Open: Wendy comes to town

[lost_wendy]

Who: Wendy and open
Where: By the bakery
When: Tonight, late at night
What: Wendy comes to town
Status: Open and in progress
Rating: PG

Comments

[shut_up_wesley]

Wes had been considering going to the house warming party to meet the new youngest member of Aternaville--he was earnesly curious and not too tired. But about halfway there he debated how much he really wanted to and turned back, opting to just talk a walk instead. Being surrounded by stars was a comfortable thing for Wesley, who was always something of a night-owl anyway.

Living aboard a star ship and being among the elder children had given Wesley a keen ear for other children in distress--So he knew the sound coming from near the bakery the moment he heard and jogged over, dark brows creased worriedly.

What he saw made his jaw go loose. A girl, filthy and crying and chained. He ran to her, heart pounding...who would do this?

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay." Wesley said, kneeling by her. "You're okay now...hold on." He examined the chains in the dim light of the alley--had someone kept her prisoner? How had she escaped. "Alright, I'm going to get you out of these, can you walk?" Her legs didn't look hurt, but it was difficult to tell.

[lost_wendy]

Wendy heard someone coming, but she didn't look up. It might be a doctor coming, and she didn't want to see if she was back in the asylum.

It wasn't a doctor, though, and Wendy looked up to see a boy about her age. Oh, no, not a boy; that was how it had begun last time. Still, he was offering to help her.

"What's happening?" Wendy whispered, bewildered. Kindness left her confused; it was so rare. Perhaps Peter... "Did he send you?"

[shut_up_wesley]

"You're in a alley, you don't remember what happened?" Wesley inquired softly, "And no one sent me...but it's okay. Can you tell me your name? I'm Wesley...who...did this to you?" The chains would be too much to remove here, but maybe he could cut them? Either way he needed to get her out of the alley and somewhere safe.

"Hold on..." Wes said again, pulling at one of the chains to move it. "We're going somewhere safe." He managed to get both arms under her and lift a little, but the chains made it impossibly awkward. Even if he could walk with her like that, he wouldn't get far. With a harsh curse Wes set her down again gently. "Alright, hang on, I'll be right back."

Wes had been taught something very early in life, and that was the doctors were people you could always go to, for just about anything, and that when you weren't sure of something--talk to a doctor. So Wesley darted off to the nearest pay-phone, across the street, rummaged for change, and pounded the keypad to reach the hospital.

[bfpierce]

Hawk picked up the phone on his desk all the way over in the clinic, "Aternaville clinic, Dr. Pierce talking, WHAT."

[shut_up_wesley]

"Dr. Pierce, it's Wesley...I'm near the bakery, and I've just found a girl hurt. Or at least really out of it. She's not bleeding that I can tell but she's in chains and I can't move her." He was as calm as he could manage. "Or at least I don't want to try without anyone else here." Growing up around medicine, Wes had certain things emblazoned on his heart, one of which being you do no carelessly move an injured party. "Just try to get here quick."

[bfpierce]

"Chains! What were you doing last night future boy?" Hawk couldn't resist making a crack at the kids expense.

"I'll be there in a few. Try to keep her calm."

He grabbed his med bag and was out the door in seconds.

[shut_up_wesley]

Wes rolled his eyes on the other end of the phone. "Sleeping. And thanks." Really, was there nothing the man couldn't make light of? These were the times he missed his mother's particular brand of gentle professionalism. Hanging up the phone, Wes made his way back across the street.

[lost_wendy]

Wendy looked at Wesley with wide, frightened eyes. He saw the town too; that was something, unless she was hallucinating him.

"I was in the...the asylum," she whispered, trembling unstoppably. "Is this a trick? I'm not mad, I swear to you..." She choked back a sob. "I'm Wendy. They said...they don't believe me..."

"Safe," Wendy whispered, feeling a slight surge of hope. "Oh, please, yes." She felt a surge of panic as Wesley left, but she could still see him in that strange clear box. She sat there, unable to keep from trembling.

[shut_up_wesley]

Wes jogged back over to wait for Dr. Pierce with Wendy, who, in the flickering light of the alley looked small and frightened. He knelt by her again, holding out a hand to her.

"It's going to be okay, the doctor is on his way...and he will believe you, trust me." To work this town, Wes was pretty sure Dr. Pierce had seen it all. "How old are you, Wendy?" He asked, trying to distract her a little.

[lost_wendy]

Wendy was just reaching out to Wesley when he said that word. Doctor.

"He won't," she said, her words tripping over each other. "He won't, they don't, they never believe me, they lock me up and try to catch me lying..." She tried to catch her breath. "S-sixteen." She was small for her age but that wasn't her fault.

[shut_up_wesley]

"He will." Wesley insisted, taking her hand before she could completely pull it away. "The people who did this to you weren't doctors. They weren't even human." There was a trace of anger in his voice--he was familiar with the grim history of earth medicine, and whenever Wendy was from, she obviously had caught the brunt of it. "I'll be with you the whole time."

"Hmm, I just turned seventeen in April. What about your family, where are you from?" She had something of an accent but she was talking so fast it was hard to tell what kind.

[lost_wendy]

The human contact was shocking, stunning to Wendy, who hadn't been touched kindly in the past three years. She could hear the anger in his voice but wasn't afraid of him; she knew it wasn't aimed at her. His claim about the doctors' humanity was interesting though. "Not human? Fairies? Mermaids?" She giggled helplessly, with just a hint of hysteria.

His offer to stay comforted her, and she tried very hard to have a normal conversation with the boy who no doubt regretted helping the mad girl. "My family is...from London. I'm English. And...you?"

[shut_up_wesley]

Taking the hysteria and odd questions as a reaction to whatever trauma she had suffered, Wes didn't look at her strangely at all. It was most likely all tied in to some barbaric 'medical' practice.

"American." It had been his default answer on job applications because of how he spoke, and although she'd been born on Luna his mother was part of the American Federation. "I'm from the west coast." Again, not really true but San Fransico was his best Earth reference point. "What year were you born?" At the very least the questions were doing their job.

[lost_wendy]

Who was this strange boy who didn't even seem to find her unusual? Did he know why she was here? Perhaps he'd arranged it.

She nodded. "I've never seen America." She did blink at his question, but maybe he was asking to make sure she knew. "1893, of course. I did say I was sixteen." This was said with a hint of gentle good humor, to tease him rather than to correct him. "I'm sorry. Did you tell me your name?" Please, not Peter.

[bfpierce]

Hawkeye pulled up in the station wagon he'd managed to get the city to pay for. It just made sense. Someday, he might even get a driver to go along with it.

He hauled out the medical bag and jumped out of the car, "Future boy? Where are you?" He started to head in the

He really had to remember the kids name, it kept slipping his mind.

[shut_up_wesley]

At the sound of squeaking breaks, Wesley stood up, smiling gently at Wendy. "Hang on a minute." he said and then came to the mouth of the alley, heaving a breath of relief at the sight of Dr. Pierce.

"Over here, doctor!" He said, waving him over. As soon as he was in range where Wes didn't have to shout, Wes repeats everything Wendy had told him. "She's sixteen, born in 1893, seems to have short term memory problems, named Wendy. I just...found her here." He repeated, having no better explanation than the truth. "Wendy, this is doctor Pierce, you can trust him."