ways_infirmary | (no subject)

"Better... I think..."

She still feels fuzzy.

"Have I been out long?"

It's nice to have sentences again, even if that's the only real improvement.

"I gave you something to help you sleep, last night, and some anti-nausea medication. You've slept for close to nine hours."

He steps closer to the bedside. "Your fever's down; how does your head feel?"

She winces.

"I can still hear it. It's still there."

A hand moves towards her scratched ear.

"...hear what, Mia?"

He's noticed the scratches. The movement of her hand bears out his guess: self-inflicted.

"The song. The curse."

Auditory hallucinations, he adds mentally.

Or -- possibly not.

"Do you know what's causing it?"

She nods slightly.

"The nightmare."

A prickle goes up the back of his neck, and it's only through long habit that he maintains a calm tone. "What nightmare?"

She can still hear his fear-laced concern, that very familiar concern.

And her mind makes things more like the way she'd like them to be.

"It was... in Halloween Town, I think. It used the song from Pao."

Halloween Town. All right; that could mean anything.

It certainly doesn't sound like something that might mean this girl's fallen afoul of an Endless.

"Tell me about the curse," he says, keeping half an eye on the monitor showing her temperature and heart rate.

She looks at Simon funny.

Probably because she doesn't really think she's looking at Simon right now.

"You were there. It was the song."

This reminds her of something.

"I learned something I think you need to know."

"All right," he says. "Tell me."

Something's not quite right here, but he's waiting to see if he can work out what. And in the meantime, trying not to alarm his patient.

"Ghaleon was there."

Her face shows her relief.

"He said he regrets what he did."

"...I see."

Simon's heart sinks a little. She clearly expects him to understand the significance of that.

"This was in Halloween Town?"

"Yes..."

Mia doesn't notice that he doesn't seem to know. After everything that's happened, she doesn't expect anyone from home to believe her very quickly.

"It's nice to see him back to the way he was...the man who would tell me bedtime stories and pick flowers for me..."

"That sounds nice."

He glances at the readout again. Her temperature's up, but not so high as to make delirium likely.

"Mia, I'm going to ask you to let me take a blood sample from you."

All right, now there is confusion.

Not just because that's something Nash wouldn't do, either.

"Blood sample?"

"Like how I gave you the medicine last night, do you remember? It's just a little prick with a needle."

Working on the Rim, he's dealt with people who aren't familiar with techniques more advanced than bandages and tea. It means he's gotten used to explaining these things in simple terms.

"I can take a very little of your blood, and study it to find out what's wrong with you and how I can cure it."

Still not entirely Nash like...not unless Jessica forced him to do it to help her in caring for Mia...

Which is plausible, especially in this state.

"You can handle something smaller than a comb?"

"Yes, I can." Calmly, as though it's a perfectly reasonable question.

She may be drifting out of focus again.

"Your hands were in bandages last time you tried."

And she remember something else.

"Thank you for the doll. I know you don't like gorgons, so it really means a lot to me."

... Definitely drifting out of focus. She clearly thinks he's somebody else.

"Mia?" Very gently. "Do you know where you are?"

She looks around briefly.

"Somewhere that's not Vane. It's in too well repair."

Her voice has something of a laugh to it.

"You're in a place called Milliways. Have you been here before?"

Still watching the readouts, out of the corner of one eye.

"Oh yes. Miss Bar must not want me home yet."

And she notices something off.

"Your hair... It's not..."

She thinks about gesturing with her hand but decides not to.

"...been preened."

It catches him off-guard. "...Shenme?"

That sounds familiar.

But not Nash familiar.

"Have you been speaking to Mal?"

Nash talking to Mal.

"And no one forced you to?"

"You know Mal?"

Maybe he should ask him about this girl, then.

"Yes. He...doesn't seem like the type of person you'd speak to. But then, there's a lot that I didn't know about you before."

She looks at him funny, but not the same funny from earlier.

"I'm not entirely sure I know you now."

"Mia ..."

Carefully.

"I only met you for the first time last night."

And suddenly, all the little differences come together. The lack of ridiculous hairstyle, the unusual calm when dealing with her, the older appearance, the foreign language, the proficiency with things that aren't combs...

"I am sorry."

Her hand goes over her eyes.

"This whole time, I thought you were...someone from home."

A small smile.

"I miss him."

Simon smiles back, calm and calming. "My name's Simon Tam. I'm a doctor."

He told her this last night. She may not remember.

"Can you give me your hand, Mia? I'm going to take the blood sample."

She gives him the hand covering her eyes.

"Thank you, Doctor. I'm sorry if I said anything strange."

There is a sigh.

"I wish he had heard it."

"Maybe you can tell him again, next time you see him."

He swabs a spot on her arm with a swatch of sterilized cotton, and as gently as possible sets the needle in.

When he draws it out, he holds the cotton pad to the tiny puncture. "All right ... I need you to press on that with your other hand. Can you do that?"

The needle stings, but Mia has had worse pain.

"Yes."

Sadly, she is not a stranger to injury and this isn't the first time she's had to do something like this.

"Doctor? Could I trouble you to get my gorgon doll from my room?"

She slightly nods towards her things, one of which being the key to her room.

"He made it for me."

He follows her gaze, and nods at the sight of the room key. "Yes, I will."

The blood goes into a vial, carefully labeled, and thence for tests.

"Okay, I'm going to give you more of the same medication -- it seems to be working. Are you still feeling nauseated at all?"

"A bit. It's dull, but present."

The wonders of modern technology. At home, none of their techniques worked. The most powerful healers of the village slaving away for naught and this one man has things taken care of with the occasional dose of strange medicine.

"You are kind to bother with such things, Doctor Tam. Thank you."

"I'm glad I could help," he says quietly.

And he is. More so than ever.

"If you feel the need to vomit, there's a basin here by the bed. I'll be back with your things shortly."

She feels tired, a surprisingly good kind of tired.

"Thank you."

And before long, she has drifted back to sleep.