Kingdom Hospital. Anubis. 018: Black
Title: Safety in Darkness
Fandom: Kingdom Hospital
Characters: Anubis, Zoe, James Hook
Prompt: Black
Word Count: 642
Rating: G
Genre: General
Summary: Zoe's favourite colour is black. No, she's not a little goth girl - it's the colour she associates with Anubis, and therefore with safety.
A/N: From James Hook's perspective. It wandered a bit from the original plan, but I think I like this one better. Third fic in Anubis' Family.
The first time she cried during the night, I was terrified.
I finally understood exactly how the men taking their children to the ER at three in the morning felt. It was as if Zoe held my heart in her little hands, and every time she cried, she squeezed. Even though I knew that she was just hungry, or that her diaper needed changing, it still felt as though someone was ripping my insides out.
After my first night of dad-duty, I was a wreck. Anubis visited me while I was in the cafeteria, and I'm sure he was laughing at me, only he wouldn't do so in front of me. He sat on the table, feet on the seat next to me, as I sat with my head in my hands.
"I can't help it. When she cries, I just want to protect her. To drive away all the bad things in the world to keep her safe." I greatfully accepted the coffee Anubis pushed towards me, not caring that it burnt my throat. "Lying awake and listening to her cry is worse than being up all night operating."
"That's because when you're operating, it's not your daughter on the table," Anubis gently stated.
I nodded. There were some surgeons who could operate on their family members. I wasn't one of them. I couldn't stand the thought of it being Chris or little Zoe on the operating table, and pushed the thoughts from my mind.
"Thing is, when I checked on her I couldn't find anything wrong. She refused the bottle, her diaper was clean, I couldn't feel anything when I tested her for colic..." I trailed off,
staring at my coffee. "I think she just wanted someone to be there for her. I tried, but I can't stay with her all night. She'll never learn to be alone at night if I give in every time."
Anubis grunted. "James, we all know she'll have you wrapped around her little finger in no time. Don't fight it - you're her slave now." He quirked one of his strange smiles at me, and I knew it was true. I couldn't refuse her anything, and I knew that would never change.
"But still... I can't bear to hear her cry, but she has to learn to be alone at night..."
Anubis held up his hand. "Leave it to me."
That night, I didn't hear her cry at all. I got up at the right time to feed her, and found her sleeping peacefully, hand through the bars of the crib, tangled in the fur of...
"Anubis," I sighed, "I don't think that's going to fix the problem."
Anubis lifted his head and looked at me, then lay down again, apparently ignoring me. I shrugged and picked Zoe up, fed her, then put her back. She was asleep again within minutes of patting Anubis' furry form.
It was the same the next night.
And the next.
Eventually, we all grew used to it. It became routine, even. After we'd put Zoe down, we'd turn off the light, leave the room, and then Anubis would enter and curl up next to her crib. It continued until Zoe was three, and sleeping in her own bed. Then he'd often curl up at the end of her bed, but some nights he wouldn't come. Zoe grew used to his absenses, and by the time she was five, she was sleeping alone most nights.
When she could tell different colours apart, her favourite was black. She said it was the colour Antubis always wore. It was also the colour of night, of darkness. I asked her once if she was afraid of the dark, and she said, in that clear childish voice, "Why would I be afraid? Antubis comes in the dark. He keeps me safe."
http://fel-kchan.livejournal.com/878.html
Fandom: Kingdom Hospital
Characters: Anubis, Zoe, James Hook
Prompt: Black
Word Count: 642
Rating: G
Genre: General
Summary: Zoe's favourite colour is black. No, she's not a little goth girl - it's the colour she associates with Anubis, and therefore with safety.
A/N: From James Hook's perspective. It wandered a bit from the original plan, but I think I like this one better. Third fic in Anubis' Family.
The first time she cried during the night, I was terrified.
I finally understood exactly how the men taking their children to the ER at three in the morning felt. It was as if Zoe held my heart in her little hands, and every time she cried, she squeezed. Even though I knew that she was just hungry, or that her diaper needed changing, it still felt as though someone was ripping my insides out.
After my first night of dad-duty, I was a wreck. Anubis visited me while I was in the cafeteria, and I'm sure he was laughing at me, only he wouldn't do so in front of me. He sat on the table, feet on the seat next to me, as I sat with my head in my hands.
"I can't help it. When she cries, I just want to protect her. To drive away all the bad things in the world to keep her safe." I greatfully accepted the coffee Anubis pushed towards me, not caring that it burnt my throat. "Lying awake and listening to her cry is worse than being up all night operating."
"That's because when you're operating, it's not your daughter on the table," Anubis gently stated.
I nodded. There were some surgeons who could operate on their family members. I wasn't one of them. I couldn't stand the thought of it being Chris or little Zoe on the operating table, and pushed the thoughts from my mind.
"Thing is, when I checked on her I couldn't find anything wrong. She refused the bottle, her diaper was clean, I couldn't feel anything when I tested her for colic..." I trailed off,
staring at my coffee. "I think she just wanted someone to be there for her. I tried, but I can't stay with her all night. She'll never learn to be alone at night if I give in every time."
Anubis grunted. "James, we all know she'll have you wrapped around her little finger in no time. Don't fight it - you're her slave now." He quirked one of his strange smiles at me, and I knew it was true. I couldn't refuse her anything, and I knew that would never change.
"But still... I can't bear to hear her cry, but she has to learn to be alone at night..."
Anubis held up his hand. "Leave it to me."
That night, I didn't hear her cry at all. I got up at the right time to feed her, and found her sleeping peacefully, hand through the bars of the crib, tangled in the fur of...
"Anubis," I sighed, "I don't think that's going to fix the problem."
Anubis lifted his head and looked at me, then lay down again, apparently ignoring me. I shrugged and picked Zoe up, fed her, then put her back. She was asleep again within minutes of patting Anubis' furry form.
It was the same the next night.
And the next.
Eventually, we all grew used to it. It became routine, even. After we'd put Zoe down, we'd turn off the light, leave the room, and then Anubis would enter and curl up next to her crib. It continued until Zoe was three, and sleeping in her own bed. Then he'd often curl up at the end of her bed, but some nights he wouldn't come. Zoe grew used to his absenses, and by the time she was five, she was sleeping alone most nights.
When she could tell different colours apart, her favourite was black. She said it was the colour Antubis always wore. It was also the colour of night, of darkness. I asked her once if she was afraid of the dark, and she said, in that clear childish voice, "Why would I be afraid? Antubis comes in the dark. He keeps me safe."
http://fel-kchan.livejournal.com/878.html