InsaneJournal

all good things must come to an end
Who: Lee Scoresby and Hester
When: Backdated to just days after the snow had gone
Where: Clinic then out
What: Lee sneezes the good life good-bye.
Rating/status: G/finished.

Many new residents hated New York City and many other residents hated the snow -- but for Lee and Hester, there was no such hatred to be felt for these two.

In fact, those few days that had snowed and blizzard had been the best days of Lee’s stay so far. No one could blame him and Hester, and no one should fault either of them for reliving a little of their childhood days either. After a thick storm, Lee and Hester would run out to the snow, the hare always giving chase to the other who would keep shouting to her, “Come on, Hester! You ought to hop faster than that!!”

“I’m trying, dammit, I’m trying!!”

They loved the fine crystals under their feet and paws, the burst of the wind and the thin air that made them always feel like they were hiking a grand mountain.

“The next time, Hester, it ain’t gonna be this damn easy!”

“Watch out!!”

It was a game Hester liked to play. When Lee was tired, she would make one great hop and attempt to kick him down if he didn’t catch her in time or plop into the snow in front of him. Anyway, Lee was not getting any younger -- so the chances of him falling down were pretty good, and he enjoyed it. He and Hester would often laugh on the snow with either of them catching their breath, Hester burying her cold nose to his warm coat while he wrapped his hands around her slender back.

But as with all good things, they had to come to an end.

While Lee waited for the doctor’s prescription in his clinic, the pile of tissue in the trash can was growing and there was no end in sight for his sneezing. The place wasn’t making it any better either -- it was stuffy, cluttered and there was a strange smell to it, something that smelt like only doctors like him would understand it. Hester was on his lap under his hat, face buried on his thigh, ears flopped and the only comfort she (and Lee) could find was on the hand that was on her back.

The doctor came back soon after with a couple of pills and his note. On his shoulder was a slender red-furred rodent who knowingly climbed down his arm when he returned to his desk.

“Looks like a lotta pills to take, doc.”

“That’s what tends to happen when you play in the snow,” the heavy man said as he laid out the tiny vials before Lee who took one up and read the name. “That’s your antibiotics. These are your decongestants and these are your vitamin C supplements. Take the first two twice a day, breakfast and dinner. Vitamin C can be taken anytime of the day, once a day.”

“And how much is this going to cost me?” Lee asked before he sniffed. He had to be honest about his concerns, after all, and given his state of health, there was no saying if he could get back to work anytime within the week. He replaced the antibiotics in the table and picked up the one with vitamin C. He’d never had to take vitamin C in pills before in his life.

The doctor was making computations in his clunky piece of calculating machine before he spun the whole thing round and showed Lee a number which almost made him swallow down his entire voice box. With the bills and the oil for his balloon coming in next week, there was no way he could pay for the amount in whole.

The dilemma was clear on his face as he ran his hand through the lower of his face, his brows wrinkled as he thought of what was in front of him. “...don’t suppose there’s any way you could make this easier on an old man like me?”

“Well,” the doctor cleared his throat, “you could leave the vitamin C. Vitamin C, you find that in oranges, pineapples, guavas, green peppers, brussels...or just go with the tea remedy.”

“Can do that, Sir,” Lee said obediently. “So, how much does that leave me?”

The new amount was only slightly better than the previous one and still had Lee running his hand down his oily white locks. He thought for a while or at least tried to look like it. He didn’t need to wonder, he really couldn’t even try and afford it even if he wanted to.

Lee sniffed. “What’s more important between ‘em, Sir?”

The doctor reached for the vitamin C and decongestant pills and slid them out of sight, leaving the vial of antibiotics for Lee to pick up and read the packaging. “Eat a lot of onions and drink a lot of soup.”

“Will do, Sir,” Lee said as he pocketed the vial. “And how much does that leave me?”

The fee was still a little bit pricey for his pocket but it was the best that he could walk away with. He carried Hester even while he was already in the streets of New York and he never put her down while she rested her head against his form.

“Well,” Lee began, “what do you make of this trip?”

Hester mumbled something to his coat before she looked up to him and attached her jaw to his side. “I don’t know how you expect me to answer that question, Lee. We lost money, and we’re losing it the longer we stay out of work, that’s all I make of this trip.”

“Least we get to sleep in and stay in bed,” Lee chuckled. “Wasn’t thinking of staying on, anyway.”

“Doesn’t give us more money.”

“Don’t suppose it does,” he sighed as he reached the corner and waited for the cars to pass. “Living in New York’s much more expensive than I ever dreamed of, Hester.”

“When are we going to fly again, Lee?”

Lee looked down to the drowsy hare he held.

“I miss the skies.”

“You and me both,” and saying it made him smile. There was nothing better in the world than knowing that someone else knew exactly how you felt, how bad or otherwise. And it made him feel warm in the inside, forget that he and Hester were both sick.

“One more job, Hester,” Lee assured her. “One last job, and we’re flyin’ out of here. Money ain’t gonna keep us away from Antarctica.”

“Fancy words.”

Lee only chuckled as he looked ahead of him. “Well, you’d better believe it.”