Thursday morning -- Lorna/Jean

[x-polarisstar.livejournal.com]

It's check up time for Lorna and she's super delighted to have the other redheaded doctor as her physician. Not in the least because she's got an amusing story about how she spent her winter vacation.



"Have I mentioned how much I love you for rescuing me from Dr. V?" Lorna asked Jean as she rolled up her sleeve to allow the older woman to draw some blood. The skin beneath her tidy blue blouse was lightly tanned and didn't cling quite as tightly to the bones as it had a month ago. The scale that Lorna couldn't help but look at religiously said that she had crested 100 lbs again. It meant she could wear her favourite jeans again, so she did.

"You have, actually," Jean said, smiling faintly as she concentrated on her work. "Several times. It's good to have been missed, I'll admit, and I get to be a tad smug at Amelia, given all the students who've said they prefer my bedside manner."

"In that you actually have one, you mean?" Lorna winced as the needle slid into her skin and she watched the far wall determinedly rather than see her blood filling the vial. "I mean, she's a good doctor and all but I think part of her strategy is to make us all too scared of her to dare get sick."

"Works, though," Jean said, not looking up from her work. "Compare the attendance records from this term to last; a lot less skipping of classes for 'stomach aches', and a significant drop in the number of minor accidents by male students out on the grounds that require the attentions of the pretty doctor." Finishing drawing the blood, she set the vial carefully aside and smiled wryly at Lorna.

"Aw, don't mock your fanclub. They are many and varied and oh!" Lorna giggled then waved her free hand excitedly, "Oh, Christ, you have to hear this. Funniest damn thing ever. I'm on vacation, right? Just minding my own business, enjoying the sun and the wine and, uh, view." Half-naked men. Lots of them. "And this guy comes over to my table to hit on me. But it's the best damn pick up line ever, I swear because he starts talking about mutant registration and how fantastic you are. I about killed myself trying not to laugh."

Jean paused what she was doing, eyebrows raising. "Some guy comes over to pick you up by talking about some other woman? Well, that's a new tactic, I'd say. Did you tell him how stupid my hair looks at four in the morning when one of the kids has a nightmare? Cause that would likely destroy whatever image he had..."

"Swear to god he did. Thinks you're brilliant. I didn't tell him that I knew you actually. I think that might have blown his mind." Lorna grinned broadly, faintly smug, "He was a law student, one of the political ambitions kind. Apparently, you were the last sensible voice on Capitol Hill. All I had to do was parrot you when you get all ranty and I was golden."

"Well, I'm glad that forcing you to listen to my rants has finally paid off for you, although seemingly not in any way I would have guessed."

Lorna snickered at Jean's tone, "Don't all teachers dream of making an impact on their students' lives? Believe me when I say I was deeply grateful to you." For more reasons than she could say to Jean.

"First I show Marie how to get free drinks, now I'm helping you pick up boys. This year I get the Best Teacher of the Year award." She smiled at Lorna, though, having picked up the undercurrent in her tone. "And we go back to the work. How are you feeling?"

Her smile turned rueful. "Truth? Better than I expected. The lack of training is getting to me I think. I'm sort of hoping you'll tell me I can stop warming the bench soon." Lorna rubbed at her chest, feeling the thick knots of scar tissue beneath her hand. "These are hurting too."

"We're definitely getting there," Jean told her. "You're in a safe weight range, although you know I'd be happy to see it higher, and your last x-rays looked good. Depending on the blood work, I'd say you might be cleared before the month's up, but that's not a promise." Lorna well knew that it would depend on her continuing to improve. "Have you been over doing the stretches to loosen the scars?"

The younger woman frowned and shrugged, "I don't think so. Maybe. Just seems weird to me. They're over a year old after all. It could be the weight gain, I thought? Like it's stretching the skin or something?" There were days--the bad ones--that she was sure she could feel herself expanding, blowing up like a balloon of fat.

"Unlikely," Jean said, shaking her head. "Skin's pretty darn stretchable, and there's a lot of slack from how much weight you had lost. Could be the cold weather, though, especially since you were in California and Hawaii recently. Were they bothering you then?"

"No, just since Cabo." Lorna shrugged again. "You're probably right. It's just strange. I wish I could afford the surgery to get this all removed." She gave a half laugh, "Because I'm so totally that vain."

"You could save for it," Jean suggested. "It would take a while, but if it means that much to you, it'd be doable."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm not really in the position to save right now though. Maybe in a few months I can." Lorna rubbed at the scars on her chest again, trying to make them stop itching. "It isn't really all that important though. Your fanboy is the last one to have seen them and god knows it was a hella long time before that that anyone else did."

"Whatever works for you, Lorna. There anything else going on I should
know about? Otherwise we're basically done with this check-up and can
retire to the office for coffee and chatting in greater comfort."

"Yay, coffee! No more complaints, doc." Lorna bounced off the table eagerly and grabbed for her top. "I'm absolutely 100% good to go. Is it good coffee?"

"Of course it's good coffee," Jean said, gesturing Lorna down the hall. "Would I offer you bad coffee? Go on, I'll meet you. Need to start the analysis on the blood work and at least stick your file away to go over later."

"Doctors are shifty and untrustworthy. It might have been." Lorna finished getting dressed then saluted Jean smartly. "Okay, I'll see you there. I'll tell you more about your fanboy and how salsa lessons with Haller really paid off."