It's a hospital....

[shut_up_wesley]

Who: Wes, Dok and Hermione
What: A bit of brainstorming
When: Afternoon
Where: The Clinic
Rating: G-PG
Status:  Closed / Incomplete

Comments

[vinewood_wand]

It had been... slightly irregular, as far as afternoons went. She'd mentioned to Harry that she was meeting up with someone after work, and there was no problem with that, only he'd asked her to pick up Teddy and bring him home. Since Teddy was done with his camp around 3, and she said she'd meet Wesley around 5, they'd also gone to the market. She'd learned the secret of shopping with Teddy fairly quickly-- either he had to have a job, or tasks to complete, or else it had to be very, very fun. Today, she'd sent boxes of food soaring down the aisles, and he'd had to catch them by rolling the cart beneath. At least, until the manager had politely asked them to stop.

It was funny, though, how quickly time could get away from her. She'd been surprised when Harry walked through the door, well after 5. And she'd Apparated as fast as she could to the downstairs lobby of the hospital, and inquired after the neurology ward. It hadn't occurred to her how fast she was going until she arrived, breathless, in the door of room 214. "...hi," she said, trying not to gasp for air. "...I hope I didn't keep you waiting!"

[ridokulous]

In a way, Dok was glad that they got those sorts of looks, simply because it did keep Wesley from being as informed about the situation as he would be otherwise.

Upon the mention of a surprise, Dok laughed. "You'd better not," he said in a good-natured way. The idea that he was here at all, much less as frequently as he was, was more than enough of a surprise for the doctor.

"Ooh, fencing?" he asked, interested, "Maybe if they had that in our school instead of just mindless running or group sports that I was horrible at, I'd of enjoyed the class more."

He watched Wesley's awed expression and answered it with a smile. "She sounds amazing!"

The smile didn't falter as he was given control of the laptop, reading over what had been written. "I can definitely see how," he spoke as he typed up something in the blank spot on the page, looking between the screen and the notes for a moment before turning it back around. "Is this more like what you were going for?"

Dok flushed so slightly that it might have been hard to catch were it anyone else. It kind of felt like he was a puppy being groomed, which caused the most adorable pout to form. "Are you sure?" he asked cautiously. It wasn't that he didn't trust Wesley's word, he just really didn't want to embarrass the kid by looking a mess when his friend showed up. Especially considering that he hadn't met any of Wesley's friends yet, he wanted to make as good of an impression as possible.

No sooner had he asked the question than the door opened, revealing a rather breathless brunette. "Hi," he replied sheepishly before waving his hand at her worry of keeping them waiting. "No no, you're totally fine! Please, have a seat and rest a while," he smiled.

[shut_up_wesley]

For a moment Wes was caught between replying to Dok and greeting Hermione--in the end manners won out and he pulled over a chair for her.

"Hey!" He beamed, standing behind the chair as she settled. "I'm glad you could make it--that's Dok, he's the friend I mentioned." It took a moment for him to get comfortable again, situating his chair, the laptop and a ream of notes. "And don't worry about keeping us waiting. You shouldn't have rushed you know, it's not exactly good for someone who's expe--" the word was halfway out of his mouth; "in your condition. Besides, Dok was just helping me with a paper for class." Wes said with an embarrassed sort of shrug. He hadn't meant to nearly blurt out the fact that Hermione was pregnant, it was just a curse of growing up with doctors, he supposed. Pregnancy was as much a condition as everything else.

[vinewood_wand]

"Well, I didn't know how long you would be here," Hermione explained, taking a deep breath, and letting it out slowly. "And I completely lost track of time, so the moment I realized-- I didn't think, I just went."

Hermione smiled back at him as she eased herself into the chair. "It's not a secret, Wes," she said, even as she turned faintly pink. "Pretty soon, it's going to be rather obvious, isn't it?" She turned to Dok. "I'm going to have a baby. Not for twenty-six weeks, though." She was sure he'd probably guessed, but there wasn't a way to mention that without seeming rude. And Wes was right- her OB-GYN would not be pleased to hear she'd been running, but she didn't want to admit it, so she changed the subject as quickly as she could. "What's your paper about?"

[ridokulous]

Condition..?

Coupled with Wesley's cut-off word, Dok was sure that he had put two and two together, but he didn't want to assume too much right away. That is, of course, until Hermione very kindly confirmed it.

Wow, now he felt bad that she had been running!

Realizing that she probably wouldn't want to hear any "doctor's concern", he simply smiled. "That's wonderful! Have you picked out any names yet?"

[vinewood_wand]

"No, not yet," she laughed. "It's been three months and I'm still sort of getting used to the idea. Though Harry said if it's a girl, I should name her after a flower-- mostly because all the women in HIS family were named after flowers." She rolled her eyes a little, then shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't thought about it too much."

She smiled, thinking about it. "I probably should, though. It's nice to be talking about pregnancy as something more than a list of symptoms and discomforts. I mean, rationally I know how this is all supposed to turn out, but some days I feel like I've just developed an inconvenient medical condition that needs constant attention." Quirking her lips ruefully, she looked from Dok to Wesley, and back again. "Is that strange?"

[shut_up_wesley]

Hearing Hermione talk reminded Wesley sharply of when Deanna had found herself preganant board the Enterprise. At fifteen it had been a bit of a surreal experience for him, but despite the bizarre circumstances, he'd found himself wrapped in the same expectation as the rest of the bridge crew. So when Hermione glanced over at him, he smiled kindly and shook his head, dark eyes dancing in the light.

"No, I don't think it's strange at all. It's bound to feel like that every once and a while, really." He shrugged. "But really, it's wonderful, and I don't think I ever properly congradulated you or...Harry?"

Wes stopped. He hadn't thought to put it together, but now that Hermione had said it...

"Harry Potter? The head detective at the police office? I was just in to see him, I had no idea!"

'What in the hell are you doing, blurting stuff like that out?!' Wes bellowed in his mind, a sudden, but brief expression of total mortification flashing across his features.

"Um, anyway, you mentioned you had information on the Babylon Candle?" He licked his bottom lips nervously, shifting in his chair, suddenly not too keen on meeting Dok's eyes.

[vinewood_wand]

Hermione thought she'd been doing well with what had been, for her, a delicate subject. But when Wes put two-and-two together, as she knew he would, she could feel herself go red to the roots of her unruly, bushy hair. Apparently, no amount of time was going to make this easier.

"Yes, I mean Harry Potter," she said, her voice coming out softer than usual. "I live with him, and Teddy. But he's not... He's not the father of this baby." She took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry like a fool, and said, "...the baby's father doesn't even know."

[ridokulous]

Wes had taken the exact words that Dok would have said about how it's bound to feel that way, so he just smiled kindly. "He's right. Such an extensive level of upkeep would make anyone feel like that. Just be sure you do make time to think about it in happier terms -- after all, you're having a baby!" he said happily before laughing a little. "Ah, I'm so happy for you! You'll have to tell us when you pick a name."

Of course, he couldn't linger on that happy thought for very long.

When Wes mentioned the congratulations, Dok nodded and chimed in simply, "Yes, congratulations!"

Soon after that, Wes put two and two together, which would have been harmless enough on it's own, had it not come with a string of words that caused Dok's heart to skip and his breath to catch in his throat.

"I was just in to see him..."

For a moment that felt like hours he sat in silent panic, trying to calm down and reassure himself that it was probably unrelated. Of course, that thought lasted only a matter of erratic heartbeats before he saw the tell-tale look of mortification.

Oh, God...

There was no reason that Wes would give that look if that visit had just been casual, or about something that shouldn't be causing such anxiety.

"You didn't..." he thought to himself; the last traces of forced ignorance dissipating as quickly as moths in a flame. The tension in Wesley's shoulders was all the answer he needed.

In an instant, all the warmth drained from the older man as his gaze found the boy that seemed intent on avoiding him now.

"You what," he stated more than asked in a hushed sort of deadpan, as though he meant primarily for only Wesley to hear, although the volume was such that he was sure that Hermione had picked up on it. It was more exasperated than outright vicious on the surface, but it was likely that Wes knew him well enough to be able to catch the undertone of complete outrage.

It was obvious that Wes didn't intend to say any more, or even look in his direction after that. Something about that struck him as insulting, even though he knew his friend was just nervous.

Thank God they were in the presence of company and forced to uphold their composure.

Once he remembered that, he turned his attention back to Hermione and fought to return his smile, which was a little haggard now, the beeping of the heart monitor now an erratic mess.

This was only exacerbated when confusion set in after she admitted what she did about the baby's father.

Not knowing any of these people did make it a little easier, but not by much. Still, he was genuinely interested in what the girl was saying, and wanted to put forth an honest effort to give the right impression. "I'm...I don't think either of us had any idea," he said kindly, "I'm sorry...is it anything you'd like to talk about..?"

[vinewood_wand]

"Not... really..." Hermione replied faintly, looking back and forth between the pair of them. Something just happened- the heart monitor, an easy thing to fix her attention on as she regained her composure, was her first clue. And when she looked back at them, getting a good look at the older man's pale, fixed expression, and the shamed slump of Wes's shoulders, the rise in tension seemed rather obvious. But she had absolutely no idea what had triggered it. "Did- did I..." She hesitated. "Do you want me to go?"

She did realize that she hadn't yet presented the information she'd come here to share, but she figured she'd give them the option. And she was trying desperately to resist the urge to ask what had happened, to see if there was anything she could do to help, because it really was none of her business.

[shut_up_wesley]

"No, not all. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just assumed like that." Wes told Hermione, both out of a pressing desire not to be alone with Dok at that moment and an earnest interest in the young woman's company.

"...Anyway, you said over the forum it would be easier to think over things with the Babylon Candle if you had a little help." He continued, trying to guide the conversation as naturally as he could without seeming like he was trying for a complete dodge. "If it'll be any help at all, Dok and I are both here to listen, I mean, you're doing this mostly for me anyway." He smiled a little, still nervous, but regaining confidence slowly that the visit wouldn't turn into a complete disaster. "Would you like some pizza? I don't think I ever offered?"

[ridokulous]

Dok had luckily calmed himself enough to be able to listen to his friend without any outward notion to the nagging feeling in the back of his mind, his demeanor fully returning to sincere interest.

"He's right. You're absolutely fine where you are," he assured kindly.

Of course, he could see that she had clearly been unsettled by his reaction, so he couldn't just say nothing. "Please accept my apologies. I think the medicine they're giving me is putting me a little more on edge than usual," he explained calmly, knowing that it was only half truthful.

As Wes volunteered their help, he nodded with a smile. "Yes, definitely! I should be getting out of here fairly soon, so once that happens I'll be much more able to put in a decent effort."

Although, he did have to admit that he was undeniably touched that even during such a stressful situation, the boy still wanted to find information that could get them back to his time.

[vinewood_wand]

"...Pizza?" she echoed softly, still not entirely certain what she'd missed. Or how to fix it, if it were possible. But she assumed, if she wasn't responsible, and she couldn't tell exactly what just happened, that it would probably be best if she simply did as Wes requested, and shared the information she'd gathered with him. "...Pizza. No, thank you." Mustering up a smile, she reached for her bag, and said, "Teddy and I had a late afternoon snack less than an hour ago-- a very classy meal of open-face peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that we cut into shapes with cookie cutters... well." Did they really need to know all that, Hermione? Rolling her eyes at herself-- inwardly-- she pulled a scroll of parchment out of her bag and unrolled it. "Right. Babylon Candle." She glanced up, ruefully. "Now, I've been told I have an unrivaled zeal for research... would you like me to just give you a summary, to start?"