Simon had stopped using his large body to obstruct entrance to the room. Evan watched as he stormed down the hallway, his hand tensely gripping the blunt implement he kept a white-knuckled grip upon. Leon approached in a cautious jog, slowing to move past the larger man without making eye contact.
Esteban's bony face contorted into a worried frown as he watched the angry retreat. "There's going to be trouble later." He intoned with his mild Hispanic accent before turning to the door and using his key.
"Maybe." Evan conceeded as Leon rushed forwards with the emergency medical supply box in his hands. "But we've got more important things to worry about right now."
"Yes, we do." Esteban pushed open the door and waved Leon and Evan inside, following after and locking up once they were through. Robert laid on the bed inside, while Minoko and Evelyn sat on chairs beside it. Casilda leaned against the wall close to the door, waiting.
Removing his backpack, Evan knelt to remove the medical contents he had brought with him. By the time Evan retrieved what he had wanted and approached, Leon was already at work checking on the injury and measuring Robert's temperature with a thermometer. Robert's skin was pale and beaded with moisture visible in the shadowy lighting of the room. His eyes were partly closed, but he breathed normally.
Stepping forwards, Evan addressed Leon. "I brought these with me." He held out the container of aspirin to Leon and offered a bottle of water to Robert. Leon paused his work to accept the aspirin and placed it into the medical supply kit. Robert politely waved away the offer, so Evan placed it on top of a drawer at the side of the bed. "In case you need it."
Stepping back to be out of the way, Evan paused to look around the room. He could feel a nervous energy despite the silence from everyone waiting. Across from the entrance were several windows showing the quickly diminishing daylight outside. Placed under the window immediately across from the door was a cheap wooden desk with a computer and neatly organized books and papers.
From the entrance, the small chamber opened to the left, with the bed against the far wall. On the wall at the right a simplified wooden cross hung in the center. A few modest posters decorated the other walls, giving the place a simple, spartan appearance.
The small dorm room was a little crowded, but it was silent enough that Evan could hear a gust of wind scraping against the windows. With the clear sky, the coming night was probably going to bring a biting chill. Robert's breathing was audible, and heavy on each breath. Leon finished checking on the injury to Robert's hand and replacing the bandaging in silence.
A faint alarm from the thermometer triggered, prompting Leon to check the result. He set it aside and spoke in a reassuring voice. "You are running a bit of a fever, one hundred point five. But I think if you take this, it should bring that down a little." Shaking a couple tablets from the bottle, Leon placed it on the drawer beside the bed and the water bottle.
Robert opened his eyes and inhaled deeply before speaking. "Okay." He sat up, aided gently with Minoko's support. Moving as if his muscles ached, Robert accepted the pill given to him by Minoko and chewed upon it with a bitter scowl.
"Drink plenty of water." Leon added as he replaced the tools of his kit back into its container. "Don't forget that."
Evan frowned, noticing Leon's apparent eagerness to leave now that his task was complete. Not that he could blame the guy- they all had to be thinking the same thing. He wasn't sure how long it took for a bitten victim to become a zombie, but a fever that bad after what couldn't have been more than a few hours was a pretty bad sign.
Leon got up and walked past Evan, glancing at those remaining in the room while advancing to the door. "I'll come back to check up on things in a few hours. If you need anything before then, come to the common room." Esteban graciously unlocked the door as Leon approached.
There was a period of silence after Esteban latched the lock once more. Robert took a few noisy gulps of bottled water in the interval, a morose feeling pervading the atmosphere.
Evan closed his eyes briefly, resisting the urge to sigh. This wasn't going to be easy, but it was the responsible thing to do. He just didn't know how to broach the subject tactfully. "We need a plan to keep everyone as safe as possible."
