Who: Nat Wyrzykowski, Rory Brynn, special surprise appearance by Zarya Strand, Njall Strand-Weissman, Tony W, Healer Jackson (NPC), Thorne Proudfoot, Kent Brightstar What: Nat and Rory get locked in quarantine with an injured kelpie at the worst possible time When: Sunday, August 4 (7:25 pm) to Monday, August 5, 2019 (7:30 am) Where: Brightstar Reserve, Creature Medical, Water Exam Room Warnings: All the things you would expect from a woman in labor and during said labor (PS - the baby is fine!)
When she'd told her boss that she was absolutely up for it, and it was no problem for her to keep an eye on the kelpie who'd injured her fin on Friday, Nat hadn't realized it was going to turn into an exhausting all-weekend job. Then again, even half a shift was exhausting these days, particularly since the pain she'd been having most of the last few weeks was particularly pronounced today. She managed to get in some naps at home in between sitting with the creature, though she actually found that being half-submerged in the lake was sometimes more comfortable—and sometimes it left her with shooting pains all along her back.
That was her fickle water-Being baby in a nutshell.
Nat felt guilty, but it was mostly a relief when she decided the creature's injuries were enough that she needed another trip to medical for review. The wranglers handled the transport, so all she had to do was to hike up to the medical building. The walk was exhausting, but not nearly as much as apparating was lately. The water exam room had a sizeable tank with plenty of ways to get access to the creatures inside, but also that most blessed of human creations: a chair. She sank down into it with a grateful sigh even before she realized someone else was in the room. "Oh, Healer Brynn, sorry, hi," she said with a rather sheepish laugh. "If I'd realized you were in here, I would have at least tried to be a civilized human before ignoring you in favor of getting my aching feet elevated."
Rory had been in the water exam room for six hours already. One of the pregnant Hippocampi had been having trouble laying her eggs, so Rory had come in to make sure that things went smoothly once they'd pulled her from the water and brought her to one of the tanks in the exam room. It had been slow going and a little hinky, but finally, in these last two hours, the Hippocampi—effectively called "Po" by the young Healer—was finally settling in with her eggs and resting comfortably.
Rory knew they would have to be careful when transporting the semi-transparent eggs and Po herself back to the water, but that was part of why she was there. To make sure things went the way they were supposed to go.
This, at least, was something she was fantastic at.
She was only just sitting down herself for a brief rest, the tank in question charmed to alert her should anything go wrong, when Miss Wyrzykowski settled into her own chair.
She couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction to finding her there as well, and simply waved her off. "No worries, Miss Wyrzykowski. I undahstand how tired ya must be. Little one's set ta come soon, ain't she?" Rory questioned, gesturing to Nat's stomach with a soft smile and leaning against the back of her own chair. "If yer still here at work, I can only imagine how tired ya must be."
If she went by Laura, who was tired herself usually while growing her twins and wasn't nearly as far along as Nat was, she really could imagine how tired the brunette must be. And she could sympathize.
"Not quite a month left, if all goes to plan," Nat said with a smile and a little pat to her belly. Right now she didn't feel all that chipper about it, but she could keep up a smile while she was at work. Once she was home, she still had the house to herself with Njall and Felix in Brazil, so she could grouse to the air all she liked. And maybe she'd call Stevie if she needed someone to vindicate her complaints. "And please call me Nat. My last name is a mouthful, hence the three-letter nickname."
She sat up just enough to get a good look in the second tank. Just as she thought. "How's she doing?" She gestured to the Hippocampus. "I haven't had time to check on her today. Been too caught up with our local accident-prone kelpie. Who should be here soon, by the way. Transport is bringing her. She's being far more still than its usual for her, hurt or not, so I'd feel better if you did a quick wellness check on her. Then it's off to bed for this gal." Her smile at that was a bit self deprecating.
"So soon?" Rory hadn't meant to let time pass so quickly. She honestly hadn't even really meant to spend this much time wrapped up in her own emotions and shutting herself off from everyone else... but well, when all one did was work and go home (and cook), it was easy to lose track of time she supposed. It made sense, and there was no real plan to break her streak just yet. Keeping her head down seemed to be working, after all.
The only thing she'd really gone out for was to celebrate Njall's reinstatement and even then she'd stuck to the wall and had only interacted whenever she needed to.
At Nat's question, Rory glanced over to "Po" and smiled softly. "She's doing alright. A couple of tha tadfoals don't seem ta be developin' as quickly as they should, but that's nothin' strange." On the contrary, she'd seen it in nature pretty often. Sometimes the nutrients just weren't there.
"Ah'd certainly be happy ta take care of that wellness check. One less fer ya ta worry about, yeah?" This was easy. It was part of her job, after all. Her job was the one aspect of her life she could knock out like a champ. It was her personal life that seriously was just... beating her ass into the ground.
Nat laughed and nodded. Between Tony's woes, moving, and all the pregnancy aches and pains lately, keeping things from her worry list was definitely a priority. "That, and if there's really something else going on with her, all my years of experience aren't seeing it. Leaving that up to the real experts." She gestured toward Rory. She loved her creatures, but she wasn't sure she'd be as fond of them if she had the side of the job that the healers did.
She started to make idle small talk while they waited, but it ended up being unnecessary, as the handlers arrived with the injured creature and got her situated in the second tank. Nat stayed seated as long as she could, letting them do their jobs while she rested, but as soon as they'd gone, she somehow mustered up the energy to stand. A sharp pain went through her back as she did it, and she hissed, pausing with a hand there to let it pass. She really couldn't win; standing and sitting both had their own disadvantages.
"See, just there?" Nat said as she approached the tank, pointing to the fin in question. "She's been holding it like that since she sprained it, but what I don't understand is—" A loud screeching noise cut her off, and for a moment she looked around in confusion, thinking it was a creature of some sort. It was only when the room's door swung closed on its own and there was a subtle shift in the feeling of the air that she realized it was something else: the building emergency wards. It had been six or seven years since she'd seen them be triggered like this. She pulled out her phone, looking for the telltale blast message that would tell them what had happened...but there was nothing. She looked up at Rory in confusion. "Did you get a text?"
Honestly, Rory thought it was kind of nice, being able to just sit and talk to someone else who didn't really know about her own issues. She knew people talked, especially around the Reserve, but there were still people who didn't pay much attention to things like that. Nat, it seemed, was one of those kinds of people. She seemed genuinely kind, which Rory could relate to. Seeing someone who didn't let life beat them down when it could, it gave her a sort of new hope that maybe things really could be different. After all, from what she understood, the baby Nat was carrying was Njall's, and they weren't even together. But they got along, which was a good example to pull from.
As she listened to Nat explain what was wrong with the Kelpie, the sharp sound that tore through the room and the slamming of the doors had the Being in question surfacing. Normally brown eyes transformed into smoke and steel, the same image that Njall had seen at the Masquerade, and her skin flashed that moonglow pale for a moment, slightly illuminated as if from underneath her skin. Her hands were pressed against her ears as she tried to understand what the hell was happening.
Reaching for her phone, Rory looked down at it, then back up to Nat and shook her head. "Nothing! What tha hell is goin' on?" She'd never experienced this before. Sure, she'd been here for only a short time, but this? This was brand spanking new. And she didn't like it at all. It was loud, it was irritating, and Rory wanted out. Problem was, she wasn't about to leave Nat. She didn't really want to leave the animals, either, but Nat was the main concern.
Looking over at the other woman, she winced at the sound still railing through her senses. "Are ya alright ta apparate?" Being one of the Healers here had its perks, including special apparating privileges. Maybe she could apparate the three of them out of here and come back for the animals. At least, she certainly hoped she could.
Nat frowned at the healer even as the sound continued to reverberate through the area, setting her teeth on edge. She wished she'd started counting when it had started so that she'd know when it was going to be over, because it seemed to start at her head and send aches all the way down her. Then again, that had been pretty much her permanent state of being the last week, so it was hard to tell the difference. "It's the emergency wards. Something must have happened," she said, loud enough to be audible over the noise. "It should stop in a—" The sound ceased, and she smiled, though only briefly. "We should have gotten a text alerting us to the reason, though."
She held up her phone and only frowned at the sight of NO SERVICE at the top of the screen. It wasn't entirely unheard of that signals could drop out here in the middle of nowhere, but it was strange that she also couldn't get any WiFi. Looking up at Rory's question, she considered for a moment before answering. "Last time this happened, one of the snallygasters had slipped restraints on transport and ended up dive-bombing the administration building, but it only lasted for a few minutes." She glanced down at her belly. "I'd probably better stay here for a few, or at least until we get the all-clear signal. Once the texts start coming through, anyway. I'm not exactly adept at quick containment spells right now...or dodging. But don't worry about me, if you need to go check on things. This room is probably the best place for me to be stuck right now. Just come back for me, if it's clear?"
Rory wasn't comfortable leaving Nat. Even if she hadn't been pregnant, she wouldn't have felt comfortable leaving anyone behind, but especially not in her condition. She wasn't leaving one person behind, let alone two. But... Nat seemed insistent that Rory find out what was going on, so she begrudgingly agreed.
Closing her eyes, the Being focused on where she needed to be and tried to apparate—
Only to open her eyes and find herself still standing in the same room with Nat, the Kelpie, and the Hippocampus. What in the hell?...
Nat watched as Rory went to apparate—or at least thought that was what was happening, but since the healer was still standing in front of her.... "Did you just—?" She looked around, as if that was going to give her some answers. "Not to sound paranoid, but this is a little scary. Aren't healers supposed to pretty much have carte blanche around here? And if you can't apparate...."
Her back seized up again, and she pressed her fingertips into the spot, wincing a little when it didn't ease as quickly as the last time. Obviously Zarya wanted her off her feet again. She leaned against the tank, waiting for the pain to pass. "Ouch, man, sorry. No one told me I'd have six weeks of aches and pains with this whole pregnancy thing." She laughed a little, though her back still twinged, if not quite so bad as it had a few seconds ago. Her expression sobered as she refocused on the situation in which they had found themselves. "This might be stupid, but maybe we should try the door?" She walked over to it, albeit with an awkward gait, and tried the handle. It turned, but the door wouldn't budge. She sighed. "It was worth a try. I'm not sure what this means. I've never heard of an anti-apparition lockdown that affected healers."
Rory blinked as she tried to figure out what the hell just happened. This wasn't right. None of this was right. How was she supposed to help Nat if she couldn't even help herself? "I cain't—I don't undahstand," she breathed, looking back at Nat with wide (thankfully, normal) eyes. "There's no reason I shouldn't be able ta pop right outta here. What in tha Sam Hill is goin' on?" Yes, Nat had just asked the same question, but Rory was so damned confused that she piggy-backed it without thinking about it. After all, Nat had been here longer, certainly she must have some idea.
The other woman's reactions to the pain within her body, the way she moved, the little twitches... oh no. Rory wasn't a stranger to this. Sure, she saw it mostly in animals time and time again, but she'd seen a woman in labor before. Early signs were always—this was so bad.
"Nat," she started, carefully, as if anything other than a gentle tone would only push things faster along. The blonde knew that was stupid, but her luck was bad enough. She certainly didn't want to be the reason a mother and daughter were in a bad situation. "Nat, how much longer until tha baby's due?"
Because it was looking more and more like Rory was about to be the one wrist deep in blood and baby. This might very well be the most important thing she'd ever done in her life and it was not something that could be even remotely fucked up. She'd never forgive herself.
Nat had been about to sit back down again and attempt to find a comfortable position when the other's question made her look up. "End of the month," she said with a smile. "Which is both really far away and really soon, somehow. I think the baby shower yesterday really drive it home just how soon it's going to be, though."
Rory shook her head slowly and ran a hand through her platinum locks. End of the month. Yeah… she was fairly certain that wasn’t about to be what was happening here. “I uh… I don’t really wanna alarm ya, honey, but... how long have ya been hurtin’ like ya are now? And about long between hurtin’s is passin’?” She needed to be sure before she said anything, but Rory was pretty certain that “the end of the month” was about to be a lot sooner than Nat thought it was going to be.
Nat perched on the end of the chair, looking for that elusive comfortable position and finding one that would do for now. She waved a hand at Rory's question. "Couple of weeks now. My healer is probably sick of all the questions I keep sending his way. I had no idea what all is going on in there these last six weeks, but let me tell you, it's not all that fun." Nat laughed. She probably wouldn't have elaborated that much, except Rory was a healer— and what else were they going to do until the wards were lifted but chat? "Why? You look...I don't know, concerned, I guess." It was only at that statement that it occurred to her that Rory did look concerned, and it made her heart beat just a little faster.
A couple of weeks. Okay, that sounded normal. Maybe Rory was just overreacting. Maybe she was slightly freaking out at being trapped in a room so soon after the whole thing at the Masquerade and she was just thinking of the worst possible scenarios that could happen. Nat’s baby wasn’t coming today. She was wrong. And in this case, she was very, very happy about being wrong.
Taking a breath and nodding slowly, she took a seat and looked around, as if physically willing the room to hold its current shape and size and not close in on her. “Nevermind. I just had a thought. All good. Sorry.” Yeah, way to go there, Healer Brynn. Freak out the mama to be just weeks before her due date. Awesome bedside manner, Job McBangUp.
"It's okay," Nat said with a smile, relief already soothing her momentary spike of alarm. "You aren't the first person in my life to be a little worried when they saw me grimacing. You should see my brother's face." Her little laugh at that was amused, but clearly fond. "Besides, you're on awareness mode right now, right? Being healer on call and all? Totally understandable."
She tried to settle back in the chair. "Might as well get my little friend's wellness check done while we're here, right? Maybe by the time we're done, this quarantine will have passed."
Rory and Nat - Monday, August 5, 2019 | 12:43 am
Except, it hadn't passed.
The makeshift pillows they had conjured had made the area a little more comfortable, and Nat had managed to take a short nap, or several short naps, while they waited. She was trying very hard not to panic, and to not appear overly alarmed in case Rory was also struggling with that emotion, but it was becoming more and more difficult: because those pains she was having also hadn't passed.
She hadn't said anything about that, either, trying to convince herself that it was just one more stage in the process, like Healer Jackson had told her...but that was before the pain ran all the way from her back across her side and stomach in a wave so forceful that it nearly knocked the breath out of her. She cried out and curled around her belly, squeezing her eyes shut and willing it to pass...which it did, but not as quickly as the ones before it.
"Oh god," Nat said, sitting up and looking over at the other witch, one hand still resting protectively over Zarya. "That one was...I'm not sure…." She bit her lip and breathed for a second, trying not to tear up.
Awareness mode. Yeah, okay, Rory could go with that. It sounded better than what it really was. Hell, maybe it was even a part of it. But just for that little bit of faith right there, Rory was thankful to the other woman. When she chuckled at the way she talked about her brother, it was genuine and created an ease within her that had her settling a little quicker.
"You settle in fer a bit. We may be here awhile. Ah'll take care of tha wellness check. Ah'm sure yer little Kelpie will be alright. If not, Ah'll get her that way in a jiffy."
While she made sure Nat was comfortable and the Kelpie was alright, Rory let herself focus on her job for the next few hours, intermittently making sure Nat was either sleeping or feeling okay. It was easy to keep going when she was in automatic. When it was nothing but work related issues taking over her thoughts and she could tackle it pragmatically. One issue at a time.
Which was what she did. One issue at a time. Like the Kelpie's wellness check. The Hippocampus' eggs. The Hippocampus. Nat. In that order.
Right up until the other woman doubled over and let out a strangled cry that had Rory spinning around from her place at the tank in alarm.
Immediately, the Being was at Nat's side, reaching out to try to help steady her. "What tha hell? Are you alright?" Whatever the hell that was, it hadn't sounded like it was any kind of fantastic. No. It sounded painful. Rory was well aware that "painful" and "pregnant" didn't tend to be symapatico.
Her thoughts drifted back to earlier when she was pretty sure that Nat's baby was going to be making an early arrival, like it or not. Had she actually been right? "Tell me what ya need."
"I...I don't know," Nat said, after she managed to successfully push back the tears, even if her thundering heart was still in her ears. She wanted to keep telling herself that she was a paranoid first-time mom, but this pain had been different. "I think...I think that was a contraction. Oh god." She pressed her hands into her face. "We're stuck here, and I might be in labor, and why won't the phones work?"
She pressed on the screen of hers, as if that would make it do something different than it had for the last several hours. She'd made herself set it aside so that she wouldn't run the battery down, but now she typed out a message to Tony and Njall: Please go through please go through please go through
MESSAGE NOT SENT
Nat cursed and pressed the heel of her hand to her eyes, phone still clutched in her fingers as she felt a few tears escape.
A contraction. Because wasn't that always the way it went? Rory was seriously starting to think she was bad luck to those around her. Even the ones she didn't know well at all. But at least this was something she was trained in.
Sort of.
"Okay... okay, this is okay." If Nat was freaking out that meant that she had to step up and keep her head on straight. She had to be the professional here and, for Nat, she could do that. Babies were important, after all. And this baby (and her mother) in particular because they were important to Njall.
Swallowing back the fear that she was seriously going to fuck this up, Rory mentally squared her shoulders and bent down to look Nat in the face. "Nat, I need ya ta trust me. Can ya do that? Because if this baby is determined ta say hello to tha world tonight, then Ah'm all ya got."
Rory was pretty sure that wasn't a good thing, but she wasn't about to tell Nat that. Not when she had enough to worry about. All Rory wanted Nat thinking about was when to push if the time came down to it.
Nat really, really wanted to panic. She could feel it building in every muscle, in the way that her chest was thudding and her hands were shaking and her eyes were streaming. Her daughter might be coming, and she might be coming today, and she was stuck in a room with only one other person. She looked up as Rory moved down to her level, meeting the other woman's eyes. One other person who was a healer. Maybe not a human healer, but she wasn't a stranger to biological functions, at least. That was better than being with another keeper or—god, alone.
She nodded and was trying to find the words to answer that statement when the pain rolled across her again. She clenched her teeth and did her best to ride it out and not imagine that it was worse than before. Probably it wasn't, actually, but the realization of what was happening was making it seem worse. When it was over, she said again started to answer Rory, but instead what came out was a teary, "She's too early."
Rory nodded, watching Nat go through another contraction. She felt for the other woman. To go through that pain and not be able to get rid of it. Not be able to remove yourself from it. She'd tried with Thorne and she'd gotten fuck all for her toubles. She wasn't about to try her little trick on Nat.
"Ya know, ya nevah told me what y'all were namin' her." It was trivial, but it was something to try to make her think. Make her focus. Try to answer questions and maybe she could get her through this a little easier. "I bet it's somethin' pretty, ain't it?" Just get her talking. Get her talking and focusing.
Even as she did that, she was remembering that Njall was a cross breed. A Being like herself. Except he was... what was it? A Selkie. And Selkie's gave birth in the water. Water births were normal for even the No-Majs so being here could be a blessing in disguise.
Immediately, while trying to keep her talking, Rory was moving to where the blankets were kept and pulling one before heading to the tank. When she came back, she was soaked, but she'd done what she needed to do. "Nat, Ah need ya ta walk with me, okay? We're gonna go to tha tank with yer Kelpie in it an' we're gonna get ya settled on tha blanket." The blanket she'd set up like a hammock so that Nat didn't have to worry about keeping herself afloat.
"Zarya," Nat answered, managing a little smile at that. She could see what Rory was doing, but she didn't resist the distraction; it was exactly what she needed to get her out of her worries. "Zarya Strand. Because Wyrzykowski-Strand is way too much of a mouthful for anyone, and Njall's been a godsend, even if neither of us planned this." Even if she was shy about sharing those personal details—which she wasn't—it would have been fairly obvious that their relationship was rather unconventional, considering she was living with her ex and his husband. "Zarya was the name of a water priestess in Slavic myths. It seemed—"
She broke off, realizing both from the conversation and from the way Rory was working in the tank that if she was going to be giving birth here, and without Healer Jackson, there were things that Rory needed to know. Of course the healer knew about Njall; the issues with his healer's license had been so public that she doubted anyone in Snowcap didn't know. Very few, though, knew about her and Tony. "You should know," she said, following the other witch across the room, "that it's not just Njall." Nat paused next to the tank, leaning against its side. "I'm half-Naiad. We think. Best guess without actually knowing who my parents are." She bit her lip. "I had some complications early on, because I guess there's some biological conflict between freshwater and saltwater...I don't know. My healer managed to get things evened out with potions, and he seemed to think it was more related to my body than to hers, but we don't really know. She might...we just need to be ready."
Nat couldn't say any more than that, because to consider complications at this stage was to send herself into an emotional spiral that she probably couldn't afford right now. She eyed the tank a bit skeptically, not because she doubted its purpose, but because she hadn't considered it happening alongside her clumsy kelpie. It was a good thing her phone was already waterproofed for work, because she wasn't letting it go now, even if it wasn't actually working.
She grabbed for the edge to climb over the tank wall when another contraction hit her, and she did her best to breathe through it—until her phone notifications sounded, and broke her concentration. She nearly dropped it in her excitement, looked up at Rory with wide eyes, and then started slowly typing texts as the pain began to fade again.
"Yeah, I can see why yah'd go with just Strand. Could ya imagine tha little sweetheart tryin' ta say her own name as a toddlah? It'd be a load of laughs, though, wouldn't it?" She grinned, still obviously trying to keep Nat as calm as possible. "Ah cain't say I know him as well as most people here, but he's been a gem ta me. An' Ah can thank of worse thangs than gettin' along with yer ex, yeah?" Much worse.
She'd made certain the blanket was sanitized before she ever fastened it to the tank, but the Kelpie had posed a problem until she remembered that sticking charm her daddy taught her when she was young. It was harmless and left whoever or whatever it was used on stuck in one place until it was lifted. Which had been perfect for their needs.
When Nat started to speak again, Rory listened, taking in the information that the baby that was coming was definitely a water being who was going to have a little trouble with water. That was okay. She was smart, damn it. She could figure this out if the time to figure it out came. She was a damn healer and she had this shit. Plain and simple. There was no other choice.
"Okay, so yer a total watah nymph. I can see it. It's tha eyes." She smirked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. If Nat thought she was going to shock her with that bit of information, she was probably sorely disappointed. To be honest, Rory never cared who was what. Only that they treated people with respect and fairly. Though, knowing this now was a good thing and that was probably the only reason Nat was even telling her. Hell, maybe she'd get lucky and she'd get to birth a mermaid instead of a seal. Who knew? Either way, tonight was gonna be one for the books.
Rory had always had pretty quick reflexes growing up. Lucky that, really, because when a contraction hit while Nat was trying to crawl into the hammock in the tank, Rory was right there to help stabilize her as she clutched her phone to her chest. "Yeah... keep a hold on that, huh? We'll need to know when we're good ta call fer help an' get outta here. Thank you can do that through all tha screamin'? Might make 'em come get us fastah, yeah?" Just try to keep her amused. That was at the forefront of Rory's mind as she tried to get her situated.
"We're gonna hafta take these off," she pointed out, referencing her bottoms. It was an obvious thing, but when someone was in pain the obvious didn't quite register. Rory was careful as she removed them, accioing and sanitizing another blanket so that Nat wouldn't be more uncomfortable than she already was. "Okay... now it's just a waitin' game, yeah? We sit here an' ya squeeze mah hand an' cuss at me until Ah wanna cry an' tha pain passes. It'll be fun. An' then we'll be gettin' cussed at in baby bah yer little angel."
Dear God, what the fuck was she doing?
Nat was only barely conscious of Rory's presence for a few minutes as she exchanged messages with Njall and Tony. Somehow, seeing that Tony was as freaked out as her and reading Njall's calming, businesslike statements was just what she needed. It was only when another contraction ran through her body that she finally locked the screen again and followed her impromptu healer's instructions and prompting.
The water didn't faze her; even before she'd known what she was, it had been more than natural to spend as much time as possible in it. Would it be like that for Zarya? Was bringing her into the world like this exactly how it was meant to be? Half undressing didn't bother her, either. She wasn't particularly body shy, and this was a necessity if she was going to meet her daughter.
It was the waiting that bothered her.
"Maybe I'll save the hand squeezing for the really hard parts?" Nat suggested with a grateful smile at the other witch. It still entirely surreal that this was happening, but she had to attempt to pull herself together for Zarya's sake. "Everything I've read says this can take hours. Ugh, hours. Maybe they can get the wards fixed before—"
Another contraction. She rode it out with gritted teeth and then unlocked her phone again. "I'm texting my healer, security, and everybody."
Rory chuckled softly as Nat recounted what she'd read. Rory herself knew that animal births could take hours, but she'd never actually been present at a human baby's birth before. She thought that her first one would be the twins when Laura went into labor, but apparently life had other plans. Her first real life birth of a screaming baby person would be with Natalia Wyrzykowski in this exam room with a Hippocampus and a Kelpie as witnesses.
The thought that life could be funny passed through her mind. As well as something her gramma always said when she was younger.
Interesting that it would be now that Rory thought of the statement. "Life is tough, my darling, but so are you." She'd lived by it for so long that as she sat there with Nat, soaking wet from sitting on the side of the tank and getting ready to help her birth her daughter she wondered when she'd forgotten it.
When she'd forgotten the girl she used to be and how that reconciled with the woman she'd become.
The honest answer was that it didn't... and Rory was honestly a little disappointed in herself. She was better than the person she'd been lately. It had apparently taken being in a situation like this to knock some sense into her. Surprising that it wasn't an actual physical knock. Small blessings, she supposed.
Her contraction broke her out of her reverie and brought her completely back to the situation at hand. Nat was having her baby. Zarya. And Rory was going to make this whole situation her bitch.
Rory and Nat - Monday, August 5, 2019 | 6:37 am am
Okay, this was real. The last several hours had had their share of pain, but it was nothing compared to this. This was the real work of birthing a baby. Nat squeezed Rory's hand and shouted through yet another push, the pressure almost more than she could bear. She was dripping in sweat, half-immersed in water or not, and was once again positive that she couldn't possibly do that again—just as she had been for every push since that second one.
When her breathing evened out a little bit again, despite the continuance of that pressure, she looked over at the door. Still nothing from outside. "How much longer, did you think?" She looked at Rory, brow creased in concentration. She sneaked a peek at her phone, but there was nothing in her chat about the ward progress yet. "I don't want Njall to miss her, but they haven't said anything since security managed to get into the build—GAH!"
Between the squeezing of Nat's hand on her own and using the other to try to keep things under control. Finally, she'd had to pull her hand away and tell Nat to grip the side of the tank. She'd had to put the same sticking charm she used on the Kelpie earlier on Nat's legs to bind her feet to the side of the tank on either side of her to keep her from trying to double over and close them with the contractions. It wasn't easy and it wasn't the most ideal situation, but it was the best one for the moment.
Through every contraction and push, Rory talked. She pushed Nat to keep going. Told her she was strong, that she just had to keep going. That she could do it because when she was done, her daughter was going to be here. "It shouldn't be much longah, Nat. Yer doin' fine, honey. Give me anothah good push. You can do it." It took a moment, but as she reminded Nat to breathe through it, she grinned widely. "Well would ya look at that. Zarya's crownin', Mama. Won't be long now at all. Tha hardest part's comin'."
Crowning. Shit. Well, that explained all the pressure and pain. For once it was for something that actually sounded like progress. It sounded like her daughter was almost here. If Nat hadn't already been crying on and off from pain and sheer exhaustion, she would have started at that moment. She had a moment to breathe, though, between contractions, and so she rested her head back into the water and her hands trailing to the sides, unconsciously sending little jets of water winding through the tank. She tried to use those moments to force herself to focus, to think of all the things her baby book had said about what was going to happen right now...but really, all she could remember was that every stage took far longer than the movies made it seem, and that it was all painful.
Which was why she wasn't entirely surprised when her expectations of seeing Zarya within a few minutes of Rory's pronouncement were completely disappointed. There apparently was a big difference between seeing the baby's head and it actually emerging, and that difference was half a dozen hellish contractions, each broken up by several minutes of feeling like she was on fire and couldn't possibly go any farther.
Once things came to the shoulders, she'd stopped trying to predict when this was going to be over and screamed instead.
Rory, Nat, ZARYA!, Njall, Tony - Monday, August 5, 2019 | 7:11 am
It was a little after 7:00 Monday morning that Zarya Strand fought her way screaming into the world around her. Rory pulled her gently from her mother's body as Nat made that final push and, with just as many tears streaming down her own face as Nat and the baby's, Rory laughed and found Nat's eyes. "Well, Mama, you have a beautiful baby girl," she laughed. It didn't take long to clean her off and see to the aftercare of both baby and mother as well as she could before the commotion coming through the door told them they had company.
"Daddy's here," she chuckled, moving to pass the small bundle into Nat's arms and keep everything secure. She was soaked—water, sweat, and blood—but it was all worth it. Seeing mother and daughter right at the point of contact, it was something Rory was never going to forget.
The hours between getting to Snowcap, getting cleared to even step foot on the Reserve—despite having to resort to yelling his credentials at the idiots trying to keep him—and then waiting to even get into Medical itself were interminable. Njall had felt every single torturous second. Having Felix by his side for every one of those inhumane seconds had helped a little, but not being with Nat while she was going through this was killing him. It was another second that he wasn't there for Nat. That he wasn't there for Zarya.
But even when they got inside the building, there was still the wards keeping them locked inside the treatment room to contend with. Hearing Nat's pained cries turning to screams made him profoundly wish that his Being parent had been the kind that could have given him strength enough to break down the doors or the walls so he could just fucking be inside. By some miracle, he wasn't yelling at security as they worked on getting the doors open, but he did keep Felix's hand in a vice grip.
Finally, as Nat was giving a wail that tore at his heart, the wards dropped. Njall yanked open the doors, utterly ignoring the cries of caution around him, and tore into the room. There was no time for spells, there was just getting to Nat and Rory, to snatch up Nat's hand the instant before his daughter was born. That tiny, angry cry after she came out of the water was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard.
He glanced up at Rory through his tears as she settled Zarya into her mother's arms, and beamed at his child's deliverer. "Daddy was already here. God, Nat," he turned to look back down at them, "she's beautiful."
Nat wasn't aware of much in those last moments, but she felt it when Njall entered the room. The door opening, the sound of voices outside, the tingle of heavy amounts of magic in the air—all of it blended far into the background behind her pain and exhaustion and fear, but he did not. She'd felt that affinity before, but never had it cut through her senses so sharply. It didn't stop her from screaming, but at least she had a hand to attempt to break during that last push.
She was so out of it that the moments after were a blur until suddenly Rory was depositing a squalling baby into her arms that Nat could barely see because her eyes were so full of tears. She released Njall's hand just long enough to rest hers on Rory's arm briefly, and then both of her arms were occupied with holding her tiny daughter against her chest.
"She's so small," Nat said with a watery laugh that was her main response to Njall's comment. "And red. And wrinkly. And beautiful." She ran a finger across the wet cheek, a hand over that oddly-shaped head, cupped the itty-bitty bottom in her palm. She glanced over at Njall, who felt far too distant for this moment, despite being within arm's reach. "I need to get out of the tank."
Rory’s laugh was as watery as the tank, more than likely. Still, this wasn’t her moment. This was all Njall and Nat. Smiling at the picture they made, she looked over to Felix and gave him a nod before she turned to make her way towards the bathroom to try to clean up. There was still a lot to do here and someone had to stay to do it.
From somewhere behind him, Nat heard the distinctive voice of Healer Jackson say, "I'd like to get Mom and baby to Laramie as soon as possible. From those screams, I'd venture to say that breathing isn't an issue, but we want to take every precaution." He stepped up and clapped a hand on Njall's shoulder. "Congratulations, you two. You did great, Nat."
"I couldn't have done it without Ror—" She glanced around, but the other healer was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes were quickly back on her daughter as she finished, "Rory."
Despite the fact that she was a month early, and Nat's healer was definitely acting as the voice of reason in this scenario, Njall wasn't worried. He had been just a few seconds ago. He'd been practically out of his mind with it. But now he felt an oddly giddy sort of calm suffuse his mind as he crouched down to get an arm around Nat's shoulders to help her up. Pressing a kiss to her still damp temple, he got her to her feet—which actually went far more smoothly than he expected—and out of the tank.
That arm stayed around her as Healer Jackson performed a simple diagnostic spell. The results didn't matter to him, because Njall knew she was all right. Ten each of the necessary bits and a tiny face that was still scrunched up against this new world with all the requisite features were good enough for him for the moment. Felix put a blanket he'd just conjured into Njall's hand, and he draped it across Nat's shoulder and over his daughter with a shaking hand. "You were amazing," Njall told her quietly, even as he reached back for Felix's hand. "Look at what we made!"
Getting out of the improvised hammock had seemed like a precarious thing, except that the water around them was nearly a solid thing, giving Nat purchase where she hadn't expected to find any. She looked down at Zarya in amazement. Was this her doing? It seemed ridiculous, and yet….
Soon enough she was in Njall's arms with a fresh blanket around her, which she tugged to cover her the best she could. Being half naked didn't bother her so much, but she could tell from Felix's averted eyes that there was plenty that the crowd that had gathered didn't care to see. She'd gotten the baby tucked against her chest, mostly skin to skin, because that's what she'd gleaned was best from her brief time of internet research during those long hours of waiting between contractions. She couldn't stop running her hands over her, checking every inch of her daughter for the issues she already knew weren't there. She'd have been able to sense it; she was sure of it.
Nat flashed him another smile, sinking further against his side. Her legs were shaky, at best, and she knew this little second wind wasn't going to last long. "I'll be even more amazing when I have a bed," she joked, then bent to kiss the fuzzy hair on the top of Zarya's head.
Listening to Nat screaming from outside the door without being able to do anything had just about broken Tony, and for the first little while after the wards had come down and they'd finally been able to see that his twin was all right and the birth was over, he hadn't been able to do a thing but lean against the wall to combat his jellylegs and try not to sob too loudly. He didn't want to scare the baby, after all. Or Nat.
He finally managed to make his way across the room, though his eyes were still wet and his whole body felt wrung out from all the panicking he'd been doing all night, and peer over Njall's shoulder to get his first real look at Zarya. She was the tiniest person he'd ever seen in his life, and the wrinkliest, and her little face was all scrunched up and red, and he promptly burst into tears again because she was perfect.
Healer Jackson stepped away for a moment, but when he came back, it was with what looked like an old piece of rope, of the sort that would have been a dog toy or marking off some exhibit at a museum. "Alright, everyone gather around. I think we'll be able to manage this small group." He pointed to Nat, Njall, and Tony, then turned toward the other spectators. "The rest of you should head to Laramie Healing Hospital. Maybe be a few before they'll let you back with us, but you'll see little Zarya soon enough, I expect. Right now we need to get her checked out and eating her first meal."
He held out the rope, and Nat wrapped one arm a little tighter around her daughter before reaching out to touch the emergency portkey. Another few seconds for the others to join in, and they were off, leaving the room quiet in their wake.
Rory and Thorne - Monday, August 5, 2019 | 7:20 am
Time ceased to have any meaning for Thorne and had after about 3:00 AM. He'd showed up at Medical shortly after getting Cate's texts and found himself witnessing wards collapsing in on themselves. Multiple lines began to merge into one, creating a bunch of nonsense. It wasn't until after 1:00 AM and several much needed Red Bulls courtesy of Cate that Thorne had been able to open up the wards enough to allow for cell service and had come to the terrible realization that he'd have to almost totally strip the wards down completely to get into the building and where the pregnant chick was. It was several hours after that, plus more Red Bull and enough Pepper-Up to get a lazy troll doing a jig, when Thorne got all anxious parties into the building followed by the quarantined rooms.
Needlessly to say, Thorne was in desperate need of a nap. And possibly a change of clothes. He'd sweat through his t-shirt and flannel overshirt. There were singe marks on his jeans from where he'd miscalculated some of the runes. "Please, for all that is holy, someone tell me there is another Red Bull and I didn't drink the last of them." So there was a slight tremor in his wand hand, but that wasn't important now.
It had been a shock when she caught herself in the bathroom mirror. At some point in the whole span of insanity she'd been through tonight, Rory's hair had returned to its natural color. The cornsilk was obvious, even with it wet, and she couldn't help the smile that crossed her features at the sight of it. Maybe things were looking up.
It wasn't until she made her way back out to the main area in order to unstick the Kelpie that she realized more people had come in with Njall, Felix, and Healer Jackson. And who one of those people was. She'd find out later that the natural color she'd been happy to get back didn't last long upon seeing him.
He looked more than worse for wear and, unless she was seeing things—highly possible with how long she'd been awake and working—there was a tremble in his hand. What the hell was he doing asking for Red Bull?
Instead of getting him the energy drink, she moved to where her bag was and pulled out two bottles of water. They, along with the pair of extra scrubs that she gave a quick magical alter to, were set on the desk next to him with a small smile and nod. "It ain't Red Bull but ya look like ya need it," she stated, her voice soft and undemanding.
Now that Nat was out of the tank and being taken care of, Rory focused on undoing her sticking charm. It took a moment, but soon the clumsy Kelpie Nat brought in earlier was moving around and not in the best of moods. "Sorry about that, girl. Had to keep both of ya from gettin' hurt, yeah?" she crooned up at the animal.
He was asking for a Red Bull because he was tired as hell, but according to the emails and texts that were currently blowing up his phone, he wasn't going to have the chance to go back home for a proper sleep or even a nap. So he was improvising. Still, he took the bottle of water and the scrubs with a silent nod of thanks.
Since the door was closed Thorne gave a little shrug and quickly changed out of his dirty and sweat-soaked clothes. He probably could have used a scourgify on himself, but he wasn't that desperate. Cleaning spells always left him feeling a little off. Like his skin was one size too tight He didn't know how else to explain it. The water bottle was half-gone in one long drink. It did enough to soothe his throat, but it did little to cool him down.
"Is it hot in here, or is it just me?"
She hadn't expected him to say anything to her, and honestly, it might not even be her that he was talking to, (had it been anyone else who uttered that sentence, she may have even cracked a joke.) but she turned at the sound of his voice anyway.
Even cleaned up a little and in fresh scrubs he didn't look great. She could only imagine the crap he'd been through tonight if all the wards had been messing up like this one had.
She didn't make sudden movements, she didn't react sharply, Rory simply made her way over to him. "Ah'm... Ah'm not gonna do anythang," she started as she rose her hand, "Ah'm just gonna feel yer forehead, okay?" The back of her hand touched his head just as she told him she was and found that his skin was warm. Not excessively so, but still. "Yer a little warm. Can ya make it ovah ta Jackson? He may be a bit busy but Healah Santiago might be in."
She wasn't about to suggest Njall. Not with the sweet little bundle of joy that just arrived.
She stepped into his space before he could say something and Thorne couldn't do anything except close his eyes and try (and fail) to ignore how her scent filled his nose. Carrot cake and coffee. Rory didn't smell like either, but just like both those things, he would happily enjoy them if given the chance.
"I'm fine. Just warm. Like you said." Thorne stepped away and downed the rest of the water. "No need to bother the healers." Especially since he didn't know either well and he hadn't been given a reason to trust them. If he could just get somewhere there was a bed. Or a flat surface. He could cat-nap until he was summoned again. In the meantime, Thorne needed some more water. Rather than take Rory's, he refilled his bottle from his wand before casting a cooling charm on the bottle and on his borrowed scrubs. It solved the immediate problem of being too warm. Of course, what he really needed was caffeine or sleep.
Feeling something wet on his face, Thorne reached up to touch it. When he looked down at his fingers, they came away tacky with bright red blood. "Shit." His vision swam.
When he'd stepped away from her, Rory straightened her shoulders and nodded, turning to start cleaning up everything and noting what needed to be replaced. She tried not to leave things worse off than she found them and, for the most part, she did a good job of it.
"Ah'm sure ya are," she countered, not turning to look at him as she spoke, but instead continuing her busy work, "but if it gets worse, please go see someone. No one wants you hurt." At least, no one worth a damn. Still, she knew how stubborn he could be and just because she asked didn't mean he would.
It was difficult, forcing herself not to turn around and look at him. Not to ask him to just forgive her and be her friend again. And, honestly, even feeling that way made her feel a little pathetic. Didn't change the fact that it was still hard to accomplish. But accomplish she did. She could at least feel proud of herself for that, couldn't she? Baby steps and all that.
She was doing a good job keeping busy right up until he cursed. When she turned to see what the problem was and noted the blood, Rory grabbed the chair at the desk and turned it to him while grabbing the box of Kleenex and pulling some out.
"Here. Sit down, tilt yer head back. Slow. Last thang we need is you blackin' out." Her tone was even, betraying no trace of any kind of emotion. None of what had been plastered all over her face when Zarya was born was evident now. She was gentle, but there was a detachment there. Until she could get a handle on this crap there needed to be.
"Tilting my head back is just going to have the blood going down the back of my throat." Which wouldn't necessarily hurt him, all things considered. "Going to need some cotton soaked in essence of dittany and possibly a blood replenishing potion." He'd been through this scenario or ones similar to it enough times that he knew what was required better than any healer, creature or otherwise.
Sitting down as instructed, Thorne watched as blood dripped from his face onto the floor. Someone should probably clean that up. It was a health hazard. He picked up his wand to cast a cleaning spell, but the small spots of blood only grew larger. Thorne tried again with the same exact results.
"Fuck. We're maybe going to have to upgrade the dittany concentration."
"Bettah down yer throat than all ovah yer face an' tha floor," she stated, noting how when he tried to clean up the blood there it did nothing but expand it. Her brow furrowed as she tried to piece together what the hell was going on and came up with nothing.
Magic all around had been wonky but she'd found she rarely had any trouble with it. As she puled open the cabinet where they kept a supply of Dittany just in case, she found that it was one of the things that needed to be replaced.
Wasn't that just peachy?
Sighing, she moved to him and cast her own cleaning spell to clean up what was there. For her it seemed to work, except for the fact that he was still bleeding. "Okay," she started, carefully, "if you'll let me, Ah'll walk ya down to tha Healahs. We'll see if there's someone you'll work with ta fix this. I know yer tired but ya still gotta take care of yerself, sugah."
She held her hand out to him, letting him make the decision this time.
"I can walk just fine." He really hated pity or feeling like he needed to rely on anyone else. Pushing himself up into a standing position, it felt like a sudden chill came over him, but it did nothing to cool his flushed skin. Blinking owlishly, Thorne tried to put the pieces of his fucked up body puzzle together, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. "On second thought…." Thorne trailed off as his eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled to the floor.
Since arriving with Tony and Cate, Kent had stayed off to one side, not wanting to intrude in the little family pastiche that had unfolded. While Nat was being whisked away, Kent indicated that he would follow shortly, since he knew firsthand that—although they meant well, by and large—too many friends and family at someone's bedside was stress enough. And besides, it fell within the realm of his responsibilities as much as Rory to check in on their creature charges since the goddamn wards were finally down. This is why he'd been quietly off to one side doing diagnostic on the two current patients while Thorne and Rory had some kind of private discussion.
Their backs were turned, and he couldn't hear anything from where he stood, but he saw it the second that Thorne started to wobble. He was already moving as the other man began to make his floorward movement, and caught him from behind before he made it all the way down. Even from this awkward angle, he could see Thorne's pale skin and the blood that was dribbling down his face. "Jesus fuck," Kent muttered as he hoisted him more upright. "How long has he been like this?"
Rory felt something in her snap. "Fer fuck's sake, Thorne, learn ta accept help when ya n—Fuckin' hell!" She was quick to move to catch him but Kent was there quicker than she could blink.
It was somewhat of a surprise as she'd thought he'd followed Cate and Tony out with Nat, but apparently not. Trying to keep from being distracted by Thorne apparently was a distraction on its own. Go figure.
"He came in wantin' a Red Bull. I figured that's why his hand was tremblin'. Tha nosebleed didn't start till just a minute ago," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I was lookin' ta see if we had Dittany an' told him Ah'd get him down ta medical an' then this."
She knew he had to be tired, could see it in him when he walked in. Seeing Kent struggle with the position, she was quick to cast a levitation charm on Thorne, hoping like hell Kent didn't tell him. The last time her, Thorne, and magic had been involved hadn't been great, after all. "Ya want me ta take him so you can go be with Cate an' Tony?"
Kent's lips pressed together tightly as he looked grimly down at Thorne again. Despite the assistance from the spell that Rory had cast, he still kept the man close. It was almost like there was a part of his brain that didn't quite believe the exchange he and Thorne had had over a month ago had actually been resolved between him and Rory. Kent had no idea where they stood with one another, but had been observant enough on some level during this latest interaction to believe that it still wasn't necessarily in a good place. His arm tightened a little around Thorne's chest, but not so much so to affect his breathing in anyway. "I'm fine," he said flatly, "but we need to get him to an exam room."
He wouldn't have been wrong if he'd asked about it out loud. And Rory wouldn't have lied to him. She kept a reasonably space between herself and the two men, just in case, and nodded in agreement at his assessment.
The walk to medical, to an actual exam room for people instead of animals, didn't take long. But once they'd gotten there, Rory wasn't sure where she should be.
No, that was false. She should be back in the exam room with the Kelpie and Hippocampus. That was where her expertise was. It wasn't here, with healing people and with dealing with all...this.
She didn't like the fact that she'd realized she needed to be better but that she didn't seem to be able to pull herself away from the situation just yet. Then again, she didn't know what Kent's deal was either. She thought he'd want to be with Cate and Tony, but she hadn't missed how off he'd been the last couple of days.
In the exam room, she hung back, letting Kent take the lead where Thorne was concerned. If he woke up and found Kent there it would probably be a better reaction than seeing her hovering like she wanted to. Still, she'd let Kent know that if he needed her help with something, just to tell her, as she pulled open the cabinets and removed the Dittany.
Thorne came too just as he was put on one of the same tables, his face a perfect mix of confusion and exhaustion. His nose still tickled and when he rubbed at it, his fingers once again came back bloody. "Oh no, body," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He licked his fingers clean and considered the taste for a moment. "Blood should taste like iron and maybe a little salty, but it doesn't. At least not to me."
He blinked up at Kent Brightstar and wondered when the man appeared. Or how he had gotten into an exam room. "I wonder what you taste like. Different bloods have different tastes, you know. Of course, I'm not supposed to know that either…." His nose twitched in irritation again and Thorne reached up to wipe it against his arm, leaving a bloody trail. "But I do and now I can't get the taste of Rory out of my mouth."
"I taste like spite and bitterness," Kent posited dryly with barely a glance at Rory at that last little knowledge bomb. "I'm sure Rory tastes better than me. But how about we keep those thought words inside your head, instead of out in the world where I can't, y'know, unhear them." As soon as Rory got that dittany ready, he pressed it to Thorne's nose, showing perhaps a bit more care than anyone probably thought him capable of showing to another person (outside of his Two).
"So you taste like bitter chocolate?" Thorne's words were distorted, thanks to the bits of cotton stuffed up his nose, but it was clotting the bleeding that his body couldn't stop on its own. "That's probably not a good thing to think about. Wanting blood should be monstrous, but here I am." He shrugged. Even with the bleeding stopping he was still feeling a bit lightheaded and woozy. Too much energy had been expended and he didn't have anything to bolster it up. "Can I get another Red Bull?"
"You're not getting another fucking Red Bull," Kent snapped. "You're getting some goddamned sleep." His eyes went up to Rory. "That goes for you, too. How long have you been awake?"
She was honestly surprised that Kent even thought about it, honestly. She'd been awake for a good bit, but when she looked at the clock in the room she realized just how long.
At least 30 hours. Maybe more.
Still, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in amusement at his demand. At least he cared enough to say something. And in her current state, what came out of her mouth really should be forgiven. But the amused "Yes, Daddy," was meant in jest.
Still, when she moved closer to the examination table, her eyes went soft as she looked down at Thorne. "Yer not a monstah. An' yer not monstrous. What happened was mah fault at tha masquerade, not yers. I know ya probably already know that, but still." She at least needed to say it. "Ya weren't a monstah then an' yer not a monstah now. But Kent's right. Ya do need sleep."
If things were different between them, she may have reached out and brushed his hair back, or touched his shoulder. But she kept her hands to herself. Instead, she gave him another small, soft smile, before turning to look at the chair in the corner of the room.
"Ah'll take a nap ovah there. That way if somethin' happens I can call ya. Really, though... you should go be with them. Ah've got thangs covahed here. An' they probably need you." If it was her in the same situation, she'd want the person she loved there. That extra bit of support went a long way. "An' thank you. Fer helpin', I mean. Ah'll get that one anothah watah an' settle in."
Perhaps it was his own lack of sleep from the night before, but Kent couldn't really help the little nostril flair that accompanied a sharp intake of breath when Rory dropped that little phrase. Fuck everything for his stupid responses. Color bled into his face at the same time as heat, and he tried to combat that by crossing his arms. It was a painfully obvious defensive gesture, but not one that Kent felt like fighting against. "Fuck that. You're sleeping in your office, and I'm sticking around medical. I will fucking dose both your asses with sleeping draughts if you argue."
"You're girlfriend is nicer than you are." Thorne scowled at Brightstar. "She gave Red Bulls when I needed them. And you have to check the dosages with the sleeping draughts because they sometimes do funny things with my other potions." He screwed up his face in not terribly deep thought. "Or maybe not. Everythings been really ass backwards lately. Fuck. Why is it so hard to think?"
Rory chanced a glance behind her as Thorne spoke and shook her head slowly in amusement. Looking back at Kent, she sighed and turned to go straight to the chair she'd told him she was going to be occupying. "Ah can sleep just fine right here an' I won't say a word. Do what ya thank ya need to." There wasn't a confrontational tone to be found in her voice. She was tired, and yes, it showed in her tone, but it was what it was. Healers, human or animal, often kept strange hours. This wasn't the first time and she was pretty certain it wouldn't be the last.
"Ya know where ta find me if ya need me."
"The fact that Cate is nicer than me is a universally accepted constant. Just like me being right about you needing to sleep and avoiding any more stimulants for the time being. I'm not having you have yet another cardiac event while I'm around." Kent conjured a couple of blankets and tossed one in Rory's direction before settling the other around Thorne. "Sleep," he directed, and then lower, and to himself alone, "and maybe sort out your shit after you wake up."
Thorne blew the man a raspberry. "I've been sorting out my shit for twenty-three years and look where it's gotten me."
From her place in her chair in the corner of the room, Rory pulled the blanket over her arms and shook her head again. The only thought that crossed her mind was how had these two not ended up burning down Snowcap yet?