Evangeline Sablier is not broken, but please (handlewithcare) wrote in rooms, @ 2014-04-09 00:08:00 |
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Entry tags: | *log, evangeline sablier, luke henry |
Who: Evie and Luke
What: Talking before Wren gets back from her door
When: Before the switch - after Selina's surgery
Where: Luke and Wren's Vegas house
Evie didn't mind helping Luke and Wren out whenever they asked, and she was always available. It was no mystery that she'd been feeling more than a little lost over the past half a year, and it was no mystery that she was jumping at any opportunity to be helpful. Evie knew she could be co-dependent, she'd been to therapy for it, especially once Will was starting to get better for real. Evie knew that she needed to be needed, and while she wasn't keen to slip back into old habits that weren't always healthy - she knew that she was going to have to get it together one day - she was cutting herself some slack.
It was hard going from Will, who did need her, to Will and a baby who had no choice but to need her, to just a baby that was growing more and more independent every day. Of course Daisy needed Evie, but it wasn't quite the same as when Luke or Wren called. They were her only friends, really they were the only family she and Daisy had anymore. She knew that they would always be there for her, and she knew that when they didn't need her they still checked up on her - and took her phone calls - there was absolutely no harm in allowing them her time and energy. She couldn't think of anything better to do with it than be with them.
She was not good at being alone, and being alone with the baby all day wasn't easy either. She tried to make an effort to get outside and see the world, show her baby the world, but sometimes getting out of the house was easier said than done. Much easier said than done.
But days like today, when she knew her friends needed her, she had an extra spring in her step. A purpose outside of being a 26 year old widow with a baby under the age of one to worry about. Evie hated labels, but she knew she had them. She sometimes felt like they were written all over her for all the world to see.
But today was a better day, she was going to help Luke out on kid duty, and Daisy was crazy about Gus so it was a win-win situation. She arrived, Daisy on her hip, both ladies smiling widely to ease some of the tension she imagined Luke had to be feeling. Once they were all settled in the living room and Daisy was quarantined in the playpen Evie kept there (she was there a lot) and thus unable to crawl away and into something which was her MO. She hugged Luke tightly. "Feeling alright?" She asked looking him over seriously. "Thanks for having us over." And that was how she viewed it, she knew she was there for a reason, but the visit alone was a beautiful gift.
Luke was, to say the least, worried. He knew Wren was fine and he knew the threat of the bomb was gone, but he hated having to wait, hated not being able to see her for days on end. Life had been good to them lately, and Gus had become accustomed to having his parents around; it wasn’t like before, when barely a week could pass without Gotham taking them away for one crisis or another. The lull meant that Wren’s absence was sudden and the little boy was taking it hard, of course, though his questions had become fewer and fewer until he came home from school with nothing but hope in his eyes, waiting for the day his mother would be there waiting for him. Soon, Luke had promised. Once Selina was strong enough, she’d send Wren over. He knew she would. The hard part was waiting; he missed her terribly, and it was a constant ache day in and day out.
Though he’d asked for Evie’s help when when Wren returned, since she’d be on bedrest for weeks, he had to admit that having an extra pair of hands around with two kids, especially one being so young, would be helpful. He always felt a little guilty relying on others but he was trying to get past his obsession with doing everything himself. Gus liked Evie, and he liked Daisy, and having some familiar faces around couldn’t be a bad thing. Lia wasn’t taking to the formula so well, but he hadn’t had much of a choice considering Wren wasn’t around, and he’d dealt with hours upon hours of crying before she’d settled down.
Gus re-appeared from where he’d taken refuge in his bedroom with the dogs when Evie and Daisy arrived, and he settled down next to the playpen while Lia dozed in her baby chair. Luke managed a smile, albeit a tired one, and he accepted the hug gratefully. “I’m okay,” he shrugged, not wanting to complain. “I should be thanking you. I mean it. Thanks for coming, Evie.”
Evie gave him a telling, and slightly harassed look when he said he should be thanking her, “Luke,” she scolded lightly. “I need to help you as much as you guys need the help. It’s not a terrible thing to want to be distracted. And this helps. Lets just agree on doing each other mutual favors here.” She said reaching up and squeezing his arm. “Where should we start? Do we need to move anything to make things easier for her to get to?” she asked clearly ready to get things done. It was a good opportunity while all children were occupied.
He opened his mouth to protest, never having mastered the art of accepting help without expressing any sort of gratitude, but he closed it a moment later and said nothing instead. “Okay,” he agreed with a sheepish smile. “Mutual favors works.” In all honesty, Luke wasn’t sure where to start; he knew Wren would have to rest, he knew she’d have pain medication and that her stitches would need to be cleaned and treated properly, but that was it. “Maybe everything should be on the same floor?” he suggested, after a moment of thought. “So she won’t have to use the stairs. I think the less movement, the better. And we should make her comfortable. Blankets, pillows, the works.”
Evie raised her eyebrows as Luke opened his mouth and was about to open hers to stop him, but he seemed to have learned. For now. “Okay,” she said with a smile.
Evie hadn’t finished medical school, opting instead to deal with Will and his troubles, and deal with some of her own. But she liked to think she’d learned enough to try and be sensible about what had happened with Wren, and how best to help her. If anything she was happy to stick around just to fetch things once she got home. “Well stairs might not be the best, and rest is good, but she’ll need to get up and move around as best she can too. Especially if her body is recovering from surgery. She needs to get things moving again, and we don’t want blood clots. Or Pneumonia. Or anything weird,” having no idea what kind of procedure she’d had - Evie wasn’t keen on taking chances. She smiled while Luke worked a few things out and nodded. “Do you have groceries? I know a guy who will bring them over, he brings mine all the time,” of course hers were limited to anything she could stick in the microwave, but she was aware that other people ate real food that required actual cooking.
In Luke’s mind, rest meant Wren staying in bed for days and days until she was better. But his medical knowledge was poor, admittedly; he could stitch himself up (albeit messily) but that was about it. “How much is she supposed to move?” His brow furrowed in concern. “Selina had, uh, brain surgery, I think. They had to get something out. We’ll probably have to keep an eye on her stitches, make sure they don’t get infected.” He didn’t know what kind of effect it’d have on her body, though. As for things like blood clots and pneumonia, the very thought just made him worry even more than he already was, and he tried really, really hard not to panic right there in front of Evie. “But yeah, I definitely don’t want any of that stuff to happen.” He started to ask what she meant, because they’d never been able to afford anyone delivering their groceries, but he stopped himself before he could say as much. “Uh, no. I… we just go grocery shopping,” he shrugged.
“As much is comfortable,” she said looking at him curiously. “We don’t want her running any marathons, but she needs to keep her body moving every now and again. Just a ten minute walk around every few hours would be good, shorter times to start at first if she’s not feeling up to it.”
Evie put her hands on Luke’s shoulders and forced him to look at her rather firmly. “Luke, she’s going to be okay. Everything is going to be fine, we’re going to get her home, get her comfy, get her well fed, take her for walkies, and it’s going to be okay,” she wasn’t sure if he was seriously about to panic - but she knew a thing or two about fretting significant others. She spent a good portion of the last six years as one, and she had seen the look Luke had on his face on Will’s face more than once as well.
She chuckled a little sheepishly, and nodded, “I grocery shop too,” she said raising her eyebrows, “But sometimes I can’t carry everything myself, and Will used to do all the shopping before he died. I don’t know what to get at the store because I can’t cook. So sometimes I get a little help with dropping off the TV dinners. And I’m offering to extend that to you, because as much as I love you - and as much as I love food - I wouldn’t know the first thing about getting groceries for a real house with real people,” she said feeling a bit badly about the way it had come out - “I hope I didn’t sound like a snob. I just thought it would be one less thing you had to do,” she said chewing on the inside of her lip for a minute.
“Okay.” He accepted Evie’s estimation without question, assuming she knew what she was talking about. And there was no way Wren was being left alone, at least not at first; he was very, very grateful that he had people he could call on to help. “I just-- I don’t know, that guy from Marvel said rest and I thought that meant she was just supposed to stay in bed,” he explained sheepishly. “We’re lucky to have you around.
He was losing the battle to keep from panicking when she took hold of his shoulders, and he made himself breathe, in and out, and tried to focus on what Evie was saying. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I just keep thinking about how close it was, and I wasn’t even worried because of whatever happened in Gotham, and--” He took a breath. “I worry all the time. Everyone knows it. It’s like I have to make up for lost time.” But he was there, and Evie, and even though Jack had his own recovery to focus on he knew he’d be there to help if they needed him too. As for having their groceries delivered he shook his head, not wanting her to think he’d assumed she was trying to flaunt anything with her suggestion. “No, you didn’t sound like a snob. We’ve just never had our groceries delivered. Wren usually does it, or she tells me what to get. She does the cooking, too,” he admitted. “It would help. Really.” Surely he could swallow his pride, just this once.
Evie tilted her head slightly, and smiled warmly, “Luke, it’s okay to worry, but when things are rough - worrying doesn’t actually help. So worry a little, and then work on the solutions. Focus on those. Focus on those and fixing things, and getting to a good place. That will take your mind off the worrying.”
She nodded, “I’ll get the kitchen stocked, but you have to tell me what to buy. As much as I want to whisk all of you back to my place to recover, I’m pretty sure she’d want to be at home - and I can’t just feed you all poptarts constantly.” She said giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “We’re going to get all of this sorted, honey. I promise.”
Logically, Luke knew that worrying didn’t actually accomplish anything. That didn’t mean he knew how to stop, though, and he let out a long, carefully measured exhale. “Right. Okay.” He shook his head. “I worry too much, I know,” he admitted. “Everyone tells me I do.” But it wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Wren; if anything he’d just stress her out more. He had to stay calm and focus on helping her recover instead.
“I’ll make a list,” he offered. As for Wren wanting to be at home, he nodded; he was pretty sure she’d rather be here too, and admittedly he wanted her home too. Home was safe, home was familiar, and there were only good memories here. “I know. I know it’ll be okay.” He smiled. “Thanks again for being here, Evie.”