Saturday March 31st: A Curious Moment
It was supposed to be a surprise, but Emily’s unexpected visit seemed to have caught Riley at a bad time, and while she supposed she shouldn’t make out as if she’s too disappointed, she was upset that he looked so wrecked and couldn’t even manage talking to her without seeming to fall asleep in midsentence. Not that it was the first time she’d see that sort of thing; Ben had gone out drinking late and was often similar in appearance the next day. Jonathon never let her brother’s late night drinking sessions ever be an excuse for not doing chores whenever he was around though, and eventually Ben had decided it just wasn’t worth the pain. Admittedly, Emily never really took Riley as someone reckless enough to go that far, so on top of everything she probably felt even more disappointed for that, even if she realized that was a bit harsh... he was a student after all, and that seemed to be the things most students did at his age.
There was only one thing that stopped the trip being a complete waste of time, and that was her chance to talk to the doctor, no one had let her before because they all worried she’d just get in his way, but she promised herself if he was really busy she would leave him be... Otherwise, where was the harm in asking a few questions, it’s what doctors were therefore after all, to answer people’s questions about their health, their body in general and how it all affected their lives!
Stepping inside the medbay was both a thrill and angst ridden moment, she had sad memories with this place, but it also was the reason her cousin was still alive. And any place that made such sad moments swell with hope was a place that didn’t deserve to be ignored or avoided. Martha had made a whole lot of cookies this morning; it was hard to sleep in past 6am when you were so used to be half way through your first or third chore, depending on the day and which chore needed first priority. A whole two trays were devoted to Riley, even when his parents suggesting even Riley couldn’t get through that many, Emily snagged them up saying he’d probably share them with his friends. Only now, Emily had instead decided to split them, she did after all help make them, so if she wanted to share her batch it was her choice who she shared it with. And Martha was right; twenty-four was a lot. But twelve for him and twelve for the doctor that saved his life... it seemed fair... and it seemed like a good way to not appear as if she was just barging in all ungrateful for the help Dr McCoy had already given to her family.
Having borrowed a plate from Riley’s dorm room, Emily felt a touch awkward walking through the school with them, but at the same time, she figured a lot of the students probably figured she had just come from a cooking class... Which made Emily feel oddly proud about it all, leaving her in a pleasant daydream over how it must be to be like the students here, to never have to travel two hours to get to school and to live so close to all their friends!
The room beyond the doors was bright, and clean, everything inside seemed so much more advanced then what she knew back home. It wasn’t exactly able to be called a ‘cold’ room, but it did lack a touch of colour, not that Emily had expected there to be flowers in a hospital, as she was told very young that flowers took up oxygen and sometimes it could be a problem for their really sick patients. And while there was an emptiness from her point of view (she always preferred wild colours and interesting displays!), the young teen really couldn’t say it was an uncomfortable sense, as if a strange warmth was placed inside to make up for the lack of anything else, discreet as it may seem to many, noticeable if you just paid attention. The manner in which all the beds were so carefully tidied, how clean all surfaces and floors were kept, the brightness that shined in from the windows, flooding the room with natural light. Back home, whenever Emily had to go to hospital, it never had looked like this; it was always a small and stuffy room. It was more open, and inviting, as if no secrets could be hidden out here, no surprises, and yet if you wanted privacy, or needed it, there were rooms there at your disposal. And the rooms were very homely, Emily remembered thinking so when she visited Riley here... they weren’t small and stuffy like back home.
It wasn’t yet lunch time, so hopefully he wouldn’t be busy with students randomly passing through here to see him... if that happened... Emily thought about it a moment, then wandered where exactly he was. There was a room that she remembered as being his office, and when her head turned to cast her eyes towards that direction she could see him behind his desk, so large a figure hunched over doing whatever it was that doctors did when sorting over their masses of papers. He could be busy, going over patients files, or going over his other work... but then again, she came baring gifts, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad a thing to give him a break from all that work... Emily knew she liked it when people came to her with treats while she was studying!
"Excuse me," The young Finn offered as polite an expression as she could muster, feeling her chest flutter in anxiety while drawing closer to his doorway, "Doctor McCoy, I hope I’m not disturbing you.." The biscuits were held out just a little, "I have Trojan cookies... freshly baked today, but instead of little people hiding inside of them... there are questions sneakily cooked in with the chocolate chip.. a classic recipe." It sounded so much more snazzy then just plain old 'cooky bribery'.
All in all he had been absurdly lucky recently. Both in his private life and in his professional one! So many near misses! And yet, so far at least, no deaths! Certainly his skill and dedication had played a large part in that but all the same, Hank wasn’t proud to the point of believing that it was only his so called genius that had pulled his patients through. Their desire to live had played just as great a part in their recovery, of that he was sure. Even the greatest doctor couldn’t save someone who had decided to die. Just as lost causes could suddenly recover against all the odds by sheer force of will!
Why then wasn’t Scott, the ultimate warrior as far as commitment to a cause went, winning his own particular battle? And why couldn’t Hank help him to do so. It was stupid to let this one apparent failure keep him from savouring all the success that had come his way recently and yet it did. In no small measure because he knew how close he had come to losing patients. Paige! Matt! Riley! Their lives had hung by a thread. And ultimately he hadn’t been the one who had kept fate from cutting it.
If he hadn’t had help… If those once in a lifetime opportunities hadn’t suddenly aligned themselves in his favour then they would have died . Without Michael, Paige wouldn’t be here today. Without his own will to live Matt would have been lost. And as for Riley.. What were the odds that Hank would have saved, as a purely intellectual exercise, the one person who could have got them through that otherwise disastrous operation! The very person who had initially been sent out with the express purpose of ending Riley’s life!
This was more than irony. It was .. Fate? Karma? Matt certainly would have called it god. Hank himself kept an open mind or maybe resorted to the oldest religion of all and called it luck. And he was glad to have had it on his side recently. Not least because it had brought Zia to him! Because the odds against them meeting across the centuries was incalculable! Millions of places! Millions of moments! An infinity of conjunctures in time and space and all but one of them of them leading to this! To happiness. So yes, he had been absurdly lucky recently. And on a far lesser scale it seemed that this particular streak was continuing for the moment at least.
Apples for the teacher were supposed to be common phenomena, though Hank himself, despite his popularity, hadn’t received many during his career. Cookies for the doctor though… that was almost unheard of. Yet here was Emily offering just that . Even if she herself admitted that there might be an ulterior motive.
Trojan cookies. The very idea brought a smile to Hank's face. “Ohh” he said with obviously mock seriousness.” I am forewarned and shall therefore beware of Greeks bearing cookies. But questions.. well those I have always welcomed. And I welcome yours Emily.. With or without cookies. Though he grinned infectiously at her. They are always welcome here in my domain.
Re: Saturday March 31st: A Curious Moment"Ohh" It appeared the doctor was as kind as Martha had said, and some of Emily’s tension and concern faded at the sight of the mutant’s humour. "I am forewarned and shall therefore beware of Greeks bearing cookies. But questions.. well those I have always welcomed. And I welcome yours Emily.. With or without cookies. Though" Ah yes, but cookies were always so much better, and with Hank’s final comments he seemed to also agree. "They are always welcome here in my domain." Carefully the young Finn placed the plate of cookies on his desk, allowing them to be within easy access should he want to try them.
"Aunt Martha has the best cookie and cake recipes," She went on favourably, obviously holding a great admiration and affection for Riley’s mother, "I wanted to see you earlier while we were still here... first I really want to thank you for helping Riley," The girl drifted eagerly to the seat across from Hank, sinking into the guest’s chair happily, a mixture of delightful bliss of youth blended in with an air of subdued maturity as responsibilities began to be taken more seriously. "I really missed him so it was really great you guys let us come, I didn’t get to spend much time with him when he was in Iowa. Riley always got left with the babysitting duty when I was tiny, my brother was kinda sucky at looking after me," Fingers twisted as her sleeves as she spoke, Emily was just two years old when Riley left home so she didn’t exactly remember him, but she was told so much about him and saw the family videos (which basically were the only videos the Finn’s owned) that she knew of the memories with him well enough to have fallen in love with her older cousin who spoiled her at times. "I have all these old videos of us before he left and he’s so happy there and I thought it’d be really cool to bring them, we didn’t get a chance to watch them when he and Catherine were down... Ben wouldn’t let me bring them though," Emily had a tendency to ramble a little when she was nervous, and upon realizing this she added, "My brother’s always been a bit of a jerk though," with a slightly nervous laugh.
"Anyway," Her hazel eyes peered over Hank’s office curiously, taking in the personality that it built, "I’ve been thinking... I was wondering... is it possible to find out if someone is a mutant or not?" To be polite, as she started talking to Hank again her eyes turned to his face, though she felt a little awkward, wondering what he’d think of her comment and if the doctor would think she was being childish. "It’s just, everyone says I’m so much like how Riley was in a lot of ways, so I just thought maybe.." There was a slight shrug of her shoulders as she struggled to find the best way to say all this, it didn’t seem to be coming out as planned... maybe because she felt so small in front of the doctor. Not only was he someone important, he was a mutant, and she was asking naively about something he was faced with day in and day out and part of her wondered if he’d just think she was silly, or senseless as she imagined her brother would tell her off for being. "I’m just curious."
Re: Saturday March 31st: A Curious Moment
There is nothing new under the sun. Or so some people said. People who had never been around mutants that was. Yet it had to be admitted that this particular situation was certainly nothing new as far as the doctor was concerned. No matter how prettily it was packaged.
Emilie’s thanks were heat felt that was obvious. As was her affection for her cousin. The memories she spread out before the doctor so readily paining a picture of a younger and much more carefree youth than the one who had lain on Hank’s operating table. The Riley who had gone before. The one that, thanks to the government agency who had ripped him from this loving family, Hank would never now have the privilege of knowing. Still they had gone some way to giving him back his freedom. Even if it had almost cost them dearly. If anything of the farm boy remained in the soldier then at least now it would have the chance to blossom. Provided Riley wanted it too that was.
Oh yes Emily had come to give thanks. And cookies. But it didn’t take a genius to figure out why she was really there. Hank sighed quietly as he looked at her hopeful eyes, when she finally plucked up the courage to ask the question which had brought her to him. "I’ve been thinking... I was wondering... is it possible to find out if someone is a mutant or not?" How many times had he heard it over the years? Hank had lost count. But the answer always came at a price.
Emilie was young and the only mutants she had really come in contact with were the students at the Institute. Hardly what you could call observing them in their natural environment. This was an oasis of goodwill in a desert of ill feeling. Though Hank doubted that that was how it seemed to Emilie. . "It’s just,” she went on hurriedly” everyone says I’m so much like how Riley was in a lot of ways, so I just thought maybe.. I’m just curious." Of course she was more than curious. She wanted the answer to be yes, that much Hank could see. She wanted to be special. Like her cousin. To be able to walk the corridors of the Institute as a student not just as a visitor!
It did happen of course. That someone actually wanted to be a mutant. Especially someone Emilie’s age! The powers seemed so magical. Like some wonderful gift that transformed you into the hero of your own particular fairy tale. The idea that you could just as easily turn into a frog never seemed to cross their minds. Even when the person you were talking too resembled a Beast.
Most of the time thought, those who asked for the test were scared. Terrified that their genes might betray them into a future filled with uncertainty and exclusion! Knowing that if it was positive their lives would be torn apart in ways they couldn’t even begin to imagine. Because that was what happened, no matter what power fate dealt you. Benign or lethal! Visible or hidden. It inevitably set you apart.
“There is of course a chance that you do have the mutant gene, my dear” Hank told her gently. “Just as there is a chance that you do not. And yes . There is a test that we can do to find out. It is quick and painless and, thankfully, reliable.” The doctor’s yellow eyes were serious as he looked at the young girl, and there was no hint of condescension in his voice as he spoke to her. This was, whether she fully realised it or not a serious moment. One from which, if they went through with the test, there would be no going back.
“It will answer your question here and now” the blue furred mutant continued “If that is what you really wish. But you must realise Emilie that there is a lot more to being a mutant than just having powers. Those powers change your life. And not always in a good way. Are you sure you are ready for that. Or would you not prefer to keep the possibility of having a normal life for a little longer? “
Re: Saturday March 31st: A Curious MomentThis could be a rather short thread really... once Hank gets the test done, Emily would have to scoot off so her family doesn't freak that she's missing so long, she was supposed to watch a movie not venture up to the school. So I posted assuming we could finish this up and knock off a thread from your list. Obviously they would talk a bit as is obvious from what they are doing now, but unless I'm being senseless from lack of sleep I figure it wouldn't take long to do the test and such.. feel free to ignore this thread as long as you want if you feel it's not going to be as quick as I assume. I know there are at least two other threads wrapping up, like the Michael & Queen thread along with the Michael and Connor one.
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"There is of course a chance that you do have the mutant gene, my dear" Breath seemed to hold within the 14 year olds chest for a moment after Hank had started speaking. "Just as there is a chance that you do not. And yes . There is a test that we can do to find out. It is quick and painless and, thankfully, reliable. " The confidence that Hank spoke of the test unnerved Emily a little, not knowing left so many options open to her, knowing limited them, but right now she wanted to stay, to be around Riley and make sure Martha knew she wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him. But she also didn’t want to be alone on a farm with her brother’s hateful taunts directed to her as it was so often directed towards Catherine and Riley and all the other mutants they ever saw or heard about.
"It will answer your question here and now" The doctor addressed her with a sense of knowing and authority and yet nothing that made her feel as if she were a toddler barely able to walk stating she was the faster runner in the world. Adults often mused the ridiculous thoughts of children and played along, especially in close knit communities and places where children remained children longer then they tended to in the city areas, which tended to rob the youth of their innocence and naivety so much sooner. "If that is what you really wish. But you must realise Emilie that there is a lot more to being a mutant than just having powers. Those powers change your life. And not always in a good way. Are you sure you are ready for that. Or would you not prefer to keep the possibility of having a normal life for a little longer?" Fingers twisted at the material of her sleeve as Emily listened, wanting to say she knew and understand and yet knowing that really she didn’t, she only thought she had an understanding, that didn’t mean she did. She was old enough now to know just because she thought she knew something didn’t always mean that was the case, but admitting to being wrong or unsure was still a little difficult.
"I’m a really good student," The youth began almost completely off the main topic, though to be honest she wasn’t sure what this school looked for in its pupils, aside the obvious mutant factor, "My family would understand if I was.. mostly," At least she figured, if anyone other then Ben had a serious problem with Riley being a mutant they hadn’t said anything towards it, but then again, it was probably better to have him back slightly different then to have him still being dead and gone forever. Ben, however, acted as if Riley was still dead and that a freak was trying to take the place of the boy Ben had been childhood friends with, not that they always got along back then either. "If I am not, then I’ll be fine.. I’ll go back home with Auntie Martha and stay on the farm and.. but if I am like Riley, then I could stay with him, and he won’t be alone any more, and if I am then it’ll happen whether I know about it or not, so.. Riley says it’s always best to be prepared," When she was nine Emily had asked if she’d be able to study outside of Iowa, and while Martha had been beside herself, Jonathon had always said when the time was right they would think about it. And with her grades she wasn’t going to be hard pressed to find a place in any of the decent highschools around. "I was going to work towards a place in a school with dorms, but the only ones around New York that ok are either too expensive or too dodgy, and I suggested going to Massachusetts Academy, Riley went there and so did our grandfather... but ... Uncle Jon said no.. I think it’s because I’m a girl and they’re really protective about me being on my own," It was clear that Jonathon hadn’t told her, if anyone else, about what had been seen down at the school when Hank and he had gone to talk to the head mistress, but what had occurred obviously fuelled his dislike and distrust for the school. And Riley hadn’t shared any secrets to give her the hints she’d need to know, no one wanted to upset Emily over it, as she could hold quite the grudge like a lot of the Finn’s tended to be able to do, they often took things too personally. And if Emily thought something bad happened to Riley at the school, she’d storm the halls and Jonathon could almost picture her throwing a few eggs at the teachers cars.... then again, it had been Ben who had done such a thing, and Emily, hopefully, was too mature to resort to such behaviour, even if egging the cars was far from the sort of damage Jon would have been tempted to do to those who robbed him of his son.
"I don’t know.." There was a shrug of her slender shoulders as her hazel eyes peered down at her lap for a moment, she had realized she was rambling on again and it was always embarrassing when she caught herself doing that. "I just want to know... I just want to be prepared for whatever I’ll be, and if I’m going to be different like Riley is, I want to be with Riley if I can, I don’t have to stay here, I can talk with Grams about staying at her place, where we’re staying now, she’d let me, I’d not have to be stuck back home on my own with Ben then, and I don’t have to change schools half way if it’s bad, you know?"
Re: Saturday March 31st: A Curious Moment
Sometimes difficult questions had to be approached circuitously, and certainly the one that Hank had asked Emily was far from easily answered. So the doctor wasn’t really surprised when she eased her way into it from a different angle even if her train of logic wasn’t all that hard to follow. "I’m a really good student," she told him earnestly, confirming his impression that it was the school just as much, and indeed? perhaps more than the idea of having powers that had impressed her. Still, that she had listened to and taken on board his arguments was also apparent as she continued "My family would understand if I was.. mostly,"
Hmmm… Ben. The brother who would perhaps, if Hank had read between the lines correctly, not be so understanding. Something she would have to face if the test proved positive. Though the doctor had to admit that prior warning would give her a chance to broach the subject under her own conditions rather than have an unexpected power erupt with who knew what consequences.
Certainly Emily was showing a degree of maturity that impressed him, weighing her answers, despite her obvious longing to stay at Xaviers. "If I am not, then I’ll be fine.. I’ll go back home with Auntie Martha and stay on the farm and.. And what? Not live happily ever after judging from the sound of her voice. Mutant or not Emily had wings she’d like to spread. The doctor smiled. If Michael spoke French he’d be quoting Baudelaire right now. ‘Mes ailes de geant m’empeche de marcher.’ My giant wings cripple me! L’albatros One of Hanks favourite poems and though there the poet had been talking about his own creative abilities which left him somehow awkward and helpless in any so called normal situation, the context wasn’t so different.
Imagination or simply the desire to learn wasn’t something that was always understood by those around you. Hanks own intellect could have been a burden without parents who shared his interests and an ability to excel on the sports field that had definitively saved him from ever being branded a geek during high school. For Emily however perhaps being a mutant was, if not the only then certainly the easiest intellectual escape route she felt was left open to her.
Not that Hank doubted for a moment that Martha and Jonathon would back her in any decision she might make to venture further a field if they knew that was what she truly desired. He had learned to know them and knew that they were good people who only wanted their children to be happy. Still.. their reticence to send yet another child into the unknown given what had happened to Riley was also understandable. And the institute was a safe option. Something Emily seemed to have taken into her calculations. Along with several other valid arguments, which she didn’t hesitate to bring out.
but if I am like Riley, then I could stay with him, and he won’t be alone any more, and if I am then it’ll happen whether I know about it or not, so.. Riley says it’s always best to be prepared," In all honesty Hank couldn’t fault her logic. If she was in fact a mutant then nothing he of anyone else might do or say would ever change that. The powers would come, for better or for worse, dictated by an inevitability that had been written into her genes since the moment of her conception.And Hank had never been one for concealing things from his patients.
Still.. if the test did prove positive Emily was willing to see it as a blessing.At least as far as her educational needs were concerned. "I was going to work towards a place in a school with dorms, but the only ones around New York that ok are either too expensive or too dodgy,she told him frankly and I suggested going to Massachusetts Academy, Riley went there and so did our grandfather... but ... Uncle Jon said no.. I think it’s because I’m a girl and they’re really protective about me being on my own,"
One day perhaps they would be ready to tell her why that particular request had met with such a resounding no. Something to do with the corruption that had grown up all unsuspected within its doors! It saddened Hank to think that the schools reputation had been sullied in such a way but, even if they had done all they could to cut the cancer out, he was not such a fool as to imagine the Finns trusting another beloved child to it any time soon.
In the end though it was Emily’s directness that convinced him she was ready to face once and for all the fate lay in store for her. "I don’t know.." she said finally "I just want to know... I just want to be prepared for whatever I’ll be, and if I’m going to be different like Riley is, I want to be with Riley if I can, I don’t have to stay here, I can talk with Grams about staying at her place, where we’re staying now, she’d let me, I’d not have to be stuck back home on my own with Ben then, and I don’t have to change schools half way if it’s bad, you know?
Yes. I do know” he told her with a smile.” And I can now see that you have given this matter a lot of thought. Which is all I asked of you” The doctor moved away from his desk, opened a cupboard and took out a sterile syringe before seating himself once more in front of the young girl. “All I need now is a little blood and we’ll know whether you carry the mutant gene or not. But there is one thing I think you may not have understood and which I’d like to make clear.” The bestial mutants yellow eyes were kind as he said gently “Xavier’s institute may be a haven for mutants but it does also count amongst its students many who would be considered ‘normal human beings’ If such a thing actually exists for in my experience everyone, no matter how normal they might consider themselves to be is unique with there own special talents.
What this means though is that, whatever the result of this test might be..whether you are a mutant or not… you will have a place here at the Institute if you want it. Provided that your guardians are in agreement with this that is.”
Re: Saturday March 31st: A Curious Moment"Yes. I do know" Came the doctors reply, and to be honest, Emily felt a little silly, he’d probably gone through all this that she was laying out, he’d probably seen it a hundred times or more with all the students in his care. "And I can now see that you have given this matter a lot of thought. Which is all I asked of you" It wasn’t the Finn’s way to rush in, well, depending on the situation, it was just as likely they’d rush in blindly if the situation was serious enough and they had little chance to actually think over it. They didn’t like taking risks on the farm, but they’d risk things for each other, and that’s what made Emily feel so safe around them, she knew the Finn’s had made a lot of sacrifices and she respected them for that, they never let the old farm become run down and dangerous, no matter how tired or broke they were.
As Hank moved off, Emily kicked her legs a little nervously, she didn’t go often to doctors and needles hadn’t been a very common thing in her life, she’d seen their local doctor for check ups just never had anything that was serious enough… there was a broken toe once but they couldn’t really do anything for her. That was the worse of Emily’s injuries.
"All I need now is a little blood and we’ll know whether you carry the mutant gene or not. But there is one thing I think you may not have understood and which I’d like to make clear." A small breath was taken in, though as McCoy finished speaking her eyes lifted from the syringe to meet Hank’s face, watching the golden eyes as they once again stared seriously back at her. The doctor had a kind voice, the sort of voice one might not expect from the way he looked, so intelligent and sure, no gruff or growls about the older mutant and proved you just couldn’t take what you saw for granted all the time.
"Xavier’s institute may be a haven for mutants but it does also count amongst its students many who would be considered ‘normal human beings’ If such a thing actually exists for in my experience everyone, no matter how normal they might consider themselves to be is unique with there own special talents. " The thought, and assurance, was nice at that point, to hear that no one was really ‘normal’ when it came to being human, everyone was different, Martha always said you love those around you because of who they are, not what they were or the things they were or weren’t able to do. Sure she was proud of all the things Emily had done well in her life, but never ashamed whenever Emily hadn’t done so well in other things. Though to be honest, it wan’t until Hank had continued that she understood the meaning behind his words. "What this means though is that, whatever the result of this test might be..whether you are a mutant or not… you will have a place here at the Institute if you want it. Provided that your guardians are in agreement with this that is. " The smile that grew steadily showed the understanding as it settled, the meaning of what that offered and the positives that could bring regardless of the outcome, to say the offer was anything but pleasing would be difficult by the way the teen seemed more at ease and easily able to smile.
"Thank you… either way I lose something, I either lose a cousin again who thinks it’s not safe to be around him, or I lose a brother who is too short sighted and bitter to accept an accident doesn’t have to be related to the drivers genetics." There seemed to be an annoyance there, a hint that it wasn’t just a passing comment made by her brother but something that drove his every day actions, the effect so great that it seemed even years hadn’t dimmed the childish rage of a grieving son. "I don’t really want to go anywhere else," The girl admitted quietly as she held her arm towards the doctor, she probably would have if no options were given, just to be stubborn, and being stubborn was a family trait indeed, she loved her home, and the farm, but in a way, that wasn’t enough for her. Not right now, right now there was so much more out there, and things she didn’t understand, and things she needed to learn, and things that maybe she didn’t, but had to, and sometimes being too protected made it hard to experience the things she wanted to. Not to mention the time it took to get around from the farm, it made social events too draining if her grandfolks back home couldn’t have her the night for whatever reason. "Did you do this test on Riley too?" Came the distracting question, the one to steer off any questions that might ask her why she might not want to go anywhere else, there were so many reasons and in the end Emily wasn’t sure that the real reason deep down were the kind that people cared for, even Emily wasn’t entirely sure which reasons were more important to her then the other.
Re: Saturday March 31st: A Curious Moment
"Thank you…Strange that something normally as straightforward as thanks could be sincere and yet wistful at the same time. Though under these particular circumstances there was bound to be a certain degree of conflict no matter how optimistic you happened to be. And certainly Emily seemed more and more aware of what this particular discovery would imply as they went along.
”Either way I lose something,” she said, her young voice tinged with a now seemingly inevitable sadness. I either lose a cousin again who thinks it’s not safe to be around him, or I lose a brother who is too short sighted and bitter to accept an accident doesn’t have to be related to the drivers genetics." There was a story buried there that the doctor didn’t have a right to know. And yet not to know it was to go into this particular revelation blind, something he had to do all too often even if he hated it each and every time.
He had thought that the Institution was a lure as far as Emily was concerned and that had worried him. Now though he wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t have been happier if that had actually been the case. Because to have it as a last resort. the one place of refuge in an adverse world, even if that was what it had been designed to be in extremis, wasn’t something he actually wished on anyone. Let alone this kind, cookie bearing, girl from a family who had already suffered so much.
"I don’t really want to go anywhere else," she admitted finally, words that could have confirmed either hypothesis and which Hank stubbornly decided to see as a positive affirmation rather than a cry of desperation. Certainly the arm she held out to him in acceptance of the needle was steady as was her voice as she asked "Did you do this test on Riley too?"
Hank was almost as eager as she was to steer the subject even slightly away from potential heart break even if only for a moment. No, actually I didn’t Hank told her as he drew the blood deftly and placed it into the machine for analysis. “Well not like this in any case.”
“Riley” he explained as he watched the screen for the result “Was hurt when he was brought to the institute. So his blood was analysed as a matter of course rather than at his request. Still… “Hank looked up at the screen not sure entirely sure what his reaction should be to this particular news.
“The results were remarkably like yours. Especially where the mutant DNA marker is concerned! So… I suppose I should welcome you to Xavier’s institute. Which is a joy as far as I am concerned! Now we have to make sure you don’t lose anything in the process. Especially not something as precious as a brother! .
Re: Saturday March 31st: A Curious Moment"No, actually I didn’t" The furred mutant replied, peaking the girls curiosity, she assumed that everyone had it done the same way, unless something happened that meant Riley hadn’t needed to be tested! "Well not like this in any case. " Hazel eyes watched the doctor intently, the girl liked him, there was a depth to the man’s voice that seemed so odd in comparison to how he looked! Sure there were points Emily had to force herself not to stare, but it was more out of curiosity and nothing of her gaze was judgemental… mutants were rare and far between back where she lived, but none were so different looking as the doctor before her.
"Riley" Continued the doctor, who was busy staring at a screen which showed the blood results, or so she assumed, "Was hurt when he was brought to the institute. So his blood was analysed as a matter of course rather than at his request. Still…" Hurt? If Dr McCoy was intending it or not, Emily suddenly felt like a horse hopelessly drawn towards that carrot which dangled just before her nose and out of reach.
"The results were remarkably like yours. Especially where the mutant DNA marker is concerned! So… I suppose I should welcome you to Xavier’s institute. Which is a joy as far as I am concerned! Now we have to make sure you don’t lose anything in the process. Especially not something as precious as a brother!" It would be logical, Emily thought for a moment, that she comment on this new discovery, and yet, it seemed nudged aside for the moment, as if a christmas pressent newly unwrapped which had suddenly lost interest to the girl. It wasn't truly that, but so many things were going on around her, and this conversation held so many chances for her to grasp at a few questions and find out a few answers even perhaps, that the discovery was something that could easily be discussed later. Interest towards what had happened to Riley was nudged aside with a soft chuckle as Emily teasingly rolled her eyes.
"Ben? Precious? Now I know you haven’t met him," Emily swung her legs a little as if digesting the information, "Nana said if he upset anyone else with his anger then she’d consider using her cane on him, as far as he is concerned it seems every mutant is responsible for the truck that hit our parents car… It’s why he got so nasty with Riley, talks to him now as if Riley isn’t Riley and I think that made it hard on everyone," A hand pressed against her arm where the needle was removed, her lower lip momentarily chewed, something she had in common with Riley, though she hadn’t yet noticed as he doesn’t do it so often. "May I ask… when Riley came here and was hurt… was that when his memories were all messed up? He said he’d forgotten a lot of things, but being here helped him, that’s what Uncle Jon says too, that you helped him," It seemed there were a lot of things that the girl wanted to know, that she was curious about and that she indeed did have a habit of talking, as she earlier warned. "And they all say they wish they could help you in turn," The final comment seemed added randomly, as if more a thought that had entered Emily's mind and just happened to slip out with all the rest.
Re: Saturday March 31st: A Curious Moment "Ben? Precious? Now I know you haven’t met him," There was more resignation than cynicism in her young voice and yet the words weren’t easy to hear. Not for someone like Hank who had seen mutancy tear families apart, actively setting brother against brother.
What did he actually know about this Ben? he asked himself.. The blue furred mutant wracked his brains trying to dredge up any snippet of information that had come his way but he had to admit that he wasn’t doing well. Riley’s problems had towered head and shoulders above everything else. The idiosyncrasies of his cousin hadn’t even been a blimp on the radar until now. And yet they had without doubt played a major part in Emily’s formative years. So when she spoke Hank listened. Even if what he heard only saddened him.
To have your parents taken away at an early age.. no at any age , especially when the circumstances were as dramatic as these seemed to have been wasn’t something you got over easily. Or even something that you got over at all. Emily had been young. Young enough perhaps to have escaped without major scarring! Her brother on the other hand.. To have been part of a secure loving family one moment and then, by the careless actions of others , mutant or not , to be suddenly cast adrift. That was hard to bear no matter how tolerant you might have been to begin with. And mutants did make such easy targets.
Family members had no doubt tried to talk him out of his prejudice but how effective could that actually be? This had been a wound to his heart that had apparently festered for years. It wasn’t going to heal easily. But it could heal under the right circumstances, of that the doctor was sure. And perhaps Emily would be the one to do it. Even if she didn’t believe it herself!
She was strong though. Strong enough to take the fact of her mutant nature in her stride and return to what really mattered for her! Her family. . "May I ask…” she had said ,and though Hank had anticipated many questions, all linked to her own future, he hadn’t foreseen the one she actually came up with. “when Riley came here and was hurt… was that when his memories were all messed up?”
Decidedly Riley was a mystery that he was far from having unravelled. Though this youngster was providing him with more of the elements he needed if he was ever going to do so. “He said he’d forgotten a lot of things, but being here helped him, that’s what Uncle Jon says too, that you helped him," Had he really? That was good to know.
Because most of the time he had been working blind. As blind as the former government agent himself had seemed to be at times. And after revealing to Emily’s cousin that he had effectively brought TI back to life, despite everything he had done, then the doctor had wondered if Riley would ever truly trust him again. To hear now that he was talking positively about their relationship to his family was more than he could have hoped for. As was what she said next. “And they all say they wish they could help you in turn,"
“That is more than kind and certainly more than I deserve” he told Emily candidly. “ But as far as answering your questions goes…” The doctor sighed. If I had noted some sort of medical complaint that affected your cousins memories then I wouldn’t be able to talk to you about it. As it is however.. I had no idea he ever suffered from any kind of memory loss. That’s not something you can always detect no matter how sophisticated the machines you have at your disposition might be. For that you need people to talk to you.. and Riley doesn’t always talk about his problems. My job would be a lot easier if he did.
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Re: Saturday March 31st: A Curious Moment"That is more than kind and certainly more than I deserve" Once again the girl was sitting up and looking the doctor in the face, her legs swinging a little for a moment as she listened. "But as far as answering your questions goes…" The doctor sighed. "If I had noted some sort of medical complaint that affected your cousins memories then I wouldn’t be able to talk to you about it. As it is however.. I had no idea he ever suffered from any kind of memory loss. That’s not something you can always detect no matter how sophisticated the machines you have at your disposition might be. For that you need people to talk to you.. and Riley doesn’t always talk about his problems. My job would be a lot easier if he did." Emily couldn’t help but chuckle at the last comment, while listening intently at the first half, it seemed she could easily relate to his final statement. Understanding the age old ‘doctor patient secrecy’ and such which Emily had actually forgotten entirely about, she supposed it made sense that patients had their secrets even from their family members.
"Well," Emily began a little hesitantly as she thought, trying to recall examples, "He didn’t entirely say it at first, but he commented on the barn being fixed, something about a fire, but we never had a fire there," Would it help Riley to tell Dr McCoy this? Emily wasn’t sure in some ways if anything she said made any difference, but he had suggested Riley hadn’t talked to him, and she wasn’t sure if the doctor would walk up to Riley and just announce he’d been informed of stuff and start talking about it with Riley. But, still, she continued, "Some things he remembered right, like he asked a lot about the animals we had when he left, he missed Cammy… she was a really nice cow, and the horses, we still have Penny but she is much older obviously," Announced the girl happily, adding quickly, "That’s a horse… she was born months before Riley left and he was going to be allowed to keep her," They were not a large farm packed with animals, but they had a few, most of what they obtained were stock though, and they only had two horses which they kept, so Riley’s parents thought it worthwhile to keep a third their son could tend for and help grow. Something new and readily trainable compared to Toby, the dog he had found and tended for after it had escaped its own wounded after a dog fight and hide in one of the lower fields. While Riley dotted on the canine, they thought various distractions would help him deal with all the stress going on at the moment.
"Then he forgot the names of some people he knew pretty well, and he remembered some that you’d think he’d have forgotten," with a small shrug, Emily sighed a little, "He only explained that he never came back because he had forgotten, but Catherine told me that he thought of us all the time," Stated the girl, not entirely confused, but giving the impression she knew something was up, "Haven’t you noticed when you ask him things?" Emily sounded genuinely interested and concerned as she finished speaking, "I asked him a lot about what happened, I know I probably shouldn’t but… he doesn’t get frustrated with me, he usually changes the subject, but sometimes he starts talking and then seems to get distracted mid sentence, he did it a lot up at the farm, we figured it was because of his memory thing," After a moment Emily kicked her legs once more, looking more awkward as she added, "Am I allowed to say that to you? I guess it doesn’t really help unless Riley says it…" But as they all know, he didn't say a great deal! Maybe she could talk to him... or definitely work on it now that she might be allowed to stay around longer!
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