(Untitled)

[simon_doctor]

It's a hands-on lab session in class today, and Simon's been working for a few hours now without much in the way of a break. He's reached the stage of self-forgetful absorption in the work; he knows he'll be tired later, but not yet

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[walk_ins]

It might not be somebody he knows.

That's his driving thought as he walks quickly down the hall, footsteps echoing: I need to get him out without questions. This is why Jordie ducks into a lounge area, grabs somebody's white coat, and clips his ID badge from the hospital on Londinium right on the pocket. Good enough.

And -- there. Two quick raps on the lab door, and Jordie pokes his head in. Simon's on the other side of the room with his hands on a microscope. To the instructor (who isn't anyone he knows, after all): "I need to borrow Dr. Tam. It's an emergency."

[walk_ins]

Jordie has the decency to look mildly apologetic.

The officer completes the scan with his handheld, looks at the monitor, raises his eyebrows.

Says, Mr. Tam, why don't you have a seat.

[simon_doctor]

Simon doesn't move.

Very quietly, and completely without inflection, he says "I believe you may be confusing me with my father."

[walk_ins]

The officer glances up.

(Jordie, in the background, very slowly rubs at his eyes rather than open his mouth.)

The officer glances back at his monitor.

Glances up again, says Dr. Tam, offers his apologies, and gestures at the bench.

[simon_doctor]

He nods, the gesture very precise and formal, murmurs a brief thank-you and moves toward the bench.

Where he proceeds to remain standing, hands clasped loosely before him.

[walk_ins]

Jordie eyes the officer at the desk, eyes Simon, shrugs his way out of his coat, wanders Simonward, and drops to sit on the bench, draping his coat next to him.

He risks a glance up in Simon's direction.

[simon_doctor]

He glances down, and almost immediately back up.

And, after a pause, down again.

In a low murmur: "Sorry about that."

[walk_ins]

No louder: "As I don't think you'll refuse the ride home. Anything else I can do while I'm in the area?"

With luck Simon will take that as no apology necessary; it's maybe not quite what Jordie means, but it'll do.

[simon_doctor]

Still quiet: "We'll talk outside, hăo ma?"

He's looking around the room, and again has to take another deep breath, deliberately, consciously.

(have you completely lost your mind?)

He's been here before.

[walk_ins]

Which only confirms what Jordie's thinking.

"Hăo de," he says mildly, and sits back against the wall.

It's just under twenty minutes before a door opens. A uniformed officer comes out first.

[gonna_live]

And then Kaylee, who's flanked by another.

She doesn't look anything the worse for wear. If anything, she looks nearly on the edge of laughter. Jordie gets a quick flash of a grin.

Simon gets something considerably more crooked, and a great deal more fond. And apologetic.

[simon_doctor]

Simon, who was very nearly on the point of going to talk to the desk officers again (despite knowing quite well exactly how bad an idea that is), is already striding towards her.

By dint of heavy effort, he's smiling when he gets there and when he reaches to take both her hands in his.

"You're all right, ai ren?" The tone of voice is very light, casual; the squeeze of her hands, and the quick searching glance at her face, is not.

[gonna_live]

"I'm just fine." Kaylee nods to the officer who came out first. "Know the law now and whatnot. No more pickin' up trash for me."

Kaylee's heavy effort is to keep from bursting into giggles.

[simon_doctor]

A beat. "Picking up trash," he repeats, and for a moment his face is completely unreadable. "I see."

He tucks Kaylee's hand into the crook of his arm and starts walking -- strolling, almost -- back toward the front desk. "Jordie and I didn't have a great deal of time to talk on the way here," he says, "but I think he said you weren't sure what you were being charged with, at the time."

By all appearances he's completely ignoring the uniformed men, except that his voice is pitched to carry to them.

[gonna_live]

"Nope," Kaylee says agreeably. "Didn't find out until after we got here."

[simon_doctor]

"I see," he says again, and glances up at Jordie.

His smile's gone tight, and set.