His cheeks turn brighter as he grins. "Really, I'm fine."
Doctor pushes Joly back down in bed. "Stay still."
Joly rolls off of the bed the other way and does a little dance. "I'm fine!"
Doctor frowns, and some buff looking nurses come and surround Joly. "I think you ought to stay for a while, just in case."
Joly sits down on the floor. "Okay."
Nurses try to coax Joly into bed. Funny, they really look like they could lift him and put him there forcefully.
Joly lets himself be coaxed.
Joly lies down peacefully.
Javert re-appears. Well, he was still here all the time, he had just willed himself not to be noticed. That's enough, you know. "I was unable to locate your bag. I will, however, keep on the watch for it."
Joly coughs. "Thank you, Monsieur."
Javert supposes all is right, here, then. With a brief nod to the doctor, he leaves Joly in his care.
Joly uses his influence as a medical student to escape.

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