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OUTSIDE THE CLINIC - NOON
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Doc Plume sits on the bench on the covered porch outside the clinic. They're supposed to be waiting for Nesseth to get back with lunch, but their workload and lack of sleep have caused the doctor to doze off while they were waiting.
Nesseth approaches Plume's clinic, carrying a box of food from the Minnow in his arms. He can't help but chuckle upon seeing Plume with their beak tucked against their chest as they snooze the day away in the shade of their porch. He turns as he comes to a stop and lets the tip of his tail thump against one of the beams lining the porch, imitating the sound of someone knocking on a door. "Plume, I'm back with food."
Annika steps by. She's looking a good bit better. Her arm is still in a sling, but all the superficial cuts and bruises are nicely healed up, and she's moving about easily enough "Uh..Hey Doc" She smiles a little nervously at Ness..she's technically not meant to be outside right now! "I..just came around to have my arm checked, and to see if May is okay..I heard about the accident"
Doc Plume blinks and looks up at the sound of the knock and smiles at Nesseth. "Oh, good. Must have dozed off..." They look at Annika and smile at the fox. "That's all right... She was asleep last I knew, but you're welcome to go in and check on her, just don't disturb her."
Nesseth blinks in surprise and tilts his head a bit upon noticing Annika, but relaxes at her request. After a moment, he nods at Plume. "Yeah, it looked like you were taking a short nap just now."
Annika: "Oh..if she's asleep I'll leave her be. I don't want to wake her up, just to be able to see her" She smiles a little nervously to Nesseth, before continuing "..Do you know when my arm can come out of the cast?"
Doc Plume looks at Annika and smiles. "It'll be a while still. Six weeks total at least. With the twisting break you had, eight weeks would be better." They look back to Nesseth and blush. "I was just waiting and thinking... guess I haven't been sleeping enough with so much going on..."
Nesseth sighs a little, giving Plume a look of minor exasperation that they're likely familiar with at this point. "I guess I'll have to encourage you to get to sleep a little more often, again."
Annika: "Oh...that's awkward..but it needs to be done I suppose" She sighs a little "I'll be able to work though? I don't need both arms for most things.I can make do"
Doc Plume sighs. "I have two inpatients in addition to my usual appointment load, not to mention..." They look at Annika. "Yes, some light work. Nothing that would risk hurting your arm again, though. We'll find you something..."
Annika: "Oh! It's fine. I still have my job" She replies brightly "Thanks for the help anyway"
Doc Plume looks to Nesseth, not sure how to respond.
Nesseth likewise seems uncertain as to what to say, but from the slight furrowing of his brow, he's still obviously concerned about that whole situation.
Annika: "It's fine, really" She 'assures' them "Once May is up and about, she's going to help me look for somewhere to stay that isn't the Inn"
Doc Plume just nods. "All right. You still shouldn't work for another couple of weeks though."
Nesseth hums thoughtfully as he leans against the outside wall of the clinic, taking a moment to adjust the box in his grip as he regards Annika's 'assurance'. "Hmm..."
Annika: "Right..I'll keep that in mind" She nods to the Doc "I'm a little bit stir crazy right now, doing nothing"
Doc Plume looks at Annika. "You can go for walks or whatever, just don't push yourself too much."
Nesseth: "Sometimes, doing nothing is the best thing to do, especially if you're injured bad. Just... you know, listen to Plume's orders, please, Annika..."
Annika: "I will! I will!" Her ears pin back a little "I want to get better as soon as I can. Really!"
Doc Plume smiles. "The best thing you can do for your arm is to just let it heal right now. We can probably take out your stitches later this week, though."
Annika: "That'd be a relief..they're really itchy at night"
Nesseth nods. "That just means it's starting to heal up. If you don't scratch at them, they'll heal faster, even if it's bothersome."
Doc Plume: "It means they're ready to come out soon, yeah." Their stomach growls a bit as they catch another whiff of the food that Nesseth brought. "Right... lunch... uh..."
Annika: "Yeah..I'm not scratching..it's hard..but I'm managing"
Nesseth smirks at Plume and nods at the door. "We can head upstairs to have some lunch while Annika visits with May." He gives Annika sheepish little smile, "I'd offer to let you join, but... I only got enough food for myself and Plume. Sorry, Annika..."
Annika: "Oh..That's okay! It's a private dinner, I understand. I..need to head off anyway"
Doc Plume nods. "Sorry Annika. I'll let May know you came by, though."
Annika: "Thanks. I appreciate it" She bobs a bow of her head, before heading out for the evening
Doc Plume stands up and opens the door to the clinic. "So what did you get us?" they ask Nesseth.
Nesseth hefts the box a bit. "Our usual favorites from the Minnow, plus some snacks from the bakery for us to nibble on through the next day or two."
Doc Plume leads Nesseth up into their apartment and sits down tiredly at the small kitchen table.
Nesseth follows Plume up and sets the box down on a counter top in the kitchen. He starts to unbox a few plates of food along with a slightly larger tray of sweets from one of the town's more popular bakeries. "I figured a bit of extra food would be nice to nibble on."
Doc Plume watches the unboxing and nods. "You're so thoughtful..."
Nesseth carries a couple of plates over to the table and places the one containing some of Plume's favorite food from the Minnow in front of them. He sets his own plate down on the other side of the table, then goes to grab some utensils for both of them. "More just thinking ahead a bit, maybe. Whatever we can't finish, we can just store for later."
Doc Plume starts in on the food, clearly not having eaten yet today. They devour about half of the food before coming up for breath. "Fair enough. I've had a lot on my mind..."
Nesseth 's eyebrows rise as he watches Plume tearing into their food for a bit. He eventually starts on his food, but comments once Plume comes up for air. "I'm not surprised... but please tell me you at least had something to eat this morning, like some bread and cheese or something..."
Doc Plume blushes a touch. "Just tea," they mumble as they continue to eat their lunch. Their tail lashes behind them a bit as they try to not think about their failings in self-care.
Nesseth sighs and nods as he continues to eat. "Well, that's something, at least... I know you've been really busy as of late, though, as you said."
Doc Plume sets down their fork. "I really could use having a nurse around for times like this, but these times are pretty rare, so I don't know that there's enough work to justify it."
Nesseth nods again. "Would it be possible to hire someone around town as a part-time nurse, to come in and help when needed?"
Doc Plume shrugs. "I guess. They'd need the right training."
Nesseth gives Plume a bit of a smirk. "I did just fine when I was helping you monitor the patients that other time, and I have no medical training as far as I'm aware."
Doc Plume looks at Nesseth. "Well, you would look cute in a nurse's outfit..."
Nesseth blinks, then blushes a little. "Ahah... that's a good one, Plume..."
Doc Plume grins a bit as they resume eating. "Anyway, I can talk to the town administrator about it, but I think she's still away for another couple of weeks..."
Nesseth takes a moment to rub the blush off of his cheeks. "W-well... in the mean time, I'll just help you whenever you need it."
Doc Plume giggles a bit as they polish off the rest of their food.
Nesseth slowly finishes up his own plate a little after Plume, then wipes his hands down. "Ahh... that was a good lunch..."
Doc Plume stands to take the dishes to the sink. "Yeah... thank you again."
Nesseth smiles warmly. "Not a problem at all, Plume."
Doc Plume walks over and leans against Nesseth tiredly, hugging him close. "I don't know what I'd do without you..."
Nesseth hugs Plume warmly, nestling his chin against their shoulder. "I think you'd have held up pretty well, honestly. You're pretty resourceful."
Doc Plume laughs. "In terms of getting things done, sure, but you're the one who's taking care of me right now..."
Nesseth smiles. "True, but I wasn't taking care of you before we first met a few months back."
Doc Plume laughs and squeezes Nesseth. "But I had just gotten here..."
Nesseth hums at the hug. "Yeah, but you took care of yourself well enough to get here in the first place."
Doc Plume shakes their head. "Yeah, but before I came here I was just a surgical resident. I didn't have to deal with walk-in surprises..."
Nesseth nods a bit. "Fair enough. Still, I think you'd have done pretty well, if just... a little more stressed out and sleepy."
Doc Plume kisses Nesseth softly. "Yes, but you make sure that I'm less poorly off than I would be."
Nesseth hums softly into the kiss, then gently smiles as it breaks. "Well, when you put it that way... I'm glad I can help however I can."
Doc Plume squeezes Nesseth close. "I love you, Nesseth..."
Nesseth chuckles and hugs Plume just as warmly. "I love you as well, Plume..."