just_muse_me | 13.5.3. Seek medical advice
13.5.3. Seek medical advice
Co-written with doctortara
[Follows THIS and set a couple of weeks after THIS]
Flynn smiled as the Campbell bundle of joy was gently placed into his arms. Before Tara backed away, she made sure the baby blankets were all neat and the little blue hat with bear ears was sitting straight on her son’s tiny blond head. He smelled of baby powder and vanilla and Flynn felt a pang of what was probably regret in his chest. “He’s a gorgeous little guy, Tara. You must be bursting with pride,” he noted and then looked up at her wryly. “And don’t worry about walking on eggshells here. I’m aware Maddy and Remy asked you to talk to me. I’m not pissed off. I know I’ve hardly been easy to deal with lately.”
Tara sat down on the sofa beside him, folding Riley’s baby bib from his recent feed over in her lap. “I am about bursting. The feeling doesn’t ever seem to want to fade. Every time I look at him, it’s there. Every time I look at Lachie, too, because they look so alike. But if he gets whingy, hand him back. We think he’s got a wee bit of colic that makes him cranky a lot of the time,” she explained and then offered him an apologetic smile. “You just made my job a lot easier. I don’t want you to think I’m sticking my nose in where it’s not wanted. Please don’t feel obligated to talk to me about any of it. I think they’re just a wee bit worried about your cancer history.”
Flynn nodded, softly rubbing the infant’s back through the blankets. “I get that, I do. But I’m okay. I’ve always stuck to my regular post-remission checks without fail. This time - after everything - I just don’t want to be dealing with doctors right now. It’s bad enough that I just had to deal with having fucking gonorrhoea. I just want to try and get back to normal. I’m drained and my head feels like it belongs to someone else. Right now, I just want to feel anything but the dude who’s in cancer remission and got raped.”
Tara nodded. “I don’t blame you at all for that. Lachie was much the same in the months after the shooting. He felt like he was just the Scottish guy that got shot when all he wanted to do was get back to normal.” She watched him closely. “When was your last post-remission check? How long have you been in remission now, honey?”
“About six months ago was the check and I’ve been in remission for nearly three years. I know, I’m due. But I really just need a breather from it all. I’ll make an appointment soon, I just need some time.” In Flynn’s arm, Riley made a soft grunting sound in his sleep, but didn’t stir.
“Has the STD all cleared up with the antibiotics? How have you been feeling otherwise?” Tara asked, glancing reflexively at her son when he made the noise, but her eyes were soon back on Flynn. “Which is a very far-reaching question. I know all too well that stress and grief can have a really negative effect on your physical health. Even to this day Lachie still has days where he just feels nauseous and tired from it all. But I want to help you, Flynn. Even if you just need an independent ear to talk to.”
Flynn let out a heavy breath and nodded. “Yeah, it’s cleared and I haven’t been feeling fantastic, to be honest. It’s just since the attack, I guess stress is an appropriate enough word for it. It affected me a lot worse than I ever thought it would.” He scrunched his nose up wryly. “I always knew what I could be dealing with, which makes it harder to swallow.”
“That does not make it any less appalling, Flynn. It doesn’t make it any less painful for you,” Tara told him, patting his arm gently. “Any specific symptoms you’ve been experiencing or just general sort of malaise?”
Flynn smirked faintly. “Are you going to charge me for this consult, doc?” he asked her in amusement.
Tara laughed. “I can if you want. How about I just rack my fee up in babysitting hours? He seems to really like you. He’s very selective about who he likes to take cuddles off for long periods of time.” She paused for a moment, searching Flynn’s face. “The chemo. You can’t have any of your own, can you?”
“No,” Flynn confirmed quietly with a small shake of his head. “I was on the short list, see. They gave me about eight months towards the end there. The chemo was about as extensive as it came and I had radiation too. I beat it… somehow I beat the ticking time bomb. But no, you’re right. The chemo left me sterile. And I know you would understand exactly how that feels. I think your story with your husband is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever heard because I know how it feels to think there was no hope. And your son is beautiful. You and Lachlan more than deserve him. Sometimes things are just meant to be.”
Tara smiled sadly at him and then shifted a little closer to give him a one-armed hug. “I like to believe in that theory. It’s what kept me going when I’d just about lost hope. You’re just having a really hard time right now, Flynn. I think you’re just run down and probably not looking after yourself correctly, maybe even not sleeping very well. But… and you knew I was going to have a ‘but’. I really would like you to talk to your doctor about serology for your cancer receptors. Just in case. It’s always better to just keep an eye on things if you haven’t been feeling well,” she advised. “Or I can recommend a good doctor to see here in Princeton.”
Flynn gave a slight nod, looking down at the bundle in his arms and brushing his finger across the baby boy’s cheek. “I thought you might tell me that and that’s what terrifies me. I was really hoping out of sight, out of mind might actually work this time.”
“Not with cancer, sweetheart,” Tara had to gently remind him. “You would know as well as anyone that once you’ve had it, cancer is never out of mind.”
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Muse | Flynn Marcus Hunter & Dr. Tara Campbell
Fandom | Original Character & House, M.D. Original Character
Word Count | 1,065
Co-written with doctortara
[Follows THIS and set a couple of weeks after THIS]
Flynn smiled as the Campbell bundle of joy was gently placed into his arms. Before Tara backed away, she made sure the baby blankets were all neat and the little blue hat with bear ears was sitting straight on her son’s tiny blond head. He smelled of baby powder and vanilla and Flynn felt a pang of what was probably regret in his chest. “He’s a gorgeous little guy, Tara. You must be bursting with pride,” he noted and then looked up at her wryly. “And don’t worry about walking on eggshells here. I’m aware Maddy and Remy asked you to talk to me. I’m not pissed off. I know I’ve hardly been easy to deal with lately.”
Tara sat down on the sofa beside him, folding Riley’s baby bib from his recent feed over in her lap. “I am about bursting. The feeling doesn’t ever seem to want to fade. Every time I look at him, it’s there. Every time I look at Lachie, too, because they look so alike. But if he gets whingy, hand him back. We think he’s got a wee bit of colic that makes him cranky a lot of the time,” she explained and then offered him an apologetic smile. “You just made my job a lot easier. I don’t want you to think I’m sticking my nose in where it’s not wanted. Please don’t feel obligated to talk to me about any of it. I think they’re just a wee bit worried about your cancer history.”
Flynn nodded, softly rubbing the infant’s back through the blankets. “I get that, I do. But I’m okay. I’ve always stuck to my regular post-remission checks without fail. This time - after everything - I just don’t want to be dealing with doctors right now. It’s bad enough that I just had to deal with having fucking gonorrhoea. I just want to try and get back to normal. I’m drained and my head feels like it belongs to someone else. Right now, I just want to feel anything but the dude who’s in cancer remission and got raped.”
Tara nodded. “I don’t blame you at all for that. Lachie was much the same in the months after the shooting. He felt like he was just the Scottish guy that got shot when all he wanted to do was get back to normal.” She watched him closely. “When was your last post-remission check? How long have you been in remission now, honey?”
“About six months ago was the check and I’ve been in remission for nearly three years. I know, I’m due. But I really just need a breather from it all. I’ll make an appointment soon, I just need some time.” In Flynn’s arm, Riley made a soft grunting sound in his sleep, but didn’t stir.
“Has the STD all cleared up with the antibiotics? How have you been feeling otherwise?” Tara asked, glancing reflexively at her son when he made the noise, but her eyes were soon back on Flynn. “Which is a very far-reaching question. I know all too well that stress and grief can have a really negative effect on your physical health. Even to this day Lachie still has days where he just feels nauseous and tired from it all. But I want to help you, Flynn. Even if you just need an independent ear to talk to.”
Flynn let out a heavy breath and nodded. “Yeah, it’s cleared and I haven’t been feeling fantastic, to be honest. It’s just since the attack, I guess stress is an appropriate enough word for it. It affected me a lot worse than I ever thought it would.” He scrunched his nose up wryly. “I always knew what I could be dealing with, which makes it harder to swallow.”
“That does not make it any less appalling, Flynn. It doesn’t make it any less painful for you,” Tara told him, patting his arm gently. “Any specific symptoms you’ve been experiencing or just general sort of malaise?”
Flynn smirked faintly. “Are you going to charge me for this consult, doc?” he asked her in amusement.
Tara laughed. “I can if you want. How about I just rack my fee up in babysitting hours? He seems to really like you. He’s very selective about who he likes to take cuddles off for long periods of time.” She paused for a moment, searching Flynn’s face. “The chemo. You can’t have any of your own, can you?”
“No,” Flynn confirmed quietly with a small shake of his head. “I was on the short list, see. They gave me about eight months towards the end there. The chemo was about as extensive as it came and I had radiation too. I beat it… somehow I beat the ticking time bomb. But no, you’re right. The chemo left me sterile. And I know you would understand exactly how that feels. I think your story with your husband is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever heard because I know how it feels to think there was no hope. And your son is beautiful. You and Lachlan more than deserve him. Sometimes things are just meant to be.”
Tara smiled sadly at him and then shifted a little closer to give him a one-armed hug. “I like to believe in that theory. It’s what kept me going when I’d just about lost hope. You’re just having a really hard time right now, Flynn. I think you’re just run down and probably not looking after yourself correctly, maybe even not sleeping very well. But… and you knew I was going to have a ‘but’. I really would like you to talk to your doctor about serology for your cancer receptors. Just in case. It’s always better to just keep an eye on things if you haven’t been feeling well,” she advised. “Or I can recommend a good doctor to see here in Princeton.”
Flynn gave a slight nod, looking down at the bundle in his arms and brushing his finger across the baby boy’s cheek. “I thought you might tell me that and that’s what terrifies me. I was really hoping out of sight, out of mind might actually work this time.”
“Not with cancer, sweetheart,” Tara had to gently remind him. “You would know as well as anyone that once you’ve had it, cancer is never out of mind.”
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Muse | Flynn Marcus Hunter & Dr. Tara Campbell
Fandom | Original Character & House, M.D. Original Character
Word Count | 1,065