Re: Thurs, 4/18 - Nat and Njall
"Hi," Nat said when Njall entered the room on Thursday afternoon. Without even giving him a chance to return the greeting, she continued, "No news. Nothing. How can they have done so many diagnostic spells and tests and research and not have anything to tell me?" Her brow furrowed with frustration, and her voice was tinged with barely-tempered annoyance.
His face mirrored hers for a moment, but he never broke stride. He carried two cups of tea--Nat's favorite--and offered one to her. "Unleaded," Njall clarified, just in case she thought he might have forgotten or just wasn't considering things. "Can I let you in on a little professional secret, shared the world over on both side of the equation? About half of all medical work is a giant guessing game. The other half is just bluster and pride."
"Oh, that makes me feel much better." Nat reached for the cup, and one sniff was enough to release much of the tension in her face, like a switch being flipped. "But you know the way to a pregnant girl's heart, so you're forgiven this time." She took a slow sip, careful not to burn her tongue, and sighed happily. "This is a nice change from plain old water. Thank you."
He smiled at her and took a second to conjure a chair for her. "I would've been here sooner, but I stopped and gave some new samples. Fortunately, y'know, magic." He tipped his steaming cup at her in mock salute. "Tepid hot tea is a crime against humanity. I think there might be conventions against it."
There was just the hint of tightness around the edges of his mouth. All of these innocuous words were now heavy with meaning. With mockery. 'Humanity.' He'd been blase about giving the various things for testing, but Njall knew what that really meant. He was on record now. An official record. It was likely on a matter of time before Officials came to chat. But he wasn't about to hide, to be a coward when this could be affecting his daughter.
Nat's expression softened further at his mention of samples. God knew she'd given more than enough herself today, despite the lack of results, but she hadn't expected...well, she did keep underestimating him, didn't she? "I think I might even take tepid tea right now, but my standards for good food and drink are pretty low right now."
The chair looked incredibly inviting compared to the bed where she'd been stuck for the last thirty-plus hours. She set her cup on the tray table, pushed back the covers, and carefully swung herself around, reaching for Njall's arm for balance as she got to her feet. She closed her eyes against the way the room seemed to bend and squeeze unnaturally, waiting to reestablish her equilibrium. "Sorry...." Another breath, and she found the edge of the chair and sank into it. Her hand lingered on his arm just long enough to make sure she was stable, then dropped away. "I should have expected that."