Nate
Human
ER Doctor; St. Benedict's
The curtains flew then he appeared, saying don't be afraid.
Posts: 89
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Post by Nate on Mar 23, 2011 0:35:14 GMT
Usually Nate was pretty good at cleaning up after himself but it wasn't at all unusual for him to leave things to sit for a day or two for whatever reason, usually because he was too tired or because he was in a rush to head back out again whether it be to the hospital or to The Hyperion. His kitchen had looked a lot worse in the past than it had when Nell had arrived with the lasagne but he gave her a grateful smile when she turned to him with that unnecessary apology, words he waved aside lightly with one hand.
"Don't be sorry, we all have our little habits, right?" The smile grew, becoming that little bit fuller and down at his side Brock stood with his tongue lolling out of his mouth as though in amusement and his tail wagging with enough force to make his hindquarters sway from side to side. "I just don't want you feel like you have to clean up. I'm the one who makes the mess in here usually so I should be the one to clean up. I'm old enough to tidy up my own messes, or at least I should be." There was a slightly self-deprecating edge to his words and he chuckled lightly at himself as he shrugged his shoulders.
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Nell
Human
Departed
And all the roads we have to walk are winding.
Posts: 25
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Post by Nell on Mar 23, 2011 3:23:22 GMT
Nell chuckled. "Ah, but I came in and made my own mess. I'll leave you to clean all you want, but not after me."
Smiling, the young nurse returned to the den area, if only to retrieve the left behind wine glasses. They went on the counter beside the sink and she turned to Nate looking somewhat sheepish again. She pulled slender fingers back through her thick and curly hair when she spoke; another nervous habit of hers that seemed impossible to break.
"I, uh... I'll let you get some rest, all right?" she said after a moment. "I'm sorry if this was a bit overwhelming, it's just that..." Nell felt herself deflate a bit as she let out another one of her quietly self-deprecating laughs. "Just take care of yourself, all right? I can't sit by and watch you run yourself into the ground. You've got patients who rely on you."
She grinned a bit when she added, "And Brock, too."
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Nate
Human
ER Doctor; St. Benedict's
The curtains flew then he appeared, saying don't be afraid.
Posts: 89
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Post by Nate on Mar 23, 2011 18:23:48 GMT
Nate smiled at that and laughed lightly, nodding his head, an amused glint in his eye as he said, "Well I wasn't going to say anything, but..." He was teasing and it was obvious that it wasn't a remark Nell should take seriously to any degree. As far as he was concerned she hadn't even made a mess and she certainly hadn't needed to clean anything up; she had brought him food when she really hadn't needed to and provided him with some much needed company and a slice of reality that was becoming more and more elusive in his day to day life. If anything he was beyond grateful.
Brock gave a bark of agreement and hopped on his forepaws as he did so, regarding Nell with happy brown eyes as though he approved of her wisdom. Nate laughed. "I think he's firmly in your camp so I can't really argue, can I?" He scratched his dog between the ears and then met the woman's gaze fully. "Thanks again for coming by to check on me. You really didn't have to do that and you didn't need to bring the food. I appreciate it." She was a good friend, inside and outside of work.
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Nell
Human
Departed
And all the roads we have to walk are winding.
Posts: 25
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Post by Nell on Mar 25, 2011 20:39:15 GMT
She shook her head. "Of course I did," Nell said. "Like I said: you're good people."
Truth be told, she would have done the same for any of her friends. Nell took care of the people she was close to because it was simply her way of showing affection. Nate was a good man and a good doctor, which counted for something in her mind. He spent plenty of time helping others and doing such important work with the hospital that Nell saw no reason why she shouldn't look out for him, when she could.
With a smile, Nell made her way back to the door, unable to help but laugh when Brock seemed to follow as if intent on saying his goodbyes. She crouched down to the Husky's level in order to scratch his ears. "You look out for him, all right, boy?" she told Brock with mock-seriousness. "Huh? You make him rest if he starts lookin' wobbly again."
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Nate
Human
ER Doctor; St. Benedict's
The curtains flew then he appeared, saying don't be afraid.
Posts: 89
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Post by Nate on Mar 26, 2011 1:29:53 GMT
Perhaps because Nate was a doctor he wasn't used to people looking after him, he was usually the one making the choices and taking the steps to ensure others were comfortable and cared for. It was a bit backwards for him to be looked after the way Nell was determined to look after him but it was refreshing in a way too. Everyone needed to be looked after every now and then and perhaps it was simply his turn.
Laughing quietly he looked down at Brock and the Husky's rather one-sided exchange with the woman after escorting Nell to the door. Brock's response was a rather emphatic bark and another full wag of his tail, a forceful back and forth that sent his mass swaying, his tongue running over Nell's hand before Nate reached down and ruffled the back of his neck to quietly tell him to cut it out. "I'd take that as a yes if I were you," he said with a smile. "Brock's pretty good at getting his way."
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Nell
Human
Departed
And all the roads we have to walk are winding.
Posts: 25
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Post by Nell on Mar 30, 2011 2:03:47 GMT
Brock's enthusiastic "agreement" was enough to make her laugh out loud. She gave the big dog another affectionate scratch between the ears as she stood, still smiling when she came to her feet. It was easy to joke about Nate needed someone to look out for him -- even if it was just his faithful canine companion -- but she certainly hoped the good doctor would try and take it easy.
"I mean it," she told Nate. Despite her smile, there was a considerable amount of worry behind her eyes. "Try to get some rest when you can, all right? You've got a lot of people who rather enjoy your company. We'd all of us be fairly upset if you keeled over from stress."
They were both of them busy more often than not, but Nell knew she could only imagine the amount of work Nate went through on a daily basis. Even so, he managed to be a good person and a good friend. That certainly put him high up on this woman's list.
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Nate
Human
ER Doctor; St. Benedict's
The curtains flew then he appeared, saying don't be afraid.
Posts: 89
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Post by Nate on Apr 9, 2011 19:50:14 GMT
Nate sometimes wondered if he was the only doctor out there who tried to take on too much and ended up being a hypocrite no matter how unintentionally; they were constantly advising their patients to take it easy and not overdo anything but they were the worst ones for it, they did it themselves every day, didn't they? Nate knew he did, he'd been told by people at the hospital and at The Hyperion and now in his own home. There was a big difference between knowing the problem and addressing it thought and Nate wasn't quite sure how to begin on the latter.
"Maybe I'll go take a nap now or something," he told Nell, giving her a grateful smile and realising as he stood there just how tired he did feel. There had been a lot going on, most would say too much for any one man to handle but true to form he had gone from one thing to the next saying he could handle it and he didn't need a break. Nate knew he was paying for that now. He didn't just feel tired, he felt exhausted. "You have my word I will rest," he assured her, his tired smile returning even as Brock looked back and up at him, tail swaying lazily back and forth.
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Nell
Human
Departed
And all the roads we have to walk are winding.
Posts: 25
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Post by Nell on Apr 10, 2011 17:18:01 GMT
Her relief was almost palpable. The young woman seemed to relax a bit and her smile came along easily. "Now that sounds like a plan," she said to Nate. "And please, don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."
She certainly hoped that Nate would be able to find the time to rest. Even now she could see the exhaustion weighing on his posture, and it wasn't something that a single nap would fix. The man needed a good night's sleep more than anyone she'd seen in awhile, that much was certain. If he managed to get a couple of days off of work entirely, even better. It would certainly make her feel better if she knew he would no longer be on the verge of utter collapse.
"Have a good night, Nate," Nell murmured. The good doctor received a brief hug and Brock got another scratch behind the ears before she slipped out the door to make her way home again.
Continued at: Nell's Apartment
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Nate
Human
ER Doctor; St. Benedict's
The curtains flew then he appeared, saying don't be afraid.
Posts: 89
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Post by Nate on Apr 16, 2011 19:56:52 GMT
Nate knew very well that he needed a good night's sleep, possibly two or three, before he would start to feel fully human again, but it was a question of opportunity. He would have to do a better job of forcing himself to rest, he knew, and if his track record was anything to go by then it was likely only a matter of time before he worked himself into this unhealthy state of exhaustion again. He wouldn't be telling Nell that though. Given how often they saw one another she likely already knew it was a shameful inevitability.
When she hugged him Nate embraced her in return, told her to have a good night and thanked her once again, holding the door open for her on her way out and waiting until she was out of sight to close it behind her. With a quiet and weary sigh he closed and locked the door -- working with werewolves ensured you never again forgot to secure your apartment, if nothing else -- before turning to look at his apartment. Nell had taken care of the small mess in the kitchen so he couldn't even use that as an excuse to stay awake. Strange really; given how exhausted he was he should have been all too eager to head into his bedroom and get some sleep.
Brock bumped against his leg with a low grumble of a sound that was like a mixture of a whine and a quiet wuff. "All right, all right. I get it." Nate mussed the dog's ears and then took the short trip into his bedroom, making short work of changing in order to climb into the waiting bed. Once he was under the sheets the exhaustion took hold in full and as soon as his head hit the pillow he was out like a light.
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