| Details for The Wolf In the Room |
| Summary: | Patched up and recuperating in hospital, Rena has a less than happy visit with her fiance. |
| Date: | 1939-07-07 |
| Location: | St. Mungos Hospital |
| Related: | A Knife in the Dark |
| Characters |
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It is not long after the chaos on July 7th, that came through the doors of St. Mungos. Between the stabbed Auror and the assailant, the lycanthropy scare. Treatment was delayed and information was scattered through the Hospital, misinformation word finally reached Takeshi who was working a Artifact Accidents rotation. While things slowed down and stabilized, the image of a yellow blur pacing back and forth outside the Creature Induced Injuries area of the Hospital. Finally Takeshi would get the go ahead to check on Rena.
The Yellow blur moved across the floor fast, moving towards Rena's bed. He had done a rotation in this very section just last week and knew the location of her bed off hand. As he came up, a look of worry and concern would wash over him as he stared down at her for a moment, before his hands moved quickly and took up her chart and began going through all of it, "Are you okay?" he asks her slowly, his brow furrowed as his fingers move over things slowly, "If you are still hurting I can see if some Murtlap Essence, will relieve some of it…" he says softly.
Still feeling considerably dazed and disoriented after the whole ordeal, Rena is at least awake. She had passed out after the wound was repaired, mostly due to blood loss and pain. Although she is conscious, she feels very weak… and frankly, she looks very pale and downhearted. However, when Takeshi enters the room, a look of relief begins to show in her features. Forgetting herself for a moment, she tries to sit up - only to drop back down with a wince and a catch of breath. It still hurts.
"Takeshi," Rena says with a faint smile, "I was worried. Kept asking…for you. Nobody would answer me. Didn't know where you were." Clearly that upset her, greatly. And frankly, she probably still doesn't fully know what chaos has ensued around her since she arrived at St. Mungo's.
Takeshi flips through the charts for a few moments silent for now, taking a moment to answer her. "I was on rotation in another department. I had to let the Trauma and Creature Injuries Healers do their jobs." He explains it very plainly as if it justified all of it. "Looks like you will be fine from the stabbing…" he says nodding, "Looks like most of the damage was repaired, got potions for some blood loss…" he says sitting the chart back down. "Just have to keep an eye on you…" he says giving her a faint smile his hand moving up the gently brush her forehead.
"Really it wouldn't have been so bad if that bloody beast hadn't been there." he says nodding and offering her a smile, "Though from what I have heard, your risk of contamination is rather low. Still have to be careful though…" he says softly closing his eyes for a second, "The Creature Injuries' Healers should be able to clear you in a day or so." he says nodding.
Rena is clearly confused. Judging by the troubled look in her eyes, she seems to be completely and utterly at a loss. To be sure, she heard a lot of muddled conversation about Lycanthropy, but somehow in the commotion, she failed to connect any dots. Plus, she was rather /out/ of it for a while there.
"You mean there was a… a Werewolf there?" Rena asks in a small voice, her expression falling even more. For a sickening moment, she falls silent and considers the implications of that realization and she looks away from Takeshi briefly. Of anyone at the scene, she supposes that she must have had the worst chances due to being given a nice big puncture wound to the gut.
Dark eyes drift back toward him, and Rena struggles to find her voice again. But, when she does, she asks rather helplessly: "You're not afraid of being near me now, are you?"
"Demetrius Orpington." Takeshi answers with a small of his hand, "He was a Beater for the Arrows, retired last year because of his condition. Twas rather big news at the time." he says with a small shrug, his thumb softly stroking Rena's forehead. "He is the one who altered the mediwizards over the guy who stabbed you." he says nodding slowly still smiling at her. Though as her question comes, Takeshi can't help but tilt his head a little bit to the side, staring down at her. "No." he says softly with a smile, "I just have to be careful until you are cleared, because I interact with hospital patients." he says softly.
Closing her eyes, Rena moves her head just enough to press against Takeshi's hand lovingly. She wants so badly to be held by him, more than anything in the world right now. He always has a way of comforting and calming her, no matter what sort of trouble she gets herself into. He always provides a sense of peace in the storm. His strong words regarding poor Demetrius are a little troubling, however.
"He wasn't… he wasn't a beast," She murmurs softly, perhaps gently trying to correct him on that front. "Was just a decent man trying to stop an indecent thing from 'appening. Just…" Here, Rena opens her eyes and breathes a small sigh of regret: "Much smarter than I was when I tried to stop it. Honest, love - 'e was just like you or me or anybody else," She pleads, "You mustn't think 'e's a beast because 'e's sick. It's not as though the poor man can 'elp what 'e's become."
Takeshi recoils a bit at Rena's words, he actually looks a bit hurt. "He is classified as both a beast and being by the RCMC, while he may be a man, the illness, his condition makes him a beast." Takeshi says with a little shrug, "He shouldn't have been involved in anything where a risk of infection could have happened." he says with a small nod, "What if he would have been stabbed instead, the RCMC would have been in chaos trying to clean all that up and the risk for infection would have been so much worse…" he says shaking his head, "Can you imagine how that would have effected your life, Rena?" he says in almost a pleading voice, "The beast in an instant, yes an instant can devastate another's life." he says looking at her, waiting for her response.
Patiently, Rena listens to every word that Takeshi says. Her expression changes very little while he speaks, but her eyes do turn away from him briefly as she considers and weighs her own response very cautiously. Everyone knows her for doing things in a very headlong manner, but when something is truly serious, she does take her time to stop and think.
Her gaze slowly turns and meets with his once more, and the look in her eyes seems to have become faintly sorrowful. "What if it were me?" She asks softly. What if her risk of infection /was/ low, but she caught the dreadful disease anyway? Would he no longer see the woman he loves and wants to marry? Would he see an animal in disguise, ready to tear him apart at the slightest provocation? A monster…
Takeshi gaze drops slightly as she asks him his question, "If it was you…" he says slowly, "It would just prove it…" he says slowly. "For anything to take something so perfect… so lovely… and warp it and change it so, it truly has to be a beast… it has to be a monster." he says softly with a small nod. "I doubt if you asked a werewolf if his illness was the result of a man or a beast, he would not classify what did it to him as man." he says picking up the chart again and remaining silent for a moment.
"I wouldn't love you any less, though it would not change what he had warped you into…" he says softly, his finger moving across the paper slowly, "But your risk of infection is minimal… you shouldn't be worrying about that." he says with a nod, "I am not claiming it is Mr. Orpington's fault… that he did this intentionally… I am simply stating that what he has become has stripped some of his humanity away and replaced it with something a bit more… feral…" he says nodding, not wanting to look Rena in the eyes anymore.
Takeshi's answer doesn't quite seem to satisfy Rena. To her, it seems as though he's trying to dodge artfully around the heart and soul of the question without really giving an honest and forthright answer. The very fact that he moves away from her to look at the chart again - and the fact that he is now pointedly avoiding making eye contact with her - just proves it.
Uncomfortable silence slips a wedge between them, and Rena tugs at the sheet on her bed idly, trying to formulate some kind of reply that won't sound angry or hurt. At length, she draws a slow breath to steady her voice; and, turning her face away from him, she speaks in a slightly strained way. "I didn't say I was worried about it. I asked you how you would feel about me if it /did/ come to that…" Her voice catches momentarily, and she adds: "Of course I understand. You being a doctor and all. Of course you couldn't 'ave anything to do with me." Another pause, and her fingers tighten as she clutches the sheet: "I'd be a monster - to you."
Takeshi puts the chart down and stays silent for a long moment after Rena speaks, "I will always love you Rena." he says with a small nod, to her offering her a smile. Though this smile looks more like a Doctor trying to reassure a patient that they will be fine. "Like I said the chance is very small, so no need to worry about such small details and hypotheticals.." he says nodding. Reaching over and softly brushing his thumb across her forehead slowly. "Anyway you are stressed, just got stabbed all this nonsense with werewolves and such." he says smiling at her, "You are not thinking straight love." he says nodding. "Get some rest you need it, I have to return to my rotation." he says his hand pulling back softly as he gives her a reassuring smile.
Although Rena isn't always particularly clever or quick off the mark… she does know when she's being spoken to in a patronizing manner. It's all she can do to prevent herself from getting riled up to the point of saying that she /isn't/ a bloody child. It's on the tip of her tongue, but she swallows it back with some effort.
Her eyes linger on Takeshi for what seems a very long and indecisive moment before she simply offers a faint, insincere smile. "I do need the rest. I know." And that should suffice… However, one sulky statement slips past as she sinks into the pillow and looks away: "You know, you sounded and awful lot like Mister Malfoy just then."