Embry Fischer (midwifery) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2020-03-15 15:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, * jeanne, * terri, c: embry fischer, c: gideon fischer |
WHO: Clementine Fischer (NPC) & Embry Marshall. Brief appearance by Gideon Fischer
WHEN: June 2012
WHERE: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
SUMMARY: Embry is in need of a friend, and receives some motherly comfort.
WARNINGS: Mentions of emotional manipulation/abuse and cheating.
Clementine Fischer was exceedingly proud of all her children. There were no qualifiers to that statement, no exceptions. Gideon and Margot were both well on their way to becoming doctors, and Gavin… well, Gavin wasn't yet a teenager, but he was creeping closer to that mark every day, and Clemetine saw grand things in his future, too. She was happier, however, that Gideon and Margot were both doing their residencies in Philadelphia, which was a much more manageable drive for visits than had been their medical school up in Boston. Not that she wanted or needed to check up on her adult children every weekend, but… once every few months surely wouldn't go amiss. Which was what brought her here, to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, sitting at a table with a hot coffee (the lid still off so it could cool) and a kindle in front of her. (The latter had been a gift from Gideon the previous Christmas, and while she might have still held a preference for physical books, Clementine had to admit that it was much easier to carry a kindle around, instead.) Flicking the screen to turn the page, she cast a wary glance at her coffee, but the steam coming off it said that it was still much too hot to even bother trying just yet. -- Though Embry had always dreamed of moving beyond the borders of her sleepy, small town, she had not anticipated how lonely that could be...not when it wasn’t supposed to be lonely. She had some friends from classes, but like everywhere that she went, Embry found herself on the outside the moment that people seemed to realize she was smarter and younger. She didn’t know if it was because they were intimidated or if they just...didn’t have the time to spare for her. If she was honest with herself, Embry was heartsick. She wanted to go home, really, but that...wasn’t possible. She was taking one class for the summer session between semesters, hoping to take that much more off of her plate. Peter didn’t have the same concern, and things with him had been...more difficult recently than she wanted to admit out loud. She felt like she was failing. Embry wasn’t used to failing things. When their relationship was good, it felt really good, but right now it just felt as though she was desperately trying to hold the two of them together and she couldn’t tell if that was what he wanted too or not. He was spending too much time out with other girls, and she wasn’t just being insecure. He was allowed to have friends, but when she’d called him out on his behavior, he’d just blamed her. She wasn’t giving him what he needed. She was driving him crazy. I love you. Is that what you want me to say? Fine. I love you. Now will you leave me the fuck alone? It was not what she had wanted him to say. Not like that. They were drawing close to their last year in the program and he was stressed. She knew that he was. It was just...a rough patch that they were going to get through. It had to be because she couldn’t fail at this. Her wavy, dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and it swished across her shoulders as she walked through the cafeteria, tray in her hands. She’d worked the better part of a double shift and she was far too hungry to find food anywhere else. She...didn’t really want to go home. Embry glanced a little nervously at all the tables, each of them occupied with at least one person - some two or three in a group chatting - and it felt like she was back in grade school, not sure who to sit with because she’d just skipped another grade and had no friends at her new school where she was...pint-sized amongst much bigger fishes. No face in that crowd was familiar, and Embry stopped there uncertainly. Her brows were drawn a little as she looked around to see where she might fit herself in inconspicuously or maybe...maybe she’d just take that tray out of the cafeteria altogether and find a quiet room away from the bustle to eat. -- Though she was due to meet Gideon here, Clementine was also... perpetually early, so she wasn't really looking at her watch or keeping track of time to see if he might be late. Besides which, if he was, he almost certainly had a very good medical reason why it had happened. So when she glanced up to look around and spotted a younger intern- that was the correct term, she thought- looking somewhat lost, Clementine raised her hand to give a little wave. "Looking for somewhere to sit?" she called over. "There are plenty of chairs here," a gesture at the three empty chairs at her own table. -- Embry caught sight of that wave and the following offer to join her. She flushed a little, embarrassed that she’d been spotted looking like a kicked puppy. Rather than further cause any sort of scene or draw any attention, she...took the offer. “Thank you,” she told the older woman, who seemed to just be waiting for a cup of coffee to cool, a Kindle in hand, “I won’t be long. I just...wanted something to eat before I left.” She probably didn’t need to tell her that...to make excuses. In an attempt to be respectful of her space, Embry sat on the opposite side of the rectangular table rather than dropping into the chair right next to her. -- Clementine had closed the cover on her kindle, then turning it over for good measure. If she was going to invite a stranger over to sit with her, she wasn't going to ignore them, too. (Baltimore may not have been quite southern enough for such an attitude to qualify as southern hospitality, but she wouldn't argue the point.) "Take your time," she insisted, pulling over the little container on the table that held coffee creamers and sweeteners, starting to prepare her drink. "My son isn't here yet, as you can see, and I don't mind a bit of company. My name is Clementine." -- Her tray was piled with breakfast foods - eggs, french toast sticks, breakfast potatoes, sausage, fruit and yogurt - along with some juice and a cup of coffee. She had barely eaten any dinner the night before, and had agreed - when they were short staffed - to extend her shift though that wasn’t something they normally asked the nurses to do. She had noted that the older woman put aside her Kindle, but didn’t think much of it as she fixed up her coffee. She glanced up, a bite of eggs in her mouth, when Clementine continued, introducing herself. Managing to pull a small smile to her lips, she wondered if maybe her son was a patient in for some procedure or if it was something else. She was all too aware of her own Virginian accent when she spoke up again, “I just got off a double shift. I’m a nurse here.” She paused a moment before adding, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Clementine. I’m Embry.” -- "A double shift!" Clementine echoed, with some sort of awe or... almost remorse, perhaps? "No wonder you're so hungry, dear." That, however, wasn't said with a single bit of judgement. Even if Clementine only had a cup of coffee in front of her, if this girl- Embry- had been working for... what, twenty-four hours? She needed to eat. "From all I've heard, nurses are the real power in places like this," she offered with a little smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Embry. What a delightful name. I've not heard it before." -- Even though she had already revealed that she had a son somewhere in this hospital, Embry couldn’t help but smile because this woman definitely sounded like a mother. It made her miss her own mom terribly, especially given everything she’d been going through recently, “I snacked a little, but...we were really busy.” “People ask me all the time why I didn’t go to med school instead of getting my nurses degree, but I have my sights set on being a midwife.” She had perked up a little when Clementine acknowledged the importance of the nurses. Embry decided that sitting with Clementine really was a better idea than going to find some dark hallway to eat her breakfast, “I rarely meet anyone with my name. My whole family is based around patterns of names. We all have the same initials, and mom wanted something a little...less common than the likes of Elizabeth or Emily.” -- "Jobs like these are always busy. You still need to take time for yourself." And maybe Clementine wasn't really in a place to offer advice to a stranger, but... call it mother's intuition. She smiled when Embry mentioned midwifery. "I have three children, myself. Of course, it was a... different time, when they were born." Well, two of them, anyway. "Everything was very by-the-book. Very sanitized and austere." -- “I like being busy...but I get that. I still have to take care of myself,” she agreed, eating another bite of the food she had piled onto her plate. Embry didn’t really mind her advice because it was the truth. Of course, Embry didn’t have any children. She supposed she was old enough to have them, but...maybe one day, when she was more settled into her career, “I didn’t know it was what I wanted to do until I was locked in an elevator with a patient and delivered a baby before I’d even been here a week. It...was what got me to declare my Masters focus.” She shook her head softly with a small shrug, “I don’t have any kids myself, but I like the idea of doing something that’s supportive and empowering to women during what is otherwise a very vulnerable time.” -- "You take care of yourself so you can take care of others." "An elevator!" Clementine's eyes widened. "My goodness. I can only imagine how grateful that mother was to have you there with her. What a day that must have been!" Clementine nodded after a sip of her coffee, a smile on her lips. "That's a very admirable goal, Embry. Whether you have children or not, I'm sure there can... never be enough kindness or support during times like those." -- She laughed a little and admitted, “I think we were both nervous wrecks, really. She was grateful, but it was quite the experience.” It was also what she had been immediately known for here in the hospital, and while she didn’t necessarily want to outrun that legacy, she also had grown and learned a lot since then. Embry didn’t really know why she was opening up so much to Clementine, but maybe she’d just...needed someone to talk to. Even if they weren’t discussing her problems, it was helpful to have the distraction. It made her feel...a little less hollow inside, “It’s just as important as helping when someone is sick, I think.” She paused a moment before she asked, “Are your children mostly grown?” If her son was a patient here, he would have to be young enough to be admitted. -- "Absolutely. My mother had me under twilight sleep. By the time I was pregnant, I could only imagine in horror what that experience must have been like, for her. Hopefully the generations will only get more lucky and… accepting to women and mothers, as time goes on." "Two out of three," Clementine added, with a fond smile. "My oldest are 30 and 29, but my youngest is just 12." She was aware, of course, that such a gap in ages was more than a little unusual. -- Embry had read articles and heard stories about twilight sleep, and she knew that it was...traumatic and inhumane. She already had a good idea about some of the choices she would make for herself should she ever have kids, but she didn’t know if that would ever come to pass, “Things have changed drastically over the last few generations. I expect it will continue to improve.” Her eldest children were nearly a decade older than Embry herself, as she had just turned twenty-one. She showed no shock over the gap between their ages, and it really wasn’t her business to question or judge it. She was obviously very happy and proud of her children, “Hopefully you’ve got at least one girl. Not that anything is wrong with having all boys, of course, but I always tease my three brothers that they need me in their lives to help balance them out.” It was more difficult for Embry to judge accents here, whereas hers was very clearly more southern, so she asked, “Are you from Philly?” -- "My daughter is the middle child. The boys are the bookends." Clementine smiled. "Three against one, though? That's an awful lot of balancing out. You had your work set for you." A shake of her head. "No, Baltimore. But my eldest two live here, so I make the trip every few months just to check in." -- Embry still wasn't certain if she should assume the youngest was a patient or if she was in town visiting her eldest children. If she was visiting them here, they had to work here, and maybe that meant she knew them. It was a giant hospital, so probably not, "I absolutely did. I'm number three. I love my brothers, though. I kind of enjoy being the only girl." Embry didn't really want to pry, but she did feel like it was only natural to ask, "Does one of them work here, then? I could go check to page them for you?" -- "They both do," Clementine replied. "Doctors- residents? They're in their residencies, but they're already doctors- I think that's the right way to classify things, but forgive me if I've gotten the… terminology wrong. No need to page him," she added. "He's only running a few minutes late, and I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason." -- There were an abundance of doctors - residents - in this hospital. It would have been nearly impossible to pinpoint which ones they were. She didn't even think she had realized there were any sibling doctors working in the hospital. She smiled and shook her head softly, "That terminology sounds correct." Embry ate another bite or two of her food, "You must be very proud of them. It's nice that you come visit." The last time she had seen her family, it was because she had gone home over a break, and that had been months ago now. Peter had begged off for the trip, saying that he needed to catch up on things for school, and Embry had taken the trip alone. It wasn't that her parents didn't care enough to visit, and she knew that. Everyone just had…busy lives, and she and Peter didn't really have the space in their apartment to let anyone stay with them. Even if they did, he was…highly against that. -- "Oh, I am," she agreed, easily, a smile settling on her features. A pause, then, and a careful question that followed. "Do… you not get similar visits here, from your own family?" -- She sopped up a little syrup with her french toast stick, but didn’t bring it up to her mouth, managing a small smile, “We talk a lot? When I have breaks, I go back home as much as I can, but they don’t come here often. The apartment I have with my boyfriend is small, and he...is really stressed over school, and having study space. The last time they did come visit, it was expensive to stay for a few days. We all got into really good colleges, and while scholarships covered a big portion of it, they tried to help us out where they could, too. I don’t blame them for...relying more on video chat to catch up. It’s just over three hours away, so if anything got dire...we could work something out.” -- There was… something about that smile. It seemed slightly off, perhaps. But, then again, Clementine had only just met this young woman, so perhaps she had no real place to draw judgement. So, instead, she offered a very simple, "Well, if you ever need a stand-in for mom hugs, I daresay I'm rather good at them, and I already have an established visit here every few months." -- Of course, there would never be a replacement for Embry’s actual mother - and she didn’t want there to be - but when this woman that she barely knew offered to...add her so easily into those visits and give her that physical comfort that she so desperately needed, it took everything Embry had in her to not just weep openly into her breakfast food. Tears did well in her eyes, and she tried to blink them back. One managed to slip down her cheek and she brushed it hastily away, her chest feeling uncomfortably tight, “That...would be really lovely, Clementine. Thank you.” -- Clementine wouldn't remark on the tears. It wasn't her place. But she just offered another kind smile, then reached a hand across the table for Embry to take, if she wished. "You're very welcome, Embry. It's no trouble for me at all. You seem like a delightful young woman." -- She was astounded by the kindness of this woman who was little more than a stranger. She had grown up around what was considered southern hospitality, but sometimes it wasn’t really all that hospitable. She did reach out and take Clementine’s offered hand because...she needed it. She needed a kind touch. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and managed a small, almost watery laugh, “Thanks, I...it’s been a rough few weeks.” That wasn’t really any detail, but she pressed her lips together and admitted, “I kept thinking about how much I just wanted my mom, but I...don’t have time to go home, and I didn’t want to ask her to drop everything to come here.” -- She didn't know Embry's mother. Honestly, she barely knew Embry. So while Clementine didn't want to assume or assign values to a stranger, it… somehow still felt safe to say, "If she's half the woman she raised you to be, I'd wager she'd be here in a heartbeat, if you asked. But until then, you've got me." -- She nodded a little and assured her, “She would. I know that she would. I just...feel like I should be able to handle it on my own. Maybe that’s the curse of being a young adult.” Maybe she would look back on this when she was older and realize she should have made a different choice, but...the main problem was that she didn’t know how to talk to her mother about her problems without giving away her own failures. She didn’t know that she would understand...and if she were honest, there was a part of her that was afraid her mother would confirm her fears in relation to Peter. She just...needed to try harder. “Next time you’re in town...breakfast is on me,” she promised, not knowing how long that Clementine would be around this particular visit, and she was already taking up enough of her time. -- Clementine laughed a bit, though she was nodding her head in agreement. "It is. You're just young enough to know everything, but not yet old enough to know nothing. My son was… twenty-three, I think, before he finally admitted that, yes, he still needed his mom around. And his childhood teddy bear, Mr Wiggles." -- She shook her head with a small smile on her lips, “I’m twenty-one, and I fully admit that I still need my mom, more often than I’ll actually ask for her.” She knew that probably sounded strange...her sitting here in her nurses scrubs, talking about her Masters degree while most people her age hadn’t even finished undergrad school yet. “Did he come around looking for Mr. Wiggles when he was twenty-three? What wisdom did he impart in adulthood?” She raised a brow curiously, though it wasn’t a judgement. She wondered back to her own childhood bear, Ellie, and still knew just exactly where she was back at her parents house. -- If Clementine did the math and saw anything unusual in Embry's age and her earlier professed educational levels, she didn't mention it aloud. She had no reason to doubt either one, after all. "Oh, no, I had to remind him that Mr Wiggles had always been who he told his troubles to, when he couldn't figure out how to say them to me or his father. Needless to say, there was a bear-shaped box on its way to Boston the very next day." -- She smiled a little, happy that Clementine was sharing this with her. Embry liked family stories, even if it wasn't her family, "I'm sure when he got that package, it gave him a smile." What his problem had been at the time, she didn't know, but maybe it had given him some clarity and nostalgic comfort. "Maybe I'll bring my Ellie back with me next time I visit home," she mused, though it would be something she would have to tuck away. Peter would think it childish. -- "Unless I'm mistaken, Mr Wiggles still lives in his locker, here at the hospital. In case of emergencies." Clementine smiled again. Her eldest son might have been thirty years old, but that didn't exempt him from having feelings. "I'm sure Ellie would quite enjoy being reunited. Goodness, Toy Story movies have ruined us in that way, haven't they?" -- The idea that there was a doctor here in the hospital that still had his childhood bear tucked away in his locker made Embry smile. Such a man certainly couldn't be fragile in his own masculinity. Not that anyone in a children's hospital would be one to judge, most likely, "I'm sure Mr Wiggles is there, and ready to report for duty should the need arise." She smiled a little easier this time and nodded, "Absolutely. Now I'm thinking of her being lonely, and how happy she'd be to have a space here again instead of in my old room at home. Being around kids here all the time, I keep on the up and up with kids movies. And…I just really love Disney." -- "It's certainly a good excuse to keep up with them," Clementine offered, with a smile. "My two eldest had the excuse of a much younger brother, at first, but now working here they've kept up with such things for that reason, too. What is your favorite of the Disney movies?" -- "I think of the more classic animations, Beauty and the Beast has always been a favorite of mine. With the newer style coming out, I've really enjoyed Tangled," Embry mused, though it wasn't to say that she didn't absolutely love many of the others. She couldn't even count the number of times she had seen 101 Dalmatians growing up, "Do you have a favorite?" -- "I have a soft spot for The Little Mermaid, since that's the first one I took my eldest to, in the theaters. It was released on his eighth birthday, and he must have watched that VHS every weekend for a year or so, once we got it. Though when I was growing up, my favorite was absolutely The Aristocats. There's a reason I had three children, after all." This was added playfully, all the same. -- She smiled as Clementine explained her favorites, "Those are really good ones. I watched both of them a lot growing up. I think I went on a month-long binge once where I watched nothing but The Aristocats. I would just rewind it when it was over and start again. Now that I'm older, I appreciate the play on words," Embry admitted, though she finally went back to finishing her breakfast, "I think a Disney movie day will have to be in order soon." -- "Well, here," setting her coffee aside, Clementine turned just to rummage for something in her purse beside her. She pulled out a small notepad, flipped to a blank page, and then wrote her first name and phone number. "Call or text me when you're starting it off, and we can watch the same ones." She handed the paper across to Embry with a smile. -- Though she hadn’t really intended her plan to watch to mean Clementine should do the same, she still found herself both humbled and delighted that this woman who barely knew her was not only willing to make time to give her some motherly affection during her visits, but was now offering to keep in contact with her outside of that, as well. With a genuine smile and a small nod, Embry took up that piece of paper and folded it carefully, tucking it into her pocket, “I will. When I retrieve my phone from my locker in a little bit, I’ll text you so you have my number.” The promise was easy enough to make, “Next time you’re in town, just let me know and we’ll find a time that works well for brunch or something?” -- "I look forward to it," Clementine replied, happily. ~~ It had been a long day for Gideon, but he had finally made his escape- perhaps some fifteen minutes later than he'd been scheduled to meet his mother. So he'd walked a faster clip down the hallways toward the cafeteria, then scanning over the busy room to seek out a familiar face. Oddly, he found two. Stepping up to his mother's table, Gideon stopped at her side and leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. "Hey, mom. Sorry I'm late." A glance across to Nurse Marshall, and a small smile. "But I see you've made a friend." Clementine had leaned her cheek into the expected kiss, then nodded, "I have. Embry's a good one, Gideon. Have you met?" -- She hadn’t really been paying attention when Dr Gideon Fischer walked over to the table, and pressed a kiss to Clementine’s cheek. That...well, it certainly made one thing very clear. She did know who her son was. Her first several months at CHOP, Embry had nursed a ridiculous, all-consuming crush on this man. Then, she had met Peter. Her crush had been shelved, though she still thought he was incredibly attractive. “We have,” Embry assured her with a small nod, smiling carefully between the both of them, “Clementine was generous enough to share her table and company. You’ve got an amazing mom, Gideon.” -- His mom had always been the sort of person who could strike up a conversation with a stranger. It was something that had embarrassed the hell out of him as a kid, but now he didn't mind it quite so much. It wasn't something he'd necessarily inherited, no, but he wouldn't dream of changing it about her. "She likes to do that," Gideon offered with a faint smile. "But, yeah, I do." -- She felt full now, finished with her breakfast even though a few bites did remain on her tray. Embry smiled to Clementine, and then lifted her gaze to Gideon, “I do have a very serious inquiry for you.” With a small glance between them, she finally let her gaze settle on Gideon’s, “Is there any chance I can meet Mr Wiggles?” She was not, in fact, making fun of him. She was genuinely curious now about what he looked like, and if Gideon actually kept him here. -- The words serious inquiry had put him in the mindset of something medical, so when Embry instead asked about his childhood teddy bear, Gideon just sighed and cast a wary glance down at his mother. But he looked back to Embry, and gave a faint shake of his head. "I will thank you not to talk in disrespect of the rare and dignified Mr Wiggles." -- Embry shook her head a little, “Oh, no disrespect intended. He sounds amazing. Mine is Ellie. She’s a Warrior Princess,” she elaborated, concluding that she might even need to have her mother send Ellie to her before her next visit. Maybe that was just exactly what she needed to gain a little perspective. -- |