xp_logs | Hank, Maddie

Maddie brings tea to Hank, after Jay is injured. They talk about a lot of things, and both try hard to stick to the 'taking it very slow' directive.

There was a muffled thump on Hank's office door, much like the sound you'd expect from someone kicking the door gently with a sneakered foot. The noise was followed by Maddie's voice: "Hank? Can you get the door? My hands are kind of full right now."

Hank blinked, getting up to open the door... and then he beamed. Madelyn, with what he thought might be the selfsame tea-tray that he'd visited her office with, a time or two. "What a delightful surprise!" he said happily, hastily clearing off a space on his desk for the tray. All he'd thought to do for her was a small flask of hot chocolate left where she could find and drink it before sleeping. What would be her response if he baked for her? Interesting thought, make a note of that. "It's good to see you," he added, feeling almost shy. This not rushing things was sensible, certainly, even highly desireable, but it went against all the slightly melodramatic romantic instincts he'd picked up from reading too much romantic poetry as a teenager. But he would do it, for her.

"I figured you've come bearing gifts often enough for me, I'd do the same and surprise you," Madelyn said with an answering smile, her cheeks turning slightly pink. The way he looked at her... it had been a very long while since she'd gotten that sort of look. "How's Jay?"

"Jay is recovering... the superficial injuries are all but healed, now, and he's eating like a horse. I've put him on a drip to try to ease some of the pressure on his digestive system, but he'll probably wake up needing to eat again in a couple of hours." Hank smiled at her... that blush was utterly adorable. "The drip will need replacing, too... I've cunningly thought ahead and left meals both liquid and solid ready, so all that need be done now is warm up the one and plug in the other."

Madelyn nodded as she took a seat, gesturing for him to do the same since he would be polite and stand until she sat. "He's lucky he's got the healing factor - anyone else would have been killed, given the beating he took." Her voice was flat, edged with anger, before she shook her head slightly and reached for the teapot. "The local police are next to useless. They won't even begin to investigate unless they have a statement from the victim. And since he's a mutant, they aren't pushing to get it."

Hank sat down, reaching out to touch her free hand gently. "At least he's alive. That's something to be thankful for." He shook his head, smiling rather sadly. "I fear I've seen too much corruption and simple negligence on the part of local authorities to be surprised by it now. And not only on when it comes to mutants, either."

Madelyn patted his hand briefly, then steadied the teapot as she poured - she'd obviously learned from Moira the ancient art of decent tea making. "I'm not surprised, Hank, I'm angry. The police are there to protect and serve the public. That should mean everyone - they don't get to pick and choose. But unfortunately there's not a lot I can do, even with my contacts. That whole solidarity thing." She pulled a face. "I'll keep trying, but I've been running up against a brick wall. There's rumours of an official internal investigation, but that's been going on for months now without much progress."

"I can only imagine how frustrating it must be," Hank said, accepting the teacup she handed to him. "Please, if there's anything I can do to help... Have someone lean on the forensics staff, perhaps? I've done a lot of guest-lecturing at the local universities, over the year, I'm bound to know someone's terrifying anatomy professor.

"I can only imagine how frustrating it must be," Hank said, accepting the teacup she handed to him. "Please, if there's anything I can do to help... Have someone lean on the forensics staff, perhaps? I've done a lot of guest-lecturing at the local universities, over the year, I'm bound to know someone's terrifying anatomy professor." He shook his head, grinning ruefully. "My connections are so numerous, and yet so not-useful most of the time..."

"I'll talk to Jay in the morning, see if he can't give us some more to go on before I start leaning on people," Madelyn nudged the plate of cookies towards him once she'd poured her own tea. "Dani was baking again this morning - I think she's feeling frustrated she's having to stop doing things and taking it out on the kitchen instead."

Hank took a cookie, making happy noises as he bit into it. "Mmm... and using her time well, I see." He smiled a slightly goofy smile. "I... it's hard to believe, still, that she truly intends to let me adopt the child. I keep pinching myself. Were my skin not already a deep blue, I think I'd have bruises showing."

"No bruises," Madelyn told him mock-sternly, before breaking into a smile. "You're going to come down to earth pretty quickly once it actually happens. Babies are particularly good at grounding us in reality."

"I can hardly wait." Hank smiled. "Really. And I need to start shopping for baby things... and ask the Professor about remodeling the other bedroom in my suite into a nursery. There's a great deal to do..." He reached out to touch her hand again, his gaze warm and admiring. She was so beautiful when she smiled. "I'll have to take you up on that offer of help, I think. If you don't mind."

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it, hon." She turned her hand over so she could stroke the fur on his hand with her fingers. It was so soft, silky-smooth under her touch. "I'll even take some night feedings, give you a chance to catch some uninterrupted sleep. Especially if you're on call with the team... or have you spoken to them about being off-duty until the baby's a bit older?"

"Not yet. I wasn't even sure she was going to go through with it until a few days ago. I suppose it's superstitious, but I was afraid that if I made too many plans..." He smiled ruefully. "I should, though, you're right. Now that she's made her decision public..." He shivered a tiny bit as her fingers ruffled through his fur. It felt... nice. Especially knowing that she really didn't mind it...

"I can't blame you - you've wanted this so badly for so long, it must have seemed too good to be true. But she has made her decision, and made it publically, so perhaps you're allowed to make a few plans now?" It was perhaps a bit soon to be making notes of sensitive bits, but Madelyn couldn't help noting the shiver. "BUt seriously anything you need help with, I hope you'll call on me. Although with Jean back I suppose she'll be delivering, having actual experience?" Emergency medicine didn't lend itself to childbirth that much.

"I'll ask Dani who she wants... she's known you for longer, and may be more comfortable with you. I'm going to be assisting," he added, a little proudly. "I can't do the delivery, obviously, with great mitts like mine, but I'll be there. And if she wants to pound someone, as the prospective father it is my duty to be pounded upon." He smiled at her, reaching out to touch her soft cheek gently. If she was going to be touching a little, surely he could too.

"You'll probably take pounding better than Forge will - he's Dani's Lamaz partner, isn't he?" Damn blush - her face was heating up under his touch, and she took a moment to sip her tea and try and compose herself. Slow, remember? she told herself. "Whatever happens, she'll be in good hands - I don't think any baby will have such a highly qualified delivery," she said, teasingly.

He smoothed a stray lock of hair back away from her face, and then let his hand fall. Slowly, he reminded himself. "Nor a more eagerly anticipated one," he agreed, smiling. "I have longed for this for so many years... since I was about her age, actually." He blushed a little himself, glad it didn't show. "Family, white picket fence.... the whole deal. A psychologist might explain it as an awareness of my own differences causing me to yearn towards the norm, I suppose. Myself, I blame my parents... they made it look so good, I wanted it too."

She chuckled a little. "Somehow I think your parents and mine would get on like a house on fire," she told him, taking a cookie for herself. They were very good. "And given the life you've led, I'm not surprised you've always wanted that - something solid to fall back on, perhaps?"

"People to love," he said softly, looking down into his tea. "It's... I need that. I always have. And people to take care of... not that I don't like being taken care of in turn, I do, but... I suppose we all want to be loved and needed."

"We do," Madelyn said softly. "But I always remember something one of my professors said, that I tend to forget way too often. He warned me against identifying myself too much as the person that's needed, that can fix things. Because there's always something you can't fix, someone who doesn't need us, and then we start seeing the failure as in ourselves. Being needed is one thing - being wanted is another." She shrugged a little. "Then again, living here, with our prospective patients - it's hard to differentiate between the two."

Hank nodded. "Children, however... especially babies... do need us. And want us, as well." He sipped his tea. "When I was a child, I remember being utterly loved, knowing that I always would be. I have wanted, for a long time, to be able to... pass that on, I suppose. To love someone else as much as my parents loved me."

"I'm not surprised you ended up a doctor, with that behind you," Madelyn observed, leaning her chin on her hand and observing him thoughtfully. "You've got so much to give. I just hope you remember you need taking care of sometimes too."

"I like being taken care of," he admitted. "It hasn't happened a great deal, since I left home - I've been the oldest, or nearly the oldest, since then, and looking after other people. But I do like it when it happens." He smiled a little. "It was the only good part about my... illness. Everyone coming to take care of me and spend time with me."

"Reassurance that we're valued is a good thing, sometimes... And that reminds me - I have news about that job. Fred and I managed to come to that agreement. I'm now the FBI's official consultant on mutant-related forensics." Madelyn's grin broadened. "Basically it means whenever they have something out of the ordinary, they'll call me and my connections - meaning the resources here - in to consult. So you really will be able to call me Scully."

"Will you wear the demure little suits and be all acerbic?" Hank said hopefully, grinning at her. "Because I have a terrible weakness for competent, businesslike women. There's something very attractive about a woman who isn't afraid to call you an idiot." Okay, maybe this wasn't technically slow, as such, but surely it was a good thing to let her know he found her appealing for more than her outward appearance? "It means that when she does have a good opinion of you, it's genuine, because if it weren't then she'd say so."

Madelyn actually giggled at that. "Considering one of my common phrases is 'I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it', I think there's a good chance I'm like that," she replied, going for the teasing tone since serious would be way too fast right now. Especially with Kurt doing his best hermit impersonation, which was a very good one. At least Amanda and her little furry orphan were coaxing him out. "And you should ask Alison about the suits. She's seen me in action."

"I will indeed. I need a good long talk with her. About sudden parenthood, and my changing role in the team, and so on. Your suits will be a welcome lightening of the tone of conversation, I'm sure." And... well, since he couldn't tell Maddie how he felt, as yet, he could at least tell Alison a little more about it. He took another cookie. "And I am very pleased that you've decided not to leave us, and of course any resources I may have are entirely at your disposal. Although if I'm going to be one of your sources, I suppose I should stop spreading rumours about UFO landings." He grinned unrepentantly. "It was fun, though."

"Don't tell anyone, but I enjoyed watching the reaction - all those UFO nuts thinking they'd finally gotten proof, when it was just Nathan and his special effects." Madelyn wrapped her hands around her teacap, warming her fingers - the medlab tended to the chilly side. All that metal was hard to keep warm. "And I'm very glad I'm not leaving too. There's too many reasons to stay, now." She looked him fully in the face as she said it - he'd been so good about the not flinging himself at her feet, which she knew he wanted to do, being Hank. He deserved some encouragement, and it wasn't a bad thing, letting him know he was one of the reasons she'd worked the compromise.

Hank smiled slowly. "Thank you," he said softly, reaching out to take her hand gently. He didn't trust himself to say anything else, but he could hold her tiny, warm hand, could look at her....