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[x-mactaggart.livejournal.com]

When Moira tries to put off going to bed because yesterday's surprise was still messing with he, Madelyn finds her puttering around in the lab. They talk about sleeping, Charles and his hair, and sanity. Madelyn finally talks Moira into catching some rest. Evil coffee threat.



Moira peered at the test tube with some horror. It hadn't turned out the way she...she paused. In reality, she hadn't expected it to do much of anything, really. A throw away experiment from a random note in her notebook. She'd finished, or started, most of her other side projects and was looking for something else to get her hands on. Deep down, she knew she was distracting herself from worrying (and failing sometimes) but currently all she could do was stare at the suddenly violent shade of pink.

Violent because she knew that had she had less base in there, something probably would have popped. But she still kept staring at the *bubbling* pink solution in the test tube.

Madelyn finished up her charts for the evening -- there wasn't much to be done -- and shrugged off her white coat, hanging it on the hook beside her desk. She pushed the office door open and, as she turned to leave the infirmary, noticed that Moira was still in one of the labs. She changed direction and headed for the lab Moira was in, tapping quietly on the door.

Slightly startled, Moira glanced up and then quickly returned her gaze back to the botched experiment. Who knows where it might wander off too if left unwatched? "Aye?" she called over her shoulder.

Madelyn opened the door and stepped inside. "I thought you'd already gone upstairs," she said, eyeing the pink concoction with curiosity.

"Who, me? Leave th' lab?" She grimaced. "Got a wee bit distracted," she hedged, slightly.

"Distracted, hm?" Madelyn stayed on the far side of the room, not wanting to get too close, in case the thing exploded. "Looks like this experiment's over. Unless you meant to make fizzy cotton candy..."

"Wonder if I could," Moira murmured, tapping her chin thoughtfully. The sight of the test tube in front of her decided it for her. "I'd rather nay test tha'." Carefully, she gathered it up and headed over to get rid of it safely. "I'll find somethin' ta putter 'bout wit' in a second. First, though...get rid o' this nasty stuff. We dinnae need 'enry believin' it ta be one o' those nasty drink concoctions 'e makes an' downin' it."

"Might turn his fur pink," Madelyn suggested, and then backtracked. "Are you sure you need to be finding something to 'putter' with at this hour?"

"Tha' would be an interestin' color on 'im." Moira blinked over at her suddenly. "Why, wha' time is it?"

"Late," Madelyn said dryly. "Late enough that we should all be in bed by now."

Moira thought for a second, suddenly not enjoying the thought of going back to bed only to not sleep like last night. "'Tis nay late in Scotland," she offered brightly.

Madelyn raised an eyebrow. "I've got some pretty blue pills that will help you get to sleep, if you like. No prescription necessary."

With a sigh, she finished up and washed her hands. "As pretty as they might be, I still dinnae...I shouldnae need them," she said, frustrated as she dried off her hands.

"Warm milk, then," Madelyn suggested. "Or some nice chamomile tea."

"Ye got a batch o' sanity in yer medical ba'?" Moira asked.

Madelyn looked around, patting her pockets. "I'm afraid not," she said apologetically. "Fresh out. Gave my last batch to Hank when he started talking about buying stock in Hostess."

"Well, damn but I guess it was fer th' better good o' all, aye?" She smiled a little and shook her head. "Nice try on me part, I guess."

"If I come across any lying about, you'll be the first to know," Madelyn promised with a smile. "God knows we all need an extra dose of it, in this place."

"Yer bloody well right 'bout tha'. I 'ave *nay* idea 'ow Charles managed ta rope me int' teachin'. Nay tha' I regret it jus'...God, th' 'eadaches. Attacks, injuries, snarky 'yper active children. Me boyfriends past comin' back an' scarin' th' shit out o' th' bot' o' us."

"Everything but that last, I can empathize with." Madelyn shook her head. The place was amazing. "I don't know how Charles handles it, to be honest. The man must be on the road to sainthood."

"I know 'e's on th' road t' a good dunkin' in th' lake, tha's fer sure," Moira remarked with some humor. "But aye, 'e better be after all o' this. If'n 'e hadnae been bald already, I'd be placin' good bets on 'im losin' 'is 'air."

Madelyn grinned. "Oh, definitely. Tearing it out, most likely."

"Wit' th' stunts this bairns pull, I can see 'im doin' jus' tha'. 'e puts up wit' so much. I wouldnae be able ta do it."

"There's a reason I chose medicine, rather than teaching," Madelyn confessed, nodding. "I'm just lucky the few classes I teach here tend to attract only minor amounts of drama."

Moira couldn't help a small smirk. "I think most o' me students know better than ta act up. Angie got a wee bit o' sass after an incident involvin' dancin' fish 'eads an' next thin' she knew she was stuck wit' Cain fer detention."

Madelyn laughed quietly. "Dancing fish heads? I don't want to know."

Shaking her head, Moira grinned. "Nay, ye dinnae. 'Tis amazin' we survive from day ta day, sometimes."

Madelyn nodded, yawning. "And to continue that survival, perhaps we should both get some sleep?"

Moira grumbled slightly and eyed the notebook. "Maybe in a wee bit for meself?" she offered weakly, having a sinking feeling she was probably about to be strong armed out of the lab. Luckily for her, Henry was nowhere to be seen. He'd solve the situation by tossing her gently into the hallway.

Madelyn shook her head. "Nope. I think you need it more than I do. I've seen you in here quite a bit lately..."

"Jus' a wee bit more than u...o' who th' bloody 'ell am I tryin' ta kid? We all know 'tis me copin mechanism." She sighed. "Yer nay lettin' me stay, are ye, nay matter wha' I say?"

"No, I'm not." Madelyn frowned. "You need to sleep. Try the milk, try the tea. If neither work, call my room and I'll get you one -- just one -- of the sleeping pills. Okay?"

"'ow on eart' did we manage t' land three o' th' most stubborn doctors in th' same lab?" A look of pain crossed her face. "If'n I dinnae leave, ye'll mess wit' me coffee like last time..."

"And if you don't go to bed at a reasonable hour tomorrow as well, your coffee will be altered to suit your needs. If you won't take care of yourself, the rest of us will have to manage it for you." Madelyn smiled gently, taking the sting out of her words.

"Tha's jus'..." Moira gave the other doctor a mock-offended look. "Tha's cheatin'." With a defeated sigh, she started to close everything down. "All right, as soon as everythin's off, I'll be up in bed."

Madelyn nodded, satisfied, but didn't leave the room until after Moira had turned everything off and was headed to bed herself.