Playing Doctor is Fun!
Nadia was bored. So what does any bored little girl do? She finds some game to play. Rain was preventing her from going outside so she decided to find someone to play with her. As she walked down the hall, peaking into classrooms and the like she found that everyone seemed to be busy with something. Even her father was busy! Well, rather, he was hunched over a desk, looking as if he were sleeping. Well, let him nap. She would just go bug someone in the med bay. Perhaps she could play doctor! Yah! That sounded like it would be fun!
And so, it happened that the eight year old daughter of Remy LeBeau came to be in the Med Bay, her baby triceratops, Bubbles, running merrily at her heels while she swung a play doctor's kit. "What ta do first!," she said as she looked around the sterile area of one of the rooms with an empty bed, a small grin on her little face as she spotted the counter, "Perfect! C'mon Bubbles, let's see if we can't find some bandages in my kit!" Bubbles just squeaked a bit and blew some bubbles merrily as he bounded towards the nearest set of drawers, wishing to use them as a sort of step-ladder. They all seemed to be locked though, so Nadia instead picked him up and placed him onto the bed and under the covers, on his back. The bed was angled up so the baby triceratops could sit and still lean back. Once she'd gotten him settled, she went over to her kit and laid it on the edge of the bed and got out some cloth bandages that had been made back in Louisiana out of scraps of old pillowcases.
"Now hold still, Bubbles," she said as she brought the bandages over to the now still baby triceratops, "It seems that ya got inta a little fight with a big bully an' now I'm gonna bandage ya up, okay?" Like a good pet dinosaur, Bubbles pretended to be hurt and whined a bit to make it more real. Of course, Nadia could really make her pet hurt, but she didn't want any harm to come to her precious Bubbles! They were only playing after all! It was then that she started wrapping Bubbles front foot with bandages, making sure to get it nice and tight, concentrating hard on her patient and not realizing that someone was watching her from the door...
(Anyone can join! Just thought it might be fun to have someone walk in on her and junk!)
Sooo he had a new patient. And a new nurse too from the looks of things. Hank stifled a chuckle as he watched Gambit’s daughter install her companion in the vacant bed and diligently begin to turn it into the dinosaur equivalent of a mummy. It wasn’t a sight you saw every day he had to admit, but then again, given what went on round the institute; it was no stranger than many others he had seen. Nor was an imaginary bubble blowing tyrannosaur the weirdest thing that had ever turned up on one of the med lab beds. Though he had to admit that it came pretty close!
Still this pair at least brought no attending drama on their heels, no life or death situation he was expected to deal with at a moments notice. Just a child, and a friend’s child at that, playing doctors. And himself for once, miraculously with enough time on his hands to appreciate the show!
Nadia of course was full of surprises. In fact she was one big surprise herself. Hank remembered how stunned Remi had been to learn of her existence. Stunned and sad to have missed all those years of her childhood. And totally, irrevocably captivated by her presence!How Hank had envied him. What would the doctor not have given to have a child of his suddenly turn up on the doorstep? Some wonderful miraculous mistake that would have filled that empty place in his heart! It had seemed his only chance to have a family and a slim one at that. He wasn’t Remi. His lovers had been few and far between. And he himself had been too careful.
No he had looked upon children as something that happened to other people Until Zia that was. Now…. Anything was possible. Even the idea that one day it could be his own daughter that he would see playing when he came through his office door. And that was a thought to put a smile on anyones face. For now though the blue furred mutant did perhaps have an doctors obligation to rescue the little dinosaur before he disappeared entirely under the weight of the bandages Nadia was lavishing upon him. Or at lezast that’s my excuse hank told himself with a grin as he stepped out of the office and cleared his throat.
“ Ah Nurse LeBeau” he said seriously “I see we have a new admission…. Hank took the clipboard from the foot of the bed and pretended to consult it “Mr Bubbles, admitted today at three thirty.. “My my… he does look in a bad way. Though I see that as usual you have the situation in hand. Perhaps you could fill me in on what happened to the poor fellow.Then we can decide what to do next.” Edited by: HankMcCoy13 at: 8/10/07 6:25 pm
Re: Playing Doctor is Fun!
Only the horn on Bubble's little triceratops head was sticking out by now. Nadia had wrapped the upper half of her little friend so much that the little dinosaur looked like he was half a mummy. Of course, it was all loosely wrapped around him, but that didn't matter! So long as he was covered (and whining fakely), then all was well and dandy.
"Can ya see, Bubbles?," asked the red-eyed little girl with real concern. A little shake of Bubble's head seemed to answer that as loosely wrapped bandages were flung from his eyes, making it possible to see. Nadia just laughed at this and was in the middle of laughing when Dr. McCoy came in.
“ Ah Nurse LeBeau” he said seriously “I see we have a new admission…."
Nadia grinned up at Dr. McCoy as he took up Bubbles' chart. The blue fuzzy man had always been quite kind to her. Though he always seemed to be busy with something, the 'smarts' that seemed to exude from him whenever he spoke or even just entered a room always made the little LeBeau girl smile and wonder if she'd ever be as smart as he seemed to be.
“Mr Bubbles, admitted today at three thirty...My my….he does look in a bad way. Though I see that as usual you have the situation in hand. Perhaps you could fill me in on what happened to the poor fellow.Then we can decide what to do ne[/i]
The small mutant beamed at the compliments being lavished on her and dutifully said, "The patient gots inta a fight with a-a bully. He was making fun of me an' Bubbles charged at him, but the bully changed shape an' well...Brave as Bubbles is, he found himself in a pickle. He erm..He has a black eye an' a broken collarbone an' his head hurts 'cause the bully was so big, he just bounced off o' him when he charged.." Of course, this was all nonsense, but a good story depends on the spinning of tales sometimes. It was all 'pretend' anyway.
It was at that time that Bubbles flopped to his side with an over-dramatic whine and a blast of bubbles, causing Nadia's eyes to widen. "Oh nOoOos! He seems to have had something wrong internal-internal-INSIDE!," she said, simply emphasizing the last word since she couldn't remember the correct term for it. She laid her head onto her friend's chest and looked up gravely at Dr. McCoy, shaking her head and tsking before saying, "We're gonna have ta operate." Of course, that's when Bubbles sat up suddenly with a bit of alarm in his yelp (as if to say, "WHAT?!"). Nadia simply gave the poor baby triceratops a whithering look and said, "Bubbles! You're supposed ta stay down!"
Re: Playing Doctor is Fun!
So sorry for the delay!
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Well he had asked for an explanation ands he certainly got one. Nadia’s imagination was as fertile as ever, the details of her friends heroic charge graphic and worryingly plausible. Ok this was a game. Hank was very well aware of that. Nor did he believe that anyone would have threatened Remi’s daughter here in the Institute. Not unless they had a death wish that was.
Still it couldn’t help but sadden him a little that that particular scenario sprang so readily to Nadia’s mind. Sadden , but not surprise. After all this was something every mutant went through at some time or another. During childhood it was called bullying. Later on it took on a darker name. Persecution. And no matter how hard they tried, it was still as prevalent now as it had been when Charles had first founded his school all those years ago.
Hank shook himself a little. This was a sombre chain of thought for what was supposed to be a light hearted moment . Quickly he refocused on the child and her strange little companion, noting the supposed injuries with care so that he might not break the illusion when it came his turn to intervene.
He was just thinking that he could get some good play mileage out of an imaginary head scan when Bubbles took things into his own hands. The acting may have been hammy but it was acting all the same. And it came without any spoken command on Nadia’s part.
The relationship between Nadia and her animated friends had always fascinated Hank and his questions on the subject were many and varied..For example was it some sort of sophisticated wish orientated telekinesis that kept them moving, or had she actually imbued them with some form of life? And what of their seeming intelligence? When the little dinosaur had gone into his melodramatic convulsion Hank could have sworn that Nadia looked surprised even if she had almost instantaneously got back into the swing of things.
"Oh nOoOos! He seems to have had something wrong internal-internal-INSIDE!," she told the doctor while he in turn pondered on whether Nadia’s subconscious could be attributing something that could have been mistaken for independent thought to her playmate And his curiosity only deepened when he saw Bubbles reactions seconds later. "We're gonna have ta operate." Nadia announced melodramatically and the dinosaur panicked. There was no other word for it. There was definite fear in the small yelping noise that came from him causing his mistress to have to remind him of his role in this particular scenario.
Now what did that mean exactly. Perhaps this was neither the time or the place for deep philosophical rumination but Hank couldn’t help at lest starting off down that particular path. Was that a real emotion he had just caught sight of in a being whose insides, as he knew all to well were comprised of nothing but fluff and so much stuffing? ‘I fear therefore I am? What would Descartes have made of that’ Hank wondered.
The definition of life had become harder, not easier to pin down over the centuries. And it was especially problematic for someone in Hank’s extraordinary position. AIs, mechanoids, vampires, Jamie Madox’s multiple forms.. each posed the question of what life, independent, intelligent life really was. And this particular case, the adorable but philosophically enigmatic Mr Bubbles was certainly on the far edge of whatever scale such things were measured by. Still..
His concern had felt real just now, a genuine reaction to a threat that was, thankfully, itself far from being concrete. Hanks heart had reacted to it as it would have to a similar reaction coming from a child. A real child. And while Hanks mind was what had won him worldwide acclaim as a physician it was his heart which made him a truly great doctor.
So he winked reassuringly at the little dinosaur before laying a gentle had on his not at all fevered brow. After all, the instruments they would be using for this so called operation may have been just toys made of plastic but, Hank supposed that if you were a toy yourself that made them potentially frightening. And the last thing any of them wanted was for one of the participants in this little scenario to stop having fun.
“You are quite correct nurse Le Beau.” he told Nadia solemnly “Mr Bubbles outstanding courage has indeed led to him sustaining some serious injuries. I think he should probably get a medal for what he has done. But for now we must set about making him better.
Hank searched in the fake medical kit Nadia had brought with her and found the small imitation syringe it contained. Carefully he lifted it up to where the blue raptor could clearly see that there was no needle or anything else that could cause him concern before turning once again to the girl and handing it to her. “Would you administer the anaesthetic please nurse, so that our patient doesn’t feel anything during the operation.. and then we can get started. However I fear that since my hands are so big, and Mr Bubbles is so small that you will have to perform the procedure. . though I will be here to assist of course”
Re: Playing Doctor is Fun!“You are quite correct nurse Le Beau....Mr Bubbles outstanding courage has indeed led to him sustaining some serious injuries. I think he should probably get a medal for what he has done. But for now we must set about making him better."
Nadia's eyes grew wide at this along with Bubbles' (despite Dr. McCoy's reassuring wink from earlier). Her imaginary friend about leapt off the table, but Nadia had put her hands on his stomach by now, preventing any escape. No one was sure what to really make of her 'imaginaries' (as she liked to call them) as they always seemed to feel, look, and act real. Some supposed, like Hank, that it was her subconscious that controlled them. Others had wilder ideas involving how she pulled these 'imaginaries' out of some alternate dimensions. Honestly, Nadia really didn't care how she did it. She just loved that she could do it. It was her most favoritest thing about being a mutant in her opinion.
Perhaps they were simply a very real and hard illusion. Like the ones that Ivy from the Xanth novels of Piers Anthony. All she knew was that if she could imagine a creature, it became 'real' to her and those around her. And if she imagined them enough, they became more 'real' each time to her and everyone else. Since she'd been practically playing with these 'imaginaries' ever since she was about three years old. It was just that no one else could really see them and she always had to pretend really hard if she wanted to 'touch' them.
Nadia wasn't really concerned with all that at the moment though. The good doctor had just agreed with her and she had an operation to prepare for! As he lifted the play syringe out and showed it to Bubbles, the baby triceratops sighed with obvious relief. So long as they didn't set about really operating on him, he seemed to be okay to go on with the pretend doctor visit and his pretend injuries.
“Would you administer the anaesthetic please nurse, so that our patient doesn’t feel anything during the operation.. and then we can get started. However I fear that since my hands are so big, and Mr Bubbles is so small that you will have to perform the procedure. . though I will be here to assist of cou
"Of course, Dr. McCoy!,"[/b] she said happily as she took the play syringe from his big furry hand and thumped it like she'd seen the nurses do in the past and pushed a little of the water out of the plastic syringe that she'd filled it up with earlier. After pretending to disinfect the area on his arm like she'd seen the nurses do whenever they'd had to give her mother a shot, Nurse LeBeau administered the pretend shot and Bubbles dutifully pretended to go to sleep.
"Scapel, please," she asked after she'd donned her surgeon mask from the medical play kit, holding out her hand like she'd seen the doctors do on those hospital shows.
It was then that she broke character and looked up at the big blue furry mutant beside her, her big red eyes looking curiously hesitant. "Um, Dr. McCoy?," she asked a bit nervous-like, "Can I call you 'Uncle Hank' after we finish playing?" She looked as if she was about to bite her lip before hastily adding, "Please?", as if he would say no because she'd not said the magic word.
Re: Playing Doctor is Fun!
He had thought Nadia fully absorbed into the world of make believe they had constructed for themselves in the usually austere med lab but it seemed he had been mistaken. "Um, Dr. McCoy?," she said, her voice now unsure as it hadn’t been scant seconds before when the mock operation had begun. "Can I call you 'Uncle Hank' after we finish playing? Please?"
To say it caught him by surprise would have been an understatement. Not that he wasn’t already looked upon as an adopted uncle by most of his friends children, and a favourite one at that, but this was different. Sean, Connor and Logan’s girls he had known all their lives. He had babysat for them, reading them bedtime stories as their parents grabbed a few moment alone time from their already hectic schedule. He had helped ease the Enright’s through the pain of their mother’s death, listened to them rant against their father and each other without taking sides or passing judgement, watched them grow from children into X men. And in Sean’s case at least, find love.
He had always been there for them. A given! Part of the furniture, like a comfortable arm chair that they could sink into when they needed a little comfort and understanding! That they accepted him as their uncle was normal. But Nadia! She had so recently been admitted into the strange microcosm that was Xavier’s Institute. It must all still have seemed strange to her. Different from the world she had known growing up with her mother. Did she sometimes feel lonely here, despite all Remi’s best efforts and the presence of her own inimitable playmates? That she needed a family was all to obvious. That she should actively seek to claim him as part of it though touched the doctor greatly.
“I would be honoured if you did” he told her with a smile. “I cant think of anyone Id rather have as a niece. Or.. he looked slyly at Mr Bubbles and winked. A niece’s best friend.
Re: Playing Doctor is Fun!
With her question now out in the open, Nadia felt a bit apprehensive and nervous..yet hopeful. The little eight year old had gone from a big circus family to a strange new world with only one other person to claim her as her family: Remy LeBeau (her father). She had to admit that she was quite unused to having just one person to go to for things like love and comfort and, most importantly, entertainment. Sure, she had Lily-Rose and Chris for friends; but to be honest, it was nice to have adult friends/adoptive aunt and uncles.
Not that the occupants of Xavier's hadn't tried to make her welcome. Far from it. They've seemed to gone out of their way to make her feel welcome. It just was all so..new. Nadia just seemed to feel a bit unsure of her place there, as of yet. Hence, her question to Dr. McCoy. He seemed cuddly and was always so nice to her. In fact, he reminded her of a big cuddly furry stuffed animal. He was actually someone she would have loved to have known when she was younger. 'He's the ultimate little girl's dream..,' she thought with big eyes, 'I'm surprised I haven't made an imaginary like him before..'
“I would be honoured if you did” he told her with a smile. “I cant think of anyone Id rather have as a niece. Or.." he looked slyly at Mr Bubbles and winked. "A niece’s best friend."
Nadia's crimson orbs grew wide and she jumped up and down all excitedly, completely forgetting the game. She then gave him a big hug, squeezing as type as she could as she stepped back. Miss LeBeau then grinned and cleared her throat before holding out her hand and saying, "Thank you..Uncle Hank...Now, scapel?"
And with that done, they whiled away an hour or so, playing doctor; Nadia, happy with her new 'Uncle Hank'..
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