Closed From the Worst Situations

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender hated hospitals. The way they looked, the way they smelled. Everything about them was just a worse nightmare. She had been in so many in her life, though never for herself, which perhaps made it always the worst. If she was experiencing things, at least she would get used to it. They were not easy places for her. But her mother was sick, so sick and this was the only place she could be. Lavender was sure that she'd end up losing her too, leaving her with no one else in this world. Not a friend, not a family, not an acquaintance in sight. The woman sat beside her mother, holding her hand as she slept, which seemed to be all her mother could do these days. Lavender's hands were dirtied with coffee, she'd come straight from work. She smelled of coffee, her hair was up in a loose bun and her makeup was looking a little old. But she wasn't at the hospital to impress, she was here for the mother she loved dearly and who at every occasion she could be, she was at her side. Lavender yawned, unable to hold it back, knowing that she was very tired. ​

 

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah was working his rounds, going over a patients chart as he walked into the room. It wasn't looking good, but he was sure he could slip in a little magic and help out. He looked up from his clipboard, smiling softly at the young girl sitting there. "Hello, my name is Elijah and I'm your local doctor today," He informed her. He was almost out of med school but he was on an intense four year rush, and he'd almost finished it, but god if it wasn't brutal. "How are we doing?" He asked, checking over some of the machines the woman was hooked up to.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender glanced up as the doctor walked in. She let go of her mother's hand and stood up, moving out of the way. Lavender wrapped her arms around herself as a means of comfort as she let the doctor do what he had to. Lavendar was smiling tightly noting that the doctor seemed young, but she was sure he knew what he was doing. At the question she didn't immediately think he was asking her mother and not her, more of a rhetorical question, most doctors ignored her and spent their time talking to her mother even if she was unresponsive.​

 

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah looked over to the girl, he could see she was upset. He set his clipboard on the edge of the bed and set his pen in his pocket. "Miss?" He asked gently, approaching her but stopping a good bit away. "Are you alright? You look exhausted," he pulled over the chair. "Let me get you some water, have you eaten?" he asked, fretting.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender was silent for a moment before she glanced up at the doctor, looking away from her mother and realized he was talking to her, was approaching her. Lavender fought the urge to further step back, and was glad when he didn't get too close. The woman didn't move to the chair that he was offering, just nodded and kept her gaze on him. She swallowed a few times, finding the words she wanted to say "I haven't....," her voice was soft, quiet, the hints of her old, mostly faded accent playing on the words.​

 

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah considered the woman a moment. "Miss, what is your name?" He asked her gently. "Your mother is in stable condition, we've got her under close observation." He tried to reassure her. "There's a nice little cafe just down the road. I'm off my shift in about twenty minutes, may I please walk you down and buy you dinner?" He offered gently. "No strings attached. I'm a doctor, and you look like you could use someone to look after you for a little bit," He gave her a gentle smile.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender was still staring at the doctor, who was reassuring her. She couldn't help but glanced behind her at the offer of dinner, thinking that surely this man was talking to someone else and she, Lavender, was just in the way. But there was no one, this was just her, this was a private room after all. There could be ghosts. "Lavender," she replied, giving her name after he'd spoken though there had been a beat of silence before she did. She was feeling rather stressed and she was hungry too, so if her mother was stable, then maybe she could step away for a little. But then Lavender glanced at her dirtied nails and then back up at him, surely he didn't actually mean it. She opened her mouth to speak, a few times, fidgeting a little and brushing strands of hair from her face. "If you'd like to...I can pay," her voice was quiet, almost strained in a sense. Though she was deciding to just gamble. ​

 

[Amodeus Jones]

oh come on

 

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah shook his head, taking a very gentle step forward. He reached out slowly, offering to take her hand in both of his with the lightest touch. "Don't be silly, Miss Lavender," He gave her a gentle smile. "Let me look after you, hm?" He offered. "I'll keep my pager on me so that if anything happens you'll know right away." He promised. He didn't know what it was, but she looked so soft, so fragile. He just had to do something, had to step in.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender froze as he took her hands, no one touched her like that, no one really touched her at all. Even when her parents had been around, they had always been busy with something else to ever even gently touch her. This man, this beautiful man, who'd just met her, was touching her. He was offering to take her out, was concerned with her, which no one had ever done either. She pulled her hands away and nodded. "Okay," she agreed. "Please," and she motioned lightly, not saying it, but asking him to lead the way.

 

[Elijah Taylor]

-godmod approved-

Elijah smiled softly. "I'm not off for another twenty minutes, miss, but I'll be back soon," He promised, leading her to the chair nearby. "You just rest here, I'll pick you up once I'm ready," He reassured her, and guided her into the seat. Once she was settled with a glass of water he gathered his clipboard and left again to complete his rounds. It was about forty minutes before he came back, wearing something more casual. "I'm so sorry, miss Lavender, it took a little longer to break away than I expected. Are you ready to go?" He asked her, turning his gaze to her. With a soft smile he offered out his arm to her, meaning to lead her out and down to the cafe.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender blushed, embarrassed to have assumed it. She let herself be guided to a seat and took the water but did not drink a sip of it. She moved to be closer to her mother, to hold her mother's hand lightly in hers. Lavender didn't drink anything, just waited and watched her. After twenty minutes passed she felt her eyes water, perhaps it was because he wasn't there, and why would he be, she literally was nothing to everyone, and perhaps it was because of her mother. She'd say it was the latter.

When the door opened again, and the doctor appeared she was quick to wipe at her eyes, she got to her feet. Lowering her gaze a little and looking between them, expecting him to now reject her in person. But he didn't, he apologised and still wanted to go. She looked at his offered arm and looked down at her hands. She couldn't touch him. he looked nice and she didn't. She just moved to stand next to him and let him lead. "I'm ready,"​

 

[Elijah Taylor]

-godmod approved-

Elijah smiled, and very carefully picked up her hand, placing it gently over his elbow. He started to pull her along gently, walking slowly. "My name is Elijah," He told her. "Elijah Taylor." He rubbed his thumb gently over her skin. "Let me guess... Coffee shop?" He asked her with a soft smile. "Which one?" He asked, thinking it would become his new favorite if it meant he could keep an eye on her.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender wanted to pull her hand away, but she didn't. The man introduced himself, and she blushed deeply, holding his gaze for a moment before glancing down at the ground. She hadn't even asked his name. What was he doing with her. This was a mistake. Lavender stared at his thumb as it rubbed her skin, and she curled her fingers away.

"Two," she replied softly, "The dinette, during the day," which she doubted he would know. "And nights at the 24-hour coffee shop near the hospital," she replied. Her voice was quiet, but she looked at him as she spoke and then when done immediately looked away. Trying to gently pull her hands away or at least hide the coffee stains, even if he'd already noticed them, she was embarrassed.

 

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah held onto her hand gently. "That's nice," He told her. "You must be a very hard working," He offered easily. He had always admired people with that sort of drive. "Do you enjoy your work?" He questioned as her from the hospital before starting down the street.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender could feel that he was holding on to her hand gently enough, but firm enough that she couldn't pull it away really, and she did stop trying. Lavender just nodded at the point, she needed to work the two jobs to be able to afford everything, she knew if…when her mother got better things would be easier. Lavender was almost a little embarrassed by what she did next to a doctor. "Yes, I like coffee. Making it..drinking it.." she said, feeling stupid as she said it even if it was true. "Do you?" she returned the question, hoping he would take over, he would say more.

 

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah could tell that she was a little shyer, so he decided to let her steer the conversation back to him. "I do, I love coffee." He told her. "It's whats gotten me through everything," He chuckled. "I've been working hard on getting my degree, I've gone through an advanced program that's almost torture," he joked. "I've always admired the coffee shop workers- or any retail job, honestly. You're the backbone of society," He told her. "You keep the rest of us going." He smiled at her.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender listened to him speak, with every word, she looked at him properly, holding her gaze on him and giving a little smile at his words. She thought he was being nice, maybe all of this was. He was being nice to the girl whose mother might die and then he'd move on to the next. She decided maybe to lean into it, what harm would that be. "It's very impressive, that you're a doctor," she spoke, doing her best to look away. "I fell in love with the brewing, and the latte art and the way people perk up with coffee. It can feel like taking care of someone," her gaze fell to the ground as she spoke, embarrassed by her own words, looking after people. she felt silly, she made coffee in places that didn't pay her enough. "Sorry that was silly, you take care of people, I make coffee," she apologised, her voice even quieter, not looking at him.

 

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah studied Lavender. She was very soft, very sweet. "It's not silly," He told her, reaching over and brushing her hair back. "I think you're very... sweet," He offered with a gentle smile. "I wouldn't be a doctor without coffee. The world isn't build on grand gestures and big titles, Lavender. It's the small things, the cups of coffee, the gentle touches, it's all the little day to day things that run the world." He told her. "Like a hot meal, for instance." He chuckled. "There's nothing better in the world than a little bit of kindness." He told her.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender glanced at him, blushing deeply as he pushed her hair back and complimented her. She didn't believe herself sweet at all. She was frumpy and disorganised. Lavender was the sort of person that no one looked in the direction of. Lav knew he was being nice but she knew to just humour it. To go along with it. Why not. He was right, little things, kindness that was what ran the world. But instead answering him, she leaned a little more into him. let her hold on him become more normal instead of light. "Where are we going?"

 

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah studied her. "We're going to the cafe just there," He told her, nodding at the building they were moving towards. "Lavender... Excuse me if this is a little forward, but I would love to take you on a date sometime... it doesn't have to be anything serious, but I'd like to get to know you a bit better... maybe a coffee?" He asked, thinking that might be casual enough for the girl.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender glanced at the building they were moving towards. Her gaze moved up to him, with a little nervousness, sure that at this point it would be at which he rejected her. But instead, he was asking her out. She frowned a little, looking back to where they were moving. Lavender glanced at the ground. "Are you sure? We're already going for coffee....now...maybe wait till after?" Lavender was sure that the moment that he sat down with her the first time he'd never want it again.

 

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah chuckled. "Well, technically, I'm taking you to dinner right now, but it's not a date." He clarified. "This is me taking care of a sweet girl who could use a bit of kindness." They reached the cafe and he held the door open for her. "But I can ask again once we've eaten." He teased her gently. "Come on, let's get some food in you. If you'd let me, maybe I can walk you home after. Or if it would make you more comfortable, we can exchange numbers and you can let me know when you get home." He walked to a table, pulling out her chair. Once she was settled he took his own seat. "It's on me today, so please, get whatever you'd like. A solid meal, please. I am a doctor, you know. Or, almost a doctor." He gave her a gentle smile.

 

[Lavender Blake]

Lavender wanted to curl in on herself as he spoke, calling her sweet and in need of kindness. She was glad that he would allow the dinner to reconsider. Lavender blushed deeply as he pulled out her chair and she sat down. "I was going to be at the hospital, until my night shift..," Lavender replied quietly. She would be going back to the hospital, and she wouldn't mind him walking after back to the hospital. She took a menu and opened it, she knew there would be no arguing with what he was saying, so she'd just agree. Lavender picked something and folded the menu over. "Why did you decide to become a doctor?" she asked, she glanced at him for a moment before looking down at her hands, and which she then placed on her lap. She regretted not cleaning up.

 

[Elijah Taylor]

Elijah ordered some dinner, considering her words. "Well," He murmured. "My mother died when I was young. I felt helpless... so I decided I'd learn how to help, in case anything ever happened again," He told her honestly. "And with any luck, well, maybe I could help someone else and save them from going through what I did." he told her. "If you really insist on staying at the hospital... let me move your mother to a new room. Her treatment will be the same, but I'll get a larger room with a couch. Can you promise me you'd lay down?" He asked her.