(Untitled)

[ridokulous]

Who: Dok and Wesley Crusher
When: Wednesday evening
Where: Ives Rd.
What: House shopping after a particularly distressing realization.
Rating: PG for EXPLOSIONS!
Status: Closed, In-Progress

Comments

[ridokulous]

Julia was just about to unlock the door when they both heard the loud sound. The keys had dropped out of her hand in surprise and they both had jumped.

What in the...?

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the explosion came from a house that was situated just around the corner. They hadn't come that way, so he hadn't taken much notice of the place before, but it was clearly a residence, and there were very few reasons for a residence to make that kind of noise.

It didn't take him long to abandon the idea of a becoming a homeowner in favor of his first response as a doctor. With an explosion that loud, the possibility of someone being hurt seemed very high.

He didn't even take a second look back at Julia as he rushed towards the house.

"Hello?" he called out urgently as he rounded the corner, "Is anyone hu--" he began before stopping dead in his tracks. There was someone laying on a mattress, very haphazardly as though they had been knocked back.

That wasn't what stopped him, though. It took him only a moment to realize that he knew this person.

"Mr. Crusher?!" he exclaimed, making haste to kneel beside him and check him for lacerations to his head or signs of a concussion, "A-Are you alright?! What happened?!"

Well, at least an explosion distantly made sense now.

[shut_up_wesley]

"Whaaaa?" Wes knew better than to try to move--his vision phased in and out of focus as at least part of his head had it the smoothly paved driveway. His shoulder stung viciously and was probably a little flash-burnt, nothing his medical kit couldn't take care of, although why he didn't have his tricorder on him at the exact moment he had no idea.

"Dok?" The swift, gentle hands of a doctor were sweeping him for injuries, and Wesley knew Dr. Peirce couldn't have gotten out there that fast, nor could Adam, if he wasn't out on rounds. "I was...trying to fix a plasma injector coil for a plasma engine...had to...ugh..." He winced, tried to sit up and failed miserably. "had to open the chamber, dirt must have gotten in or something. It exploded." Well, that was obvious enough.

"I...think I'm okay." His vision was starting to return to normal. "Just need a minute." Much to his embarrassment this wasn't the first time Wes had nearly blown himself up or the worst. Dairine would laugh her little red head off when she heard about this one.

[ridokulous]

Dok had been silently taking note of any signs that spoke to a larger problem. He remembered what he was doing beforehand, and Dok's name, so he hadn't suffered any memory loss, and the fact that he was now very obviously awake and coherent meant that he didn't have a concussion.

Dok gave a momentary sigh of relief for at least that.

When Wes began to explain what he was doing, Dok's eyes went from urgency to a soft amusement. "Well, at least you had the forethought to lay out a mattress, huh?" he laughed. His hand rested at Wesley's shoulder as he tried to move, and still rested there as he laid back down.

"Here, at least let me help you onto it so you'll be somewhat comfortable. And let me know if anything starts to hurt or if you're experiencing any confusion or loss of vision, okay?" he spoke, cautiously moving to help the boy fully onto the mattress, but doing so fairly slowly so that he could protest if he didn't feel like moving.

That was about when Julia rounded the corner.

"Is everything okay? Do I need to call an ambulance?" she asked, obviously worried.

"I think he's alright, but I'd like to stay here until he can get back up again if that's okay," he reported.

"Oh, please, by all means take your time! If you're sure that everything is taken care of here, I'll go take inventory of the house for you."

"That would be splendid!" he said gratefully, turning to face her with a smile. "Thank you so much, Julia! You're a life-saver!"

"Said the doctor," she laughed before waving and returning to the house.

He laughed in turn before turning his attention back to Wesley. "Luckily I won't need to do any life-saving today, right?"

[shut_up_wesley]

Wes didn't protest--the mattress was actually rather soft and warm compared to the chillness around him. What snow had been left on the ground had been melted to show the exact radius of the blast.

"Thanks, Dok." It wasn't that Wesley forgot that his side-business was potentially incredibly dangerous, really, it as just that he was used to working alone. "Yeah, I already electrocuted myself once, in the living room. Who ever had the bright idea to construct a house out of wood and super conducting metal wire needs to have their head examined." Months in to living in the 21st Century and his opinion hadn't changed a bit. Slowly, yo show Dok that he was regaining his coordination, Wes moved his arm to touch the older man's hand where it rested on his shoulder. "It's nice to know there's never a shortage of doctors when you need them." He laughed a little--if it was one thing he learned in belaying his mother's worry a sense of humor went a long way.

"You're...house hunting? Sorry I interrupted...I should have set up a particle force field before I opened the plasma chamber, but I don't have the power to generate something like that yet." And having to pay for energy was still a strange concept. This world needed to hurry up with cold fusion. "A real lab would be nice too." He mused, starting to shiver a little in the cold. "I think I can stand...hold on."

Very gingerly Wes got his legs under him in the mattress and started to wobble to his feet.

[ridokulous]

If Dok had looked up at the radius of melted snow, it is likely that he would have been greatly impressed. Unfortunately for that, his attention was only for the "patient" at hand.

Dok laughed when his friend's disdain at the idea of houses being constructed from wood and wire became apparent (well, and maybe a little at the electrocution part). He never thought of it that way, but his logic made a great deal of sense. Especially if housing where he came from was so much different. "You have a point there!" he said, sitting on the side of the mattress after Wesley was completely situated.

Dok smiled when Wes brought up the comment about doctors. After all that he'd been through in the last few days, hearing that he could possibly be needed was something that he greatly appreciated. "Haha... Now it's my turn to thank you," he said appreciatively.

"Not like you can't be replaced," his inner monologue piped up again, "There are probably other doctors around here. Not that you did anything more than walk over here anyway. Besides, if he knew where you came from, do you think he would want to be anywhere near you?"

He winced slightly at the thought, but did so in a way that made it seem like he was just minutely bothered by the cold.

When Wesley apologized, Dok smiled and waved it off. "No no, don't be sorry! Things like this happen. Science is a volitile mistress, after all," he laughed.

The idea that he didn't have a lab still struck Dok as unfortunate. If the doctor did get this house, he would be sure to set one up of his own, if for no other reason than to be a surrogate lab if Wesley ever needed one.

As his companion tried to stand, Dok made sure that he was never out of contact, and prepared to catch him if he should happen to fall. "Careful," he warned gently, "If you still need a minute, please feel free to stay stationary. I'm really in no hurry."

[shut_up_wesley]

'Science is a cruel mistress. You have no idea.' Or maybe Dok did, which was why Wes laughed and smiled, even as he tottered and leaned heavily into the vastly taller man. This wasn't familiar, not at all.

"I've had worse." Wes assured, "I was part of a research project in The Academy that took out two labs worth of equipment. Turns out playing with extremely high electro-magnetic frequencies around sensitive equipment doesn't end well if you don't insulate certain things ahead of time." Granted, it had been the first ever chain reaction processor explosion in Academy history.

"Were you looking at the house just around the corner? Amazing how they fit that thing on such a small lot. But, I could always use a neighbor who wouldn't mind the occasional explosion in the middle of the night...or day." It was nice enough to have Kurt as a neighbor on one side, and the clinic right there as well. (Not that Wes would go there unless he really did hurt himself. This didn't count, he wasn't bleeding.) "Not that I...plan on making a habit of blowing myself up." He blushed a little, his head clear enough to be embarrassed.

"Oh, man..." Wesley finally managed a good look at the interior of the garage, which was in a rather spectacular disarray. "That's going to take forever to clean up. I have..." Wes stepped down off the mattress, grateful to still have Dok to lean on "...Now I'm going to have to tell people their orders will be late. I wanted to get that navigation system sent out today, too." Part of Wesley's problem was that he still had a problem knowing when to slow down, let alone stop.

"I, really, I'll be okay." Not that he looked it or really sounded it just yet.

[ridokulous]

Dok laughed, too, as he supported the younger man. To the contrary of what Wes was feeling, it had been quite a while since Dok had found himself in a similar position. This was probably due to the brainwashing, and this was one occasion that he was grateful for it.

It was really all he could do to keep his attention on observing Wesley from a medical standpoint and checking for signs of obvious soreness when he started talking about his time at the Academy. It always made Dok want to drop everything and ask a million questions, and he still couldn't believe that he had had the good fortune of finding someone from such an exciting time that was as interested as he was in the scientific field.

Clearly, this was going to be a beautiful friendship.

He did snicker at the idea of taking out two labs worth of equipment, though. "I've been there once or twice myself, so I wouldn't feel too badly if I were you! Perhaps not with electro-magnetic frequencies, but there are many things that are rather unforgiving around sensitive equipment," he responded, still checking for outward signs of anything out of the ordinary.

When asked about the house, he nodded. "Yeah. It really is impressive, isn't it? We've been looking all day, but now that I've been...properly welcomed into the neighborhood, I can't see how I could possibly turn it down!" he laughed.

Wes then continued about not blowing himself up, to which Dok laughed a little more, patting him on the shoulder. "I wouldn't mind the noise at all. Just as long as you wouldn't mind me showing up not long after to make sure that you're still in one piece," he only half-joked, "Or at least helping to outfit you with a more forgiving landing pad." Not that this one was very bad! Dok was just overly cautious when it came to protecting others, after all the years he'd spent safeguarding some very fragile individuals.

When his friend began talking like he intended to go back to work, much less attempting to convince him that he was okay, Dok raised an eyebrow. "You're not really telling me that you're planning to go back to work right away, are you? I'm pretty sure that can't be what I'm hearing." he teased before smiling, "I'm afraid I can't let you get back to it until I'm convinced that you're in fit condition, my boy," he said kindly and almost apologetically. He knew better than anyone the desire to return to work as fast as possible, but personal health always came first.

"I might also advise sitting or lying back down to marginalize dizziness, but if you'd like to try to walk around a little, I'd be more than happy to assist you."

[shut_up_wesley]

The problem with being from the future, was that Wesley really was used to walking away from things like this perfectly well minutes after the fact--one hypo-spray to stabilize him, a salve for the burns, and good as new. Perhaps explaining would help.

"I don't get dizzy, usually." Wes said instead, giving Dok the steadiest look he could manage. He also leaned away from him and stand on his own--ears still ringing slightly. "Something about being raised on a spaceship, I guess. But, I mean, if you really want to live there that would be great!" No thought was given to the fact that a much older man living next to two fairly younger boys might be suspicious in any way--to the contrary, he was already starting to calculate how much time he'd save with a lab partner. Maybe the one project he'd had in the back of his mind for quite a while might actually be something he could do now!

"And you're welcome any time--I have class until four most days and half of the week I'm helping Ianto at the cafe, but you can stop by whenever you feel like it." With a pang he realized it would be a little like his mother visiting after his shift on the Enterprise, or really just the idea of having someone to come home too in general was a happy thought...relieved some of the ache he'd had since arriving.

"I can make you an extra key if you want, although I'm not sure how long that'll be useful...I'm trying to rig the doors to open on voice command. Recognition software here isn't what it is in my time. And reprogramming something alien to recognize human phonemes and speech patterns is a little beyond me at this point." The talking, Wesley hoped would prove to Dok in some degree that he really was fine, and could start picking up the pieces any minute. Unfortunately the good doctor didn't seem convinced in the slightest.

"Fine, okay, I'll sit down..." It was hard not to transform the smile on his face to a wry one. He walked slowly to the side of the garage and picked up a lawn chair that had been over turned in the blast, brought it back to where Dok was standing and sank into it like the compliant patient he should have been all along.

[ridokulous]

Dok was sure to have taken the resilience of someone from a different time into consideration, but he was also very aware of the time in which they currently resided. This perhaps made him a little more worried for Wesley than he would have been for a normal patient -- for someone to be so used to walking such things off, he may be more susceptible to over-exertion. The doctor decided that he would keep an eye on him in the future to make sure he didn't push himself too hard.

Noticing the boy trying to walk on his own, he cautiously moved away to accommodate the idea, but remained close enough that he could catch him if he lost his balance.

He found himself happier than he thought he would be to hear Wesley so joyous about possibly being neighbors. The idea of anything being inappropriate completely went over his head, and he reveled in a moment where he actually felt...liked. Not for what he could do to strengthen an army that he didn't believe in, but just for who he was. It was about as alien of a concept as the boy before him, but one that he enjoyed just as much.

"You really think so?" he asked humbly, not wanting to be too much trouble, "I wouldn't want to impose."

Of course, by then, Wesley was already talking about how welcome he was, freely rattling off his schedule and even offering an extra key to his house. For Dok, who had never really known that kind of trust from someone, it was silently kind of a big deal. He still wasn't sure what he had done to deserve such a good friend, but he was very glad to be able to say that he had one.

"I don't know what to say. That's so generous of you!" he said, completely at a loss for words. "Of course you're more than welcome to a spare key of mine when and if I get it. I'll even set up a guest room for you! Not that I'm exactly sure why you'd need one considering you can just walk home, but it will be there just in case!" he rambled, as he tended to do when nervous.

"Of course, if he knew--"

His thoughts were cut off as his friend began talking about a voice command entry system and his eyes lit up. "Ooh, I think I've read something about that. Not in much detail, but I'm sure that between us we could figure something out. I've actually always wanted a door that opened with a retinal scan," he admitted with a laugh. "I don't even know why, but I've always been keen on the idea."

Somewhere, Dok was glad that Wesley had taken his advice and was sitting. "I'm sorry to ask you to take such an abrupt pause in your work, but if it's any consolation, you're proving to be a very good patient, which makes my life much easier!" he complimented with a smile, "Usually it's like pulling teeth to get people to stop what they're doing, and I hate being that guy, you know?" he snickered. "So having you humor me is a very helpful thing!"

[shut_up_wesley]

"Do I really think so?" Wes echoed, his eyes laughing and a little incredulous. "I'm certain, and you wouldn't be imposing at all." Sitting seemed to agree with Wesley marginally better than standing, and the vague, taut shake in his legs faded as he stretched them out. 'Cochrine I miss hypo-spray stabilizers.'

"A spare room would be great, a spare lab would be better. And honestly, Dok, it's nothing...you're one of two people that doesn't look at me funny when I talk about graviton particle beams and deflector shields, how could I not at least offer you something in return?" Something, in this case was (he hoped) an equal mind. The things they could do together! It almost made Wes's head start to spin again.

He chuckled a little at Dok wanting retina-scan security. "It's difficult to trick, that's for sure. I've always been fond of DNA recognition--the more dangerous labs back at the Academy had that, where you could only get into that lab if you were registered for that particular class. Anything else was stopped at the door."

Dok seemed nervous about making him stop his work, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to from his mother. "When your mother is a doctor, it's best to learn early that it pays to be a good patient. And, to be fair, it's not like there's much I can do--"

There was a clack of heels on cement and Julia appeared again, brows still creased in worry. "I hope everything is alright here..." she said, approaching Dok, clipboard in hand. "I checked everything over and it all seems to be in order. Would you like to see it now, or, I could leave the keys with you for the day and you can return them later? My office is just right around the corner, after all."