Moira and Maddie

[x-mactaggart.livejournal.com]

Maddie comes by to get her present and Moira gives her something she doesn't expect, a way to sooth their feelings about their lost powers. They talk about Thanksgiving, relaxing and juggling duties and then realize how much rest they really need.



Moira fiddled with the physical part of Maddie's present as she glanced over some files. Even relaxing she could, well, relax fully. In terms of the "waiting for the other shoe to drop" it had, along with all of it's relatives. She wanted to be as prepared as she could for anything that could come up. But she was also determined to remind Maddie to go the bloody hell home for the holidays. With a sigh, she pushed aside the files and waited for her fellow doctor to join her.

Madelyn had been doing some last-minute checking on supplies - they'd gone through a lot with Alison. Much in the same manner of Moira's file-reading. That done, she headed for Moira's office, and if there was a slightly-excited bounce in her step, well, no-one would blame her. If they'd seen it. "Present?" she asked, poking her head around the door. "I have a present?"

Laughing slightly, she pointed to the couch. "Two actually." She waved the gift wrapped package at her and grabbed her mug of coffee before joining Madelyn on the couch. "Dinnae give me tha' look, only me second cup today. 'appy birthday, belated due ta crisis."

"It's a sad day indeed when you're so busy you forget your own birthday," Madelyn agreed mournfully. Well, as mournfully as one could whilst gleefully accepting and unwrapping a present. "Thank you, Moira. You didn't have to, you know." The unwrapping revealed a leather case, which in turn revealed a doctor's kit in silver, engraved with her name. "Moira, this... it's beautiful. You shouldn't have." She waited until Moira had set her coffee down before giving the older doctor a hug. "Thank you."

Moira smiled and hugged her tightly. "O' course I should 'ave. Ye need ta be spoiled for once." Maybe with Kurt somewhere in the picture, she thought evilly, before clearing her throat. "Th' other present is a wee bit more complicated. I know 'ow 'ard 'tis been for ye ta 'ave given up th' powers ye 'ad durin' tha' Firefountain business." A smile flickered at Maddie's expression. "I know because I've felt it ta. 'Tis 'ard bein' 'uman in this 'ouse sometimes. But there might be somethin' we can do. Ye know I've got money an' lately, I've been wit'drawin' money from Shaw's industries an' puttin' it int' other businesses. But there's a chunk I want to sink somewhere else. Would ye be interestin' in 'elpin me set up th' Cornucopia an' Anodyne Foundation?"

Madelyn blinked at her, trying to process all this. "A foundation?" she asked at last. "You mean... " Words failed her again, and she found her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, Moira, that's a _wonderful_ idea!" She hugged Moira again, this time rather more fiercely. "You have no idea how hard it's been... well, you probably do." She released the other woman with a small sniffle. "Gah, here I am getting all weepy again. I'm a functioning human being, really I am."

"Trust me, cryin' is good for ye." Reaching over, she rescued the box of tissues from next to the couch and handed it over. "It would be a part o' the Muir Island Center an' be able to reach out ta a lot more people, nay jus' mutants. Feedin' an' clothin' those in need, plus medical supplies. We dinnae 'ave th' power ta make it right for everyone wit' mutant powers but as 'umans, we should be able ta make a start."

"Just like we were saying we'd do in Iceland after we got the powers, remember?" Madelyn took a tissue and wiped her eyes, then blew her nose. "Between us we were going to change the world." Her smile was on the watery side, but it was there. "This might be slower, but that's no reason not to do it. I'm in."

"Good because I suck at paperwork." She managed to dodge th' playful swat and reached over for another hug. "This'll do us a world o' good as well," Moira pointed out quietly.

"It's... it's been so hard, Moira," Madelyn admitted, laying her head on Moira's shoulder briefly on that third hug. "Seeing Ali in pain, knowing back in July I could have _fixed_ everything, with a thought. I've been trying so hard not to think about it, throwing myself into the work, but all it did was make me feel more helpless."

"'Tis verra 'ard feelin' 'elpless. I feel like tha' all th' time wit' Nathan's problems. So many thin's go wron' an' there's an end ta wha' we can do. An' then we push ourselves, punish is more like it, till we burst because we want ta try better, 'arder. We're 'ell on our bodies."

Madelyn chuckled wryly. "You'd think there was a whole subject devoted to that in med school. All of us - you, me, Hank - we all do it. And blithely ignore the condition we're putting ourselves in until it's too late." She sighed a little. "Mom would have my head on a stick if she saw me now."

Oh good, a good place to segue into that nicely. "We all need ta take a break an' relax," Moira commented, thinking about Nathan's e-mails earlier. "Especially ye. Ye _are_ goin' 'ome for Thanksgivin', aye?"

"I wasn't really sure if it was possible..." Madelyn said reluctantly. "I mean, Ali's getting better, but she still needs a lot of care, Betsy's still out and not showing any immediate signs of waking up, and now this thing with Jamie... He's going to need watching, to make sure there's no side effects from Charles’ psionic surgery. I really don't see how I can manage to go..."

Reaching over, Moira poked her solidly in the ribs. "Ye are goin', even if I 'ave ta drug ye an' ship ye out first class mail." She held up a hand to stop any arguments for a second. "Maddie, listen ta me for a second. 'enry is back. An' ye've seem ta forgotten tha' I can do everythin' up ta, an' includin' emergency surgery. I may nay 'ave an MD but I do 'ave me nursin' certs." Her tone was gentle but she wanted Madelyn to see that she could leave, could relax. She had wanted her to see this earlier but there hadn't been any chance to.

Madelyn had squealed at the poke, squirming away and rubbing her rubs. "I know," she said, rather shamefacedly. "I never meant to imply you _couldn't_. There was just the legal side of it, there should be a qualified MD on duty at all times, and with Hank away..." She gave Moira a pitiful look. "I'm a doofus?"

"Well, aye." But it was said with a great deal of affection. Much the same way she called Nathan a stupid head. "I know ye dinnae mean ta imply it. I jus' dinnae want ta see ye runnin' yerself inta th' ground. Thank God tha' 'e is back because we can set up a better schedule for all o' us."

"Ahem to that," Madelyn said with heartfelt enthusiasm. "Okay, I'll go home for Thanksgiving; I did promise Jubilee I'd take her home with me, so I can do that then. But only on the proviso that you and Nathan take some time off as well, get away from here." She gave Moira a pointed look. "I'm not the only one running themselves into the ground."

She held up her hands in defense and grinned. "We're plannin' somethin', 'onest! Nay sure when but we are. We realize we need time away before th' 'olidays, if 'tis possible. Because 'tis gettin' verra 'ard lately." Moira's face tightened at that thought. "'Tis 'ard, sometimes, bein' th' doctors when everyone we work on are people we care 'bout an' love. Breaks th' rules, doesnae it?"

"And then some," Madelyn agreed. "I still have nightmares about that damn blood drive, Doug... I keep wondering what would have happened if I hadn't been able to get his heart started again..." She shook the thought off and regarded Moira with another stern look. "Like you said, Hank's here, and the helpers. And Jamie will be out fairly soon. And you look like hell. Not to mention the fact your fiancee's making grumpy posts on his journal. Weekend after Thanksgiving, you're going away. No ifs or buts."

"We'll make it." She settled in on her resolve face. "We'll get through this 'ell an' make it out again." Moira glanced over at Maddie, lips twitching just a little bit. They had both watched an awful lot of the TiVo when they were on break but not wanting to go to bed just in case something happened. All that Teen Titans..."I've got th' sonic if ye've still got the boom?" she asked suddenly.

Madelyn burst into laughter, staying on the couch by mere inches, and that only because she grabbed onto Moira's arm to stop herself. "Okay, that's it, we are both taking a break before we end up talking in nothing but Teen Titans quotes..." she giggled.

Snickering, Moira shook her head. "Gone off th' deep end, jus' a wee bit," she responded, through her giggles. "But at least we're doin' it wit' good company."