| Details for Visiting Hours |
| Summary: | Clover brings baby Tristan to meet her co-workers |
| Date: | 26 June, 1938 |
| Location: | St Mungo's |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Its another day in St. Mungo's. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened yet (though, considering the types of things that can happen in the wizarding world, out of the ordinary is, of course, relative…), and as the lunch hour approaches its end, Ranjali stops downstairs to chat with a few of the Welcome Witch and the others working the front desk, a basket of leftover treats from her mother's latest party tucked under one arm to share.
Having taken advantage of his lunch break to get a stroll, and some fish and chips from a nearby muggle shop, Keenan pulls his robe out from a knapsack as he crosses the lobby. He gives it a good shake, and a wave of his wand for good measure, before he stuffs one arm in, switches the knapsack over to the other shoulder, and then pulls it around to his other arm. He gives a flip to settle the collar and then heads towards the front desk to check his patient list for the afternoon
For days upon days, Hunter has desired nothing more than to be free of the Spell Damage long-term ward. To get out and about. Today, his wish came true and in the nature of such things… in such a way to make him regret ever making such a wish. The young woman that's been wheeling him about looks rather haggard and it's no surprise- Hunter is in a foul mood. Having been shuffled from department to department for various tests and attempts at solutions, the Macmillan has a constant stream of complaints running now. "And I'm -still- not allowed to drink," not that it's stopped him. "As if rum will make it any worse. Can you believe that?" The poor girl pushing the chair just mumbles assent from time to time.
Clover has not been back to work in nearly two months!! Two! This is probably the longest she has been away in a few years, and part of her is missing being here. So she decides that it is time for Tristan's first trip to work. Not planning on taking him any further than the lobby, she strolls in, with a bag over one shoulder and the small infant in her arms. She smiles and greets a few people on the way to the Welcome Witches, but it is Ranji and Keen that catches her attention. "Here I am, off on leave and I come back to find you two slacking? I'm appalled." She teases, smiling at the both of them. Hunter does catch her attention, and part of her is curious, but she has to quiet that work-o-holic for the moment.
Ranjali, chuckling at a joke shared by the Welcome Witch, glances up to wave Keenan over in the hopes of sharing with him as well. The chuckle becomes a sympathetic grin as she hears before she even sees hunter being wheeled by with his poor Healer. But before she can try to take the man off the poor girl's hands, she finds herself jumping up from the counter she'd been leaning against and hurrying around, "Clover! Oh, and just look at this. Oh, he's /lovely/ Clover. Truly." She beams from the baby to his mother, her eyes alight in that way that women's eyes often get when there are wee ones in the room.
Keenan, being a man and therefore subject to his stomach, was trying to get a peek into Ranjali's basket while checking the patient list. "Ye never know," he muses mildly in Hunter's direction, edging closer to the basket. "We'll just have a look at these results…" but then he's being accused of slacking and he turns.
"And look who's talking about slacking. The Queen o'Slacking herself. It's been what? Two months since ye worked last?" The twinkle in his green eyes belies any actual complaint, and he's folding his arms around Hunter's test results to go over and take a look at Clover's little lad.
There's more muttering about a small child, screaming, and perhaps even some other mild complaints. Still, Hunter at least has the presence of mind (for the moment) to keep these below hearing. He just looks like a displeased, salty young man who is unhappy with his current status. Who wouldn't be? He can't walk. There's a blanket tucked around his lap, but there's that surreality to it. A shapelessness to the form of his legs beneath the blanket. "So where too next, doll?" he asks the nurse suddenly who lets out a brief huff of a sigh. As if she's put up with him far too long now. "You wait for your next appointment," is her curt answer. Hunter just grunts faintly and slouches in his seat.
"Yes, he lovely now, just wait until he starts crying." Clover says in a jovial tone as she bounces the boy in her arms. However Keenan has test results in his hands and she raises her brows at him. She wants to peeeeeeeeeeeeeek. "Me? Slacking? Come stay the night with me and I will show you just how much I am 'slacking'. She says, teasing him just a bit, and she'd probably swat at him if she could. Turning back to Ranji, she smiles. "Would you like to hold him? He should be well behaved… for once." She says slyly, trusting that her co-workers know how to handle a baby.
Ranjali's basket, though its been picked over by the ladies of the front desk, still holds a number of treats from the Winterthorne's last party. Treats both British and Indian in origin, as well as a few tiny bottles of what might be champagne and a few small boxes made of colored paper. The basket is also, at the moment, unattended as Ranjali leans in to gently hug Clover and the other ladies lean forward to exclaim over the baby. Ranjali chuckles at the banter, and is reaching up to offer the baby a fingr to grasp when Clover offers to let her hold him. She looks up, with a wide smile, "I'd /love/ to." Her smile turns to a grin as she reaches for the child, adding, "Though if another Master Healer comes down here and sees you trying to work over Keenan's shoulder, it won't be blamed on me."
Noting the direction of Clover's glance, Keenan wiggles the folder in front of her enticingly before sliding it behind his back. "Ranjali's brought in some delicious looking snacks," he offers in distraction. "An' I've sat with my nephews at this age enough tae know how much sleep ye've likely been havin'."
The Irish healer does take pity on the poor nurse for a moment, and turns back towards his next patient. "I'll be with ye in a moment, Mr. Macmillan. If ye'd like ye can take a tour o'tha lobby before ye head t'the office. With luck, we may be able tae start treatments today, an' have ye on yer feet soon." He turns back to his compatriots and gives a quick glance ceilingward, before his attention returns to the baby being passed from mother to friend.
Because no one takes pity on Hunter. He knows this and likely prefers it that way. Perhaps he's difficult for a reason. The young man's jaw works briefly as he looks towards that basket. Perhaps he knows that it has those little bottles in it. Of that precious, precious liquid the owner of the basket has refused him. He grabs at the arms of the chair and looks rather frustrated for a moment. Perhaps having made an attempt to move his legs… with failure, of course. There's a long sigh and he lifts a hand to run fingers through his hair, looking to Keenan. There's a faint grunt, "Treatments? So you've figured something out, then?"
Clover gives her best innocent smile to Ranji as she passes her son over. "Who me? I wouldn't be working at all! I may /consult/ which I should be just fine to do." She says as she gently touches her son's head, to smooth back his hair before she finally swats at Keenan for his earlier remark. Tristan seems quite content in Ranji's arms, and even looks a little tired from his journey. "I've learned to nap when he does, that helps, and I do have some help around the house as well so it's not just me doing all the work." She pauses for just a second before she tries to peek at the file. "So what's his ailment?"
Ranjali just chuckles and shakes her head, cradling the baby as her visits to the Infant care ward have taught her to. Letting Clover have her moment, she takes her new charge over by the counter so the other ladies can better see. The small group crowds around happily and soon falls into a soft conversation of which parent the child favors more, as well as when those single women in the group will be following Clover's example.
"Could be," Keenan assents to Hunter, before finally letting Clover take a look. "I seem to be drawing the curses that don'want to leave. Jelly legs." He clasps his hands behind his back once she takes the folder. His eyes are drawn back to where Ranjali and the ladies are gathered around Tristan.
And that, when Keenan turns to look back to the women, is when Hunter makes his move. The nurse tending to him was unable to resist her own curiousity. A situation where perhaps everyone thought someone else had an eye on the troublesome Macmillan. The young man grabs the wheels of the chair and starts making his way towards that abandoned basket. Slowly… slowly… then quick enough to duck a hand into the contents. His features brighten — for the first time in days — when he surfaces, triumphant, with one of those small bottles. A quick glance back as he opens it to ensure there's still a distraction. Today, his respect for children grew just a little. They're great partners in crime.
Clover does keep one eye on Ranji and her son, still not used to that bit of paranoia that she feels, but she knows that in a few months she is going to have to deal with it. "I see you've got lots of practice in Ranjali." She says brightly before turning back to Keenan and peeking at the chart. "Ah.. has anyone tried a petrification draught? I am sure if you use a small enough dose that may be enough to get his legs to calm and the poor man could stand for a bit." She pauses for a second before she glances over to the basket and Hunter, checking his chart first before she calls him out on his sneaking.
Ranjali glances up, one hand carefully cradling Tristan's head, "I love to visit the Infant Care ward." She murmurs, as the other ladies continue to ohh and ahh. She hums softly under her breath, turning to listen to Clover and Keenan with a little of her own interest in the case. Her eyebrows rise at the suggestion, and she nods to herself, pondering the possibilities.
Keenan's eyebrows raise and by the gleam in his eyes, Clover's hit on something he was thinking of. "We'll have to figure out the right balance, and target it properly. Don't want to put so much in that he can not move them for the opposite reason." Instead of watching the baby and women, he watches the new mother, thus his back is still to the pilfering patient. "How's Zephyr taking to being a Daddy?"
Oh, so glorious. Hunter's shoulders fall back as he drains the small bottle in short succession. The man blinks a few times and glances over to the crowd once more. He decides not to push his luck… /too/ much. Just enough. So he reaches in and grabs the rest of the bottles, tucking them away in various spots on his person. Then, he begins to roll backwards. Slowly. Can't look immediately like he's fleeting the scene of the crime.
"I got my practice in with my Nephew, though I have to say, even this was different than dealing with him in his early days." Clover comments before she nods to Keenan. "He's doing well. He wants me to open up a private practice in our guest house, but I don't think I could really leave this place." However she does spot that Hunter is slipping something into his robes, and she leans forward to whisper something to Keenan before she nods. "Well yes of course, there might be some trial and error." She says with a shrug.
Clover pages: She says, check his pockets
Ranjali, just as Hunter is finishing backing away, glances in his direction. In her focus on the infant in her arms, she fails to pick up on his intentions. Though she does give him a generally suspicious look. He's so often up to something she figures she might as well.
At Clover's whisper, Keenan nods, taking back the charts. "Ye can tell that man of yers that I'll tolerate him claiming yer free time when yer not here, but I'll not tolerate him stealing ye from me altogether," he chides teasingly at the mention of opening a private practice. "I can't be popping over to the mansion every time I need a second opinion." He nudges Clover shoulder to shoulder, then turns to his patient. "Mr. Macmillan, I'm sorry to keep ye waiting so long. I'll just wheel ye over to the examining room, now. We'll need ye to take yer robes off so we can get a good look at those legs of yers…" he tosses a wink back over his shoulder to Hunter's informant as he waves the nurse off and gives her a reprieve as he wheels the patient himself.