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xp_logsUpon receiving Jean's email, Doctors 1 and 3 discuss what is to be done. The voice of reason prevails.,
Madelyn had just finished reading Jean's email when the door of the room Edna had assigned them burst open and Hank came in, making a beeline straight for the wardrobe, yanking the suitcase from the top of it before flinging open the doors and dumping clothes into it. "Hank, what are you doing?" she asked, tone deliberately calm.
"I'm packing," Hank said firmly. "I know it looks astonishingly like tapdancing, but it's packing really." He pointed to her laptop. "We got an email from Jean. Alison's been hurt."
"I know, I just finished reading it." Madelyn took her glasses off and half-turned in the chair, watching him. "And she reiterated that Alison is fine. Several times. Which again begs the question, what are you doing? Or rather, why are you doing it?"
"If Alison was really fine, she wouldn't have had to say it more than once." Hank gave her a worried look. "And she wouldn't tell us what happened - Alison wouldn't, I mean, I know Jean couldn't. Why wouldn't she tell us? It must be something bad, because if it wasn't she wouldn't feel the need to hide it."
"Or perhaps she knows you well enough by now to know you'd drop everything and rush back, regardless?" Madelyn replied, raising an eyebrow. She'd read between the lines and knew something had indeed happened, but she also respected Alison's wish to keep things quiet and wouldn't pry. "Hank, if there really was an emergency, do you really think they'd leave us out of it? Especially when there are two long-range teleporters in the house? Jean and Moira are there - don't you think they're capable of dealing with whatever it is?"
"Yes, but..." Hank sighed, and looked down into his suitcase. "You with your logic, woman," he muttered, and gave her a rueful smile. "I just... there's been a crisis and I wasn't there and I should BE there, and... you know."
Madelyn got up and crossed the room, slipping her arms around him. "I know, hon," she murmured. "Alison's my friend too. But the school's not the only place that needs you. Your parents need you, to help them celebrate their annivesary and not frighten them by rushing off. The kids we brought with us need you to not yank them back and expose them to more stress. Especially Forge, after the week he's had. And it's only another two days - if anything happens in that time, they'll come get us, you know they will."
".... there you go, being all reasonable again." Hank hugged her gently, burying his face in her hair. "You do it on purpose, you know you do. And... you're right. We should stay, and let the kids relax, not rush them back into another panic. I just... I want to be there. I hate it when they go and hurt themselves when I'm not there to take care of them."
"Well, it's what's stopping me from joining you with the packing," she admitted with a soft, rueful laugh. "But if there's one thing I learned from last year, it's that sometimes you have to let other people take the wheel. I nearly burned myself out trying to be SuperDoctor, punishing myself for not being able to be everywhere and do everything. I won't let you go the same way, sweetheart. Not now. We've both got too much to lose." On cue, Billy whimpered a little in his bassinet in the corner, sensing the tension in his two favourite people.
"But I want to be SuperDoctor. I could wear a cape." He smiled ruefully, and gave her a rather lingering kiss. "I know. You're right, my dear, as always. I certainly don't want either of us burning out right now." He rather reluctantly let go, going over to pick Billy up and cuddle him gently ."Shh... Daddy's just fussing, Billy. He does that a lot, often when it's quite unnecessary. You'll get used to it."
Following, Madelyn leaned against him, resting her cheek on his furry shoulder. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't fuss sometimes, Hank. And when we get back, you can go nuts. I'm sure there will be someone who will need it."
"Oh, there always is." He sighed, wrapping his spare arm around her and holding them both close. "The trouble is, they don't usually want help, even if they do need it. I find myself almost missing Nate being semi-comatose. At least he couldn't put up much of a fight."
"Maybe you need a tranq gun of your own?" Madelyn suggested innocently. She wasn't going to let Hank brood himself into a state over this. There were too many reasons for him not to. "I promise, hon, whenever I need help, I'll let you fuss over me as much as you possibly can, hmm? And I'm sure Billy there will have a whole host of childhood illnesses to need every minute of your attention." She reached over and stroked Billy's soft cheek with her finger, smiling. "Besides, living where we do, there will be crises for all, I'm sure."
"I know. And I do quite like having crisis-free time with you." He grinned a little. "Especially crisis free time in which I can show you around the farm. Especially the haystacks wayyyy away from the house, at sunset." Yesterday evening had been very pleasant, even if picking the hay out of his fur afterwards had taken a while.
Madelyn grinned wickedly, only blushing a little. "I can't say I'm arguing with that part at all," she said, kissing his cheek, since that was the place she could reach. "Although poor Kyle. He was giving us very strange looks at dinner. Heightened senses must be such a pain in the ass."
"He knows when we do it at home, I can live with him knowing here too. My mother giving us knowing looks, THAT was disturbing." He smiled ruefully. "Still. At our age, I suppose she can pretty much work out that we won't stick to holding hands and passing notes."
"Even if your notes are so very romantic. I've never had someone write poetry for me before." She was referring to the post-its that appeared in odd corners of her office. "But woman cannot live on poetry alone, and there needs to be the occasional bone-jumping."
"And you will hear no objections from me." He grinned, and kissed her affectionately. "Especially at times when we can be sure there won't be a plaintive cry in the middle of it." Billy didn't interrupt often, but it was bound to happen occasionally.
"We'll manage. The same as we have done so far." Madelyn returned the kiss, a little more lingeringly, and pulled away. "Now, how about we get that suitcase unpacked so you can get dressed? Big day today, with your parents' anniversary and all."
"Of course." He plopped Billy into her arms, and went to move the suitcase. "And I promise, I'll try not to fuss while we're here. We should enjoy our vacation... we're not likely to get another one for a while." He'd still worry, of course, but he wouldn't make Maddie deal with it.
Madelyn had just finished reading Jean's email when the door of the room Edna had assigned them burst open and Hank came in, making a beeline straight for the wardrobe, yanking the suitcase from the top of it before flinging open the doors and dumping clothes into it. "Hank, what are you doing?" she asked, tone deliberately calm.
"I'm packing," Hank said firmly. "I know it looks astonishingly like tapdancing, but it's packing really." He pointed to her laptop. "We got an email from Jean. Alison's been hurt."
"I know, I just finished reading it." Madelyn took her glasses off and half-turned in the chair, watching him. "And she reiterated that Alison is fine. Several times. Which again begs the question, what are you doing? Or rather, why are you doing it?"
"If Alison was really fine, she wouldn't have had to say it more than once." Hank gave her a worried look. "And she wouldn't tell us what happened - Alison wouldn't, I mean, I know Jean couldn't. Why wouldn't she tell us? It must be something bad, because if it wasn't she wouldn't feel the need to hide it."
"Or perhaps she knows you well enough by now to know you'd drop everything and rush back, regardless?" Madelyn replied, raising an eyebrow. She'd read between the lines and knew something had indeed happened, but she also respected Alison's wish to keep things quiet and wouldn't pry. "Hank, if there really was an emergency, do you really think they'd leave us out of it? Especially when there are two long-range teleporters in the house? Jean and Moira are there - don't you think they're capable of dealing with whatever it is?"
"Yes, but..." Hank sighed, and looked down into his suitcase. "You with your logic, woman," he muttered, and gave her a rueful smile. "I just... there's been a crisis and I wasn't there and I should BE there, and... you know."
Madelyn got up and crossed the room, slipping her arms around him. "I know, hon," she murmured. "Alison's my friend too. But the school's not the only place that needs you. Your parents need you, to help them celebrate their annivesary and not frighten them by rushing off. The kids we brought with us need you to not yank them back and expose them to more stress. Especially Forge, after the week he's had. And it's only another two days - if anything happens in that time, they'll come get us, you know they will."
".... there you go, being all reasonable again." Hank hugged her gently, burying his face in her hair. "You do it on purpose, you know you do. And... you're right. We should stay, and let the kids relax, not rush them back into another panic. I just... I want to be there. I hate it when they go and hurt themselves when I'm not there to take care of them."
"Well, it's what's stopping me from joining you with the packing," she admitted with a soft, rueful laugh. "But if there's one thing I learned from last year, it's that sometimes you have to let other people take the wheel. I nearly burned myself out trying to be SuperDoctor, punishing myself for not being able to be everywhere and do everything. I won't let you go the same way, sweetheart. Not now. We've both got too much to lose." On cue, Billy whimpered a little in his bassinet in the corner, sensing the tension in his two favourite people.
"But I want to be SuperDoctor. I could wear a cape." He smiled ruefully, and gave her a rather lingering kiss. "I know. You're right, my dear, as always. I certainly don't want either of us burning out right now." He rather reluctantly let go, going over to pick Billy up and cuddle him gently ."Shh... Daddy's just fussing, Billy. He does that a lot, often when it's quite unnecessary. You'll get used to it."
Following, Madelyn leaned against him, resting her cheek on his furry shoulder. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't fuss sometimes, Hank. And when we get back, you can go nuts. I'm sure there will be someone who will need it."
"Oh, there always is." He sighed, wrapping his spare arm around her and holding them both close. "The trouble is, they don't usually want help, even if they do need it. I find myself almost missing Nate being semi-comatose. At least he couldn't put up much of a fight."
"Maybe you need a tranq gun of your own?" Madelyn suggested innocently. She wasn't going to let Hank brood himself into a state over this. There were too many reasons for him not to. "I promise, hon, whenever I need help, I'll let you fuss over me as much as you possibly can, hmm? And I'm sure Billy there will have a whole host of childhood illnesses to need every minute of your attention." She reached over and stroked Billy's soft cheek with her finger, smiling. "Besides, living where we do, there will be crises for all, I'm sure."
"I know. And I do quite like having crisis-free time with you." He grinned a little. "Especially crisis free time in which I can show you around the farm. Especially the haystacks wayyyy away from the house, at sunset." Yesterday evening had been very pleasant, even if picking the hay out of his fur afterwards had taken a while.
Madelyn grinned wickedly, only blushing a little. "I can't say I'm arguing with that part at all," she said, kissing his cheek, since that was the place she could reach. "Although poor Kyle. He was giving us very strange looks at dinner. Heightened senses must be such a pain in the ass."
"He knows when we do it at home, I can live with him knowing here too. My mother giving us knowing looks, THAT was disturbing." He smiled ruefully. "Still. At our age, I suppose she can pretty much work out that we won't stick to holding hands and passing notes."
"Even if your notes are so very romantic. I've never had someone write poetry for me before." She was referring to the post-its that appeared in odd corners of her office. "But woman cannot live on poetry alone, and there needs to be the occasional bone-jumping."
"And you will hear no objections from me." He grinned, and kissed her affectionately. "Especially at times when we can be sure there won't be a plaintive cry in the middle of it." Billy didn't interrupt often, but it was bound to happen occasionally.
"We'll manage. The same as we have done so far." Madelyn returned the kiss, a little more lingeringly, and pulled away. "Now, how about we get that suitcase unpacked so you can get dressed? Big day today, with your parents' anniversary and all."
"Of course." He plopped Billy into her arms, and went to move the suitcase. "And I promise, I'll try not to fuss while we're here. We should enjoy our vacation... we're not likely to get another one for a while." He'd still worry, of course, but he wouldn't make Maddie deal with it.
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