xp_logs | Cecilia & Julian, Squirrel Scratches Unit

Julian visits the MedLab to treat some scratches received from a disgruntled Monkey Joe, and meets the new doctor.

Cecilia squinted at the scans in front of her, tossed them on the desk and sighed. After the chaos caused by the Fury, she'd put her medical fight against Wade's cancer on hold. The break had only proven to her that she was the kind of doctor who needed to be doing-doing-doing. Now that the focus was back on long-term care, she was getting a little antsy.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate her current situation - the mansion was stable, the pay was good, and she'd never live this comfortably if she set out on her own. But it felt like things had slowed down considerably in the medlab since her last stint at the mansion -- at least overall -- and Cecilia still hadn't been able to secure a solid surgery job.

And then, what with all that, there was the puzzle of treating Wade's non-problematic problematic illness. She grabbed the scans again, holding them closer to her face in the hopes that somehow that would make them more illuminating.

Julian cautiously entered the medlab, not wanting to run into Doctor Grey- he wouldn't have even risked the confrontation if the scratches from Monkey Joe's claws weren't still stinging. Everything looked much the same as when he'd left, at least in the main room. Not seeing Doctor Grey he decided to risk it and spoke up, "Hello?"

"Yeah?" Cecilia called, taking a second to look over the images in her hand before spinning toward the new voice. "Oh!" A new face. Well, that was certainly unexpected. "Yes," she said, shifting into doctor mode. "I'm Dr. Reyes. Cecilia. What's up?"

Julian smiled at the not-Jean doctor, "Doctor Reyes, sorry to bother you-" he extended a hand, "I'm Julian, Julian Keller. I was hoping you could," he showed her the scratches on the underside of his arm, they were starting to swell, but the deeper red of the scratches was still visible. Julian tried to chuckle through the stinging pain, "Monkey Joe was upset I didn't bring him a present."

"So I see." Cecilia leaned into look at his arm and shook her head. "Never visit a squirrel empty-handed, Mr. Keller." She pointed him to a nearby exam table. "Hop up there." She turned to grab a pair of gloves and some alcohol wipes and Neosporin. "You have any allergies?" She returned to him, now smirking. "Any issues with rodents in the past?"

"No," Julian leveraged himself onto the examination table and removed his shirt to ensure it wouldn't be ruined by the treatment. "I used to keep a box of Snickers bars in my dresser, he apparently was confused by why there was a lack of them this time." He shrugged, "I know where I'll be heading after this. I wonder if Gibney sold my car." He took a moment to admire the lovely new doctor, "How long have you been working in this madhouse, doctor?"

Cecilia probably should have stopped him from taking his shirt off, but once he got started, she figured she might as well let him do what he want. Because, of course, patients should have some control over their situations. And not other reasons. "Oh, a few months now. Maybe 6?" She placed her supplies down and lifted his arm to take a closer look.

"I was here before, a while ago. I mean, not that long ago, but I don't think our paths have crossed." She put his arm down, racking her brain to see if she could remember whether squirrels carried rabies. "Any numbness anywhere or anything? Or just pain?" She probably ought to check his temperature to be on the safe side.

"No numbness, and I wouldn't call it pain," Julian didn't want to sound weak despite the stinging cuts, "just an annoyance. I've been scratched by him before, good thing squirrels don't carry rabies." He smiled as she popped the thermometer into his mouth, mumbling on, "You're a lot less furry than the last doctor I saw down here.

"Yeah? That's a relief," she said dryly. They stood for a second and the thermometer beeped. She pulled it out and gave an approving nod. No fever, which hopefully meant no infection. Good news. "My sentences are shorter too. And less affected." She put the thermometer down and picked up an alcohol wipe. "They say I'm cuter, too, but I think Hank's more cuddly." She met his eyes. "This will probably sting."

He smirked, "I once had barbed wire forced up my legs...under the skin. A bit of disinfectant shouldn't be too bad," still his muscles began to tense in anticipation. "I can not say as I have ever had the occasion to cuddle the good doctor, but I wouldn't mind trying with you." Julian's smirk widened into a grin as he held up one of his hands, "In a purely scientific capacity, Doctor Reyes, in case Doctor McCoy were to ever return, it would save us time to have your sample submitted ahead of time." Keller was glad he'd picked up a science for a double major.

Cecilia looked at him for a second and then, unable to help herself, started laughing. "You're — that's..." She shook her head as she ripped open the wipe's packaging. Truth be told, she was pretty flattered, since she figured he was a good 8 or 9 years younger than she was, but that didn't make her oblivious to how cheesy that was. She started to clean the scratches. "Barbed wire, eh?" she finally said, smiling. "Sounds like a Xavier's story if ever there was one."

Julian chuckled with her, "Yeah, a psychotic, quasi-demonic, super-vampire-witch laid the smack down on me." He hadn't intended to say smack down, but the searing pain from the iodine was messing with his linguistic reasoning. "I'm sure you've seen worse working here," his grin soured for a moment as unpleasant memories flooded back. He did his best to make it return as she continued her work. "Have they recruited you into their little club yet?"

"No," she said, perhaps a little too quickly. "I didn't mean — I don't have a problem with it if you are, I just..." She shrugged, looking up from his arm. "Not my thing, I guess. I'm fine with working on my powers, but I'm not a fighter, and I don't intend to be. Kinda got my own thing going." She moved to the biggest scratch. "Not super into uniforms either, you know? Try not to flinch."

He did, but only just and didn't pull away at all, "Don't worry, Doc-tah, ohh." He paused as the pain dulled, "Okay, yeah, don't worry. I tried when I was here last time and it didn't work out, I don't think I'll be trying again. You're in good company as far as I'm concerned." Julian chuckled again, trying not to say ow, "Besides, I get into enough mischief without wearing leather body armor and flying around in a jet; like fighting squirrels who are rifling through my luggage and getting treated by pretty doctors."

That was better. Cecilia smiled in spite of herself and reached to her right for the Neosporin. "No? So what now? What brings you back around these parts?"

Julian shrugged, "Not anything special, just starting a new life with what little I have left." He left it at that, not ready to discuss his issues with just anyone yet, "What about you, Doctor? What is your story?"

"Pretty close to that, actually." Cecilia shrugged back, trying not to press him too much even though he had just made her more curious. "I was in Honduras working for Doctors without Borders, but things got a little too heated, so they pulled us out. And I didn't really have anywhere else to go on short notice, so... here I am."

She dabbed a little Neosporin and started to spread it on his scratches. "Still trying to find the right hospital job, hopefully in the city, but that's proving to be a little more difficult than I anticipated. So here I am, hanging out in Westchester." She raised her eyes to him, smiling a little and trying to at least flirt a little bit back even though she knew better. "There are certainly worse places to be."

Julian quirked a smile, "Why, Doctor Reyes, what a warm bedside manner you have." The young man chuckled, "I have a feeling that your story is a bit more selfless than mine. That being said, do you have any nightclubs you'd recommend in the city?"

"Nightclubs? Thinking of taking the squirrel out?" Cecilia focused on his arm again. "Silver in District X is pretty popular, if what Clarice tells me is true. M1-5's fun if you're down in Tribeca and under 28. I used to get dragged to a few fun places in Chelsea, but I doubt those are your scene." She shrugged. "Haven't lived in the city for a few years, and there are always new places open that I'm sure are worth checking out."

"It sounds like I have my work cut out for me," he watched her disinfect the scratches. "Oh, I doubt Monkey Joe would do well downtown, and I make a habit of not seeing anyone who has actually hurt me in a social setting." Memories of getting the wound Nick had inflicted stitched up started to come back to him- was it his imagination or was the scar itching a little?

"What work? Partying and drinking your way through Manhattan, or...?"

Julian did his best to look offended, "Why Doctor, I thought you took a vow to do no harm?" He chuckled and watched her work with mild fascination, "I am a student actually- I have classes in addition to partying and drinking my way through Manhattan."

"I think 'do no harm' doesn't apply to verbal stings. At least, I hope not, because I'd be out of a job..." Cecilia looked at his cuts for a second, then decided she might as well bandage him up. "You sound like quiet the busy guy, Julian. But work hard, play hard, I suppose?" How very different that was from how she spent her 20s - not that she judged him for it. "I have to admire that."

His eyebrow arched slightly, "If you admire my partying, Doctor Reyes, perhaps the next time I visit the city, you'd like to join me?" Julian smiled and watched her work on his arm.

Now her eyebrow raised. She meant admire from a distance, or really, she had probably just been being nice. She was about to tell him as much, but since she'd been complaining about feeling trapped here with the students, she didn't feel like had much ground to decline. Besides, this was the kind of thing Clarice was always saying Cecilia was too much of a stick in the mud to do, so...

"Sure," Cecilia shrugged, covering the last of his wounds. "I might slow you down, though."

Julian tried not to let his surprise show and widened his smile slightly, "Not to worry, we can start with the training wheels on." He hopped off the exam table, "I'll be in touch, Doctor Reyes, oh and feel free to invite anyone you'd like."

"Training wheels?" Cecilia grinned. "Just you wait, kid. I'll show you." She handed him his shirt.