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xp_logs2004-10-25 08:45 pm
x-cypher.livejournal.com) wrote in xp_logs2004-10-25 08:45 pm
Doug and Moira
After borrowing Mao from Cain, Moira brings him down to the Medlab to play on Doug's lap. Some much-needed fluff. It's not entirely hugs and pats on the back, as Moira's not too impressed with Doug's heroic antics, but at least she gives him a break from people yelling at him.
Moira opened the door to Doug's room quietly and shut it behind her. He seemed to be dozing which, considering the lack of anything to do, was not exactly surprising. Walking over, she stood above him and just watched him for a few seconds, feeling her heart drop. These kids acted so much older than they really were and it was hard to remember that until situations like these. Clearing her throat finally, she said, "Doug? Ye awake, lad?"
Doug shot awake abruptly, gasping for breath, obviously shocked awake from a nightmare, judging by the sweat dripping across his forehead. He had been trying to rest himself, but it was difficult dealing with nightmares. "...Doc MacTaggart?" he asked slowly.
"Aye, easy, easy." She reached out quickly tucked another pillow behind him, knowing his ribs were still going to be in a good deal of pain. "Dinnae mean ta startle ye so."
"Not your fault," Doug replied slowly after he managed to catch his breath. "Been having nightmares. Haven't been sleeping well." He may have tried to act like an adult recently, but he looked extremely small and defenseless against the stark white of the sheets and pillows on his bed.
"I figured. After everythin' ye've gone through, I'd be worried if'n ye dinnae 'ave nightmares." Reaching behind her, she drew up a chair and settled into it. Moira wanted to give him something to take his mind off of everything, at least for a little bit, but she wanted to make sure he was as okay as he was going to be. "'ow're ye doin', Doug? I've, uh, seen th' line o' people comin' in an' out, I know it cannae be easy."
A soft sigh was the response. "It's been tough. Everyone's been coming in to tell me just how stupid I was, and how lucky I am to be alive. Scott, Nate, Jamie, Alison, even Dom caught me over IM to ream me out. And Angie..." Doug's voice cracked slightly, remembering how painful Marie-Ange's visit had been.
She found herself patting his hand. He really looked like someone's repeatedly kicked puppy. "Then I'll skip all o' tha', ye've 'eard it a million times before. All I"m goin' ta say is I'm glad yer safe an' in relatively one piece. An', also, I 'ave someone who probably wants ta see ye..."
Doug was confused, to say the least. Nobody else had entered the room with Doctor MacTaggart, and she had shut the door behind her. On top of which, pretty much everyone who had felt a need to lecture him had already come by. "Someone who wants to see me?" he asked puzzledly.
Suddenly there was a pitiously high pitched "meeewwwwwww", muffled slightly and Moira smiled at the expression on Doug's face. "Well, I figured ye'd 'ad one 'ell o' a couple o' days. An' I knew ye werenae restin' well so...allright ye wee bugger, ye're gettin' out!" Sighing, she dug into her lab coat pocket and pulled out a slightly irritated Mao, who whapped at her hand with a paw for a few seconds.
Doug sniffled, unsure as to why he was almost on the verge of crying at Moira's simple gesture. "Mao!" he said with a shaky smile, reaching out to take him from Moira and settling the kitten in his lap.
"Ye certainly dinnae need anymore lectures, especially from me." She pillowed her chin on her fist and smiled at the sight of the two of them. Mao, very glad to be out of the pocket apparently, as exploring all the smells, going after the occasional finger that Doug waved him. "An' ye cannae exactly feel bad when yer 'avin' a kitten chewin' on yer fingers, now can ye?"
The pain and emotion that had been written across Doug's face had indeed softened at the sight of the tiny kitten romping across his legs. Doug scratched a finger behind Mao's ears, and a rumbling purr vibrated through his legs. "I guess not, Doc," he replied, the shaky smile strengthening a bit.
"Luckily, Cain jus' muttered somethin' 'bout th' fact tha' th' wee cat isnae 'is when I asked 'im if I could borrow 'im for a bit." Moira shook her head, snickering softly. "Man doesnae know when 'e's 'ooked. An' I knew this would cheer ye up--worked on a good number o' folks at Muir. Includin' meself."
"You're a smart lady, Doc," Doug replied, steering Mao gently away from his sore ribs. Rebuffed, the kitten let out a plaintive mew before exploring the virgin territory of Doug's sheet-covered legs.
"So they say, anyway," she teased, making sure to keep an eye on the kitten as he tried to figure out either the best way down or the best way under the covers. "An' if'n anyone 'asnae said this ta ye yet, let me make it clear." Moira looked at him, watching him as carefully as she had the kitten a few seconds ago. "Ye are goin' ta be jus' fine, Doug. Yer goin' ta get out o' this mess eventually. Th' nightmares will stop eventually."
Doug sniffled softly, grateful that Moira had decided not to go the lecturing route. He wasn't really sure which had been worst, after the emotion-laden rollercoaster Marie-Ange's visit had been. Scott had just barely hidden rage behind the mantle of Cyclops, Nathan had been cool and curt, and Alison hadn't said a single word, speaking eloquently with body language that she knew Doug would understand.
"'Tis 'ard when life slaps ye this badly, isnae it?" she asked softly and with understanding.
Doug nodded sadly. "I was pretty stupid," he admitted. "I should have told someone. All I could think of was what if something worse happened if I wasn't there. I got so locked into one interpretation."
"Tha's th' problem wit' th' visions, there are so many ways ye can interperate them. An' when yer as youn' as ye are, an' ye are mainly because I'm old, an' ye see a friend 'urtin'--it messes everythin' up."
"I was convinced that if I didn't go, Rahne would die," Doug said softly. "It was selfish and arrogant, like I was the only one who could fix it."
"'ave ye talked ta Rahne?" The question came out of the blue, even Moira was surprised--that she hadn't asked it before, anyway.
"She came by for a bit," he replied. "She wanted to know why I hadn't told anyone, too." He shook his head. "I goofed up, and I'm lucky to be alive." Mao seemed to sensed the morose direction of Doug's thoughts, and viciously gnawed on one of Doug's toes that stood up under the sheet. Doug smiled despite himself.
"Seems I was right by brinin' th' rascal by," Moira commented lazily, leaning back in the chair. "Yer stronger than ye think ye are, Douglas, jus' wait an' see. This'll clear up eventually an' ye've learned a few lessons alon' th' way. We all 'ave. Like th' fact tha' yer charmin' girlfriend 'as a wicked punch."
Doug raised an eyebrow, noticing the slight bruise on Moira's cheek. "Angie did _that_?" he asked, slightly incredulously.
"Aye. An' th' bruises on me arms, some on me ribs an' ye should see th' state o' me foot. Darker shade o' blue than 'enry. Girl got viciously stron' in Asgard."
Doug smiled. "I'm sorry she stomped all over you," he said quietly. Mao, finally tired of attacking Doug's toes, wandered back up his legs to settled down and lick a paw fastidiously. Doug skritched the kitten behind the ears again with a grin.
Moira shrugged softly. "I dinnae mind, really. She was verra determined ta get ta ye. Did she mention tha' I 'ad ta sedate 'er? Good thin' I oversaw it, sedation does bizarre thin's ta Angie." Her face softened slightly. "Loves ye quite a great deal."
"I know," Doug said, face softening. "I love her very much too."
"Ye are bot' verra cute. O' dinnae look so indignant. 'Tis verra 'ard ta master tha' when there's a kitten chewin' on yer kneecap. An' I'm recently engaged so I get ta make fun o' all th' other couples as much as I want ta."
Doug chuckled lightly, careful not to do it too forcefully and strain his ribs. "Yes, ma'am," he answered, sketching a mock salute with two fingers.
Laughing softly, she congratulated herself on her brilliant kitten plan. Doug was looking more relaxed and less drawn as the seconds ticked by. "Tell ye wha'. I've got a set o' experiments tha' need doin' right now. I'll leave Mao in 'ere wit' ye until I'm done an' then I'll gather 'im up an' return 'im back 'ome. Work for ye?"
"Definitely," Doug said with a smile. "I think Mao and I can amuse ourselves for a bit."
"If 'e leaps for freedom, which I doubt because 'e looks insanely comfortable, jus' 'it th' buzzer ta me labs an' I'll play catch th' demon kitty."
Doug nodded seriously. "And I promise not to set him loose just to watch the fun," he said with a grin.
Moira gave him The Look and smirked. "Behave yerself, Mr. Ramsey, or I'll set up a special set o' instruments for ye in the freezer. Next ta Nathan's an' Pete's."
"Understood," Doug said. Moira definitely had more experience with recalcitrant test subjects. Scotland 1, Colorado 0.
"Ye catch on fast." Standing up, she reached over and skritched Mao on the head, smiling when he rolled onto his back. "Keep Doug company, Mao, an' th' bot' o' ye stay out o' trouble." Moira paused to reach out and squeeze Doug's hand, smiling comfortly down at him, before heading out, closing the door behind her just in case Mao decided outside was better than in.
Moira opened the door to Doug's room quietly and shut it behind her. He seemed to be dozing which, considering the lack of anything to do, was not exactly surprising. Walking over, she stood above him and just watched him for a few seconds, feeling her heart drop. These kids acted so much older than they really were and it was hard to remember that until situations like these. Clearing her throat finally, she said, "Doug? Ye awake, lad?"
Doug shot awake abruptly, gasping for breath, obviously shocked awake from a nightmare, judging by the sweat dripping across his forehead. He had been trying to rest himself, but it was difficult dealing with nightmares. "...Doc MacTaggart?" he asked slowly.
"Aye, easy, easy." She reached out quickly tucked another pillow behind him, knowing his ribs were still going to be in a good deal of pain. "Dinnae mean ta startle ye so."
"Not your fault," Doug replied slowly after he managed to catch his breath. "Been having nightmares. Haven't been sleeping well." He may have tried to act like an adult recently, but he looked extremely small and defenseless against the stark white of the sheets and pillows on his bed.
"I figured. After everythin' ye've gone through, I'd be worried if'n ye dinnae 'ave nightmares." Reaching behind her, she drew up a chair and settled into it. Moira wanted to give him something to take his mind off of everything, at least for a little bit, but she wanted to make sure he was as okay as he was going to be. "'ow're ye doin', Doug? I've, uh, seen th' line o' people comin' in an' out, I know it cannae be easy."
A soft sigh was the response. "It's been tough. Everyone's been coming in to tell me just how stupid I was, and how lucky I am to be alive. Scott, Nate, Jamie, Alison, even Dom caught me over IM to ream me out. And Angie..." Doug's voice cracked slightly, remembering how painful Marie-Ange's visit had been.
She found herself patting his hand. He really looked like someone's repeatedly kicked puppy. "Then I'll skip all o' tha', ye've 'eard it a million times before. All I"m goin' ta say is I'm glad yer safe an' in relatively one piece. An', also, I 'ave someone who probably wants ta see ye..."
Doug was confused, to say the least. Nobody else had entered the room with Doctor MacTaggart, and she had shut the door behind her. On top of which, pretty much everyone who had felt a need to lecture him had already come by. "Someone who wants to see me?" he asked puzzledly.
Suddenly there was a pitiously high pitched "meeewwwwwww", muffled slightly and Moira smiled at the expression on Doug's face. "Well, I figured ye'd 'ad one 'ell o' a couple o' days. An' I knew ye werenae restin' well so...allright ye wee bugger, ye're gettin' out!" Sighing, she dug into her lab coat pocket and pulled out a slightly irritated Mao, who whapped at her hand with a paw for a few seconds.
Doug sniffled, unsure as to why he was almost on the verge of crying at Moira's simple gesture. "Mao!" he said with a shaky smile, reaching out to take him from Moira and settling the kitten in his lap.
"Ye certainly dinnae need anymore lectures, especially from me." She pillowed her chin on her fist and smiled at the sight of the two of them. Mao, very glad to be out of the pocket apparently, as exploring all the smells, going after the occasional finger that Doug waved him. "An' ye cannae exactly feel bad when yer 'avin' a kitten chewin' on yer fingers, now can ye?"
The pain and emotion that had been written across Doug's face had indeed softened at the sight of the tiny kitten romping across his legs. Doug scratched a finger behind Mao's ears, and a rumbling purr vibrated through his legs. "I guess not, Doc," he replied, the shaky smile strengthening a bit.
"Luckily, Cain jus' muttered somethin' 'bout th' fact tha' th' wee cat isnae 'is when I asked 'im if I could borrow 'im for a bit." Moira shook her head, snickering softly. "Man doesnae know when 'e's 'ooked. An' I knew this would cheer ye up--worked on a good number o' folks at Muir. Includin' meself."
"You're a smart lady, Doc," Doug replied, steering Mao gently away from his sore ribs. Rebuffed, the kitten let out a plaintive mew before exploring the virgin territory of Doug's sheet-covered legs.
"So they say, anyway," she teased, making sure to keep an eye on the kitten as he tried to figure out either the best way down or the best way under the covers. "An' if'n anyone 'asnae said this ta ye yet, let me make it clear." Moira looked at him, watching him as carefully as she had the kitten a few seconds ago. "Ye are goin' ta be jus' fine, Doug. Yer goin' ta get out o' this mess eventually. Th' nightmares will stop eventually."
Doug sniffled softly, grateful that Moira had decided not to go the lecturing route. He wasn't really sure which had been worst, after the emotion-laden rollercoaster Marie-Ange's visit had been. Scott had just barely hidden rage behind the mantle of Cyclops, Nathan had been cool and curt, and Alison hadn't said a single word, speaking eloquently with body language that she knew Doug would understand.
"'Tis 'ard when life slaps ye this badly, isnae it?" she asked softly and with understanding.
Doug nodded sadly. "I was pretty stupid," he admitted. "I should have told someone. All I could think of was what if something worse happened if I wasn't there. I got so locked into one interpretation."
"Tha's th' problem wit' th' visions, there are so many ways ye can interperate them. An' when yer as youn' as ye are, an' ye are mainly because I'm old, an' ye see a friend 'urtin'--it messes everythin' up."
"I was convinced that if I didn't go, Rahne would die," Doug said softly. "It was selfish and arrogant, like I was the only one who could fix it."
"'ave ye talked ta Rahne?" The question came out of the blue, even Moira was surprised--that she hadn't asked it before, anyway.
"She came by for a bit," he replied. "She wanted to know why I hadn't told anyone, too." He shook his head. "I goofed up, and I'm lucky to be alive." Mao seemed to sensed the morose direction of Doug's thoughts, and viciously gnawed on one of Doug's toes that stood up under the sheet. Doug smiled despite himself.
"Seems I was right by brinin' th' rascal by," Moira commented lazily, leaning back in the chair. "Yer stronger than ye think ye are, Douglas, jus' wait an' see. This'll clear up eventually an' ye've learned a few lessons alon' th' way. We all 'ave. Like th' fact tha' yer charmin' girlfriend 'as a wicked punch."
Doug raised an eyebrow, noticing the slight bruise on Moira's cheek. "Angie did _that_?" he asked, slightly incredulously.
"Aye. An' th' bruises on me arms, some on me ribs an' ye should see th' state o' me foot. Darker shade o' blue than 'enry. Girl got viciously stron' in Asgard."
Doug smiled. "I'm sorry she stomped all over you," he said quietly. Mao, finally tired of attacking Doug's toes, wandered back up his legs to settled down and lick a paw fastidiously. Doug skritched the kitten behind the ears again with a grin.
Moira shrugged softly. "I dinnae mind, really. She was verra determined ta get ta ye. Did she mention tha' I 'ad ta sedate 'er? Good thin' I oversaw it, sedation does bizarre thin's ta Angie." Her face softened slightly. "Loves ye quite a great deal."
"I know," Doug said, face softening. "I love her very much too."
"Ye are bot' verra cute. O' dinnae look so indignant. 'Tis verra 'ard ta master tha' when there's a kitten chewin' on yer kneecap. An' I'm recently engaged so I get ta make fun o' all th' other couples as much as I want ta."
Doug chuckled lightly, careful not to do it too forcefully and strain his ribs. "Yes, ma'am," he answered, sketching a mock salute with two fingers.
Laughing softly, she congratulated herself on her brilliant kitten plan. Doug was looking more relaxed and less drawn as the seconds ticked by. "Tell ye wha'. I've got a set o' experiments tha' need doin' right now. I'll leave Mao in 'ere wit' ye until I'm done an' then I'll gather 'im up an' return 'im back 'ome. Work for ye?"
"Definitely," Doug said with a smile. "I think Mao and I can amuse ourselves for a bit."
"If 'e leaps for freedom, which I doubt because 'e looks insanely comfortable, jus' 'it th' buzzer ta me labs an' I'll play catch th' demon kitty."
Doug nodded seriously. "And I promise not to set him loose just to watch the fun," he said with a grin.
Moira gave him The Look and smirked. "Behave yerself, Mr. Ramsey, or I'll set up a special set o' instruments for ye in the freezer. Next ta Nathan's an' Pete's."
"Understood," Doug said. Moira definitely had more experience with recalcitrant test subjects. Scotland 1, Colorado 0.
"Ye catch on fast." Standing up, she reached over and skritched Mao on the head, smiling when he rolled onto his back. "Keep Doug company, Mao, an' th' bot' o' ye stay out o' trouble." Moira paused to reach out and squeeze Doug's hand, smiling comfortly down at him, before heading out, closing the door behind her just in case Mao decided outside was better than in.