(no subject)

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya glanced across the desk to quirk an eyebrow at her sister. She wasn't exactly surprised at what she'd just heard, but she did have to rag a bit. It was her sisterly duty. "Do I really think who'll want to go out to dinner?"

Maya snapped a rubber band across the distance between them then sighed "Dilan, or his group. I'm not picky and rumor says they're fun."

"He was being polite, Maya." she sighed, opening the next file in the pile at her elbow. They were winding down in her office after close. Just a quick review for tomorrows appointments, then they'd be headed home. "Besides, what happened to...Sam? No, wait, Alex wasn't it? Guy this weekend."

Maya made a face and added a sticky note to her own file "All hands, no brains, no fun." she summed up. "At least I could handle him, but still. I like to feel I'm a little more than a warm body..."

"Well, the weekends learning tennis helped with that at least?" Aya offered optimistically "Acclimation. Want me to go ruin his life for being a sod?"

"Hey, my love life is not part of a science project!" Maya squealed and seriously considering throwing a shoe instead of a rubber band. "Keep your scientific observations to yourself okay? Say, I don't know, I got used to him? And no. He'll ruin it himself the way he goes after blonds with money. Some angry husband will get their hands on him..."

Aya tried to diplomatically hide her smile, but failed as the edge of the file flopped down "Well, glad to know you got used to him. Maybe you should try new lessons for the weekend?" she offered "And I really would have fun. You never let me have the talk with your boys anymore."

"I get so much more use out of them when you don't. Marlin finally moved back by the way. I believe he wants to make an offering of his first born, a little girl by the way, to ensure his safety." Maya had run out of files now and was slowly folding a notes sheet into...something. Origami hodgepodge?

Aya tilted her head and thought that over "Well, I don't need a baby girl at the moment, and I bet she makes them very happy. How about we invite them to dinner sometime and I just get to act dumb over the baby. Think that'll reassure him?" she really didn't mind Marlin...all grown up and safely engaged elsewhere. He'd been a hellion as a teen.

"Hmmm, that might work." Maya agreed. "Anyway, back to the original topic. I haven't seen him in the hospital lately...think something drastic happened? The whole lot of apprentices didn't seem too happy that night..."

Aya sighed, closed her last file, and let her feet slip off the desk where she'd propped them "I think he's an intelligent man who has his own facilities and doesn't live here like we do. If you see him again, ask, don't speculate pointlessly." Aya just...didn't like rumor. She'd never picked up on gossiping, as much as Maya loved it. "Though, if he does stop by and you want...I can discuss your need to acclimate with him..." she almost made it through the door and into the hall.

The shoes hit her as the door gave under her elbow, and Aya laughed and dramatically tumbled to the ground outside. Maya seriously contemplated adding a kick or two out of sheer embarrassment, but she settled for slipping her own shoes on and huffing out into the hospital hallway.

Comments

[sliceitwithwind]

The problem with Dilan's patients is that when they go downhill they go really downhill. He shows up at the hospital again eventually, yes, but it's one of those middle-of-the-night sort of things with him wearing the first clothing that fell into his hand and charging down the halls.

[mitochondriaaya]

It was a weekday, so Aya wasn't there so late. She was coming in in the wee hours of the morning though. She'd had a call from one of her own patients, worried about something, and she was going to see them before her appointments started up.

She wasn't exactly up on current social etiquette, but when you saw a tired, frazzled, eye screamingly dressed doctor you knew in the halls so early, well, helping seemed like a good idea? They were different specialties, so she just stopped long enough to grab his hand, turn it over, and set a large, untouched cup of coffee in it?

Starbucks. Black. Too damn hot for her to drink just yet.

Doctors ran on coffee? And she had a pot in the office she could start up. IT MADE SENSE AT FIVE IN THE MORNING!

The "Oh, yeah, morning." was tossed belatedly over her shoulder as she headed back on her way. Maya was going to be utterly and completely embarrassed when she came in. Really.

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan drinks it straight from the cup, barely muttering a thank you, and then his other hand darts out, "Active Mitochondrial? If so, come with."

[mitochondriaaya]

Sure. That was close enough to her name that she'd answer to it. Even without Maya to amplify, she was worth any three other mitochondrials. She did duck his hand though. "On the condition that my patient be redirected and I'm given five minutes with him when he arrives."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Fine, whatever, be in B ward room 702 as soon as you can." he then keeps moving, as fast as he can - and that's not slow at all.

[mitochondriaaya]

She only stopped to grab an aide and issue firm instructions. Her patient wasn't due for a little while yet, and the now scurrying aide would fetch him when he arrived. She could get a good start on whatever Dilan wanted from her...

B ward, room 702 saw her in well under ten minutes, eyes already swimming up to green from blue as she flexed hr fingers. "Situation?"

[sliceitwithwind]

The pointy-eared people have a couple of auto-immune disorder that not only open them up to everything they and humans can get, but also a couple of illnesses normally found in birds. It would suck enough as-is, but every now and then one of the bird-illnesses manages to mutate enough to jump into the sentient population at large and play epidemic.

This particular patient has that disorder, and one of the bird-illnesses. It has not, so far, mutated - but some of the readings got a little flaky, she coded, and one of the human grad-students hit the 'Call Dilan' button.

"We're at danger of a second tier mutation into the general population. I need to to reinforce her as much as you can while I work on stabilizing her for now," as, indeed, he is. He's got her heart beating again and she's breathing on her own, "and figure out a new medication. We're trying to treat both the symptoms, the bird disease, and the auto-immune disorder at once. She missed an AI appointment, which is why she got sick."

[mitochondriaaya]

"I see" Aya murmured and turned her attention to the woman in the bed. The trick with this would be...focusing on just one of the people in the room. Though having the grad student's heartbeats synchronize to her slow, calm, strong one couldn't hurt...

She didn't have to touch the patient, in fact, she felt it best to stay out of Dilan's way, so she took up in a handy corner ad within minutes all the telltales on the diagnostic machinery were in the green. "Get me a blood sample and I can watch the virus for you while you focus on her cells."

[sliceitwithwind]

One of the students fetches it for her, Dilan doesn't even blink an extra time. He's too busy.

Thirty or so minutes later he damn near collapses in place, "Thank you, Doctor Brea. We're finished for the day."

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya spent the time semi-productively? She hated being still, but with the sample in hand she could feel the difference between the woman's cells and the virus. She noted what she could feel on a spare clipboard. Where the virus seemed to be concentrated, where it was stronger or weaker during Dilan's work...

Probably nothing they didn't already know, but it kept her occupied.

When Dilan geared down, she glanced at him sharply, then set aside the things in her hands to stretch. "Your welcome. Would you like me to visit her after my appointments this evening ?" she offered, because she tended to naturally adopt patients?

[sliceitwithwind]

"I'd prefer not." Dilan admits, "One side effect my patients can have from actives visiting is that the mitochondrial influence can negate the immune suppressant."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Point" Aya admitted. "Would you mind keeping me posted on her condition though? I like to know when patients are getting better." it was one of the good things about being a doctor? Knowing people were getting healthy?

[sliceitwithwind]

"Sure, I can do that."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Thank you, Dilan." she offered a slight bow that was broken by a yawn. It was going to be a coffee day...

"If you need me for anything else let me know." now...which door had she come in?

[sliceitwithwind]

"Breakfast." Dilan says firmly, "Then you can move onto whatever."

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya paused, hand on a door, to glance at her watch. It...really was far too early to worry about more patients coming in. She hadn't factored in the hour when she'd agreed to meet her patient early; there'd been mitigating circumstances! Honest!

"Have you been talking to my sister?" she asked with a wry grin over her shoulder "Or do you also have the habit of feeding people?"

[sliceitwithwind]

He grins back at her and shakes his head, "I'm doing a study on your species. I could probably guess your daily minimum required amount of food within a couple hundred calories at this point. Come on, have you been to Nan's?"

[mitochondriaaya]

"Oh, well, that makes me feel special." she snorted, amused by the study fact. "Nan's...down the street? Stays open late for ER workers? I've never been there in daylight."...was it daylight yet?

[sliceitwithwind]

"Biologist." Dilan says with a shrug and without anything like apology, "It's my job, just as much as healing people is yours." he means that on many different levels indeed, "Yeah, she's an old friend. Her breakfasts are to kill for."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Point" she agreed, holding the door for him. "It's just really strange to hear about mitochondrial things from someone else. Don't take it badly if I just blink at you sometimes alright?" after all, she was still getting in heated debates with other doctors about mitochondrial abilities, so...

"As long as they have coffee I'll worship the diner. A good breakfast is a bonus."

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan just smiles at her and shakes his head a little bit.

Nan's, at this hour, is less diner and more Nan's house. The grand lady herself hugs Dilan and tugs his dreads until he's low enough to kiss on the forehead, "Two or three this morning, Dilan?" she asks familiarly, getting, "Two, Nan. My companion is an active mitochondrial, so the usual table for me and Braig is your best bet."

[mitochondriaaya]

She watched the greeting with a raised eyebrow, the other rising to join it as the woman bustled off "Did you just order for me or reserve a large table?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Large table." Dilan says, "Braig and I both eat exceedingly large amounts, so we just habitually get the biggest table in here. When Al or Even come along we have to push another one together. I wouldn't order for you unless I knew you very, very well and knew that you were too tired to think straight."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Thank you then." she grinned, then followed where he led once more. "Though thinking sideways while ordering can lead to some very interesting things..."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Which is why you should come to Nan's." Dilan explains, "She's got six kids of her own, four of whom are doctors, and one who is married to a Mitochondrial. Nan knows food."