forever is a long time

tod mitchell. md.

[tod-mitchell]

TOD ADDISON MITCHELL

“me i was holding, all of my secrets soft and hid / pages were folded, then there was nothing at all / so if in the future i might need myself a savior / i'll remember what was written on that wall…”

Nicknames: N/A Pronouns: He/him Sexuality: Queer (leaning toward masculine folks) Magic status: Mundus Nationality: British Ethnicity: White Accent: English (Yorkshire) Height: 6'0 Build: Lanky, broad shoulders Skin tone: Fair Eye color: Blue Hair color/length/style: Brown, usually a bit messy and unkempt, curls around the ears and back of the neck, especially if he goes too long without a haircut (often.) Tattoos/piercings/daily jewelry: Gay little earring. Pets: click here to meet Tod's cat, Squeaks, and his cow, Abigail! Occupation: Emergency Surgeon at Swynlake General Hospital Relationship Status: Single What would you find if you Googled them?: Socials, but nothing special really. What natives would know about them: His grandmother was Widow Tweed, otherwise known as Jeanette. She worked as a teacher at the primary for years and Crosshatch Cottage was a place where Swynlake children could come play and vibe, so she was quite beloved. He lived in Swynlake from 2012-2014, for his last two years of Secondary.

biography + character sheet + instagram + inspiration

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Doctor, Doctor, Help Me || Pumpkin Surgeon

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

God, stomach pain was a bitch.

But what was worse: a stomach chewing on itself because it was so empty, or a stomach that wanted to explode because it was too full? Both had miserable qualities, though Jack was intimately more familiar with the former. Even now, with his intestines bulging, there was a vague ache in the back of his throat, the urge to keep eating, even if his physical body had passed its limit.

But that was exactly why he was here. Jack closed his eyes, trying to absorb the lingering anxiety that lived in the air, like a miasma.

Then he moaned again, twisting toward the dish, though no vomit-- not yet.

"Probably... around... sushi roll number... 32...."

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

Tod blinked as Jack's words set in.

32 rolls of sushi?

Yeah, that was probably just about enough to make anyone feel sick. It generally didn't warrant a trip to the emergency room. It was a slow night, thankfully. (Knock on wood.) Which was why Tod was handling this and not an intern.

"Have you already vomited? When was that? What was the consistency? Any blood?" Tod asked, unamused and unphased by the writhing. Perhaps it was something more serious: a bowel obstruction or...parasite? But Tod wasn't at all convinced.

@the-pumpkin-king-lament

[delilah-mohanty]

Won’t back down || Dod

[delilah-mohanty]

Delilah looked up one corridor of her ward, and down the other. Nurses all but ran to and fro, fetching medications, helping patients up to the bathroom, conducting assessments. There was not one empty bay, and whilst she had managed to discharge a few of the private cubicles, they still needed to be cleaned and turned around before anyone could dream of putting a patient in there.

She supposed Tod wouldn't understand that. A&E wasn't a ward, it was a department, and thus was kept, in Delilah's opinion, like a barn. Lots of space with lots of shit lying around. It wasn't built for people to sit and wait, but unfortunately, as per hospital protocol, people had to sit and wait.

"I don't have a spare bed" She said simply, looking back to Tod again. The nurse sitting beside her turned, looking conspicuously at the bed board, which was as full as Delilah said it was. "We'll have a bed in half an hour. You'll have to take the patient back down to A&E until then."

Delilah sat back down, signalling that she was very much done with that conversation. "Had you called me for a consult, I would've told you as much."

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

Tod didn't understand it. Even if they didn't have the beds, they still had more capability to monitor the patient up here than they did downstairs. Downstairs, their attention could be pulled in five million different directions at once. New traumas could come in. Patients could code or turn on a dime...

But he supposed Delilah wouldn't understand that. The other departments worked like machinery. They were scheduled, they were consistent, and they rarely dealt with unstable patients. (ICU, Labor and Delivery, and NICU notwithstanding, of course. Tod had respect for those floors.)

His jaw rippled. The tension spread it's tentacles out between Tod, his intern, Delilah, and her battalion of nurses. He should've brought more back up.

"Fine," Tod said stiffly. "Half an hour. But I'm putting down that you refused his care." It was a meaningless threat, he knew they both knew. The patient was stable and most likely wouldn't have another stroke in the next half hour. Even if he did, Delilah was within her rights to refuse him admission to the ward.

But Tod hated feeling like he'd somehow lost.

He jerked his head at the uselessly quiet intern and started back towards the elevators.

@delilah-mohanty

[tod-mitchell]

Work It + [Shod]

[a-man-named-shang]

Tod was so stunning like this, splayed out on that bench as Shang took his cock in his mouth. It was still something he was newer at, but he loved the effect it had on someone else. The way that Tod groaned as Shang took him in deeper. He could get addicted to trying to get those sounds out of him.

He continued to work to stretch Tod open carefully, gently, wanting to make sure he was properly ready for him. But Shang had never been all that patient either, and he couldn't resist Tod asking him for more. He slowly drew back up, letting his tongue drag along the underside of Tod's cock as he made his way back up before he pulled off of it.

"Okay. I've got you," Shang promised, shifting back so he could open a condom packet and slip it onto his cock quickly, making sure it was set before he tossed aside the packet to be dealt with later. He scooted back in, lifting one of Tod's legs and pushing it aside a little as he slowly lined up his cock. "Fuck... you look so hot spread out like this."

Shang leaned in to kiss Tod fiercely as he slowly pressed the head of his cock into him.

[tod-mitchell]

.

Shang kept going for a little while longer, so by the time he finally pulled away, Tod was sweating and panting already. His whole body was tingling as he caught his breath.

Not that he got much time for that because not only did Shang shed the rest of his clothes and--god, he was hot--but he was right back over Tod before he could even really think. Not that Tod minded. He didn't want to think.

It had been too long since Tod had had sex. Usually, the adrenaline of the ER was enough to keep his thoughts occupied from the things he liked to not think about. But sex was always the best way to do that. He wanted it hard and fast and to hurt a little, so later, he'd think about it too.

He met Shang's mouth with his own, open and eager. His hand clasped the back of Shang's neck, pulling him in as Shang pushed into him. Tod's other hand slipped around Shang's strong back, feeling the muscles there as Shang pulled out and pushed in a little more, filling Tod up.

"More," Tod panted against Shang's mouth, his voice an octave higher than usual. "Please."

@a-man-named-shang

[tod-mitchell]

What a Difference a Day Makes + [Fox and Hound]

[copper-russell]

Meeting Tod's gaze for a split second was enough for them to coordinate; they lifted the woman up and onto the bed. Copper felt the tension melt out of his arms and his spine, but not the atmosphere in the entrance to the emergency department. It still felt charged, everyone running around, each with their own task as they moved her to the trauma room.

Really, Copper should go home. He had been on overnight; she was now in the care of healthcare professionals, in a hospital setting. There was little else he could do that someone else couldn't. He should go home and rest, and when he came in for his next shift, he could ask about an update.

Yeah, right. Like he was going to do that.

As someone worked on a cannula and someone else got an oxygen mask on her, Copper checked her pockets. He had done it many times before, when he and Ren had been called to people passed out on the street, or people too drunk to remember their own name. There was a way to do it to make sure you weren't going to get hurt, and so Copper did his best, frowning until--

"Got it!" There was an ID card tucked into her jacket pocket. Stepping back to let the rest of them work, Copper read aloud, "Angela Simcox. 33 years old. She's local. And--" Copper paused, hearing a gasp from the end of the bed - from Angela, who was now blinking, groggy, dazed, but awake. "Hey," He said, moving to stand where she could see him. "You're okay. You're in the hospital. These people are here to help."

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

Tod, who had been intently listening both to Angela's heart and what Krish was reporting--

Pulled away when Angela suddenly regained consciousness. He put his stethescope around his neck and reached for Angela's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"My name is Dr. Mitchell, head of emergency medicine. And this is Krish, he's a paramedic and found you in the car park. You lost consciousness. Has this happened before?"

Angela blinked and shook her head. Tod watched her as she moved. Her facial muscles seemed intact for now, so the thought of a stroke got checked off the list. But so did a regular syncope.

"No, I-I--low sugar."

"Ah." Tod glanced at Krish. Well, at least there is that, he shrugged in his old friend's direction.

@copper-russell

[delilah-mohanty]

Won’t back down || Dod

[delilah-mohanty]

This was not how things worked. You didn’t just rock up with a patient and palm them off like they were a dog that you’d had enough of. There was, as for any procedure large or small in a hospital, a protocol for transfers. Delilah knew that.

And she knew that Tod knew that too.

She should’ve been called for a consult, at which point she could’ve taken herself off downstairs, seen the patient, checked the ward capacity, and admitted her. It was about responsibility, and assuming care so that people didn’t fall through the cracks.

On any other day, Delilah might’ve (probably not) let it slide. But today? Of all days?

Delilah looked up at him, knowing she looked exactly as frazzled as she felt. I’m sorry, she wanted to say. Who died and made you king of the hospital? She managed, only just, to rein herself in. Accusingly, she said, “You didn’t call me for a consult.”

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

Tod had to refrain, deeply, from rolling his eyes.

Yes, there was protocol and it was important, but protocol didn't always fit the situations that arose at the hospital. Especially in the A&E. Things changed rapidly. You had to make decisions that would save lives, not preserve whatever social hierarchy or political structures kept the hospital functioning on the day to day.

Like today--he didn't have time to call Delilah down for a consult. So, they'd done the imaging themselves and stabilized the patient. (Who was asleep, for the record. Thankfully.)

"No, we didn't have time and y'know, strokes are pretty easy to diagnose. So, we stabilized and now we're bringing him up here because we have another two incoming traumas and we need the space. Would you rather him get shoved in the hallway and have another stroke while not being adequately monitored, because I am happy to do that."

@delilah-mohanty

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Doctor, Doctor, Help Me || Pumpkin Surgeon

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Jack grimaced and clenched his teeth. Hopefully that came across as additional head pain, eh?

But he could only nod and slip off the cot. "Got it, doc. Thanks for the advice--" he said, flashing a wan smile, though it slipped off fast. Looked like he was going to have to find his salve a different way.

~~~

A week later, Jack came up with a better plan! He needed something serious enough to earn him a longer stay. Something that couldn't be quickly disproven by simply flashing a light in his eyes. So... something internal.

Jack planted himself in his hotel room at the Tipton, then ordered five rolls of sushi. He inhaled every roll, and then downed soy sauce like it was tequila sauce.

Jack rolled up to the emergency room, clutching his stomach, begging to be seen.

It got him the ticket in.

This time, when Dr. Mitchell arrived, he was curled up in the fetal position, moaning and moaning and moaning.

"I'm going to throw up," he groaned.

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

Jack Skellington was in his A&E again.

Tod was...confused by this series of events. He might even think that Jack was drug-seeking. But, the first time he'd come in, he had had appendicitis. And, after weaning him off morphine those first twenty-four hours, Tod hadn't prescribed a strong painkiller. Over the counter would've been fine for his pain management.

So, there was something else.

He wondered if he had missed something the first time. Had the morphine triggered something in Jack, even if he'd only briefly had it?

Or was he really just more accident and illness prone than Tod knew? That would be fair enough, Tod had to remind himself he didn't really know Jack at all. Even if his friend who had brought him in had mentioned an aversion to hospitals. Which, by the state of the infection, had seemed likely.

"Mr. Skellington," Tod said, somewhat more reserved. "What--"

Jack cut him off.

Tod sighed through his nose but nodded to one of the nurses to hover by Jack's head with a dish.

"When was the onset of the stomach pain?" Tod asked as he moved closer to the bed to attempt to listen to Jack's heart and lungs. His blood pressure was already up on the screen, but it was rather steady. Nothing too concerning. "And are you in pain anywhere else?"

@the-pumpkin-king-lament

[tod-mitchell]

Fresh Food and Things + [Milod]

[lordmilori-ofnowhere]

@tod-mitchell

Tod was right about that one; living so long, it could be quite miserable, especially when people who walked with you throughout phases of your life were long gone and you were still here, barely aging in the last hundred-and-thirty years or so.

But it could also be a privilege, seeing the children of those fairies, grandchildren even, live their lives.

In any case, Milori was a royal talent and they lived even longer than the average fairy. Even despite not having a hollow anymore he didn't feel a shift in his energy, in anything, which meant his time was nowhere near over. How or why? Milori wouldn't know until it was time to know. The decades he spent in the Hollow in Russia, he had no idea a pixie dust tree all the way in Kyrgyzstan was calling for him. Perhaps one day there's another pixie dust tree with an aging royal talent that will seek him out. Perhaps not.

That's not really for him to speculate on and hope about one way or another. It could be decades before that's revealed to him. For now...he just had to fill his time. With working out, observing the humans in town, helping around the Hollow, and maybe making friends by talking to people like Dr. Tod Mitchell.

"It's easy to get distracted by candles. They smell so nice these days. I came across one that was lavender lemon bar scented at a store once. Smelled good enough to bite into." A beat. "I didn't, obviously. Fairies know not to eat candles."

[tod-mitchell]

Tod snorted a little at the joke. He appreciated the dry, self-deprecating humor. It was his favorite kind.

"Oh good, I was gonna be concerned. Forgive my ignorance, but do you have things like candles in the Hollow?"

He didn't know much about fairies and what he had learned in school, he didn't really want to take as truth. Tod knew better. His mum used to tell him things too. Different stories about Magicks she'd known or grown up around in Swynlake, but Tod knew to take those with a grain of salt as well.

@lordmilori-ofnowhere

[tod-mitchell]

Wine and Dine & [Tolley]

[miss-holleyshiftwell]

“Oh yes, I’ve wanted to be a journalist since I was little,” said Holley.

A lie, but she could spin the same story and passion and trajectory for her actual given career.

“I always thought that maybe I’d be a big investigative journalist at some major publication — like Tanya Qin? She’s this fantastic investigative reporter who does work for the New York Times — but I realize that working for local news can be even more fulfilling. You can get right to the source of big stories that otherwise would be glossed over. Like the fairy crown! No one at the British Museum would’ve even looked twice at it.”

She’d started gesticulating, sitting up straighter, and talking faster as her face lit up. Because all of it was true — she’d thought she’d maybe want a deep undercover covert ops position, but she’d found so much fulfillment in Swynlake, in managing a team, in helping people directly. 

She shook her head sheepishly.

“And you? Have you always wanted to be a doctor?” 

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

Tod didn't really know what Holley meant by "the fairy crown" but he filed that away to look into later. It wasn't important right now. Tod didn't want to interrupt Holley with a question he could answer for himself. She was so animated, clearly passionate. Tod appreciated people like that. In some ways, it reminded him of his mother. She had been so full of verve and light.

"More or less," Tod said with a little shrug. "My mum had addition issues. I wanted to help people like her...originally I was training for psychology but I got an internship working an Emergency Medicine ward, shadowing the on call psychologist and decided to switch. Felt like I could help more people that way. And I think I would've made kind of a shit psychologist." He snorted and grinned.

@miss-holleyshiftwell

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Doctor, Doctor, Help Me || Pumpkin Surgeon

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Agh-- no! He didn't want to leave. He just got here.

That was how it felt anyway-- realistically, it had been an hour-ish, but Jack's gut still clenched. Last time, he'd been here overnight! What kind of sickness did he have to score to buy himself a one-way ticket to Gown Town, huh?

He frowned. "Are you sure? Concussions can be serious," Jack pouted. "What if I sleep it off and pass away?"

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

"That's a myth," Tod said, though he smirked as he said it.

"I mean it could happen, but just have someone wake you up every four hours and check your cognitive function. If it declines at any point, come back in. Otherwise, pop a few--the recommended dose of--acetaminophen and you'll be right as rain in a few days."

Which was a relief. Tod didn't want to keep seeing his hook up in the ER. Not just because it was going to get slightly less professional every time, but also--he didn't want Jack hurt.

@the-pumpkin-king-lament

[trackedbymaximus]

Stand By Me || Tomus

[trackedbymaximus]

Maximus felt a small spark at the answer. After all, it could end up being nothing more than coffee. He wasn't going to put any pressure on it. But the choice implied looking for privacy which suggested some more interesting possibilities.

"Perhaps if you wanted -"

"Maximus! Tod! What are you still doing over here?"

He managed to avoid wincing but only barely, instantly feeling that spark of guilt at setting up a potential hookup instead of socializing like they were supposed to. He was here wasn't he? Wasn't that good enough?

"Hello Barbara. I didn't want things to be too crowded around Dr. Sitwell."

"Considering this party, don't you think its about time you started to call him George?"

"No." Just the idea of it made his skin crawl.

Barbara sighed and looked over at Tod. "I suppose you're going to give me the same excuse?"

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

"Well, I'll call him George, if you'd like," Tod said, somewhat cheekily.

He didn't have quiet as much of an attachment to things like hospital hierarchy. Of course, he minded in the moment, when it mattered, but outside of work, he tended to call his colleagues by their first names anyway. And he didn't mind what they called him. (Considering both his names were first names, even being called "Mitchell" was rather normal and casual to him.)

Plus, he liked being a little bit of a shit, when the occasion called for it.

Barbara shook her head.

"But same," Tod continued. "Figured we'd wait our turn for George to make the rounds and what not."

@trackedbymaximus

[delilah-mohanty]

Won’t back down || Dod

[delilah-mohanty]

Delilah glared at Tod. She hadn't particularly wanted the intern coming with her either. But fine, whatever; he could stand in the corner and observe and answer any questions she barked at him, if she deigned to do so.

"Follow me." She said to the intern, rearranging her expression into one of reassuring warmth as she headed back inside the bay to speak to the patient.

~*~

It had been a very, very long day.

It was one admission after another. Delilah had sent her third year resident downstairs so that she could remain upstairs on the ward, clerking each new arrival and trying to help the nurses get as many patients as possible discharged. They were very quickly running out of beds.

Delilah was finishing up yet another discharge letter when the doors to the ward opened, a bed being pushed through them - a bed Delilah had neither ordered nor approved And who would be standing behind it, but of course, Dr. Mitchell.

Delilah stood up, folding her arms over her chest. "What're you doing?"

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

The A&E was also pretty slammed today. Some days were simply worse than others. And as the weather warmed and summer neared, unfortunately, people loved to find new ways to hurt themselves outside. Hiking injuries, DIY construction project injuries, heat exhaustion, and many others.

Which meant that beds were filling up fast and patients ready for observation needed to be moved.

"Dr. Mohanty," Tod addressed her with a tight smile. "Apologies for the intrusion but Mr. Quinn here needs monitoring. He had a minor transient ischemic episode earlier today and needs rest. He's stable for now. All you good folks up here need to do is monitor until his blood pressure stabilizes. Catheter is already placed and imaging done."

Tod held out his iPad with Mr. Quinn's patient information.

@delilah-mohanty

[tod-mitchell]

What a Difference a Day Makes + [Fox and Hound]

[copper-russell]

Copper looked up when he heard Tod mumbling, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. He had sort of wondered the exact same thing as he'd looked at her blown pupils, but surely not. Surely this was something else, something purely neurological--

They'd find out, he supposed.

He let his eyes fall back to the patient as he slipped the pen light into his back pocket.

It was a job to try and keep her stable whilst lifting her from the floor, but it was nothing that Copper hadn't done before. He'd been on many a job where they had gotten called out to the most rural, random place outside of town, had to leave the ambulance a half a mile away, and then make do from there. He was careful to support her head as he grabbed her shoulders, giving Tod a nod when he was ready.

On three he lifted, pausing once she was off the ground to make sure her neck was secure. "Got her?" He asked, looking up at Tod again. He waited for confirmation, and then took a breath. "Let's go."

It wasn't far to the doors of A&E, but it felt like miles. By the time they got to the door Copper's arms were beginning to ache, the top of his back not much better for being hunched over. "Can we get a bed?" He called out once they were in earshot of the staff, holding the woman carefully whilst a nurse hurried round wih a gurney.

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

The woman was heavy, dead weight was always surprisingly more so than one thought, but between the two of them, they got her settled in just a few seconds.

"Yeah," he huffed, readjusting once more before he and Krish moved in tandem towards the A&E doors. His muscles were already straining from the few miles he'd run to get to work, but he ignored them. Easy enough to do with the adrenaline that had jumped through his body, lighting his nerves on fire. He was only thinking about getting the woman to safety and figure out what had caused her syncopate.

The bed came quickly and with a nod to Krish, they managed to transfer her over with the help of the nurses.

"Blown pupils, she collapsed just outside the doors," Tod informed the swarm of people as they moved towards one of the trauma rooms. He reached out to rub her sternum and she groaned, her eyelashes fluttering a bit.

"Ma'am?" Tod said, but the patient was still too out of it to adequately respond.

"Let's get her hooked up and take a look at her vitals. See what we can figure out. And can someone look for a wallet or other identification? Hopefully she's in our system already." If she was already in the hospital parking lot, the assumption she was on her way in to be treated for some symptoms. Or just a lucky visit to someone else...

@copper-russell

[tod-mitchell]

Work It + [Shod]

[a-man-named-shang]

It was nice to have Tod laid out for him like this. Shang couldn't help but indulge for a moment like that, kissing up his thigh and appreciating his body the way that it was. He pressed one more kiss to Tod's hip before he glanced up at Tod and smiled.

"Okay okay. You've been patient enough," Shang agreed finally, leaning in and immediately taking the head of Tod's cock in his mouth. He put one hand on Tod's hip to steady himself as he let his tongue swirl around the head and get a taste of him.

Tod was so pliant and it took everything in Shang to keep it steady and slow and not try to rush forward greedily. He gave Tod a minute to adjust to the feeling before he dipped down and took him as deep as he possibly could even as he brought up his other hand finally and traced Tod's rim with his lube coated finger.

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

.

Shang teased him further and Tod waited with bated breath and blown pupils as Shang's lips moved closer and closer.

Finally, his hot mouth closed over Tod's cock and he groaned, his hand sliding into Shang's hair. He wanted to press Shang down to take more of him, but the pleasure building would be better in the long run, so he refrained. Instead, he just whined high in the back of his throat as Shang's tongue ran over the sensitive tip of his cock, which leaked for him in response.

And then Shang's head sunk lower, nearly covering his entire cock, his mouth hot and wet. The feeling ran up and down Tod's spine. "Oh god," he panted. His own head tilted back as he felt Shang's finger playing with his hole.

"Please," he said again.

Shang slipped his fingers inside, working him over inside and out. Tod's hand slipped from his hair, so he could lean back and brace himself on the bench.

"F-fuck," he groaned, eyelashes fluttering. He put his hand on Shang's warm shoulder, not sure if he wanted to push him closer or push him away as the sensations overwhelmed him. "Want your cock, please."

@a-man-named-shang

[drdamianhunting]

Will The Real Dr. Mitchell Please Stand Up? || Fox Hunt

[drdamianhunting]

Damian chuckled.

“That’s me. New oncology attending, though I’m sure you know that already. Nice to finally put a face to the name.” 

In his opinion, he didn’t think he looked at all like Dr. Mitchell. Well, maybe from the back. They were roughly the same height. Okay, maybe he could see it.

Well, maybe he should test the theory and figure out how much they had in common.

“I gotta ask you a question,” he said. “Is there anywhere around here to just grab a cold beer? Google Maps is telling me my options are a jazz lounge and a … clown-themed night club? That can’t be right.” 

He guessed the lounge would work, but it seemed like more of a night out thing than a quick drink after work situation. 

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

Oncology was a tough field. Some would say that Tod's field was tough, but he'd disagree. He rarely had long term patients. There wasn't time to get attached. And yes, it was always horrible when someone died. He could definitely be affected, like anyone else, over those deaths--which he definitely saw more often than some of his colleagues who had chosen gentler specialties--

He rarely had an actual relationship with his patients. Unlike, say, oncology, which often saw patients for years at a time.

Tod snorted. "Er, no that about sums it up. There used to be a pub, I heard that someone is trying to build a new one? I dunno." He remembered going to the Hunted Deer as a kid. The stuffed heads on the wall had always made him uncomfortable.

"Oh, there is [name redacted]. It's kinda hard to find, though. It moves around," he explained, as if that was any explanation.

@drdamianhunting

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Doctor, Doctor, Help Me || Pumpkin Surgeon

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

On a day-to-day basis, Jack did not like bright lights. He shied away from them, like a mythical gargoyle or bridge troll. Perhaps it was part of his unfortunate circumstance. Perhaps something had been fried in his eye sockets after spending as long as he had in the Garden in the Sand, under the brutal sun rays of the Mojave. He was the type to wear shades indoors and not even realize it.

So Jack grimaced, nodded, and squinted. "Yeah, light sensitivity. Come to think, why's a hospital so bright anyway? Assault on the senses, Dr. Story."

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

"So we can see what is going on," Tod said, with a little smile in his voice. It reminded him, just a bit, of talking to his younger patients. Or anxious patients. People with question on question on question. As long as nothing was too dire, Tod didn't mind filling them in.

"I know it is uncomfortable, but hopefully we'll be able to let you out of here soon. Your pupils look fine. If you'll follow my finger--"

He moved it in the pattern to assess for any neurological delays.

Tried to ignore that Jack's eyes were very dark and pretty...

"I am not worried about anything to severe." Though, the blacking out was kind of a problem, but it was inconsistent with the rest of his symptoms and the mechanic of injury. "I can check for any lacerations or swelling, but otherwise you're probably alright to go home and sleep it off."

@the-pumpkin-king-lament

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Doctor, Doctor, Help Me || Pumpkin Surgeon

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Ah, and now Jack needed to come up with a lie.

He was a performer though-- and a strange beastly thing besides, whose whole existance was a lie. He sometimes lied just for kicks and giggles, these days. So one rolled off the tongue like the situation had actually happened to him:

"I was playing hide and seek with my familiar, Zed! Familiars, they need to be played with or they get so testy," said Jack. "So I crawled under the Dart Bar at Pierrot. When he found me, I smacked the top of my head while trying to get out from under it! I think I did black out, briefly," said Jack, tilting his head. "It was an explosion of sudden pain. I laid down and couldn't see anything but a bunch of colors. But it faded fast and I got back up again!"

Jack grinned, hoping he got a good grade in Lie.

@tod-mitchell

[tod-mitchell]

Tod frowned.

Something didn't feel right.

After years as a surgeon in the A&E, you learned to develop a sixth sense. Tod, of course, had had it before becoming a doctor. It was one of the reasons he'd chosen that path. He wanted to help people. He was good at reading them. And he knew there were a lot of people who needed the help of the medical system that wouldn't otherwise get it. Or who were too afraid to admit to needing help.

That honed instinct was telling Tod that Jack was lying, but he didn't know why. Or if it was even true.

It wasn't his place to judge. Just help.

"Well, at least you're not bleeding," Tod said as he crossed over to the wall where the box of gloves were. He put them on while he talked. "It sounds like you might have a mild concussion. Do you have any light sensitivity, any dizziness?" he asked as he approached Jack and pulled a pen light from his pocket.

@the-pumpkin-king-lament