ways_infirmary | (no subject)

She looks up from something in her hands, then smiles wanly.

"Do you remember me? The Doctor, Hank?"

He settles on a chair far enough away he hopes he will be alright with it and gazes at her.

"you found lisa." She holds up the orange lollipop he'd given her the first time they'd spoken. "you're not a mean doctor."

"I do my best. I admit to being confused soemtime. And yes, i gave you the lollipop."

He smiles, closelipped.

"I am glad you dont think I am mean. I was afraid after ytesterday, you wouldn't like me anymore."

"the director... he was mean... not to me, but lisa..." She looks down, eyes sunk in sadness.

"he took lisa away."

"I am sorry he did that. "

There is sorrow and anger at the director too in his eyes, then he smiles a bit at her.

"How are you feeling?"

"sometimes, they go away," she says, "the monsters."

She looks around. "no nurses here."

"No nurses, just a few doctors and a few healers. And, Alessa? If I can help make them go away, I am at your disposal, anytime. I always need new friends and you seem nice."

Nice. She blinks.

Then shakes her head. "bad girl. thief. witch."

he blinks.

"I dont agree. I dont know you very well, but you have been nice to me. And... i have messed up before. All you can do when you mess up, is look at what you did, learn and then move forward, maybe trying to do some good as payback for the bad you did."

He smiles.

"And you dont have to walk alone."

She seems to mull this over, running a hand over the plastic wrapping of the lollipop.

There's... something familiar about this. Her brow wrinkles.

"daddy..."

His eyes widen. Then he nods, just barely.

"Did you daddy talk like that?"

His voice is soft and gentle.

Silence.

"i don't know..." She frowns. "was he there? but... i'm not free."

"What holds you?"

He frowns slightly.

"Can I help?"

"god... I'm the mother of God."

"How did it happen?"

He watches her and smiles softly.

"Where is the God?"

She puts a hand on her belly, then, with a breath, starts to recite:

"In the beginning, people had nothing. Their bodies ached, and their hearts held nothing but hatred. They fought endlessly, but death never came. They despaired, stuck in the eternal quagmire.

"A man offered a serpent to the sun and prayed for salvation. A woman offered a reed to the sun and asked for joy. Feeling pity for the sadness that had over run the earth, God was born from these two people.

"God made time and divided it into day and night. God outlined the road to salvation and gave people joy. And God took endless time away from the people.

"God created beings to lead people in obedience to Her. The red God, Xuchilbara, the yellow God, Lobsel Vith, many Gods and angels. Finally God set out to create Paradise, where people would be happy just by being there.

"But the God's strength ran out, and she collapsed. All the world's people grieved this unfortunate event, yet God breathed Her last. She returned to the dust, promising to come again.

"So God hasn't been lost. We must offer our prayers and not forget our faith. We wait in hope for the day when the Path to Paradise will be opened."

Somehow, she doesn't seem thrilled about the Path to Paradise at all.

He nods, eyes wide. This is way out of his league.

"And what do you want?"

There's another pause as she thinks this over.

"i... I want people to be happy," she insists, voice shaking, "I want them to be happy and not hurt!"

"Then I will do my best to help you. And I hope that someday you wont hurt either and will be happy."

His voice is again gentle and quiet.

"Paradise can only come when the wicked are burned," she says, deflating.

He eyes her.

"I dont agree. I care about your opinion, but I dont agree. I'm sorry."

She glances up again, surprised. Apparently, this hasn't happened before.

"I do not agree with what you say, Alessa. Both the definition of wicked and the punishment are things that I think are wrong. There is always a chance for redemption, always a chance for hope, for making things better. "

Then he smiles softl to her.

"But evben though i disagree, that will not stop me from being your friend. Ever."

She smiles weakly, growing more comfortable.

"i..." She glances around furtively.

"i didn't want to be."

"What don't you want to be, Alessa?"

His own voice lowers, following hers.

There's a small eternity of indecision.

"mother. of God." She shivers, hands clenching in a spasm.

He nods and reaches piut and then palces his hand where she can see it, and grasp it if she wants to.

"How can I help. I will help you, if you let me."

His voice is still low and it is filled with his friendship.

She opens her mouth, then seems to choke on the words, curling forward and shuddering.

"Alessa? what's wrong?"

He reaches out and gentle brushes back her hair as he looks at her, not sure what to do and looks to her monitors to see her condition.

The monitor screens are... not making sense. The output is gibberish- not merely improbable readings, but unreadable output.

The girl gasps for air briefly, hands balling into fists.

"Daddy!" she gasps, reaching forward.

And then falls limp, pulled back into the nightmare.

Hank reaches for her hand and gently places it on her stomach, rising as he looks down at her.

"I will find you again, Alessa. I will find you and hie you out of that nightmare...somewhow. I promise it."