Little Dreams

[drownondryland]

Medicine is about crossing boundaries. Real breakthroughs only occur where we are brave enough - or arrogant enough - to deviate from the path set in front of us by those who traveled it before.Three years. Meredith's just shy of three years spent living on this island now, years she counts in different ways depending on the moment: three years of

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[justsookie]

These days, it's rare for Sookie to get a calm afternoon to herself. She has nothing against it, the fact that her days are busy now, filled to the brim between the shifts at the Winchester she refuses to give up entirely and the work she does (mostly on her own time, mostly just to keep up with the rest) for the Council. Whatever she has left goes largely to Mitchell these days, socializing having died down a bit while she's still acclimating herself to her new responsibilities. Many a sleepless night has been spent thinking about Boyd, where he sits in the corner of that jail, or about that gently unsettled feeling in her stomach that tells her, after such a calm and exciting holiday season, that something is about to happen. Something is bound to go wrong, just slightly, enough to force her to need to pull herself up by the bootstraps. She just doesn't know what that'll be yet

[drownondryland]

"You okay?" Meredith asks, but there's laughter in her tone, too, as she gets up, leaving the manual on the towel behind her. Doc's thrilled to see Sookie - thrilled to see most people, but he knows some of them better than others and he's eager for attention from them - but he's a big dog and Sookie's a small girl. It's best, she thinks, if she makes sure he doesn't get too rowdy. "He likes you. And he likes that you're not ignoring him, mostly, but he likes you. Hi."

[justsookie]

"He's yours?" Sookie asks incredulously first, trying to gauge how sore she is, where she managed to fall almost directly on her rear. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be too bad, probably nothing that'll yield more than a couple of bruises that will prove a pain to sit on for the rest of the day. There's a whole stretch of beach, however, that she can mold to her convenience. Reaching up and continuing to pet the excited dog, Sookie grins. "And yeah, I'm okay. I mean, kind of took me by surprise. I've only ever had a cat in the household and she... was not capable of bowlin' me over like this, but just 'cause I'm partial to cats doesn't mean I've got any issue with dogs. He's adorable, by the way. Little more excitable than his owner, though."

[drownondryland]

"A lot more," laughs Meredith, leaning forward to offer Sookie a helping hand. That might not be true all the time - there are some things capable of working her up considerably - but it is enough of the time. "This is Doc." They put him in the back room for the party just to make sure he didn't behave exactly as he was doing now, thrilled to pieces with the affection and doing his best to give Sookie kisses if she'd let him. "He was mine at home for a while and now he's mine again."

[thatwasanorder]

Russell isn't a big dog person. This is well evidenced by the fact that, when confronted the dog, he stops where he is, hands tucked into his pockets, his face taking on a remarkably impassive expression, as he just stares down at it, his gaze then flickering upward in search of the dog's owner.

He likes the beach because, despite the constant traffic, for the most part it's quiet. It helps him clear his head, so to speak. The dog's a surprise, if not completely unwelcome. Petting isn't going to happen anytime soon, but he at least doesn't look outright hostile.

"Yours?"

[drownondryland]

"Yes, mine," Meredith says, though mostly, she thinks, in spite of her efforts at training, Doc does what he wants. She gets to her feet to walk over, snagging her fingers on the dog's collar. Clucking her tongue, she pulls back gently, Doc whining his protest. While the man doesn't seem particularly upset - particularly anything - it's better to cut Doc off now before he decides he's made a friend. "Come on, boy. Sorry. He's... friendly. Too friendly sometimes."

[thatwasanorder]

That prompts a slight snort, Russell's expression quickly easing into something more friendly. There's no use in turning up the cold too high. "It's nothing to apologize for," he tells her, cocking his head as he regards the dog a moment longer. "It seems everyone keeps a bit of a stable around here, anyhow. What's his name?"

[drownondryland]

Meredith smiles more readily than she realizes, stroking the dog's fur absently. "Doc," she says, "and I'm Meredith. He's the only one in my stable, though. I don't think I could handle more than him." He's handful enough as it is. Months after Doc's arrival and she's barely got his habit of eating everyone's clothes curbed.

[missingthekeep]

"Ach, settle down, ye hellspawn," Sean says with a frustrated groan as he attempts to maneuver around Doc to where Meredith sits. It's been a long day, but that's been true of all of them recently and he wasn't anticipating having to run a gauntlet before getting the chance to relax some. "Figgered I'd find the two o' ye out here somewheres."

[drownondryland]

"Have I become that predictable?" Meredith asks, but her smile softens the already mild tone of disappointment. She's always been a little bit so, she knows that. Doc isn't easy to fend off, coming over to lie on the ground in front of them, rolling onto his back, so that she leans over to rub his belly as prompted. She glances up again. "Hi."

[missingthekeep]

"Ah, ye're nothin' o' the sort. It cannae be helped when ye're dealin' with a keen investigative mind like this one," Sean says as he taps two fingers against his temple and moves to sit, his mood already lifting some now that he's in her company. "Hi."

[drownondryland]

"Oh, I forgot," Meredith says, leaning over to kiss him. "You're a deductive genius. Looking for me for a reason or just looking for me?" Either way, she's glad he's found her. Once Doc realizes he's being ignored again, he rolls over with a whine to hunt invisible creatures in the sand in front of them.

[risesagain]

Yoga on the beach is not a past time that Jean can pass by. There is something oddly soothing about it. There is the routine of it, the familiar cycles of praising the sun and everything else. The dog barking is something that shakes her from her reverie and she slides from one pose into a standing position.

"Hello there," she says, a smile splitting across her face at the sight of the familiar creature. She knows that Meredith must not be far behind, if only because she knows the other woman. Even if the dog has somehow escaped it is good fortune that he came to bother her rather than some stranger. "Where's Meredith?"

[drownondryland]

Doc barks sharply, pawing at Jean's shoulders, always pleased to see a familiar face though that never keeps him from strangers. It's a matter of moments before Meredith's on her way over, waving. "Sorry," she said. "I should know better than to just let him wander, but if I keep him on the leash all the time..." They would both go crazy from it probably. He likes his freedom too much and so does she.

[risesagain]

With a laugh and a dismissive wave of her head, Jean lets the whole thing slide. Rather she simply enjoys the affection, easily given in a way that only a dog can. Scratching him behind the ear, she looks over Doc’s head to Meredith.

“He gets a little stir crazy?” she offers, nodding knowingly. “I can’t imagine being on a leash would be much fun even if this place wasn’t full of things to chase after. It’s no problem, at least not for me.”

[drownondryland]

"I get stir crazy," Meredith says with a laugh. "He just loses it." This is, for her, becoming more and more of a problem as her life gets harder to handle. She would have thought by this point she would have learned to bear it, but mostly she just wants to run off to a hospital and work for eighteen hours straight until everything else seems tiny and less important, easier to fix. "What are you doing out here?"