Doctor/Patient Confidentiality

[ValentineIllusion]

"Volunteering sounds wonderful..." she mused quietly, following him out of the car. Where exactly she would volunteer, she had no clue, but after all the bad things she had been through and the bad things she must have somehow caused, it was nice to have the chance to do something good for a change.


She walked behind his chair and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissing him on the cheek, "Thanks, Li...saves us a lot of money on emergency room visits, doesn't it?" she asked, walking down the street and towards the home she was looking forward to for weeks, "I should...still probably go in one of these days. Maybe get an ultrasound or...something..."

 

[lafeae]

There was a little smile that came on Li's face, twitching where she kissed him. Her kiss was still warm, and it was spreading across his body quickly. "Yeah, it really does. The perks of knowing someone in the field. But here in a few weeks...yeah, you probably need to. Just to make sure that the baby's okay," he said, and eased the chair in the direction of the house. Lissa was going to have to be brought back home, but maybe after a few hours, just so they could get used to themselves in some sort of silence. A silence he knew would happen in when Lissa was at preschool.


"Maybe...at a woman's shelter or just, maybe a homeless shelter. You probably have enough medical knowledge just from me," Li suggested, simply because she was going to need something...maybe make a few new friends along the way. "I can't wait to see Lissa. Here;s hoping she doesn't remember all this...."

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Athene nodded silently, her head now full of worry for Lissa as they got closer and closer to home. She had acted surprisingly well when she was dragged to the hotel with Li, and she hardly had any idea what had been going on- all she knew was that Athene had to be gone for a few weeks to stay with Aunt Mai. She hardly even knew anything was wrong.


At home, Parrot was sitting on their couch, coloring in a coloring book and smiling as the two of them came inside, "Oh, hi, you guys!" she chimed happily, jumping up on her feet, "Lissa's in bed already, I baked a cake for dinner and I put the leftovers in the fridge...you two alright?"

 

[lafeae]

Parrot's burst of happiness was welcome into the mix, and the very idea of cake for dinner well...Lissa was spoiled for a while, what more could a kid ask for?


"We're as good as we can be," said Li, and he smiled. "She didn't give you too much hassle sounds like?" Then again, who gave hassle to a babysitter that gave them cake?


He was already reaching back into his pack for a kit to look over Athene with. All the whole focusing on making sure they seemed happy-go-lucky to Parrot. "I know she likes hanging out with you a lot."

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Parrot giggled and nodding, sitting back down and picking her coloring book back up, "Oh, no she was wonderful! She's been going to school and doing her homework and...yeah! She's happy as can be. But I'm sure she'll be happier to see you guys!"


Athene smiled a little bit and sat down next to her, watching Li as he got out his supplies. It occurred to her that he probably didn't know about what Kong had done or threatened...and she wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to know or if she wanted to tell him. They were finally gone, and she didn't want to have to go back just to deal with something like that.

 

[lafeae]

"If you just got her to bed, I wouldn't want to wake her up," Li said, though getting upstairs would have been out of the question for him, though he disregarded that.


Setting what he needed in his lap, Li poised a hand to the chair for Athene. "Take a seat, honey. Im sure you need it."


Something in the back of his mind gave him the inclination that there was more to what happened than Athene was telling him, but he really didn't want to know. Maybe, somewhere, it was punishment for her infidelity, but no one deserved to be in pain. Teeter-tottering between those thoughts, he reached for Athene's hand and squeezed it, like saying sorry for his thoughts.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Athene moved to the chair Li set out for her, taking his hand and squeezing it back with a small smile. After everything went wrong and she had gotten hurt, Li was doing his job as a doctor and making it all better. So what if some of his methods weren't favorable? He still had good intentions at heart.


"Well, uh, I think I'm gonna head back home...I haven't seen Valentine in forever!" Parrot mused, getting up once again and packing her coloring book into her bag, "I'll see you guys later!"


She left, leaving Athene and Li alone. Athene sighed, sinking down into the chair a bit, "Finally home..."

 

[lafeae]

Giving a brief wave, barely having time to say good bye, Li watched as Parrot bolted out the door. It was relieving, to be home alone; it was also somewhat terrifying.


Situating himself to help her better, Li set her legs on his knees to get a better look. "It's nice," he agreed with her sigh of relief. His first move was to clean up the bandage from the gunshot wound. "You think we'll figure this all out?" He asked, exasperated, looking her in the eye briefly. He hated the squeeze on his heart to know that they were having so much trouble.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Athene sighed a bit, pulling her leg back towards her and setting it on the ground as she looked at him, leaning closer towards him, "Probably shouldn't be patching me up and doing all your doctor stuff if you're sad," she said matter-of-factly, her elbows resting on her knees.


"Li...We always figure shit out eventually. I'm sure we'll figure this all out, too," she said, offering him as much of a smile as she could muster, "I know I did a terrible, terrible thing, and you should kick me out of the house, but...I'm sorry, Li. I'm super, incredibly sorry. And...the first chance I get, I'm kicking Ivan's ass. Preferably with a baseball bat."

 

[lafeae]

It was instinctive to reach back out towards her leg, but maybe she was right. "You know it's better for me to do it...makes something in life seem normal now." That probably wasn't going to convince her, and his hands clenched tight.


As he listened to Athene, knowing that she was as honest as she could be. He subtle joke makes him smile. "Yeah, that's appropriate. When I get the chance, I'll do it for you. Only fair..." And he backed away from her, tucking the supplies away. "I don't know about you, but I'm worn out from today."


Every moment Li convinced himself it was okay was the next moment that he didn't think it would be. The next days together would be the test.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

"Oh, Li, 'Worn out' doesn't even begin to cover it," she mentioned, chuckling a bit before she pulled herself on her feet, "We both gotta get some sleep...we can deal with everything tomorrow."


At least, she hoped they could, preferably by not dealing with it. If they could just ignore it until good things started happening again...that would be great. She walked over towards the bottom of the stairs, holding her hand out to him, "Need help up?"

 

[lafeae]

And if dealing with it meant fading away, with feelings still lingering in Li's stomach that were left unsaid, then everything was fine.


Before they knew it, spring had sprung, and the awful winter was now beyond them, leaving flowers to bloom in the constant mix of winter and summer they flipped between.


For those months, Li continued through physical therapy, making little progress at a time, but as it came for him to be back to work, the better part of his body well, he would go in early, come home early, working mostly from a desk or making rounds as he could.


And this morning, with a cryptic message on his phone on a day off, he climbed out of bed, hitching on a pair of sturdy braces that reminded him of Forrest Gump, and started to get ready. It only then dawned on him, for the first time, this was happening. He gently prodded Athene's shoulder to wake her. "Honey..."

 

[ValentineIllusion]

In the few months of peace they had, Athene had become accustomed to a certain schedule, one that didn't involve her needing to wake up before 11 am. She got all the sleep she could before she needed to get Lissa ready for school at noon, went to volunteer at a nearby women's shelter for a few hours, picked Lissa back up, ran some errands and then came home. It was simple, but it was happy, and that was all she needed. Aside from soreness, her legs had recovered almost completely, and since she felt better, she wanted to do more for Li.


Except wake up earlier than she had to. Especially on a weekend, one without any plans,when she was supposed to get more sleep. She groaned, turning to him with her hair in a tangled, undyed blond mess and eyes that looked sort of like death, "Mm...what time is it...?"

 

[lafeae]

Yeah, okay, that made Li smile a little bit. Even if she was awnry and annoyed with her hair all over the place. If he couldn't like her as she was now, then who said he deserved to like her at all?


In the middle of buttoning up his shirt, using the bed as a way to hold on, Li looked over his shoulder as she spoke. "About...maybe seven. Seven thirty. Suns up a bit," he replied.


Knowing the sort of schedule Athene has put herself in for Lissa, it didn't surprise him that she was uncomfortable at that hour. But she had made a promise to him. "I have a quick job; I'm going to need your help."

 

[ValentineIllusion]

It being so early in the morning, Athene's brain wasn't exactly functioning, and along with being exhausted, she just looked confused. Of course he had work every morning, that didn't mean he needed to wake her up at the crack of dawn to take her with. Especially when she was carrying around a growing baby as well as dealing with all the other crap it brought, early mornings had better be rewarded with coffee. Strong coffee.


Then, the memory came back to her. Remembering it, however, only made her less willing to get her ass out of bed, "Li..." she mumbled, taking his pillow and covering her head with it, "Can they refrain from dying until later? This is too early..."

 

[lafeae]

"I don't know what they're refraining from..."he muttered, because cryptic is as cryptic does. Cinching the last button and grabbing a cane laying beside the nightstand, what felt like a relic from their early relationship, he let out a huff.


"I figure the earlier we get it done, the sooner we can go back to bed," yeah, right. They had a four year old. "I'll be downstairs and make coffee." Leaning over and removing the pillow, kissing Athene on the cheek, Li heaved himself up and began out of the room and down the stairs. Maybe she would be ready, maybe she wouldn't. Part of him didn't care beyond her promise.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

As much as Athene hated having to get up for the job, she loved the little morning peck on the cheek he gave her enough to swing her legs over the side of the mattress and start to get her ass out of bed. And the coffee he offered to make didn't sound half bad, either. Maybe that would grant her enough energy to actually get dressed, but for the time being, and dragged herself to the kitchen in just her nightgown.


She yawned, sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island and laying her head in her hands, looking up at him with a tired look, "So...what kind of stuff do I have to do? Anything I'd need an actual medical license for, or...?"

 

[lafeae]

Li had hardly made it down the stairs in the time for Athene to get herself up and come down as well. She passed his pace, and he reached the counter as she asked the question, putting everything together for the coffee machine, taking cups from the sink and laying them out.


"Not really a license. You'll just be assisting me with little things. Like getting supplies...I can't move as fast as you, and I don't know how precious time will be." Said Li as he eased himself to the island, leaning against it. His legs were mostly resistant still...though he hid the grimace. Setting out his phone as it buzzed, he caught the message:


Almost time.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Athene sighed, nodding as she looked him up and down, absent-mindedly looking him over to make sure he could still stand upright, "I guess having a license in this scenario doesn't matter all that much to them, anyways..." she said quietly, looking him in the eye again with a somewhat solemn expression, "But if they even think about touching me, deal's off."


She almost mentioned how Kong had threatened to force her to miscarry, but she held her tongue. She was too tired to deal with much more crap that morning. At least, she still had the switchblade she stole from Ivan in her bag, sitting pretty by the door, "So...when do we leave?"

 

[lafeae]

"Yeah," Li nodded, and he more than agreed, though he doubted whoever it was that had his phone number was going to touch Athene. They were at his mercy. "I'm not going to let them do that anyways....I don't want anyone hurting you again."


It was his fault, really, that she got hurt. The car wreck, the kidnapping, and as an extension, the pains of pregnancy and eventual labor. Shifting around, looking to the coffee pot as it filled quickly. "Soon, I would think. I'll wait for them to tell me."

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Letting another sigh slip through her lips, Athene reached over and took his hand, running her fingers over his as she looked up at him, "They won't. Just...promise I still don't have to do any fighting, I'll be alright. I'll...hide or something, like they do in the movies all the time or something. They survive, right?"


No they don't, she thought to herself, chuckling nervously nonetheless.


Soon enough, there was a knock at the door. Sucking in a deep breath, Athene stood up, not really caring if she was in her pajamas as she went to go get it. Who could it be other than whoever the client was? As far as she was concerned, they were supposed to be meeting elsewhere, but there just wasn't anyone else that it could be.


Except it wasn't them. Standing at their doorstep, fitted with two prosthetic hands and a prosthetic leg and foot that tapped impatiently on the concrete, was none other than Dr. Mara Romanov, a smirk crept up on her face.


"Good morning, Ms. Young," she said, sly as a cat and clearly giddy over the fact that she knew things Athene didn't, "Is the good doctor in?"


"Uh..." Athene stammered, a little dumbfounded, a little bit struck by deja vu, "...yeah?"


"Good," she said simply, pushing past her and into the house. Surprisingly, Athene didn't argue- she was just...confused.

 

[lafeae]

Li was shortly behind, stopping in the bees hold between the dining room and living room. It was just as much of a surprise to him as it was to Athene that someone showed up at their doorstep, likely he same reason he was getting the vague texts. Taking that in mind, Li hid his shock and took careful steps into the living room.


"Good morning," called Li, looking Romanov up and down. Clearly the years had not been kind---or maybe they had, if he recalled her correctly. They'd only met the once.


"Are you the one bringing me jobs now? Small world if you are." He couldn't help but smirk.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

"No, but you might be fixing me breakfast," she said, her smirk wider and even more excited as she continued to speak, but still hiding under an air of coolness, "A little birdy told me that you're working with a body and that you're very likely to fail miserably. Should that happen, I take care of it for you."


Pacing around their house like she owned it, she sat down on their dining room table, and held out her hands. Under the prosthetic, only her thumbs and one pinkie could be seen, "Food has been scarce."


Tucking her hands back into her pockets, she sighed, looking around, "Besides, I'd like to stay and observe. I've heard a lot about your skills, after all- I'd like to see them in action."

 

[lafeae]

With a little smile, Li already felt confident enough that things are going to fine. Hopefully. Confidence was in his skill, even if there wasn't much from Romanov.


"Self-canabalism does have that tendency," Li commented, and he followed her through to the dining room. Looking back at Athene, he motioned to the kitchen, letting her know the coffee was done.


It was a little fearful what may lie ahead of him, especially if Romanov knew better than he did what was going on. How many of these fangs were working together? "Did your little birdie tell you about what's wrong with my patient?"

 

[ValentineIllusion]

"...Wait, what?" Athene asked, absolutely, totally confused as she followed him into the dining room. She remembered Dr. Romanov, of course, but she didn't exactly remember...any of this. It didn't look like something just a single cup of coffee could help her handle.


Romanov pursed her lips, examining her blood red, plastic fingernails like a murderous rich woman would do in a soap opera, "It's not preferable. I taste disgusting," she mentioned, letting her smirk slip back onto her face, "But, oh, tsk...I'm too good of a doctor and everyone's alive, and I'm a horribly underrated hitman and no one's hiring me to kill anyone. Desperate times call for desperate measures, hm? Besides...these hands look nice on me, don't you think?"


She looked back up at him, and her happiness about knowing more than him showed, "No, he didn't, actually. I'm not affiliated with the circus they have going on there, but I am well associated with one of their silly little clowns. He's the one that hooked me up here."