xp_logs | Nathan and Moira, very late Wednesday night (Reply)

Nathan returns to their rooms to find Moira still awake. Moira's made a decision about rounding out her medical certifications. Nathan neatly avoids talking about any of what's bothering him, and succeeds in putting her to bed.

Moira stretched out in the chair next to the window, watching the rain splatter against the glass. No wonder the weather was like this with what Ororo had just had to go through and the emotions she must have been trying to keep a lid on. As she moved, she grimaced. Her entire body ached from the stresses and the pressure of the last two days.

From the moment the X-Men had arrived back, it had been nonstop action. Moira had let Henry deal with Sarah, it went beyond her expertise, and focused on the rest of the injuries. When she could, she offered her assistance to her fellow doctors. Even after everyone had been taken care of and settled down, there had been cleanup to attend to. On top of checking in on Pete and closing down her experiments. She believed the clock had said 10 or 11 am when she finally collapsed back in her room.

Nathan opened the door, frowning to see Moira sitting there awake. "You should be in bed," he said wearily, limping in. "The circles under your eyes are getting all artistic." He nudged the door shut behind him, setting the folder with the Mandarin quizzes down on the desk. The library had been deserted at this time of night, and he'd actually gotten them all done.

"Back's killin' me," Moira responded, yawning. "Love our bed but I think I jus' spent ta much time in it. As much as I want ta go back ta sleep." She looked at him. "Ye dinnae look much better, love."

Nathan gave a dismissive wave. "Long day," he said quietly, coming over and sitting down in the chair across from hers. "Not nearly as active as yours, though."

"Liar." Moira peered at him under heavy eyelids. "An' I 'avenae 'ad a day like this in...och, years. Ta old for this."

"You don't look a day over forty," Nathan said, and mustered up an innocent look as she glared at him.

"Be verra glad me legs arenae taller or I'd kick ye," she warned, glaring at him as her head thumped against the back of the chair. Moira fixed him with a stare. "Kids again?"

Nathan blinked at her. "What about the kids?" he asked after a moment, very deliberately.

"Bloody stubborn bastard," Moira grumbled, suddenly wishing she had the energy to just shake it out of him.

He raised a defensive hand. "Didn't throw anyone in the lake, swear at anyone, or come to blows," he said wearily.

"Nay worried 'bout tha'. I'm worried tha' ye jus' came in lookin' like 'ell warmed over." Moira looked concerned. "Wha' 'appened?"

"Just... reaping some of the consequences of my little outburst with Angelo yesterday," Nathan said with a sigh, thinking about Paige. "Oh, and apparently I have completely lost my ability to bullshit Amanda. You haven't been tutoring her, have you?" He mustered up a faint smile.

"Who, me? Why would I ever do such a thin'?" Another stifled yawn. "Blast. Everythin' goin' ta be okay, though, Nathan?"

"Eventually, I'd imagine," Nathan said heavily. "It's better this way." His eyes drifted to the window. "Seeing Alison like that... damn it, if I wasn't so tired..."

Moira winced at the memory of Alison in the MedLab. Of all of them down there. At least Muir, after Kevin, she didn't treat anyone she knew well. Even Nathan had started out as a patient. Thunder boomed gently outside and she watched as the rain picked up for a second. "Days like this I regret nay bein' a full MD..."

Nathan tilted his head, the trickle of thoughts down the link pulling him out of his own bleak thoughts. "And you have something in mind, you devious woman," he said, regarding her steadily. "I know you, and you don't tend to dwell on regrets unless you have some way to rectify them."

"Who, me, plan? Certainly ye jest." Moira smiled a little. "Perhaps. Back at Muir, I 'ad all me certs taken care o' for wha' I 'ad ta do. 'ere they really dinnae recognize one o' them. Wha' is it called...Nurse Practioner?" Her eyes closed for a minute. "Get tha', I'll be legally able ta do everythin' up ta emergancy surgery if'n 'enry or Maddie's nay around."

"At the rate we're going," Nathan said with a certain exhausted humor, "that might be a very good thing. I can't imagine you'd have to do too much to get it? Given all of your other experience and credentials..."

"Mmm, dinnae think so. I'm goin' ta make some calls in th' next day or two, see wha' I can find out. Once I can, ye know, stand up again."

"I was supposed to be looking into a teaching certificate myself," Nathan muttered, slouching further in the chair. "Sort of forgot that, with everything..."

"'opefully thin's will calm down soon," she offered quietly. "Maybe look inta it in th' next week? Give ye somethin' ta do between classes." A part of her was trying to convince her that, really, she should be going back downstairs soon but she tried to ignore it. "Talk me out o' doin' somethin' really stupid an' goin' back on rotation tonight..."

Nathan mock-glowered at her. "I could sit on you?"

Moira giggled. "First, I'd need th' energy ta get up..." She sighed. "Feel bad nay doin' anythin', jus' so drained."

"You're done your share today," he said softly, his eyes lingering on her face. "Don't let anyone, including yourself, tell you otherwise."

"I willnae, I promise," she reassured him. "'ard ta turn tha' part o' me brain off even when I need ta. God, this place is a bloody zoo sometimes."

"That would be one word for it," Nathan said, his chuckle sounding a little flat.

With a determined look, Moira suddenly pushed herself out of her chair. The world tilted slightly, sharply reminding her that she had neglected to eat tonight, but she managed to cross the few short steps before landing in a slightly surprised Nathan's lap. "Somethin's really botherin' ye," she commented, closing her eyes as the world stopped spinning.

Nathan sighed, slipping an arm around her as she nestled against him. "Lots of things are bothering me. None that need talking about right now, though. Not when we're both this tired."

"Later?" she asked, tucking herself around him as much as she could in the chair. Despite the slightly awkward position, she felt herself starting to becomed soothed by his warmth and familiarity and she stifled another yawn.

"Later," Nathan said quietly, nodding and wondering if he could 'encourage' her to doze off. Didn't seem like it would take much...

"Thin's were much quieter when we were gone," Moira muttered, a bit darkly but mostly just sleepy as she sought a more comfortable position.

"Right. Why did we come back from Santorini again?" Nathan asked, only half-joking.

"Because we're stupid," she responded, not missing a beat.

"Ah, right. I'd let that slip my mind, inexplicably..." Nathan let the air in his lungs out on a long side, feeling some of his tension ease as Moira laid her head against his shoulder. "I love you," he said quietly. "Don't ever wind up down there as a patient, okay?"

Her eyes cracked open again at that last sentance. "...I willnae," she murmured, a little stunned at the feelings and the thoughts that slipped down the link. "Promise."

Nathan waited until she had drifted off to sleep, then resettled her in his arms and floated up out of the chair and into the bedroom. He'd get her settled again, then... do something. He was getting very good at locating distractions.