Chapter Text
The waiting area was just as cold and clinical as the outside of the lab was. Sterile white covered the majority of surfaces, only a few plants to be seen. Leon supposed that was probably an effort to break up all the white, but all it did was feel strange. He wasn't even sure how far underground he was-- just that he'd been told to follow someone down and that the elevator ride took multiple minutes. On top of the suffocatingly bright surroundings, it smelled like a hospital, which did nothing to ease his nerves.
Leon reminded himself that he would appreciate having the cash from participating in this trial, and forced himself to stay in his seat. Still, his knee bounced up and down and he fiddled with the hem of his shirt-- the only visible indicators of his growing anxiety. He frowned, glancing up at the receptionist who had yet to acknowledge him beyond telling him to take a seat. She was still typing away at something. It felt like hours he was waiting, but when he checked the time he hadn't even been sitting there for ten minutes. Finally a door opened.
"Mr. Kennedy?"
He found it a little bit strange that he was called by name as there was nobody else aside from the receptionist, but he still stood and offered a weak smile. Leon followed behind her, studying her appearance as best he could from his place. She was a little bit shorter than him, hair long and blonde, most likely in her mid thirties, wearing a long white lab coat and carrying a clipboard.
"I'm doctor Birkin," she said, glancing back at him as she continued leading him down the hall. "I'll be overseeing your treatment here at Umbrella, and I'll be monitoring you throughout."
Leon nodded a little bit, allowing himself to be motioned into a room. It looked like every other exam room he'd ever been inside, but something felt off. He cooperated while she weighed him, measured his height, and took his temperature. So far everything was proceeding the same as a normal checkup. The request to check his vision was a little bit strange, but he didn't mind. He sat on the exam table when she motioned him toward it, drawing in a slow breath in an effort to calm himself.
The doctor took one of his arms, placing a blood pressure cuff on it and squeezing. This was all normal, but he still found it strange to have the doctor doing this. Normally these tasks were deligated to nurses. He supposed a trial might run differently.
"All good," she hummed as she turned away, pulling over a cart with a piece of equipment on it. "Take your shirt and pants off for me, please." Leon gave her a quizzical look, tilting his head just a little bit before removing the requested clothing and placing it neatly to the side. "I'm going to take an EKG," Annette explained, helping him lay back on the table and offering a very small smile. "We need to make sure your heart is nice and healthy first, just so we know this is safe. The pads might feel a little bit cool and sticky, but it shouldn't hurt. Just lie still and remain quiet until the test is complete."
He gave a small nod and tried to relax, laughing a little bit when he jolted at the cold alcohol pad on his skin when she began cleaning where the leads were to be placed. It was uncomfortable being touched so much with so little clothing, but he knew it would make sense for them to want all possible information before giving him any medication. Leon just closed his eyes, trying to ignore the probing touches he was receiving while electrical leads were placed. It was hard not to fidget, even after everything was in place. After about ten minutes passed her hands were back on him, right when he'd started actually relaxing. "How's it look?" He asked, sitting up with a soft chuckle.
"Perfectly healthy," she assured, glancing over the paper fed out of the machine. There wasn't anything unexpected to be found. "I know you already went through some lab testing to be accepted, but I'm going to take another blood sample just so we have something to keep on file."
"Oh- of course." Leon waited patiently, watching as supplies were gathered from the cabinets. It was another strange request, but not much of this experience had been normal. Once again he reminded himself that he needed the money. He allowed her to place the tourniquet on his arm, watching with a mild curiosity as she cleaned his skin and looked for a vein. Blood tests were never fun, and he'd hoped the results he submitted before would be good enough. He winced a little bit when she slid the needle into his skin, watching as she drew multiple vials of blood. Finally she was finished.
Anette glanced back at him, vials in hand. "You can get dressed. I'm going to get the medication now."
He watched the door close, sighing softly as he stood and dressed again. It was hard to imagine how much stranger this could get. Of course he knew going to a medical lab would be different, that the demeanor of the doctors may not be as friendly as he was used to, but something felt wrong. Leon sat back on the exam table, scanning the sterile white room and finding nothing but a few anatomical diagrams on the walls and locked cabinets.
As far as he knew, the drug was to improve natural regenerative abilities in the human body. Anything beyond that and Leon was lost, but he was assured over the phone when he was contacted that it was perfectly safe. He only got more and more nervous with each passing moment.
Leon jolted in surprise when the door opened, offering a small smile and trying not to look too curious about the items being carried in on the tray. He could see a syringe, a needle, and a vial of a dark colored liquid.
"Just try to relax," she reassured, cleaning a spot on his arm after washing her hands and pulling on fresh gloves. Leon winced a little bit at the quiet snap of the nitrile gloves, but kept his eyes on the dark liquid as it was drawn up into the syringe. "Ready?"
He nodded and allowed her to place a tourniquet on his arm and relocate a vein, wincing yet again when the needle pricked his skin. This hurt a lot more than the blood draw. It hurt going in, burning a little bit. The medication was pushed in slowly, only prolonging the sensation. Leon drew in a sharp breath, letting it out slowly and trying his best to hold still. When the needle was finally removed he looked back over, gauze and medical tape being placed over it already. He realized too late that she was talking, already feeling a little bit lightheaded. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Leon asked, a little bit embarrassed that he hadn't been able to pay attention.
Annette gave a small smile and patted his forearm in reassurance before removing the tourniquet, followed by her gloves. He was just thankful she wasn't mad. "We're going to keep you here for about fifteen minutes or so, just to make sure you don't have any reaction," she repeated. "How are you feeling?"
"A little bit dizzy," Leon admitted, watching her take note. "Whatever it was in that syringe hurt going in. Felt almost like... burning." He frowned, giving his head a small shake to clear his thoughts. Something felt wrong, but he wasn't sure what. His eyes shut for a second and he took a slow breath, only giving a small nod when she told him she would be back in a few minutes to check on him. His heart raced in his chest and he felt burning hot. It was almost like he was struggling to breathe. But this didn't feel like any allergic reaction he had before. He kept his eyes shut against the lights that now seemed far too harsh, his head already hurting.
Leon hardly noticed the door open or her rushing back in, feeling too much pain to fight back against anything she was doing. He felt her take his temperature again, before helping him lay back on the exam table. It was embarrassing, but he curled up tight almost immediately, too out of it to care who saw. "Hurts," he huffed, drawing in shaky breaths.
"You're doing great. It'll be over soon." The voice barely registered. Still he forced himself to give a weak nod. He was a little bit startled by her gentle touch when she pushed his hair out of his face, but another surge of pain overtook him before he could dwell on it any longer.
The heat was now gone, but he was well aware that he was sweating. Whatever it was he was injected with, he didn't like it. Leon wished briefly that he could go back in time and tell himself not to do this, that the money wouldn't be worth the pain. That wasn't possible, though, and so he curled up tighter and let out a weak groan. The doctor said something else to him, but it didn't register. His head was pounding and his heart was racing. All he could focus on was how much pain he was in. Leon assumed the words were meant to either soothe or ask how he was feeling, but his grip on reality felt like it was slipping. Before he could even fully comprehend what was happening there was another prick and he lost consciousness.
When Leon came to his mind was cloudy and he'd been moved to a different room, an IV in his arm. What struck him the most was how cold he felt. He looked around, eyes landing on the doctor who'd given him the injection. Her name escaped him, but he supposed that didn't matter now. It would come back to him later, he was sure. "What happened?" He managed to say, voice a lot weaker than he would have liked.
The doctor immediately went to the side of his bed, taking his temperature once more and frowning down at him. The young man wasn't sure that was a good sign. "You had a little bit of reaction, but you're doing just fine," she reassured.
Liar, he thought, but held his tongue. Leon closed his eyes against the bright lights, not caring that she was taking his vitals yet again. Allergic reaction or not, he was starting to regret this decision.
"Was it bad? how long was I out?"
"Just a few hours. Your reaction is normal," she responded, handing him a cup of a thick liquid. "Drink."
Leon frowned, looking at the deep, red liquid. He supposed it didn't matter much now, and so obeyed. It had a taste he could only describe as sharp. Somehow familiar and not entirely unpleasant. He made sure to swallow it all quickly, unsure what her reaction would be if he didn't obey. All he knew was that he wanted to get out of there. "When can I leave? Can I go to work tomorrow?"
Annette just chuckled softly and took the cup back. "I'll give you a note to explain to your boss what happened. You should stay home for at least a few days, focus on rest. If anything happens in the meantime... call me. Please."