An early morning meeting (reposted)
OOC Thread reconstructed as best i can.
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Cat
The girl who entered the room was pretty, there was no denying the slender curves of her body were attractive, the smooth skin, her softly curling, blondy brown hair. There was also no denying the stroppy, defiant air that she carried around with her, that radiated from the large brown eyes. She was dressed in a dark green pair of combats and a small white top, from under her combats the tips of a pair of stone coloured cat boots could be seen.
Cat made no effort to catch the door, letting it swing back and slam closed, the sound echoing around the classroom. Her eyes fell upon the school doctor who was waiting for her, she stared at him for a moment, the only movement was that of her jaw as she continued to chew the gum she had in her mouth. The young woman folded her arms, her eyes travelling away to look out of the window, uncomfortable at holding his gaze. What did he think she was going to apologise for being late? If he was going to call her when she hadn't even got out of bed and ask her to meet him then as far as she was concerned he could deal with it.
'Well, what d'ya want.' The dark defiant eyes slid back across to his face as she waited for an answer. She didn't expect it to be one she particularly wanted to hear, either there was something he wasn't telling her about Riley or she'd done something wrong. Perhaps it was because she’d not been attending his lessons, she couldn’t help it, he should stop taking classes that were so early in the day, plus she didn’t really have much of an idea what they were talking about, the school curriculum was different in America to England and she’d got no background knowledge the others had to some of the topics they’d been studying. Plus then there was the fact that no one in her group seemed to want to be lab partners with her so she couldn’t see the point in turning up to classes where she had to do twice the work. It wasn’t as if she’d ever need Science again in her life, she didn’t want to become a chemist or anything at all sciency.
He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised by her lateness Indeed given her attendance record in class it was probably a miracle she had turned up at all. Though he would have thought her concern for Riley would have motivated her more. *He talks as if this girl is the centre of the universe. I wonder now does she feel the same way about him?* the doctor mused. He had no doubt she felt something for the young man. She had been about to bear his child. She had kept his perilous secrets at no small risk to herself. He just wasn’t certain she was capable of the same degree of devotion that he had seen reflected in Riley’s eyes.
*Lets not hasten to judge here* he told himself philosophically *She has been through a great deal of trauma recently More than I had even begun to imagine. The pressure she has been under must have been tremendous and unrelieved. Perhaps that is what she hides behind her mask of indifference and contempt.* Suddenly the door was unceremoniously flung open and the young woman in question stalked into the room her face already closed and petulant. The slamming of the door seemed indicative of the moment, its sound reverberating unpleasantly down the corridors.
Hank drew a slow breath forcing himself to remain calm in the face of her insolence 'Well, what d'ya want.' she asked finally her tone surly and unrepentant.”Good morning to you to Catherine” he said mildly. “So nice of you to join me. Please take a seat and then we can discuss things in a more civilised manner. If that is not too much to ask?”
She saw his chest expanding as he took a deep breath, her mouth tightening into a stright line in response. Tossing her head slightly, her curls shifting with the movement, her eyes still defiantly fixed on his own. She hoped he appreciated that she had better places to be and more interesting things to be doing today other than being called for to attending stupid meetings. Maybe she'd take Guinea for a walk around the grounds or go into Saleam Centre to pick up a couple of CD's she wanted.
Was this meeting over the test she'd missed last week? Like there'd even been any point in her turning up, she'd never scored well on anything they'd done so far. Especially not physics tests where she had no idea what Hank was talking about for most of the lessons. The lessons on the how conventional currents are the flow of positive charges in magnets went stright over her head. Things were a little better in biology since she'd done about photosynthesis before so she managed to struggle along.
”Good morning to you to Catherine” Cat shrugged, it might be, but the way the day was shaping up so far she wasn't too sure. She eyed the doctor, who was sitting at the teachers deak with a rather grumpy expression as he continued to talk. “So nice of you to join me. Please take a seat and then we can discuss things in a more civilised manner. If that is not too much to ask?” Her lip curled as she sneered at him, he needen't treat her like she was a child.
'Whatever.' She turned her back on him as she took a seat in the front row, looking around her a little uncomfortably before her eyes flicked back to the doctor once again. Her hands were on the table infront of her, her fingers nervously playing with a golden braclet she was wearing, a sign of how uncomfortable she was feeling with this mysterious meeting.
Re: An early morning meeting (reposted)
Missing post Still working on this!
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Cat
"I suppose you are wondering why I asked you to meet me this morning especially at such an early hour” Couldn’t he just get on with it? She wanted to go down and see Riley, she couldn’t help thinking about the night of Riley’s birthday, wondering if what had happened meant that they were now dating or not. They never seemed to get a good shot at things, something always seemed to get in the way of their happiness, whether it was the initiative or her friends. Was it always going to be like this? Where the pair of them always doomed to keep having these problems? … and if they were then what was then point in them bothering to date one another anymore. She twirled a lock of her hair around in her fingers as she thought, her eyes fixed on the wall just behind Beast’s head.
“I want to talk to you about Riley. Now as I told you on the telephone he is in med lab and is already on the road to making a full recovery. However while I am unable to go into further details for ethical reasons I can say that his condition brought to light certain facts about which had up until now been unknown to the members of the Institute.” The word “Riley” caught her attention, her eyes flicking down to meet Beast’s, betraying the fact she hadn’t really been paying attention before when he’d been talking. Certain factors? That didn’t sound too good… even that thought didn’t prepare her for his next words.
“We know about the Initiative Catherine” She paled visibly, a muscle in her cheek twitching slightly as she attempted not to show the effect his words had had upon her. What did he mean by saying he knew about the Initiative? That they knew they existed? That they knew Riley was a member?… that they knew everything? How could they have found out? Maybe something had happened? … perhaps they’d tried to come back for Riley? The questions flashed quick as lightening through her head, her eyes dropping quickly away from his face.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Her hands had bunched up into fists, her eyes staring down at the table in front of her. Denial seemed like the best option at the moment, she should have guessed it might be some reason like this that the doctor had called her down here, teachers never had anything good to say to her. They just complained and shouted … apart from Riley, Riley never made her do anything she didn’t want to in his classes. She hated classes with teachers like Hank, always bugging you for homework, or hanging over your shoulder snooping around to make sure you were working. Edited by: Fengal at: 3/7/06 1:25 am
Re: An early morning meeting (reposted)
Though she tried hard to hide it, he could see the effect his words had had , the blood draining from her face, knuckles whitening as the hands clenched on the desk in front of her. He could only imagine what she was thinking, all the possible implications of what he had just announced crowding in on her in an instant. It must have been overwhelming, so many secrets suddenly raw and exposed. Secrets which had compromised the Institutes own safety. No doubt she realised that their discovery would signal certain repercussions not only for her but more especially for the young man she loved.
Just what those repercussions would be must have weighed heavily on her mind. There were so many possibilities and from where she was standing they must all have seemed grim.He wondered what she was imagining. Sanctions? Expulsion? That would have amounted to a death penalty for Riley under the circumstances. *Maybe when she realises this is not going to happen it will help her to see that the world is not against them, that they do not have to fight their way through this alone*the doctor thought. *Let us hope so. That could change her attitude to so much else as well.*
For the moment though optimism didn’t seem to have crossed her mind .‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. she announced flatly, obviously deciding that denial was the best form of defence.* Oh well at least she didn’t run* Hank thought to himself wryly *which could be taken as a good sign.*“That’s as may be” he said calmly, avoiding the confrontation which would have inevitably come if he had tried to force the issue. “I just thought you would like to know that Riley has asked to remain at the Institute and also requested that he should be allowed to continue his participation in team activities and that I have assured him that this will be possible”
He gave her a moment for the words to sink in before resuming. “Whatever he may have been in the past he is now, just as you are Catherine, a student at Xavier’s . That means that, although I suspect he may get a stiff talking to when he is feeling better, we will do everything in our power to help him with whatever problems may arise from this situation.”
He was careful as always with his choice of words, including her implicitly in the offers of help and the message of understanding he was making while all the time avoiding an outright contradiction of what she had said. “I only regret” he continued sympathetically” that this burden has been carried alone for so long. It must have been hard to bear, but then the whole situation was delicate in the extreme and it is difficult to say how any of us would have reacted faced with the same dilemma. In any case what is done is done and all we can do now is look to the future. Isn’t it my dear?
Re: An early morning meeting (reposted)Cat “That’s as may be” She didn't need to be a genius to realise that he didn't believe her, she scowled at him breifly before he continued talking at her. “I just thought you would like to know that Riley has asked to remain at the Institute and also requested that he should be allowed to continue his participation in team activities and that I have assured him that this will be possible” He shouldn't need to ask to remain here, it was his home, he worked, ate and slept here. He'd risked his own saftey for this school and the least they could do was to let him remain here. The whole thing shouldn't need assuring it should never have been questioned in the first place.
“Whatever he may have been in the past he is now, just as you are Catherine, a student at Xavier’s . That means that, although I suspect he may get a stiff talking to when he is feeling better, we will do everything in our power to help him with whatever problems may arise from this situation.” Was that what they had planned for her too ... a stiff talking too? ... well they could forget that, she'd done nothing wrong and she wasn't about to be told off for something she had no control over. Something in her face hardened as he talked, the chance of her managing to talk rationally about this receeding further.
“I only regret” She couldn't care less what he regretted, she could feel the beginning of a headache forming behind her eyes. Couldn't he leave her alone, she wasn't sure how to react to the fact that the school had found out about the Initiative... More important in her mind was what the Initiative where going to think about the Inistitute knowing about them. What had possessed Riley to be so stupid ... he'd put the lives of all those at the school under at risk and he'd known what he was doing.
"that this burden has been carried alone for so long. It must have been hard to bear, but then the whole situation was delicate in the extreme and it is difficult to say how any of us would have reacted faced with the same dilemma. In any case what is done is done and all we can do now is look to the future. Isn’t it my dear?" Future ... what future... the same sort of future she'd experienced, being hunted, hurt and shot at?
'Future?!! You seriously think you have a future now? The anger and fear blazed through her voice as she launched the verbal attack, thrusting herself backwards off the flimsy chair "You have no idea what you're getting youself into.' she continued 'What did you say to Riley to make him tell you? You have no idea what they are capable of, she yelled they shot me and murdered my baby just because I knew about them.Just you stay away from Riley and me.she shouted as she headed for the door
Re: An early morning meeting (reposted)'Future?!! You seriously think you have a future now? The anger and fear blazed through her voice as she launched the verbal attack, thrusting herself backwards off the flimsy chair "You have no idea what you're getting youself in[/i] she continued. 'What did you say to Riley to make him tell you?” The words continued to pour out of her accusations and explanation mixed together in a confused and bitter torrent that seemed to surprise her almost as much as it did the doctor. Certainly he had expected some reaction, knowing her temperament probably a violent one, but still he was shocked by the depth of rejection and isolation he sensed in the troubled girl.
“ You have no idea what they are capable of, she yelled they shot me and murdered my baby just because I knew about them.' Hank felt a wave of compassion rising in him as he looked at her tear filled eyes. This was a wound that had not healed. Maybe it never would. But one thing was sure. Bearing it alone would only make it worse. *Well at least now she has spoken about it even if the circumstances are far from ideal.* the doctor thought to himself. *I just wish I knew how to reach her. I wonder if anyone does. Apart from Riley that is and he is hardly in any condition to help at the moment.
And it seemed that she did not want to be reached 'Just you stay away from Riley and me.' she warned, quickly making her way towards the door as if to flee.* I cant let her leave* McCoy thought rising in his turn to his feet *there are too many things that still need to be said.* Bracing one hand on to desk top, he leapt to intercept her, his fluid landing catlike between the departing student and the door before she had even had a chance to register what was going on. “I am not used to students walking out on me before I have given them leave to go, Miss Hall” he said sternly. “So I suggest that you resign yourself to listening to what I have to say and then perhaps we can find a way forward.”
“You say that I can have no idea of what these people are capable of. Well may I remind you that I have been an X men for longer than you have been alive. “ The mild mannered doctor had gone, as had the attentive teacher . This was a trained combatant who stood before her, someone who had been through a thousand battles and knew what danger was and how to face it.” Perhaps this particular agency may be unknown to us at the Institute but we have dealt with others in the past and shall no doubt deal with others in the future. Yes, they are no doubt powerful and ruthless, ready to kill without thinking just to protect their own ends. These agencies always are. But do you really think that you and Riley are equipped to face them alone?
“Catherine” he said his voice more gentle now but just as sure. “You and Riley are both students here. That means that you have the full backing of the Institute, all of its resources, all of its manpower, in dealing with these people.
You tell us not to get involved but we are already involved and that is all right”. he assured her. “It is what we do what we would have done in any case had we known of this groups existence. The X men are there to fight people like this, however dangerous of difficult that fight may be.”
She blinked, looking at the Doctor who suddenly appeared in front of her. It seemed that she wasn't the only one who's powers gave her agility, this further contributed to darken her mood ... even her power wasn't unique. Since she'd accepted her powers she'd always been rather proud of her ability however it now seemed that even that wasn't that special. The thought didn't improve her rapidly darkening mood.
“I am not used to students walking out on me before I have given them leave to go, Miss Hall” Well he'd just have to get used to it wouldn't he! If this pompous, relic of a man thought he could just keep her here against her will he had another thing coming. No one made her do anything she didn't want to. She'd perhaps gained the wrong opinion of Beast from her classes with him, thinking that the reason he hadn't already pulled her up over her bad grades was because he was like Riley and was rather soft. “So I suggest that you resign yourself to listening to what I have to say and then perhaps we can find a way forward.” Her eyes stared defiantly at his face, her breathing loud and excited as adrenaline rushed through her. She didn’t want to listen to him, she wanted to run off and slam the door in his stupid face … something in his eyes warned against that however and she found herself backing away towards the tables and chairs.
“You claim that I can have no idea of what these people are capable of. Well may I remind you that I have been an X men for longer than you have been alive.” Yeah exactly he was old and past it… where had he been when she’d been snatched from the grounds by the institute, when Lisa had been injured, when she’d been raped? She came to a halt by the first table and chairs though she made no effort to sit down.
“Catherine” Her eyes dropped away from his, looking down at the bottom of her trousers and tips of her cat boots, avoiding looking at the now commanding man that filled the doorway. “You are both students here. That means that you have the full backing of the Institute, all of its resources, all of its manpower, in dealing with these people." For some reason that thought didn’t comfort her, if the Initiative snatched them again no one at the school would have the faintest idea where they were. She muttered something not particularly polite under her breath, not aware that his feline senses could pick up her words. “It is what we do what we would have done in any case had we known of this groups existence. The X men are there to fight people like this, however dangerous of difficult that fight may be.” She stared obstinately at the floor, not giving the X men the credit of being able to tackle the likes of the Initiative.
Re: An early morning meeting (reposted)
It was obvious that he still wasn’t getting through, her muttered insults were enough to tell him that. But he wasn’t ready to give up, not yet at least.* I suppose it only normal* he told himself, looking at the girl’s closed expression. *So many bad things have already happened to her which we singularly failed to prevent that it is only o be expected that her faith in the Institutes abilities has been shaken However, he reminded himself, if we had known of the existence of this agency and the particular threat it posed to both her and Riley then perhaps we could have done something That is what she must understand if we are to progress.*
“I realise we have failed you in the past Catherine but if you are honest with yourself you must admit that we did not realise that you were especially at risk. Now this is not a criticism” he hastened to add “I am merely stating a fact. You no doubt had your reasons for concealing the existence of this agency from us and I am not here to berate you over that decision. I’m only saying we would at least have been better prepared if you had shared the information with us. “
He sighed then, a tired smile passing over his features “But this is starting to sound like a lecture” he remarked “and that was not my intention. I merely wanted you to know that you do have people who are willing and able to help both you and Riley Now I am not naďve enough to promise you that this will solve all your problems but it might at least make them easier to bear. And that is important if Riley is to recover as rapidly as we all want him to.”
Hank let some of the tension ease from his body as he spoke, trying to transform the situation back to a discussion and away from the confrontation it had so nearly become, though he still kept a watchful eye on the girls movements. Her abilities were formidable and he was not about to underestimate them.
Now that he had tried, with or without success, to let Catherine know that she had people to whom she could turn when things got to much for her he felt that he could touch upon the second reason for this early morning meeting. Her continuing support of Riley. The young man had insisted that he wanted to see Catherine and Hank had of course promised that he could. However the doctor was very well aware that a tempestuous quarrel with this most unpredictable of young ladies could cause far reaching harm to his already stressed patient. *I know she cares deeply for him* McCoy thought to himself.* I only hope that will be enough to make her listen to what I have to say *
Part of the reason he had told Catherine of Riley’s revelations concerning the agency had been expressly to prevent her finding out from Riley about it in med lab and the subsequent explosion which could have resulted from that conversation. He wasn’t entirely sure that the former agent would have spoken to her about it but given the effects of the drugs he was now forced to take and the confused state of mind he had exhibited the previous evening it was a risk that the doctor was not prepared to take. *If someone has to bear the brunt of her anger over this I’d rather it was me* he thought philosophically.
Hank concentrated more intently on the girl now, trying to read her reactions to his words as he went on.” I’m sure it comes as no surprise to hear that Riley has been asking to see you. I presumed that you would want to go to him this morning so I have taken the liberty of cancelling your first class. I hope you don’t mind?” he smiled inwardly as he said this , knowing Catherine’s love of classes. * Score one point for me perhaps* he thought ironically *Lord knows, I need one*
“Now as I said” he continued, “Riley is going to be fine, but at the moment it is important that he avoids stress as much as is humanly possible, something which you’ll agree is not easy given his situation. If we are to achieve this I will need your help Catherine” he stated frankly “which is one of the reasons I asked you to meet with me this morning.”
“You mean a great deal to Riley and that means that your reactions and opinions count immensely for him. Now I know that that is a great responsibility, loving someone always is, but I am asking you to be as supportive as you can be at this time.” It was a lot to ask, he fully realised that. Catherine had been carrying the burden of Riley’s secrets alone for a long time. He could see the strain in her eyes. *She needs someone to be there for her as w the doctor thought *I only wish she could see that we are.*[/i]
“I am hoping that the fact he no longer needs to carry all these secrets around with him will ease his mind ” he went on “just as I hope it will ease yours as well. You no longer has to worry about what will happen if someone finds out about his past or about his position here in the Institute. That should help somewhat don’t you think? His parents are also going to stay for a while to help him through this and I shall be doing everything I can on the medical side to make things as easy as possible during his recuperation.”
“But the most important thing for him will be how you react to all of this. If you see it in a positive light then so will he and vice versa.” he added “So Catherine if you have any questions you feel you need to ask or anything you would like to say, no matter what, then please do so here rather than in med lab. We both want Riley to get well. I’m hoping we can work together to achieve just that”
“I realise we have failed you in the past Catherine but if you are honest with yourself you must admit that we did not realise that you were especially at risk. Now this is not a criticism” The arrogant brown eyes narrowed, her brow furrowed as she frowned across at him, trying to keep her stubborness, not let him win any futher ground. He could make her stay but he couldn't force her to agree with him.
“I am merely stating a fact. You no doubt had your reasons for concealing the existence of this agency from us and I am not here to berate you over that decision. I’m only saying we would at least have been better prepared if you had shared the information with us. “ Better prepared? They hadn't even tried to look for her when she'd gone missing from the grounds and now he dared to stand here and lecture her. If Cat was a bird she'd have been puffing her feathers up in indignation of what he was saying.
It wasn't fair the whole world was always against her!! She never got any breaks, she always tried hard in classes and she was still failing most of them. People never gave her a chance, they just labled her on what other people said about her. As usual in her minds eye she was a victim, missing the fact that many of her problems were infact self inflicted. But then feeling self pity made her feel better.
“But this is starting to sound like a lecture” Starting ..... it had been a lecture from the moment she'd walked into the room. She stared definantly at the floor, refusing to look up at her doctor and science teacher. He didn't like her ... no one in this frigging school liked her, no one wanted to help her. The furrows in her forehead deepened slightly.
“and that was not my intention. I merely wanted you to know that you do have people around who are willing and able to help both you and Riley Now I am not naďve enough to promise you that this will solve all your problems but it might at least make them easier to bear. And that is important if Riley is to recover as rapidly as we all want him to.” Where? She didn't see loads of people rushing to help her, most of her freinds didn't speak to her anymore, she didn't realise it was her own cold thoughs and selfish actions that had driven them away. She pefered to see herself as the victim in all of this, she'd lost a baby and no one had wanted to help her...
"I’m sure it comes as no surprise to hear that Riley has been asking to see you. I presumed that you would want to go to him this morning so I have taken the liberty of cancelling your first class. I hope you don’t mind?” Like she was going to go anyway ... she despised maths above all her other subjects ... apart from English. Words and numbers seemed to just jumble up on the way from her eyes to her brain. Things would be a lot better if she'd done as Riley had asked her and gone to see Hank, if her teachers and she herself knew she had dyslexia then it could be something that could be worked upon.
She hoped Riley was alright, she wasn't really sure what was wrong with him, but no one had given her any idea that it was anything very serious. Even if Beast tried to explain his contition to her it was probable that she wouldn't understand what he was talking about very well.
"Riley is going to be fine, but at the moment it is important that he avoids stress as much as is humanly possible, something which you’ll agree is not easy given his situation. If we are to achieve this I will need your help Catherine” Help? He wanted her help? No one ever asked for her help. Her eyes lifted from the wooden floor, slightly suprised eyes finding his.You mean a great deal to Riley and that means that your reactions and opinions count immensely for him. Now I know that that is a great responsibility, loving someone always is, but I am asking you to be as supportive as you can be at this time
Her gaze dropped away, her cheeks blushing furiously. She didn't love Riley ... maybe she had a long time ago, before she'd lost her baby, but there was nothing between them anymore ... it was obvisous that the other night had been a mistake, she'd been drinking at his party, it had meant nothing to either of them. Unknowingly her hand moved to rest on the line between her top and the line of her hipster jeans, beneath which was the scar she'd recived from the opperation on her gun shot wound. She wanted to correct him, to blurt out in defiance of her own feelings and tell him that Riley meant nothing more than a friend to her but he continued talking.
“But the most important thing for him will be how you react to all of this. If you see it in a positive light then so will he and vice versa.” She wasn't really sure what he was saying, make him see that the school finding out about the Inistute was a good thing or that he shouldn't worry about his illness. She was too distracted thinking about what he was saying earlier to listen properly to what he was saying.
“So Catherine if you have any questions you feel you need to ask or anything you would like to say, no matter what, then please do so here rather than in med lab. We both want Riley to get well. I’m hoping we can work together to achieve just that” There was a slight pause as she digested what he was saying.
'Whats wrong with him?' Her pretty eyes glanced into his, something in their gaze showed a little concern. No one had told her what was wrong with him, she hadn't been allowed to go to the hospital, they were only allowing his close family in to see him and there hadn't been anyone around to ask what was wrong with him, the thought of ringing the hospital hadn't occurred to her.
Re: An early morning meeting (reposted)
The question wasn’t as easy to answer as it seemed. It had been clear that Riley didn’t want all the details of his condition given out and indeed it wasn’t Hanks place to do so. *I only hope he has enough sense to speak frankly with Catherine when they do meet* the doctor thought to himself*though I greatly doubt that he will*
Riley seemed to think that his condition represented some kind of shameful weakness, a sordid secret to be hidden away from view rather than discusses frankly and openly with those who cared about him. It was as if he believed that he was only valued for his strength and his abilities rather than for the person that he was. *Perhaps that was true in the agency* Hank thought.* Perhaps there any sign of human fallibility was sanctioned in ways I do not even want to imagine. But surely he must see that that is not the case here. And if he does not then we must make him see. With Catherine’s help I’m sure that we can. Without it I fear things will be far more difficult*
However there was genuine concern in her eyes as she looked up at the blue furred mutant. And her question deserved an answer, no matter how unsatisfactory that answer might be. *Only the bare minimum then* the doctor said to himself. *As much as I have told his parents perhaps but certainly no more. In theory not even that for she is not strictly speaking a relative. Strange that she is the person who is closest to him and yet she is the one to whom I can say the least. Still nothing about this case is simple, why should this be*
“Riley has had a heart attack” he said finally, realising how stark the words sounded in the suddenly quiet classroom but hastening to lessen the fright with a fuller explanation. “A minor one and nothing that the med lab can’t fix” he reassured her. “ I am not exaggerating when I say that he will make a full recovery and by that I mean that he will be able, should he so wish, to return to his duties as team member and leader as well as to all his sporting activities without running the risk of ever suffering another attack.”
No mention of the drugs or the implant. No reference to powers lost and powers to be gained All that was for Riley to divulge or not as he saw fit. Just the bare bones of the situation waiting for him to flesh it out. Enough to explain the restrictions which would be in place for the next few weeks, but not enough for her to fully understand what Riley was going through It was frustrating, knowing that her understanding could be crucial in his recovery and being unable to lead her to it but it was what he was bound to as a doctor. Respect the patients wishes in all things , even those things which obviously worked against them. Still at least he could lay the groundwork, prepare at least this first meeting. It was all known he would be able to do when he had asked Catherine to meet him, he only hoped it was enough.
“In fact Riley can start back at class tomorrow provided he promises to take things easy for a while”. he went on “He is a most head strong young man” Hank added with a smile “so I will probably need your help in convincing him to do just that. The more care he takes of himself in the next few weeks, the less stress he is under, the faster he will recover. I’m not asking him to sit around like an invalid” he explained “merely not to push himself to his limits as he has a tendency to do, and even then only for a little while. Surely that is not such a difficult thing to request is it? Of course getting him to stop worrying about things will be a much harder task but I’m willing to give that a try as well.”
“So what do you think Catherine?” he asked gazing down at the girl, his eyes kind. “Can we persuade him to be reasonable? Or will I be spending the next few weeks chasing him around the Institute?”
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