(Untitled)

[redeem_yourself]

It wasn't that Nicholas disliked working. On the contrary, he rather enjoyed it. If you listened to the endless propaganda spouted by his father, he had been born to the medical profession. The trouble was, he wanted to be able to actually work. It seemed to be feast or famine in the Compound clinic, and famine typically won out

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[never_atone]

The morning breakfast rush had ceased, the crush of people desiring their daily intake of coffee, tea and the like having dispersed enough so that Briony could do her job. Not a very glamorous job, but the dishes needed washing, and stacked by the sink to dry they looked a metaphorical mountain of accomplishment to give rise to Briony's self-esteem for the beginning of the day.

Task completed, and familiar form spied in the clinic across the hallway, Briony ventured forth with a mug of tea secured in either hand. "Good morning," she greeted cautiously, not wishing to startle Nicholas from whatever he worked on. "I thought you might like some tea."

[redeem_yourself]

Nicholas was to his feet at the sight of Briony, and crossed immediately to meet her. The cup of tea was accepted with one hand while the other cupped the side of her face as he dropped a swift peck to the opposite cheek.

"You're gorgeous, thank you," he praised as he leaned back, letting his hand linger at her cheek. "I hope I didn't scare you too badly, that day... well, you know." The memory had been plaguing him, not simply of Kay, but how he'd behaved towards most everyone who'd been kind enough to help him. "You were brilliant."

[never_atone]

Helplessly Briony giggled at the compliment, at the kiss and his touch, but it was a girlish, nervous reaction, something she could quickly stifle in the face of a much more serious subject. She knew exactly what Nicholas referred to.

"You were scared yourself," she answered, not dismissively but her tone allowed for forgiveness if there was anything to be forgiven. "You didn't mean to be so--" She didn't want to admit just how much he had frightened her, just for a moment; such an admission would give credence to her fears, substance to an insubstantial accusation. Instead she waved her hand in a vague but all-encompassing gesture. "Have you seen.. him? Any sign?"

[redeem_yourself]

"Ah, no," Nicholas began, and stepped back with a sheepish rub of his hand against the back of his neck. "It's doubtful he was here at all. The general consensus is that she- It, was, um. Just an island thing, you know. A prank." A really horrific prank.

[shot_my_shoes]

Since Harry had spent a lot of his time on the island so far on the beach, except for eating, sleeping and working, of course, he felt it was about time he spent more time in the clinic. It was usually quiet enough during his shift for him to read about what sort of medical problems the clinic dealt with and what they had for diagnoses and treatment.

That didn't lead to meeting many doctors, though, and he could learn a lot more through talking to people than reading. Which was how Harry came to be in the clinic on a Monday morning.

"Morning," he called out as he came through the door. Only after he spotted the man working he reconsidered. "I'm sorry, am I disturbing you?"

[redeem_yourself]

Nicholas blinked up from his notes and offered an amiable smile. "No, not at all. Good morning," he replied, brows lifting. "Can I help you? Is there something the matter?" It was likely that he shouldn't seem so eager at that particular prospect.

[shot_my_shoes]

Harry smiled, understanding his question. It came to something when you wanted to do some medical work. "Harry Sullivan," he introduced himself. "I'm a doctor here too."

[redeem_yourself]

"Oh!" Nicholas exclaimed, and then laughed as he pushed himself to his feet and extended a hand to shake. "Apologies. It gets a bit boring in here, some days. I saw your name on the roster, I've been wondering. How're you finding the island?"

[dumbassbastards]

There are some things that Rollie always seems to be running out of: bandages mostly, but also gloves, sterile wipes, and aspirin. He doesn't run into a lot of serious injuries out in the wild - and those he does are hauled straight to the compound as soon as it's safe - but there sure are enough cuts and scrapes to go around and he's always needing to restock his bag.

"Hey Nick," he says as he makes himself at home in the clinic. "Don't mind me, I'm just making my weekly raid."

[redeem_yourself]

Nicholas looked up from his notes, and immediately smiled around the end of his ink pen, which was clamped between his teeth. "Hey, Rollie- I've been thinking about that clinic outpost idea."

He tossed the pen aside and spun around in his chair so that he could watch the other man as he raided the stores. "I think it's good. Really good. And to be honest about it, I'm running a bit mad in this place, wouldn't mind a change of scenery."

[dumbassbastards]

"Yeah?" says Rollie, tucking a few things inside his bag since they're already in his hands then looking back over his shoulder at where Nicholas is sitting. He can't blame him for feeling a bit stir crazy in the compound. "What've you got so far?"

[redeem_yourself]

"Not much yet," Nicholas confessed, and swept up the paper to consult it. "List of basic supplies and equipment, approximate size of the building, half a dozen obvious reasons why we need it." He paused and threw Rollie a grin. "None of which are 'I'm going mad in the Compound.' Not sure the Council would find that persuasive."