leonard mccoy (adoctordamnit) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-05-17 20:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, leonard mccoy, tessa |
Who: Tessa and McCoy
When: Some Lunchtime
Where: Irvine General
What: Lunch
Rating/Warnings: Low
Status: Complete
McCoy was in the ER, consulting with a patient who was going to have surgery within the hour. One of the other surgeons was doing the operation, as it was a fairly simple thing. He left the woman in the capable hands of his coworker, then headed back out toward the main hallway. He stopped when he saw Tessa, though, and took a couple steps in her direction.
“Well, howdy stranger.” He said, giving her a smile. He was in a pretty good mood after talking with his daughter before coming in to the hospital. “Working hard?”
Tessa had just brought in a patient, scrubbed up, and restocked the ambulance; and was getting ready to clock out for lunch when Dr. McCoy found her. “Hardly working,” she quipped, offering an amiable smile. They’d had some good talks, and he was always pleasant to work with. “Lunchtime. What about you?”
“The same. Just finished up a consultation, headed for the cafeteria. Care to join me?” McCoy asked, giving Tessa a small smile. She was one of the more interesting of his colleagues at the hospital. There were a few he would never consider asking to lunch.
“Sure. Might as well, if we’re both headed that way anyway.” She smiled. It was nice to have coworkers with whom one could be comfortable enough to build a friendship. “What’s on the menu today?”
“I’m not sure. But something smells good. Garlic-y. Maybe Italian?” He turned down the hall toward the elevator. The Cafeteria was down a level from where they were. “How have you been, Tessa? We haven’t caught up in a while. The dreams still confusing for you?”
“Mm. Italian is good.” Why, yes, she did have a weakness for pasta. The hospital cafeteria might not be the best fare, but it wasn’t always terrible. She smiled, and shrugged her shoulders at the question of dreaming. “I think I’ve seen a bit more of the bigger picture now,” she said. “And now I’ve hit a bit of a lull. Who knows if they’ll pick up again, but at least I have an idea what to expect, at least as far as how they might affect me.”
“I find the spaghetti bolognese isn’t too bad in the cafeteria. Even if the garlic bread is a little... greasy.” McCoy said. He didn’t do a whole lot of cooking at home, so he ate at the hospital a lot.
They wandered side by side to the elevator, then inside and he hit the button to make it go to the right floor. Nodding, he leaned against the back and blinked up at the numbers as they lit. “I see. Do you think you’ve seen the full story?” He added. He’d seen his so far, though he knew that more would be coming eventually.
“I doubt it,” she said, “But considering that I am an immortal spirit tasked with escorting the souls of the dead...” She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s entirely possible that my story could go on indefinitely, and that it’s sort of unnecessary to play it all out in my head when it could be happening out there in real life.”
McCoy gave a little nod. It wasn’t really a surprise to hear her say it like that, as he’d heard bits and pieces, put it all together before. (Had she out and out told him? He wasn’t sure. Sometimes he felt a bit too wrapped up in his own business.) Besides with the witches, wizards and ponies running around, (not to mention Gods), he shouldn’t be surprised at anything lately. “How much of your existence have you seen so far?”
Perhaps Tessa had gotten to the point where she just didn’t see a point in beating around the bush anymore. She shrugged her shoulders. “Centuries. Millennia. I’m not even sure I want to put a number on it. It’s like watching civilization in review, with highlights of certain warrior-types, and individuals who played pivotal roles in various near-apocalypses.”
“Wow.” McCoy nodded a little. “Sounds... really trippy.” He added, playfully.
“Tell me about it,” she said, laughing a little. “Whether I’ll keep dreaming, I don’t know, but my story isn’t something that’s really ever going to end unless Death works himself out of a job. And I’m kind of okay with it not ending just quite yet.”
“Oh?” That was an interesting thought. McCoy’s had stopped for the time being, and he sort of knew why. He’d seen the movie, knew about the show, and somehow he knew that he was the McCoy from it all. His canon had been punctured. He wondered if he was going to start dreaming again when the next movie came out. “Why? I mean, I’m glad that you’re enjoying your dreams, but is there something in particular that makes you want them to continue?”
“Because I as long as it continues, I know the world hasn’t ended,” she said, “That all life hasn’t been destroyed by well-intentioned angels who just want their Father to pat them on the heads and say, ‘Good job,’ or by ancient monsters whose only instinct is to consume everything in sight.” She shrugged. “Not that it really matters if that world ends, but if it does, what happens here? I’m not sure I want to know.”
“Well, that’s just this world.” McCoy said, somewhat sagely. Of course, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was talking about. He hadn’t had a chance to go explore, but he had a feeling... “There must be more life in other parts of the universe that needs your talents."
"And I have a feeling I could get there, at least in spirit," she said, "even now. But I think I'll stick around here for a while. Unless my fiance decides he wants to see the universes." That's right, fiance. She drew the necklace out from beneath her uniform and showed McCoy the diamond rig that Zach had given her.
McCoy raised both eyebrows at the sight of the ring. He broke into a surprised smile. It was tentative. The man was a bit burned by marriage. “Congratulations, Tessa!” He said, giving her a friendly clap on the shoulder. “That’s wonderful news! When’s the big day?”
Tessa wasn’t quite as new to the dating and relationship scene as her fiance, so she’d been a little hesitant to get into a serious relationship, but so far they seemed to complement one another well. Still, she could understand why Dr. McCoy might be even more hesitant. “No date yet,” she said, “He just popped the question about two weeks ago. But I will keep you posted.”
It had nothing to do with Tessa and her fiance, and all to do with his failed marriage. He was hesitant about all relationships because of the string of failed ones both before and after his marriage and divorce. The only woman he knew would be in his life forever was his daughter. “Well, congratulations, Tessa. He’s a lucky man.” She was a beautiful woman with a good head on her shoulders. She had a good sense of humor, and he enjoyed talking with her. Yes, McCoy could understand why a man would fall in love with her.
"So what about you, doc?" she asked, "how are things at home? Did I hear correctly that your daughter's moving in?"
“Yes, you did.” McCoy said, giving a proud sort of smile. He was thrilled and a little terrified to have his daughter come to live with him. “She’s coming out for a trial run this summer. I have a feeling if she does end up staying with me, her mother will come out to visit a lot more.”
“Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?” Tessa asked. “Not that it’s any of my business.” She did realize how awkward things could be with an ex in the picture. She’d had a close encounter with one of her ex’s new flames, but things had gone surprisingly well. Then again, Tessa didn’t have any kids to worry about complicating things yet.
“She’s a great kid.” McCoy said with a proud smile. “It’s a really good thing, I hope. She wants to come out here and live with me. I just hope it’ll work out. I’ve got such a demanding schedule at the hospital... I’ll have to pull back a lot. And she’ll have to start up her life here. It won’t be easy for either of us."
"Well I wish you both the best," she said sincerely, "you deserve a chance to catch your breath and be with family. We'll hold down the fort for you here."
“Thank you, Tessa.” McCoy smiled. “I couldn’t ask for a better home and crew.”