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xavier delamere {the count of monte cristo} ([info]whatbefell) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-06-14 15:22:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:count of monte cristo, dr. jekyll

Who: Brian and Xavier
What: Xavier hasn't been to a dentist is 12+ years. Oops.
Where: Brian's office.
When: This afternoon.
Warnings: Probably not.


Xavier wasn't one to forget appointments; he never had been. After chatting with a dentist named Brian over the forums, he did some brief research finding a Dr. Brian Jenkins, Endodontist, in the area. He debated leaving it at that for a moment, before dialling the office and making an appointment. The fact that Brian had been one of the few tolerable people he talked to - talked to and made sense - was only one reason for the visit. Xavier was well aware of what signs he still had from his years in prison. It was best to get all bases covered; a trip to the local endodontist (who on occasion, did regular cleanings) worked well for him.

He showed up a half hour before his appointment was scheduled for, dressed simply in a pair of slacks and a blue button down shirt. A magazine was flipped through for the better part of the time, his phone pulled out on occasion to keep track of business emails, before the receptionist told him to head to the room in the back. Xavier set off, hands loose at his sides and expression neutral.


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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-14 07:46 pm UTC (link)
It had been the morning from hell. Luckily, Brian had managed to not throw up again after his horrible ten minutes bent over the toilet after he had woken up, and he had been able to get to work like a functional human being. Some handy concealer makeup had been applied to his face to cover up the deep bruising on his left cheek, though it was still clear that there was a color discrepancy on his face. It was also swollen, pressing slightly against his nose and making his face look slightly off-balance. Luckily, it wasn't too noticeable if you weren't looking too hard.

He took to cleanings for the day, happy to not have any difficult cases scheduled. It was nice to spend the day doing routine check-ups, simple jobs. He kept his mask on most of the day, taking it off only when leaving it on would look suspect. Unfortunately, that meant taking it off to greet every new patient.

With a blank chart in hand for the new patient Xavier Delamere, he walked into his treatment room with a prepared smile. His scrubs were dark blue and fit him well, though unlike the other dentists, he was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt underneath his scrub's top. The lab coats were so baggy that he hated working in them, and he couldn't wear a short sleeved shirt with his arms clawed up as they were. Luckily, nobody had noticed yet.

"Hello," he said with a smile, sitting down on the chair beside the treatment chair where Xavier was seated. He extended a friendly hand to the other man as he set the blank chart down. "I'm Dr. Jenkins, it's great to meet you." After they had shaken hands, he turned to the chart. "So you're a new patient, Mr. Delamere. And you're here for a routine checkup. It seems we haven't gotten your old records yet, but that's okay. I can start a new one now, and you can talk with Jenna at the front desk about the rest of them."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-14 07:54 pm UTC (link)
Xavier hadn't waited in the chair for long before Brian - no, Dr. Jenkins - showed. His eyes cast over him, memorizing the details of height and clothing. There'd been a picture or two online on appearance, but he thought something seemed off about his face. It didn't show on his face though and he shook his hands with a friendly smile. No reason to be anything but that. He studied the man's face more closely when he turned to the chart, realizing he was wearing concealer. A few conclusions could be jumped too.

Somehow the Doctor had been in a fight. A frown crossed his face briefly, before he returned to reality. He might have to look into that later - what problem could someone have against a dentist? And why was he covering it up like that?

"My records are difficult to track down," Xavier said, with a rueful smile. The British accent was a tip off why, but he continued on anyway. "I have to have them sent over from England - they only have them on paper." Granted, they didn't exist. He hadn't thought of that while creating Xavier Delamere. Evan Harris, on the other hand would have had this information - false as it was - for the doctor. Edward's files were also out of the question; even Dr. Jenkins would be suspicious about looking in a "dead" man's mouth. "I don't think I've been to a dentist in..." He trailed off, giving a shrug. "Twelve years, maybe?" The smile that accompanied it said it was a guess; not the truth at all.

"I'm hoping things aren't too bad in there."

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-14 08:09 pm UTC (link)
Xavier's accent was a tip-off. Brian hadn't worked with many foreign patients before, but those he had had always had a difficult time getting their records over. He waved a hand as Xavier explained, smiling and shaking his head. "Don't worry about it," he said. "They'll come when they come. In the meantime, I'd like to get some X-rays to start us off so that you have a new set." He paused slightly at the guess of twelve years without seeing a dentist. It was a guess, but still. Twelve? That was insane. However, he didn't show his surprise.

"We'll get you a record established here, don't you worry." He pulled on a pair of gloves after putting up his mask. His assistant stepped into the room, turning on the overhead light and moving it to face Xavier's mouth. "Thanks, Monica," he said offhandedly as he swiveled to face the other man. "And we'll see how things are in there. Do you brush and floss regularly?"

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-14 08:33 pm UTC (link)
He nodded, settling back in the chair. The reaction was expected, but hopefully it could be brushed off. If not - well, a good amount of money could take care of it, as well as the truth that the British Health care system was hell. "Fine by me."

Xavier let his his hands settled on his lap, clasped thoughtfully. "Pretty regularly." He wasn't the cleanliest person on the planet, but he had attempted hygeine over the years. "I've been better about it recent years," he admitted. Floss and toothpaste had been luxuries when in prison. At least a toothbrush had been considered a necessity.

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-14 08:40 pm UTC (link)
"That's good," Brian said earnestly. "It's never too late to get into good oral hygiene habits. Now, open wide please?" When Xavier replied, Brian got to work. "Now let me know if I'm hurting you, okay? I'll be checking for decay."

With a sharp explorer in one hand and a mirror in the other, he carefully examined every tooth. Starting with the back molar, he began to crawl towards the front of Xavier's mouth. He remained fairly quiet, not one to engage his patients in chit-chat during an exam. After all, they had such a hard time replying.

"You've got some plaque build-up," he murmured from behind his mask, shifting slightly to work his way into the other side of Xavier's mouth. "I'll take care of that when I've finished this." As he reached the other molars, his brow wrinkled slightly. "I think I've found some decay," he said. "Tell me, is this tender?" He started to gently prod at the area surrounding the suspect tooth.

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-14 08:55 pm UTC (link)
"Sure." Xavier said, letting himself relax into the chair. It went down and it gave him a better opportunity to study Brian's face. There was nowhere else to look while getting worked on. The pain in his mouth was ignored well enough; he'd had some training int and hiding that. The mask did well to hide whatever it was Brian had covered up - almost too well. If tools weren't in his mouth, Xavier would have frowned over it.

When he prodded that area, he managed a wince - letting control of his usual composure for once. "Just a bit," he said around the tool. His grimace became overempasized. "What's that mean?"

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-14 09:10 pm UTC (link)
When Xavier winced, Brian nodded. "It means you've got some decay. A cavity. Don't worry, we can make an appointment for you to have it filled soon. But when I finish examining your top teeth, I'd like to get some X-Rays. It's a fast and simple process, and it's always good for you to have them on record."

He then finished examining the rest of his mouth, finding a few plaques and one more cavity. Two cavities after not having seen a dentist for about twelve years - more than a decade - was pretty damned good. Xavier was a lucky man. When he finished that, Brian took a few X-Rays.

While they were processing, he sat with Xavier, removing his mask almost reluctantly. "Okay. So when your X-Rays process, we can talk about what they mean and form a plan. For now, I'd like to do a cleaning, and then make further appointments to get those cavities filled. D'you have any questions right now?"

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-14 10:18 pm UTC (link)
Xavier winced again when Brian confirmed his initial guess that it was a cavity. When he was a child it had seemed the horror off all horrors when going to the dentist - mainly because his parents could barely afford those bills. Things were different now; time and money weren't issues. It didn't change the disquieting feeling from learning he had one - two cavities.

When they were done with the X-Rays, Xavier had folded his hands again, eyebrow cocked as Brian gave his explanation. His lips pressed together before he gave a firm nod. "That's fine by me. How many appointments will it take?" The fact that he offered further questions, made him paused for a moment. On a whim and pulling the idiot card, Xavier gestured to his face. "Did you walk into a door?"

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-14 10:37 pm UTC (link)
At Xavier's question, Brian nodded. "I'd say we should make one more. The two cavities are far apart, so I don't see a need to drag them out over two appointments. Unless you aren't in pain normally, in which case we can do one soon and then the other in a bit." He shrugged. "It's up to you. It might be easier to do them separately payment-wise, but you can think about it as long as you need."

The other question, however, made him pause. "Oh, this?" he asked, touching his fingers very lightly to the swollen lump on his cheek. Though he was inwardly panicked, he appeared completely normal. Brian was a great liar and cover-up artist. He had to be, to get by. He gave a slight laugh. "I was playing catch yesterday and caught the baseball with my face."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 12:02 am UTC (link)
A snort escaped him. "I can deal with a little pain in the mouth. I've dealt with worse." The complete truth in any case - Xavier knew the pain in the mind would always be worse than that done physically. He waved a careless hand at the mention of money. "Payments aren't an issue. I'm just glad to have this taken care of - compared to back home, this is a great deal."

He watched the reaction slowly, mouth twisting into a thoughtful frown. "Maybe you should improve on your catching skills." The shape of the cover up could be a baseball, Xavier thought. But then again - he could just as easily see it as a fist mark. He quickly changed his expression to a smile, adding, "Is there a little league around here? The sport's always amused me."

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 12:11 am UTC (link)
"It's your call," he said, nodding. And it really was. "If you'd rather have two appointments, then schedule two up front." If money wasn't an object, it was all down to personal preference.

At his comment on baseball, Brian inwardly groaned. He had hoped that nobody would press the subject. But he could keep it up. "Yeah, I let this one sneak up on me, I guess," he said with an amiable chuckle. "I don't know much about any organized leagues, but I have to say I'm surprised to hear an Englishman showing interest in America's favorite pastime." He smiled wryly, all in good humor. "Do you miss real 'football,' then? I actually watched part of the World Cup this past weekend. It was fun."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 12:27 am UTC (link)
"One will probably save you time and works best with my schedule," Xavier said. Scheduling things in advance worked well, unless chance came into play. He believed in keeping appointments and being on time - one of the many things he shared with the Count of Monte Cristo. However, if an opportunity came or luck tossed up his plans...he wouldn't want to have to pick between two. One appointment would lower the chances of that happening remarkably.

Once upon a time, Xavier had hated baseball - most organized sports displeased him, though he'd become fond of (American) football in college. Supporting that in Harvard was mandatory; everyone went and cheered for Crimson. "It's part of the fascination," he said, smiling as if it was a secret to share. "Cricket isn't the same and - don't tell my countrymen - but I fall asleep whenever that's on the television." He flexed his hands. "I didn't though a few people at the building I live in threw a party." He'd not paid too much attention to the forums; he had bigger fish to deal with, even as they went on about the fables. Xavier expected that to be enough of a bait, if Brian hadn't realized already, that they both were from Bellum. No need to sneak around it.

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 12:43 am UTC (link)
"Alright, that works for me." He nodded. "We can talk about the materials later."

He chuckled at his explanation of cricket. "Don't worry, I promise not to tell," he said. "Doctor-patient confidentiality, you know." In a way, he wasn't joking. Anything said to him as a doctor was automatically confidential. However, at the mention of a party, he raised a brow. "Oh yeah? That's where I saw the game, actually. Somebody on one of the floors above me was having a little get-together and I stopped on by. Funny how that happens, huh? I guess more people in this city like soccer - excuse me - football than I thought."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 12:52 am UTC (link)
"The materials?" Xavier asked, the terminology confusing him. Dentistry hadn't been something he knew all that much about - just the bits he gleaned secondhand from books. Other areas in the medical industry had interested him while reading; the mouth had seemed trivial at the time.

He hadn't forgotten that and it would have been used as a back-up plan, if his careless 'twelve years or so' hadn't worked. Not the whole truth - WITSEC and a few pieces here and there. There was something about Brian that seemed normal though - near the mid-life crisis stage but had never seen anything too terrible. He seemed reliable; predictable even. Even if he wasn't sure the 'baseball' story was the truth. "I do."

There was a slight nod, before he tilted his head to the side. "You know, this might sound strange - but you don't happen to live in a building called Bellum Letale, do you? I talked to a Brian on the building's forums a little while ago."

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 01:06 am UTC (link)
"What I'll be using to fill the tooth. We can match the color to your tooth's enamel." He smiled.

At the mention of the building, his eyes widened. "Oh man," he said, raking his fingers back through his hair. "Yeah, actually, I do." He paused, thinking back. How could he not have remembered Xavier's name? It was so unique. He blamed the morning's trauma - he couldn't remember anything now. "Wow, I can't believe I didn't recognize you!" He chuckled sheepishly, scratching his jaw. "I'm sorry, I feel like such a jerk. Yeah, we did talk, it's nice to meet you in person."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 01:11 am UTC (link)
His realization showed - not made up or masked for once and he nodded. "That makes more sense," he said, lips tugging into a slight smile.

It made it so that when Brian figured it out, Xavier's smirk didn't look too bad. "It's different between text and reailty," he said with a shrug. "Don't worry about it." After all, he'd set it up this way. "It's good to meet you live."

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 01:13 am UTC (link)
"You too," he said with a nod. "I have to tell you, that place...it's funny, isn't it?" Funny was a very polite term. He wanted to say 'batshit crazy,' but that was inappropriate in front of a patient. "It's really nice to know somebody who isn't completely soft in the head there. Do you buy into all that vampire werewolf stuff? I honestly thought they were all kids talking about that...movie or something." The sad thing was that it was true. Brian wasn't very hip to pop culture, especially not what the kids were into.

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 01:24 am UTC (link)
Brian had been there slightly longer than he had, yet was still skeptic. It gave Xavier a shred of home that he really had taken things too seriously over the years; the resemblance to the Dumas' novel was just that. Nothing more. It couldn't be anything more. Xavier gave a shrug - not answering in either direction.

"I don't want to believe it," he said honestly. He didn't follow pop culture either - ten years disconnected from it led to a general distaste for such stuff. All he knew was that people cooed over a boy named "Edward" and it made him twitch when people spoke about it around him. "I think I'll have to wait till this talked about Full Moon to see for myself."

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 01:29 am UTC (link)
"Yeah, I know what you mean." He frowned. His head hurt, and he wanted to believe that it wasn't related to this building. But at the same time, if it were this building's fault, then maybe it wasn't his. Maybe this was unrelated, and he wasn't that crazy. It was a pipe dream, he knew, but it made him feel better.

"But you're right, we'll see." He offered the other man a wan smile. "It's good to have an ally in all of this. You can take the vampires, I'll take the werewolves. How about it?"

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 01:55 am UTC (link)
At that he had to laugh. Ally was a term he approved of all too much; he knew better than to trust "friends". The last person who fell under those lines had been ditched in a house as he fled the country. He'd never thought of heading back - and he couldn't simple as that. Allies however were different, even in a joking manner like this.

"As long as you've got my back."

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 02:03 am UTC (link)
"Of course, man," he said, using the term ironically. The smile reached his eyes, proving that it wasn't just a fake mask. "From what I'm hearing, it seems like you've gotta stick with a few people to make it there. Now I think it might be too soon to get matching T-shirts, but we can have a secret handshake at least." He wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but he had the chance to be a little silly right now. And he liked it. It almost distracted him from his bruised face and beaten body.

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 02:41 am UTC (link)
The smile remained on his face, as he put his hand forward. It wasn't often that he got a chance to be silly, even if there was still the usual tension in his shoulders. "We'll have to make a list of those reliable. Be careful who you trust-" And that was a true tip, one he didn't always give forward. "You've got to do more than look them in the eyes." A beat. "You have to stab them in the heart first."

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 03:00 am UTC (link)
"Silver bullets?" He joked, extending his hand as well. He didn't know many cool handshakes, so he really had no idea what they were doing. But it was entertaining, and it kept his mind off the fact that he looked like a punching bag. "Don't worry, we can have an initiation or something. Keep it nice and secret." He chuckled, batting his hand against Xavier's before standing as Monica came into the room with the X-Rays. "Okay, well. We can continue this later, let me put up these X-Rays."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 03:32 am UTC (link)
The woman from before came in before Xavier could reply and he moved his hands to his pockets, settling back in his seat. He watched Brian take care of them, mind idly going over how serious the other man was before he glanced at the x-rays himself. He grimaced. "How bad is it?"

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 05:12 am UTC (link)
Turning to the X-Rays, Brian put them up and then examined them. "Not very," he said, tone reassuring. He gestured to a few key spots on them. "These are your two cavities, here and here. So what I'll do is go in and fill them with a synthetic material. The rest of your mouth looks good, though." He smiled. "I'll just do a cleaning on the rest of your teeth today, and after these two fillings, you'll be all set. Any questions?"

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 05:17 am UTC (link)
He glanced over it one more time before shaking his head. "I'm good," he said, with a wry smile. He was, truly, but people didn't need to know - or if they did, wouldn't believe that. Something did come to mind belatedly and confusion crossed his face for a moment. "How surprising is this for a man who hasn't been to a dentist in over a decade?"

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 05:26 am UTC (link)
"Pretty surprising, actually." Brian nodded, smiling. "You've done a very good job taking care of your teeth, I have to say. I'm impressed." He scooted towards him, putting on a new pair of gloves and pulling up his mask. "And that bodes well. If you've taken such good care of them so far, then I'm confidant that after these fillings, you'll be in terrifc shape." With a smile, he gestured for Xavier to lean back. "You ready for the cleaning?"

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 05:30 am UTC (link)
He followed Brian's gesture, pressing his back into the chair again. He didn't know if it helped or hurt his cover that his teeth were in better shape then expected. A slight wince crossed his face, easily explained by a hand moving to his mouth before he tried to shrug it off. This amount of paranoia was only going to hurt him. "Glad to hear it. I try, you know." A shrug before he opened his mouth, as a signal to go ahead.

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 05:35 am UTC (link)
As Brian leaned over his patient, he felt a sudden surge of pain in his abdomen. He winced visibly, brow contorting in pain that he pushed away immediately. He couldn't let this daunt him. He had to push through. Taking a short breath, he leaned forward again, beginning the cleaning.

Twenty minutes later, Brian pulled back, setting down his tools and removing his gloves. "Alright," he said, removing his mask and smiling. "You, Mr. Delamere, are good to go. Your teeth look great, and we'll get those cavities filled the next time you come and see us."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 05:49 am UTC (link)
Xavier saw the pain cross Brian's face for an instant, vanishing as quickly as it came. He hadn't done anything had he? - no, the breathing after was enough of a hint. He kept his eyes on where the make up mark had been, glancing briefly to the rest of his body during the cleaning. It was summer and it wasn't particularly cold in the office - why was he in long sleeves?

He didn't say anything though until Brian was done. He pushed himself up, getting to his feet with a slight brushing off of his pant legs. A smile that miraculously reached his eyes settled on his face as he shook Brian's hand one more time. "Thanks, I really appreciate it." Taking his hand back, he reached into a pocket for a business card. "I'm glad I got to meet you in person - if you need anything, feel free to give a call." He wasn't one to forget niceties after all.

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-15 05:57 am UTC (link)
Rolling back in his chair, Brian stood and shook Xavier's hand as it was offer. "It's my pleasure," he said sincerely, taking the business card. Twisting around to the small card holder on the near counter, he picked up one of his own business cards and passed it to Xavier. "A card for a card," he said cheerfully.

"It was great to meet you, too. I'll see you around the building sometime, I'm sure of it."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-06-15 04:21 pm UTC (link)
He took it, twisting it through fingers for a moment before slipping it into pocket. Giving Brian a smile - only slightly fake, he nodded. "It's a small world, about here." A raise of the hands and Xavier was off. First to pay the bill and schedule the next appointment; later in the privacy of his own apartment he could ponder over what had happened to Brian.

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